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My long time cycling quest has been to find the Holy Grail of cycling jackets, one that would keep me dry in the rain without sweating so much underneath.  Here is a previous post on that topic.  While not perfect, I do have a reasonable jacket performing that function currently.

Now my problem is keeping my feet and shoes dry during wet commutes.  I’ve tried the usual cycling shoe booties, with varying success.  The most water tight pair are extremely difficult to put on and off (left most in the photo).  The most convenient pair worked well for a few months, but now leave my feet mostly dry only on very light mist or sprinkling days (center in photo).  The toe covers are convenient for days when there is a little dampness on the road surface (rightmost in photo).  So what I need is a pair of booties that are durable, keep my feet dry in the rain, and are easy to get on and off.  Seems like it shouldn’t be that hard a puzzle to solve, but no luck so far.

I have to take my cycling shoes with me when shopping for booties because the most common problem is putting them on and trying to squeeze them past my ankle and heel.  The online reviews for many pairs aren’t very encouraging, either.

Well, the quest continues, as I have the next several months of frequent wet commutes to look forward to.  I’ll be looking at REI this coming weekend with my 20% off coupon.

The weather forecast for yesterday was for a cold front blowing in during the afternoon with strong east winds.  Since there was no precipitation predicted I decided to go ahead and commute to work on my bike.

I commute year round, through rain and darkness, but draw the line when I think safety is compromised.  So I don’t ride if the streets will be slick with snow or ice (at least, not on purpose), or if stormy conditions might impede motorists’ visibility of cyclists.  I avoid strong or gusty winds, too, as they can blow you out of your bike lane.

The morning commute was a blast, with a strong tailwind most of the way.  I was flying along at 22 mph and feeling calm air, so the wind velocity must have been close to that.  I knew I would pay the price on the commute home.

I had an appointment come up so had to leave work mid-afternoon, right in the thick of the peak of the windstorm.  The first leg was a half mile heading north, so I had to contend with gusty side winds from the east.  Not good, but I managed.  I then turned east for 7+ miles of 30+ mph headwinds.  I had to gear down and just pedal away at a slow speed.  The straight on head wind was good news/bad news.  Good that gusts weren’t blowing me sideways, bad that I had to work hard to move forward.

I had to contend with tree branches and debris blown down onto the road, and a couple of downed trees partly blocking the way.  I did worry a bit about a large branch or tree coming down on me.  But, after a much longer than normal duration, I made it home fine.  Was it worth it, and would I do it again?  While it is satisfying to accomplish hard things I think this experience crossed the safety line I draw for myself.  So next time (perhaps even today or tomorrow) I may have to hang my head and drive a car to work.

Flags blowing straight out:

The first four miles had pretty open terrain, so little protection from buildings or trees:

Here is an updated look out the window at Intel yesterday showing the trees continuing to turn.  Today a cold front is supposed to blow in.  Should I still ride my bike to work?

I took some photos snooping around the yard yesterday.  Enjoy!

I realize this is an Easter themed video, but I think it is appropriate anytime during the year.  I really like it, and I hope you do, too.

I’ve been inspired by the dramatic weight loss of my son, Daniel.  (See Suzanne’s blog post here.)  I’ve also been on a weight loss trend.

In my prime at 6’1” tall I think I normally weighed about 170 pounds.  At the close of my mission at age 21 I seem to recall I weighed in around 158 pounds, as I was skin and bones from riding bikes, working hard, and eating little the entire summer.  My highest weight was 190 about a year ago.

Over the years my weight has fluctuated depending on my physical activities. It dropped noticeably when I was playing soccer, doing long weekly bike rides, or running regularly.  I’ve always had a healthy appetite and never shied from eating large meals and snacking in between.  But as I’m aging and my metabolism slows down I’m getting more careful about eating.  Since running is too hard on my body I resort to cycling for best exercise.

In recent years I’ve wished I could get my weight back to the low 180’s at least.  But it has been elusive, and my resolve not strong enough.  The past few months as I’ve gone back to work, and commute by bike each day, and am not snacking much during the day, I’ve noticed my belt fitting loser on me.  I have a store credit for free alterations and planned to take a couple of tight suit pants in for expanding the waist, but when I tried them on first I found they fit just fine.  Hmmm.  This was interesting.  I went ahead and tightened my belt one notch and all was good.

