2024's bicycle miles

I rode 6540 miles in 2024.  My goal was 6000 miles.  Last year the milage total was only 5770 miles.  Since Na Nina was predicted for this Winter, and that usually means colder and snowier for us in the NW U.S., I tried to make the 6000 mile mark earlier than usual as I didn't want to ride many miles if it was cold and snowy.   Been there, done that for cold snowy bicycle riding; and I'm getting older.

I made 6055 miles by the end of November.  Goal accomplished.   Since La Nina now became somewhat late and milder than predicted, we have been about average to a touch above average for moisture and temperatures.  Cold enough I couldn't do much ranch work outside but decent enough to keep riding my bicycle.  That is why the yearly total was 6540 miles.

Bicycle seat

This morning I finished putting my bottom bracket and chain back together.  Then I decided to look at my odds-and-ends pile of bicycle parts for a newer seat.   My current seat is very old and is getting worn out.  It may look bad but actually it is comfortable to ride.   But taking my bicycle into the bicycle shop got me thinking about my bicycle seat so in the future I don't have to justify my beat-up bicycle and don't get a sales pitch for a new one.

I went for a long bicycle ride and the newer seat seems to be fine.

Apple sauce, bicycle, air compressor

Donna dropped off 14 jars of apple sauce she made from the transparent apples.  She and her daughter got the rest of the jars.

Today I got my bicycle back.   Tuesday I had taken it into a bicycle shop to get the bottom bracket replaced.  I don't own a tool that would allow me to take the bottom bracket out of the bicycle frame.   Many decades I would have fixed the bottom bracket, but the bottom brackets these days are sealed units.  A sealed unit is good as they last a long time.  In the old days I would have to regrease, etc. the bottom bracket every few years.   The new bottom bracket cost me $20.  Add in the labor and it cost me $33 to get it fixed.  Worth it.   I got the pedals put back on this evening.  I'll put the chain back on tomorrow and go for a ride.

The old bottom bracket is on the right.  It had gotten a larger and larger wobble as I rode the past few weeks.  I think the bearings inside were disintegrating.

Jan had filled up her small utility trailer again with tree branches and I hauled them and dumped them on my tree branch pile.  Jan had an old (1977!) extra air compressor she didn't want anymore as she is cleaning her garage and getting rid of stuff.  The compressor has a seal problem.  Initially I didn't want or need the air compressor as I have a small one now, and I'm not the best at mechanical fixes.  Then Curtis stopped on his motorcycle as he was riding by and Jan and I were outside talking.  He looked at the air compressor and found a small valve I would need to replace.  I can do that.  So I took the compressor off Jan's hands.

Jan also had a few branches up high she needed to cut.  Since I have my 27 ft pole saw she asked if I could cut the branches for her.  I did.  And a number of other tall and dead branches.  Put a saw in my hand to cut branches and it is hard for me to stop.  She may end up halfway filling her utility trailer again with the branches.

Bicycle flat tire

On my bicycle I was in town shopping this morning when I noticed my front bicycle tire was acting different.  I looked and found the tire had a sideways distortion in one spot and was thinner at that spot.  I rode back home but didn't make it.  I was almost 4 miles from home in the most direct route, a route I don't normally ride because it is along the highway with a smaller shoulder.

I called Donna, and she and her daughter Kari were a few blocks away as they were shopping for a new riding lawn mower for Donna.  Last weekend her former riding lawn mower "blew up" and quit working.  Smoke came out of the engine but fortunately no fire.

They picked me up. We stopped by Walmart so I could buy a new bicycle inner tube as the one I just ordered a few days ago won't arrive until the 29th.  Then we stopped at few more places for them to shop for a new lawn mower.  I mainly sat in the shade or stood around with the daughter's dog, Max.   Donna's dog was back at her house.

Donna bought a new lawn mower from Lowes and we loaded it in Kari's pickup.  The Lowes employee and I had to push the lawn mower the last little bit to get it over the tailgate edge while Kari drove it up the loading ramp and into the pickup bed.

I helped Kari and Donna unload the lawn mower at Donna's place, then it was off to home were I fixed my bicycle tire, ate a full breakfast, and then went to sleep after 3 pm when it was 95 degrees outside.   Rascal was happy I was back home so he could lay next to me as I (we) slept.  Another day, not much done by me other than moving my irrigations pipes.

