Nightfall, Tempfall, Rainfall, Me Fall

Saturday morning up at 6:30 and at the trailhead at 8am.  I'm in unfamiliar territory and would really like to be off the trail before dark.

Heading downstream along the New River from Galax, VA the trail is desolate. The river is bustling along from recent rains and provides soothing conversation. A rock here, a branch there all combine to comforting drone somewhere above a hum and below a roar.

I don't think I would ever wake up sleeping in these cabins with the river channeling more water and greater decibels.




This is just north of Galax, VA along the New River and associated railtrail. The river is swollen from recent rains with ongoing storms in the region. I'm considering the barend a watermark.




Here is the video version for more immersive effect.





Further down the trail some real falls. These are bit more distant so camera struggles to capture the effect.





A bit further on I get a reminder of the Great Smoky Mountains





And then a tunnel.  I must be near West Virginia.  It's certainly better than going over the mountain. The tunnel was pleasant in the morning.  Later in the evening the experience varied.





Finally crossing the New River.  I'm ecstatic to see new wood. This means trail investment. This is my third trip to the New River railtrail. In the vein of voting with my feet this is approaching an artery!





More new construction. Yeah for railtrails! My inner math nerd in me amortized the cost of my last bike. I used movie theater ticket prices for reference. Nature and trails are such an effective form of entertainment.





Hang a left at Fries Junction and eventually reach Fries. I've heard it pronounced more like Freeze than Fries. I missed this dam on previous trips. This is one of three(?) along the route. They have what appears to be serious hydro electric potential here.





This is facing east from the dam. The purple line is a camera artifact but certainly beautiful. At the moment I was reveling in the light reflecting off the water.





Back to Fries Junction and then head northeast toward Pulaski.  Dark clouds and dropping temperatures prompted a stop to add pants and waterproof layers. My luck held through the morning and the rain waited.  Heading north toward Pulaski this scene seemed to go on for hours.  Eventually I crossed a bridge and the angle of horizon changed but the supporting scenery was much the same.



Heading up to Pulaski I starting hitting the Ibuprofen before noon. It was going to be a long day. Days of rain softened the trail making for constant resistant and constant grind.

After a desolate morning there was a sudden traffic jam. I overtook one couple heading north as we met another couple coming south on one of the many trestles. At mile 60 my camel back surrendered its last milliliter of what started at 3 liters.  I thought of continuing on to Pulaski on two frame bottles to preserve weight and then realized this was a training ride. The trail afforded water and I partook setting out restocked but also heavier.

Originally I hoped for lunch in Pulaski. My mental calculations indicated a chance of getting off the trail before dark so I flipped the bike around at Pulaski, started southbound, made lunch of Stinger bars, and kept pedaling. Signs near Pulaski mention a train station. I need to investigate that as maybe I can do Amtrak and save the drive. Heading back south I come upon a convenience store and three little old ladies I saw walking the trail earlier. They cheered me on and I reciprocated. I paused for a quick lunch - half can of Pringles, Moon Pie, and Moutain Dew Voltage.  I'm accustomed to the earlier. I cannot explain the latter. It sounded good at the time. The net effect was a boost southbound.  I left the convenience store and the little old ladies getting into their car to escape the coming storm. At first there was thunder and lightening but little rain. I counted my blessings.  Then the rain hit. Then the hail hit. I was thankful for layers and helmet.  It wasn't as bad as I expected. I had visions of car hood dents in my skull.

I was okay pedaling along in the rain, hail, thunder, and lightening until I came to a bridge. Not just any bridge, a high bridge.  Along the trail trees were taller than me. On the bridge I was the tallest thing around. Is my titanium bike frame conductive? I haven't checked. It doesn't really matter as all of the water on my surely is conductive. I have nominal insulation in the 29x2.0 or 2.2 tires and wooden slats of the bridge. It was either wait it out or else. I found myself exchanging convenience for logic ever so momentarily. I waited for a flash of lightening and then sprinted over the bridge. I could use a mental picture of the clouds as a capacitor and the lightening a discharge. That would allow a little time to recharge. It doesn't work this way in reality. I needed across the bridge and anything I could reason out to propel my body over the bridge would work.  Across the bridge and southbound I went.