Another factor is I joined a new tennis team that often practices at 7:30 weeknights.  So I tend to eat a lighter dinner those nights, plus it provides even more physical activity as I often stay for my usual 8:45 tennis as well.  And, I decided to stop snacking at night, so I normally come home from tennis quite hungry but just go to bed w/o eating more.

A few weeks ago my weight reached the low 180’s and I thought I would shoot for sub 180.  Once I got to 179 I would decide what to do next, and might just be happy staying there.  Well, guess what?  This morning just before my shower (no breakfast or clothing) here is what I saw:

Woohoo!!  I’m so excited!  I know, losing 10 pounds in a year doesn’t seem much to brag about.  But for me it is a very meaningfully healthy direction change in my weight, and I feel really good about myself.  I’m not really on a formal diet.  I’m just more careful about what, when, and how much I eat.  Let’s see where I go from here, and if I can keep below 180 through the holidays.  🙂

On my commute home from work this evening I witnessed an automobile accident in the intersection just ahead of me.  A larger utility van collided with the left front section of a minivan.  I immediately pulled my bike to the side and, with several other people, approached the intersection to see if we could help.

A female driver of the minivan came out of the car crying for help for her and her baby.  Someone got the child (a girl about 4 years old) out of the car seat and another helped the lady to the curb area.  The child seemed fine, the lady in shock and with a shoulder or arm injury.  The air bags had deployed.  Some bystanders tended to the lady and child, others called 911, I ferried a child’s jacket, shoes, and umbrella from the car.  I also checked the van to make sure there weren’t any other occupants.

Waiting for emergency personnel to arrive I was struck by the scene of so many people offering kind and loving help.  One was a co-worker of mine.  One gave the lady the coat off his back, while another was talking kindly to the child, another holding the umbrella to protect from the light drizzle, and another gently reassuring the lady everything would be all right.  All this amongst the numerous busy commuters trying to get to their destinations.

Sometimes I am reassured it is a wonderful world we live in, with wonderful, otherwise ordinary people everywhere.

From wikipedia:

The rule of law (also known as nomocracy) is the legal principle that law should govern a nation, as opposed to arbitrary decisions by individual government officials. It primarily refers to the influence and authority of law within society, particularly as a constraint upon behavior, including behavior of government officials. The phrase can be traced back to 16th century England, and it was popularized in the 19th century by British jurist A. V. Dicey. The concept was familiar to ancient philosophers such as Aristotle, who wrote “Law should govern”

I often contemplate what a wonderful thing it is that we live in a society and country where the rule of law is prevalent.  There are many places in the world, and even different times in this nation, where that isn’t the case.  A common stereotype from Mexico might be having to bribe a policeman to avoid being taken to jail, as an example.

A good friend of ours is trying to rebuild a home in the foothills and is encountering much resistance from the county to get approval.  He submitted all the paperwork and is now waiting some weeks for the case to be reviewed and decided.  I suspect there are many places in the world where a cash payment under the table would facilitate a desired decision.  I’m so glad that is the rare exception here.  And I’m glad that such cases would be exposed by our free press and prosecuted, while the public would be outraged.

My employer (Intel) goes to great lengths to instill a similar ethic in its employees.  We are forbidden to accept gifts above a certain value or in certain situations.  And we are forbidden to offer gifts in others.  I’m glad the company instills this culture to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

When we have traveled to various far flung places in the world I have often contemplated whether we could depend on the rule of law in this location or that.  And reflect how glad I am to live in the USA.

On the first Saturday in November most years we head out to the Dutch community of Verboort about 15 miles west of our home for the annual Sausage dinner they put on.  It is immensely popular, and serves as a major fundraiser for their local private school.  It is reported they serve 8000 meals at around $15 each, though I don’t know if this figure includes only the sit down dinners or also the drive up ones.  They opened the ticket booth at 10AM and I stood in line 45 minutes to buy tickets.  We returned later in the early evening so we wouldn’t have to stand in line for the meal.

Along with the sausage and sauerkraut, they serve applesauce, salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, and pie.  The meal is very good and the atmosphere engaging.

In the school gym they sell additional wares and have a quilt auction.  I am impressed with this sign on the wall:

Here is a link to a post my wife composed a few years ago about this annual dinner.