40 for 56

Today is my 56th birthday, and those great folks at AIDS Lifecycle threw me a party. A 40-mile ride, followed by a barbecue. And Jerry bought me a pair of ALC socks. And of course, he bought himself a pair, because as tandem riders, we love to wear matching outfits. It's so cute it's disgusting.
The ride left from Crissy Field, across the Golden Gate Bridge and then around the Tiburon Loop. Perhaps we are stronger, but in addition, the new tandem is really making riding easier. We climbed Camino Alto faster than we ever have, and the Sausalito Hill took less effort than ever.
The only down side of the ride was the trip back across the Golden Gate. By noon, the tourists on rent-a-bikes were out in full force, and the bridge was crowded and full of people who don't steer in straight lines, like to ride two and three abreast and love to stop and take each others photos. After too many close calls, Jerry and I have pretty well decided that rides that cross the bridge are not for us, and we will tag along on rides at Mike's Bikes in Sausalito. Maybe in January and February when there aren't so many tourists will consider it, but for right now, it just seems too dangerous.
Jerry requested a carbo load last night. I didn't have any spaghetti sauce in the freezer, so I decided to heat to Trader Joe's to get the ingredients for pizza. One of us usually makes the crust, but this time I bought ready-made pizza dough. That was my only mistake. The dough seemed way too springy and I couldn't get it to roll out. It kept shrinking back. I picked it up on my fists, I tried rolling but nothing worked. I finally spread it out the best I could, loaded on the toppings and baked it. I had sauteeed onions, garlic and chicken sausage. In addition, I drained diced canned tomatoes and spread them over the pizza sauce, then piled on raw mushroom slices, then the onions, garlic and sausage. I topped it with a hefty dose of mozzarella. Though not the most beautiful pizza in the world, it tasted pretty good, especially with a nice glass of zinfandel.
I also baked two trays of toffee bars yesterday, but I tried something new. Normally I bake the crust, then sprinkle the chocolate on top. I shove it back in the oven for a couple of minutes to melt the chocolate, spread it, then sprinkle chopped nuts on top. I pat the nuts down, getting chocolate all over my hands. For most, this is not a sacrifice, but I'm allergic to chocolate and have to resist licking my fingers after that chore. so this time, I tried something new. I chopped the nuts a little finer than usual and incorporated them into the dough. I still did sprinkle some on the chocolate but didn't press them in, figuring whatever adheres is just fine. I also left a small corner chocolateless. Without chocolate, the nuts and dough make a really delicious bar cookie. I just had a piece with an afternoon cappuccino.
Tonight we're going to the movies so we will have our favorite dinner-- popcorn and diet coke. Oh boy!

27 Speeds. No Waiting

Jerry and I took our first real ride on our new tandem on Sunday. To say we sailed up Camino Alto and White's Hill would be, well, that would be an exaggeration. But the new bike-- especially without the trunk-- really is a lot lighter and Jerry, who does the vast majority of the steering, says it handles easier and is more responsive.
It was a beautiful day for a ride. We started off at Mike's Bikes in Sausalito and headed up to Lagunitas.

Most of the route was the same as the Seismic Challenge "Day on the Ride," so we stopped at their rest stop in Fairfax to say hi to roadies and see how it was going. Sounds like Seismic Challenge is going to be a fairly intimate ride in October. But it is the first year, so it will probably pick up some momentum for next year.

But back to the ride. The weather was perfect. The temperature was moderate, the sun was shining, and the wind was not too strong. Considering we hadn't done any serious riding in weeks, the 40 miles we put in felt like we could have done quite a few more. But it was enough for a nice morning's ride, and we will probably ride one afternoon this week.

I wish I could get this enthusiastic about riding my single bike. Maybe some day. But I think tandem riding will always be my first love. I love that I can spend the day riding with Jerry and that I'm really part of a team. It keeps me honest; it keeps me working hard.

