I found the niftiest feature on Google Maps last night. On the left hand side, enter your origin by the green "A" circle, then your destination by the "B". Not only will it give you directions, it will also plot it out on a map. But the best part is, you can MOVE the A&B markers on the map manually. The blue map lines will snap to roads like they're magnetic. It's really fun to play with. I was easily able to figure out how long my bike trips have been (previously I had to drop screen prints of the maps into Photoshop and measure them...it was a PITA, especially since CS3's measure tool doesn't work like PS7's. The only disadvantage is that it doesn't recognize our bike trails (which happen to be marked mostly by railroad routes, because that's what they previously were) as "roads". Since the bike trails are usually more direct, i.e. a cowpath, (sometimes they're actually longer) than roads which involve a lot of right angles, the results will be a little longer, so I have to cut off some tenths of miles, or in some cases, add some.

I realized I haven't written down my latest trips, so here we go:

Friday September 12, Afternoon, Badger State Trail: Henry Rd., Basco, down to County Rd. D, Belleville. Trip didn't start out that bad, but as it progressed, I kept getting insects all over me. I stopped to apply my natural bug repellent all over my body (used in jojoba oil in a roll-on, which was all I had at the time...next time I'll concoct a witch hazel and water blend (with the active ingredients, of course) and put it in a spritzer instead) but I think it only made it worse. Although the active ingredient essential oils serve to repel insects by smell, when you're riding your bike through a swarm of insects, you can't help to bump into them regardless if they like the way you smell or not. The jojoba oil actually caused them to stick to me, so I had collected a whole bunch of insects on my body. It was especially gross when they made their way down my cleavage. It was gross. It was also exhausting. I wanted to turn around at Frenchtown Road, but I think it was Stan who suggested it wasn't very long of a ride, so we go further. Thing is, we didn't find any other cross roads to park on for when we start the next time. So we went longer than I wanted. On the way back, I felt like I was going to pass out. My head was hurting (headache) from the helmet, and I was swerving around because I was riding so slow. I was afraid I would end up in the ditch. Here's the weird part: when I checked my cellphone when I got back to the car, all it showed was that numbers had been depressed...and those numbers were? 911. Yes. 911. I thought maybe Stan had (without my knowing because I was "out of it" and oblivious) had grabbed my cellpone out of my fanny pack, pressed 911 just in case I had passed out on the trail it would be "predialed", and then put the phone back in my fanny pack. Why would he put it back in my pack when it would be better to keep it with him? I figured out that the numbers 911 were actually from the prompts I had to push to speak to a customer service rep on ebay a couple days before. Odd that it was 911. Afterwards we went to Culver's in Verona to get something to eat (I was dying...I needed something) but the drive-thru was filled with post-soccer game moms and kids so we went to Michael's Frozen Custard instead. No line, but we had to wait forever. We were destined to wait, regardless of where we went. I made Stan buy me a banana split. I didn't like it...I didn't like the pineapple...tasted fishy. I thought banana splits were bananas and chocolate and ice cream (or frozen custard). But what do I know? I never had a banana split before. Yes, you read right...I never had a banana split before. And I'm 47. I made him trade me the split for his muddy banana (chocolate and banana) which was better. I don't think I'll order a banana split again...at least not there.
Miles one way by car: 3.9. Adjusted for bike ride: approx. 3.5. 7 miles total. Longest trip to date.

No riding that weekend. It rained.

Monday September 15, Afternoon: Trip to Post Office. Stan said it was easy to get to the post office on the bike! Bullshit! First, there's the bike path near our house, which is nice, but we have to get off at some road in the mid-century suburbs, then ride through confusing mid-century streets of boring homes, then go to another bike path in a park which is being torn up, so we have to walk our bikes through the park, then we have to go on a really busy street...I got to the really busy street (I'm not doing it...I'm just that paranoid of bad traffic and bikes...I'm just not doing it.) and I turned around and told Stan it was bullshit...go ahead, I'll meet him back in the park. He seemed a bit disappointed. But he had said earlier "if you don't want to go all the way, you don't have to". Typical guy, to tell a girl she doesn't have to go all the way and then be disappointed when she decides not to. Anyway, I waited for him in the park. And waited. And waited. I tried calling his cellphone several times. No answer. I was worried he forgot to bring it with him. What the hell was wrong, was he pissed because I didn't want to go all the way? Did he decide to go home without me? I tried one last time. He'd been detained by homeland security. See, he went into the post office with a bike helmet and a backpack, because, well, HE WAS RIDING A GODDAMN BIKE, FERFUCKSSAKE, AND HOW ELSE DOES ONE BRING MAIL ON A BIKE, MAGICALLY SPIN IT IN THE AIR ABOVE ONE'S NON-HELMETED HEAD? Asshole asks him what's in the backpack. WHATTHEFUCKDOYOUTHINKISINTHEBACKPACK? MAIL!!!!!! I hate George Bush and the whole fearmongering paranoid...!that guy's wearing a helmet with a backpack! SUV-driving crowd. Assholes. Anyway, if he wants to go to the post office on his bike without me and be detained by homeland security again, that's fine. But I'll pass. It's just too exhausting of a trip, and too dangerous for my liking. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE PUT A WORKABLE POST OFFICE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD?!? Stop'nGo's Little Post Office of Methheads and Crackwhorrors Contract Station hardly cuts it. You can't ship out of the country! They give non-official, illegible receipts. Lame, lame lame. Anyway, I rant and digress.
Total miles: who knows, who cares.

