My Junker Bike

I received this bike as a gift from a neighbor. His wife got a new fancy one, with all the bells and whistles, and this one had been sitting outside for a long time. He was going to just toss it in the trash, but I intervened and said I'd take it and do something with it. It was truly a well worn junker. Pushed it home on flat tires.

Everything was soooo filthy, and grease covered,

I really had no plans or desire at that time to restore, or repair said bike, so it sat in the back of my shop for a while. One rainy day, I was bored, so I went out and took it all apart for cleaning, right down to the bare frame, so I could see what I really had. I had a mess! Everything I took off and disassembled was worn OUT!
The crank is a good example. Notice the tears in the middle ring.... this was just the beginning.

So....I tried the shifters..... left one worked..... right one went to 7 and stayed there. Took the shifter all apart, and found it to be totally stripped out. Threw the bike back in the corner of the shop! It stayed there again for another few months. In the meantime, I got to reading about Balance Bikes, as I had never heard of them before. Turns out they weren't made very long, and were made by Balance Audio Technologies..... A stereo component manufacturer. What the heck does a stereo builder have to do with bikes? Well, it turns out that they made excellent bikes in their day. Highly sought after, and the frames still are. High tech aluminum alloy frame, stretches you out with it's geometry and it is extremely light for a mountain bike..... just 22 pounds with cheap components, I would bet that if I rebuilt it with top components, it might break 20 pounds. I really did not, however, need another high tech mountain bike, my Cannondale (25 pounds) is just fine for mountain biking, so I decided I might look into rebuilding it back as a seven speed and see what happens. So, I looked online at several locations, and found that seven speed parts are really cheap, less than $80 and I had all new replacement parts, shifters, cassette, and crank, as well as bottom bracket. The bottom bracket, it turned out, was the only thing the bike didn't need replaced, it was smooth and quiet. The front suspension forks were unlike anything I had ever seen before also. Light, but rather fragile looking. Elastomer front forks. Checked into rebuild parts....complete rebuild kit for $55 .... it can wait. You only get about one inch of travel anyway.  So, I went ahead and rebuilt it back into a 7 speed, no real improvements except new parts.
One of the first things I did was to replace the Schrader tubes with Presta, using this little bushing that fits in the rim. I did this because all of my other bikes and tubes and pumps are all for Presta valves



                                          

                                                               Schrader valve

                                                   Presta valve after conversion

Then, I noticed a slice on the sidewall of the front tire..... I had an old half worn small block-8 that I put on the front. If I keep the bike, the back will have one too. Love the small block-8's. Next on the list was crank replacement. Replaced the original Altus with an Alivio crank. Went from 46/36/26 to 48/36/26 .... I thought it'd be fine.

Then came the shifters, as I noted earlier, the right side shifter was history, but I could in no way find one that was the same, so I had to buy a pair. These were really cheap at $28 .... AND they came with a full set of brake and shifter cables and housings..... how could you beat that! Cheap little shifters, but still Shimano. 7 speed shifters aren't real common anymore, and there are no real quality ones.

Next up came the cassette..... the original one was worn to a frazzle, and the gearing was 13/26 .... I thought maybe a bit high, so I went with a 13/32 for the new one.

Running all the new cable and housing was a little time consuming, but if one is putting all this new stuff on, it would seem to be counter-productive to skip small items like that. Along with the new cables, I try to neaten things up a bit....... tie it with a wire tie, and snip it off.

As long as we're talking cables here, an indispensable tool for cable work is a cable cutting pliers. It doesn't crush the cable when you cut it, and it's easy to put it to service after cutting.

The right tools make all the jobs easier, and luckily, I have a well equipped bicycle shop.  At this point it was about time to replace the chain, which was so worn, I'm surprised it didn't break just sitting there.

