Up to this point in my series, I’ve only shown some of the international neighborhoods of MY Town. There are, however, several officially-recognized United Statesian areas. Today I’ll be touring one of them, and I hope you’ll join me. There is a vast area on the outskirts of MY Town that looks almost exactly like … Continue reading "Happy Thanksgiving From The Illinois of the North"

‘ello lords and ladies of Cycle 365. I’m bloody well privileged to present the fourth installment of the Diversity Tour of MY Town. This one is dedicated to DJG — from whom I’ve learned almost everything I know about England. Obviously, there is no way MY Town’s British enclave could be as great as Great … Continue reading "This Old Chap Tours Good Britain"

My ace support crew, bless her heart, couldn’t bear the thought of Thanksgiving without the grandkids. She decided that heading to Siskiyou County and celebrating the Feast of the Turkey the weekend ahead of the actual holiday would allow us to avoid the virus and the wrath of Dr Fauci. To that end, she rented … Continue reading "Iron Gate"

This is the third installment of what will prove to be an excessively bizarre series of visits to the various ethnic areas in and around MY Town. I discussed our amazing diversity in my Little Australia post, so I’m not going to elaborate further here. We have a German Quarter and it’s got pretty much … Continue reading "MY Town’s German Quarter"

To say that I wanted to go back to Death Valley after viewing Old Grumbleface’s recent posts would be a gigantic understatement. If we weren’t living in the time of Covid, I might have booked a flight to Las Vegas, like, YESTERDAY. To say that I wish I had as big of a beard and … Continue reading "Grumbleface Jr. Goes To Barely Alive Valley"

My main goal for today’s ride was to verify that those things in Arborus Nesticus were actually nests and not mistletoe, as some people have suggested after viewing my post yesterday. I thought the zoomed-in picture at the top of this page would settle the controversy once and for all, but I have to admit … Continue reading "Part Two Of The MY Town Hare-Brained Tree Quest"

Perhaps you know that the city of Portland, Oregon has a Heritage Tree Program in which over 300 trees have been recognized for their size, age, historical, and/or horticultural significance. Perhaps you’ve also seen that one of our Cycle365-ists has written about his own “Portland Heritage Tree Quest” on his Cycleblaze blogs. If I remember … Continue reading "The MY Town Hare-Brained Tree Quest"

Let me tell you, after seeing Storm Chaser Greg’s frightening weather report on the news this morning, I thought maybe I should skip going out for a bike ride in that stuff. There is no glory in being found in the snow, curled up in a frozen fetal position. Even so, I still had to … Continue reading "The Big Empty (Empty of Anything Meaningful That Is)"

Prefatory Remarks Earlier this summer when I was in Spokane I watched a few stages of the Tour de France on television. It was surprisingly exciting. I was fascinated by the strategies involved in racing as a team. In particular, I was impressed by the hard work and sacrifices the second-string riders made to ensure … Continue reading "THIS ROADIE AIN’T WHAT HE USED TO BE: An Essay"

It’s another post featuring the only featureable feature worth featuring in MY Town. Sorry. Get over it. The good news is this isn’t going to be just another story of me riding my bike and taking pictures along the river. Nope, I’m going to delve into the HISTORY of America’s greatest river. Lest you think … Continue reading "A Complete History of the Mississippi River (As I Know It Without Looking Up a Bunch of Stuff)"

Storm Chaser Greg here, and a big “HELLO” goes out to my many fans and fellow Cycle365ers. As you can see, I’m not very happy today. That’s because I’m not out doing live reports on blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other horrific weather events. Nosiree. Only three weeks after MY Town got the second heaviest October … Continue reading "ELECTION DAY COVERAGE (Featuring Storm Chaser Greg)"

After a big night of Halloween celebration, I began November with a six-pack of empties. HOLD ON! Don’t be thinking I celebrated last night’s holiday by drinking a six-pack of beer. Despite the title of this post and the featured photo, my celebration involved nothing more than handing out candy to kids and scaring them … Continue reading "A Six-Pack of Empties"

I’m a tough guy, so obviously I don’t scare easily. I mean, I’ve watched such movies as Rosemary’s Baby, The Excorcist, and Young Frankenstein and made it all the way to the end without hardly screaming at all. But on the last day of October, the ghosts and witches and zombies and mummies and vampires … Continue reading "Halloween is Scary"

Isn’t life challenging enough right now?  Who needs more challenge than we’re already dealing with this month? It’s enough of a challenge to just keep your sanity and your health.  Isn’t that quite enough?  Just be happy if you manage to get outside on your bike, and show us your ride – any ride, anywhere, … Continue reading "November’s challenge is to ride!"

