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Neither rain, nor sleet, nor hail, nor dark of night, nor bugs, nor... September 19, 2008Leave a comment ;)
lightning, nor big trucks, nor tomato bisque and grilled cheese... will keep me from seeing my daughter Jessica at Colorado State University! And tomorrow I will get to see Amanda in Colorado Springs! Yee haa! I love my kids! Heck, I would even pedal across the country to see them! I woke this morning to a ice covered tent and 27 degrees F. The ice laced grass crackled with every step as I slowly started to move about packing my gear. I whipped the rain fly into a frenzy, throwing ice crystals into the air. Frost covered my bike from stem to stern and the cushy seat was a tad bit frozen. Denny and I pulled our stuff together and settled down for a huge breakfast before parting company. We walked from the cafe into a thick fog that had settled in over Walden and the surrounding countryside. I headed east on Hwy 14 while Denny headed west toward Kremmling. We may meet again east of Pueblo as I pick up the TransAmerica Trail on Hwy 50 toward Kansas. The ride out to Gould was relatively flat. Occasionally a hill would have to be negotiated, but nothing major. The fog started to lift after about 15 miles and revealed the snow capped peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park. The aspen were just starting to turn a golden hue and covered the hillsides north and south of the highway. I stopped in for lunch at The Drifter's Cookhouse in Gould. Maggie makes a mean Tomato Bisque soup and Fred serves up some fine political humor. The ride up the pass was gradual, eventually topping at over 10,000 feet. About a mile short of the summit I had to don my rain gear as I had to endure a mixture of lightning, rain, sleet, and hail, before and after the summit. The ride down from the pass was about 50 miles of narrow shoulders, big trucks and campers. I was a bit spent by the time I popped out of the canyon just north of Laporte, CO. I still had another 5 miles to go to the RV park and another 5 miles beyond that to meet my daughter Jessica for dinner. I met Jess and her friend Lawrence for Mexican food and she gave me a look at her dorm on campus. It's hard to believe that the little girl that used to tap me on the nose at 3:30 in the morning for a glass of water has grown up into such a fine young woman. I could not be more proud of my two very talented and wonderful daughters. I am one very lucky Dad! Love you both bunches! Ok, so where's the problem for today? One of the things I tend to do while riding the bike is ponder. I ponder all sorts of stuff. For example, I ponder whether or not the bulge on the sidewall of my rear tire is going to give way at the worst possible moment and leave me careening toward the ditch with a blowout. Gotta get that fixed I suppose. But for now, let's talk tire pressure. Or pressure in general. If my tire is inflated to 85 psi, what does that mean? Any idea what "psi" stands for? If I had a plate that measures 10 square inches and I exerted 85 psi of pressure on the plate, how many pounds of force would that be? Care to estimate how many pounds of force are being exerted on the sidewall of my tire, if the area of the bulge is about 2 square inches? Should I be worried? Would you be worried? Better fix the tire, huh? More Images: ;)
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3 Comments
Sep 20, 2008 8:58 am - Aunt Carolyn wrote : Hi, Those photos look very familiar especially the Poudre River shot. Didn't know that Jess was at CSU. What dorm is she in? Take care.
Sep 20, 2008 6:28 am - Matt Allner wrote : John, My sixth period class 8th graders say you had better change your tire now, or put on elbow and knee pads, as well as some pants to cushion your fall into the ditch. . . In class on Friday we learned about the Ideal Gas Law and used a demonstration with a bike tire and a simple bike tire pump to show how pressure and temperature affect air density inside the tire. They also learned about how gas expansion due to heating is a response to help cool the gas, which explains what is happening not only in a bike tire, but also in a hot air balloon. The students also want to know how hot are your tires as you ride during the day? And, is the heat of the pavement and the gear you are carrying along with you, becoming a factor in the longevity of your bike tires? Add a comment: |
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LBB, Love these pictures...and my how chilly it must have been this morning! I second the 8th graders...get your tire fixed!! Hug everyone for us! Love you, ls PS Hi Aunt Carolyn! Miss you guys!