Ramblings from Moe Mountain

Kaleidopete · Oct 18, 2016

So, after two weeks since surgery, I'm up to riding 3 miles a day and walking 1.5 miles a day.
I think I'll stick with that for a while. Not overdoing it. Good timing to be out in the park with the fall leaves.

Kaleidopete · Oct 19, 2016

Took the Moonlander out today for three miles in the afternoon.

The Wingdam Trail

The rooty Little Bear trail

huffster · Oct 19, 2016

@Kaleidopete
I've noticed on Strava that you are getting rolling again. Great to see you are recovering well and in time to enjoy the splendor of Wawayanda at the peak of Fall foliage. I was there yesterday. Waway is one of the most beautiful parks in NJ.

huffster · Oct 19, 2016

Kaleidopete said:
View attachment 42500

Now that's a proper bike!

Kaleidopete · Oct 19, 2016

huffster said:
@Kaleidopete
I've noticed on Strava that you are getting rolling again. Great to see you are recovering well and in time to enjoy the splendor of Wawayanda at the peak of Fall foliage. I was there yesterday. Waway is one of the most beautiful parks in NJ.

Yeah, rolling again, but hard not to over do it. I start out gung-ho, then fizz out quickly. I gotta realize how much improvement I've made, from not being able to get out of bed 3 weeks ago to riding 7 miles today. I'm just too anxious! And you're right, what a great park!

soundz · Oct 19, 2016

How are your knees and back feeling Pete? Pain is subsiding?

Kaleidopete · Oct 20, 2016

soundz said:
How are your knees and back feeling Pete? Pain is subsiding?

@soundz
I hope the gout in my knees isn't my new problem, they are getting better slowly with the help of gout drugs.
The back is feeling great, no sciatic pain at all, just some lower back pain like I've had for years. With the sciatic pain gone life is great!

Kaleidopete · Oct 24, 2016

So my getting back in shape after surgery is daunting. Walking and hiking is supposedly a good thing.
But how much? I used to walk/hike five miles every day. Then I've done 0 since March. Now three
weeks after surgery I'm walking/hiking three miles a day. I did do four miles, but realized that's too
much. I went down to three miles, and even that seems too much. It's hard to figure out the right
pace here for recovery. Same with biking, I've done seven miles one day and five the next. It's all
pretty tough for me to do. Legs aching, back slightly cramping and generally running out of power.
I don't want to over do it and at the same time I really want to get going here!. It's a challenge to get
it right. I see my doctor in two days for the first time since my surgery, see what he says.

Nice fall day

Break time!

Still resting!

Kaleidopete · Oct 26, 2016

Doctor visit today and he says all is good, three weeks three days post surgery.
Went to Chipotle for lunch with my Johnny Utah winning September challenge card and we saw @gtluke there! Big surprise!

Did a short beach + bike ride this afternoon at Wayway.

huffster · Oct 26, 2016

I love your pictures. I always go "I know that spot".

Kaleidopete · Oct 30, 2016

I went to Ringwood Manor to do some exploring, I’ve ridden there a while ago but I wanted to check it out again and it just happened to be on my way to the “Bikers For Trump” rally at the bar in Sloatsburg. Easy roads and trails at the Manor, with lots of interesting offshoot trails with small “closed” signs, and a killer power line hill climb. I can’t imagine anyone bothering you for riding wherever you want to in this area. I stuck with the easy stuff because I’m rehabilitating my surgery. I still had a great time checking the old buildings and graveyards. Then on to the rally, I just thought it would be fun to ride in on the Fatty and grab a beer! Lots of patriotic people there, bagpipers playing and a rousting version of God Bless America. I’m not getting political here, I’m just out for some fun and beer and song and to be a biker!

Fatty at the rally

Kaleidopete · Oct 31, 2016

10/31/2016 @jimf
Today I worked on the Moonlander, getting it winter ready. Installing my Studded Dillinger 5 tires and changing wheels and adjusting brakes and lubing the chain and checking torque on things that needed it. Then it was off to the park for a road test.
Had a nice surprise meeting up with JimF in Wawayanda! I was just riding along and heard a voice behind me, very startling, I see very few people out here riding, let alone a name caller! We had a nice chat and said goodbye, but it wasn't to be. I wound up sticking with Jim for a while and we rode together for a few miles. I figured he’d be gone in a minute and I didn’t want to hold him up. We went our own ways by the boat launch. Great day out here.

We went by the old Ellis farm on Iron Mt Rd.

JimN · Oct 31, 2016

Kaleidopete said:
Had a nice surprise meeting up with JimN

I think one of us might be on drugs, cause I'm pretty sure I sat at my computer in my pajamas all day.

Looks like maybe you rode with @jimf

Kaleidopete · Oct 31, 2016

JimN said:
I think one of us might be on drugs, cause I'm pretty sure I sat at my computer in my pajamas all day.

Looks like maybe you rode with @jimf

oops..........I wrote the wrong Jim. duh..... don't get old, that's all I gotta say!

Kaleidopete · Nov 2, 2016

Great day today, 71° in the afternoon in November. I took a short ride in the park on the Laurel trail.
I stopped and took photos of the Lenape Indian caves along the trail.

As I rode on UP the trail I could see ahead two BIG dogs being controlled by a 100 pound female. The Laurel trail is quite wide in places and luckily this section was about eight feet wide. She saw me coming and pulled the dogs close to her as she tried to give me as much room as possible. As I approached to within six feet of them I could see the dogs thought I was dinner. They dragged her towards me, even with her heals dug in. I hit the power and swerved as far right as I could and I made it by with inches to spare! Ha! as I rode up the trail unscathed I yelled back “Thanks for trying!”.

Farther up the trail was a hawk, with a mole that wasn't as lucky as I.

Kaleidopete · Nov 4, 2016

So as I finished up my afternoon ride today there was a guy heading out cross country skiing.
I'd never seen these before. Said he's just getting in shape for the season.

Kaleidopete · Nov 5, 2016

Rode the Doublepond trail this morning, it has a great stone path built by the Black Bear Cycling club many years ago,
to circumvent the mud, what a great job they did!

Kaleidopete · Nov 9, 2016

I rode the Fuller Mountain Preserve today in a light rain. I’ve hiked it before.
This is a very short ride. I did about 2.5 miles before I gave up and headed back. This is one tough ass boulder garden infested ride. Challenging short ups and downs and turns. I hiked a bike more than once, that’s for sure. The North Fuller is more challenging than the South Fuller. South is like a ride in the park, although there are a few trees down to lift over it’s still a fun ride. I did North first, which is .85 miles in and dead ends overlooking Price Chopper in Warwick, NY. Then I rode back and did South Fuller which goes in and crosses a stream and then heads uphill. This is where I gave up. My heart rate was at 165 for too long and I had to remove my glasses because they were too sweated up to see through and I was so beat I could no longer lift my leg over the saddle to mount the bike. I would have liked to see where this trail took me, but I had to quit. Maybe @jimf knows where it goes. Anyway if ya wanna do a short killer ride, this is it.

Kaleidopete · Nov 19, 2016

Not much to say lately.
Today I went back to Little Bear trail to clean up some branches that are blocking the trail from a pine tree that fell.

Then I got a new perspective on things as I tried to ride a small rise with a turn.
I pushed hard for the rise and pulled too hard on the handle bars and did the wheelie,
loosing steering on the turn + rise, causing a slow motion descent to my ass.

Kaleidopete · Nov 20, 2016

Its a nice snowy morning, I got into the park early, before they closed it so they could plow.
It was barely ride-able, deep and wet and heavy snow. Some I could ride and some I gave up on.

7 AM sunrise.