Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Small craft advisory

The morning clouds rolled back leaving behind one of the prettiest days we have had for quite some time. The high sun and some cumulus clouds conspired to put on a show and it was a dandy. All was not perfect, however, as the wind blew and blew hard. It might have been the mightiest wind I have ridden in in at least a couple of years. It blew so hard that it caused me to look up who issues small craft advisories and under what conditions. I don't know for sure if the corollary, "inland lake wind advisory" was actually issued here today but I do know that the wind blew hard.

It blew so hard that on the occasions when I had a straight cross wind it was just a tiny bit tricky keeping the bicycle upright. And that is why I thought about the whole subject, because anyone who hasn't considered the matter carefully may not have concluded that a bicycle is a small craft.

The ride upwind was hard, really hard. It took most of an hour to reach this spot on the northwest shore of Lake Calhoun.This is my furthest penetration into Minneapolis this year. In fact, I was so far into Minneapolis that I almost rode all the way through and out the other side. Shortly before turning to the south to get over to the lake I saw a sign indicating less than a mile to Saint Louis Park.

I also stopped and got a picture of Lake of the Isles.I was riding down East Calhoun Boulevard where the street passes underneath the Midtown Greenway when I encountered the perhaps largest pothole ever. It was about 8 or 10 inches deep and at least two feet across. The lighting is always iffy underneath an overpass like that and I did not see the pothole until it was too late to avoid it. The chasm was so deep and so wide that it crossed my mind that I might be going down. Then it crossed my mind that I could damage my bicycle.

The ride home was made in the direction where I felt strong. The problem was that the ride over was so dang hard that I was a bit knackered and did not feel quite as strong as I had hoped. Even so there were periods when I was just coasting along soft pedaling, not doing much in the way of work, and still topping 22 mph.

So I guess even though I did not feel strong, I most definitely should have felt fast.

I found these orange flowers on the way home. I like orange, I think these are poppies.Some may have noticed that there is at least one paragraph in this blog post which contains only one sentence. Any (that means you Mrs. Smith) who question this are invited to read the most perceptive comment left to yesterday's post by the inimitable Marz Volpatz and be informed that in matters pertaining to content of this blog that the artist retains total artistic control over the work product.

Further the artist sayeth not. At least for now.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Wheldon wins, FC Nantes does not

What are the odds that both of the big American car races will end with the leader going into the final turn not winning the race? I wonder if they had anything similar at the day's other big car racing event, the Grand Prix of Monaco. I am sure I could Google and find out but I'm not going to right now.

On cue, summer appeared to arrive today. It was warm and muggy AND windy. The temperature was around 80 which meant that gear had to be rearranged. Today I went out riding in complete summer costume, no sleeves, no pants, no jacket. It was warm enough that evaporative cooling occurred.

There is fairly big news over at Como Park. The park has become too successful for its own good. Parking restrictions have become necessary to quiet the complaints of the neighbors that on busy days at the park they are unable to park at their own houses.The plan is to direct all of the cars to available parking across the street from the State Fair. As this parking lot is about 5 blocks from the nearest point of the park, shuttle buses will be provided.The plan is a common one, permit parking on several of the nearby streets. The sign announcing the new restrictions says that each resident can obtain 4 permits and 2 guest permits.It was a busy day over at Como. I was just a tiny bit surprised to find this along the street on Como Avenue near Lexington.I do not recall ever seeing anything other than ice cream trucks at the park itself. This trailer is open for business with the characteristic heavy grease odor of deep frying cheese curds wafting though the air. I have seen food stands a couple of times already at the Fairgrounds this year for big events over there but never before at Como.

The football season is over. FC Nantes has finished 13th in Ligue 2. Nantes led the league in attendance and in nothing else assuring a third consecutive season in the lower ranks. Ligue 2 champion Evian will join Ligue 1 as will Dijon and Corsican side Ajaccio. Relegated to the French third division will be Vannes, Nimes and Grenoble. Promoted from the third division to Ligue 2 will be Bastia, Amiens and Gunigamp.

In Ligue 1, Lille has completed the historic double by capturing the league championship to go with their win in le Coupe de France. Relegated are this season promotees Arles-Avignon (last year's Ligue 2 champions) and Lens. Also relegated, for the first time in 34 years, AS Monaco.

Next year's Ligue 2 will include three teams with long and proud histories in Ligue 1 (and large stadia), Nantes, Monaco and LeMans. The road back to Ligue 1 for FC Nantes through next season's Ligue 2 schedule will be difficult with the presence in the league of these other two heavyweights.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Guest Rider

I am probably going to suspend complaining but probably only temporarily. Today was except for that one awkward threat of severe weather in mid afternoon, a pretty nice day. It was warm enough and sunny most of the time. In an effort to add perspective to the whole discussion I decided to check the archives to see what the weather was like one year ago on this date. I am not positive about the weather in Roseville but it was cool that morning at les Jardins du Palais Royale.While I was in the archives I also came across this. Wireless recently informed me that they don't have school buses in France.Every motorist in Minnesota is hereby requested to ratchet up their bicyclist awareness quotient to allow for the entry of one more rider in the metro area. Today the Guest Rider made her first guest appearance of the season. Either that or the aliens have proliferated.I also took her past the snow pile at the Fairgrounds. It is a mere shadow of its former self but it is most definitely still present.May 28, impressive staying power.

We rode for a little less than an hour and then I called a rest stop at Langford Park. After taking what I deemed to be a sufficient break I asked her how much further she wanted to ride. She replied, "How far is it home?"

