Cycle 31 Miles to Granny's Attic, Mandeville

Monday, April 12, we have the bikes packed up by 10:30. I check at the office for our mail but today's is not there yet. We hit the bike trail by 11:17 a.m. There is a north wind today and we find almost no one on the trail. We make good time to Mandeville. On the way we saw more wildlife today since the trail didn't have much human traffic. I little lizard ran right in front of my tire. Then a Pileated woodpecker swooped very low across the trail. I was just going to tell Bob how great it was that the trail was deserted today and we got to see so much wildlife when he yelled "Lookout, there's a snake!" Sure enough a four-foot black snake was coiled up in the middle of the trail hissing at us as we zoomed by. That got my adrenaline going. Later on I saw a rabbit hop it front of me and returned to my good feelings about the wildlife.

When we get to Mandeville we cruise by the special board outside Kickstand Cafe (actually they have their banner up and have officially changed their name to Old Mandeville Cafe.) We cycle on by to go to Samaritan Thrift shop a.k.a Granny's Attic before it closes at 2:00.

We leave our bikes in the rack out front with some kids bikes that the thrift shop is selling. We browse and find a 2009 Almanac for $1.50. And I find a colorful summer bracelet. When we pay the lady she asks "Are those your bikes in our racks out front? We've had several people want to buy them!"

We hop on before someone buys them and I stuff the Almanac in my panniers. We ride back to Old Mandeville Cafe for lunch; our last here probably. I have a heavenly Cream of Asparagus Soup and a garden salad. Bob has a Tuna Twist and we split a homemade Chinese Almond cookie. The gal heats it up for us. I couldn't come here all of these times without getting one of their homemade desserts.

Outside we take a break at the trail head after Bob gets his pedal caught on a curb by the Cafe. But he rights himself and we sit in the sun as it lulls us to sleep. At last we fill our water bottles and head back against the strongest wind yet. We're only going 31 miles today so it's not too bad. We make it back to the truck by 4:00.

Back home we put the bikes in the garage so I can just leave for my hair appointment tomorrow. The gal in the office catches me at the door and hands me our packet of mail. We crash with the A/C on to avoid the bugs. We eat Ham Hodge Podge Soup and watch House and Castle. It's 5:20 p.m. and 76 degrees with 35% humidity. The high was 78 and the low was 60. It was 87 degrees in the RV when we got back from cycling.

I called my brother Mike tonight to wish him a happy birthday. He says he started a new project at the Lake house on Lake Texoma, on the hill in the back yard, next to the peanut field. He planted a corn field; 40 ft. by 12 ft. Four rows of 50 seeds for a total of 200 stalks. How fun! It reminded me of watching our corn grow last summer in Bluffton, Iowa, behind our RV at Twin Lakes. He also said they are all going to a Beatles cover concert on Thursday. It will be my great nephew Ethan's first concert!

Cycle 20 Miles in Some Rain

Saturday, March 20, I'm up at 6:30 after crashing at 10:30 last night. Cycling makes me tired. This morning I'm reading The Big Sleep. Then I check email and discover Tom and Shirley, our Iowa RV friends, are first-time grandparents! Congratulations on little Carter who made is appearance yesterday and weighed in around 7 lbs. What a cutie!

We have a light breakfast and I take a walk. A younger gal is going around and around in the opposite direction that I am. She has earphones on barely says hi as we pass. How sad. We could be walking together. The Shelties two sites over with clipped vocal cords are rasping at me. That's sad too. It is sunny and warmer with a low of 57 degrees. The high only gets to 67 as it clouds up and gets windy. A front is predicted tonight.

I go home to stretch and work on journal pages. We leave for lunch around 12:00 and head to Ruby Tuesday's to use our $4.00 coupon we got last time for the salad bar and Crab Cake minis. We like them better than the salmon minis. Traffic is a nightmare; Spring Break I guess. We head to Tammany Trace Trail. About 1:14 we shove off and go west for 10 miles. There are lots of Saturday riders.

On the way back, just as we turn around it starts raining. It never comes down too hard but we are cycling right into the wind so we get pretty wet on the front. I put on a jacket and put my camera in a plastic bag. Bob puts his long sleeved shirt back on. I run out of gas on the way back. I'm flagging way behind and feel like I'm dehydrated again. A swig of Gatorade helps. I'm going to have to figure out why this keeps happening. This is the first time I've cycled this hard AND tried to limit my calorie intake for the day. I may have to rethink this. Usually when we cycle hard I just use it as a license to eat anything I want. At any rate, we get back to the truck in two and a half hours. The rain quit about three quarters of the way back. I saw a bunny hop across the trail.

We get the Times-Picayune at the gas station next door before we take off and head home in heavy traffic. We have to put the bikes on the back of the RV ladder since a cold front is coming in and we won't ride for a few days. We get it all put away before the rain hits here. Then we read the paper and clean up. A warm shower feels great after getting wet in the rain. We have leftovers, work the puzzles and listen to the rain as it starts up at 7:00. It's 7:46 p.m. and 62 degrees with 80% humidity.