I had commented in one of Greg’s posts a few days ago that I loved getting some early snow before Halloween, but that it rarely happened here. Well, 2020 has spoken one more time to tell us that it’s an unusual year. During the height of the snowfall this morning, we had about 3 inches … Continue reading "First Snow"

A Recipe for a Successful Bike Ride (With Illustrations From Today and From Yesteryear) Dress appropriately Don’t take yourself too seriously Use your gears often and use your brakes when necessary Groove out on nature Don’t get bummed out because of wind, hills and view-blockers Stop and smell not just the roses, but also the … Continue reading "Two Recipes for Success"

While riding my bicycle around this morning I had a different title in mind for this post. It was a really good one too, but I can’t remember what it was. So I was ready to go with “Riding By The River On A Snowy Day.” Then I noticed that most of the pictures I … Continue reading "A Cycle365 Post With Attention Deficit Disorder"

I wish I lived in an exotic cycling locale like coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, England, New England, Bavaria, the Chesapeake Bay area, northern Kentucky, anyplace in Australia, Illinois farm country, etc., etc., etc. It would also be nice to have no permanent home at all and bike my way through such interesting places as, … Continue reading "More Weather-Related Facts, Opinions and Boasts"

The Gregorian Calendar does not designate an official date for The Most Exciting Day of the Year because, historically, it tends to fall on a different day every year. In that way, it’s kind of like Easter — except it can’t be predicted by the phase of the moon. Some years, we don’t even know … Continue reading "The Most Exciting Cycling Day of the Year"

Yesterday was a cold and rainy day here. Just an all-day rain. I did sneak out for a two mile ride around the neighborhood just to keep my current streak alive, but it was just too wet to have my phone out for even a single picture. Today however, is a gorgeous fall day with … Continue reading "Pretty dead leaves (as in dead leaves that are pretty, not just pretty dead)"

It was windy today. I don’t know exactly HOW windy, but my extensive experience in weather-related subjects tells me it was coming out of the west-north-west at approximately 95-miles per hour. (See Footnote) That incredible wind speed comes as quite a coincidence since, just yesterday, Old Grumbleface, The Navigator, and I were discussing the rare … Continue reading "Storm Chaser Greg Battles The Wind"

Yup, I was in Iowa this weekend. I hadn’t been down there to see my dad since Christmas on account of this Covid-19 thing. He’s 85 years old, lives all alone, and, like many Americans, hasn’t been going anywhere or visiting anybody. And that’s particularly hard on him because he’s a way more social person … Continue reading "Iowa Farm Structures"

As I’ve mentioned a few times in previous posts I, like many people, have been riding the same old routes all spring and summer, sticking nice and close to home. Yesterday, I decided I was really in the mood to get away and do something a little different. In other times, I might head over … Continue reading "Head North!"

While riding around and taking pictures of Halloween decorations in people’s yards today, two great things happened: 1) Nobody came running out their front door with a loaded shotgun to question what I was doing. 2) I invented a new, exciting and challenging game. I called the game Scary? Or Whimsical? It’s a great game … Continue reading "HALLOWEEN: Scary? Or Whimsical?"

I know I’ve been kind of hard on Wisconsin in the past, but I believe every word I’ve written about the state is justified. And I’m not just saying that because Wisconsin’s college and professional sports teams are the hated rivals of Minnesota teams. Wisconsin is also our nemesis in politics, in agriculture, in tall … Continue reading "Wisconsin Is Weird"

Last week, for the third time in four years, we received evacuation orders due to approaching wildfires. In 2017 and 2019 my ace support crew and I loaded her car with photo albums and other important items. She and our elderly dog took off for safer venues. I stayed behind, deployed hose lines, and rode … Continue reading "It’s a wonderful place to live when not engulfed in flames"

There are many ways one can tell October has arrived in MY State besides looking at a calendar. The most obvious indicator is the weather, which was in the 40-degree range this morning. I had to wear a lined jacket for the first time since April, but I’m still stubbornly wearing shorts. Also since April, … Continue reading "A Few Of The Ways October Introduces Itself To Minnesota"

Today we have the shortest and flattest route of the four days. In spite of many photo stops, we will be home around two. We are on the final lap of our little bicycle tour. It has gone too fast and fall is approaching. Will we have the chance to tour again before the days … Continue reading "Four Days on the Road: Day 4"

Copy Catting Greg’s road photo That’s Dave and Dwight way down there — I’m riding sweep again 😉 Copy-Catting Greg’s irrigation photo Copy-catting Greg’s utility pole photo (sort of) Gave serious thought to the bean photo but didn’t do it Bridge Rail looks like it goes on and on CSX rails Ground level CSX rails … Continue reading "Infinity w/copy catting"

It happens every time I think about a new challenge: I get intimidated by the subject matter, and the vanishing points topic was no different. Almost immediately I thought of the many long, straight roads here in Minnesota farm country, but I wondered, “where the heck am I going to find anything besides vanishing roads?” … Continue reading "NOT ARCHES"