The rain let up and it felt like my bike weighed 50 pounds heavier. I doubt this as all outer surfaces are water proof.  Still the going was slow. Most likely the trail surface softened further. Even the 2" knobbies were sinking into the mud, into the water, into the gravel. The going was slow. I eventually slowed to my run pace - 6 miles per hour. At that point I took a walk break to stretch my left IT band which was acutely painful. I used the opportunity to calculate the distance to my destination. Then I checked the GPS. I couldn't get the GPS to follow the trail but it was 20 miles as the crow flies. I figured 5 an additional 5 miles for winding around and a little fudge factor as I was heading upstream and uphill. I still had a chance of exiting the trail before dark. I really wanted that to get a picture of the amount of dirt caked onto me and the bike. After 20 miles I reached Fries Junction and a sign indicating 12 miles to Galax. So much for finishing in daylight.

Heading southbound on the final trail of the day I hit nightfall, temperature fall, and rainfall all at the same time. I was excited to enter the tunnel from the morning ride for a bit of respite. When I entered something threw off all sense of balance and direction. I lurched to one side and grabbed for brakes. My right hand rear brakes drew all the way back to the handlebar. I was gentle with the left hand front brake and eventually found myself stopped crossways on the trail inside the tunnel out of the rain. My left IT band reminded me of how it was sore to begin with and these emergency handling procedures were digging into already borrowed time. In the end I stayed vertical but with an even larger debt to my left IT band.

I summoned up energy to propel myself toward the trail head. It was four miles from the trailhead to hotel. My car was parked at the trailhead - assuming they don't tow it away at dark. I emptied my camelback and kept pedaling. Assuming 3 minutes per song only 12 songs to the trailhead. Push, push, push, pop. My body said enough. I reached dehydration and bonk earlier. I recovered somewhat but not enough to maintain this pace. I downshifted to gut-it-out mode and trodded along.

I finally finished at mile 112.  How ironic. My car was still there. I loaded up the bike and stripped off my trail encrusted outer layer. Then I realized my bike lights were still on. I attempted to step up onto the door jam to turn the bike lights off and my left IT band screamed out in surrender. I in turn almost screamed and cried. I was sure I'd done permanent damage.

Gingerly getting into the car I had no signal to call ahead for dinner. I stopped thinking I could walk in and place an order. It took several minutes of pleading and trying alternative movements to get agreement from my left IT band to allow this movement for critical calories.

While dinner cooked I ventured across the street to a carwash. I couldn't get pictures of my encrusted bike but I knew it needed a bath for hotel admission.

After ferrying everything up to the room I stepped into the shower fully clothed. Everything was dirty enough to warrant wash.

Shower, dinner, and bed. It was a good if inescapable 112 muddy gaveled wet sloppy miles.

12:07 hh:mm
112 miles
6021 calories
1 hr stop time - gotta keep moving!

After the fact I realized the rain didn't increase my weight but it did further soften the trail surface.  Sometimes riding through water yielded the least resistance. Pick my lines carefully and save energy wherever possible.



Food intake:

4 sleeves of Cliff Shot Blocks
6 Honey Stinger Bars
2x3 Liters water from camel back
1 20 fl oz Mountain Dew Voltage
1 half can of Pringles
1 double decker chocolate Moon Pie

I need to carry more water. I was dehydrated even after 6L on a wet cool day. I need to learn to to "ride cool" instead of bundled up in a layer of sweat.

Stinger bars are good but they get old. Carry a variety of bars.

While technically I can ride 112 miles on knobbies through mud, water, and 7k feet of climbing I would struggle to do this with just the food and water on my back while sleeping in a bivvy.  I need better balance.

Springtime Changes

Spring has arrived in North Carolina. Morning temperatures are in the 50's compared to the 30's just a few short weeks ago. People are coming out of their winter shells. Twice this week people have walked or rolled up and started conversation. Warm weather thaws more than just seeds.


I've observed this view pretty consistently recently. I thought nothing of it until I realized what it was.  I'll leave you to ponder for a bit.