First job is to determine the correct length of the new chain. Remember, I changed the gearing, so I couldn't just measure the old. The way I've always done this is what I feel is the simplest way. Wrap the new chain around the large chainring, and the large cog in the back.... don't put it through the derailleurs yet. Then, pull the two ends taut .... and don't forget to include the master link....

and pull it to the nearest inside-to-inside link match that you can reach. Then, drop down one full link, to the next inside link (remember, you can only connect two inside links if you are using a master link), and break the chain......

A word of caution here .... if you have the slightest doubt, and are doing this the first time, cut the chain a link too long, you can always take another out, but it's impossible to put one back in. One of those measure twice, cut once moments. Once you have the chain cut it's just a simple matter of putting the master link in and clipping it together.

Interesting note here about chains.... I use only KMC chains. They make chains for all the big name manufacturers. I've had excellent luck with them, and have gotten as good amount of mileage as any.

This is one of their cheapest chains at $8.00 The card of 6 master links was $9.00. It is still a quality chain. By comparison, the 10 speed chain for my road bike was $50.00 .... same company. I've got 5000 miles on that chain now, and still my chain wear checker says it still good. Ten speed chains are much more expensive than these seven and eight speed chains.
Now it's just a matter of putting the bike up on the stand, and doing a little adjusting and tuning so it shifts well. The saddle is the one that came as original equipment for my touring bike. It was a much better mountain bike saddle than a touring bike saddle, so, it's in it's proper element now. If the chain is the proper length, the rear derailleur should look like it does here when shifted to the middle of the cassette.

A little tweaking, and then I put the old pedals and grips back on for a test ride.

I might note here, that both the derailleurs were the ones I got with the bike, they were replacement items at one time and after checking them out thoroughly, I found they were really not candidates for replacement at this time. So..... jumping on the bike, and taking it out for a brief three mile test ride, I pronounce it .....well.......a pretty darn good bike. Especially for an $80.00 bike. I had to adjust the saddle a bit before I rode it. I shifted back and forth through all the gears several times, and everything worked smoothly, quietly, and it rode like a new bike. I was surprised a bit by the gearing......it felt too high geared. I thought maybe I should have gone to a 42/32/22 crank instead. Maybe it was just the 25mph wind blowing that made it feel that way.

Flower Power Bike Ride 2013

April 27, 2013

For four tries now, I have gone out to Muskogee to ride the Flower Power ride, so named because it coincides with their annual azalea festival, only to be discouraged by rain and cold temps. I was hoping this year would be the exception, but alas, it wasn't to be. Rain at the start, off and on drizzle and light rain throughout the ride, never really clearing off, never really raining hard, but not really stopping either. Add to that a chilly wind, and normally, this would be enough to keep me inside. Not to be today however, because if these 400 or so other cyclists can brave this kind of weather how can I not?

Besides, in the line-up, I found this fully loaded tourer, and in conversation found that they had left Pennsylvania en route to the West Coast and thought it would be fun to join our little ride. I believe they were visiting the winsome looking young lady in pink and black in the background, whether a relative, or host I don't know, but they were more or less together. I did notice though, that the young lady was no match for the power of the tandem team. Really a fun couple to talk to, and I kept running across them off and on during the ride.

So, your intrepid biker, joined the crowd and slogged off into the wilderness. Because of the rain, I really didn't take as many photos as usual, and to add continuity to the story, I'll add some from another year, same ride. After leaving, the first exciting thing to happen was a multiple bike crash right in front of me crossing the first set of railroad tracks. The tracks crossed the road at an angle, (one of several like this), and in a tightly packed group, plus the rain, this was a recipe for disaster. Sure enough, right in front of me and a little off to one side, one rider's wheels slipped out from under him, and down he went, taking several others with him. An exciting way to start the ride. Fortunately, I escaped unscathed.
After the initial excitement, we ventured north to downtown Ft. Gibson, OK, site of a frontier fort, and now National Cemetery. The town itself isn't much. Here's a couple of old photos

 

And, the old fort, now a State Historical Museum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple more angled RR tracks to cross brought us to the Neosho River, and the old bridge that crosses it.

