Sorry I haven’t been posting lately. I’ve just been too busy with the new business, SEO Writer Pro. I guess that’s a good thing, right?

I’ve also been neglecting Mile-Hi Cycle Guy, even though we’ve been pretty busy with bike service and bike builds too.

I now have 14 regular clients for SEO Writer Pro. I’ve been writing like crazy for the past couple of months, generating copy for a podiatrist, a therapist, and a few virtual assistants; as well as Realtors, lawyers, management consultants, and web designers. The range of subjects has been amazing. The types of content, from blog posts and articles to website page copy has been challenging.

It’s also been fun, and quite profitable.

The bike season kicked into high gear early this year, thanks to a very warm month of March. Unfortunately, this means I have not been riding much at all. I put on some pounds this winter, now I have to get in the saddle and re-lose them. Yuck!

Anyway, keep your fingers crossed for me to keep acquiring clients and new business. I need a new bike!

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Yesterday it was bright and sunny, with a high in the mid-50s. It was a beautiful day. Today, the forecast is for a high of 22°, with snow. As you can see, the snow has already begun.

No riding for me today!!!

Cleared a path for Darryl’s truck this morning.

A winter wonderland?

It looks like I’ll be breaking out “The Beast” later today. The last couple of times we had snow, all we had to do was shovel it. Today though, I’m going to need the snow blower. It does move a lot of snow, but that machine can provide a real workout too.

Wish me luck…

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We finally had weather that was nice enough we could haul out the road bikes on Monday, the 2nd. We only rode about 11 miles but, you know what, after 2 1/2 months of too cold, too snowy, or too wet, we loved it!

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I sure would appreciate it if a few of you would take a look over there and tell me what you think…just click on the logo above to be transported!

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I’ve spent considerable time riding in the cold and the wet, but not much in snow. In fact, the very thought of snow cycling is kind of scary because…I Don’t Like to Fall Down. Perhaps I should employ some of my own advice and give it a try this winter, even though, working predominantly from home, I don’t get the chance to do much winter bicycle commuting. 

Top U.S. Cities For Winter Bicycle Commuting…

“For bicycle commuters, continuing to pedal through the winter months can be a daunting task, especially if one lives in a northern city. Often the decision for winter bicycle commuting comes down to perspective: Is cycling a sport or a viable form of transportation that offers a multitude of advantages such as saving money and improving the health of the cyclist and the environment? In order for bicycling to be respected as sustainable transportation, the surrounding community must be supportive of cyclists year-round. This includes city maintenance of bike lanes and paths during winter as well as supportive bicycle initiatives. It can be done…Here are five cities in the U.S. that are supporting bicycle commuting through the winter.”

Also, another great, inexpensive idea for cycling in snow, and for winter bicycle commuting, is to…

Use Zip-ties as Snow Chains for your Bike…

SNOWPOCALYPSE!

“No matter how much we swear we’ve learned our lessons, Seattle always seems to get caught by surprise by the snow. There we were, minding our own business with our feet all toasty in our sandals and socks, when the temperature plummeted and it turned into Juneau in January. While this year the City did a much better job than last year at preventing widespread carnage and destruction, we at Dutch Bike Seattle still didn’t bring in studded tires because it never snows in Seattle. Even if we had stocked them, I’m not sure they’d sell because it never snows in Seattle, right?

We found something else, though. Something else entirely.”

People are just so damned clever, aren’t they?

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In the piece, Weber writes of his 4000 mile bicycle tour across the USA this summer. He doesn’t dwell on the day-to-day challenges, nor does he dwell on the pain and doubt he experienced along the way, though it certainly gets a mention. He also does not write in overly descriptive terms of the beauty of the country, or the people he met. No, he writes from the perspective of a man of 57 years experiencing something few of us ever do; for the second time in his life.

As he comes to the close of his ride, reflects upon the internal changes which have taken place, as well as the memories of the experience which, perhaps surprisingly, are not so easy to recall. Yet, when he does recall them, they are incredibly vivid.  What I like most about this piece is the sense that no matter how many times one takes a long distance ride, and this is the second time Weber has ridden cross-country, it is a completely unique experience.

“This isn’t to say I don’t dream about crossing the George Washington Bridge with my arms raised in triumph (and then putting away my bicycle for a winter’s hibernation.) I do. But my visions aren’t terribly convincing; they generally engender despair, causing me to sigh out loud and give off a lament that begins with the words “I’ll never. … ” It makes me more than a little nervous to write this article now, about 300 miles from Manhattan. It may be easy to expect that someone who has already pedaled 3,600 miles can do 300 with his eyes closed, but I don’t think so. In order to own those miles, I have to expend my energy on them; in order to live those days, I have to work through all their hours. I’m as daunted by the next 300 miles as I was in Astoria by the first 3,600.”

This is something I too encountered on my own 800 mile trek from Phoenix to Denver. Until I arrived, I never quite believed I would make it and, even when I did, I couldn’t really grasp the fact that I had done so. Even today it sometimes amazes me that I was successful in my first-ever bicycle tour. But the memories linger, as proof that it is true.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. So many of the things we experienced were similar, yet very different, due to the unique perspective each of us brought to the experience, I believe. It brought back many memories for me, and for that I am grateful. I think it has also begun to fuel the fire for my next long ride.

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Related articles

• At The Age Of 57, I Rode My Bike Across America Again–And I’m Glad I Did (businessinsider.com)

From Bike Commute Tips Blog.

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