Little Nellie Has a Blast and Goes Bananas

(I skipped over Thursday’s exciting adventure. Here it is.)

After Wednesday’s evening of advocacy, I was pretty revved up. I didn’t get to sleep until after midnight. Overnight temperatures were dropping and the winds were howling.

It was 27 degrees with a 20+ mile per hour head wind at 7:15 a.m with winds gusting over 40 miles per hour. The Mule’s back tire was low and my floor pump wouldn’t pump so Little Nellie put on a brave face and we headed out into the gale.

After a quarter mile of tailwind I turned into the wind. WHAM!!!

This is gonna be a long ride.

And it was.

Three times I was blasted by a cross wind that pushed Little Nellie sideway. I leaned in like Sheryl Stanberg on Red Bull. I had some protection from buildings and trees until I got north of the airport.

Whoa Nellie. Lets just say I am glad the trail is not closer to the river. After a big turn, I headed into the wind and slowed to 4 miles per hour. And I was giving it everything I had. Wow. It felt like a giant hand was on my chest.

I thought I’d never get to the office. Runners and cyclists coming from the opposite direction gave me encouragement and a laugh.

Don’t. Stop. Now.

This went on for 2 ½ miles. I was pedaling my ass off and getting nowhere.

I arrived late but knackered and chuffed. That was the hardest commute in a long time. And despite all the work, it was a blast. (Pun intended.)

The ride home benefited from a strong tailwind, thank god. It was practically effortless to go 18 miles per hour.

I stopped at the grocery store to buy some bananas and some Vitamin I with a sedative. I have been taking this at bedtime to help me sleep and calm my hip. It’s good stuff.

Errandonnee Summary

Category: Grocery Store

Miles: 15

Observation: I am shocked at how well my back and hip responded to today’s ride. Of course, it could be the case that I am so jacked up on Vitamin I that I can’t feel a thing. Or maybe I am getting better. I’ll know when I quit taking the Vitamin I in a couple of days.

Two Robins, One Dump Truck, and The Mule

My pump, having magically cured itself, was working once more. The tires on The Mule were fully inflated and I was off with a nice tailwind to commiserate with the caffeine addicts at Friday Coffee Club.

I left in the pitch dark which took some getting used to in light of the fact that I was still half asleep. The sunrise over the river was a thin line of purple. (You’ll have to close your eyes and imagine because I didn’t stop and take a picture.)

It was too early for the drop off line at St. Mary’s School of the Holy SUVs which meant I could ride through Old Town on Royal Street. I did Idaho stops at the stop signs. No one was harmed. I didn’t even get a rise out of the police who watched me from their car at Montgomery Street.

Clear of Old Town and back on the Mount Vernon Trail, I entered commuter trance mode. A dozen robins were cavorting and squabbling next to the trail. One robin seemed to attack another and they launched themselves into the air across the trail. Could have been zipless bird sex or just two drunken birds having it out. I was lucky to be looking down as they crossed my path and collided with my helmet. Feathers, birds, and my trance went every which way. Violent bird chaos is a strange way to wake up.

I arrived at Friday Coffee Club to see a crowded house. Nobody sang “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” The conversation was entertaining though. DC Councilmember and candidate for the Democratic nomination for mayor Tommy Wells was there along with two staffers. (Rumor has it he was trying to catch a deluge in paper cup.) I talked to Theresa his campaign finance director. (I’d make a joke here about inappropriate fund raising but the incumbent is in the middle of scandal and I’m afraid someone might think I was serious.) Michael showed up with a hot chocolate with whipped cream and a jumbo chocolate chip cookie. Breakfast of champions. Theresa looked dolefully at her half eaten bran muffin. TGIF. (Thank God It’s Fiber.)

@bobbishaftoe wore her amazing winter head gear. Despite the fact that my camera was not working properly I am posting the picture here for posterity. The folks at the nervous hospital say she likes French fried p’taters.

Headwear inspired by “Put Me in the Zoo”

My ride to Rosslyn featured a near perfect ride across the TR Bridge. I was 3/4ths of the way across when I had to stop for a DC-bound bike commuter.

Turning onto Lynn Street at the Rosslyn Circle of Death I stopped even though I had a walk signal and the cross traffic had a red light. Sure enough, an prehistoric dump truck blew through the red light to make a right turn. If I hadn’t stopped that would have been the end of me.

Once at the office, I dismounted and kissed the ground.

After a day of economic research that couldn’t be beat, I headed for home into a 20 mile per hour headwind. I felt hungry and sleepy. Tree pollen levels are high so I suspect my allergies are picking up. Considering the fact that my knee, hips and back are once again on the fritz, I expect to have a wretched weekend. Try not to do the same.