 

 

 

 

The Neosho River, from the bridge, Couldn't stop long because it's a one lane bridge, and people in cars were waiting patiently at each end waiting to cross.

 

 

 

After Ft. Gibson,  we trekked north through hill and dale, up to the dam that backs up Ft. Gibson Reservoir, just downstream from Grand Lake of the Cherokees. Because of all the large rivers and reservoirs in the area, this is a very hilly part of the state.

 

 

 

 

 

The trip across the dam was watched diligently by "The Watchers" up on the top of the light fixture, waiting for the possibility of a quick meal, but not with this bunch.  The haze, isn't haze, but light rain.

 

 

 

The ridge line on the other side was one that we had to climb over up one of the three Cat 5 climbs of the day. Halfway across the dam, I spied this noisy flock of pelicans in the release water, just having a ball ..... and probably finding lots of dazed fish from the trip through the dam. I don't know why, but I always find it strange to see pelicans and sea gulls, this far from the sea.

 

 

So, leaving the river and dam behind, we crawled up the slope on the other side, and topped over the ridge line to begin a series of rollers on to the north.

 

 



 

It was on the hill that I met this delightful young lady Who told me this was her very first organized ride. She said she had only ridden a little bit before, and all of this on the Tulsa bike path. Twenty seven miles was her furthest ride to date, and she had signed up for the 30 mile ride as she didn't think herself capable of doing anything longer. Meet Dayna...... Half Marathon runner, and now bicyclist ...........

 

 

 

She proved to be a lot of fun, and the miles melted away quickly to the next rest stop, where we arrived amid the hardest rain, and coldest wind of the day. I told her that this was where we had to part company as I was going on to do the 70 mile ride, and the 30 mile route turned off here. I suggested that maybe I could drop 20, and she could add 20, and we could do the 50 together. I told her, I needed to dash off to the little house on wheels, and she could think about it while I was gone. If she wasn't there when I returned, I would understand. She was! And so, we left on the 50 mile leg together. She was as much of a chatterbox as was I. We continued through the many, many rolling hills next to the lakeside (which you couldn't see for the hills and trees) on up hwy 80 to the little town of Hulbert. After Hulbert we left on what was to prove the most terrifying and dangerous part of our trip, the northernmost leg, eastward on Hwy 51. No shoulder, narrow, heavily travelled by cars and commercial traffic, it was indeed a harrowing experience. The route across the top of the 70 mile route, by comparison, has few cars. Nerves frazzled, 8 miles up the road, never seeing another bicyclist and beginning to think we had missed a turn somewhere and were hopelessly lost, we found a painted marking on the road indicating a turn ...... off that miserable narrow road. We pulled up for a bit to talk and let our nerves calm down and along came the rest of the little group that we started with, Alice, a lady rider from OKC and a member of the Oklahoma Bicycle Society, who I had met on other rides, our intrepid tandem team from Pennsylvania, as well as their friend, and a couple of others that we seemed to run across from time to time. It was here, while we were chatting that I told them about "The Wormhole"......... a horrible uphill that we would be facing on up the road. One that even I had to walk. Both Dayna and Alice had rather long faces at that time, as we had climbed a bunch by then. But,  on we went. Through some simply Idyllic countryside.

 

 

 

 

It was at this point that Alice became a regular part of our group, and stayed with us until the end, adding to the fun. The miles melted away quickly in spite of the cold and wet day. It was on this stretch that we had several delightful long 40mph downhills, smooth and wonderful. Dayna held back a bit on the downhills because the speed intimidated her a bit. I can understand that, especially on wet roads. Then we turned the corner and down the road a piece, we came to a sign painted on the road that said simply "The Wormhole"..... and I wished I had taken photos from the bottom as what I got doesn't do it justice. It is a brutal 1/2 mile uphill with (fortunately) a short break in the middle that had most riders walking. I myself, had walked that hill a couple of times in the past. Today though, I felt strong, so kept pushing the pedals on up the hill. It was tough..... push down, bike would stop, push down with the other foot, bike would stop ..... and so on, all the way to the top, where I was applauded by several riders waiting at the top. Yes, it was tough....... but it WAS conquerable. Must have been all the touring bike miles I've been putting on lately.

