I had quite a ride yesterday as I decided to do “Dr T’s Funky 50″ from one of the Bloomington Bicycle Club map books. I had ridden in that area a bit before when I did the shorter Ride around Lake Monroe but this ride took me further south and took a different route back into town.

The ride started by going over to Indiana Highway 446, a two-lane highway which for a while has speed limits of 55 mph. I rode on Sunday morning this time instead of a Saturday afternoon so there was less traffic. The parts of the road with fast speed limits also have wide shoulders, so I had no problems with cars. I don’t usually ride on the shoulder but I made an exception in this case for part of the way and I felt pretty comfortable doing so. There was some debris to watch out for, but it wasn’t bad.

There was a stiff headwind that kept my head and my speed down. The first part of 446 has some rolling hills which didn’t give me too much trouble, and the road was mostly straight. There wasn’t much protection from the wind, but I did pretty well anyway. After a while the shoulder disappeared and the road began to wind, the speed limit decreasing at the same time. That was the section of road where I had some trouble with drivers before since they couldn’t pass me. I was concerned based on that experience, but I had no problems this time around.

The scenery improved, with some good hills and some parts of road carved into the limestone.  I passed by the entrance to the Paynetown State Recreation Area and the “Fishin’ Shedd,” a convenience store/gas station. The road wound around some more and went downhill through more limestone and down to the causeway. I love riding across lakes in this way and I had a particularly leisurely trip across the lake as there were no cars behind me.

Riding across Lake Monroe

View on one side of the causeway

As cyclists know, if you ride down toward a body of water, you’re going to have to climb up the other side unless you follow the water instead. I climbed a formidable hill after I crossed the lake. It was fairly steep for a while but eventually became more gradual. It’s about a 1.25-mile climb and is pretty tiring, especially with my rack trunk bag on my bike with a bunch of stuff in it weighing me down.

After the causeway and the climb, 446 twisted around a bit more.

Rays of light on 446

But then it got flat and mostly straight for several miles. It was easy riding but not as exciting as the hillier, curvier parts. It did allow me to cover a lot of ground pretty quickly though and it’s beautiful country, with a lot of farms and more road carved through limestone in places.

Rabbits 4 Sale sign that Sarah and I have driven past countless times but never photographed

Straight, flat, easy

I noticed that a building that Sarah and I had photographed previously is now gone, all that was left was a pile of rubble. We had driven by it a few times and each time a couple more walls would disappear. Now, it’s just gone. I went across a bridge by a creek and a pond and was struck by a field with many hay bales. A man was searching for geodes in the creek.

Hay bales in a field near a pond and a creek

Eventually it got hillier again, and it was heating up. The forecast said it would be 92 degrees and that we might break high temperature record. I heard a little noise in the lowest gear of my cassette but figured it was just my derailleur needing some adjustment. I ignored it. I rode through more cut-out limestone sections and stopped at one to take a break and take a couple of photos.

My bike against a limestone wall

Road carved through limestone
I went a few more miles on 446 and was really glad to turn off of it. It really was dull and there was no shade. I turned onto Gil Gal Road which followed a long line of trees for a few minutes, providing much-appreciated shade. I went into a great flowing descent, flying down a flat stretch of road before going into some curves that were tight enough to be fun, but just wide enough that I didn’t have to touch the brakes. I hit 43 mph on my way down the hill. It was an exhilarating ride and getting moving so fast cooled me considerably.

I flew by a church, the Gilgal Primitive Baptist Church, a very small church with a cemetery. Small churches with cemeteries turned out to be a theme of the ride for me, as I passed many of them.

Gilgal Primitive Baptist Church / The Gilgal Cemetery

As I rode through this valley I was struck with how hard the drought hit here. It seemed counterintuitive to me that the low-lying areas got hit the worst — you’d think that they’d get some runoff and so end up with more water than the ridges, but obviously my logic missed something. The low-lying areas looked dead.

