Near the start of a cycle ride with a friend, we stood 680 feet out over the Mississippi on this bridge. Behind me, the bridge abruptly ends mid-river. The Rock Island Swing Bridge had two decks when it opened in 1894: a railroad above and a road below. We capped off our morning at a friendly coffee shop where we indulged in way too much cake.
Category: Cycle
Time to hit the trails
With a high in the 80s, it was time to pump up the tires, lube the chain, and get out on the trails with a friend.
Cycling around a caldera lake
Rode a mini-shinkansen bullet train (slower until it hits the much faster Tohoku line to Tokyo) for an hour from Akita, then a local bus. Cycled 20K around Lake Tazawa. With minimal wind and a properly tuned hybrid bike, the ride was easy and offered lovely views of this deep (1,400 feet), clear caldera lake–the deepest in Japan.
A windy ride around Niigata
Rented a clunky bicycle (but it was cheap, less than US$4) from this underground bicycle garage across the road from my hotel in Niigata. Cycled a 20km course, mainly on off-road trails beside waterways and the Sea of Japan, around the core city while being buffeted by wind gusts that nearly brought me to a standstill. After returning the bike and a late lunch, had a deep nap back in my hotel room.
Cycling the shores of Toyama Bay
Toyama is bicycle-friendly: city policies push for more bicycles and fewer cars. While bikeshare stations dot the city, I rented a cross-bike (USD$8) more suitable for exploring. I cycled a scenic trail (look at those mountains!) for a few hours that mostly follows the shoreline of Toyama Bay. Along the way, stopped for a picnic at a table clearly intended for that purpose in the grounds of a shrine.
How we got our bikes: the kindness of strangers on Reddit
Took the bike for a final spin while Dwight cycled to the pool for laps. Renting bikes is expensive–it would’ve been cheaper to buy bikes–so I posted a call for help on Reddit and received many helpful responses. One person offered to lend us his two Treks for a reasonable fee. After checking his previous posts and seeing his good karma rating, we agreed. The proceeds went to his wife’s nursing education fund.
Desert plants: a puncturing hazard
A thorn, presumably from a desert plant clipping lying on the road, punctured my inner tube. I found the tiny hole in the tire, but I’d forgotten to include tire levers in the kit I’d brought from home. So, I walked the bike over to a bike shop. I left with a new tube (installed) and these very red tire levers.
The only clouds above Coachella Valley this morning
Cycled to ‘Unsui (Mirror)’ one of nine ‘Desert X’ temporary installations across the Coachella Valley. The clouds’ appearance shifted as I moved, thanks to small, pivoted mirrors. The support poles are also mirrored. ‘Unsui’ is Japanese for ‘clouds and water’ which describes Zen monks who’ve achieved enlightenment. At a more literal level, the art piece seems to depict rain: from this angle the clouds suggest a storm.
Rest day on a bicycle
Dwight went for a jog, I went for a bicycle meander, stopping for coffee and picking up groceries along the way. After yesterday’s somewhat arduous hilly hike, this felt like a rest day.
View from Ford Bridge
After oncology appointments scheduled around our upcoming trip to England, I continued my bike ride. At Ford Bridge, I’m looking at the remnants of a Ford Motor Company plant: Ford Hydroelectric Plant and Ford Steam Plant. Up on the bluffs, a new brownfield development is underway, featuring most of the elements of a 15-minute community,…… Continue reading View from Ford Bridge