This post is edited to include improved (and, I hope, visible, photos. Sorry for the inconvenience.)

The morning started early. I woke around 4. Couldn’t sleep. Could’ve been the three- hour difference in time zone, could have been excitement/nerves. Got up, took a shower, went for breakfast a little before 6. Met a member of our group for breakfast.

The van came for us at 7:15. There were bikes on the roof, and a big trailer behind, and we were off. Six of us loaded up there, then there were two more from another hotel, then we had to run downtown for the last four. Only the streets were closed downtown for something called Hoopsfest — apparently, the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world with some 6,ooo teams participating. There was a thing with a 15-passenger van with a trailer doing a three-point-turn on a city street.

We headed out of town to catch the Centennial Trail outside of town. We got fitted with our bikes, given instructions for using the provided GPS units (I added my seat from home), and then we were off!

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We rode across a sweet bridge over the Spokane River and were suddenly hammered with a drastic uphill! Whoops! This morning’s 15-mile ride would take us up (and, supposedly, down) a LOT of hills — and I was not altogether ready for them — though by the end of the day I’d have adopted Shelley from Bloomington’s technique — start slow, stay slow, and stay on the bike. This morning, I did a lot of walking up hills.

Our path followed the Centennial Trail roughly west along the Spokane River — the scenery was amazing, and can we talk about the sweet scent of the Ponderosa Pines? Heavenly. We gathered for a snack at the Bowl and Pitcher trailhead — we’d see this formation after we wrapped up there. We rode on, more ups-and-downs, lovely views of the river, mostly on the trail, until lunchtime. Lunch was a picnic in the park at the end of our morning ride.

After lunch, we were back into the van, headed for Couer d’Alene — the location of an IronMan event TODAY! Our guides parked the van and trailer at the hotel where we’d be staying. They reset our GPS units to the second trip for the day, a 13-mile “there and back again” along Lake Couer d’Alene. And as we started off through the town streets to join again with the Centennial Trail, we met up with the IronMan — using the trail for the run! So we stayed just outside the bike lane and rode on the street, but since there were traffic cones and all of that, we were spared the worry of drivers passing too close.

There was one very steep uphill that nearly killed me for sure — heading back, I’d learn that it was a 6% grade! Down at the Higgins Point boat launch, hot and tired, I used a cooling cloth (soaked in Lake Couer d’Alene, of course) around my neck for the return ride! Salvation!

I rode back with Shelley and decided to try her technique for hitting the hills — instead of attacking hills aggressively, Shelley just starts slow and stays slow…. and never stops. And so, pedaling with her, we very very slowly headed up the hills back into town — and made it! I didn’t get off the bike once (except for a photo or two).

Back at the hotel, we checked into our rooms, got showers, and got to rest before dinner. Tomorrow we have our Very Big Ride but guide James says it’ll be the easiest 50-mile ride ever. I don’t know. He was a little vague about the hills this afternoon.

This is the trip I’ve been training for, and I’m here.

I picked this trip because it seemed to be “my” level of fitness, and I’ve never been to Idaho or Montana, and we’re going to hit both states on this trip. If you want to know more about it, here’s the link to the trip: https://wilderness-voyageurs.com/adventures/idaho-coeur-dalene-bike-tour/ .

I chose this company because their ads show older adults — my age — actually I’m the youngest guest on this trip, as one lady is one year older than I. They didn’t look like triathletes — though, incidentally, an IronMan event factors into our events. As does basketball. The price for an inclusive trip seemed reasonable — B&Bs and hotels, not luxury accommodations (which I don’t need). And so I’ve found that this is do-able.

Most of the people here are in pairs. There’s one other woman traveling on her own. There are two brothers from North Carolina and four couples from Iowa, Indiana, New York and Illinois.

But I got really busy.

Well, first, I was training for a big bike ride. So I needed to ride my bike. But when I’m riding my bike, I’m not at home on my computer, blogging.

So I got behind. Here are some biking pictures that you missed.

One day I decided to try riding my bike to my workplace. I was always threatening to “Bike to Work” on a day, so I thought I’d try. This was a poor choice, though now I can put a checkmark next to that box and never do it again.

First, 146th Street has decent sidewalks that work for riding, but the traffic is very close and very loud and very abundant. The pavement is also very messy — broken car pieces, gravel, glass, trash, etc. Also at the new businesses at River Road, there’s a weird pattern in which the sidewalk turns right, runs up a ways, and then cuts back, instead of just crossing the driveway. Weird.