If everyone will promise not to tell her I will let you all know that she actually did quite well for a first ride of the year, completing a tad over 16 miles. If you don't think that is a lot, you haven't tried to ride 16 miles recently. I checked my own log and discovered that my first ride of this season was only 14 miles so she has made an impressive debut.

Plus, she said she likes it.

Today's milestone for me is that I have at long last dragged the season mileage beyond the first big milestone, today reaching 1,008 miles for the year.

As for tomorrow's event, I am declaring the first round complete. A recap:
Gino takes Dixon
TCWUTH takes Will Power
The cyclist formerly known as Santini takes the guy with the Italian sounding name Tagliani
Castroneves goes to the tennis player sometimes previously known as JQ
GRider takes Danny Sullivan

For my second pick I admit strong interest in the French bread guy in the middle of the 5th row but I am going to take outside row 2, Dan Wheldon. The Commissioner (me) declares that if no one takes Baguette with a formal draft choice that Gino (me) will be awarded rights to that driver as a "bonus pick". Further the Commissioner sayeth not (for now).

And her actual pick is the driver married to Ashley Judd.

Friday, May 27, 2011

April returns

The cloud banks rolled back in and 60 today doesn't feel a bit like 60 yesterday. Today was once again too cold.

I have been thinking though, and I can remember several Memorial Day weekends when it was too cold. It has happened before. Of course, I can also remember quite a few Memorial Day weekends when the sun came out, the temperatures rose and it was suddenly and completely summer. Summer would be good, although I would have preferred that we have a little spring first.

But Memorial Day weekend is upon us and with it comes the greatest spectacle in racing. And, no, I do not mean the end of the Giro. In line with family tradition I get first pick and I am taking the guy in the middle of the first row. I am not even positive who that is right off hand, but I think it is Dixon.

I HAVE noticed that the Giro is going on but I have also noted that the extremely unlikable Alberto Contador is making a mockery of the competition, leading the last time I checked a couple of days ago by nearly five minutes. What this shows me is that Alberto's "drug team" is clearly far superior to the "drug detecting team" being employed by the woeful World Anti-Doping Agency. That WADA continues to fail to detect the performance enhancing drug masking agent being provided to Alberto by his team indicates that bicycle racing is not "clean". Actually in the modern world of sport with the financial rewards available it seems unlikely that ANY sport is anywhere close to clean.

As long as I am on the subject, earlier this year Barry Bonds' personal trainer for the second time went to jail for refusing to provide testimony against Bonds at Barry's criminal trial. It gets harder and harder to find that kind of loyalty in employees. Unfortunately for Lance Armstrong it appears that his long time chief domestique George Hincapie has declined a similar opportunity and has instead testified to the federal grand jury about drug use on the US Postal bicycle racing team.

Lance's defense remains as he apparently recently posted on Twitter: “20+ year career. 500 drug controls worldwide, in and out of competition. Never a failed test. I rest my case.” It almost seems like that defense ought to be good enough and that he SHOULD be able to rest his case. Unfortunately for Lance that defense is getting less and less credible. As admissions from various others in the sport gradually make it abundantly clear that bicycle racing during the time that Armstrong competed was saturated with performance enhancing drugs, that many of Armstrong's chief competitors and many of his teammates were using those drugs, it gradually becomes too much for Armstrong to ask us to believe that he was clean and that his ability was so much superior to the others that he was able to dominate the sport without using the aids that all of the others were using.

Which does nothing to diminish the fact that it all made for great theater.

We recently had delivered to the house a freebie from a local real estate company. Produced in conjunction with the Roseville Historical Society, it is entitled "Historical Atlas of Early Rose Township". I like this sort of thing so I have been looking it over. It has a couple of early plat maps of the township and a bunch of historical notes. For example, I note that an 1867 plat shows that the place where I now live was at that time part of a 40 acre parcel owned, well, insider information here, what it actually means is that the taxes were being paid by "H & F" an abbreviation quite likely related to the 80 to the north for which taxes were being paid by "Hardy & Hough". By 1886 the 40 had been joined to the immediately adjacent to the west 40 and both were having taxes paid by Nicholas Pothen.

The first settlement made in the town of Rose was by Stephen Desnoyer in 1843 on the bank of the Mississippi River in section 32 of the surveyed township (29N, 23W for those who care) which was eventually incorporated as the Town of Rose.In the fall of 1843, Isaac Rose, for whom the town was named, settled just a little to the west of Desnoyer's riverbank location. The atlas states that he "had built a log house . . . near present day Shadow Falls" and that Isaac "ran a ferry for the convenience of the soldiers coming to sample Mrs. Desnoyer's cooking."

This got me thinking about the Mississippi River. It is not currently really much in the way of a river, it is more in the nature of a series of dams built and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers with resulting pools behind the dams.

I know where Shadow Falls is so I went over to take a look at the area of the pool above Lock and Dam Number 1. Here is the river photographed from the east side of the river and the south side of the gorge which conceals Shadow Falls.Even allowing for the fact that the river is running high right now, this area doesn't look to me to be very prospective for a ferry business. The reduction of the Father of Waters to a concrete channel is going to have to be a rant engaged upon at some other time but suffice to say, this photo probably resembles the river as seen by Stephen Desnoyer and Isaac Rose not at all.

So I ended up repairing both tubes. Partly I did this because it is the right thing to do. On the one hand, tubes only cost six or eight dollars or so but patching a tube isn't rocket science and I have ridden thousands of miles on patched tubes. Partly I did the repair because I suspected that the repaired tubes would provide just exactly THIS photo opportunity.Everyone all together now:

"He was right, there is something suspicious about the way those flat tires keep occurring at the same spot on the rim".