Monday evening I tried out a new route through Umstead state park. Riding to the park was pleasant enough touring a few old familiar greenways and a few new ones from recent construction. It's amazing how much building occurs here.

Umstead itself was a nice ride. While spinning along Bryan rode up and struck up conversation. After a long Sunday in the saddle and a couple hours in the saddle on Monday all the while immersed in podcasts and audio books it took me a few minutes to comprehend the words coming from his mouth. With a bit of re-acclimation the conversation was welcome. We chatted through most of the rode and gasped in unison up the steepest climbs of North Turkey Creek Trail. He forked off to head home and I set my sights westward toward home. A park ranger reminded me the park closes at 8PM even for cyclists riding in/out.  The nearest park exit dumped me onto highway 70, aka Glenwood. Regardless of Google Maps biking directions claims highway 70 is not cyclist friendly. This was another ride in the median until I could escape down a cross street. That provided more navigation experience with the new GPS. I tried for a bit but just could not reconcile the visual image. I've ridden those roads a few times but never at night. The night was different. The GPS image didn't match my mental picture. After a few contorted minutes I gave up and checked the iPhone for directions home. I had indeed been going the wrong way heading toward no-cyclists-land. Oriented anew I churned out the miles home. Monday finished with 45 miles on the day.

Here's another view of the mysterious phenomena. Curious yet?



Tuesday was a short day with only 25 miles. I had an epiphany somewhere along that ride. Sitting down at a terminal now I've forgotten the location and even the epiphany itself. Clearly it was earthshaking. These are the joys of cycling.



Daylight hours are getting longer and temps are holding higher so available riding hours are significantly increased. With good lights and safe and legal path its pretty much an open buffet now.


I first really noticed this visual anomaly on Monday night. It took until Wednesday to put it together. The pictures don't do it justice.  It looks like snow or rain blowing across a headlight beam. Instead of water the reflection comes from pollen.  For all allergy suffers this is worse than any chainsaw-axe-murder movie.  The pollen is blowing around just this thick. Looking straight out with a headlamp on it looks like a whiteout snow storm.


The bike got a few upgrades today and a bit closer to a final kit. The second iteration of bed roll looks promising and it is now strapped to the handlebars. The lashings are a bit tenuous so I will continue looking for ways to improve. I also need to test the bed roll. I found better routing for straps supporting the saddle bag to help with vertical support. I may visit this further as well.



Here's the current cockpit minus aerobars.


My first preference supplier didn't carry the model I prefer for this endeavor. I'll check a few more local bike shops and then place an order on Amazon. I was skeptical of bare bars from the start. They look suspiciously like skewers. Sunday's crash reaffirmed that. I'm in the market for more rounded crash friendly surfaces like this. I need to replace the tank bag. That open mesh becomes a water pot in a downpour.

Revelate Designs provides the harness for my bed roll. It comes with a convenient additional storage pocket. Every tiny bit of additional storage is precious at this point.


Wednesday was a short 10 mile ride staying near home. This was proving ground for the bed roll. It affects bike handling even more. It is a bit precarious mounting. It stayed put well enough for now. I am concerned about straps wearing through or breaking. There is still room for optimization here.


I also tried inserts in the new biking shoes. I'm dealing with a bit of left leg pain at the current moderate amount of riding. This has to get resolved to hit double and triple century rides.



I straightened the pin for my wristwatch GPS and got it back in commission.  My bedroll is revised again so it should be sleepable. The bedroll is on the bike.  I picked up a backup GPS unit today with REI's dividend and annual sale.

Next on the agenda:

• Plan a significant ride this weekend. Maybe Raleigh greenways again.
• Review route and decide on direction - Nobo or Sobo? (votes?)
• pickup a spare 29x2.0 slime tube and front armadillo tire to restore knobbies
• Test run the bed roll in the floor
• Improve bedroll tiedowns
• Get aerobars
• Unpack, inventory, and repack everything

Walk Before Running. Or else.

Miles were scarce this week bug gear changes abound this week.  Here's the new cockpit with GPS, tankbag, and aerobars.