The effects of the drought

I made a detour to Heltonville to hopefully find some water and maybe a snack. I had some Balance bars but they didn’t sound appealing at all. According to the map, Bonehead’s Heltonville Store was only about a mile off course. I cruised past a somewhat decrepit-looking park and baseball diamond and into town, passing another church. This one was bigger, being in town, but Heltonville is a very small town. I also passed a tiny post office that I found amusing. I couldn’t find Bonehead’s store and tried a different route. I found what I believe was Bonehead’s, but there was no sign stating the name of the establishment.

Bonehead’s Heltonville Store (I think)

I walked in and saw some bananas which looked good, but I would have had to buy a whole bunch. There were some Granny Smith apples in a refrigerator and that looked delicious, so I bought one. I also bought some water and gatorade to replenish my fluid supply.  I put the apple in my bag and filled my water bottles so I could go eat somewhere more scenic. I also felt out of place in my cycling clothing at this small town gas station, and it was fairly crowded as I believe church had just let out.

I headed back to the park and saw that it had a shelter, so I stopped to rest and eat and rehydrate a bit. The apple I had gotten wasn’t the best apple I’ve tasted but it sure beat energy bars and Nutter Butters. It was also great to find some shade. I watched some kids play on the playground and enjoyed my snack.

Pleasant Run Park playground

I started riding again and saw a lot more dead plants. It’s really sad to see so many crops dead and gone to waste.

Cornfield and an incredible sky

I crossed Dunn Bridge, which goes over a creek. I had to dodge some cornstalks that were laying in the road.

Dunn Bridge

I passed a small cemetery that appeared to simply be a family cemetery with no church in sight. There was a strange combination of old, run-down houses and gorgeous new ones.
Decaying barn

Goldenrod, old barn, blue skies

This area had a lot of rolling hills and I kept hearing more noise by my rear derailleur when in my lowest gear. I started wondering what was up but kept riding. I passed the Bartlettsville Christian Church, with another cemetery. Some people were visiting sites at this cemetery, unlike the others.

I continued riding and passed Mama Jean’s Restaurant. It claimed to be open all day or something like that, but I couldn’t tell if it was open at all.

Is that a grave by the stop sign?

Great benches on the porch … junkyard alongside the building

I have been meaning to take a photo of my bicycle leaning up against a row of corn. I don’t know why, I just got the idea in my head. I guess I wanted something showing my bicycle in the context of something that’s ubiquitous locally, which is also why I took the photo by the limestone above. I meant to do it by green corn, but I guess I missed my chance — maybe next year. Still, I think this shot turned out pretty cool.

My bicycle by some corn

I had a huge hill to climb and heard more sounds from my gears. I also felt a bump each time my wheel went around. I stopped to check it out, thinking it must be a loose reflector or something. What I found was pretty upsetting.

Cracked rim

I had cracked my rim somehow. I had no idea how this happened. I didn’t remember hitting any big bumps or potholes. Maybe I just wore it out or something … I’m really not sure. I took a few minutes to rest and decide what to do. It was really getting hot now. I could still ride, it seemed, but I had to avoid the lowest gears of my cassette. I decided to try to ride home but called a couple of people first to let them know what was going on, where I was, where I was headed, and that I might need a ride if it got worse. I was only 25 miles into my ride, which was supposed to be 50 miles but I knew would be a bit more due to my detour into Heltonville.

This problem with my wheel put a real damper on my ride pretty quickly. The heat was also starting to get to me and I started riding very sluggishly. I had some fun downhill sections but then had a huge climb to contend with and stopped partway up to take advantage of some shade. I called Sarah, afraid I might have missed a turn. She looked up some things online for me and as far as we could tell, I was on the right road. Once I started pedaling again, I quickly confirmed that I was going the right way. I passed some more pretty areas but didn’t feel much like taking photos anymore. The problem got worse as my wheel went more and more out of true, eventually rubbing my rear brake pads as I rode, slowing me down considerably.