And finally, even though it may appear to be so, TOPWLH and I are pleased to report that there is NOT some sort of domestic dispute going on over here. I said to her, "I didn't think you would be so sensitive." She said to me, "I didn't think YOU would be so sensitive". Neither of us was ever actually upset with the other.

We now resume regular programming.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Tire maintenance nightmare

It was very cool again today but . . .

At this point in late May, when the cloud bank finally rolls back we all discover that the sun is SO HIGH in the sky that even if the day is cool the sun angle still ends up making the day seem pretty dang pleasant. That was today.

I wanted to get an early start and possibly take a long ride to enjoy the cloudless sky. But as I rolled down the driveway shortly past noon I felt the always unpleasant sensation of rear wheel rim making direct contact with the pavement. This only occurs if the rear tire is not providing the essential buffer to keep those two too hard surfaces apart.

Flat tire.

It is too early in the year to have already had multiple flats. Honestly, some years I have zero flats. Already this year, two.

I quickly switched into bicycle repairman mode and got started. The steps in the process come pretty automatically by now and I was soon confronting the non-performing tube. A step in tire repair that should never be overlooked is figuring out why the tire went flat in the first place. The usual first step in the procedure is to pump some air into the tube and find the place where air is escaping. This time much to my surprise the tube seemed to hold air just fine.

I was skeptical but after doing a little more investigation on the inside of the tire itself (the usual second step in the procedure) during which I discovered no obvious sharp things I went ahead and put the whole business back together. I remounted the tire and began to pump.

Well, this time it wouldn't pump at all. Curious.

The whole thing came off again. This time I discovered three ugly little holes ripped into a small area of the tube from which air absolutely hissed. Funny I couldn't find it before and ominously it seemed all too much like the year's earlier flat tire where I had multiple holes in the tube. Using the tube as a guide this time I located the general area of the tire where the hole in the tube had been when the tube was inside the tire (step 3). The search resumed for sharp things and again came up empty.

I wanted to get on the road so I planned to replace the tube for now and patch the hole later. I recently purchased some new tubes so I unboxed one of the new tubes and after applying a few pump strokes to ensure that the tube held air, I put everything back together. I attempted for a second time to pump the mounted tire and for the second time it wouldn't pump at all.

So the tire came apart again. Ominously the new tube had the same three hole pattern ripped into the same spot half way around from the valve.

The way it goes with tire repair, you are pretty safe in assuming that when you find ANY problem with the tube you have found THE problem with the tube. But there is an adage which says, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Shame on me. This time I wasn't going to be fooled.

I took the tube out. I took the tire completely off the rim. I turned the tire inside out and went completely around the inside of the tire inch by inch with the tire clasped between thumb and forefinger, searching for the cause of the flats. I found nothing. I turned the tire back to right side out and repeated the process on the outside of the tire. I then took up the bare tire rim (which, by the way, weighs NOTHING) and did a similar examination of the tire seating area. I searched for any sharp spot or roughness which could be causing the flats. Nothing.

But with that level of examination complete, this time when the whole thing went back together (with a second brand new tube) I was cautiously optimistic that it would hold air. The tire pumped up just fine and I was at long last prepared to ride.

The problem seems obvious. Tire repair had consumed most of the time during which I usually ride. I had been in bicycle repairman mode for more than 90 minutes.

It was a sunny May day, so I went riding anyway. I ended up finishing my ride only after the very earliest part of rush hour was under way which I don't like but which I survived. It was such a nice day that I ended up finishing the two hour ride in a shade under two hours, my fastest time of the year.

I felt strong, I felt fast.

I didn't feel like taking pictures. This is a collection of signs that piqued my curiosity at the corner of Lydia and Hamline. Hamline is clearly also Ramsey County 50 at this point. Lydia has to STOP. And there is something for rent down there towards the right (south if you care). That's a church parking lot across the street.I find it curious that Ramsey County numbers the county highways while also giving them street names which are letters. This is Hamline and also County Highway 50. Nearby the street most often referred to as County Road C is also Ramsey County Highway 23. I find it curious.

I have returned home now and am undecided about the fate of the two tubes. One of the tubes has never even been fully inflated much less have any miles ridden on it. That tube seems like it should be repaired. But even the other one has only 424 miles on it, not enough for the trash heap.

*pause*

Yes, I do keep track of such things as mileage between flats, it is one of the reasons for keeping a bike log. And just in case anyone wonders, I only have 810 miles on that set of tires, again far too few for the trash heap.

But enough tire maintenance for one day, I shall make these momentous decisions on the morrow.

TCWUTH has returned from France. Strasbourg looks nice.

Lastly, it is not a manuscript intended for professional peer review and publication. It is a bicycle blog, more in the nature of a journal. Within the stylistic considerations of a BLOG I feel completely justified in occasionally writing a sentence, stopping, skipping a line, and starting again. If this offends it offends, perhaps I should be sorry. I do this whole blog thing to amuse myself. I readily concede that I am always pleased if someone else is also even slightly entertained. But for my violation of the requirements of formal composition rules I apologize not. Please everyone be assured that it is definitely not my intention to be harsh here but what is under discussion is, after all, an informal collection of doggerel composed by someone referring to himself as GZMOOHOO. It's not the Magna Carta.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Too cold

Today was clearly too cold for end of May bicycling. As a direct result I only got in a little over two hour bicycle ride. It was brutal. It was also windy.

It was also grey. For the second ride in a row the sun never ever emerged. Even so, I thought this display near Langford Park deserved a showing.Imagine how striking that flower bed must be in the sunlight.

*sigh* Stuck on imagining. *sigh*

I think that one of the interesting things about life is that I often find that if I make a sweeping general definitive judgment about some topic or another life will promptly intervene exposing me as a jackass. Yesterday I proclaimed that there was no pavement within an hour's ride from my house that I had not ridden.