 

 

From there, the trip was only about twelve miles longer, and all the tough stuff was now behind us. We all felt pretty good, and chatted away merrily until the last rest stop where we had one of the rest stop crew take our pictures.     We Came, We Saw, We Conquered!!!





 

The Conquerors

 Left to right, Alice, Richard, and Dayna

 

 

 

From there, a short but pleasant, even if chilly, ride back to Three Forks Harbor, where we came to an end to our journey, 50.3 miles in the books. We changed clothes into something drier and warmer and went in to partake of their furnished lunch...... bar-b-qued hot dogs, this was definitely a two dog day, chips and lot of free beer and pleasant camaraderie. And so it ends, a day that I thought would hold no promise turned into a delightful day, made possible by good people becoming good friends through the wonderful world of bicycling. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







 



New Years Day Ride

A New Year tradition, a bike ride on New Years Day! It really wasn't looking too swell for a bike ride this morning, fog, drizzle, 33 degrees, and a breeze of 10 mph. Normally, I'd have just waited until it warmed up....... it wasn't supposed to warm much, plus the wind was going to pick up. So.... took fifteen minutes to pull on a bunch of clothes...... Craft cold weather base layer, heavyweight tights, heavyweight Adidas jersey, vest, cold weather jacket, wool glove liners, cold weather gloves, heavyweight DeFeet Wool Blaze socks, and toe covers over my shoes .....oh....and a warm skull cap, plus balaclava..... I should be OK, if I can just manage to waddle out the door.

I felt like the Michelin man on a bicycle! Even though the temperature was above freezing, I kept getting ice on my glasses, finally had to remove them for a while, only putting them on when I needed them. Visibility wasn't too bad, but there was this constant drizzle, which turned into an occasional snow flurry as I rode. A couple bridges were getting a bit slick as well. But...I got out on New Years Day.......

Looking a bit skeptical and not really too sure what the H*** I'm doing out here. I wasn't alone however, there was the biggest flock of Guineau's out feeding this morning I've seen in a long time .....   Of course Guineau's are not noted for superior intelligence .....

All in all, I managed 22 miles before I had more than I really wanted, got back, had a light coating of ice on the bike, my jacket, helmet, gloves..... whatever. But, I did get in a New Years ride. People that passed me in warm cars gave me friendly waves that I'm sure was just to humor "that crazy nut on the bicycle"........

Wonderbike!!!

I received my latest copy of "Bicycling" magazine, a periodical published with the sole intent of promoting the emptiness of any bicyclist's bank account. The latest foray into ridiculousness (in my opinion) is the multi-page spread devoted to promoting 27.5 inch wheels on mountain bikes. Hmmmm, just a year ago, the same periodical exclaimed the wonderful virtues of the all new 29 inch wheels on mountain bikes, and how they were faster, surer, more stabile, and an all round wonderful reason to spend $5,000 to $10,000 on a new mountain bike that would be able to handle the increased tire size with a larger frame. Never mind that even six footer's aren't able to touch the ground with both feet while straddling the frame....... Just ride, don't worry about the ground ..... it'll be just fine, you'll see. So now, the 29's are starting to gain acceptance throughout the sport, after much promoting by bicycle frame and component and tire and wheel manufacturers. And now, we are faced with yet another blitz from all the same people, but especially the media who now proclaims that well, maybe the 29's weren't all that wonderful a replacement to the 26 inch after all, they do have a few weaknesses...... although, we'd never call them by that name. But... a new, hot off the presses wheel size is taking the bike industry by blitzsturm  .... an all new size that promises to do everything the 29 inch can't do, and overcome the weaknesses of the 26 inch sizes...... it's a new   .....ready for this...... 27.5 inch tire. It'll climb stronger, descend faster, jump higher, and make anyone into a superrider... Just switch over to the new tire size, and you'll win every race you enter .....even if you've never raced before. Hmmmmm ..... where have I heard this before? And even if you overlook my attempt of obvious tongue in cheek here, and really start believing the hype put forth by the media, here is a little more to consider .......