Errandonnee #10 Summary

Category: Either coffee or community meeting, depending on which gets me all the glory

Miles: 15 (one way)

Observation: If the gods have a choice between having you collide with birds or a dump truck, pray for the birds.

The Introverted Advocate Rides Again

(I’m a day behind in my blog. You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow for today’s exciting tale.)

It was a pretty typical Wednesday in March. Temperatures in the 40s in the morning would give rise to violent weather in the evening and overnight. I took what nature gave me and set out on The Mule for a ride to work at sunrise. The sun did not disappoint.

I was in a trance for most of my ride to work. The only notable event occurred when I passed one of the Mount Vernon Trail loonies near the airport. This was the guy who was tossing debris and yelling at the traffic on the adjacent parkway near Belle Haven Park south of Old Town Alexandria on Tuesday. Today, he was walking against traffic and waving an American flag. Henceforth I shall call him The Patriot. Come to think of it he does look a little like Bill Belichick.

The approaching storm front made for much radar monitoring in the afternoon. Work. Radar. Worry. Repeat. About 3 p.m. the ominous cello music began in my head. You could see a thin line of really nasty stuff headed toward DC. (I think we’re gonna need a bigger bike.) I hit the road just before 5 and had only to deal with a headwind mixed with few sprinkles here and there.

After much fast (well, for me anyway) pedaling I pulled into the Mount Vernon government center for a meeting regarding the re-paving and re-striping of Sherwood Hall Lane (SHL), a busy two-lane street that connect US 1 with two other north/south roads, Fort Hunt Road and the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

The bike parking was pathetic which pretty much tells you all you need to know about Fairfax County’s attitude toward bicycling. I locked The Mule to the post of a parking sign and went inside.

The room was half full but became packed within an hour. Mount Vernon has the highest percentage of retirees in Fairfax County and most of them seemed to be in attendance. Tables showed maps of the proposals, all of which included bike lanes on both sides of the proposed re-striped SHL. According to Charlie Strunk, Fairfax County’s bicycle coordinator, the bike lanes are part of the Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan and are paid for out of the county bicycling budget. The road varies in width so some sections have parking on both sides, some have a middle turn lane and parking on both sides, and some have either the middle turn lane or parking on both sides of the road.

The VDOT and Fairfax County folks in charge of the project gave a presentation about what they were doing. SHL gets repaved every ten years. The re-striping is intended as a traffic calming strategy needed for three reasons:

Police and local politicians had identified numerous safety concerns
The road is very wide which results in frequent speeding
Traffic volume has increased because US 1 is gridlocked during rush hour and on weekends. This gridlock is caused by the extensive residential development and an increase in commuters to Fort Belvoir to the south.

During and after the presentation, citizens commented and asked questions. It was interesting to see how many people feel that parking in front of their house is an entitlement, even though most of them have access to on-street parking a few yards away on a side street. Some of the audience remarks were snarky, some procedural (this is DC, afterall), a few were downright inane (“Why do you need two bike lanes?), and some were thoughtful. My favorite was this one:

“A man on PCP drove up on my neighbors lawn. If she had been in her front yard, she could have been killed! We need that parking lane as a buffer!!”

What I was pleasantly surprised by was the number of people from the bicycling community including my neighbor and fellow blogging bike commuter and Friday Coffee Club attendee Jeff who showed up in support of the bike lanes. There were three or four people from Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB). A bike commuter (She’s fast. She passes me every day.) who is a member of Potomac Pedalers spoke respectfully about the need for the bike lane for bike commuters and club rides.

Some children from Hollin Meadows School were the icing on the cake. They read a statement that explain how they wanted to be able to walk to school. They need a crosswalk and a traffic signal to do so. (Go kids!)

Shortly thereafter a homeowner said that he opposed a traffic light because it would lower his property value. That’s when I kind of lost my introversion and spoke up.

“Thank you for making these changes. I am not a member of Potomac Pedalers. I own three cars. I ride my bike to work every day and to use it to do errands on the weekends. I don’t think it’s too much to ask to be able to do so safely in my neighborhood. Secondly, 23 months ago at noon on a crystal clear day, my wife had the audacity to walk across Sherwood Hall Lane. She was run over by an SUV. Frankly, I care a whole lot more about safety than about property values.”

Jeff gave me a you-done-good nod. Then he spoke. It turns out his kids go to Hollin Meadows too.