Further down the frame I added more staples to my kit including an advil supply for me and chain lube for the bike.  The oversized saddle bag now sports a similar amount of clothing to what I expect to carry.  Dropping down the frame reveals new shoes and pedals.

Summarizing there is reasonable weight addition and changes to my two main contact points with the bike.  A logical man would ascertain the gravity of those changes.  Me I just jumped on the bike and took off like any other Sunday.

It's Sunday because Saturday was lost to crud generally characterized by GI, body ache, and headache. This follows up a migraine on Friday morning. So yeah, mileage shortage this week.

Setting out on Sunday it didn't take long for knees and ankles to protest the angles of new shoes and pedals. My old pedals were Speedplay Frogs. They were a decade old. The large amount of "float" originally attracted me to those pedals. Float is generally freedom to rotate the foot laterally on the pedal. Frogs touted a large amount of float. I want to say 15 degrees or similar. The new pedals are the age old SPD. They are what the vast majority of rider use. They allow less than 5 degrees of float. 15 >> 5.  So my hips knees and ankles were immediately unhappy.  I stopped at the first convenient park bench to manually adjust the cleats to an angle that better fit my pedal stroke. Even after adjustments I felt myself pushing against the float limits at both extremes. Apparently I move my foot around on the pedal.  This is going to take some getting used to.

The other by product of this is impeded steering.  With clipless pedals when locked onto the pedals it becomes natural to steer the bike with body weight and foot position.  Significantly limited float significantly affected my bike steering as well.  I had on near miss of running off the trail.

A bit further down the trail one aerobar slipped down the tapered handlebar and went into freefall.  I was concerned about this when I first saw the handlebar. I'm not sure I'll be able to mount an aerobar on it. The bar may have to be changed out.

So I'm riding down the trail with one aerobar flopping loose, still learning the new bike balance, and subconsciously wrestling with extremely limited float of new pedals.  My heels were fighting left and right like bottled bees.  Amid all of this my playlist runs out.  And then it happens.

Mind distracted by music, balance distracted by new load, feet distracted by lost freedom,  orientation distracted by a lone aerobar dangling off the handlebar. Every sensor was aloof for one critical second. In that second the bike veered right and the front tire planted in soft trailside gravel. I went over the handlebars. Pavement was sliding by just inches in front of my face.


After the sliding stopped it took another minute for the reeling to stop. The visual of asphalt sliding by underneath my nose was surreal. My left shoulder was planted against the ground bearing the brunt of something enough to be painful already. My right hand screamed in pain already. Something hurt further down my body back toward the bike but it was too far removed to properly inventory.

First a shoulder roll.  A broken bone would have prevented that so I'm off to a good start. I disentangle my left hand bring it into view. No obvious problems though the wrist is tender and my Garmin wrist watch is missing.  On my right hand blood is dripping from under the fingernails of my pointer and middle fingers. I scraped the tips off on rocks or asphalt, bent back the very short fingernails, and lacerated last joint on something. My left quad is throbbing a bit. Amazing no road rash from the pavement. I marvel at this for a bit. I clearly saw asphalt sliding by but I wasn't covered in roadrash.  My ShowersPass jacket seems good at keeping both rain and asphalt out. There is one hole worn through the fabric that, when readjusted to normal fit, sits right atop my left shoulder to let rain in. That is a small price compared to the averted road rash.

The iPhone was protected by its Mophie battery case.  I found it about ten feet further down the trail. The Garmin wrist watch has a strap pin bent beyond repair and wripped out of the watch bezel. Both aerobars are flapping loosely around the handlebar. Otherwise things appear in order. After gathering everything up and sorting it away as best I could I took another minute to inventory the scene for any other cast offs. I pack the gear and my wounded pride on the bike to continue the ride.

I stopped by home to remove the aerobars and see to a few things.  I also took advantage of Ibuprofen I'd just added to my kit. Wire cutters helped snip away some wayward lacerated skin.  I need to get full finger gloves with good venting for protection in warm weather riding. I might add medical scissors, wire cutters, or similar cutting tool to my kit.

With the dangling aerobars removed I continued riding. Originally I planned to cover new ground today but my jolted confidence was much happier with the old familiar ATT. I made my way to the southern end and around to the water dam to enjoy the peaceful sound of running water for a bit.




