Day 12

Four tens can be a bit brutal late in the day, but having a three day weekend every week is fantastic. So, on my day off, spreadsheets of data captivated me for most of the grey morning. I've added saddle time as one of my data points. I was very interested in looking at calorie estimates, and from my (little) research, the estimates can vary widely.

Today was errand day. Last weekend I got a hold of a prototype rain lid for the Madsen bucket and was eager to try it out. After a bit of fiddling I found a great way to use a ratcheting strap to hold it on. I loaded my dirty laundry, some articles to read, rain gear, a change of shoes, snacks, and my ever-present bike tools into the bucket and set off hoping for rain.

Other than my red pen imploding all over my study papers, the laundromat was uneventful. Many years ago I would transport laundry via bike by having two bags slug over the handlebars, what a nightmare, but the Madsen, wow. I'm a line-dryer, so I just chucked the two bags of wet clothes in the bucket and zoomed
off.

I stopped by a thrift store looking for a camera cable so I can get some higher quality pictures. What did find were some rad spacey boots that I imagine are for walking in a volcano. Three dollars? Done. In the bucket (the silvery thing on the bottom right next to my shoes above).

I hit up a big box store for a few sundries and by this time I was famished, though still sadly dry. As I cruised towards Taco Time the clouds let loose a torrent. It was fantastic. The classic summer thunderstorm with thunder, lightning, huge warm drops of rain. Veggie burritos to go tossed in the bucket and I was off home, laughing my dry-cargo self all the way home through the tumultuous downpour.

The storm had moved on by the time I polished off my dinner, so I planned for an evening cruise. I wanted part country, part city and that is exactly what I got. There is little better than cruising through the countryside after a summer rain. The roads steamed a little and the air was crisp and moist. I headed north then when the road ended, turned west toward the center of Cache Valley. Making my way through some newer subdivisions I found myself trapped with the only escape through an unfenced field of wheat. I rode near the fence line and the man-size weeds were a fun challenge to navigate. Madsen handled perfectly until I found myself in a muddy rut in the last few yards of the quarter-mile field. From there I took main through "downtown" Logan, and even had a lady yell "I love your bicycle!" at me out of a truck.

On my way home, I wanted a better vantage of the setting sun, so I tooled up the four level parking terrace on a hilltop near my flat. The two picture below show Madsen looking out, and what she sees.

Overall ride stats: 13.95 miles, duration: 1:24:00, est calories 554.

Daily total: 22.62 miles, 2:31 hours in the saddle.