Judah-Logan Road Panorama

Before long, I reached Old Highway 37 and felt a bit relieved. I hadn’t ridden this section of it, but I felt it would be easier riding, and it was. However, there was absolutely no shade to be found. I rode for quite a while on Old 37, and was a bit like 446 in this section — wide and boring. Eventually, I made it back to Bloomington. I winged it on my way home and took kind of a stupid route through town, but I made it home. It felt like the last 15 miles of my ride were completely uphill, and even some small residential hills gave me trouble.

I enjoyed my ride, but the second half or so of it was very tough given the heat and the state of my bicycle and the brutal hills.  I think I liked the Ride Around Lake Monroe a bit better since it went through Coveyville, a small town I really like, and it was a bit more scenic. It also spent less time on 446 and none on Old 37 and skipped some more the more boring parts of the ride. However, I do like the additional distance that this ride gave me.

I went into the shop where I bought my bike on lunch today and the wheel is under warranty. They’re letting me upgrade with a credit for the value of the wheel instead of getting another wheel like the one I already broke.  If I like it, I’ll upgrade the front wheel too. I feel the wheels on my bicycle are among its weakest components.

It was a hot weekend. I went mountain biking on Saturday and tested out the WTB Rocket V trial saddle the bike shop put on there for me. It was pretty good. I rode Hesitation Point, then the Aynes Loop backwards, and I was going to ride the North Tower Loop as well, but I was getting pretty tired and really hungry, so I went back down to the parking lot.

I picked up a copy of one of the Bloomington Bicycle Club’s map books, and I’m glad I did. I have been riding a fair amount lately, but not writing much because I’ve done the same routes a lot and they’ve become routine. Now, I have around 50 new routes to try — and there’s another map book they put out that I don’t have yet. I looked through the book and chose to do the Limestone Tour, which goes by four limestone quarries on the southwest side of Bloomington.

To give you some background, one thing this part of Indiana is known for is limestone. In particular, Bedford, IN is known as “Limestone Capital of the World.” This ride didn’t take me to Bedford, but it did go a bit in that direction. The local limestone and cycling fanaticism were captured in the 1979 movie Breaking Away, which is set in Bloomington and has scenes of teenagers diving into and swimming in quarries, as well as hanging out on huge slabs of limestone and contemplating the meaning of life. I wouldn’t say the movie’s portrayal of Bloomington was particularly accurate, but there are some things it got right, including the pride so many here have in the area’s limestone. Heck, many of the monuments in Washington, DC were built out of Indiana Limestone.

While I am not really a part of the limestone culture, it’s impossible to avoid it completely, and I find it rather interesting anyways. So, this Limestone Tour appealed to me on a number of different levels. And while I’m not a huge Breaking Away fan, I do enjoy it, and rides that makes me think of that movie can be a lot of fun.

My ride got off to a bit of a rough start. I had trouble following the map/directions to get to Victor Pike. I knew a couple of ways to get there, but I wanted to see the route the directions suggested. It was pretty convoluted, but I eventually made my way to Victor Pike. Next time, I may go my own way instead, although this route went through an interesting area and right by the excellently-named That Rd.

That Rd.

I rode on Victor Pike once before when I did the Hobbieville Ride back in July. It’s a hilly road with some great views from hilltops and some pretty difficult climbs.

View from Victor Pike

After a little while, I came to Fluck Mill Road, which has the abandoned Fluck Cut Stone Company. I rode by it and checked out Fluck Mill Road, which is a narrow, curvy country road. There was a cool one-lane trip under a railroad bridge. I should check out Fluck Mill Road more in the future.

Going under the bridge on Fluck Mill Road / The abandoned Fluck Cut Stone Company

I got back on Victor Pike and rode through some rolling hills, and then up a huge climb to the Victor-Oolitic Stone Company. I saw this quarry before and took some photos then (including a panoramic shot), so I didn’t take a lot this time. Across the street is BTI Crushed Stone Sales, with a fleet of trucks.

Victor Oolitic sign and a cool limestone wall

BTI Trucks

This area smelled like limestone, and there was a lot of limestone dust.