A couple other concerned bicyclists approached me. One took my contact information for a followup meeting of the Mount Vernon Bicycle Advocacy Cabal.

A reporter asked me for my information as well. (If somebody sees my name in a story, please let me know.)

The project team agreed to extend the period of public comment for one week. My guess is that they will swap some turn lanes for parking but the bike lanes will stay. Time will tell.

I walked out into the cold, dark, windy night. The temperature had dropped about twenty degrees and the wind was roaring. Thankfully, I had only ½ mile to go before home. I made it in a breeze.

Errandonnee Summary

Errandonee #7:

Category: Work

Miles: 15

Observation: Sunrises are a drug.

Errandonnee #8:

Category: Community Meeting

Miles: 15

Observation: Thanks to the people who spoke up about the bicycle lanes at the meeting. My guess is that there were about 10 people who spoke up for bicycle and pedestrian issues.

Errandonnee #6: Little Nellie Goes to Work

Between oversleeping and a longish yoga session, I was out the door 30 minutes later than normal. I overslept because I took Vitamin I with a sedative before going to sleep. I hope the I works as good as the zzzz.

The good part about my departure was that it was daylight. The bad part was that The Mule had a flat rear tire. Well, at least it didn’t go flat on me on the road.

My only option was Little Nellie, my Bike Friday. With its little wheels it’s a bit hard on the back. Given my recurring back woes, I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of riding her. Of course, that didn’t stop me. I hopped on Little Nellie and took off for work.It was in the 40s, too warm for the holey sweater but too cool for shorts.

The ride in was uneventful. I saw a different set of people than usual, except for the Hoppy Runner. I normally pass him as he heads south but today I passed him heading north. I was pleased to make it all the way to work without any significant stiffening in my back or hips. Taking 600 mgs of Vitamin I may have had something to do with that.

Throughout the work day I alternated between sitting at my desk and standing. I spent much of the day reading a document about the Internet in 2025. One of the experts cited was Bob “Don’t Call Me Rachel” Cannon. It never ceases to amaze me that so many people I know are experts. Somehow we got put in charge. Yikes. Does this mean I have to grow up?

The ride home was pretty damned awesome. 70 degrees!!!! The Mount Vernon Trail was pretty crowded. Nearly everyone was well behaved. One exception was this man, about 55 to 60 degrees who was walking south just past Gravelly Point park. As I rang my bell to pass him, he stopped turned and yelled at me. He did this last week too. I didn’t respond but I am wondering if this guy may be the same person who pushed a cyclist off his bike a few weeks ago.

I stopped on one of the flyover bridges at National Airport to shed some outerwear. Off came the jacket and the skull cap and the glove liners. It felt so good to feel the wind on my arms.

I must have had a tailwind. I was going 2 to 3 miles per hour faster than usual. I seemed to actually have my mechanics back after so many weeks of fighting with my back and hips. Yoga is making me much more comfortable on the bike, too.

Just south of Dyke Marsh I came upon a man standing next to the trail. He seemed to be buttoning up his dress shirt. He was ratty looking. I don’t often see homeless people this far south. He had gray hair and a messy short beard. It occurred to me that he vaguely resembled the sketch of this Alexandria homicide suspect. Except the suspect looks well groomed. The more I look at the sketch the more I think I’ve seen this person before. The twist in his lip and the eyes remind me of someone. Creepy.

A few hundred yards later, just before the Morningside nest, I came up a large limb across the trail. I dismounted and started to remove it when another cyclist hopped off his bike and grabbed the opposite end. We had it off the trail in a matter of seconds. I later learned from Nancy “Two Sheds” Duley that the disheveled man had been spotted throwing debris onto the trail.

Speaking of the Morningside nest, I spotted a picture on a Flickr page from a local photographer. A bald eagle has returned to the nest. Soon breeding season will begin.

After arriving at home, I started to change to tire on The Mule. I could not find a leak. I pumped the tube up until it looked like an inner tube but it wasn’t leaking. Maybe the valve is bad. I decided to put the tube back in the tire, remount it, and check again in the morning. Since it was so nice out, I did some maintenance work on Little Nellie, too.

Tomorrow is supposed to be another warm day. With thunder storms. March is tempermental.

Errandonnee #6

Category: Work

Miles: 30

Observation: I was pretty pleased that the new fair weather commuters were all well behaved today. No one buzzed me too closely. Except for the two loonies, people were smiling.

