8/30/2016 14 miles / 8 miles

The ride today was great didn't feel so sluggish.   Hubby did a shorter 8 miles ride and I did a longer 14 mile ride.   So we got to ride together for 3 miles before he went in a different direction and home.   Like I said he's swimming in homework.  
Ya no crazy drivers going up to Horse Shoe lake.  But I did startle a crow and it startled me.  Was feeling really good so I did three climbs up the hill.   And my bike is purring like a kitten, compare to how I was riding it before.   The ride around the loop was pretty uneventful until I got close to home.    I pass a Jr high school and so far I've missed the kids getting out.  OMG not this time is was chaos.    You don't say one your left to kids. In fact you can't say anything.  They just give you that indifferent glare or oh a grown up.    So I was literally going 4 to 5 miles an hour.   And their was no escaping the hoard of kids for about 0.8 miles.     

8/29/2016 14 miles

Today was not a good day for me, usually I would have done my ride earlier in the morning. Phhtttttttt.  Not happening.   I dropped my hubby off at class and flopped out like a bag of Lay's Potato chips.  Note: I don't eat Lay's potato chips I just like using it as a expression.  ;)    I really had no desire to get on the bike.    2:00 came around and I was like I've got to do something.  Pick up hubby who is up to his eye balls in home work, so we had something to eat and he dove into home work right away.  So even thought I still didn't feel great I got on the bike and did the old stand by 12 miles and a extra three miles to fill in some errands.

The best part of the ride was a family of quail past in font of me.  I love little quails.   

Well today was the day for weird stuff to happen.  On my way up to Horse Shoe lake their was a red car swerving all over the road in front of me.   At one point pulling on the bike path. I rarely use the bike path any more and just stick to the rode.  To many close calls and not to mention their these safety poles that stick up.   Catch your peddle on one and it's over the bike thought the bushes.   Don't plan to do that.  Anyway the guy in the red car then back up all the way across the road, this is not so he can turn around, he then peels out and you can hear him cussing up a storm.   I had to come to a stop that how erratic he was.  He zooms up the hill to the parking lot and amazing parks.   Their was a lot of people up there today so I felt safe.   So I did one hill climb and got out of there.   On the way back down I was thinking I hope I can get out of the valley before he decides to come down the road.  So I was a little paranoid.    Nothing like riding with a skizzoild driving behind you.         

8/27/2016 17.23 miles

Did 17.23 miles today with my hubby.  Feeling good.  Really nice day today.    

8/26/2016 10.6 miles

Got to ride with my hubby so we both did 10.6 miles thought the park.

So I got in 24.92 miles in today.  

8/26/2016 14.32 miles.

Really great ride today. Feeling really good. Of course the first part of the ride was the hardest it always is.   Decided to do some hill training to day.  When up the hill in reps 5 times and it does not feel like I'm slogging thought wet mud.    I love the fact that the Turkeys and Quails are out and about with their flocks, so sweet.  I ordered a new speedometer so it should be here at the end of this month.  I also ordered Chis a pare of padded cycling pants, he really needs it badly, he got no more cushion on for his tussy.  So this should help with longer rides. 

Some lady pulling our of her drive way on the way out to the park almost hit me.  She was not looking were she was going and I had the right of way.   She slammed on her breaks and I was like shit.  I could see that she was looking at her phone.    And I was on the right side of the road going the right direction.    

Break Day 20.22 miles

YES this is a Break day!   And yes I rode 13.4 + some miles. Totaled out to 16.97 miles.  The difference is I rode 6.7 miles very slowly and am taking almost a hour to two hour break in between, before finishing the other 6.7 miles home.    Break days are very different now days, before we would not bike at all and either walk or do something else.  Now a 6 mile ride that is leisure dose not count.   And yeah I'm going 6 miles further, but I'm not pushing my self.

Her is the funny part I have to make a conscious effort to ride slow, my legs just want to go..go...go.  So the whole ride I put the gears in lower setting to keep me from zooming along.   I think I was making a good effort to keep my speed under 13 miles an hour.