After reading all the below article, I think I will secure my fame and fortune by promoting an all new mountain bike tire size, 26 1/4 inch tire, one that will fly higher, jump further, climb faster, descend quicker than the "old fashioned" 26 inch size, and win every race you put it in. Of course, you will have to have an altogether brand new bike with all new suspension, rims, forks, and everything else matched together for this to happen. Of course, I'll be making these new wonderbikes as fast as I can to fill orders, but mind you, this is still a custom operation, and I already have a four year time lag after you order, so the prices will naturally have to reflect this. This new wonderbike will only set you back $12,000, a bargain considering what you can accomplish with it........ If you still want one, after reading below, I'll get started on yours after a bit.......

WHAT DOES TIRE SIZE "700 C" MEAN? February 19, 2005 What does the “c” in 700c stand for? My first guess would be, of course, centimeter, but a wheel with a diameter of 700 centimeters would be nearly 23 feet across! Thanks. Chris S. Chris: The "C" formerly indicated the width of the tire. 700-size tires come in a variety of widths and "A" once meant the narrowest while "D" meant the widest. Nowadays, the letters more correctly indicate tire diameter, for reasons that remain obscure—tho not as obscure as what that "700" really means. Let me elaborate. As you’ve obviously seen, bike tires have printed on their sidewalls a sequence of two sets of characters separated by "x". The first set, usually a number, tells you the tire’s diameter (measured, allegedly, at the bead, the circular piece of metal or plastic embedded into the tire that holds it into the rim). The second set of characters indicates the tire’s width, sometimes followed by an extra letter at the end to indicate, uh, the true diameter (I swear I did not make this up). It turns out that a 700 C tire actually has a bead diameter of 622 millimeters. So why do they call it 700? For the same reason a 2-by-4 piece of wood has neither 2 nor 4 as its dimensions; it really measures 1.5 by 3.5 inches, but "2 by 4" rolls off the tongue better, and probably sells better too. To complicate matters, a tire labeled 700 B has a diameter of 635 mm and a 700 D tire has a diameter of 587 mm. This bit of subterfuge doesn’t, however, stop at 700-size tires. It seems that you can’t trust any of the inch diameters, either: A tire labeled 26" might actually come in at around 24 ¼ inches (it varies by type of tire, believe it or not), while a tire that claims 27" might measure roughly 24 ¾ inches. It gets worse. The second set of characters, the width measurement, doesn’t cause much trouble if it appears in millimeters, as in 700 x 32 (usually shown as 700 x 32 C, with the C, as I said before, indicating the true diameter—in this case, 622 mm). The mischief arises if the width appears in inches. It sometimes appears as a decimal, as in 26 x 1.75, and sometimes as a fraction, as in 26 x 1 ¾. You’d think that a 26 x 1.75 tire has the same size as a 26 x 1 ¾ tire. In reality, the first one has a slightly larger diameter. Fortunately, you won’t usually get thrown by this amusingly chaotic measurement "system" unless you want to replace your bike’s wheel or install a tire having a different width. In that case, look for another designation on your existing tire, a designation having two numbers separated by a hyphen—e.g., 32-622. This designation, established by the trusty European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO), tells you, in millimeters, the width followed by the true diameter. Most new tires come with the ETRTO designation, so when replacing a tire or wheel you can ignore the "x" designation. By the way: Some call the ETRTO designation the ISO (International Standards Organization) designation. Don’t ask. Mr Bike

Haunted House Ride

Today was a Blustery Day, and not just for Pooh, but for the entire forty acre woods, all the creatures in it and all the surrounding woods too...... It was blowing so hard I thought I'd better choose a bike that would "stand up to the wind"......

