challenge

10 Years Ago Today, I Returned from My Epic Trip North: Reflections

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 4 Comments

On September 19, 2016, I flew back from Denver, Colorado to Austin, Texas after a six-state, epic trip north (plus a quick stop across the border in Canada for duty-free souvenirs). Five days earlier, I wrote my only blog from that trip. Mountain Time:  Biking and Hiking the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming. It would make sense for you to go read that first. I can wait. But either way, the lede is this: It was an awesome trip.

Read more: 10 Years Ago Today, I Returned from My Epic Trip North: Reflections

From national parks and other cool monuments, cities and the woods, meeting some cool new people, taking planes, trains, and automobiles (hitchhiking even, plus buses), and renting bikes along the way, I covered a lot of ground in three weeks. There was a Texas acquaintance I stayed with to start the trip Fargo, ND. Glacier National Park and the continental divide in northern MT, plus a natural hot springs in Bozeman. The was incredible Devil’s Tower and Yellowstone in WY. Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument in SD. Even the Minneapolis, MN airport and staying with some other friends in Denver as bookends were interesting and fun.

The down side of reflecting back on it now is that except for one other to the east coast a year later, the day after I was laid off an 11-year job in 2017, I have not been anywhere outside of Texas. I may have ridden my bike the equivalent mileage around the world–twice!–but I was recently reminded by some college friends in our annual Zoom reunion, and some other friends who have the luxury, time and money, that traveling to places is really cool. One guy went to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and pet cheetahs in its capital, Zanzibar! Another routinely flies to Germany and Argentina, and within California. Another stays every summer in a family house in Ireland. Others have a house in the Azores, or jet to Italy and Spain, and many other places. So while I have great memories about my trip, I’m pretty bummed that I’ve not been anywhere else nearly as exciting ever since.

Two quotes come to mind. The Buddha is alleged to have said, “Comparison is the death of joy.” (Easier said than done.) And Mr. William aka Billy Joel sang, “The good ol’ days weren’t always good, and tomorrow’s not as bad as it seems.” (Except sometimes they are.) Travel is a privilege, after all. I was lucky I had saved up the time and money from living in a literal utility room closet under the stairs so that I could take this trip. I do feel grateful. And yet it would be nice to

The other sad thing is I have a huge cache of photos from that trip, plus a bunch of GoPro videos I never learned to edit or adjust for the weird camera lens. When I look back at that dude, he was younger, thinner, and had a job. In other words, he was not if super happy he had a more stable life. He was also clueless about where he would be a decade later. Had I known back then what I know now, would I have done anything different? Probably not. But maybe I would have tried to make more money and go places.

But I sure did ride the hell out of my bike around here. And have begun doing so again out of the gym and on the road a bit after a forced month and more out of the saddle. But as mentioned in my last post, I’m not a prisoner of mileage goals. In fact, I don’t really care about my mileage, and might even skip today’s bike ride due to being tired. I started to swim two to three times a week and alternate that with biking. Eventually I may get back into some kind of decent shape, but it seems unlikely. Age, genes, and setbacks out of my control make it a struggle to do what I did back then. Plus, I was a decade younger. Aging sucks but they say it beats the alternative.

I’ll end by unearthing a bunch of photos. Enjoy this trip down memory lane with me. And if you have the time and money, I hope you get to travel and go on some adventures yourself. Maybe I’ll get to go on some other trips, some day. Let’s hope so. Because we all go on one last journey, to the undiscovered country called death. And speaking of that, while I’m not religious at all, but this tune just popped into my head. The haunting guitar is by the incredible Jeff Beck (who died recently, and is one of my favorite guitar heroes, possibly the best guitarist ever, even better than Texas-grown Stevie Ray Vaughn), and it is sung by the still-going Rod Stewart from 1985. It’s a cover of the Curtis Mayfield-penned original with The Impressions. People Get Ready.

People get ready
There’s a train a-coming
You don’t need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Don’t need no ticket
You just thank the Lord

more photos being uploaded very soon!

11/11/2024: A Month After My 59-Mile Ride and 5-Year Daily Bicycling Streak, I’m Still At It

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 10 Comments

If you missed the belated edits to my last post, 10/10/2024:  What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been:  5 Years of Consecutive Daily Cycling Tomorrow, please go check it out first. I’ll wait. (Cue the Jeopardy theme music.) It was written the day before my big annual ride. The spoiler version is that I managed my 59.59-mile bike ride, and I’m still doing the deed daily. Although I’m biking slower for various reasons. Extra weight from high stress and low sleep and also after stopping a gig where I walked five to seven miles a day. Biking 100+ miles a week might have something to do with being tired. Whatever, each mile counts. And the only race I’m in is against myself. Or maybe Death. And we all lose that one, eventually. But not today, Death. Not today.

Continue reading →

1/1/24: 5,308 Bicycled + 496 Walked = 5,804 Miles in 2023

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 7 Comments

Year Eight of my journey since I began this blog is in the books. This annual post looks at the statistics recorded by my Garmin vivoactive 3 watch and Strava fitness tracking app. They show the numbers of what I did bicycling, walking, and doing yoga (with a few swims). Beyond the data, it tells a story of being active as I age and despite my efforts, remain a fathlete. Let’s take a look at how I did whe compared to 2022 (which you can read about in this blog post). Spoiler alert, I beat every year except 2020 and 2021. Not too bad, comparing myself to me, which is the only way to really do it.