Chis and I were talking about this yesterday and I don't know how to correctly explain it, but it seem to us that it is actually easier to get across town on a bike than drive across town on the freeway.   It seem when your in a car, time slows down and the bulkiness of the vehicle makes it seem to take longer and then you add in slow traffic, lights, and what not.   With the bikes you constantly flowing forward, yeah their the occasional squirrels, but their is not the bulkiness.  Weird.

Update: Ended up going a bit further, to run some errands.   

8-23-2016 12.47 miles

YA!  Got to ride with my hubby today.  We did 12 miles and I climbed the hill twice.  Holy Molly!  It's so much easier going up hill and shifting gears.  I'm so glad my chain got mangled. I know I've been repeating my self, but it was like riding though thick mud.

Yup my hubby and I know weight the same weight.  I'm hoping one of these week ends we can make it to
to Oroville, like I wanted to.   But what ever it happens it will happen.  
Tomorrow I will take a break, because this is my third day or riding.  

One think I can tell you from riding a bike is when you do your body kicks into gear and with healthy eating every thing works the way it should.  And then when you have a hick-up like I have, had you feel your body start to say hey what's going on?  Then all of a sudden you don't feel so chipper and you feel crappy.   If you go too long, like when my jaw was giving me problems then the feeling sticks like glue and it's that much harder to get started again.   But you don't think about it you just do it and then your back to were you were on the bike.  

14 Miles 8-22-2016

Well it's the 22nd and hubby is going to be in class Monday - Friday.  :(   I road today by my self.  As soon as the first week is over and settled he's going to see if he can sneak a few rides in here and their.  And then longer rides will be on Saturday and Sunday. And it all depends on how much home work he has.  

Saw Mama Turkey again and her flock of babies has turned into almost full size Turkeys.  I passed them on the way out of my ride and on the way back.   So cute.  Remind me of getting on the school bus in Oregon and see a flock of Wild Turkeys on the ride to school.   It also helped that we lived out in the middle of no where.   Bears and Bobcats too. 

I really wanted to do hill climbing again, but I decided not today.  Instead I did a fast ride and yes sense the axle is fixed I'm going faster.  

Now for some fun.  This is a scene from Hot Fuzz. Were he run's around a corner and says You Mothers.  Well I had to laugh because I had that moment.  LOL Came down the path and their were about 6 Mothers coming just like that blocking the whole road.    So I whispered under my breath.  You Mothers.  LOL  
Well maybe if I were a real mother I might not find it funny, but I'm not so I find it hilarious. 

15.4 Miles

Today we did 15.4 miles.   August turned out to not be such a great month, but I'm not that disappointed it happens and life goes on. Another day another bike ride.    However during the days I haven't posted anything we have still ridden our bikes from 3, 4 and 6 miles.  But not counting those as rides anymore, because their so short.  
 Well here is what my new bike will really look like.   I still got a while before I can order it, but like I said, I waited this long no big deal. 
But their might be a monkey with a wrench in the works?   The bike I want is very popular and not in stock right now.  :(   But I'm hoping in another month it will be.  If that the case I'm going to have to look for another bike. 

Oh and remember my broken axle that was fixed.  I can laugh out loud now, but I rode 13 miles up hill  with a broken axle and road down Neal Rd at 31 miles an hour with a broken axle and I'm still alive.    So I was riding for 2 month and three weeks with a broken axle.  Holy shit.    How do I know.  Well sense it was fixed changing the gears on the bike has been super easy and the peddling is even easier.    And when I rode to Paradise just changing gears was awful and I was so hard.  No wonder my hubby rocked.  Well he rocks regardless.  I felt like I was under a rock. 

Well I have come to the realization that no matter how fast I can go or how far, people are going to look at me like I can't.    I'm 5'9 and 240 pounds.   A guy rode up beside me today and started talking to me.  "Yup just keep peddling like that, that all you have to do, a pretty soon you'll be able to go 18 to 20 miles and hour" like me.    Me thinking "Really"  He was also telling me how I should start drinking more water and instead of riding hear and their, try riding every day.    I told him that I could do 50 miles and he look at me like yeah right lady.    I can't win.   That is one of the time where I wish we were in the right area I cook have left him behind so bad.   Oh well.  I know I can do it, and my hubby seen me do it, so that all the justification I need.   And the satisfaction of seeing people look at me after I roar down at 20 miles an hour thought the park is priceless.     