Errandonee #5: Car Repair by Bike

There is something not quite right about getting new car tires by bicycle but that’s what I did today. I put Little Nellie, my Bike Friday New World Tourist, in the trunk of my car and drove to the dealer in North Arlington. Normally, buying tires from a car dealer is dumb but I wanted the same tires that came on my car. And, the dealer cost was $1 more than the Firestone place near my house. Unlike my local Firestone place which screwed up an alignment the last time I went there, my dealer’s mechanics seem somewhat competent.

I took a picture of Little Nellie with my car. As you can see, I pulled into the gray 2009 Accord line.

The service clerk asked if I wanted a ride to the Metro and I said, “No thanks. I’ll take my bike.” (Kinda has a nice ring to it, don’t it?)

And I was off. Somehow I managed to nearly get killed twice on the ride to work . My rear brake is not working properly. I rode Quincy Street (named after the TV pathologist) to the Martha Custis Trail. It was a breezy ride to Rosslyn with some interesting swales in the surface of the trail where winter had been unkind. The little wheels on Little Nellie made them rather nauseating.

I got to work but neglected to take a documentation photo so I can’t count this one as a work errand. No worries, I’m riding to work tomorrow.

During the day, my Saturday bookstore errand was disallowed as a library trip but it still counts as a trip to a store other than a grocery store.

An update on my back: I have been dealing with nasty back problems for about a month. Lately they have migrated to my left hip and knee. I did some web surfing and found out that one side effect of back spasms can be hip bursitis. The treatment is ice and ibuprofen, neither of which I have been using. I took some Vitamin I and slapped some ice on my hip last night. This helped until the ibuprofen wore off at 2 a.m. I woke up for some more “I”. Suffice it to say I was groggy when I woke up for my first daylight savings time workday of 2014.

I did another set of yoga exercises after awakening today. I can safely say after two weeks of yoga that I have little chance of playing Mr. Fantastic in the Fantastic Four reboot. I looked like a fish on deck trying to do the bow exercise: (1) Lie on the floor face down. (2) Reach back and grab both ankles. (3) Draw ankles forward toward butt. (4) Arch upper body up and back. (5) Hold.

I got to (1). This is Spinal Sap.

After I sort of did the yoga routine, I read the “Thoughts for the Day” page in my yoga book. It was all about how housewives would be less miserable and get all the housework done by incorporating yoga into their daily lives. And they’d be all refreshed and invigorated when their husbands came home.

It’s an old yoga book.

Errandonee #5:

Miles: 6 ½

Category: Store that is not a grocery store

Observation: My dealer washes my car whenever he works on it. Wouldn’t it be cool if bike shops did the same with your bike?

Errandonnee #1: The Mule Does Drugs

Errandonnee #1: The Mule Does Drugs, a photo by Rootchopper on Flickr.

It’s time once again for the Errandonnee Challenge. I hadn’t planned on riding today at all. My local pharmacist called me and said that if I didn’t pick up a 2-week old prescription they would cancel it. So I took off in jeans and oxford shirt on The Mule.

Category: Personal Care and Health
Distance: 3 miles
Observation It didn’t occur to me that picking up drugs on a bike called The Mule might be regarded as suspicious by law enforcement. I hope the DEA doesn’t come knocking at my door tonight!

Taking the Rest of the Day Off

Five hours.

Yep, Five hours. I wovelled my ass off today. I did it in two shifts. The first go ran from 10 am to 2. I added an hour after the snow stopped falling.

Looks weird. Works wonderfully. Look at how much snow is on that sucker!

Mrs. Rootchopper had to work so I was working solo. If I didn’t own a wovel, I’d be dead now. I used a conventional shovel for a small amount of the work around the edge of the cars but otherwise it was me and my fulcrum. (Wasn’t that a Harry Nielson song? I guess not since nothing rhymes with “fulcrum”.)

In spots, our 4 or 5 inches of snow was really 2 or 3 inches of snow on top of two inches of heavy slush. It was a work out. I will have awesome triceps from pushing down on the handle of the wovel. They will hurt like hell. In fact, by about 9 a.m. on Wednesday I’m gonna be in a world of hurt.

For now, I am taking the rest of the day off.

Good Riddence February

February was a month I’d just as soon forget. I spent most of it with my back all messed up. As March begins, my back is almost back to normal.

Somehow, bad back and all, I managed to ride 353.5 miles. I rode to work only six times. Five of these commutes, totaling 150 miles, were on The Mule. The other 6.5 came on Little Nellie on a commute to and from the car dealer. I rode an estimated 63 miles during 4 rides on Big Nellie on the trainer in the basement. The remaining mileage was from seven rides on The Mule.

So far this year, I’ve ridden to work only 16 times. My total mileage for the year is 809.5. I’m way off last year’s pace but that will all change assuming my back heals properly.