Yes....the touring bike...... a chore to pedal into the wind, but stabil, and low geared for my foray into the wind on the way home. I'm not really sure why I always seem to plan my trips to where I have the strong wind in my face on the way back,  after  I'm already tired, but that seems to be the way I plan things.
So....it is getting close to Halloween, and I thought a Halloween theme to my ride today would be fitting. The sky was co-operating as well, as it certainly looked like it would become devastating at any time.

Another good reason to take the tourer, just in case it rained. Besides, I really needed the extra excersize as I've been working long hours all week, and this is only the second ride this week. It does
look like a perfect day to go looking for Haunts however......

It was also a perfect day to catch a few fleeting, still hangin' in there, wildflowers.

There were also Oklahoma Road Hazards ....

Ah, but wait.....you say..... you promised us GHOSTS....... Well, I did locate a few candidates.....
First one on the list was old, and vacant....but I just couldn't scare up any ghosts

The second was also a good candidate, but alas.... just couldn't find any ghosts willing to come out and play.....

A haunted barn perhaps.......nah, cow ghosts just aren't the same.....

But wait!!!..... What's this? Certainly behind this gate there is a story...... "But Boss, I know you distinctly told me, "measure once and cut twice"..... it still looked too short, so I cut it off again just too be sure, but I made it fit OK...." Surely behind a gate like this, and up the secluded little lane, past the "trespassers will be shot" sign, there must be something REALLY spooky.....

When the Hounds Of The Baskervilles came out to eat me, I knew I was getting close. Ahhhhooooooo ......

And so, my quest for the ultimate Haunted House continued ..... until I found THIS.........

Certainly a house worthy of the "Haunted" moniker. Isn't it amazing what you can find when you are on a bike. Lost in the woods, with a 50's car in the weeds out behind, it probably has ghosts galore. It was sooo haunted in fact, and the ghosts that came out to challenge me were so strong, I barely escaped with my sanity intact. I jumped back on my bike and raced up the road only to hear behind me the wail of the "Headless Bikesman"....gaining on me with every pedal stroke.....oh why.....oh why....didn't I take the fast bike? Alas, there was no escape, and as he overtook me, I heard the swish of the sword through the air, and zip..... I lost my head......

Fortunately for me, after feeling around a bit, I found it........

And so, I was able to continue home without further incident, but hey..... "Mums" the word......

How Big's The Meatloaf!

I was asked by my friend Jim to write a blog post about rides that I've intended to do, and maybe some I've decided not, and why, so I'll give it a stab. I'm not much of one to show my cards before the hand is played because I might have to fold 'em. But, I'll give this a try and see where it goes.

My tastes in most things run a bit contrary to what you might find most people attracted to, and so, this also affects my choice of rides to do as well. For example, instead of paying $100 a plate for a three snail French dinner at a classy restaurant with a stuffy French waiter, and $50 a glass for wine, I'd much rather go to a hole in the wall diner, for a huge slice of meat loaf, and a beer for $5.95 and a sassy waitress to serve fun as well as food. So, when I was thinking about rides to do, my ideas may run a bit contrary to what you might think. Bicycling magazine just ran an article about the best rides in every state...... 50 of them. Lots to choose from there for sure, but after looking through them and realizing that sure, they are certainly the cream of the crop, there really wasn't any I'd put at the top of my list. Why?...... this is hard for me to answer, but it goes like this..... the one in Colorado was the Mt Evans road, certainly a worthy challenge. The highest paved auto road in the U.S. Five or six hours of climbing, toppping out at over 14,000 feet, certainly a worthy accomplishment. Just not mine! It goes up to the top, and then you turn around and come back down the same road ....... where's the fun in that? Here's where my different mindset comes into play. Jim suggested my thoughts on this when I posted this picture......