Heading back north a bike lane led me into Research Triangle Park. These plastic poles are a fairly recent addition to bike lanes across bridges in RTP. I really like them. It is a visible barrier to vehicle traffic and an attempt to keep the bike lane a bit safer.  Admittedly I've already found poles in the bike lane, likely launched there by a high speed impact with a car bumper.  Still the visual dividers are nice.


Today was short of the 100 miles I'd hoped for and the weekend far short of figure I'd hoped. At least there were miles today and there will be more tomorrow. Shaken, and a little stirred as well.

Goals for this week:
* gps repair
* New aerobars
* more work on bed roll
* figure out how to fit maps and tracks on GPS

Wayfinding for a Way, a Ways, and a While on Raleigh Greenways

Time to try out the Raleigh Greenways. This affords a few opportunities. It's new ground to cover, some wayfinding, and a good opportunity to see the capital city. This was the original goal:

Starting out the day the trees are celebrating spring.



The ATT on the south side is a beautiful ride.



Raleigh and Cary greenways use many more wooden spans. This one was particularly long and a good preview of many of the day's trails.



Heading further east through Cary the bike lanes are great and trees still in bloom.



Bond lake in Fred G Bond park looks great. The ripples tattle on a bit of wind.



On the NW Maynard Greenway I stopped for lunch.




Eventually I wound my way up to Lake Crabtree.



Then around Umstaead and with some serious adventure I finally popped out on Crabtree Creek trail. The Crabtree Umstead trail is supposedly in planning and desperately needed.



Crabtree creek trail winds along the creek like any self respecting major city greenway.



This pond near the eastern end gives me specific mental challenge. Sewer pipes clearly run through the pond. Just keep pedaling.



This was either logging damage or remnants from tornadoes last year.



The Neuse River greenway appears on Google Maps bike routes. It is well protected by a suburban labyrinth. It's not exactly ready for prime time yet.



Generally I found Raleigh much less cyclist friendly. Sidewalks with abrupt ends, no sidewalks, no shoulders, and just down right cyclist hostile in several areas. I opted for this hike-a-bike obstacle over trying an alternate route on local roads. Again, Neuse River trail isn't ready for primetime unless you're feeling adventurous. The road ahead:


And the road behind:




Wrapping up the construction area known as Neuse River greenway I found myself in another anomaly known as Anderson Point Park. Cross a bridge over a major four lane road to get into this park. There is no escape from the park. It is bounded by Neuse River on three sides and Knightdale Bypass on the the fourth. I bounced around in here like a bottled bee for a while until retracing my path back over the bridge.

One of the highlights of the park is this fire circle overlooking the river.



Heading back west finally toward home I rode another wooden walkway through this swampy area that reminded me of the song "Swamp Witch" by Jim Stafford(?).



Getting pretty low by this point I recognized the name of a friend on a road sign. This one's for you Shane.



I passed WRAL as the sun set.



Darkness was long and tough on this ride. I ended up skipping several greenways due to time. Early in the day I forwent Lake Lynn and Shelley Lake. After darkness I skipped some of Lake Johnson and then Beaver Creek Greenway in Apex.

I made it through the blackness of one corner of Lake Johnson without issue and escaped the trails into a parking lot. A street light and picnic table called out like a beacon in the night. I sat down to change batteries in a couple of fading headlamps, eat, and study the maps. My route was sketchy ahead as I tried to escape the beltway. The refreshed lights and caffeine shot blocks bolstered my confidence. I needed that jolt when I rolled out onto Jones Franklin.

New Bern Ave was a miserable ride. There was at least some sidewalk. By far the worst rides were Jones Franklin Road and Ten Ten Road. Never ever ever attempt to ride a bike on Jones Franklin. I dropped into parking lots when possible. I rode in the grassy glassy median challenging the puncture resistant tires. This was 1.6 miles of pure terror. Crossing I-40/I-285 on Jones Franklin felt like escaping a dungeon through the sewers, my own version of Shawshank. I could not wait to get back to the rural abyss.