My yoga plan has hit a snag. I can’t for the life of me do one of the poses in the book. (I’m pretty sure the woman pictured in the book is not human.) So I skipped yesterday. Today I did the same set of poses I did last Wednesday.

March is here. It’s almost 40 degrees outside. That’s more than 10 degrees below normal but way better than yesterday’s freeze-a-thon. So I’m jumping on Little Nellie and going to the bank.

Frozen Delusions

I didn’t check the thermometer but at 7 a.m. it was 10 degrees at the airport. I think it is safe to assume that I was dealing with single digits when I left home. To add to the festivities I had a nice little headwind.

You’d think I’d complain about freezing my noo-noos off. You’d think I’d bitch and moan. I won’t do either. It was actually a pretty nice ride in. Granted, I’d much prefer not wearing so much clothing but I was pretty comfortable.

I took a couple of short cuts to avoid ice in Old Town, but otherwise it was a normal ride to Friday Coffee Club. Even my back seemed to be holding up. Until I dismounted at the end, that is. Oil me, Scarecrow. I reached down to take a drink of water and both my bottles were solid ice.

Inside Swings House of Joe, the joint was jumping. I didn’t really expect many people but there were ten or so. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. So take that winter!

Brian rolled in. He seemed to be bundled up but he looked like he’d ridden by way of Nome. Then Dave showed up. Ditto. Finally, just before I left Kirstin appeared. Except I didn’t recognize her at first for all the stuff she had on. She looked like a whole bunch of clothing with a smile near the top. As I left I gave her a hug and it was like holding a human-sized Popsicle. Lordy!

I was expecting my back to be all sore when I got to work but it felt almost normal.

I was out in the sub-freezing temperatures for about 90 minutes. My finger tips were cold at the start of the ride. I alternated putting my hands in my pockets for a few miles and the discomfort went away. My toes started to get cold for the last mile or two before Swings. The rest of me was toasty.

It was 30 degrees when I left the office. On the way home it dropped down to 26. Again I was pleasantly surprised that I was comfortable the entire way.

Now that I have mastered winter bike commuting for another year, we can begin springtime.

Riding in the cold makes me delusional.

The Snowman and the Mule

My back bothered me all day yesterday.Nevertheless, I decided to give bike commuting a try this morning. Dressing wasn’t a whole lot of fun but I got out the door bundled up for the 22 degree start. Once I got on the Mule I was fine.

I was a little concerned about ice on the Mount Vernon Trail so I walked the first icy patch on the Dyke Marsh bridge. I could have ridden it as it turns out. Just before re-mounting I spotted a little snow man perched on one of the posts on the boardwalk.

Whenever I have to deal with extreme cold or rain or wind, I approach the ride with a sense of dread. Far more often than not the ride ends up being just as much fun as on a nice day. Today was no different. Once I was back underway, I fell into my usual morning bike commute trance.

I modified my route to avoid some icy spots. It wasn’t until I reached the 14th Street Bridge 12 miles from home that I encountered one that looked troublesome. I rode it without trouble, but just seeing the ice made me tense up. Just south of the Memorial Bridge I came upon about 50 yards of serious ice. I tried riding past it on the grass but my wheels sunk in. Dismounting was pretty painful.

There was quite a bit of ice on the TR Bridge boardwalk. I rode the entire thing trying not to tense up as I did.

I used a head pad on my back during the day. This seemed to loosen things up.

After work I went to the new Heavy Seas Ale House to have a drink with fellow bike blogger Tinlizzie. The beer was good and the conversation even better. She pointed out Bike Arlington’s Tim Kelley and I introduced myself. Later, I met Suzie, who works with TInLizzie. Suzie wants to start bike commuting from Alexandria to Rosslyn. Allow me to be of service!

We talked a lot about what bike she should buy. What route to take. What things to avoid (aggressive gearing). What she would need (lock, method of carrying stuff). I neglected to mention the Circle of Death. (Everything in its proper place.)

After two pints of beer on an empty stomach, I began the long journey home. As soon as I left the garage I was hit by a powerful wind. Dang. And I was in the middle of a traffic jam. Dang again. And the wind was swirling. Dang dang dang.

Once I cleared the high rises and made it to the Mount Vernon Trail the wind straightened out and gave me a nice, steady tailwind. Most of the ice from the morning was gone. I was a little wobbly for the first 7 or 8 miles but I steadied for the second half of the commute. And my back felt fine the entire way home. Go figure

My only regret about riding home was that I had my back to a meteor in the night sky.

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