Two of my three bicycles, the other being a less adventurous road bike. The one, a factory made touring bike, capable of a heavily loaded tour around the world if you wanted, the other, a mountain bike, capable of light to moderate loads over rugged terrain, but probably much shorter trips. Both are important to me in their differences, as adventure is what these two are all about. So, what would I rather do instead of the Mt Evans ride....... well two come to mind. Mosquito Pass in Colorado, a rough and rugged mountain pass that jeep drivers brag about when they get over it. 13, 183 feet in elevation, and rough, rocky, and a tough climb to boot. A very worthy adversary. And....not just up and down.....but a mountain pass that I could combine with Weston Pass for a loop. Actually going somewhere, and coming back via a different route. A new challenge in each direction. Now this is my cup of tea.
While I'm in Leadville, there is yet another that I've looked seriously at, and this one is probably the more do-able of the three, and the most likely to get done by me. Hagerman Pass from Leadville over to Basalt, unpaved most of the way, but not nearly as rough or rugged as Mosquito, just longer. The return for this would be back over Independence Pass and back to Leadville. This is very do-able, and should make a really nice two day ride for the adventurous soul. Both of these I would take the mountain bike and plan on motels. Expensive motels, more than likely in that neck of the woods.
Other off road rides I've looked at and some that I am considering if I live long enough are
1:    Michelson Trail in South Dakota. This is very do-able for a two day ride, and shuttles are available to return you to your start. (For a fee).
2:     Katy Trail in Missouri..... at one time near the top of my list, and very do-able. I would take the train back from probably Washington instead of going all the way to St Louis and trying to find my way through a big city to the downtown Amtrak station. The train fare is cheap, and the ride is well known. So well known that it kind of relegates itself down the list several pegs. Peak time makes it very difficult to obtain affordable lodging, camping is hit and miss, and not always where I might want it to be. I've planned and planned on this one, and in the course of many plannings have cooled off on it a bit. Still in consideration, but not near the top.
3:     The Cowboy Trail in northern Nebraska. This would indeed be a nice ride. 193 miles in length, scenic and historical. I just haven't found a way back yet, and really don't care to do it both ways. Not even a bus route goes there. I'll keep looking, and keep thinking.
4:     A couple of trails (Womble Trail) in Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, but these are rugged, tough single track, and not as appealing as some of the easier ones in other areas. Unbeatable for scenic beauty though. Much better if I was thirty, than seventy.
Why not Moab, people ask....... Moab is certainly the Holy Grail among bicyclists, much scenic beauty, challenging terrain, and the idea that you could ride where everybody in the country wishes to go. If I wanted to do that..... maybe the New York Gran Fondo would be next. Maybe some day, if I can plan far enough ahead to reserve a motel room 6 months in advance, and bring plenty of money. I'm not ruling it out, as there are a couple of organized rides there that would be very nice indeed.
5:     There is an overnight tour that I am going to do. It's in the works, and it'll happen next Fall if I'm still around. I've investigated motel rates (affordable lodges), and the rest of it goes with my idea of a good time too. I'm driving to Chama, New Mexico, staying in a lodge there,  Then riding my bike over Cumbres Pass to Antonito, Colorado, spending the night there at the 1911 Hotel, and taking the historic steam train back the next day. I love old steam trains! Wait a minute..... why not the original, the famous, the one everybody else wants to do..... the Durango to Silverton narrow gauge. For the same reason I like meatloaf over a fancy French dinner. But also, because the road from Chama to Antonito is very lightly travelled, no huge busses, motor homes, travel trailers, trucks, and the like that you'll find on the million dollar highway. To me, anyway, it's just a better choice.
6:     A ride that I've looked at, and I think is fairly do-able, although I've not researched it very well yet is another Colorado ride. From Gunnison up the unpaved portion of Cottonwood Pass, turning off before the summit to the old ghost gold mining town of Tincup, then continue up and over Tincup pass (another VERY rugged jeep trail) back to U.S. 50 and return to Gunnison. Probably primitive camping on this one, which means a too heavy a load for the mountain bike, and maybe Tincup pass would be a bit too challenging for the fully loaded touring bike. It'll take some more investigating.
7:     I've also looked at a southern Utah loop that would amount to about 750 miles or so when completed. It is, however, pretty far down my list because of the vast distances, long ways between water and food stops, and generally would require a lot of advance planning. It would be a beautiful trip, and a memory maker for a lifetime though. Just not sure how practical it would be on a bicycle. Maybe better for a motor cycle.
If I live long enough, there is a circle of Michigan and Wisconsin, and back across the upper peninsula and return along the lake Huron coast that I'd like to do. That one would be mostly camping (many campgrounds) and includes a ferry boat ride (historical old boat) across Lake Michigan. Looks like a fun ride. Maybe some day. So, as you can see....my plate is heaped full of dreams, maybe some will come true, probably most will not. That's why I don't usually open my plans to others, because, (a): I might try and fail, or (most likely, b): I may just never get to them. I'd rather dream up my own rides than I would ride someone else's idea of a wonderful ride. So, there you have it, a symposium of some of the rides I've been considering for the future. At least one of which will get done. There are probably many more that I have thought of that just didn't make this list, but if I get all these done, I'll be at least 122 years old when I finish the last one.
So, how many of these will I get finished? I guess it depends on "How big is the meatloaf", and whether or not my eyes were bigger than my stomach, as my Grandmother used to be fond of saying, when I'd pile my plate too high with something I liked, and then couldn't finish.

