Thursday, January 30, 2014

Snow and Stuff

Hurrah! Winter Storm Leon came through in style for HPNC. We got measureable snow this week!


It was the first real snow for the Pound Pups, and they romped and played and tussled and chased and...well, you get the picture, right? If not, here's a helpful hint or two:
 
Winston (f) and Abbie (b)
in the Way Back:
First snow!
Abbie (f) and Winston (barely seen!)...
More play, play, play
in the Way Back Gardens
























Truthfully? I am thrilled to have the snow and cold weather...especially since I'm usually inside by the fire, where it is warm and toasty. Last year we had such a mild winter that Mother Nature couldn't do what she does best with cold weather: help control the garden pest population. By the time the 2013 Summer months arrived, we were facing a huge and mounting "bad bug" invasion...especially in the form of squash vine borers, Japanese beetles, and Mexican bean beetles. So, throw some more cold at us...I'll throw on another sweater!

This snow day also gave me a cause for pause in an otherwise hectic week. All Master Gardening activities got cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday when the Guilford County Schools were closed for 2 1/2 days, so I found myself with time on my hands...and W-2's in the mailbox. And, you may have trouble believing this, but I took the opportunity to do our taxes. Yes, I did! Now, I still will be doing Missy M's, but our Fed and State returns are filed for this year. And, even though TurboTax said that the IRS wasn't accepting returns until 1/31, I just received both text and email confirmation that the Fed return had been accepted. Today. January 30. I suppose they opened for business a few hours early...kinda like how stores were opening on Thanksgiving before Black Friday. Or something like that.

Ahem.

Here are some more snow pictures for you:

View of shed and back yard
from Morning Room
Way Back Garden gate
got left open






















Looking into Rose Garden
"Dr. Seuss"
 








































Of course, I did as any well-raised Southern girl would do when there is even a whisper of the white stuff in the forecast: I headed to the store for bread and milk, of course! Here's the evidence.


 
 
When I posted that picture (above) on Facebook, I heard from a friend that I "should buy organic milk." (Yep, a Master Gardener friend...:-) I responded with "don't I get credit for switching to Whole Wheat bread and 1% milk?!" (I left out the Sheezsh!) And that brings up a whole 'nother subject...the "Stuff" of the title, I suppose.

My biking to Disneyland (I know, I know...I owe you a post...:-) got me reconnected with an iPhone app that I had used in the past called MyNetDiary. It allows you to easily track your exercise for the day, along with what you have eaten for meals. Keeps up with calories, nutrients, weight, etc. A really cool tool! I think I first learned of it from a Diabetes Education counselor in Missouri, when Momma was diagnosed with diabetes...and I was told I was borderline.

Anyway, the website was a clunky, cumbersome affair...but the app: now that works well, and syncs between my iPhone (there's a free version for the iPhone) and iPad! One of those is usually in my hands, so that makes it easy-peasy. I used it regularly for a while, and then our move from MO to NC intervened, and diet and exercise went hand-in-hand...out the window. Never fear...it's backkk!

At the same time I was reconnecting with my old friend, MyNetDiary (MND), Mr. T was struggling to make some changes that would positively impact his health...read that: lose some weight to get his BMI (recently discussed at his annual physical with Dr. K) down into the normal range. He was also looking for a way to keep up with his physical therapy exercises...other than the Excel spreadsheet he was using. So I introduced him to MND...and we were off and running, together!

Now, I must share some background with you. Most of my regular readers know I have battled my weight and yo-yo dieted since I was about 5 or 6 (no kidding). I have been on every diet imaginable...gained and lost at least 3 whole people in my lifetime, maybe more. One day about 6 or 7 years ago, I just said no. No more diets. Ever again. Never. Never, ever, ever. I had had enough of that.

And, guess what? When I stopped obsessing with my weight, it started dropping. Ever so slowly, mind you. So slowly in fact as to be almost a non-story. But I was reminded of just how much the other day when I was writing in my Journal (yes, I do still keep one, although I write in it infrequently). I have made a note of my weight next to several of the previous entries, and I realized that I was (then) 40 pounds lighter than my highest weight noted.