But none of this compares to the very bad life that is riding on Allisonville Road, even with the repaving that happened this week (disrupting traffic terribly). The shoulder is very narrow, if at all present, and covered for the most part with road debris (= dangerous). And passing cars don’t actually see the need to give cyclists any space. Several cars passed closely enough that I could have kicked them as they passed. And, of course, everyone has to drive at break-neck speed.

Recently I’ve noticed that drivers seem to be more courteous of cyclists. This, however, was not the case on this experimental trip, and I see no need to further test this.

Oh, and they were repaving Hazel Dell, and I had to ride through that (again, on the trail). Fortunately I had something to cover my face.

I had a couple of riding companions during the month. Adam, Adam, Adam, and Erin. I don’t ride huge distances with Adam because I would rather not kill him. But he’s a great and enthusiastic bike rider and a fun riding buddy. Erin rides a lot around in her part of town so we met and rode on the Monon. That was nice. She’s promised me a tour from her area into downtown Indy without using roads, so I’m looking forward to that.

May 11, 2019

I hit 100 miles the day before, so I thought about skipping Saturday, as it would be a work day. But then I decided that if I woke up in time to get a ride in before work, I’d go for it.

So of course, I was up at something like 6am.

I only rode down to the other end of the neighborhood and back — 5 miles — but it made seven days of riding in my week. That was a pretty amazing accomplishment. I made it 116 miles in my week.

Then I went off to work. It was Literary Society day, and we were discussing The Last of the Mohicans. I had a LOT of thoughts about it — and so did Mrs. George Whitaker (the character I was portraying). It was a lot of fun.

May 10, 2019 — This is the day

This is the day, because after Thursday, I was at 86 1/2 miles, and on Friday, it would be me hitting the 100-mile mark. Of course it was quite chilly when I started out, but I decided that for continued variety, I’d drive my bike over to the Monon Trail near Quaker Park in Westfield. So I put on biking shorts, tights, a sweatshirt and a shirt, two buffs — one for my head and ears and one for my neck and mouth/nose.

Riding the Monon is a simple down-and-back, with a slight uphill grade coming back home. There are streets to cross — stop signs on the trail — and drivers who think they ought to let me go ahead and bike across without stopping. Walkers, joggers, riders, dogs, and even the errant squirrel who thought he would race me along a fence.

The Monon in Carmel is currently a disaster of diversions and construction with the next behemoth that is rising from the formerly quiet streets and parking lots of Eagleton. It’s definitely nerve-wracking to weave through chain-link fences, backhoe loaders, and dump trucks, but once you’re through, you’re on your way.

There are a couple of nice restrooms along the way — Citizen’s Energy has a public restroom, and there’s another further south at a trailhead.

I traveled almost all the way to Nora, then turned around and rode north, with big plans to hit 100 along the way.

I finished my ride — racing a squirrel across the top of a fence along the trail — and got back to Quaker Park in time for a trip home, a shower, and a dash over to a Mother’s Day Fashion Show with my people, the Irrational Dress Society.

Temperature: 42-45 degrees, with a noticeable breeze and no sun. Got a little cold. 20 miles.

5-9-2019 — It’s going to rain today, so I’m not going to ride.

Only the rain didn’t really hit as hard as it was supposed to. And my friend was willing to ride. But it was breezy and very threatening, so we decided to stay close to home.

My friend Jen has a Townie, too. Hers is blue, and named Signy, a perfect friend for Gina. We decided that instead of going out and about, we’d stay in the neighborhood. We covered most of South Harbour and most of Whitcomb Ridge, chatting and visiting, and don’t you know, it didn’t even rain on us! We got a couple of sprinkles on us but not enough to even worry about!

There’s not much to write about with regards to bike riding through the neighborhoods, but it was a nice ride and a good time to catch up with my friend. And all told, I rode 11 1/2 miles! That was fun.

May 8, 2019

The Midland Trace Trail now occupies a small portion of the railroad easement where the Midland Railway Company ran from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1902. The route ran from Muncie to Brazil; the current Midland Trace Trail runs from Willowview Road in Noblesville west to Union Street in Westfield.

Thanks to the Little Chicago/Hazel Dell trail that runs south from South Harbour neighborhood, the Midland Trace Trail is easily accessible from my area, but as of yet, the trail connects with neither the Monon Trail to the west or Noblesville and the White River Greenway to the east. Work is underway on the east end to extend the trail, with its ultimate goal reaching downtown Noblesville. I can’t wait. There’s no indication that I know of that there are similar plans to the west, but connecting the Midland to the Monon would be a delight indeed. (In order to go from the Midland to the Monon, I recommend taking Union Street south to 169th Street; because it doesn’t have an exit onto US 31, there’s much less traffic than 161st Street.)

