So I got out the old, dependable Trek 520. I haven't ridden it for some time, since my last bike-packing trip. I loaded up the panniers and made a list of everything I need to take for two weeks on the road. My stuff is scattered between the barn, the garage, my closet, and my office. So I started gathering it together.
I'm having an internal struggle. Actually several of them.
I want to start this trip. I really do. But I also wanted to plant the six or seven flats of vegetables and flowers that I started from seed back in February. It has been so wet that the garden had not yet been tilled as of last week. So, we invited the grandsons over last week and they did the initial tilling of the garden and helped me pin down some of the landscape fabric. Ed helped me plant vegetables yesterday and I planted flowers this morning. You can read more of my gardening adventures over at Bright Meadow Farms blog.
I am also not sure about riding the Trek 520. It's a heavier bike, and it is a "touring" bike. The geometry is different than the Silque, and the brakes are more forward. The top tube is longer, so it is a longer reach. The shifters are on the bar ends, and while they are dependable, it is slightly more effort to reach for the shifters instead of just tapping the button on the electronic shifters on the Silque. With the additional weight of myself and the panniers, it will be harder to handle.
I am not in great physical condition this spring. I've taken several rides, about 5, with my group of women that ride the bike trail on Tuesdays. But spring was late, and we didn't get much riding in before the end of April. The longest ride I've taken so far this year was about 25 miles. On top of that, my right knee has been really getting worse. The orthopaedic surgeon in Detroit diagnosed it as "bone on bone" over 4 years ago. Since having my left knee replaced, and still having pain, I've been putting off the right knee replacement. I have a new doctor in Ohio, and he concurred that replacement would help. I don't want to do that until the bicycle season is over, since I know I won't be even walking without help for several weeks. I have noticed that wearing my bicycle shoes and walking uphill causes a lot of pain this year. Consequently, I have re-planned and shortened my daily routes, and limited most day's visits to yarn shops or fiber farms to one per day. I've only planned the first 5 days, and have made my reservations. I want to see how my body is holding up after the punishment. If I need to take a rest day, I don't want to have to shift all the rest of the reservations. Or maybe I will be feeling better after a few days on the road and can lengthen the days.
So yesterday, according to my original plan, I was supposed to visit Alpaca Meadows in Ontario, Ohio. I had taken a crochet class there a few months back. But I learned that Julie Petty, the owner, was at the Fiber Show in Wooster Ohio this weekend. So I was happy to postpone my visit to her farm to the end of my trip. That gave me another day for planting flowers. That meant I was not camping last night, and didn't need to start from her farm. So I decided to start from the bike trail near today's destination and see how the bike handled. It was a beautiful day for riding, the sun was shining and there was only a light breeze. The high temperature was approaching the 80's.
Oh boy. It did not handle well at all. It seemed like the seat was too low. It seemed like the both knees were feeling sore and stretched with each revolution of the pedals. Then I realized I forgot to transfer my tool pack from my Silque to the 520. I had no way to adjust the seat height. So, I made a decision to turn around and go back to my car after only a few miles. I then DROVE to the Shady Lane Alpaca Farm in Lexington, with my bike on the back of my car. This farm is only a mile or two from the house where my husband and I lived before we moved to Michigan.
Jean McClintock welcomed me to her farm. First we visited the barn. There were about 12 alpacas in all. Jean has a few rescued alpacas, as well as Finn sheep, a llama, and an emu. And three dogs. All the livestock, except the emu, had recently been shorn. You could still see the marks of the clippers on their coats.
The seconds can be used for needle felting, rug-making, or even for compost in the garden.
In the backgrond is Emma the emu. We moved into the barn to get better lighting for pictures.
Emma the emu lost a feather, which ended up in the grain manger. Jean showed me that emu feathers are always split into two. They are the source of feathers for feather dusters.
Jean displayed the Finn sheep wool. Interesting fact about Finn sheep is that they have multiple lambs. Up to 8 lambs at a time! A separate shearer comes to the farm to shear the sheep. The alpaca shearers are a husband-wife team.
Next we visited the gift shop. I will post pictures of the shop on Bright Meadow Knits blog. I will also post upcoming events that her shop is hosting throughout 2022. I was delighted to find out that she works with the Malabar Farm Fiber Arts Guild. I am a member, but have not been participating much due to withdrawing within myself during the last Covid-19 wave. She pointed out the building where her husband has a 16-inch telescope pointed at the dark sky. He is writing a book on astronomy and will be publishing his photos.
She gave no hint that she was disappointed that I did not ride my bike up the long hill on the "shady lane" up to their house, shop and barn. Maybe I could do the whole bike tour by driving and just taking a short bike ride each day!
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