A second item worth noting is that Mr. T has never been on a diet. Read that sentence again. Never. Never, ever, ever. Oh, he switched from regular Coke to diet many years back and immediately dropped 5 pounds, but that doesn't count. He's occasionally tried to make what sounded like good choices off restaurant menus...but he still has to eat in restaurants for the majority of his meals, and there IS a limit to resistance to Five Guys fries. And he's certainly endured the countless programs I have done...and been a fabulous cheerleader. Yes, he has been on the sidelines of diet and nutrition his whole life.

Not any more.

While I am loathe to classify what we are doing as "dieting" in the sense that we are restricting ourselves (other than to the recommended calories suggested by MND) or following any "program" like Weight Watchers, South Beach, etc., I will say that we are giving our eating habits a long overdue overhaul. And when you KNOW you are going to have to account for what you have eaten that day in your electronic diary, you are ever-so-much-more inclined to make healthy eating choices. You pay attention to where your calories are coming from...what you are lacking (mine has been calcium and fiber)...and what you are overindulging on (we BOTH are challenged by our sodium intake). And you are conscious of poor choices, like my tendency to skip breakfast.

Plus exercise becomes something you want to do instead of "oh, Lordy, I guess I have to exercise today." Because when you exercise, you "earn" more calories to "spend" that day! Yee ha!!

So, there are some changes evident around here. Mr. T has become a consummate label-reader...shocked by seeing just what a portion or serving really is (I got out the measuring cups and spoons along with my ancient WW scale, to help him visualize). It's OK to eat a salad bowl full of cereal for breakfast...just realize that is actually 2 servings and enter the data truthfully.

And remember I said I identified I was having trouble eating the recommended calcium and fiber? Well, no more! We have made the Big Switch to whole wheat this and whole grain that. And to allow me to drink more milk for the calcium, but not bump up the fat count, we agreed to change to 1%. Who knows? Skim milk may be on our horizon! (Missy M is already at that threshold, since that's what I bought when she was growing up and that's what she prefers. We had changed back to 2% over the years...which was still better than the whole milk we both grew up drinking.)

OK. Time to go. Need to get my bike ride in for the day. I'm in Knoxville, by the way, stopped last night at Chilhowee Park, where the Knoxville Zoo is located. Promise: I'll get to work on my catching-up biking post!

I'll close this post with yet another dog picture that should bring a smile to your face. This was taken the night it started to snow, after supper when they take their pre-bedtime naps. They slept through the main part of the storm, getting up to go outside for Last Potty Call and being surprised at what they found. Let it snow...and stuff!

Duche$$, Abbie, and Winston...
Three Dog Night in  HPNC

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

I Heard the Wind Change

I was just finishing up my second cup of coffee this morning. I had fed the pups (who got up extra-early today...bless 'em), read my email, and answered the ones that needed attention. I had just begun to read USA TODAY online. Then I saw the little notification box pop down from the top of my iPad screen: ALERT: Winter Storm Advisory!

What? It's a beaUtiful day...blue skies, sun shining, doggies rampaging through the Way Back with joyful abandon. OK, so it is a bit cold, and the fireplace does feel awfully good this morning. But "winter storm?" You've got to be kidding me.

In less than a minute, I received an instant message from Missy M with a picture attached:


Looks like the Winter Storm had already visited The Ville today! A Facebook posting by a cuz in Portland, TN, showed they had a dusting of snow, too...and another cuz in Memphis mentioned flurries there. 

Granted, the folks in Northern Kentucky probably just shrugged. They had a similar dump of the white flakes just last week, when we got this picture from M...taken the morning after the workers had finished installing her new roof. As I posted on Facebook..."Timing is everything," said Mr. T!



We in HPNC dodged a bullet during that last round of snow-on-the-ground storms, but it appears from the News 2 weather app's "future" feature that we may be in for some kind of precip late this afternoon into this evening. And I just ate the last of the loaf for toast...ha!

Still, I was having trouble connecting what I was seeing out the Morning Room window (blue skies, etc.) with what the weather wonks are predicting. And then...

I heard it. I literally heard the wind change directions. It shifted from southwest to north-by-northwest. Almost simultaneously, both weather vanes...the small one on the garden shed in the back yard and the big "windmill" one in the center of the Way Back that we call The Derrick, screeched in protest as they swung around to point in northerly directions. Wind out of the North? Yep...I think this storm may mean business. 