Continue reading →

December: The Last Month to Work on Your Goals for This Year

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 2 Comments

‘Tis the season, it’s that time of year. For some, the hap-hap-happiest. For others, a terrifying hellscape of war, poverty, and all the rest of humanity’s ills. For the fortunate, life goes on without as much suffering. For the able-bodied, it’s the last 31 days to strive toward whatever fitness goals you may have. That includes this dude, for whom it’s time to put the hammer down and finish what he started. (Seriously, why am I holding this hammer?) After the holidays, another new year is looming. When the tidings of comfort and joy, forced capitalist present-buying and the same old songs are over, there will pressure to make another batch of New Years resolutions. With all that is going on in this out of control world, maybe all that one has control over is moving your body, even if it’s in small ways. How have you been moving and grooving yours?

Continue reading →

October 2021 Strava Stats

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 4 Comments

Somehow, summarizing September Strava statistics seems skipped since… Sorry! I just ran out of “s” words. But I bet you haven’t seen a whole sentence, fragmented as it was, starting with the same letter lately. So, points to me. I guess I get a little tired of reporting my fitness activity numbers, and more than one reader does, too. Yet, this is (predominantly) a blog about bicycling, so producing posts pertinent to that topic is important, I suppose. Some people claim that if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen. And since Strava’s colors are black and orange, just like Halloween, it seems like a good time to start doing this report again. So, posthaste and forthwith is all the data you’re dying to digest about how much I walked, yoga-ed, and bicycled last month. Shall seeing said stats satisfy some subconscious salaciousness ?

Continue reading →

When Things Fall Apart: Fitness Goals and Life

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 13 Comments

Lately I’ve been slipping a bit with my exercise and health practices, and even writing this blog. It reminded me of When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, a book by American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron. I can’t recommend it because I’ve never read it; it’s sitting in a box in storage. At one point I may have even owned two copies. But the title speaks to me now after a mostly pretty shitty day and last few weeks. Even within the Tibetan Shambhala community, things fall apart. As with many religious, business, and entertainment leaders with unchecked power, last year their figurehead was accused of and apologized for sexual misconduct. It went on a while, but he’s still there.

However, reports suggest that Chodron as a senior leader and teacher may have enabled or ignored it. She even told a woman reporting abuse years ago that she didn’t believe her. So she’s not perfect, and she has resigned in protest but maybe also as an act of contrition although she wasn’t the abusive male with all the power. Point is, life doesn’t always or even often go the way we want it to. Defecation passes. We’re all humans here, right? Certainly there are more important things than fitness goals, but like the saying goes, “At least you have your health.” Well, what if you don’t, despite your best efforts? I guess you do your best.

Continue reading →

Major and Marginal Meliorations in My March Machinations

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

After bad ass and boss blogger Sorryless said he was starting his New Years resolutions on February 1, and with the spring equinox approaching, I decided to renew my vows so to speak and add more to some of my many healthy habits. I’m pleased to report, for those who care to read about and take whatever inspiration they may from them, that I succeeded by accomplishing all four objectives. That’s what’s up with what one person said was a lifestyle blog. Who me? An influencer? I hardly know her! (Ha! That’s an old Vaudevillian comedy trope.) Let’s get right to the details of what I did and some tips on how you too can add some healthy habits, if that’s your jam. Or preserves. Or other type of tasty fruity spread. Anyway, yeah, I did some stuff and it wasn’t that hard, either. Kind of like how George Costanza on Seinfeld claimed he was the architect who designed the addition to Guggenheim. Yes, exactly like that.

Continue reading →

How Yoga With Adriene’s 30-Day Program Can Help Start or Improve Your Yoga

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

Each January Austin, Texas yoga teacher Adriene (Mishler) — personal friend of mine (a quote from somewhere, though I did meet her once) — puts out a themed set of videos for the New Year. Smartly capitalizing on the resolution crowd, she also uses the opportunity to earn more adherents. With 9,000,000 followers now on her YouTube channel, Yoga With Adriene, clearly she has a recipe for success. During the coronavirus global pandemic, even more people are turning to stress-reducing practices and at-home fitness. Whether you currently have a practice like old A Dude Abikes here (seven years every day as of this past Christmas), used to but quit yoga due to lockdowns, or maybe have always wanted to try it, well, I recommend you give young Ms. Mishler’s current program — BREATH – A 30-Day Yoga Journey — a try. I’ll tell you why I am doing it, and why you’ll be glad you did if you do, too.

Continue reading →

622 Miles Biked in July 2020: This Dude Is on Fiyah!

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 6 Comments

Alright, alright, alright. I don’t literally mean on fire. But it is a quote from Matthew McConaghey as Woody Wooderson in the Austin-area film Dazed and Confused. Matt is apparently one hell of a dude, citizen, University of Texas at Austin professor (really!), and he happens to live up the highway from me. Oh yeah, I guess he won an Oscar or something for acting in Dallas Buyers Club. That’s all a seque, because alright is how I performed on the bicycle in July of 2020.

Continue reading →