Today we turn our backs on the mountains as we head north on the second half of the loop. We still have some ups and downs but more downs than ups. I’m sorry to leave the views of the Alps and prefer hilly riding to totally flat terrain. More HERE

You read that correctly . . . this is my arch finale, finally. I had fun searching for arches this month, but now I’m suffering from a case of arch overload. (Which, along with Scott and Rocky, might be partially to blame for that miserable body arch thing I posted yesterday.) I am now seeing … Continue reading "Arch Finale"

Upon review of the pictures you are about to see, I’ve determined that this is the stupidest and ugliest collection of arches in the history of this month’s challenge. I’m sure you’ll agree. But it’s not my fault. You can blame Scott and, apparently, Rocky for this fiasco. (Mostly Scott though.) They came up with … Continue reading "The Human Arch"

This is the story of our trip from Spokane back to our (mostly) smoke-free Minnesota home. Only a small portion of this travelogue involves the actual riding of a bicycle, but I’ll try my damnedest to make some kind of connection between each of my pictures and cycling — no matter how specious that connection … Continue reading "Greg’s Travelogue"

This morning I noticed an article about another new mural in downtown Santa Rosa. As soon as chores permitted, I hopped on the Ogre and went searching. I found the new “Trinity Mural” on the side of the 3 Disciples Brewing Company on Mendocino Avenue. Although some cars in the parking lot were nosed up … Continue reading "Downtown mural"

Yesterday I heeded the advice of Nancy and Old Grumbleface (and the COMMAND from The Feeshko) not to go cycling in the hazardous atmosphere, thereby quietly bringing an end to my last riding streak. It was only two days short of being able to claim I rode every day for a half-year. That gives me … Continue reading "THE NEW AND IMPROVED STREAK: Day One"

I like the smell of a campfire. Today, the entire state of Washington (indeed, the entirety of ALL of the west coast states) is surrounded by the aroma of a nice campfire. No doubt it isn’t as strong of an aroma here in Spokane as it is in places closer to the sources of the … Continue reading "THE AIR IS (cough, cough) SMOKE-A-LICIOUS"

Yup, I’m still in Spokane, the queen city of the Inland Empire. I like it here and I’ve been able to pretty much do my own thing while The Feeshko gets together with her sisters and mom. My own thing mostly boils down to riding my bike and writing about it here. And to a … Continue reading "Up and Down, Country and Town, Gravel All Around"

September 10, 7:50 p.m. (Pacific Time) I just got back from an 11-hour day of driving. I had to bring my son back to Seattle, then we made a quick trip to Tacoma to pick up a sound mixing board that had been repaired there. (Yes, besides being a bicycle messenger, my son is a … Continue reading "DISPATCH FROM SPOKANE #2: Yesterday’s Ride Written Today"

Before I write about the fun bike ride I had today, I should probably start with the sad stuff. You might remember me telling you about how The Feeshko was scheduled to have knee surgery. And with that knowledge you might have figured I’ve been absent from Cycle365 recently because I’ve been so busy helping … Continue reading "Fun Cycling In A Fun City With A Fun Son At A Not-So-Fun Time"

One church, many arches and radiating clouds From our late afternoon ride today. Looked like rain, but we were lucky and got home dry.

See that picture above? It’s the gateway arch to what might be known forever more as “Arch City, U.S.A.” Yes, we’ve got even more arches than we have radii. Here comes a small sampling of MY Town’s many glorious arches. Architectural arches are great, but I needed to find some natural arches. Unfortunately, I don’t … Continue reading "Arches: MY Town’s Got ’em"

I, too, thought there would be no arches far and wide, but lo and behold here an arch, there an arch, everywhere an arch … Well, not that many, but more than I had time to stop for on my way to the gym this morning. No problem, I’ll be taking that route often.

The Message section on yesterday’s “Two Miles of Plastic-y PolyNylonEsterLenePropyl Twine” post isn’t exactly a scientific poll, but there seems to be a consensus that I should have gone back to find its origin. Okay, okay, okay! I can take a hint. It was bugging me all night . . . what might I find … Continue reading "TWO MILES OF PLASTIC-Y NYLON-ESTER-POLYPROPYLENE TWINE: The Sequel"

I’ve probably said it enough, but I’ll mention once again that I’ve been doing a lot of gravel riding lately. That was my plan again today. I’ve been having so much fun on gravel that sometimes I feel like I’ll never ride my skinny-tired roadie bike again, though, deep down, I know I will because … Continue reading "Two Miles of Plastic-y Polynylonesterpropylene Twine"

Here’s a little tidbit I learned a month ago from one of the local TV weathermen: In mid-July, Minnesota has the highest average humidity in the entire country. Even more than Florida and Louisiana and some of those other notoriously humid states. Pretty cool, huh? Minnesota has been experiencing a late August hot and humid … Continue reading "The Humidity King Rides Again"