Forget that third cup of coffee. I'm headed to the grocery. Gotta make the bread-and-milk run!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

500 Miles Away from Home

Three more rides...another half-century...time to report on my trip again! *

1/16/2014: A rest day, just over the state line in Tennessee. "Oh, good...you're home," say those that know I'm from Tennessee. Uh...yes, but no. I'm "in" East TENNessee. I'm from WEST TennesSEE. World's apart, longitudinally as well as linguistically. Geographically and by state law, Tennessee is divided into three distinct regions: East, Middle, and West...each with a star on the state flag. And I'm a long, long way from Memphis, in West Tennessee. Five hundred miles away...give or take.

Speaking of Memphis, a cuz recently asked on Facebook if my ride was going to bring me through the city of my birth. Sad to say, it isn't. Although Google keeps changing the exact route it maps for my bike ride across the USA, neither of the most commonly recurring routes has me crossing the Mississippi at Memphis. One of the routes takes me all the way up to St. Louis for a crossing from IL to MO at Alton on the beautiful Clarke Bridge (been there, done that). A shorter route (by about 100 miles) has me crossing the River from KY to MO on a ferry. I've decided to go with...Route Number Two!


This route will take me through ten states: NC, TN, KY, MO, OK, TX, NM, AZ, NV, and CA. And, as far as I can tell, I will ride through only one city or town where I have family and/or friends: Portland, TN. So, Cousins W&I L, W L, and S McC...get ready, 'cause here I come...virtually!

Just one, you ask? Actually, I am astounded at that...because I know folks in all but two of those states...have lived in four of them myself. Forget Disney's version...it's a BIG World, after all; it's a BIG, BIG WORLD!

1/17/2014: Today's ride took me 17.6 miles in 1:34. On the map, I rode from about Buck Creek Road near Roan Mountain (elevation 6285'), TN, to a right turn from Simerly Creek Rd to TN 107 W, near Erwin, TN...from Carter County to Unicoi County. 



If this had been the third weekend in June when I was making this ride, I would have taken a detour for Roan Mountain State Park, to view the explosion of color that is the Rhododendron Festival (www.roanmountain.org). Momma and I came to the festival a number of years ago, when it was still held on the mountain top...which was ablaze in color. Alas, other than the mountain vistas, there are few destination-stops in this area, especially in the dead of Winter.


If, however, I had packed my genealogy research, I would be in hog heaven: you can't swing a bicycle chain around here without hitting a family cemetery. They are well-marked on my Google-map, and when I investigated further online, I discovered...


To my knowledge, I don't have any lines in this area, since my Lunn and Holland lines seem to have arrived on the Cumberland Plateau (Middle Tennessee) via river rather than coming over the mountains (although I did discover that a Sparkman line came from NC, possibly passing through?); my Stewart line came to West Tennessee from Elyton (Birmingham), AL (and before that...SC, maybe?); my Currie and my Ivie ancestors, originally from PA, migrated to Caswell County, NC, but seemed to have gone from there straight to West Tennessee, to claim and settle their land grants; my Cummings clan came to Middle Tennessee with the rest of the Scottish-Irish migration from PA; and the jury is still out on where the Keatons were before Woodbury, TN in the 1850s. Who did I leave out? Oh yeah...Garnets and Farrises...from VA, if I recall correctly. 

Still, I've been known to spend an afternoon strolling through an "unrelated" cemetery, looking at headstones, just for the fun of it. (Immediate family members and close friends are rolling their eyes after reading that 'cause they know me; friends, relatives, and casual acquaintances are probably worried for my mental health; and other genealogists are nodding their heads in understanding and solidarity. You know which category you fall.)

Moving on...

1/18/2014: Today's ride was 17.7 miles in 1:32, taking me through Erwin, TN, over the Nolichucky River (for the first time) and plopping me into Washington County...turning onto Gov. John Sevier Highway heading toward Greeneville. 


Here is a picture I found on Wikipedia that purports to be taken near Erwin, looking toward the Nolichucky. Looks to be taken in the dead of Winter, too. Appropriate. 



Quick! In what state was David Crockett (he never called himself Davy...why should we?) born? Hint: he was born in 1786. If you said, "Tennessee" because you saw that highway marker (which clearly called the man Davy) back there on TN 107W, you would be wrong. Tennessee didn't become a state until 1796 (as most Tennessee school children learn in history class). If you said "North Carolina" (because the land that eventually became TN was formerly part of the colony of North Carolina), you would be wrong again...technically. No, David Crockett was born near present day Limestone, TN, smack dab in the middle of the Lost State of Franklin.


