Pretty Hardcore

One of the things continually drawing me to Creve Coeur Lake is watching the rowing teams practice. The Lake is home to the St. Louis Rowing Club.

It was around 35F/2C when I arrived at the Lake Saturday. Even though I didn't expect to see the rowers out, I wasn't surprised to find them on the Lake.

Pretty hardcore, if you ask me..

A Long Ride

Today was Abraham Lincoln's Birthday. The Courts were closed and I went for a long ride.

I was in Louisiana in the morning.

Louisiana, Missouri that is.

I was in Detroit by the early afternoon.

Detroit, Illinois that is.

Saw a strange sight/site in North Calhoun County.

My friend Maggie sent me a link about the place. Click here to read about it.

I discovered the bridge spanning the Illinois River at Hardin goes up to let barge traffic pass through. . .

And then it goes back down to let land traffic pass over.

It was a much cooler bridge than I expected.

I rode the full length of US Route 54 in Illinois. . .

All sixteen miles of it.

It was a nice long ride. My first over two hundred mile ride on Isabelle.

Key West

I never used to think about Key West.

Now I find thoughts of Key West dog me. Well, perhaps not Key West so much. More I am reminded of a certain Canine and the Guy who whispers in her ear. This is a marvelous post. If you haven't checked it out all you need do is click the blue letters.  I think you find it worth the effort.

Surprise!

I went to bed thinking there was a good chance I would be riding to St. Peter's today.

Wrong! I knew there was a chance for some sleet followed by some scattered flurries, but wasn't expecting snow. Apparently, I wasn't alone. It took the forecasters and MoDOT by surprise as well. The good news was the temperatures were right around freezing and looked to rise even higher.

The trees were covered with snow.

As I traveled around the roads weren't great,

but they were far from treacherous.

I was delighted to see a cross-country skier...

...in Tower Grove Park.

By mid-morning the roads were quite good. This is the bridge over the Missouri River.

The snow was perfect for making a snowman, and when I got to St. Peter's I discovered Kip and Alma had done exactly that.

By the time I wandered home, the main roads were clear and dry.

When I did get home I sprayed the front rim of the the Symba with Boeshield. She's as ready as I can make her to face the ravishes of winter roads.

Tomorrow, however, looks like the beginning of a warm up with rain. It seems the seasons are shorter and come much more frequently now.

Tire Be Healed!

Well today was the day to get Billie's tire issue sorted out. If it had been up to me I'd have pulled the screw which was lodged in Billie's front tire out right away. I agreed completely with Canajun's whose comment to my earlier post said pretty much the same thing. Mike was telling me to leave it be and see if it held air and he has much more experience than I do.

I discovered the screw sticking out of the tire a week ago today. The tire held air all week. Today I rode it over to Mike's.

I got to Mike's without incident. The tire continued to hold air. After we got Billie situated on the lift, Mike took a pair of pliers and pulled the little bugger out. And, nothing happened. The little sheet metal screw was more wedged into the tread then buried in the tire. Just like that, I was good to go. And, I was way too happy to feel much more than a tinge of self-satisfaction over having been right. Yes, I should have just pulled the damn thing out myself. Oh well, now I have a spare tube in my top box. This is probably a good thing.

Mike told me the Vespa dealer here in St. Louis has closed. I wasn't shocked by the news. The dealership has had a spotty reputation, still it is worrisome to have it close. The Genuine dealership here should close, but if it does the only scooters available will be from the Japanese motorcycle dealerships. It is a tough business.

Even with the unexpected extra time I gained when Mike didn't need to change the tire, it was still a busy day of shopping and errands.

Happily, Heather and I were able to meet up and get a nice walk around the local park before going out for dinner.

Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, I may get in a ride. We'll see.

Tastes Like

Mike Kinman is the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral here in St. Louis. Today as it spit out some snow flakes he commented:

Snow that doesn't stick is like a doughnut that tastes like cauliflower.

Pretty much sums it up for me.

Whoops!

Isn't there an old saying that goes something like: "It is better to discover you've been screwed at bath time rather than during ride time"?

I took Billie over the the local coin car wash today to rinse off some of the road chemicals. I didn't go to the wash directly. I took the long way via Carondolet Park. After my little detour and finishing my rinse I did my weekly close inspection of my tires. During my inspection, I noticed I'd picked up a little something in my front tire. As I'm certain my friend Jim in Wichita would say, "Whoops!"

The good news is the tire seems to be holding air. Monday after work if the tire is still holding air I'll ride it over to Mike's and we'll put in a new tube and probably put a patch over the hole I'm expecting to find when we pull the screw out. And if the tire isn't holding air? We'll come up with a plan B.

No matter how you look at it, it's good to be lucky.