Teanaway drive

Yesterday was sunless and grey with off and on snow showers; not a good day for a ride.  Since I was feeling a bit of cabin fever, I decided to go for a drive out the Teanaway.  As I went out Airport Road I missed not having the big black dog come out to greet me as he usually does when I ride by. But, by the time I got to the curves of Red Bridge Road

and I could see the hawks soaring above me, my spirits began to lift, even though I was inside a car.  I found Teanaway Road

to be fairly clear of snow and ice and the shoulders are as clear as they will be this summer.  I was somewhat surprised that the Teanaway Mercantile

was closed--it's generally open on weekends for the snowmobilers (who I saw later in the trip) but, perhaps they're only open on Saturday and Sunday.  The store is a bit over 14 miles from town and is a pleasant break--the restroom was always open, even if the store wasn't.  There was a 'For Sale' sign on the store; I hope it remains in business.  I continued out the North Fork road and began encountering areas of snow and ice across the roadway and a lot of sand in the curves and hills. 

Finally, at 21 miles from town, I came to the end of the  (paved) road. 

It was a nice journey and this morning, when I awoke to find 3" of new snow blanketing the landscape, I was glad I made the trip.

Mohar

The day dawned bright and cloudless; the rising sun gave promise of a delightfully warm day--at least I guess that's the way it began, as it was a pleasant 40° when I rolled out of bed at 9:30.  After a leisurely breakfast and perusal of several on-line newspapers, I set off for a ride.  My travel took me past one of the places where I'd taken a picture of the fall colors. 

There's an absence of color today; however, the contrasting black and white of rocks and snow presents its own beauty. 

Farther along, I encountered the turn-off for Mohar Road which starts with a fairly steep, curvy uphill. 

The weather has been warm enough that I was certain I wouldn't encounter any ice on the road, so that's the direction I headed.  After rounding the first curve I discovered that it wasn't ice I had to worry about.  The road crews had used such a copious amount of sand to give traction for cars that there was too much to provide traction for me; halfway up, I decided I wasn't going to fight it anymore, and retreated until the sweepers get out and remove some of it.  I went around to Peoh Point road and made that climb--about the same elevation but fewer curves and thus, less sand.  I finished off the day's riding with a trip up swimming pool hill to Safeway.  I guess 'swimming pool hill' will soon be (if it's not already) a generational name since there is no longer a swimming pool in town.

Mystery flat

I went out to the garage today to get the trike out for my first February ride only to find a flat tire!  I'd aired the tires prior to my last ride a few days ago, so I figured I'd picked up a nail or rock chip during that ride.  I wheeled the trike to the front of the house to catch the warm rays of the sun during the repair.  After removing the tube from the tire, I inflated it but wasn't able to find the leak: even after submerging it in the bath tub.  After reassembly and inflation I went out Airport road, stopping periodically to check the tire--no discernible leakage.  There was just enough of a headwind to make the wind chill quite uncomfortable, so I only rode out about three miles.  The return portion of the ride was quite nice, as the headwind-turned-tailwind was negated by my speed and it was as though I was riding in a bubble.  The tire held air throughout the trip--no idea what I'll find when I go out for my next ride.