John Sevier, an Indian fighter and Revoluntionary War hero of the Battle of Kings Mountain, was the (1) first and only governor of the State of "Frankland," as the original petition for the 14th state to the Continental Congress was written, and then (2) the first and only executive of the independent State of Franklin. (Hence, the reason there's a highway named after him, along with a county, a city, and more than a few children.) The state capital was Greeneville (named for Nathanael Greene, another Revolutionary hero...and namesake of Greensboro, NC). The eight counties briefly returned to North Carolina's rule (more or less), then became a part of the 16th State.

Thus endeth the Tennessee history lesson for today. WARNING: expect more of the same. Love history. Can't help myself. Read at your own risk!

1/19/2014: Today's ride of 17.0 miles in 1:28 put me in a little rest area off the Erwin Highway (don't you just love the satellite view on Google maps? I can see the spot...and the nearby rapids on the river!), looking at the Nolichucky (again), heading west (more or less) out of Erwin to "near" Tusculum, TN, in Greene County, elevation 1495'. 



Tusculum is home to the oldest college in the state, Tusculum College, laying claim to the city motto: "First in Education." This area is also the old stomping grounds for one of Tennessee's three "native soil" presidents: Andrew Johnson. A tailor by trade in nearby Greeneville (where his modest brick home and shop are preserved as a National Historic site and worth a visit), he honed his oratory skills by often walking the five miles to Tusculum College to participate in debates on the topics of the day. (Not sure where he learned to drink more than he should have. Ahem.) While his political fortunes rose higher than he ever expected, he is mainly remembered for having been impeached...and acquited. Still, his life had a happy ending...he was elected as a Senator, returning to Washington and making a speech denouncing President Grant's  Reconstruction .policies.  He held to his beliefs, even when faced with overwhelming odds. Time has been kinder than his contemporaries were.

Told you...I can't help myself.

OK! Drum roll please! Total so far: 161.2+17.6+17.7+17= 213.5 miles. 

Time for another Day of Rest! Which is good because I think the weather tomorrow (Monday) just might permit doing a little work in the garden...which is, after all, what I am doing all this riding for in the first place!

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* Footnote: To bring you up-to-date, in case you are just joining me...

My plan to get/keep in shape for gardening this year is to ride my stationary bike. Because I always need a reason to do something...or at least to continue doing something, I have decided on a program based on a distance of 2600 miles...which is the distance from our house to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, as Google-mapped using the (beta) Bike function. I started 1/3/2014...and am continuing the saga today. 
BTW, I am tagging all the posts about my ride "Where in the USA is Patricia" on my blog, and #WhereintheUSAisPatricia on Twitter. While I won't be blogging about my ride on a daily basis, you can check my Twitter Feed over there in the right column for daily updates on my ride and location. Happy pedaling! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Back on my bike after a rest day. Here's my report on the next half-century (50-mile ride, give or take).*

1/13/2014: Made it 17.6 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway, from the Mile Post 276.4 to Mile Post 294. That put me at the door step of the Moses Cone Manor House, located in the similarly-named park just outside of the downtown area of Blowing Rock, NC. Fortunately there is a craft shop run by the Southern Highland Craft Guild located here. How fortunate, indeed!


I feel a connection with this place, both because of the celebration and preservation of Mountain arts and crafts, and also because the builder and namesake of this Manor made his fortune in Greensboro, and left a legacy of a fine hospital system (where I once worked as a Trainer with the fledgling Clinical Informatics group...early-early days of the digital record.) Way to go, Moses Cone!

1/14/2014: Today's ride was 18 miles, taking me from Mile Post 294 to Mile Post 305.2, where I left the BRP, taking 221 to Linville, home of one of the oldest and best known Highland Games venues in the USA.


Just before reaching my exit, I traveled over the Linn Cove Viaduct...an engineering marvel that wraps the Parkway around Grandfather Mountain. Here's a bit more about it from the website www.blueridgeparkway.org, where you will find lots of great information. 



I know this ride is only happening in the dimension of my imagination (and on Google Maps), but this is part of this ride that we have done in real life...albeit in a car not, on a bike. Here are some photos from a real-life trip we took in November 2011, including a shot we took looking back at the Viaduct; a snap of Mr. T posing at the parking lot of (nearby) Linville Falls; and then a pic of the Falls themselves.






