Cradle Complete

After church Daniel and I headed straight to the Knob.  We started the Cradle rebuild project and wanted to be part of finishing it.  Operation complete... it's open again!

All hands on the deck.

Daniel got some hammer time.

Kevin stapling the chicken wire.

Just about ready to ride.

Smoothie

After today's bike ride I decided to make myself a "power smoothie" to "aid recovery", or something like that.  Daniel was eager to help when he saw the blender and numerous ingredients being accumulated on the counter.

He was particularly amused by

bananas floating in water.

We added bananas, blueberries, prunes, flax seed, protein powder, chia seeds, and other stuff I cannot remember.  Pretty much whatever I could find in the pantry.  A flip of the switch and we had an oddly colored pitcher of drink.  Daniel got out the glasses, one for me and one for him.  We poured some smoothie sludge and sat down to drink.

The tasting did not go so well for Daniel.  Here he

has just taken a drink, exclaimed "nasty!", and

is in the process of attempting to wipe

the taste of his tongue.

Gravel & Hills Around Loudonville

I always like making plans for a weekend ride mid-week.  Then, the last few days of the week there is some fun to anticipate.  Ryan and I made plans to head down to Loudonville and do a gravel road ride, the same one we did last spring.

Cross bikes this year.

We left the mountain bike parking lot and headed north on SR3 to Wally Road.  Much like last year I started out a little cold, but we remembered a good hill off Wally Road that would warm us up soon.

Bouncing down a gravel road.

The day was overcast and breezy.  It didn't feel like spring, more like a warmish winter day.  There was little vehicle traffic to be encountered on the roads we pedaled.

Going up.

The rain of the previous week founds its way to the rivers around Loudonville.  We had a couple bridge crossings and the brown water was churning away, high on the banks.

Bikes on a bridge.

After some good riding we ended up down by the Mohican Wilderness course.  We started up the gravel road climb past the Tree Frog Canopy place.  I'm not sure how I didn't remember this climb from our ride of this route last year.  Perhaps it was not too big of a deal on a low gear mountain bike, but this year on my not-geared-for-climbing cross bike it was a grunt fest.  As Ryan later described it, "each pedal stroke was a one rep max effort."  I was proud to make it up without walking, without falling over due to low speed, and without cramping up or exploding.

Last sight before chuggin' up a hill... slowly.

The last effort of the day was a punchy but short climb past Landoll's Castle and we were soon back to the parking lot, satisfied with the climbing we put in our legs.

Cradle Construction with DNL

Since riding at the Knob last Saturday, Ryan and I met up for a Wednesday night Knob ride as well.  What a difference four days made, the mud was gone and it was nearly dusty.  I went out and rode some laps of the new opening section before Ryan arrived and I bumped into Dustin of 331.  He said a work day was scheduled for Sunday to work on the Cradle.

I decided a little construction project in the woods would be great fun for Daniel.  He was also eager for an adventure.  We hiked out to the Cradle with gloves and shovel in hand.

A stripped off cradle.

We jumped in on the work and began stripping off the old planks.  It didn't take long with several guys working together.  The next task was to reinforce the beams or stretchers that run the length of the bridge.

Re-decking underway.  Jason, Dennis, John, and Ray

sizing up the new stretchers.

Daniel and I got to business setting and nailing new deck planks.  Daniel helped hand the planks over after Jason cut them, and I nailed them down.  Daniel was also my nail supply man.

Six nails per plank, about 52 planks...

we did a lot of nailing!

Unfortunately we ran out of decking before making it to the other side.  The hard work is done with the stretchers, now it's just smacking some more nails to finish it off once more decking is available.  Of course hiking the deck boards out to the Cradle is the other effort required.

Part way across.

Daniel and I hit Subway on the way home as we had worked up a hunger.  It was a fun time out in the woods.  Daniel brought quite a bit of Knob dirt home with him from exploring the creek and hill sides.  It will be easier to throw him in the bath tub than a mountain bike!

