1. The Graduate (Again!): In May, my daughter graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law. At the end of the summer she moved from the Hartford area to the Westport area to begin working in a law firm. The move included a significant upgrade in her living quarters and easy access to such regional highlights as the southeastern Connecticut car sewer, trains to New York City, and Stew Leonard’s bizzarro supermarket.
2. Don’t Look Up: In April, my wife and I met up with our daughter and mother-in-law and watched the solar eclipse in Portland, Indiana, smack dab in the path of totality. My father-in-law gave us some useful maps which allowed us to avoid the massive crowds in Indianapolis and Muncie. None of us went blind.
3. The Tour de Fiasco: In May and June I made a valiant attempt at riding the eastern third of the fabled TransAmerica bicycle route. The tour involved a four-day false start (I was under the weather); I took a train home from Charlottesville. After a week of rest, I rode back to where I abandoned the tour and resumed. Highlights included staying at the Cookie Lady’s house in Afton, Virginia, hiking the Blue Ridge tunnel, riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway, having an absolute blast riding to Damascus, Virginia, and staying at The Breaks State Park on the Virginia/Kentucky border. Lowlights included impossibly steep hills (so much walking!), suspicious fatigue that came and went, and numerous dog attacks. I quit for good after being advised to buy bear spray to deal with the dogs between Hazard and Berea, Kentucky.
4. The Four Horsemen of the WABApocalypse: I rode all four of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association’s Signature Events: the Bloom Ride, the 50 States Ride, the Cider Ride, and the Ride for Your Life. Special thanks to Chris Mrstik for doing all four with me. It was my 16th 50 States Ride. I tacked on the non-WABA Great Pumpkin Ride in October.
5. Pain in the Neck: After receiving an amazing deep tissue massage in May, my chronic neck pain all but disappeared. I suspect the pain was the result of getting rear-ended by an SUV while at a stop light on Big Nellie. Normally, I take my treatments from doctors and physical therapists and end up utterly frustrated with little relief and much time and money spent. Massages I have received in the past have mostly been for relaxation. This one was different. It worked like a charm. A second massage in November was similarly helpful. Big thanks to Casey Kane who referred me to his therapist.
6. So Many Blossoms: Two highlights of July hereabouts are the sunflower bloom at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area and the lotus and water lily bloom at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. I did one ride to the former and multiple rides to the latter. And the annual cherry blossom bloom didn’t disappoint either. Once again the Kenmore neighborhood of Bethesda outdid the trees in East and West Potomac Parks. Alas, Stumpy died a hero as the National Park Service started a major reconstruction of the Tidal Basin area.
7. Next to Last: As is usually the case, I watched a ton of baseball games this year. I rode to Nationals Park several times. The team showed promise until July when they bought up their minor league “stars”, mostly acquired in trades of elite players who were about to become prohibitively expensive. The last two months were ugly. The postseason featured many of these former Nationals, a couple of whom were on the World Series winners, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
8. Wikked Wedding: In October my wife and I drove to the North Shore of Massachusetts to attend my nephew Kevin’s wedding. We bounced between Beverly, Swampscott, Salem, and Marblehead. Damned pretty country. It was the first time that all my five surviving siblings and I were together since 2001.
9. Hell, the Fall Will Probably Kill You: We had 38 consecutive days without rainfall this autumn. And unseasonably warm temperatures to boot. This event was just one of several climactic oddities this year including multiple heat waves over the summer and nearly no snow during the winter. The climate here in DC is basically the same as North Carolina in the 1980s. It’s like we moved south without renting a U-Haul.
10. The Tank Reborn: In March, I all but gave up on The Tank, my Surly CrossCheck. The gearing was too aggressive and the ride was just unpleasant, exacerbating my neck pain. I had mentioned changing the gearing to a couple of bike mechanics over the years but they told me it couldn’t be done. During its annual physical last spring, Dr. Beth at Bikes at Vienna said pshaw! to all that and suggested changes to the bike’s drivetrain that gave it considerably lower (easier to pedal) gearing. It was a vast improvement. Next, I put lighter tires on. In the fall, I decided to switch from toe clips and straps to Lambda platform pedals. After a few minor adjustments to my saddle position and handlebar height, I found that the pedals really work great, especially with my cold-weather footwear. Instead of mothballing or selling the bike, it has become my go-to for local rides. At the end of the year, I sprung for some Catalyst platform pedals for The Mule, my Specialized Sequoia touring bike, after Bikes at Vienna’s Tim Fricker gave them his enthusiastic thumbs up. After a few tweaks to my saddle position, I found them to be the bomb.
And as always it goes to 11:
11. Trigger Finger: I developed a weird physical problem called trigger finger. The middle finger on my right hand involuntarily bent palmward and froze in a claw-like orientation. I would have to use my left hand to pop it back to attention. Gross! Worse, the condition made signalling my dissatisfaction with drivers problematic. I went to a hand surgeon who gave me a cortisone shot and diagnosed me with carpal tunnel syndrome and cervical radiculopathy (in plain English, a pinched nerve in my upper spine). I discovered some easy exercises in December that have greatly improved the nerve problem.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 