Did I mention Grandfather Mountain? 



Oh yeah. My elevation has gone from 1006 ft in High Point to 3665 ft in Linville. Thank heavens I'm on a stationary bike! I could NEVER do this for real. As I told Missy M the other day, I'm on a pretend ride, so I can pretend that the USA is as flat as a pancake, from sea to shining sea.

1/15/2014: I left Linville behind and pedaled 15.1 miles in 1 hour, 20 minutes. That means I've added 50.7 more miles to my total, bringing it to 161.2 miles. That also means that I am now in Carter County, Tennessee, less than 13 miles from Roan Mountain. Goody, another mountain!




Ah well...that also means I've earned another Day of Rest. And what a beautiful spot for that to happen, too!


++++++++++++++++++++
* Footnote about my ride: To bring you up-to-date, in case you are just joining me...

My plan to get/keep in shape for gardening this year is to ride my stationary bike. Because I always need a reason to do something...or at least to continue doing something, I have decided on a program based on a distance of 2600 miles...which is the distance from our house to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, as Google-mapped using the (beta) Bike function. I started 1/3/2014...and am continuing the saga today. 
BTW, I am tagging all the posts about my ride "Where in the USA is Patricia" on my blog, and #WhereintheUSAisPatricia on Twitter. While I won't be blogging about my ride on a daily basis, you can check my Twitter Feed over there in the right column for daily updates on my ride and location. Happy pedaling! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Friday, January 10, 2014

The Second Half-Century

This post is an update on my stationary bike ride across the USA.* 

Some of you may be cyclists, who use the language with ease. I'm learning...even though my bike is stationary, and I'm going nowhere when I register my mileage. In cycle parlance, a century means a 100-mile ride in a day. So, the half-century of the title would mean a 50-mile in a day, right? Right...but wrong! My (new) half-century goal is 50 miles over three days, not one. And then I shall rest. I've already posted about 1/9/2014, so I'll start with the second day of this particular segment.

Ride on 1/10/2014:
I left North Wilkesboro Speedway, making my way to see M-i-c-k-e-y, via US 421, more or less. And the more I mapped out this section of 421, the less I saw in the way of interesting roadside stops. So, I had to take a little side-trip in order to find a place where I would want to stop...were I doing this ride for real. I rode 17.7 miles in 1 hour and 40 minutes, which puts me near Purlear, NC, near the...


Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest

On land deeded to the state by Judge T. B. Finley in 1926, Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest serves as a 1,780-acre haven for the flora and fauna living within its woodlands. It opened to the public in 1984 as one of six educational forests in North Carolina...with trails are being developed for a 50 mile multi-use trail system.

Rendezvous Mountain takes its name from a legend dating back to the Revolutionary War. As local legend has it, Colonel Benjamin Cleveland rallied his militia of mountain patriots from its summit before leading them on to a decisive victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain. On an immense trumpet scaled to the size of its owner, himself an imposing 300 pounds, Cleveland blew long blasts facing north, south, east, and west, and then he watched as his men in the valleys below saddled their horses and galloped toward the mountain. It was said that the strength of the trumpet's blast was such that the sound echoed and reechoed until it finally broke on the Blowing Rock, some 30 miles west.

Rendezvous's small but commanding peak lies at the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge escarpment, in the foothills that separate the Blue Ridge Mountains from the gentle rolling hills of the Piedmont. Rendezvous rises to its narrow summit at the southeastern extremity of Judd Mountain, a larger mountain mass that forms a steep ridge between the Reddies River and the Lewis Fork Creek, both tributaries of the Yadkin River. This ridged rock formation, known to geologists as the Alligator Back Formation, was uplifted and thrust westward in mountain-making collisions more than 570 million years ago.

The same steep terrain that made the spot ideal for a military rendezvous also restricted timbering in the area. Undisturbed by man, a natural forest community of hardwoods flourished with oaks, yellow-poplars, red maples, hickories, and dogwoods, some now more than 200 years old and measuring 30 inches in diameter. Under this canopy, bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, pink lady slipper, columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), and, more rarely, ginseng (Panax quinquefolium), bloom in early and late spring. Wild turkeys and ruffed grouse, many varieties of warblers, and indigo buntings make their home in the forest with the occasional white-tailed deer and black bear crashing through the brush.