Cattle back into the south pasture

This evening I let the cattle back into the south pasture.   The grass was eaten down pretty well at the neighbor's place.

Of course, Panda is in the lead.

Waiting for me to open the gate.

When the cattle pushed to get back to the south pasture, they pushed against the railroad tie for the gate to the neighbor's field.  (The tie is located just left in the previous photo.)  The tie was rotted at ground level and got moved.  Another thing for my to-do list to fix.

Heading back to the south pasture.

Two calves were elsewhere in the neighbor's field.  So they had to play catchup to join the cows.   Looking at me and looking at the cows in the south pasture.

In the south pasture with its all grass.

I also did some cleanup grass cutting.  The MoCo doesn't fit in these two corners so I got the hand scythe and cut the grass.

Today the rear tire on my bicycle got a flat.  Yesterday's flats were on the front tire.  I hope this is the end of flats for now.

My lost bicycle cat

I forgot to mention that when harrowing the hayfield I found my missing bicycle cat.   I found it way out in the middle of the hayfield.  That was a strong wind this past Winter than blew the bicycle cat away, and that far.  Well, now I have a backup bicycle cat.

Here is what and where the bicycle cat should look like and be.

One bicycle shift lever broke

Friday when I was out riding my bicycle I had to shift when going uphill.   The shift lever broke!    That has never happened to me in all these decades of riding my bicycles.   The lever was for the rear derailleur.    The derailleur moved to the lowest cog on the freewheel.  The hardest gear.  As most of my ride home was flat and not downhill I needed the chain to be on an easier cog to ride.  I hand positioned the chain and derailleur and then wrapped the shifter cable around my water bottle cage.  It held and I was able to ride home.

Sunday I "fixed" the problem. Kind-of fixed.  The shift lever is mounted in the bicycle frame.  It was not mounted on a band that goes around the frame.  The shift levers I have in my extra parts odds-and-ends box are mounted on a band.   But the band is for old steel framed bicycles where the frame tube is smaller in size.  The band would not reach around my bicycle's frame.

To make things work I moved the cable over to the other shifter as that still worked.  I wasn't using that shifter as I never got around to replacing the front derailleur as I never need to use that one.  Now my rear derailleur works.   On my to-do list is to see how I can replace/fix the broken shift lever.

Messed up bicycle

Broken shift lever

How I wrapped the broken lever and cable around the water bottle cage.

The rear derailleur

How the shift lever is attached to the bicycle.

Since the day was nice - temperature of 63 F and sun - I did more work on my bicycle.  The chain and freewheel is wearing out.  I've babied it along since early February as I didn't want to put a new chain and freewheel on the bicycle when it was still cold and there was snow and muck on the roads.   So I replaced them this afternoon.

I also noticed the two hard plastic cogs on the rear derailleur had worn their "teeth" down.  So I found an old rear derailleur in my odds-and-ends box and took its cogs and put it on my bicycle's rear derailleur.

Now my bicycle rides better and tighter.

Strong wind on my bicycle ride

A cold front came through when I was on a bicycle ride.  I didn't know that a cold front was coming.  Last day of the month, and since I hadn't been riding much bicycle earlier this week and today's temperature was decent, I went for a bicycle ride.  The ride was going well.  So I decided to ride more miles and make my loop larger.  Then on the larger part of the loop I noticed dark blue ground-to-sky clouds to the west.  No matter which way I went, the distance home was about the same.  And I thought I would get home before the dark blue clouds reached me.  I was wrong.

I had south winds most of my ride.  But when I turned west the wind started to turn to the SW.  By the time I turned back south and had 5 miles left to ride the wind switched to the west.  The clouds had arrived and the wind picked up quickly and it started to rain.  Actually the rain went sideways and not down.  Within a half mile my left side was soaking wet.

In the 5 mile ride home I had a half mile turn to the west.  I struggled to ride 4 mph and stay upright riding west even though the wind was head-on.  Now the entire front of me got soaking wet.  Once I turned south the wind "lightened up" and changed to WSW.  I made it to Donna's place and took a break until the rain stopped and the wind lightened up some more.   I made it home and was very wet when I got there.