UPDATE: 8/16/2016

Having my bike look at today by a friend and here is the verdict.   I broke the axle on the back wheel that is why it would not go back in.   So for the last past three weeks I've been riding with it broken.  Dang.   Well at least it held and I'm kind of glad the chain got stuck, because if it had not I would have never known.  And the thought of it coming apart during a fast ride and flying head over heals on the bike, yeah.  So I'll have my bike back.  Yay.    And I'll have to put off buying my new bike for another month. Well I waited this long, so what's another month.  I'm just happy to be back on the bike tomorrow.     

KABOOM 4. miles

Well August was suppose to be a good month.    Between Chris bike gears not working and his sprain, at lease he still ride it, when his leg gets better.

On the other hand my bike.  Yeah!   I decided to do some hill training yesterday.   Every thing was going fine until I was on my third lap.  On the way up I switch the gears to making going up hill easier and the chain fell off the gears and lodged in between the spokes.   The first time I was like ok, I flipped the bike over and fixed it, no problem.  Rode back down to start over.   Half way up again CRUNCH!   This time it was stuck, really stuck.   UGGH!!!    So I had to call my mother in law to be rescued.    While I waited for her I broke the bike down so it would fit into her car and discovered something else.


The doo hicky above the white arrow on the right that looks like a little hat is  a quick release cap.  This is what keeps the tire tightened to the bikes hub .  It's a log piece of thin metal that slides thought the hub it's self and is tightened with another small cap.     Well when I spun it off to remove it, I could not pull it out.  I had to pull really super hard and it finally came out, with the thing the arrow is pointing at, that is not suppose to come out.   UH OH!   When I looked at the quick release metal part is was bent.  2nd UH OH!.       The arrow on the right is pointing to the 1st UH OH! this is the housing for the bearings, and it should be flush with the second arrow on the left.  I should easily push back into it's housing.  No matter what I did it would not, and to top that off a few bearings fell out.   ARRHGGG!      CRAP!     So yeah, no riding for me until this is fix.    My new bike can't get here fast enough.
I don't know if I said this before, but we really rode these bike.   June 2015 we put around 490 miles on them, and the next month  540 miles.   And a whole lot more.   

8/8/2016 & 8/9/2016 17.32 & 17.32 miles

Lonely ride today and yesterday.  Hubby had a bad week, with his bike and a sore leg, from a sprain and the fact his bike gears are bent.   So he's been mostly resting while I go out by my self.   :(  Does not feel right. 

8/8/2016   17.32 miles.  I went all out gang buster style.  I keep on telling my self  I'm going to take it easy this time, but my legs have other plans.    Just sticking to the old stand by for know. From Winco to horse shoe lake, then back to 1 mile and home.    Told you we keep close to home.   

8/9/2016  17.32 miles.  Did two laps on the hill we've been training on.  Got a nice sneer from a lady cyclist I passed, that what is this fat chick think she doing.   That 240 pounds, 20 miles an hour fat chick by the way.  Well may be not going up a steep hill, but I kill it on the straightaways.   I really excited about my lighter new bike.   I'm going to go even faster.  Ok clam down, breath in, breath out......ok.   :)    Yes I am excited.   

I do not know what it is with that one corner ?  We came around a blind corner and right in our path was a lady doing push ups.  WHAT????   Why?   Well came around the same corner and their is a kid on his bike not looking where he's going and looking at his cell phone.  WHY!!!!   If your going to ride a bike. RIDE!   Keep the phone off the bike.   Sheesh that was not fun.    I would never get strap for my phone to be on my bike.           

8/3/2016 12 miles

Did yet another 12 miles yesterday and yes the ground squirrels were every were.   They remind me of little surf board, because when they run they skip across the dry grass and their bodies are so stream line and long.  It's a sight to see.  
Ok yeah I have bike on the brain.  I wish I could buy it right now, but I have to wait. :(     I usually very patient, but it's a new bike!
Well as fate has it while we were talking about him getting a new bike for him self.  His bike that was park next to the bench does dive to the ground and bends the gear sifter next to the chain.   And with hitting the brick wall, I think that was part of what make it crack.    He can still ride it, but he can't sift gears.    Now it looks like he's going to get a new bike.