Agent P joined us for lunch.

New Knob Fun

They have been busy over the winter at the Knob.  I'm not sure why I never thought to check for work days taking place, I guess I didn't think frozen ground allowed trail work.  Ryan and I met at the Knob this morning for a ride.  Lorson arrived just as we were about to roll out, so we waited a few minutes to roll with him.

Lots of leaf cover at the bottom of Junk Hill.

He was in the know about the new opening section of trail and gave us a guided tour.  The first half mile is the same as last year, then the new stuff comes into play.  Lots of fast downhill, some jumps, tabletops, and doubles contribute to the fun, as well as some berms.  Eventually it's back on the "same 'ol" trail when you drop down the ravine towards the Cradle, which is currently closed.

Ryan snagged this picture as I

came out of the Over/Under.

We rode the first lap and found some mud along the way.  At the end of the first lap we met up with Lorson again and he gave us another guided tour, this time of the new double enduro loop.  We did a couple laps before John had to take off.  This was some fun riding.

Another ride, another muddy bike.

Ryan and I headed back out for a second lap, bypassing the Over/Under and Junk Hill for the sake of time.  It was a fun day at the Knob, the first time there this year for me.

Pantry Organized

When we first moved in to our house.  We liked the number and size of closets, including the pantry as a closet in this statement.  However, the shelving arrangement left much to be desired.  We thought re-shelving the closets would be an urgent project.

KT preps the walls after

ripping down the shelves.

Ten years later, I did a makeover on the pantry.  Better late than never!

KT likes the bright white, adjustable side shelves,

and much better utilized storage space.

Mohican Mud Cleanup

We surprisingly received several inches of snow last night.  (What did I say about spring weather on the way in my post less than 24 hours ago?)  My helpers bundled up and were in attendance for the bike cleanup.

Daniel must have been expecting some overspray.

Ellen is about the same height as a 29er wheel.

Mohican Mud

Our schedules and weather aligned.  Ryan and I headed down to Mohican for an off-road ride.

The bikes had not seen each other in a while.

The weather had been a little warmer but I did not expect to find the mud spots we encountered.  It was still a fine afternoon for a ride through the woods.  The temperature was in the upper 30's and I added a vest layer atop my wool jersey for some extra warmth.

No leaves or under story to block the views.

I tried to eat more often to keep some energy going.  At the covered bridge I ate up a homemade energy bar and we got to business on Mount Doom.

Doing some climbin'.

We cut the loop short at about mile 21 and headed back to the car via road.  This gave some opportunity to fling mud of the bikes.  They were still quite dirty upon return to the parking lot.

Wash me!

It was a good early season ride.  My forearms seemed to get as much workout as anything, just holding onto the bars.  Maybe some spring weather will show up for the next ride!

Heading home.

skunk cross

Ever get stuck in the road by a skunk that will not let you pass?  I did today and I was glad I was on my cross bike.

Ryan and I went for a ride after church.  We rode from his in-laws house north of Wooster and were able to cover some roads I have not been on in a while.  It was mid 30's and overcast and I was having an unexpectedly hard time staying warm.  I seemed to be rapidly swinging from warm to cold.  Come to think of it, the leaky water bottle in my gear bag that pre-moistened my base layer may have been the culprit.

We pedaled together for two hours and Ryan had east while I headed west to the Overton Valley.  I was coming down Armstrong Road and spotted something in the road up ahead.  Just last week I was taking pictures of frogs and a turtle in the spring weather.  What was this today?  A cat in the road?  Strange, it's walking in circles right in the middle of the road.  I stopped about 20 yards short of the animal and realized it was a skunk.

A truck approached from behind, pulled up beside me and put the window down.  "I really don't want to get sprayed by that skunk" I said.  We talked for a few moments and he pulled forward hoping to scare it off.