Limestone dust

I rode on, and suddenly a big dog ran out from behind a house and started chasing me. I had a water bottle in my hand, and debated whether to try to spray him with it, swing it at him, or put it back in the cage and ride like hell to get away from him. I chose the latter and started riding really hard. But very quickly I could tell that he just wanted to chase me. He didn’t seem like he would run out in front of me or try to bite me, so I slowed down a little bit, and he quickly tired of chasing me. The neighbors witnessed all of this and told me I should “Get some pepper spray and spray that motherfucker!” I laughed my ass off as I rode away.

The route remained familiar and took me onto a couple more roads, but then took me into a different loop than I had done before. There was a huge climb up Breeden (I don’t know how this is pronounced, but I like to think it’s like breedin’). After that, there were a pretty good downhill run and some rolling hills.

An abandoned house and an old tree

An incredible manor in the area

The route got a little complicated, but I managed to follow it through some strange turns. The map was about as clear as I could expect, given the convoluted roads in this area. I didn’t have confidence in the turns I made, but I trusted the map, and I ended up in the right place. I found myself by the Van Buren Fire Department, Station No. 19, and was reminded of the controversy about the Indian Creek Fire Department and a trustee getting their funding cut and having this station cover the Indian Creek Township, even though the stations are far apart. It was interesting that this ride took me by both stations. I stopped and got some more water from the vending machine at the fire station.

Van Buren Fire Dept. Station No. 19

I spent a very short distance on State Road 45 and felt like I was approaching civilization again (alas!), but that didn’t last long as I followed a road back to the middle of nowhere. It was a really beautiful, remote area with a winding road and some more rolling hills. It almost reminded me of my ride in the mountains in Franklin, NC, only without the actual mountains, of course.

Silo and a bunch of cows

It had been a while since I had seen any of the quarries, and I had a ways to go to get to the next one, but it was a truly beautiful area and a fun road to ride on. Kurtz road was especially awesome. There was a big climb, but the payoff was absolutely incredible, with a descent that had me up to 41 mph — but I was just getting started. There was another climb, but it was smaller, and I was able to carry my momentum through it, and then the road went downhill again. I kept my speed up through 2-3 more hills. It was a great run and one of the best payoffs for a lot of climbing in recent memory.

I passed Pick-A-Chic Farms, which took me a bit by surprise. I didn’t really know where they were located, but went near there a lot as a kid, as we had family friends who lived in the area. I smiled at this blast from the past and continued riding.

Soon, I came to the Independent Limestone Company and took a few photos. I had already ridden by the coolest part of it before I started shooting. I’ll have to return sometime and take more photos. It was getting pretty dark anyway, so I wanted to keep moving.

Independent Limestone Company

Part of the quarry

Panoramic shot of the quarry (view it large or original size)

I still had a ways to go, so I turned on my rear blinking light and my headlight. I passed the last quarry, the C&H Limestone Company, but all I could see from the road was a sign, and I didn’t get a photo. It was probably too dark anyway. I rode back into Bloomington and missed the turn the directions specified, instead going by work and taking my commute route home. I rode the last 20-30 minutes in the dark, but since I had both lights and was close to town by the time it started getting dark, I wasn’t worried. I could see fine and drivers were very courteous. I think they were a little unsure what was approaching when they saw one blinking headlight. I rode about 40 miles total, but they were some of the hardest-earned miles I’ve done. The hills on that side of town are brutal — I need to move some of my training rides to the other side of town.

I had been planning to go on at least one road ride during our vacation. At one point, I was thinking about bringing my road bike and renting a mountain bike at Tsali, but ultimately, I decided to bring my mountain bike and slicks (road tires). This way, I could just bring one bike and not have to rent one. The map of Macon County we picked up had bicycle routes marked on it, and there were many signed bicycle routes throughout the county. We went to Smoky Mountain Bicycles and picked up some routes they had there, but I decided to come up with my own route so that I could leave directly from the cabin and explore. I wrote down some notes about the route, got ready, and headed out. I should note right away that I posted the route on Routeslip here, although it doesn’t seem to be loading at the moment.