Bison Bicycle Classic 2012

This is always a big deal here in Shawnee and not only does the local university get involved, but also our club and the Bicycle Shoppe. This year promised to be the biggest and the best as almost 400 participants were registered. I had registered for the 50 mile ride, and when I got up and checked the radar, I started having second thoughts. There was a huge amount of rain just to the south of us. After watching the radar for a while though, I felt that it would never make it this far north. Still, there was this nagging doubt..... I went back and forth.... should I take the road bike and no rain gear, should I take the touring bike, and rain gear....... the touring bike won out.

Starting out in the morning, a pretty good crowd was already at hand when I arrived.

My friends and companions for the ride.....

The weather stayed nice until the ride started, then pretty smiles like Holly's were hard to find. Still, everyone I talked to had a great time, even with the weather. Once we got started, the rest of the ride looked just like this......... Rained the entire ride

Still, the rest stops were manned by smiling happy people, and the goodies were simply the best! This is one ride, I could gain weight riding. All home-made treats, some in fact fresh made from The Groove Bakery and Pizza, a local bakery.

After this, there isn't many more ride pictures because I was reluctant to drag my camera out in the wet. It had already gotten a bit wet even in it's little baggie, so I waited until the end.  Barbara Smith, in the yellow rain coat, Ciria, Connie (I always seem to catch her with her mouth full), and Jim Vernon, one of the people who brought this wonderful ride to fruition.

And.....your's truly, after the ride, and still smiling!!!!

Smiling maybe, because I knew there was a ton of fresh baked pizza from The Groove waiting for us.

This ride, put on as a joint effort by Oklahoma Baptist University, and our Pedalers Cycling Club is rapidly becoming one of the premier rides in the State. Kudos to all that worked so hard putting this ride on, and weather not withstanding, it was a success. A lot of work and effort goes into putting on a ride like this, and the average rider doesn't have the foggiest idea of what it takes to make one of these work. This one is one of the great ones. Every year it gets a little bigger and a little better. Just can't wait until next year.