Grote Hill and other back roads around Reedsburg

Hill overlooking Loganville, Wi.

 I worked through the weekend, even working double shifts, so I had off today - Monday the 25th of February.

When I awoke at noon, I was surprised at how warm it was outside: in the 40's! Maybe even near 50degrees? I decided I'd have to take a bike ride this afternoon.

Another view of the Loganville valley.

A Buff Orpington chick

 Even though I made the decision to ride, I needed to feed the chickens and ducks that are living in the greenhouse for the winter. In the greenhouse, the temperature has been anywhere from the 80's up to 105 degrees under this warm February sun! The chicks and ducks are happy and I love being in the tropical greenhouse while it's still winter across Wisconsin!

I have Buff Orpington chickens; three breeds of ducks: Kaki Campbell, Fawn Runner, and Pekin; and 19 guineas!

Duckie

I get more eggs than I can give away to friends and family, and I find the birds comical to watch, tend, and care for. Anyway, it all takes time and that's the reason that I got such a late start on my afternoon bike ride.

I started out with an ordinary ride to Lime Ridge and then out County K.

I was in a feisty mood, so I turned down Old K where I knew I'd likely cross paths with a Black Lab named "Cocoa" who thinks she owns the road and thinks I should not be in her territory.

Not today Cocoa!

 I was mildly disappointed when I passed Cocoa's house without a chalenge!

The Baraboo river south of Reedsburg

As I turned down Mill Pond Road, I realized that I was low on energy. In my hurry to get on the road and get my blood glucose number down, I had neglected to eat anything.  Now I could feel the effects of low sugar as I peddled on.

I set my sites on stopping at the Corner Pub in Reedsburg for a cheeseburger and a glass of their local brew. It was deliciousness!

Church used to be the highest thing in town... before the cell tower!

I left the pub and and peddled past the egg company, and the foundry, then I turned south onto Dewey avenue until I came to the intersection of Ski Hill Road.  I debated whether I should turn left for a longer ride, or right, and begin to head for home. I opted for the latter since the sun was already dipping below the horizon and I was 10 to 15 miles away from home at that point.

I followed Ski Hill Road to Grote Hill Road and made my way to Loganville through a back way that included Open View and Sunrise Roads. Even with the longer days of approaching spring, it was twilight by the time I arrived in Loganville, and completely dark as I finally found my way home.

I was soaked through with sweat and my pant legs were spattered with road salt and sand but I felt good as I added another 30 miles to my yearly total... 209.

Night Rides in Winter

I just got in from an 18 mile night ride. It was 32 degrees... a beautiful night for riding! The roads were fairly clear of ice and snow except in a few places where it got a little treacherous.

The Bar Mitts are awesome! Hands slide in and out easily and they really keep my fingers warm throughout the ride. They cover the handlebars, shifters, brake levers, and headlight remote power switch.

The best thing is the new headlight. It's a Niteye B30. I bought it from Overstock.com for $160.99 and tonight was the first time I got to use it. It is very bright. It has four levels of brightness: 100, 350, 600, and 1,000 lumens! I liked the 100 power level while I was cruising slowly and enjoying the moonlit evening and checking out the stars, but the 350 was best for slow country pedaling. I didn't like the 600 setting because that was just the middle spot light so when I needed bright lighting, like cruising down hills at 25-30pmh, I chose the 1,000 setting. This gives a great view of the ditches to watch for night critters that might jump out in my path and it gave a great view of the road ahead as I had to be on the constant lookout for ice or snow pack. That seems to happen especially on hills that are on north slops or shaded by trees.

One thing I didn't like about the headlight is the remote power switch and how it cycles through the brightness settings. Since I like to ride at the 350 lumen level, the only way of cycling through the levels is to click up to 600, up to 1,000, and then down to 100. When meeting cars, it's probably not necessary to dim the lights anyway, but if I wanted to, it makes it apear like I'm clicking on my brights! I wish the lights would at least cycle from bright to dim if not in either direction, that would be an improvement.

The roads and weather have been terrible, so this is my first ride in the month of February. 110 miles in January plus tonight, bring me to 128 miles for my imaginary journey from New York to San Francisco!

Physically, the ride was easy. I've kept in shape throughout the winter by working-out when possible after work. They have a gym with "cardio" room that I'm free to use, and I have my own stack weight machine, exercise mat, and several pieces of exercise equipment. I try to do an hour on the elliptical machine and a half hour on a pedal machine on nights when I'm at work, and something here at home on the days I don't work. It must have worked because I noticed durring the ride how effortlessly I climbed the hills and how well I felt at the end.

Tomorrow, there's more snow on the way, so the bike will be sitting waiting and I'll be longing for spring to finally arrive here in Wisconsin.