Today I rode over to the Fairgrounds.

EG: 59 CB:58 AOWG: 64 So about 60, clearly too cold.

This gate is always, ALWAYS closed and locked.Nice looking sky, eh?

That previously unridden upon piece of pavement beyond the previously always ALWAYS locked gate leads to and around the water tower and then serves as the main road of the campground located along Snelling Avenue, the campground familiar to Minnesotans as the all year long vacant field along Snelling which becomes a shoehorned in full to capacity sea of what is referred to on the television coverage of the Tour de France as camper cars during Fair week.

Today that bit of roadway joined the collection of pavement within an hour's ride from my house that I have ridden upon.

*sigh*

One doesn't expect to be so completely exposed so ridiculously promptly after making a good faith boast. I will not today be making any definitive statements. I am chastened.

Here are the guardians of that gate, looking to me particularly alien.The Fair has lots of aliens. It also has a few miles of paved road, a couple hundred yards of which I had not ridden on until today.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Today it IS a narrative

Yesterday's writing was so disjointed that I felt compelled to offer an excuse for veering wildly about. Today I am prepared to offer a more orderly narrative, something with a beginning, some middle parts, and an end, and always exhibiting some thematic unity. Let's get started.

Ooops, wait, first an editorial comment. We do not expect to receive any update from France today as our Wireless correspondent is away from the keyboard (on a side trip to Strasbourg).

Here, then in choronological order and in an orderly manner are the things I found interesting today.

The day was quite cool for May, requiring a return to a light jacket and pants as bicycling wear. Too cool is better than too warm as long as too cool can be kept comfortable. I have the gear.

I wanted to go someplace that I don't go very often so I deviated from the usual routes as soon as I had cleared the neighborhood and the constraints placed on those routes by the necessity of finding a reasonably quiet spot for crossing of the busy streets and highways which surround me on all sides.

I quickly turned off the usual northern route and headed east instead, into the northeast wind. Here is where I was after five miles.That's the corner of Western and County Road B2. It is an interesting spot because the road in all four cardinal directions goes downhill. I don't get there very often, partly because, of course, there is no possible way to get there without riding uphill.

As I paused the sun was making some attempt at breaking through the persistent cloud cover. This sort of almost breakout continued throughout the ride but no sun ever actually appeared. Fortunately after I got home there was a spell of at least a couple of hours when the sun came out and we had a pretty nice, if cool, afternoon.

Today's behavior note occurred as I was passing Lake Gervais at about the eight mile mark.

A citizen walking along the pavement between its edge and the fog line (note: this is exactly the piece of pavement I am always attempting to occupy) went way outside what I have recently delineated as normal bicycle/pedestrian interaction. HE gave a hearty "Hello" before I was within several yards of him. I responded in kind. But then the man on foot offered something not encountered in some time, if ever. He attempted to continue the conversation with an inquiry into my well being ("How ya doin'?"). I barely had time to be polite before sweeping past at 15 mph. Perhaps that's the problem. It is hard to interact when the speed at which one of the two parties is moving is so rapid that the opportunity window for interaction is going to be quite short.

I shall continue the research.

I soon ran out of opportunity to continue east as geography and the road network conspired to leave me with a choice of north or south or into the lake. I climbed the hill up from Lake Gervais on Arcade and made the first turn to the right, and was now proceeding north on Labore Road.

This is the ten mile mark.That's the overpass on Labore Road over the west end of the 694/35E interchange.

This is a spot well known to anyone who lives in the east metro. The last couple of years this interchange has been subject to considerable reconstruction in an attempt to "unweave the weave". A similar project is, of course, going on on the south side.

Here is the turnaround point at about mile twelve.That's Macaluso's Roadhouse at the corner of Labore and Goose Lake Road.

I noticed that I had just been riding through the City of Gem Lake. I don't get to Gem Lake much. After riding only east and north to this point I would now began to ride first west and then south. The change in conditions was so instantly noticeable that I stopped in less than 100 yards and removed my jacket.

I rode across the south end of Lake Vadnais. I ride to Lake Vadnais a lot but ride that south shore only occasionally.

It is worth pointing out that even though I started out intending to ride someplace different that I ended up, yet again, at Lake Vadnais. The reason for this is the same reason as the reason why the first few miles of my ride is always the same. There is a certain inevitability of arriving at certain places because of the limited number of places where one can easily and safely cross the busy streets and highways. The Rice Street crossing of 694 gets used a lot because it is one of the very few places where that crossing can be made safely. Just beyond that crossing is Lake Vadnais. Vadnais is inevitable.


I was riding up the hill from Vadnais towards Rice Street. The street there crosses a ramp which elevates the departure from lake side. The roadway is divided, with a concrete median. At first impression I passed this object without stopping so when I wanted a picture I had to turn and go back. SpiderMan has suffered some sort of setback.At first I thought it might be a child's toy but closer examination reveals that it is probably a car toy. Those giant suction cups in lieu of hands indicates that this Spidey is probably meant to cling to the back window of an SUV. My spider sense was tingling as I imagined Spidey letting go of the window and falling to the side of the road.

I had to break TWO of the basic rules for recreational bicycling to get this next photo. Going back to get the picture meant that I had to ride a few yards against traffic on the wrong side of the center median.

But most importantly, I had to STOP ON THE HILL.

Here is the fifteen mile mark photo.That is the corner of Rice Street and North Owasso Boulevard. I found that intersection interesting because of the opportunity that it provides for dining.