Tuesday, September 16, Afternoon, Badger State Trail: County Rd. D, Belleville to Fahey Rd., Belleville. Pathetic little ride through the lovely town of Belleville, which creeps both of us out for unknown reasons. Belleville is pretty on the west side, where there's a lake, but on the east side, where the bike path goes through, it has this creepy small town loud farm equipment noisy barn hillbilly SUV-driving quality. I was really tired that day, probably because of the stressful ride the day before. It was also really windy which made it hard. I could tell Stan was disappointed that we didn't go further, but I wasn't going to have a situation like last time where I felt like I was going to end up in the ditch from exhaustion. Afterward, we ate veggie sandwiches at Michael's for dinner. They were...eh...ok. I could eat one again, I guess, sort of like a grilled cheese with some vegetables...no big whoop. But there's only so many Culver's Norwegian Cod Filet Sandwiches one can eat. Will someone please add some vegetarian/fish items to a fast food menu? Give us some choices, will you?
Miles one way by car: 1.8. Adjusted for bike ride: 1.7. Not much difference. 3.4 miles total.

The next day I was suffering from exhaustion, Thursday out of town visitor, and Friday I had a doc appt. (yes, one of THOSE doc appts.) so I didn't want to sit on a bike seat after that. So no biking those days. BTW, after going off of all land animal meat and all my bike riding, my blood pressure was higher than last year. No surprise. I bloody hate genetics. I mean it wasn't BAD, but the top # was a little higher. Doctor wasn't worried though. Genetics suck.

Saturday, September 20, Noon, Military Ridge State Trail: Blue Mounds (Division Street) to just outside Blanchardville, County Rd. K. This was a really nice, long ride through the semi-creepy town of Blue Mounds (town looks like a western town with false-front stores). They were having a ya-hey fest in a park which was right by the bike path, so there were all these cars parked along the bike trail, which was rather annoying. So many SUVs, and why? Blue Mounds is the perfect place where they could bring the horse back. After Blue Mounds, the trail went past Blue Mounds State park, climbed a hill and went way out in the country. We got to the outskirts of Blanchardville. I don't know if it was because it was earlier in the day or what, but even though this was the longest ride to date, I wasn't as tired as other times. We both ordered Bananas Fosters from a Culver's in Cross Plains on the way home. I couldn't finish mine; ate all the bananas and the "Fosters sauce" (sort of carmelly...reminds me of tonka bean scent which I have as a sample--don't eat it--it's a killer blood thinner) and gave a lot of the vanilla custard to Stan.
Miles one way by car: 3.5 miles. Adjusted for bike ride: approx. 3.9. This is one instance where the auto roads are actually more direct because the bike trail did a really long circular route. 7.8 miles total. Longest trip to date.

Sunday: recovered from ride the day before.

Monday, September 22, Afternoon, Badger State Trail. Fahey Rd., south of Belleville, to Tunnel Road outside of Exeter. It was windy, although not as bad as the week prior. I think it's just a really windy part of the state. We came equipped with a flashlight for the tunnel, but didn't make it that far. We'll save that for the start of the next trip, whenever that will be. I think I'm a lot more exhausted for the afternoon rides than I am when we start out earlier on a weekend. We both ate another Culver's Norwegian Cod Filet Sandwich for dinner, except I could only eat half of mine and gave the rest to Stan. Need. Other. Vegetarian/Fish. Choices.
Miles one way by car: 2.5. No adjustment for bike ride...it looked really similar. 5 miles total.

Labels: Biking