Meanwhile another car pulled up and stopped beside me.  This guy diagnosed the skunk as rabid and said they often spin in circles with such disease.  The skunk continued to walk in about a 10' circle right in front of the stopped truck.

Hoping to see a skunk dart out from in front

of the truck... or the truck run him over.

With the stalemate situation continuing I decided to take action.  I rode through a small ditch, into a field, and bypassed the trunk / skunk stand-off.  The guy in truck yelled over, "is it still in front of me?"  Yep, still circling and half under his truck for a portion of the loop.

My view from the field.

The car behind went around on the left.  The truck backed up and, waiting for the skunk loop to start the right half, also went around on the left.  There was no skunk spraying and I rode off amused.

The rest of the ride was not so eventful.  I rode pretty steady down Overton Rd in my own time trial and arrived home slightly cross-eyed.  It felt good to sit in front of the fire when I got home, and it was an added plus to not smell like a skunk.

Spring or confused reptiles & amphibians?

It was hard to believe the weather forecast several days ago, but I guess it was right.  Yesterday was better than 60 degrees and today the same.  Sunny skies and warm weather, it seems like spring.

After being down and out with another cold I was looking for an excuse for a ride this afternoon.  The weather along was a good reason for a ride but I needed a destination.  I had a cycling magazine for Ryan so I decided to ride it to him, like an aluminum framed pony express rural delivery.

Across Valley and into the swamps I rode, turning on Messner.  As I started onto the long straight away with low lying swampy water on both sides of the road I confirmed KT's prediction.  She thought the warm weather these past two days combined with the overnight rain may bring some frogs out of hibernation.  She was right.

Is it spring or is this frog confused?

I spotted a leopard frog hopping across the road and halted his advance so I could take a picture.  (Full disclosure... I had no idea what kind of frog it was before KT told me after seeing the picture.)

Back on the bike, time to get rolling... ooooh, there's another frog and it's slimy black!

Ditched the bike and dropped to the

road for another froggy picture.

My ride continued and I pedaled the magazine to Ryan's house for delivery.  After visiting with him and Rylen for a little bit it was time to head back home with a tail wind.  I had been mostly into the wind on the way over.

I made my way back over to Messner to ride through the swamps again, wondering how many squished frogs I would find on the road.  In nearly the same place I encountered the frogs earlier I spotted a slow moving bump in the chip and seal.

A slow road crossing.

A turtle!  I used to have a turtle like this as a pet when I was a kid.  My bike was tossed into the ditch for the third time today while I snapped a few turtle pics.  I couldn't just leave him there to get thumped so I expedited his desire to be on the other side of the road.  It was quite a creature filled ride today.

You better pull back inside.  I hope you

have some mittens and a hat in there!

Is spring here?  No way, it's Ohio.  I'm sure there is some more snow to come.

Beavers Spotted

It was a nice afternoon to head out for a ride beneath sunny skies.  I rode west into the wind and headed across the Funk bottoms.

Abandoned house on Funk Road.

There's nothing like some good 'ol sunshine to make cool temperatures feel more comfortable.  It's not the effect of the sun heating you up, it just seems easier to be out in the cold with the sun shining down.

Sun behind, Amish haystacks ahead.

It's been a while since I rode across the Funk bottoms on Wilderness Road.  Sporting the cross bike and cross tires it was a good day to check out this dirty gravel road.  There was the ever present peat bog farming operations taking place alongside the road, and I noticed a new "pond" up ahead.

The water was frozen over, but I spotted a couple creatures out on the ice.  I reached for my camera with one hand while squeezing a brake lever with the other. Unfortunately my brake honked and two beavers wasted no time diving into a hole in the ice!  They were within 75 yards of where I stopped.  That would have been a cool picture.  Oh well, it was neat to see them fairly close.

Wilderness Road, pre-beaver sighting.