That's a Taco John across the way (there is also a Caribou Coffee and a credit union). A hungry American has the option of a 20 piece Chicken Tenders for $4.99 or 5 soft shell tacos for $5.

Difficult decision.

This is all starting to look way more familiar now as I start to get closer to home and back onto streets that I ride on a lot.

This is the spot where Hamline Avenue ends, meeting up with and being absorbed down there at the bottom of the hill by Snelling Avenue. It is also the twenty mile mark of today's ride.I ride on Hamline a lot.

I noticed along the way today that Lexington at long last has been swept. Rice Street has not. Cleveland still has not.

I was nearing home. I would like to point out that in the interest of purity of narrative theme that I took a direct route out and a direct route back, deviating for NONE of the mileage adding loops that I sometimes use. At the mile twenty-five mark I passed the corn field and got a photo from the much less often photographed east end of the field.That corn is off to a good start.

I rode some places that I do not ride to very often but I do note that I rode on not one single piece of pavement that I have not ridden on before. As I occasionally remark to TOPWLH, if it is within an hour's ride from where I live, I have ridden there. Today I just went about the tour on a less often used route.

Nice enough day, nice enough ride.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Fresh legs

Three straight days of heavy rain has one positive effect for a dedicated bicyclist. Today my legs were fresh, I felt strong, I felt fast.

I had heard that the Minneapolis Police had established an "exclusion zone" preventing non-residents from entering the area of yesterday's local big storm. Our local big storm was mild compared to Joplin but it was sufficiently severe to be considered during the event yesterday as the worst tornado we have had since 1981. So it was a big storm.

I was wondering how the exclusion zone might apply to a bicyclist so I thought I might ride over that way just to see. However, just as I left the house the still somewhat unsettled atmosphere blew a great big black cloud over the middle of the sky. I knew that the probability of rain was on the low end of the spectrum but great big black clouds always scare me into staying relatively close to home. My life experiences riding in the rain have left me with a lasting feeling that riding in the rain is unpleasant. If caught in the rain I want to be close enough to home to limit the unpleasantness as much as possible.

I can ride a lot of places that I don't get to very often and still stay close to home. Here is the deal, I slip a cheap digital camera into my jersey pocket and go for a bicycle ride. I take photos of things that interest me and then I come back here and try to weave a narrative around the photos.

Sometimes there is no narrative, the photos are really pretty much random.

I have discussed this site before. That is the former location of a Mounds View school district building in northern Roseville. Considerable site pollution was discovered when the building was demolished and clean up has been going on ever since.The last time I saw technicians on site they were checking up on the monitoring wells. This truck indicated that it was from a well company so I thought that might be what was going on again. I had a chat with the technician (really, very boring was how he described today's tasks) and he informed me that monitoring of the wells, some of which are visible in the background, has already established that the ground water is within acceptable limits. What he was checking for was soil gas migration. The water is within acceptable limits but far from actually clean. Now his company is doing testing to try to determine if gases within the soil are migrating off site. The concern is that if the gases do migrate that they could accumulate in the nearby basements at toxic levels.

So that doesn't sound very clean to me.

It's about five miles from home.

I don't recall ever approaching County Cycles from this exact angle before.I had to ride through the parking lot of city hall and across a sidewalk to change from one parking lot to the other to get to that spot. It was enough of a deviation from normal route selections that I say with great confidence that I really have not been to that spot on my bicycle before. The day was starting to turn nice but business at the bike shop looks slow.

Winter is finally over in the Cub parking lot. There is not a bit of snow remaining from that formerly giant snow pile.There is, however, a fairly stunning debris field.

Today's behavior note: Curious, the farther I got from home today, and therefore the less likely it was that I had ever previously encountered the people I met while riding today, the more likely it was that they would return my greeting with a nod a mile or a wave. I have no explanation even though I was again dressed in what I have conceded is outlandish garb.

Outlandish I concede. Here is what alien looks like.It was a pretty nice day at the Fairgrounds by the time I got there. The big black cloud had gone away, the sun was making intermittent appearances. All in all, another nice day.

EG: 71 CB: 68 AOWG: 77

Thursday, May 19, 2011

String broken

Updates from France are available elsewhere on the internet. Be sure to check the Flickr stream labeled Paris 2011.

The string of days each of which was a little bit nicer than the last had to end and today it did. The clouds rolled in shortly before noon and the day stayed mostly clouded over after that. It was only clouds, no precipitation, but cloudy after days of bright sunshine breaks the string. Mind you, I AM NOT COMPLAINING, it was still close to average temperature, not a bad day at all. Just not as nice as yesterday.

I wanted to head down into the city so I started my ride by circling over to the Fairgrounds for a look around. Despite the arrival of spring the snow pile lingers on. It is about eight feet high at that tallest point.Meanwhile, clean up of the site is proceeding. The dirt left over after the snow in the other parts of the pile disappeared has been plowed and swept. This allowed me to get around on the side of the pile opposite from where most of the photos of this particular phenomenon have been taken.

I was turning around to get back on route when these creatures bolted over to the fence to get a good close look at me.I had no intentions of publishing a cow photo but these animals showed such a great interest in me that I ended up taking an interest in them.

Strictly speaking, those are not actually cows. It is certainly correct that those are cattle but a closer examination will reveal that those are fellas.

It isn't Marche Bastille but I did make it to an open air market today. My motivation for heading down into the city was that one of the local bicycle businesses is having a tent and warehouse sale. Here is a NewLOOK at the entrance to the event.I was walking in when the male half of a departing couple spoke directly to me, saying "That's a great shop."

I replied that I agreed that it is a great shop. We weren't talking about the shop holding the sale.

Here is what I was wearing that prompted his remark.I just thought my Paris Cycles Laurent jersey was particularly appropriate today.