And speaking of teams, we have formed our AIDS Lifecycle team. We are Team Tandemonium. Corny, I guess, but I liked it better than the "blues" themed names that I got as suggestions. I guess I'm too happy these days to be singing the blues.

I'd be happier if I could find some work I could get passionate about. But, everything in its time and place.

Where's the Handbasket?

Because the way the world is going, we are all surely going straight to hell. I know, this isn't about riding. We haven't ridden because Jerry is still fiddling with the front derailleur on the new tandem. But he promises this week it will be fixed.
So not riding has given me way too much time to read the newspaper and observe the world going straight into the toilet.
I can't help but blame all of the money that has been poured into Iraq and the Halliburtons of the world, and bonuses given to CEOs of failing companies.
And I've never been quite so worried about the upcoming federal election. I had been devoting energy to California's Prop 8, but I think the presidential election is far more critical, and far more frightening.
My fear is that if the McCain/Palin ticket wins, it will make the George W. Bush administration look like Halcyon days. I never seriously thought about leaving this country until now.
At the end of the month, Jerry and I are heading to East Texas to visit his mother, her husband, and a passel of cousins from Arkansas. In the past I have really held my tongue around his Republican relatives, but this time, I'm going to let all Hell break loose. This is way too important for them to continue to believe the lies this administration and Fox news are telling.
And now that we have a tandem that has couplers, we can take it apart and take it with us in the plane. Initially I thought we'd be too busy with relatives to ride, but now I think it's imperative to have that outlet.

Bicycling Naked

Jerry and I took our first "real" ride on the new tandem today, but went with no pump, no trunk, no cyclometers and the use of only one chain ring in the front, instead of 3. What I missed the most was my cyclometer. My gut told me the new tandem was fast, but I'd like to know how fast.

Due to only one chain ring in the front until Jerry fine tunes the adjustments, we didn't do any climbing and took a pretty short ride. But it was fun and felt great. We do have a drag brake on the back, adding a couple of pounds, but the bike is still lighter than our old Trek tandem. It's got great balance, too.

Ont thing I noticed is, I can't see as well forward on the new bike, so I find myself sitting more upright when I want to see forward. But there really is so much to see on the sides.
It made me think quite a bit about sight. Earlier this week, I met with the director of a foundation dedicated to raising money to help improve sight. It did get me thinking about sight, how I'm happy to have it, and how fortunate that I had access to a really great physician and researcher when I was seeing double. Jerry and I played that old game, which would you rather lose-- your vision or your hearing. Kind of unfair, because Jerry has so little hearing, but we both agreed we'd rather not be able to hear than not be able to see.

When we got home, we took out or half bikes and did a little cruising around the neighborhood. I know the more I ride my single, the more comfortable I will feel. It mostly felt good, but I still have trouble getting started again after stopping, and I've got to tighten up my turning radius. But it's a work in progress.

We're hoping to find a group ride next weekend. We really like riding with groups, particularly with people we know. It helps our pace, and it's just good to see other folks.

Can I park that for you, Maam?

Jerry and I were valet bike parkers at the Sausalito Art Festival today. For four and a half hours, we tagged, rolled and steered bikes into pvc-pipe bike holders. And I'm happy to say a lot of people rode bikes to the fair. Big bikes, small bikes, hybrids, mountain bikes bikes with trailers, rent-a-bikes. All shapes, sizes.
We did notice, unfortunately, that many, if not most, of the riders were not wearing helmets. I know, I know, just out for a short ride, but I'm living proof that a short ride is all it takes to get your head (or in my case, helmet) bashed in.

In any case, we did brisk business. Hundreds of people rode their bikes to the event, including us.
After our shift, we had lunch-- a very good chicken-veggie wrap-- and then strolled around the fair.
Perhaps I'm spoiled; perhaps I'm an art snob, but I was by and large not impressed with what I saw. I also didn't like the layout of the fair. It was hard to tell where you'd been and what you had yet to see.
So, we perused art for about an hour, decided we'd had enough and headed on home.