Another eventful 25 mile bicycle ride.

The time, temperature, wind, visibility distance, rain amount.

Another bicycle pedal problem

I thought I fixed my bicycle pedal problem last week.  After I installed a newer pedal and rode a few miles, I thought the problem was solved.  Today the temperature got above freezing and the snow was off the roads so I went for a longer bicycle ride.  I was a little past Donna's place when I stopped to check my newer pedal as it felt wobbly.  I discovered the pedal was no longer screwed tight to the crank arm.  I went to Donna's place to borrow a wrench so I could tighten the pedal.

With the wrench I discovered I could not tighten the pedal.  The threads in the crank arm were somewhat stripped.  The previous pedal was in the crank arm so tight I had a lot of trouble to unscrew the pedal to remove it.  I wonder if that pedal messed up the threads somehow.  When installing the newer pedal it seemed screw in fine and be tight.  Or so I thought.

I tried glue on the pedal to see if that would hold the pedal in place long enough for me to ride home.  Nope.  I tried wrapping the pedal's threads with a piece of duct tape.  Maybe this will work.  I tried it.  I didn't get far and the tape came off.  The pedal would stay on the crank arm if I was careful when riding.  I made it home.

The crank arm's threads are stripped.  I looked in my odds-and-ends bicycle part pile and found an extra crank arm.   Which is amazing as this crank arm is the arm with the chain ring on it.  I was able to take off the bad crank arm - and that was a problem as it didn't want to come off the bicycle.   I installed the new crank arm and newer pedal.  I went for a mile-long ride and it seems to work.

The old crank arms are brownish colored and the newer crank arm is the typical silver color.   So my bicycle now has a brownish crank arm on one side and a silver crank arm on the other side.  Oh well.  At least it works now.

Riding from Donna's place with a loose pedal made the thread worse.  Even so, at Donna's place I knew I would have to replace the crank arm anyway.  So who cares if I made it worse, just let me make it home.

The newer crank arm.  I say 'newer' and not 'new' as this is an old part from a junked bicycle.

Bicycle pedal, wind chime, suet

The last time I rode my bicycle before our recent Winter weather, one pedal on my bicycle froze up.  I had ridden 25 miles by then, and a mile from home the pedal froze.  I never had that happen before.  When I had a pedal problem on a very rare occasion, the pedal would be very loose as the bearings ground down or some would fall out.   This time the bearings stopped turning.  I made it home slowly by pedaling with one leg.

Once the cold retreated, in my odds-and-ends collection of bicycle parts, I found another pedal.  I put it on my bicycle.  Due to the snowy roads I only rode a few miles.  But the pedal works.

The strong winds we had did a number on things.  One of the old fiberglass panels on my patio blew off.   The bicycle cat blew apart.   This photo showed how the bicycle cat looked before.  The wind blew the cat and bird away.  No idea where.   The wheels were still here, but damaged.  I took the rest of the ornament inside the house.  Eventually I will fix it as I have an old damaged ornament with a cat still on it.

The chime I hang from my house entrance was blown apart.  Since the pieces are metal I found three of the 'cows' on the ground nearby.  I got them fixed and all put back together today.

The suet cage I hang by the front window was now near the ground.  The wire holding the suet cage in the air is attached to the TV antenna.  The wind must have shaken the antenna pole around and pulled the wire from where it was attached to the house to hold the suet cage in a particular spot.  Yesterday I got a ladder and a broom and swept some snow from the roof so I could go up and nail the wire back to the house.  I've had a few birds show up now that the suet is hanging again.  And the birds give Rascal something to look at and talk to.

Otherwise, the temperatures are warmer and getting closer to the freezing mark.  We still do get a little snow.  I shoveled an inch or so of snow off the driveway yet again today.

Broken bicycle wheel

This past month has been tough on my rear bicycle wheel.  The spokes would break.  Over the decades I have had a spoke break once in a great while, but nothing like last month.  One or two spokes every so often.   My bicycle is 40 years old according to the bicycle's serial number.   I'm sure the wheels are that old also.   Some spokes are tight and some are loose.  I couldn't work on loosening or tightening the old spokes as the spoke's nipple would not turn.  I've never had that happen to me over the decades.