Chad for scale.

Today's behavior observation: Today the third different person who I passed regularly while walking outdoors this winter, each of which I eventually exchanged greetings and conversational snippets with, each of which during the winter was smiling and friendly, each of which during the winter was on the way to being one of those not really acquaintances but someone from the neighborhood who you nod to, today the third different one of those declined to make eye contact and instead ignored me when I met the exact same person in the exact same spot where I met that person several times this winter and when I attempted the same sort of greeting towards the individual that I had offered several times this winter.

The difference? In the winter time we were both on foot. Today I was the outlandishly garbed odd sunglasses sporting not riding a nice normal person's comfort bike outsider hunched over on one of those "racing" bicycles.

Same three people, each time in exactly the same spot where we crossed paths during the winter.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

A little bit nicer today again

I am confident that today we reached the average temperature for the date. It was just a little bit nicer than yesterday.

I recognize that this little bit nicer than yesterday thing is repeating itself. It seems to be true. We are not yet in the OOTNDITHOD category but today was way pleasant. It was a short sleeves and sun screen day.

Today's wind was mostly east again, as I mentioned a wind direction I like. Today the slight deviation from due east was slightly on the northern side and the velocity inched up a tick or two. I headed out on the 8 lakes tour.

I can't help myself, I really should let these trees reach peak before I take their pictures. I can't help myself, it has been such a brutal spring that the flowers sweep me away. This is another favorite, pictured nearly every year, the white blossom tree with a red blossom tree on each flank. The red isn't quite there yet but it still looks pretty.It also smells really fine.

Today is Wednesday and if there is ever a day at Vadnais when fishing pressure should diminish it should be the middle day of the work week. I suppose it did diminish a tiny bit, there was probably one less car in the parking lot than on Monday. But that one less car left a spot open on the lake shore and I took the opportunity to get this look at the jewel of the northern lakes.This picture was taken when I was almost home. It is at the end of the block, at the new, new Browns for those who know that code. I believe that these are Russian Olive trees.TCWUTH boarded Delta 220 this afternoon and by about 1am our time will be in the City of Light. The inter tubes reports that there are several cities that are sometimes referred to as the City of Light. The one Wireless will be in is the city that is most commonly referred to in this way. The high temperature today in Paris was 77. It appears that a highlight of her visit is going to be good weather. Springtime in Paris.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A little bit nicer today

The temperature stayed near average while the wind died down and shifted around to be out of east. The changes made today just a little bit nicer than yesterday. I put my lightest jacket on the start the ride not being sure what the effect of what wind there was might be but I finished the ride today in short sleeves (and shorts). Need I repeat? I AM DEFINITELY NOT COMPLAINING!

An east wind is one of my favorites. Most of my routes are predominantly north-south. An east wind means that I can do most of the ride without facing the wind directly. Admittedly riding in a cross wind is not without its challenges either but I prefer those challenges to the struggle directly into the wind.

Today I headed off towards the big city. The wind was slightly south of due east which meant a predominantly southern route was preferred. With the wind diminished I took the week's long ride, postponed from yesterday, today. And the long ride turned out to be necessary as well as a good thing as for the first time this year I reached the end of the standard distance for the two hour ride in less than two hours. That means I rode what was for me fast.

I rode down to the confluence of the two big local rivers. The flood is officially over at our latitude but the river is still very high, appearing to be over the banks on Pike Island, visible on the left of the photo.Mendota in the background, Highway 55 bridge visible crossing the Minnesota River gorge.

That bench yesterday seemed to be pretty well received so here is another one, Fort Snelling across the Mississippi to help identify location.We have the entered the time of year when it really smells very nice just about everywhere you go. This is on Otis Avenue just off the Saint Thomas campus, between Cretin and the river.I am standing in someone's yard among some trees which will flower but really haven't yet, photographing the extraordinarily pleasant smelling white blossom crab apples on the street boulevard with some not quite as fragrant but perhaps more visually stimulating purple blossom crab apples in the yard across the street.

It really smelled good where I was standing.

In other growing season news, the corn is up.Other things learned today: It appears that ALL of the streets in Saint Paul have been swept. Out here where I live both Lexington and Cleveland, both major thoroughfares, and both county maintained routes, remain covered with winter debris.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Ambience reverts to Monday normal

It was still pretty windy today but I AM DEFINITELY NOT COMPLAINING.

The temperature came pretty close to average, the sun was out, it was without doubt a pretty darn nice day.

But it was windy. Today is long ride day but with strong NE winds I discovered upon reaching the usual turn back point at the northeastern edge of the usual ride that I had had enough. Instead of going for more I turned for home. It seems that long ride day will have to wait for the wind to die down a bit.

Today was a nicer day than yesterday but as so often happens the people who were out enjoying yesterday's sunshine were not present today. The teeming hordes of weekend recreators all returned to their Monday pursuits and I had the streets pretty much to myself. All together now, there a finite number of days as nice as today in any person's life. It is a shame to spend more of them than absolutely necessary on the fourth floor of a building with windows that do not open. I spent today outdoors.

As May finally begins to act like May the signs of spring are unmistakable. Here is a place in Shoreview where lots of us have been, the four flowering crabs in the yard on the corner at the top of the hill.The trees have not reached peak yet but with a blue sky as backdrop, with all the green and with the red car for contrast I thought that this transition moment made for a photo opportunity.

I had the streets mostly to myself and I expected to find Lake Vadnais relatively deserted as well. But fishing trumps lots of other activities. The road down into Vadnais which was lined with cars yesterday had many fewer today but when I got to the parking lot the scene was pretty much the same as yesterday with lots of folks enjoying the day with a line in the water.