My mountain bike, outfitted for a road ride

As do many of my rides, this turned into a very hot late-afternoon ride. It started with a very sketchy and interesting descent down the gravel road that leads to the cabin. As I mentioned in a previous post, it was very steep and had several switchbacks. I took a few photos on the way down so I’d have a record of this insanity. I knew it would be a very difficult climb back to the cabin, but I was almost looking forward to it, in a masochistic, manly pride kind of way.

The driveway to the cabin

Looking down from the end of the driveway

One of several sections of road like this

Part of a switchback on the gravel road

I took my time going downhill here, because the gravel was fairly loose and I knew if I got going too fast, I wouldn’t be able to stop. Once I reached the bottom, and a paved road, I was greeted with incredible views almost immediately.

This was just minutes from our cabin

Barn

It was flat for a few minutes, which was a good thing, because I was having trouble focusing on riding due to the scenery all around me.  I also had some trouble adjusting to riding the mountain bike on the road; I was acutely aware of just how inefficient it was, my cadence was all messed up, the gearing all wrong (though I’d later be thankful for it), etc.

I  had seen this scenery before on our drives to and from the cabin, but everything looks better from a bicycle, and I was driving before so I didn’t get to enjoy it as much. The cabin owner had said in his directions, “DO NOT TURN ON LEATHERMAN GAP ROAD,” so I had avoided that road in the car. However, curiosity got the best of me and I simply had to check it out by bicycle. Besides, I thought the route I had planned went on it, for some reason, even though you can plainly see in the photo below that the 36 sign pointed straight ahead, not to the right, where I turned.

 
A signed bicycle route by Leatherman Gap Road / Cowee Valley sign

I should have heeded his advice, because Leatherman Gap Road, which would be the wrong way to go if you were trying to get to the cabin, was also the wrong way to go for my planned bike route. I didn’t even realize this for several miles, when I reached the end of the paved road and sensed that I was in the wrong place. This would be the first of several mistakes I’d make, but I didn’t care — there was more beautiful scenery, and I didn’t have a specific destination in mind anyway. I had my trusty map, and it came in handy several times. As a part of my restitution for poor planning, I climbed the significant Snow Hill. It was a tough climb, but then I got to ride on a ridge for a bit, with great views.

My bicycle, and an incredible home in the background

I also passed through a strange, nearly-abandoned coop of some kind

I finally got back on course and rode for a while on Highway 28, a fantastic winding mountain road. So awesome, in fact, that I missed my turn off of it and had to backtrack. I realized this just as I began a climb, and continued climbing anyway simply because I was having so much fun. This gave me a good descent back toward the road on which I was supposed to turn.

If this is the wrong way to go, do I really want to be right?

I saw this cool bridge and realized that my route took me across it

Bridge over Rose Creek

The view from the bridge

The road I was on now, Rose Creek Road, was even more winding and had more ups and downs. I did a lot of climbing, but somehow, it never seemed too bad. The low gears of my mountain bike helped, but I also didn’t push it too much, as this ride was more to discover and enjoy the scenery than for fitness.

Riding directly toward a mountain

Small shack in the mountains

I stopped by the small shack above to consult my map. I found myself at an intersection, and while I knew which way I had planned to go, I was intrigued by the road leading off to the right. I wanted to explore it, but I knew I’d be chasing daylight, so I wanted to see if I had time. As I was stopped, a golf cart with two or three people in it pulled up. The people in it asked if I was lost, and I said, “Not lost, just indecisive!” It sure was weird to have a golf cart randomly drive up like that.

I just love roads like this

Farms nestled in the mountains

The road I was on ultimately looped back to Highway 28. 28 had more traffic on it, but the drivers were very courteous. In fact, people were very courteous throughout my whole ride, waving at me and some even giving me a thumbs up. I really don’t understand why I saw almost no other cyclists the whole time we were in Franklin. It has all the elements of a great cycling town: marked bike routes, a bike shop, great mountains in which to ride, roads with low speed limits, and friendly motorists.