I figured I would 'baby' my bicycle until Spring and then buy a whole new wheel.   Then last Saturday another spoke broke.  When replacing the spoke I noticed the wheel's rim was now broken.  That also has never happened to me.  It must have been because of the age of the wheel as I haven't been carrying heavy items on my bicycle.

I was still able to ride a few miles on Saturday and Sunday, but this was not something I wanted to continue to do.   I thought I would have to find and buy a new wheel on Monday, but Sunday I remembered I still had some bicycle parts from bicycles I had bought at auctions many years ago.  And I found I had one rear wheel.  And it would work on my bicycle was it was a 27 inch wheel and not a more modern 700 C wheel.   Hurray!

Today I transferred the freewheel and the tube and tire to my new wheel.  Everything fits. I trued up the wheel as it had a little wobble to it.  I then went for a 11 mile ride and it all works fine.   Hopefully no more spoke breaks.

Bicycle miles in 2023

2023 is now over.  Here are the number of miles I rode my bicycle: 5770.  Last year the milage was 6275.  So I rode 505 less miles in 2023.  5770 miles didn't quite make the top 10 milage years. Which is fine.  I got a few more things done around the ranch.

Bicycle ride. Tarp.

This afternoon I rode my bicycle to town to pay my property taxes.   I tried to pay them last Friday but the county office was closed on Friday due to Veteran's Day on Saturday.  On the ride home today I was almost run over.  I was riding on a road near a curve and also that has a dead-end street on my right.  On the dead-end street a pickup was waiting at the stop sign.  I saw a car coming on the road from the other direction.  Then I paid more attention to the pickup as cars seldom turn onto the dead-end road, and vehicles don't like waiting at stop signs as will pull out in front of me.

As I got to the intersection the oncoming car did also and then it made a left turn to go onto the dead-end street.  I braked hard and turned right as much as I could to avoid the car.  It wasn't looking good but I slowed and turned enough that I went against and then along with the side of the car.  I put my left hand on and against the car to keep from falling over and into it.  I made it as the car passed and I was able to stop without falling over.   Barely.

I was going to chew the driver out as I was not happy, but he was nice and sorry and apologetic and said that he didn't see me as he was also watching that the pickup didn't pull out in front of him.  I had braked so hard that my left brake cable broke.  He offered to buy me a new cable.  I gave him my name and number, so we'll see.   I rode home the seven miles carefully as I had only one working brake on my bicycle.

This was really close, and it could have been really bad for me.

When I got home I replaced the brake cable as I have extra cables from bicycles I had made into parts.

Yesterday when Donna and I went to Mable's place for me to fix her roof, I saw a tarp in the ditch as Donna was waiting at a stop sign to turn onto the highway.   Maybe some tears, but the tarp looked good.  So I jump out of her car and grabbed the tarp and put it in her car trunk. Yet another thing I found on the side of the road.   I think Donna rolled her eyes when I wanted to get the tarp.   While I was on my bicycle ride today Donna stopped by and dropped off the tarp.

A minor tear or two.  The tarp is much better than my previous tarp I had used to cover the hay baler last Winter.   So I put the tarp over the baler and tied it down to keep it from blowing off in strong winds.  I used a broom to sweep the leaves off the baler.  I put the broom down on the back of the baler while I pulled the tarp onto the baler.  Then the broom was missing.  It somehow slipped into the baler somewhere.  I had to get a flashlight to look into the baler as the broom couldn't be found.   I thought I may have to get the tractor hooked up to the baler to open it so I could search it better.  But I finally felt the broom and could pull it out.

The broom had fallen in where the belts are located.

Covered for the Winter.

The previous tarp I had used on the baler I had draped over the haybine earlier.   The cattle, of course, had 'played' with the tarp.   I had to sweep leaves off that tarp and the haybine as the haybine wasn't completely covered.   That tarp was so bad I had to cut it into sections, and also throw away some parts of the tarp.   Finally I got the haybine covered again.

So... did I work on my fence today?  What do you think?   Nope.   Another waste of a good weather day.  Rain and cold are forecasted for tomorrow.

Bicycle chain ring replaced

I ride my bicycle a lot.  But the metal now-a-days is alloy and not just steel. Alloy may be lighter but it doesn't last as long a metal.  I last had to replace the front chainring on March 2022.  The ring should last long than a little over two years.  But that's how it is these days.