A highlight of Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest is its Talking Tree Trail, where trees "tell" their own (recorded) stories, from their fears about forest fires to the history of their site. A Forest Demonstration Trail offers a scenic introduction to forestry practices. Ranger-conducted programs are also available to groups visiting the forest.

From information found on the website The Sherpa Guides: http://www.sherpaguides.com/north_carolina/mountains/grandfather/rendezvous_mountain_ed_state_forest.html

BTW, the name "Rendezvous Mountain" reminds me to share something else with you. I am DVRing a Learning French course that comes on the UNCTV educational channel at 4:00 a.m. It is taught as an immersion course, where everyone speaks French...and only French. Big challenge for me! Each class is 30 minutes long, and I watch two classes while riding: first, re-watching yesterday's class, then today's. Then, I watch something less taxing for the rest of my ride...usually a Castle rerun.

Ride on 1/11/2014:

Left Purlear area today, bound for the intersection of Highway 421 and the Blue Ridge Parkway, at Mile Post 276.4 (this is how the BRP is measured and marked), a riding distance of 17.8 miles. There is little of nothing to comment upon on this stretch of road (although in real life, the woods on the roadside are a beautiful lush green in the Spring and Summer). Fortunately, I had my Tigers to keep me occupied during this potentially boring ride: Memphis was playing Temple in basketball this afternoon. We won! And I made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Finally...on both counts! This snap shows the end of the game...and me still 5 miles to go...so, I watched a Castle rerun, since it was a Saturday and no French class...:-)


From this point, I will be using a superb guide you can find at: http://blueridgeparkway.indigofiles.com/directory_planner/BlueRidgeParkwayDirectory64thEdition.pdf

Here's what it says about where I am at the end of this ride:


This means I completed my second 50-mile segment or half-century. Actually, with a total of just over 110 miles, I've made my first century mark! And I earned a Rest Day on Sunday. 

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* Footnote: To bring you up-to-date, in case you are just joining me...

My plan to get/keep in shape for gardening this year is to ride my stationary bike. Because I always need a reason to do something...or at least to continue doing something, I have decided on a program based on a distance of 2600 miles...which is the distance from our house to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, as Google-mapped using the (beta) Bike function. I started 1/3/2014...and am continuing the saga today. 
BTW, I am tagging all the posts about my ride "Where in the USA is Patricia" on my blog, and #WhereintheUSAisPatricia on Twitter. While I won't be blogging about my ride on a daily basis, you can check my Twitter Feed over there in the right column for daily updates on my ride and location. Happy pedaling! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
++++++++++++++++++++

Thursday, January 9, 2014

On the Ride Again

To bring you up-to-date, in case you are just joining us...

My plan to get/keep in shape for gardening this year is to ride my stationary bike.* Because I always need a reason to do something...or at least to continue doing something, I have decided on a program of 50 miles each week for the next 52 weeks...a distance of 2600 miles. That happens to be the exact distance from our house to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, as Google-mapped using the (beta) Bike function. I started 1/3/2014...and am continuing the saga today. BTW, I am tagging all the posts about my ride "Where in the USA is Patricia" on my blog, and #WhereintheUSAisPatricia on Twitter.

In my last post about my ride, I shared that I'd made it to Lewisville, NC...a distance of 31.1 miles from home (as the bike rides). On 1/6/2014, I made it 12.5 miles in 65 minutes, putting me in Shacktown, NC in Yadkin County, stopping at the Shacktown Farmers Market. Although closed for the season, I enjoyed reading about its history, along with the Yadkin Valley Quilt Trail. You can read more here: http://www.shacktownnc.com

Here are the Google Map directions I used, followed by a snap of Shacktown's website...which struck me as remarkable for such a small town:






Then on 1/7/2014, I set a new daily mileage record by riding 16 miles, putting me at the Laurel Gray Vineyards and Winery in Hamptonville, NC (near Yadkinville)...and 58.6 miles out. Here, I rested...for a whole day...putting into practice a part of my plan for taking a rest day after I had made it 50 miles. As a friend of mine commented on a Facebook post, I should indeed stay "hydrated" on my ride. Ahem.




Isn't this fun? Doesn't that look like a great place to stop?