I got this photo of Sucker Lake.Sucker Lake is a walk in lake, there are parking lots at both ends of what clearly was at one time a street. But there are barricades at both parking lots with a distance of a couple of hundred yards to this spot on the lake. Only pedestrians and bicyclists are down at the lake. It always makes for a peaceful spot and an ambience much different than a lake with a parking lot right on the shore line.

Purple flowers near Lake Owasso in Roseville.That is the corner yard with the barking dog and the invisible dog fence. The old dog knew the futility of barking and stayed in the shade. A couple of years ago they got a new dog. The new dog is s-l-o-w-l-y figuring it out but still barks and makes a token feint towards the street when I go by.

Speaking of streets where I ride a lot, I came across this new development on Garden Avenue near Fernwood.I ride on Garden a lot but it seems obvious to me that I will quite soon be seeking an alternative route through that part of town.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Fishing beginning, football ending

I have some major route news. Hamline Avenue has been swept at long last. I ride on Hamline a lot.

I rode on Hamline today, in fact, even though the day was cool and very windy.

But no complaints here. It was 60 and the sun was out. Yesterday I exclaimed to TOPWLH that if we could just get the sun out for a bit and if the temperature could just get to 60 that I would be satisfied. Both of my conditions were met and I AM NOT COMPLAINING.

What set me off yesterday was all day rain and a high of about 45.

I rode out into a 15-20 mph with gusts to 27 NE wind. Hard. But I AM NOT COMPLAINING.

This is the weekend of fishing season opening in Minnesota. The ambience at Lake Vadnais has been enormously altered. Suddenly there is a crowd.Just before arriving at Vadnais I got this photo at the Sucker Lake south parking lot. This makes two already this season.Interestingly enough, a lady spotted me lining up the photo as she was parking her car just a couple of spaces over. She came over and engaged me in conversation. She had her car window smashed in that very parking lot a couple of years ago and what I would not have guessed was that her criminal victimhood occurred in broad daylight. She said at that time the police told her that there was a roving gang based in the larger nearby city that was doing the breaking and entering.

On to football season, which is ending just as fishing begins.

On Saturday, the northwest England city of Manchester celebrated an historic double. At Wembley Stadium, Manchester City have won the FA Cup for the first time since 1979, defeating Stoke City by 1 nil. Meanwhile, back home in Manchester at Old Trafford, Manchester United tied Bolton 1-1 to secure the championship of the Premier League. Manchester United also remain alive with a chance to win the UEFA Champions League, facing FC Barcelona for that trophy on May 28, also at Wembley.

In France on Saturday, Lille have captured le Coupe de France with a 1 nil victory over Paris-Saint Germain at Stade de France in Paris suburb Saint Denis. Lille is also first in Ligue 1 with three games remaining. The league title which Lille seeks would create another historic double, le Coupe and the league championship. Prior to the victory in le Coupe, Lille had not captured any of the season ending trophies for 56 years having last one le Coupe de France in 1955.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum . . .

I have been closely following the fortunes of FC Nantes for 5 seasons. Each of those season featured a second half of the season collapse, some of epic proportions. A review:

2006-2007: FC Nantes was a storied franchise, boasting at 43 seasons the longest streak continuously in France's top league in the history of French football. The second half of season one of my heightened interest ended with the fans of FC Nantes storming on to the pitch before the final whistle of the season ending game to protest yet another putrid effort by the yellow. The team played poorly in the final as they had throughout the spring. The result of the final loss and all of the losses that went before was relegation to Ligue 2.

2007-2008: The season began promisingly enough with FC Nantes holding first place in Ligue 2 at the mid-season winter break. The team did not play as well after the New Year and even though they achieved promotion back to Ligue 1 they were not able to do so as the champions of Ligue 2, losing twice to Le Havre, and finishing second.

2008-2009: The first half was promising as FC Nantes hovered near mid-table respectability. The second half was disgraceful again as the team plummeted to the bottom and right back out of the league, relegated to Ligue 2 for the second time.

2009-2010: The team reached the mid-season break with 27 points, not stellar but comfortably in the upper half of the table. The second half collapse was epic as the team eventually actually celebrated avoiding relegation out of Ligue 2 to the third level league. FC Nantes finished with 45 points (18 in the second half) in a season when 44 was required to avoid relegation, Guingamp with 43 being the highest ranked team relegated.

2010-2011: The team again began well, reaching the break in 6th place with 29 points, just 3 from the promotion zone. During the break the team added a couple of players from Ligue 1 sides and also enjoyed some success in le Coupe de France, reaching the round of 16 before going out to eventual champion Lille on penalty kicks after playing the Ligue 1 kingpins to a draw. With two games now remaining the second half collapse has again been epic. After losing 3-1 to Sedan on Friday, FC Nantes has 44 points, 15 points for the second half to this point. Nantes has again avoided relegation as Vannes, the top team in the relegation zone and the only one in the zone who could theoretically catch Nantes, is at 38 points. Vannes would need to secure all 6 points remaining while Nantes gets none to draw even with Nantes. At that point goal differential would be the tie breaker and Nantes is currently-2 while Vannes is -24. Nantes is safe for this year but all that means is another year of ignominy is Ligue 2. FC Nantes, your fans are very, VERY disappointed.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Tulip time

It was not a very good day here.

At around noon I announced my permanent retirement from bicycling, having reached the end of my rope regarding the wildly fluctuating, mostly in a a negative sense, weather.

A few minutes later I decided that I should at least go out and stand in the driveway for a bit. My primary intention was to assess what clothing I would have to don for taking a walk.