Hyperwarm in a Blizzard

Lately I've been tempted to buy some new cold weather clothing.  Perhaps something with the word "thermo" in the name of it, like a ThermoShield jacket or ThermoTec bib tights.  This morning KT and I had a chance to get out without the kids, thanks Grandma and Grandpa, so amongst other stops we visited a sporting goods store.  After trying on no less than six shirts I settled on a Nike Pro Combat Compression Hyperwarm shirt.  I figured "hyperwarm" was at least equivalent if not superior to "thermo".

Pro Combat?  Who comes up with this stuff?

Driving to Mohican in the afternoon, with my new shirt installed, the skies were mostly sunny and it was around freezing.  Closing in on Loudonville I looked to the west and spotted a mass of dark clouds.  For a few moments I wondered if it was going to rain before realizing it would snow at this temperature.  No worries over a few flurries I figured.

On the first, uphill mile at Mohican it's usually not challenging to stay warm and I certainly did today.  By mile two I was adjusting my outer wind layer to let in some breeze.  I guess I was feeling hyperwarm, the new base layer was getting the job done well.

Frozen ground.

Between miles six and seven I met the only person I would see on the trail today.  He was also riding a singlespeed and had ridden out before turning back to ride the opening miles in reverse.  We chatted a few minutes and headed off our separate ways.  Within ten minutes of our parting it started to snow a little as I started up the climb overlooking the gorge.  Next thing I knew it was a whiteout.

No view into the gorge, just white.  It almost

looked foggy in the distance. 

The snow flakes were big, wet, and numerous.  The view into the gorge was filled with snow, nothing could be seen.  In very little time the ground was covered and it was not letting up.  I decided to turn back under the assumption riding was going to be slow and dicey.  It was.

Deciding to turn back now.

With my tire treads packed with snow it was hard to crank the singlespeed uphill and keep traction.  After  spinning out a few times and putting a foot down my cleats packed with snow too.  Now it was difficult to clip into the pedals and I spent some time banging my feet against a tree to knock the snow pack loose from my shoe soles.  Otherwise, it was really scenic riding in a suddenly changed woods.  A white blanket had been laid down.

On the way out (top).  On the way back (bottom).

For the longest time I didn't see any tracks from the guy I had talked to just before the snow hit.  The snow had been so steady it filled in his tracks.  Eventually I started to see his tread pattern in the snow.  The white stuff had stopped after depositing a couple inches.

Following a track.

Arriving back to the car I was ready for some food.  It hadn't been a long distance ride but I put in the time, especially with slower riding in the snow.  It was a good test of my new shirt and it did well!

Recovery chocolate.

...


I pulled into the garage and took some gear into the house.  A surprise met me when I came back to get the bike off the rack... I guess that's frozen road spray from the drive home.

Chunky looking wheel.

Oh this is going to be fun to clean.

Opposite Direction

The weather was expected to bring warmer temperatures today and wind from the north.  I mapped out a ride heading north and back for several hours of riding this afternoon.  On the way home from church I noticed the occasional flag pole we drove by showed wind from the south / southeast; time for a change of route.

Can you girls check the weather on that thing?

 Ryan and I headed down to Millbrook Road and worked our way southeast toward Shreve.  The temperature was warm, mid 40's, and the wind was in our face.

Shreve Lake was frozen.

 

The skies were overcast.

 

We road south into Holmes County and found some township roads to pedal eastward.  The chip and seal surface frequently changed to gravel and mud.  I thought we were on a good streak of gravel when my map and the road in front of us did not agree.

But my map shows an outlet.

 A slight reroute brought us back north and we rode around Shreve again before taking a few gravel roads through the swamps.  We made a few detours on the way back home to maximize ride time.  Nice day to be out!

Only a few hills on the ride today.

 

After Ryan headed for home Daniel asked if we could go for a bike ride.  Of course!  I finished spraying off the road spray, wiped the bike down, and Daniel and I rode some laps up and down the road.

Making the red bike go!