OK, so I have only "been" to these places in my imagination and via the internet. I am still enjoying selecting my destinations with care. Here's how I go about it: I Google-map my route, in general, using my home address as the starting point and Disneyland as the finish line. Then I add previous stops. To select my next spot to stop, I then look at the upcoming mileage (can I make it that far in one ride?) and try to scope out a place on the map that I'd stop at (what looks interesting?)...just as if I were doing this for real. A Farmers Market in a rural area? Naturally. A vineyard and winery? You better believe it!

Speaking of wine (we were, weren't we?!), I made it to North Wilkesboro, in Wilkes County, on today's (1/9/2014) ride, by going 16.4 miles in 67 minutes. This is the home of Merle (music) Fest, Brushy Mountain Apple Fest, and the 'Shine to Wine Festival.


It's also home to the (now closed) North Wilkesboro Speedway, an unlikely spot for me to stop.



In real life, I probably would bypass a (former) NASCAR venue...not really my style. But, the Speedway is such a good representation of life in and around so many rural areas in NC. And, although closed, it is considered a state historic site, as evidenced by a highway marker that reads: 

NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY
Pioneer NASCAR dirt track. Built 1946; paved in 1958. Hosted sanctioned events, 1949-96. 5/8 mile oval.

Who could ignore that?

I'll be back on my bike tomorrow, and I'll report on my ride in my next post, tagged: Where in the USA is Patricia? Until then, I'm keeping it between the lines!

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* Footnote about exercising...
Think you might like to join me? You are most welcome along for the ride! But first, check with your health care professional. My family practice doc has encouraged me to take a daily dose of exercise, and he is really enthusiastic about the benefits of the recumbent bike for those of us with arthritis and back problems.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

(Almost) Back to Normal

The Holiday Season is officially over...almost. I'm slowly de-decorating the house, now that the calendar is past Epiphany (January 6). Oh wait! I see that today is the Eastern Orthodox church's Christmas! Yea!! I can turn the trees on one more day! Wonder if I get 12 more days? (That's good because I need Mr. T's height to help me take the trees down, so that chore has been deferred to the coming weekend.)

So where's Mr. T you ask? He's off and riding..."on the road again"! He headed out yesterday morning, destination Glen Burnie, MD by way of Ashland, VA. He looked so nice in his new burnt-orange and maroon sweater and shirt...a gift from Missy M. I told him he looked like a VaTech fan...and he said that's good 'cause he was headed to Hokie country. It's been two months since his shoulder surgery, and he feels better with each day.

However...



He's a little out of practice. A couple hours after he left, I noticed his wallet on the counter (pic above) His WALLET! With his driver's license...his credit cards...his folding money. Yikes! Change of my plans: day trip!

I texted and phoned him, and he was blissfully unaware of his situation. He was also just over the VA state line on I-85 North. And he was almost out of gas. (Since gas is so much cheaper in VA than NC, he usually tries to stretch his luck to save some $.)

I grabbed the wallet, my purse, and my phone...tossed the pups (who were confused about Daddy's absence) a rawhide/chicken jerky chew each and promised I'd bring home fries (first thing that came to mind!)...jumped in Lillie Pearl PTC and headed her toward a meetup in the middle. Almost. 

Mr. T could only find a little over $3.00 in loose change in his car. Fortunately, gas in VA was $3.08 a gallon so he got a whole gallon...giving him a little over 30 miles in his tank.  He decided he could make it to a Sheetz at Exit 212. That gave me about 100 miles...which would work as I had a little over a half-tank.

Thankfully it was a gorgeous day for driving. We had bitter cold temps on the way, but it wasn't predicted until late afternoon. I could do this! And I did. We met up, exchanged the wallet for another goodbye kiss (!), and was back on the road home...and Mr. T back in the road to VA/MD...in less than 10 minutes (even with a potty break)! *

I made it home (with a bag of Mickey D's fries) in time to take down the outdoor Christmas decor (just a wreath, a couple of flags and windsocks), cover the containers with my miniature roses, detach the garden hoses, and cover the faucets with styrofoam caps. The temps had dropped 10 degrees on my ride home, and I wanted to be prepared. Here's a shot of the clouds I snapped on my drive home. (Looked like snow clouds, but no go for the snow.)



While I didn't get everything done I'd planned for my first day Back to Normal, I got the main things accomplished...including a 12.5 bike ride from Lewisville, NC to Shacktown, NC (more on that in another post to come).