I stood out there and it really wasn't quite that bad. Within a few minutes I was riding a bicycle.

I am not sure where we stand on the official dates for Tulip Time but tulips are definitely in bloom here.Those who are following closely will recognize that the last use I made of my pocket camera was the Minnehaha Falls video.

Those who know me will know that I have an imperfect record regarding camera settings. On at least one previous occasion I have attempted to take a snap shot without resetting the camera to the still photo mode from the video mode.

It was always overcast, always vaguely threatening. It was not a good day at the Fairgrounds either.

EG: 51 CB:50 AOWG: 55

Yup, 50s.

I was skirting the Grandstand when I came upon this.I am pretty sure that is the cow that turned up missing last fall after appearing at the Fair. As much of the story as I can recall is that after the Fair the cow just was not where it was supposed to be. The owner appealed through the newspapers to the general public for information about a large plastic cow, and eventually this large holstein turned up somewhere in Wisconsin.

That is about all I can remember about the story as it played out at the time. Here is one part of the story that I never saw reported but which I am pretty sure is true: Beer was involved.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Portals open

I read in the paper today that the average first day with a temperature of 80 is May 5. The weather writer went on to proclaim that this puts us right about on schedule.

Not the way I figure it, it doesn't. It puts us five days later than average. But at least ONLY five. It was more than 80 when I rode and I guess it is about 85 now.

New for today: Complete summer costume, short sleeves, shorts, no base layer of any kind, no warmers of any kind, no jacket, no fingers in the gloves. Complete summer costume.

And sunscreen. With no jacket or sleeves I realized that epidermis was actually going to be exposed to the sun. I knew where to find it, I store my sunscreen with my bicycle gear (of course).

The wind was brisk from the SE so I wanted to head over towards the river. I haven't been through the University-Raymond intersection since the flat tire so I was hoping for the best. And, voila, the utility work is all done, the pavement crossing the intersection has been restored at full width, the portal is open.

At least it is open from a Raymond Avenue point of view, actually half of University is still torn up and they are using the west bound lanes to move traffic in both directions. It wasn't going that smoothly when I was there in early afternoon, I can only guess at the chaos when all the cars in the world arrive there at rush hour.

Once past the erstwhile bottleneck I headed down towards the river. It was sunny when I started out and it is mostly sunny now but during the time I was riding there was a long stretch when it felt very prospective for showers. It was warm enough, but the overcast deepened and the fresh breeze felt like rain.

So I wanted to get to someplace I haven't been and get back home. I headed over towards the Falls. I wanted to wait for the sun to come out but decided to take a photograph while I waited.I am disappointed to have missed the ice formations over there but I was not disappointed by the Falls.

Wireless got a really, really sterling video over there on Sunday with her new phone. I had a new phone with me but felt more comfortable trying for a video with my newly trustworthy pocket camera. The sky was making me nervous so I went ahead with the video despite not ever seeing the sun.

I think hers is better but I still like mine. I very much like the sound.

The spray rising from the rocks at the bottom of the Falls felt too much like sprinkles for me and I was convinced to head for home. It always felt threatening until the last couple of miles. I ended up with a couple of miles more than standard length ride which fulfills my goal of a once weekly longer ride.

It seems that summer is going to happen after all. Now if the county can just get around to sweeping Hamline Avenue (and Lexington) (and Cleveland) (and County Road B). The road construction portal has reopened but the street sweeper roadblocks are still up.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

20 degrees C

So that's is pretty much officially that.

20C is the temperature at which riding with bare legs is allowed under Belgian Knee Warmers guidelines. Today I headed out the door into 20C. On a related note, the newspaper reported this morning that yesterday's official high temperature was 70F so that milestone is in the bag even though I am fairly certain it never reached that temperature on my side of town. In any case, bare legged riding season is now officially open.

I rode past some tulips in the wild flower yard over on Roselawn.I am pretty sure those are tulips.

I then rode down to the Capital again. Southeast wind again, still reluctant to traverse the light rail construction zone. I climbed the hill behind the Capital and then again circled down to the front, intending to check for weekend parking by large American metal or perhaps to take a look at the other statues there.

Well, the 2011 Tax Cut Rally as sponsored by the Taxpayers League of Minnesota was just winding down. Apparently I just missed Michelle Bachmann. I was parked in the shade from the not Knute Nelson statue just taking things in when a fellow citizen engaged me in conversation.

I know I look suspicious, the facial hair and all but I really wasn't expecting to be grilled about how I felt about the rally, what I thought of the tea party, what I meant by my claim to be apolitical, followed by an inquiry into my voting record. I answered the second question posed to me by replying that I was really just there riding my bike and I did not expect to be interrogated.

But actually the fellow was polite enough, if a little nosy and we ended up having a fairly lengthy and cordial conversation. I told him that I am not a member of any political party and am, in fact, distrustful of all political parties and movements, specifically including for his benefit the political movement whose rally was just breaking up. I said, and believe, that my experience is that all political parties are motivated by interests which may not be in the actual best interests of the people of the country. I was there by bicycle coincidence. He, on the other hand, was pretty obviously there for the rally.

Having escaped with facial hair and bicycle intact I headed over to complete some sort of hat trick of giant snow piles.

The local giant pile that got the most publicity during the actual snow season was dubbed by some as Mount Sears. It is the snow pile dumped in the parking lot of the Rice Street Sears store. Apparently at one point it even had at least one Christmas tree on top.It may have been the largest, it is too late for me to make that determination. But pretty clearly it is now quite significantly smaller than the pile at the Ski-U-Mah lot. In fact, Mount Sears has made an amoeba move and even though it is not apparent in this photo, the pile has split itself into two smaller piles.