Riding through downtown Apex I struck up conversation with a pedestrian. He was keenly interested in the ride and how I would still ride to Southpoint before calling it a night.

By this point I was pretty low. My left iliotibial band was dissenting. Darkness and wave after wave of cold fell. Eventually I made it to the ATT and off the road. It was good to escape the road. I didn't mind the soupy fog and colder temps, at least not for a little while.

This was practice. I maintained hydration with the double edged sword of each cold sip. I put it together at some point to put shotblocks in my pocket closer to my body to warmup before eating them so they were less like cold tar. I slowed on the intake to two blocks every fifteen minutes. That kept digestion to a minimum leaving blood circulating in my extremities. Multiplication tables kept my mind busy. Keep moving, keep focused, keep hydrating, keep eating. Keep moving.

Northbound to the paved ATT, off the pavement, through the unsurfaced trail, through Southpoint, by the cemetery,  past SouthPoint Crossing, and finally into shelter.




Ride time: 11:20. Plus a bit for the few times I forgot to start the watch or fought with navigation
Elapsed time: 12:42
Mileage: 112.3. Ironic. Ironman distance. Moots was more comfy than tri bike.
Arrival time: Around midnight

The final route is appreciably different from my original goal:

Wayfinding took a while. It didn't help when my Garmin 310xt would go completely blank. I think the route was just too many waypoints for it. I cut the route down to just the unfamiliar parts just to get it to fit onto the watch. It may have fit, but it didn't exactly function. On more than one occasion I reverted to a paper map and my iPhone. A better GPS is now a priority. I fumbled over this long enough.

I need to practice early starts. Joe Walsh said it best, "Start in the morning and get the job done. Take care of business and we have some fun. All night long."  50 miles before lunch is my loose goal at this point. For this ride I hit 30 miles before a 1PM lunch. That ain't gonna cut it.

I will keep something up my sleeve. Somewhere around Apex I remembered an extra headlamp in my frame bag. Two head lamps and two bar lights made a crisp forward view. I could even set one or two to strobe so others could see me. Caffeine shot blocks and spare batteries were other aces. I emptied my camel back once and then dumped one bottle of water into it. I strategically kept the last bottle separate and discrete. Puncture resistant tires were helpful through the numerous patches of glass through the day.

I still need something else to keep toes warm. I also need to get my bivy and sleeping bag mounted so if push comes to shove I can shut down and wrap up.

I need more practice wayfinding. The scant little hints of trail still escape my untrained eye. I need another trip on Raleigh Greenways, maybe backwards. I need to find alternates for New Bern Ave and Jones Franklin first. I'm still hopeful for Palmetto Trail, Katy Trail, GAP/C&O, and possibly Virginia Mountain Bike trail.

Nutrition is going to be interesting. I was ravenous after this ride and into the next day. I need more training to string these days back to back.

Overall I prefer Durham bike lanes, bike paths, and greenways. Durham traffic never instilled the fear of New Bern Ave, Jones Franklin, or Ten Ten. I also didn't find myself riding in the dark into the abrupt end of a sidewalk. More sampling may be required.

All in all it was a good day, and night, for adventure.

Special thanks to Rebecca for all of her support. She manned the phone to make sure I arrived safely.

March Moon Miles

Pictures are worth thousands of words but the tell a better story with just few supporting words.

Thursday was a great evening on the ATT.



After slicing the knobby rear tire the Moots is now outfitted with Continental puncture resistant tires and slime tubes.  The forward view is quite different without the 2.4" mud tire out front.



This will be the the site of the new ATT bridge over I-40 when (if?) the politics and budget ever work out.



This is the unfortunate end of the trail. The right of way makes it tempting to continue southbound.



The bike looks much different without the big knobbies.  It feels much lighter an nimble as well.



I stumbled on a nice dam adjacent to the New Hill ATT trailhead.











Water water everywhere.



I hadn't noticed this before. It's tucked right between two car dealerships.



And finally night finds me again. The moon was still out lighting the way.



March is looking good for miles so far.  I have a new "armadillo" tire on order to get knobbies back onto the moots.  It's been nice skimming along on these cross/light trail tires.  In loose dirt, leaves, and mud they have absolutely no grip though.