Category: Outdoors
Bicycling in Rain and Mud
May 21st, 2010, No Comments
I recently posted here about bicycling in the mud and rain, and got some good suggestions (and also on the icebike mailing list). I eventually decided to replace my current bike (Trek 7.3FX) with a Specialized Tricross Sport Triple. As I mentioned in the bike store, “it seems odd to spend this kind of money [...]
We Are Plains People, And Our Music Has Tornadoes
April 26th, 2009, 3 Comments
There’s little that scares Kansans more than a good tornado. And, truth be told, there’s little that excites us more than a good tornado, either. After all, we know it’s going to be good for a story. Here on the plains, it is easy to remember how powerful nature really is. Weather sweeps in from [...]
Garmin Nuvi 500
January 3rd, 2009, 12 Comments
I’ve owned two different GPSs in the past: a Garmin GPS III, and the Garmin eMap. Both are based on similar underlying firmware. This week, I did some research on more modern GPS units and decided to buy a Garmin nuvi 500. Here’s my review. Overview The Garmin nuvi 500 is one of only two [...]
Frozen Bicycling
November 18th, 2008, 8 Comments
Some of you might recall that I’ve been bicycling to work, about 10 miles each way. Over the last two weeks, I haven’t been able to ride much because it’s been too muddy. Today I rode to work. It was about 25F-30F out there, so this was my first below-freezing bicycle ride. It went OK, [...]
Biking in the dark, 45 degrees F
October 31st, 2008, 6 Comments
I’ve been telling people that I plan to keep bicycling into the winter. I think about half the people I’ve told to don’t really believe it. And the last two weeks, I haven’t been able to ride to work due to muddy roads and scheduling conflicts. But today I did. I left while it was [...]
Two New Arrivals
September 7th, 2008, No Comments
There are some things you just wouldn’t want to do without living in the country in Kansas. A lot of rock on your driveway. A good view of the sunset. Neighbors with tractors. Some way to get rid of trash and recycling. Some friendly outdoor cats. That last item is there because there are a [...]
Hurricane Bicycling
September 4th, 2008, 1 Comment
Wednesday I rode my bike to work. So, logically, Wednesday saw me riding my bike home from work. That was not the most pleasant task. I rode directly into some really strong winds — I figure about 40MPH — for 2.5 miles, and for the other 8, they were crosswinds. I checked the weather about [...]
Bicycling to Work Update
July 16th, 2008, 10 Comments
Back in May, I wrote about starting to bicycle to work. My plan was to do that 3 days a week. My ride is 10 miles each way, with the first 2.3 miles on dirt, gravel, and sand roads. It’s been going well. Yesterday was the first day that the ride really felt easy. It’s [...]
Camping
June 4th, 2008, 12 Comments
Terah, Jacob, and I went camping last weekend. Terah had asked me what I wanted for Father’s Day. I thought for just a second, and said “camping!” She looked like she regretted asking. But it has been a year since our last camping trip, so off we went. We went to Marion County Park and [...]
How to Start Bicycling to Work
May 24th, 2008, 6 Comments
Yesterday, I wrote about bicycling to work, pointing out that it’s a safe, inexpensive, way for many people (including office workers without access to showers) to get to work. There were a lot of thoughtful comments there too. Today I’d like to provide some tips for getting started commuting on a bicycle. As I’m just [...]