It should be easy to replace the chainring, but of course, for me it wasn't.  That tool to get the chainring and pedal arm off the bicycle wouldn't work.  It looks like the threads were getting stripped as the pedal arm didn't want to move.  It had to use a hammer and metal center punch tool to finally knock the pedal arm and chainring off the bicycle.  Then I used an allen wrench to take each ring off the pedal arm.  Of course, one of the bolts didn't want to turn and it took an effort to remove.

Finally got the new chainring installed.  I also planned, since I was getting dirty from the chainring grease/oil, to replace the rear freewheel and the chain.  I found I had only an extra rear freewheel, but no extra chain.  So these two items will have to be replaced another day.  For now, now that the chainring was replaced, most of the chain slippage is gone.

Old chainring.  See the 'shark teeth'?  Below is how the teeth should look.

The newly installed chainring.  You can also see in the center where I had to use the center punch tool to knock the arm off the bicycle.

Flat bicycle tire and coyotes?

Saturday and Sunday I rode the same 26 mile bicycle route.  Sunday, three-fourths of a mile from home, I noticed my front bicycle tire looked like it was getting low.  I stopped and checked the tire.  I found a little bit of wire sticking out of the tire.  The wire was hair thin.  How such a small and thin wire was able to get into and then through the tire is a mystery.   It reminds me of the small wires that caused my bicycle tires to go flat back in December.  I never had this small wire problem before.

Bicycle tires have wire imbedded in them where the tire is against the wheel's rim to help hold the tire on the wheel when the tire is inflated.  The wire I found was not at this location.

I 'googled' and found other people have had this problem.

"Probably a steel belted radial wire."  There are no "steel belted" or radial bicycle tires. The wire came from a worn automobile tire.  A car tire, not your tire. I started seeing these flats around 20 years ago. These flats didn't exist in the '70s and '80s. Steel belted auto tires were still new. No debris yet from old worn ones. 

Great.  Just great.  Another way to get a flat bicycle tire.

Also, this evening just before dark, I was in the north pasture when all of a sudden I heard lots of loud barking and 'calling'.  It sounded as if it was from across the river, maybe even up on the ridge with trees.  It sounded like a pack of animals.  It sounded more like coyotes and not dogs.  It went on for about 5 minutes and then died down.  My take is that a pack of coyotes went after a deer.  My cows are on this side of the river eating hay in the middle pasture.   It was getting dark so I'll have to count the cows tomorrow.  More likely coyotes and not wolves.  A few weeks ago Donna saw a large animal cross over her property and the property next to hers.  She said it didn't look like a dog or a coyote and wondered if it was a lone wolf.

Mountain bicycle

Year ago I bought a mountain bicycle as a backup bicycle.  I rarely ride it as I prefer my road bicycle.   I'm now going through withdrawal symptoms from bicycling while I wait for my new bicycle tires.   Donna suggested I ride my mountain bicycle.  I got the bicycle out of the garage.  I hadn't ridden the bicycle in so long the tires were flat.  I filled them with air and rode the bicycle. Because it is a mountain bicycle I only ride it a few miles each day.  But this helps while I wait for my new bicycle tires.

Bicycle tire problems

The last day of 2022 I had two flat tires on my bicycle.  In the morning when three and a half miles from home.  I patched my tube as it was a very small puncture. I didn't see anything in or on the tire.  Later in the afternoon on a 19 mile ride I got a flat three and a half miles from home on a different road.  Again a small puncture.  This time I checked and checked the bicycle tire in case the flat was caused by a small wire that came through and was in the tire.  I didn't find anything.  I rubbed and rubbed the area inside the tire.

No more flats.  But the tire now started to distort side to side in one spot.  Okay... but still rideable.   Every day I checked the tire.  After so many days it looked like the tire was wearing through in one spot.   Time for a new tire before I get another flat. 

I didn't have a spare tire and had to go to Walmart to buy one.  My bicycle is old and the rims are still 27 inches, not the 700 C tires bicycles have now.

