Greetings once again!

I’ve decided to revive my Peaceride Bicycle Blog!

Why? Well, here are a few reasons:

*Last February, I sold my car!
*I turn 40 in a matter of DAYS from this post!
*I’ve missed my bicycle adventures, and I want to explore the North Shore of MN and other places on my bike once again!
*Oh, and I finally got a new bike! (2007 Gary Fisher Zebrano!)

This week I’m in Madison, WI - just on a “working vacation” where I’m designing websites, blogging, and bicycling around new trails that I missed last year.

Today, I traveled the 18.1 mile Capitol City State Trail, which loops around the south side of the Madison Metro area. A wonderful ride! If you try it yourself, be aware that a portion of it is a fee area, and you will need to pay $4 for the day (or $20 for a yearly pass). It is well worth it!

Enjoy my pictures on Flickr of the Capitol City State Trail! At nearly 40, yes, I feel a renewed sense of an “invincible summer.”

Total Distance Today: 22 miles

In other news (coming soon), I bought a new bike! Pictures and a post shall be forthcoming!

Video: The Blue Bird (15 MB - Requires Quicktime)
Click the image to watch in a pop-up window.
Click here to download

I took a mini-vacation this weekend to Madison, WI. I lived in Madison from 2000-2003 and did massage out of a small office on Bedford Street, just a few blocks from Lake Monona. I love to return to Madison to bike the trails and to just peer out at the lake every chance I get. Unfortunately, I don’t think I ever biked in Madison when living there. Coming back and riding a bicycle helps me to discover it all over again.

I also did a bit of “geekery” and created a short quicktime movie of all of the bodies of water that I’m fond of just peering out at. I hope you like it. The song is “The Blue Bird”. Click the image above or the download link below the picture to watch the short video.

Cross posted to holisticgeek.com and www.apeacefultouch.com.

I will admit it! I’ve been quite the wimp on the below zero days. One ride around the block in -10 degrees was enough for me. I keep telling myself now, “Scott, this is your FIRST winter of biking. Don’t over-do it!” So it’s been a life of transit this past week.

However, since the temp has gone up a bit, I hope to get on the bike again tomorrow and take a more extended ride. There have been quite a few “Zen Moments” while riding in the snow. I was awestruck near Minnehaha Park to see so many bicycle tire tracks in the snow. I smiled a bit, and had to stop and take this photo, as a husband and wife were walking along in the distance. About a dozen bike tire markings made me feel as if I was not alone, which was just great.

I’ve been able to meet some great folks over the past couple of weeks too who bike in winter. Some have taken me up on my $35 winter biking discount for massage therapy. I like making these connections, as I learn a lot from people. One person booked an appointment over the phone with me and stated, “I really hope it’s above zero when I come to see you.”

I often wonder if there is a benefit to experiencing these temperature extremes. Maybe we’re meant as humans to know the measure of our weather extremes. You certainly can’t feel them in a car, with the heat on max and the CD player blaring. Maybe this stretching of boundaries and comfort zones will pay off. We’ll see.

See you on the icy trails!

-Scott

Since I’ve been doing a fair amount of winter biking, trying it out and really liking it so far, I thought I’d share with you what I’m doing at “my day job” as a massage therapist. Hey, a little cross-promotion never hurt anyone!

From now until the end of Winter (March 21), I’m offering a discount for anyone who bikes in winter to their appointment. You can treat yourself and your stiff muscles to a one hour massage for only $35. That’s $20 off my normal rate per hour. I really hope that this provides some incentive to some of my regular clients to hop on their bikes as well and brave the winter without burning gas in their cars on a few occasions.

For more information, how to book an appointment, and more about my approach to massage and bodywork, visit my website for A Peaceful Touch Massage and Bodywork. My office is located in the Uptown district of Minneapolis, south of Downtown on Hennepin Avenue South.

I took a 21 bus to Cretin Avenue to bike down to Point Clinic, where I get acupuncture done. Hongji at Point Clinic is probably the best health practitioner I’ve ever met. She listens, and she gives you the feeling that she genuinely cares about your well-being. So after a session of acupuncture, cupping, and filling up on some Chinese herbs, I decided to bike mostly downhill on Cretin to Ford Parkway, then across the bridge and finally to the 46th Street Light Rail Station. It was a nice ride!

The anti-fog drops I bought for my sunglasses seem to do the trick, but at times they are uncomfortable to wear. I need an elastic strap to go around the balaclava, rather than pushing them through the corners of the opening for my eyes. I also bought a great $2 pair of courdoroy pants at a thrift store that seemed to keep my legs a little warmer. Then again, it was 26 degrees.

Friday and Saturday will be some good biking, as I’m going to a class for my grad program at Saint Mary’s University called “Psychological Transformation and the Spiritual Journey”. It sounded like a good class to take. We get to watch the movie, What the Bleep do we know, and talk about Jungian Psychology, Behavior Change, Spirituality, etc.