Cycle 17 Miles Creek Turnpike & Camille's Sidewalk Cafe

Our new kitchen in our 5th wheel Titanim RV


Sunday, November 1, I was up at what my body thought was 7:00 a.m. but it was actually 6:00 a.m. I work on Earthlink journal pages as I'm still blocked out of my new Good Sam site. So I decided to post Jan. 2009 on Earthlink and at least make some progress. The low was 45 and later today it gets up to 83 degrees! The sun is bright and the skies are a glorious blue. After a light breakfast and a stretch we make Ham Hodge-Podge Soup, one of our favorites.

Ham Hodge-Podge Soup

Makes 6 to 8 servings

In Dutch oven combine first 8 ingredients, 3 cups water, ½ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cover, simmer 1 hour. Add undrained beans; cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes. (Add more water if desired.)

5 cups chopped cabbage
6 large carrots, cut into 1-inch or ½ inch pieces (1 pound)
2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped (3 cups)
1.2 cup turnip, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cups diced fully cooked ham (10 ounces)
½ cup chopped onion
½ to one teaspoon seasoned salt
1 15-ounce can Great Northern or white beans

Enjoy!

The galley aboard The Titanic!

It is much easier to cook in our new RV kitchen. We have way more counter space and work area. And it is much easier for the two of us to move around and do things without being in each other's way.

The streetside Class C next to us packs up and then they leave in their toad (maybe for church?) When they return they pull out lock, stock and barrel in a 30 seconds. Now that was being ready to go! After a bowl of our hearty soup we load the bikes around 12:30 and head to Turkey Mountain trailhead just down the road. They have rerouted the trail around the parking lot for safety reasons I presume. And now there are flagstones on the terrace as the top of the mountain. A snappily dressed guy and gal are chatting at the top. He is saying that the old path will be removed and a new, terraced one built. I'll have to be sure and tell Marty that the Turkey Mountain hill might be easier to get up next time!

We have fun zooming down Turkey Mountain but I dread coming back up. It has been awhile since we've ridden but I always get a thrill when we hop on our bikes. The trail is closed at the bottom by Bear Fountain in Riverside Park. There is a rocky temporary path to go under the street. Strong winds are against us along the Arkansas River. We cycle past the new River Spirit Casino; now open since we were here last year.

The trail is extremely busy today. I keep saying everyone is out on a gorgeous day to cycle/jog off all that Halloween candy. We cycle past our usual resting bench before Suicide Hill and tackle it without a break. Bob makes it to the top but I had to get off and walk halfway up. We make it out 8.5 miles. Bob's game for the next big bill but I peter out at Memorial. We turn around and head back but not before I snap a picture of this delivery truck waiting at the stoplight. These hills are a challenge since we haven't ridden in over a month. And all of our riding in Ohio was pretty flat this summer.



I can't stress enough what a beautiful fall day it is. This is why we come to Tulsa in the fall. Going back down Suicide Hill three young boys almost wipe me out. 1) A five-year old on a small bike turn is sideways at the bridge after the hill, supposedly to play a trick on his friends behind him but it almost killed me; 2) Fifty feet later a seven-year old on a scooter going the opposite direction stumbles onto my side of the trail and I narrowly avoid him; 3) a seventeen-year old is walking three abreast with his friends playing 'miss-the-cracks' and steps in front of me. Geez!



We rest on the bench at the bottom and decide to have a dinner break at Camille's Sidewalk Cafe.We have always wanted to try this place. We abandon their bike rack after I sue the restroom and leave the bikes in front by the windows. Their Sunday Special is two entrees for the price of one. I get Tuscan Tomato Soup and half an Apple Walnut Tuna Sandwich on homemade marble rye with a side of tortilla chips and salsa. bob gets Bankok Thai Salad. I have a huge cup of coffee; and all for only $8.83.

Refreshed, we head for the dreaded Turkey Mountain. I only need one rest on the way up; Bob makes it the whole way that showoff. At the top, two seventeen-year old guys crowd me off the trial. They are talking and riding on both sides of the trail and don't see or hear me when I call out. I can't decide if I'm upset that I'm invisible to these guys or happy that I cycled so much I'm too thin to see coming down the trail:)

Dad, Mom and Bob get ready to dig into a huge Stefanina's Pizza

We cycled 17.01 miles and I for one am glad to be back at the truck. We get a Sunday paper at Union on the way home. We chain the bikes on the patio since we have a concrete site here. It was sure fun to ride on such a glorious fall day. Everybody else thought so too! It's 4:55 p.m. CST and 81 degrees. The humidity is only 16%! What a difference from cycling in Ohio's 85% humidity! We read the paper, have snacks and watch the Phillies lose again. I'm posting a picture of our visit with Mom and Dad in St. Charles recently. We enjoyed a local St. Louis-style pizza-Yum