Some older road bikes (mid 1980's and earlier) used 27-inch tires; these were used on most of the "10-speed" bikes that many of us grew up with. These are NOT the same as the 700C tires found on modern road bikes. Very few, if any, modern bikes are manufactured using the 27-inch tire size, but replacement tires, inner tubes, and wheels are still available for those older bikes.

27-inch tires come in common widths of 1-1/8 inch, 1-1/4 inch, and 1-3/8 inch for some older hybrid and cyclocross bikes.

27-inch and 700C tires are close enough in size that the inner tubes are compatible; i.e. you can use a 27-inch inner tube in a 700C tire, and vice-versa. However, you can NOT use a 27-inch tire on a 700C wheel, and vice-versa.

Walmart had one 27 inch tire although I had to look to find it at the back of the shelf.   Saturday I put the tire on my bicycle and rode Saturday and Sunday.  This afternoon when I rode, a half mile from home, my tire seemed to be rubbing against my brake.  I stopped and looked and saw the tire was starting to come off the rim.  I thought I could ride back home to fix it.  I didn't make it as the tube blew before I got home.

At home I got a new tube and put it and the tire back on the bicycle.  When I filled the tire with air the tire started to come off the rim again.  It turns out the tire had separated in one spot from the metal wire inside the tire that goes around the tire, and this is what holds the tire onto the rim.

I tried and tried different methods on making the tire stay on the rim.  Nothing worked.  I had to give up.  I took the tire back to Walmart and got my money back. The tire was defective.  I looked again and still no 27 inch tires.  I had an employee scan and look on his scanner as to when new tires would come to Walmart.  He said - maybe - January 27.

I went to Target.  Only 700C tires.  I went to the sporting goods store that also sells and repairs bicycles.  I only found 700C tires.  I asked an employee and was told they don't stock 27 inch tires.  They could order one for me, but this time of year, who knows when one would arrive.

If one has to order, I can do that using Amazon.   I just did.  The tires (I bought two) should arrive January 18.   Now I just have to survive with no bicycling available for me for nine days.  For me it will be hard to do so.

2022 bicycle miles

I rode 6275 miles on my bicycle in 2022.  This is less than the 7120 miles I rode in 2021.  So I am riding less miles.   The last day of riding was a challenge as I got two flat tires on my bicycle.  In the morning and then in the afternoon.  I didn't find the cause, but since the two small punctures were in the same location, maybe a small wire entered the tire and I didn't see it to remove it after the first flat.   After the second flat I really checked the tire and found nothing.   I rode 10 miles today and no flats.  So maybe I got rid of the cause for the flats.  I hope so.

Celtic Festival

I would have posted this blog post yesterday but I lost my camera for a while and then didn't have my Celtic Festival photos.  Late afternoon to sundown I was working on my tree trimming.  Occasionally I would take photos.  I switched from setting my camera on my house entryway area, to the back of my bicycle.  Some time ago earlier this year, when riding my bicycle in a rainstorm, on the shoulder of the road I found a plastic lid.  I used it then, and now, on my bicycle rack to stop my tire from throwing water on my back when riding in the rain.  

I had placed the camera on the plastic lid.  I worked until dark.  Then I rode my bicycle to check my mail and then a little way down the road.  I forgot about my camera.  Later I remembered my camera.  Where did I leave it?  On my bicycle?  I re-rode where I had ridden.  But it was getting dark and I couldn't find my camera.   This morning in the daylight I found my camera on my driveway.  Whew.

Saturday Donna and I went to the annual Celtic Festival west of Kalispell.  Music, games, clans.  We spent a little time there watching a few games, listening to a little music, and watching a parade.

Throwing a stone.

Tossing a straw bale over a bar that got higher and higher.

It was a nice day.

Monday, yet another eventful day

Monday was another eventful day for me.   First off, I rode my bicycle to Donna's place to check on Stinky, Maggie and Molly.  Bungee corded on my bicycle rack was a bowl of Donna's - she has given me a bowl of taco soup before she left.    As I rode I had two vehicles meet up where I was riding.  The vehicle behind me, a pickup pulling a large dump trailer, had to wait for the other vehicle to pass by.  After the dump trailer vehicle passed by I heard a crash.  Donna's bowl fell off my bicycle rack and shattered.  Darn.

