What -- No pictures?!?

No pictures on this post but they are only a click away. Came across two REALLY neat pieces of software for mapping rides.

The first is at www.webwalking.com/googlemap.htm. [Update: an even cooler version is at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ that includes the ability to create an elevation profile -- the fun never stops].It allows you to find your part of the world, right down to street level, and to then mark a route you have travelled (however) and to see how long that trip was.

Then you can save that walk or ride and use a cute piece of software called "TinyURL" to store a web address (i.e. the URL) in way that isn't 4,328 characters long. The shorte version comes out like this: http://tinyurl.com/rw3bz instead of http://www.webwalking.com/googlemap.htm?zl=5&x=-114.08306121826172&y=51.79120499625462&path=cza{HbwowT?{aCpdW?{eWcAh@~cC

Then there's Google Earth... if it's not on your computer you are missing the coolest thing I've seen in years! Load it up and you can see anywhere on earth... like you were in a magic helicopter. Can't really describe it... you just have to try it.

Gotta love the Internet!

Do-dah, do-dah...
Penny and I had a great ride today... about 12-13 kms. south on the old, old road to Didsbury. She sure is a brick to keep at it. She rides her EZ-3 delta trike and is getting better every trip at shifting and spinning. For a gal who has never been a cyclist and who has been to hell-and-back physically over the last nine months she is a marvel!

With the back bag we can now take food and drink which makes for a very nice rest stop -- beer probably gets a little riled up by the vibrations but a good red wine ought to travel just fine! Now if I can just figure out how to design a portable, pop-up, perambulating porta-potty we'll be able to ride forever.

Put an air-horn on the bike because out on the highway a little tinkling bell seems a trifle ridiculous -- I don't think the guys in the semi-trailers can hear it. This job holds compressed air in what looks like a water bottle on the front fork and then unleashes a full 120 decibel truck-like airhorn blast when you tap the horn. Just have to remember not to use it on pedestrians; it could take a couple of years off of them.

This is the best do-dah so far.... a little Cateye Astrale 8 "cyclocomputer". It is an odometer, trip meter, time piece, and even measures cadence -- the number of rotations per minute you are pedaling. And it stores min, max, and average speed for each outing. What would an accountant be without numbers to play with?

Oh, yeah, and I switched to a wider, softer tires front and back. These Schwalbe "Big Apples" are 2" tires running lower (about 30 p.s.i.) pressure. MUCH softer ride on the chip seal roads around here and not noticeably slower in any way.

Put Axiom Bags on that are just fabulous to have -- very expandable and with the two side panniers (not on in this pic) I should be able to tour and/or even camp. Have discovered a thing called randonneur riding where folks ride "populaires" of 50 - 200 km. and then do "brevets" of 200, 400, 600 and 800 km. etc. They aren't races but each distance has a deadline for completion that translates into an average speed of about 15 kph. But that's for much later.


Adding the do-dahs onto the bike... that's half the fun! So far we have:

• a 120 dB horn (for the guy in the SUV with his windows rolled up, blabbing on his cell phone, and looking like he hasn't seen me yet... at 120 dB he will!)
• Axiom backrack, with bag and side pannier bags (not shown). Should be able to pack about 412 cubic feet of stuff
• Mirror, pump. misc. bike tools and LED safety lights
• Cateye odometer/speedometer/cadence counter... cadence counter is way cool.
• Coming soon is a clear fairing and perhaps a Garmin Edge 305 GPS/map/altimeter

Gotta have all the do-dahs... ummmmmph!