I thought it only appropriate with the topic of this class, that I find a way to bus and bike to the nether reaches of St. Paul (near maplewood and woodbury). Saturday, on the way back however, high temps will only reach 15 degrees. We’ll see what my threshhold is soon, I’m sure.

Stay tuned. I’ll give you an update with photos this weekend!

Well, I found some anti-fog lens cleaner for my sunglasses today at Midwest Mountaineering. The only problem - I left my sunglasses at the office by accident.

So, with that, I decided to take another trek down the Midtown Greenway once again. This time, I traveled the new section, from Minnehaha Avenue to West River Parkway.

I did take the time to put on the thermal/water resistant socks I bought over the summer, then placed another pair of socks over them. The result: Toes and feet were warm throughout my ride! I didn’t wear my hiker shoes however, and I was having a little bit of a slippage problem on my pedals. Next time, wear the hiking shoes for better grip!

I put on a pair of biking shorts underneath my pants, thinking they would help keep the wind out of my thighs, but eventually they still got cold. I’m going to have to research some options for my legs.

While pedaling in the snowy trails, I can now really see why some winter bicyclists like to ride one-speed bikes. It’s simple really. Most of the time, you only ride in one or two of your easy pedaling gears anyway. Why not just have one gear and be done with it?

I’m enjoying the quiet of winter biking. However, in the evening it does seem a bit lonely as a bicyclist on the trail. It takes a lot longer to get from place to place though. Just traveling a couple of miles can take a while when there’s snow all over your tires.

Day two of winter biking, and I think I’m addicted already!

Total Distance Today: 6 miles.

Today I decided to leave my wimpy notions behind, and brave winter atop my bike! I first went to The Hub Bike Co-op to purchase a balaclava. This “ski-mask” type of head covering made all the difference today, and I was able to bike quite a bit!

“So? How did it go?”

Quite well!!

I had to forget about sunglasses, as they would steam up from my breath rising to them, but in general, I had a great time!

I biked from The Hub down the Hiawatha Light Rail Trail, then across the Midtown Greenway to the Uptown Transit Center to surprise my partner, Michael, who is a MetroTransit driver! He was pleasantly surprised at my ambition!

A few things that I did in preparation and on the first winter bike trip:

• I cleaned and re-lubed my bike chain

• I tied a plastic bag over my seat so my own “seat” would not get wet.
• I did a lot of walking up and down steep hills. No use trying to be a super-climber, nor coast at 90 miles per hour down a hill, only to slide into a snowbank.
• I used lower gears to pedal more easily.
• I made sure my tires were a little bit less inflated for better traction.
• I took my time.

Some things I will need now will include:

• Long underwear! My thighs got REALLY cold!

• Sunglasses or Eyeware that is fog resistant
• Maybe a little bit of de-icer for my lock, should it freeze on me.

But it was cool! Really cool! I think that you garner a little more respect, as everyone I met on a bike coming the other way on the Greenway nodded their head to me or said hello.

So, for my first (of hopefully many) day of winter biking, I think I did ok!

Total Distance Today: 7 miles.

I created the “What I found on my bike” photo booklet with Apple’s iPhoto, originally as a fundraising tool. Folks who contributed $50 to my transportation costs (Amtrak to Portland, OR) received their very own printed copy of this booklet. Now that my class is over, and there are only a few more weeks of warm weather, I thought I’d put it on the web for download. It will hopefully spark some interest in folks getting out and enjoying October on their bicycle! You can download the booklet from the Photo Booklet page listed on the sidebar.

The “Great Bicycle Towns” resource guide will hopefully be a living and growing document. For now, it includes some helpful hints on bicycle travel, and bicycle resources for Minneapolis, Portland, and Madison. I’ve also added links to farmers markets, local activities of interest, where to stay on a budget, and links to public transit resources. You can download the resource guide from the Bicycle Towns Resource Guide page link in the sidebar.

Enjoy the free downloads!

I have to say - the Minnehaha Creek trail portion of the Grand Rounds Trail is my favorite in all of Minneapolis. There’s a peacefulness that you don’t get anywhere else in the city here. When the sound of the creek is louder than approaching bicycles, it’s especially nice.

Yesterday I took the Hiawatha Light Rail down to the 46th Street Station, and then found my way to the trail. My suggestion for enjoying this trail is to first ride it east to west until Lynhurst Park. Take a break there, and then ride it back to the east. It’s almost like riding two different trails. Amazingly too, the distance is the same, but coming back, there is a slight decline that makes all of the difference! You can ride fast coming back, and get to the light rail station in about 1/3 of the time.

It’s wonderful to see ducks lounging in the creek, along with all of the other wildlife in the parks, lakes, and wooded areas.

Fall hasn’t quite hit yet here, so I may find another time to ride this and see the leaves change!