Today, I finished up my list by washing a big pile of clothes, making a big pot of beef-veg soup, and then making my 3 favorite "comfort food" sandwich spreads (pimiento cheese, ham salad, and egg salad)...half-recipes, since only I will eat them.



[Funny...the only differences in my pimiento cheese recipe and my Cheese Ball recipe are about 4 times the amount of cream cheese, 1/2 as much mayonnaise, and pecan pieces, cayenne pepper, and paprika for rolling the Cheese Ball...but Mr. T turns his nose up at pimiento cheese, all the while devouring the Cheese Ball. Oh well...more for me!]

"Comfort food" and winter weather preparations? Oh yeah! I snapped this shot of the thermometer on the deck (against the house) at 7:30 this morning: 7 degrees!!! 




And from the Weather Station reporting from the Way Back (out in the open) at 7:41 this morning: 5.5 degrees!



The weather wonks are assuring us we will rapidly be returning to more normal temps. Bring it on! I'm really ready for some Normal.

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*Footnote:

I got this message from Mr. T last night, after he had finally made it to his hotel room.


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Heheheheh. (Almost) back to normal indeed.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Having Fun...Wish You Were Here!

I never, ever in a million years thought I would say the words "exercise" and "fun" in the same sentence (unless it was "exercise is not fun"), but here we go: I am having enormous fun riding my stationary exercise bike across the USA! I get so excited about where I will ride to each day that it's hard to wait 24 hours in between rides. I probably should schedule a day off, but I just want to keep pedaling!

Let me catch you up on my progress:

Day 1: Home to Union Cross Moravian Church, High Point Rd, Kernersville: 9.1 miles. 50 minutes. (While I'm not making a race out of this endeavor, I did want to keep up with my mileage. The time is displayed along with the mileage, so I might as well report it to you. Forget about "resistance level," since I could care less if I ever get beyond Level 1. Maybe after I have logged a lot of miles and it gets too easy...ha! Truth be told, I would never make it real-life cycling the USA because of the change in topography...hills are a challenge; mountains are murder.)

Day 2: Union Cross Moravian Church, Kernersville to Sawtooth School for the Visual Arts, Spruce Street, Winston-Salem, NC: 9.5 miles. 48 minutes. Sawtooth is one of my favorite places in WSNC...has been since our first move to the Kernersville area in 1988. Missy M took several classes there as a child, and then gifted us with an Introduction to Stained Glass class for my Big 6-0 last year. We made stained glass garden stakes on one July Saturday...what a fun day! Here's a pic of M's and Mr. T's finished stakes, which are overwintering in the Morning Room. Below that is a snap of my garden stake...purple, of course...:-)...which lives in a dracaena in our bedroom.





In real life, I hope to take a photography class at Sawtooth in February. Since I got my new iPhone, I want to make sure I'm getting the most out of its photo capabilities. 



Back to my exercise biking: I had actually intended to "stop" at the Old Salem Visitor Center, another one of my faves, thinking the 8.4 miles might be enough to attempt on my second day. However, I was watching the Tigers play the Cincinnati Bearcats and overshot my destination before I knew it. BTW, Memphis lost, in spite of all my energy and enthusiasm. Boo. Hiss.  Still I learned I can get my speed up to 15 mph easy when yelling "De-fense Tigers, de-fense!" I also learned I waste too much energy if I actually yell...so I "yell" in my head.

Day 3 (today): Sawtooth Center to Lewisville, NC: 11.1 miles (whew!). 59 minutes. I had to look Lewisville up because I know next to nothing about it...even though it is located in Forsyth county. Although it is a relative newcomer to incorporation, a settlement has been there for nearly 150 years...owing to the proximity to the shallow crossing of the Yadkin River. The shallow "ford" on the river that stood between the East and the West. Hence, the name of one of Winston's major roads: Shallowford. Ah...now I know.



I noticed that one of the roads I was google-mapped to ride was Country Club Road. Ah ha indeed!




I know that one, said I. One of my fave knit shops is located on Country Club Road, namely Knit One, Smock Two.  





Ooh! Wonder it they are having a post-holiday sale? Wonder how much I could get into my bike's saddlebags? Oh wait, this ride is in my imagination! Duh! So, I can buy all I want, right? (In my imagination, of course...;-) Uh...no...they aren't open on Sunday. Bummer.

Oh well. Keep on pedaling!

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