There are several benefits to riding the Midland Trace. It’s much quieter on the trail than it is along the roadways. Birds and critters about, and you’re also likely to meet up with other riders, walkers, and dogs. Everyone seems to share the trail nicely. Another benefit of the Midland Trail is the Hazel Dell trailhead, which includes cycle rentals, a repair station, and — the best part — restrooms.

Some rough road west of Carey Road has been milled and repaved, but there are still a couple of patches of gravel that are still waiting for repaving. Ride past Sanders Glen assisted living and up to Union Street. Sadly, the trail ends at a tall curb, so one must walk the bike over the edge of the sidewalk. There’s a watering station here — please turn the water on.

To get a little distance, I rode south on Union Street past 161st Street, nearly to Cool Creek Park. I can attest to the fun of Cool Creek Park for many activities (hiking, creek stomping, nature center, etc.) but biking the park is brutal — there are some very notable hills, one of which I had to walk up last time I tried it. Today I turned back before I got to the park and headed back — meant to ride only 15 miles; riding through the park gets you 20. Only I rode a little further than 7 1/2 — more like 8 1/2. Well.

When I got back to the Hazel Dell trailhead, I went ahead and crossed on the dedicated crossing and traveled to the easternmost end of the trail. Across Willowview Road, one can see the crews working to extend the route. By doing this, I extended my ride to 20 miles. Whoops. I meant to only go 15.

The temperature on this early morning ride (I departed just after 8, so not really that early) was brisk — barely 50 when I got back — but there was the slightest breeze and I was not cold at all. I wore exercise tights, a shirt and a sweatshirt, and pulled my buff over my ears. Temperature comfortable, and home in time to get a shower and go meet up with my friends for lunch.

May 7, 2019 Trying something new.

For Tuesday’s ride, I wanted to try something new. I’ve ridden Indiana’s Monon Trail before, riding from Westfield south to Broad Ripple, but I have discovered that the grade is roughly uphill back north to Westfield, making the return trip a little rough. I thought I would try something new.

So I loaded Gina — my bike — into the car and drove out 191st Street to the north lot A at Grand Park. This marks the Westfield north trailhead of the Monon Trail. I rode north on the Monon from 191st Street through rural landscapes (someone explain to me the drainage troughs built along the west side of the trail just north of 191st?) to Sheridan, where the trail currently ends at 236th street. The trail is in fine condition, there is little traffic at the road crossings, and there aren’t many people along the route. There’s even a bike repair station along the route!

The route from the north trailhead to Sheridan is just over six miles, so when I returned to the lot, I went south for a while to add on the mileage, then popped across the south side of Grand Park to see the hotels, fields, and all the associated features of this new sports facility.

5-6-2019

So the sick kid was still home from school, but all but symptom-free and awaiting a doctor’s release to let him go back, so he gave me permission to take a bike ride on the condition that he could play some video games. He had some Forza rides to collect, so off I went.

On this occasion, I decided to ride north from the hood, but the downside of this is no trail. Turned right at Carrigan, still on the road to the first North Harbour entrance. Ducked into that neighborhood, knowing that when I came out the other entrance, there would be a trail along the road for the rest of Carrigan. North Harbour is looking particularly festively springy right now with some great flowers in the yards and stuff.

Construction on a trail across the top of the levee blocked the trail briefly, but no big deal, just zapped around it. But at the corner of Hague and Carrigan — no more trail. On the road. One should never never ride on Hague Road. It’s scary. So I jumped off on 206th Street for a different plan. Fun! East on 206th across State Road 19 and then south on Edith for a very pretty ride.

Edith goes down to the river and over to Potter’s Bridge park (Hamilton County Park #3 for the week). I stopped there for a little snack, then rode through the park and along the White River Greenway to Field Drive, then west to Forest Park (Hamilton County Park #4). After leaving the park, the trail goes along Fox Prairie Golf Course (my fourth golf course for the week), up to Lakeview. Taking Lakeview west to Hague Road (there’s a trail here) and downhill to the Hague Road nature preserve/wetlands. Looped around the wetlands, then across the bridge to the preserve behind Whitcomb Ridge, up The Big Hill on St. Rd. 38, into Whitcomb Ridge, behind St. Michael’s and through South Harbour.

15 miles

Gorgeous weather