Instead of getting a Trek like I am, he just going to stick with the Diamond back.   

Note: Both cookie pictures are the same cookie, cooked two different ways.   If you are interested in the Recipe I suggest you check out my  Other Blog site called  http://susenkitchencorner.blogspot.com/
Then  type into the search bar AVOCADO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.  You find the old version and the newer version.
  I been toying around with the idea to come up with my own energy bar.  Yes the Cliff bars work great and they are reasonably cheep 99 cent is not bad. On a good week of riding that is over 12 mile mark, Chris and I can eat at least about 20 cliff bars.  That is one cliff bar for every hour of riding and 2 for every hour of riding two hours.   That comes out to $19.80 a week or $79.00 a month.  That's only if we keep up or riding and do over 300 to 400 miles in a month. 
If I make home made cliff bars we get more bag for our buck.   Now for the idea I already make a very healthy version of Avocado Chocolate chip cookies that is 76 calories for each cookie, the old version was 187 calories.  If I can modify the cookie recipe to include more healthy stuff like figs, and nuts and the other good stuff that gives us our pep, during the ride.  It would save us $$.  And this way we could really control the sugar amount in each bar.  This might be a work in progress.  But I am going to see what I can do.   My hubby is ecstatic about the idea cookies for energy bars.     

NEW BIKE YES I'M EXCITED

Well I didn't win a bike, but hubby is getting me a new bike.  YA It's a Trek 7200 fx.  A friend of mine has one and it's feels so smooth. They let me ride it around and it was love at first ride.  

And no way are we ditching our old bikes.  They are the one's that started our weight loss journey.  But I do have to admit in the beginning we were not very knowledgeable about up keep.  But now we are.      No more bending the rims, no more spokes popping off, or bending anything.   That is so nice.    I can't wait.   And toward the beginning of September he's is also going to get a new bike.     The old bikes are going to be shorter rides and the new bike are going to be for longer rides.   I can't part with our old bike, there is just too much blood, sweat and tears put into the bikes.      

8/2/2016 OUR BREAK DAY well sort of. 6.6 miles

Today was our break day, but I still ended up riding 6.6 miles, but this was not all at the same time.  We did our exercise today to make up for the fact we did not do a long ride.  We have 10 different thing we do.   

My poor hubby fell of his bike, well not quite.  His peddle hit the corner of a brick wall and he toppled and the wall broke his fall, but he was balanced on it and could not pull him self off.  So I had to pull him up. Poor guy, well at least he didn't fall off all the way.  

I posted a picture of the Fresh Peach and Cherry smoothie I made a couple of days ago.  Really hits the spot on a hot day. No sugar added, it was sweet enough on it's own.    

8-1-2016 14.57 Miles.

Getting back on track.   And yes we did see more quail, but at a safe distance and their was babies, about the size below, with the male. Tiny baby quail are fluffy balls of cuteness.

Well I guess I got a fan.  Came down the road and a little girl who look to be 9 or 10 was wide eyed and waving at me.  Cute.   

When we go to coffee shops before our ride we take our big back packs that carries our computer.  I was like all loaded up and went what the heck I got on the scale.  I weighed 270 pound.   Right now I weigh 242.   Yeah you can say the back pack is heavy.  

 

.

7/31/2016 12 miles

Did 12 miles yesterday.  Very good ride.   But I really do think the quail have it out for us, not yesterday, but today on our short ride to the coffee shop we had a herd of 20 to 25 quail flew in front of us safely.  Chris and I looked at each other and started laughing.  
Yippy the rest of August is going to be hot, but not 108-110.  mostly 99 to 92 with only two day being 101. 

Week got three week and two day of good riding together, then Chris goes back to Chico State.   So riding with my hubby is going to be a challenge.  And any long ride together are going to be a problem to, because he will be studying.    So a new month with new challenges.