Some traffic on 28. That’s the closest thing I saw to traffic, anyway …

I didn’t want my ride to end, but it was getting dark. I had brought my rear blinky light, but not my headlight. I should have had the headlight. I thought I might make it back before dark, but I underestimated how far I was from the cabin.

The sun sets over a mountain road

I really enjoyed my ride, and seeing the sun set was great, too. Sarah also enjoyed the sunset, but she did so from the gazebo behind the cabin.

This shot looks almost impressionist to me

It was almost completely dark by the time I reached the bottom of the gravel road. I would have to climb it without being able to see much of anything, and it was a hell of a climb. Even the low mountain bike gears were just barely low enough, especially on that loose gravel surface. My rear wheel spun a little as I pedaled on a couple of different occasions. Eventually, I made it, and Sarah was waiting outside. I had a great ride, but what a sight for sore eyes!

After lunch on Friday, we got on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Almost immediately, we saw an overlook and stopped to check it out and take some photos. We were overwhelmed with what we saw, and that was just the beginning.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is not an efficient way to get anywhere, with a parkway-wide speed limit of 45 mph, and many sections where it’s not safe to go that fast because it’s a winding mountain road. But our friends in Charlotte had to work that day anyway, so we figured we’d take our time getting there. The section we were on had numerous tunnels, which were pretty cool. We saw a few cyclists, and I have to admit I was tempted to get the bike off the back of the car and start riding.

It was a very hot day, but we didn’t care. I was still in awe that I was in the presence of so much beauty. Then again, that’s a feeling I get every day with Sarah. The mountains were nice, too.

The Blue Ridge Parkway has overlooks very frequently, and we had to resist the temptation to stop at each and every one. Driving on it is almost like being immersed in a gigantic slideshow, passing overlooks on both sides. Looking back at our photos, they all seem to run together now, but when you’re there, the feeling is intoxicating, and each overlook takes on its own personality.

At one overlook, I stood on the roof of the car (much to Sarah’s dismay) to get a better angle. You can see a photo of me on the car on Sarah’s blog.

I experimented with some infrared photography at some of the overlooks. Here are a few examples.

After a while, we stopped taking photos and mostly drove through. We played some Telefon Tel Aviv in the car, which is one of our favorite groups. They also happen to make incredibly gorgeous music, which was a perfect backdrop for the scenery.

We hadn’t had enough, but we had spent so much time gaping and taking photographs that if we needed to get moving. We ended up driving about 90 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and even that drive itself takes a long time.

I went for a ride last night, even though it was extremely hot and muggy. I did the Water Works ride, with a twist: I did the loop portion in reverse, taking Moore’s Creek over to Handy Road first, instead of going back that way. This left me with less of a downhill, but a more difficult and longer (better?) climb.

It was hot, but I was lucky and had a tailwind for part of the ride. Sometimes, I forget how much a tailwind can help me ride faster, since I don’t often get them. It also helped keep me cool. Of course, it meant a headwind on my way back, but even that made me feel a bit cooler. I saw some deer, first a pair of does, then a doe and two fawns. I waved at them as I rode by.

I’m still trying to get my Brooks saddle adjusted how I want it. I can’t seem to get it lined up right, it’s either too far to the left or two far to the right. I’m also unsure about fore/aft position and the angle of the nose. I might need to take it into an LBS and get some help, because it’s getting frustrating.

It was fun doing the loop in the opposite direction I’ve been doing it in lately, especially remembering when the road was all frozen over back in February/March. I didn’t take any photos this time, but here it is back in March.

Moore’s Creek Road, frozen over (from March)

I misjudged the time, and it was getting dark on my way home. I really should have brought my lights. I’m going to need to start taking them with me more in general as the days get shorter.

I’m glad I braved the heat and went riding anyway. I had a good ride, and while it was hot, I handled the heat pretty well. I think getting the initial motivation to ride is harder than actually riding in the heat sometimes.

I rode a bit over 23 miles, passed 1,800 miles on the road bike, and *almost* hit 2,000 miles of total cycling so far this year. I would have hit the 2,000 miles on my commute this morning, except I ended up having to drive to take care of some family business.