After checking on Donna's pets I continued my ride.  As I was riding on the shoulder of Hwy 2 - where the speed limit is 65 mph - a car slowed down next to me.  To my great surprise it was Ruby driving the car.  I met Ruby back in 2007 when she was hiking in Glacier Park.  Ruby lived out of state.  While she has been back to Glacier a few times over the years I don't remember hiking with her as our schedules didn't work out.   And she recognized me as I was riding my bicycle.  Unbelievable!

It was great seeing Ruby again.  We had stopped before an intersection, and after realizing we knew each other, we quickly moved to the other side of the intersection so cars could use the shoulder to make a right turn to the side road.  A few minutes after catching up a highway patrol car pulled up from behind with its lights flashing.  What?  Why did they stop and are using flashing lights?   We were off the road and on the wide shoulder and that is legal.

The highway patrolman in the passenger seat came out to talk with me and the highway patrol driver walked up to talk with Ruby in the car.  I was asked if I had a problem.  No.  Why do you think that?  Why were we on the shoulder?  I told him this was a woman I hadn't seen in five, six or more years.  He said the car was too close to the road.  No, it's not.  He then said it was when the car was on the other side of the intersection.  I said, right after we realized we knew each other we moved away from there and to this spot.  We weren't there long.  Apparently they were driving on the highway going the other direction and saw us when we were on the other side of the intersection so they turned around and came back.  We're not there now and we had quickly moved.

By now he was getting mad at me and told me not to yell at him.  I wasn't yelling at him.  I was correcting him and explaining the situation.  After my head injury and with the ringing in half my head I talk louder now.  I explained that to him, and told him I wasn't yelling at him; I talk loud normally; especially with the traffic noise; and we weren't doing anything wrong.  He's got to chill out.  He said alright and then walked up to the other patrolman still talking to Ruby.  After a few minutes they left.  I told them as they walked back to their patrol car, that with all the people speeding on the roads they need to do their job and get after them.  They ignored me.

Donna can tell me that I talk too loud, and I need to try to talk quieter.  Someone else can't tell me I am yelling at them when I am not, even if that person is a patrolman. People who know me can talk to me like I'm an idiot. I let it slide. If you don't know me, you can't talk to me like I'm an idiot.  I got ticked at that patrolman.  Good thing I didn't get arrested for being right.

Riding between Donna's house and meeting Ruby, as I rode on a county road that has no shoulder, even though there was no traffic in the other lane, a motorcycle that passed me as I was riding, passed by close.  Guess he wanted to scare me, or not ride briefly near the middle of the road.  The patrolmen should have went after that guy.

I didn't like being on the road's shoulder. I don't trust the traffic in the Flathead.  So I had Ruby drive up to the next large driveway off the road.  Then we were able to talk and catch up on things.  Ruby is now living in Montana.  In East Glacier.  She had Monday off from work and came over to Flathead Valley for an oil change.  It was an amazing coincidence that we met.

Since Patti moved to Wisconsin I don't have someone to hike with.   Maybe Ruby will get me hiking again.

After talking with Ruby for a while I then continued on my bicycle ride.  I had decided to ride a little longer route as the temperature was in the mid 60s and it was nice outside.  I was NE of Whitefish, Montana when my bicycle's rear tire went flat.   You got to be kidding!    I didn't have a patch kit for my tire with me.  Not that it would help as I later learned a nail, or wire, or staple, punctured my tire and tube and the tube couldn't be fixed.  

I ended up riding my bicycle home with the flat tire.  I had to find a different route - shorter route - home.  A month ago, at the place where I had Rascal get his updated rabies vaccine shot, I had met a woman who lives on Conn Road.  She said Conn Road went up a steep hill, and the road was open on the hill now that the snow has melted.  This part of Conn Road is gravel, and I don't remember ever riding this section of the road.  Well, now I did.  And I found out that yes, this is the steepest road in the Valley.   Why the county made this section as a road I don't understand.  It is almost like going straight downhill.  And how vehicles can drive up the road....  um, I don't think I would try.  And it's a gravel road.   Fortunately the wheel tracks are packed and don't have loose gravel on them.  Still I used my bicycle's brakes continuously on the ride downhill to ride slower, and I didn't crash.

14 miles after I got my flat tire I finally made it home.

What a day.  Highs and lows.