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Great weather but cloudy. The little black bugs pelted me everywhere. Cut the ride short to miss the tornado warning. 

Cool and comfortable ride. Got dark sooner than expected. Glad to have the red flashing taillight. However, the headlight hasn't done any good sitting in my drawer. Note to self... 

Another beautiful day. The ride was a piece of cake compared to Sunday. 

Rode the Springfield Century with Keith today. This was our second year to enter. We rode the 60 mile loop. Not as tired this year as last year but there were a few stretches that made eternity seem like a hiccup in time compared to how how much time it took to get around the loop! Really, it was a great experience. 

Hot! Thank goodness the Ice Deli in Chatham is still open. Really hot day. 

The Labor Day weather was perfect as we celebrated this unofficial last day of summer. The water park also closes today so fall must be around the corner. 

Very busy day on the bike trail. The sign turning dude had some business today. I can't figure out what they are building in the back parking lot of CVS. It looks like a mini version of CVS. Could it be? 

96 degrees and the State Fair isn't even here yet! Took a break at Weber's Ice Deli in Chatham. Key Lime Pie...Aaah! 

Just look at those numbers. Adrian Monk would be proud!  

Sherwood to Chatham and back. Great weather. Road construction for the new extension is underway. I want the job of the guy who turns the "stop" and "slow" sign just for the bike riders on the trail.  

Morning ride to Chatham. Beautiful weather. Nice to see the sun. 

Wabash Trail to Chatham and back. Hot! 

The air was heavy which made it difficult to breathe. Almost made it home before the drenching rain began but not quite. 

Rode to Chatham and back. 2x around Chatham Park. Now off to Knight's with the kids to dive in the wave pool. Ahhh. 

Rode DOT trail to Rochester and back 2x. Good choice for mid-day. Very shady. 

Summer vacation has officially begun for the principals. Keith and I are back on the Wabash & Interurban Trails. Can tell a difference with the increased wind now that the trees have been cut down to make way for McArthur Blvd. 

Awesome day. Got a little distracted when Napoleon Dynamite pulled alongside to chat.  

Catherine and I rode to Chatham and back today. Great Sunday ride. I had a South Pacific and she had a Pink Passion at our favorite Ice Deli. Beautiful day and beautiful daughter. 

Shorter ride today. Spent the morning at Prompt Care but couldn't pass up the great weather. Who needs bed rest, right? 

Hot and cloudy but no rain. Soccer season has started in Chatham Park and it was crowded. We maintained a good average speed even if we had to avoid those little Pele's. 

Strange route. Wabash to InterUrban to Recreation Dr. There was a train sitting on the tracks. Turned around and rode to Robbins Road and then back to Woodside Road before heading home. Great weather and no wind. 

Windy-very windy! One observation, 10 months ago everyone zoomed passed us. From kids on tricycles to Octogenarians we were left in their dust. Now, we are rarely passed! 

Hot and muggy but freezin' cold at the new Ice Deli in Chatham. I got a brain freeze with Butter Cream and Pralines. Can't wait to try another flavor next time! 

Windy and 87 degrees. Feeling like summer already!  

What would a bike ride be without torrential winds? However, can't beat such a beautiful weekend day! Winds or not, my new goal is to increase my speed while reducing my time with each ride. 

The goal today was to ride as fast as possible. Rode to the Ice Deli in Chatham and back. Major wind but still made good time! 

Rode the trail by the IDOT Building to Rochester two times. It was windy but great weather. However, my six-year-old daughter who took a dandelion and blew on it as she made a wish topped off the day. She told me her wish was for the wars around the world to end. What happened to the innocence of wanting a pony?  

Great weather and sunny. There seems to be road work preparation all the way from the Wabash curve to the I72 overpass. Don't know what that means for summer bike rides. The highlight was to see Peggy G. and her new Queen of the Road bike. Go Peggy! 

Brrr! Felt more like an artic weather ride than a spring break ride. Visited with my friend Jerry in Chatham. He is opening the Ice Deli around May 1. It is just a few hundred feet from the trail on Walnut St. It will be a great stop in hot weather...if it ever gets here. 

A fun family outing on a beautiful spring day. The wind was rather gusty. Elizabeth was almost blown over a few times.We saw a small snake.  

Elizabeth (my 6 year old daughter) and I rode on the Wabash Trail. Her legs have grown long enough over the winter to use her sister's 6 speed bike. She just flew and smiled all the way! 

There were 18 turtles all lined up on logs. There wasn't any loud frogs singin' their songs. There was one big snake crossing the path. There was a train a comin' down the tracks and the gate came down as we rode under it. Somewhere in this trip is a Johnny Cash song! 

Amazing ride. No rain, loud frogs and NO wind. I repeat, no wind. For once, the grass was greener on my side of the fence. Welcome spring! 

Brrr. 51 degrees but the winter winds made it feel much colder even with winter gear on. Thank you Mother Nature for the great cardio-keep those winds coming! Very few brave souls were on the path to Chatham and back.  

80 degrees and sunnny. Is this Illinois? Lots of wind heading to Chatham but coming back was a breeze. Loud frogs on Lake Springfield. 

Life is a highway! After months of riding inside, today was the greatly anticipated ride on the trail. We had a blast. Phad Thai carry out for supper because I was STARVING. This is the one year anniversary of the big tornado that rocked the Springfield world. In contrast, today was a warm and beautiful day. Life is sweet again! 

This was a great afternoon for a bike ride. The weather was fantastic. I wore a t-shirt and shorts and still was hot. The trail to Chatham and back was very busy. Everyone had the same idea to take advantage of this weather and the beautiful day on the eve of New Year's eve. Could 2007 be even better than 2006? Stay tuned! 

We rode the DOT trail to Rochester today. Who would have thought we would be riding a trail in December but the weather was wonderful. The max speed and time were a non-issue due to the excessive limbs and branches from the winter storm. The CycleFit class three times a week at 5:30 a.m. at the FitClub just isn't the same but it is a great workout. The great outdoors is so much better. This was a pioneer ride today. Huge and I mean huge (Tiny Elvis) branches were all along the path. We had to stop about 12 times and drag the limbs off. Finally, the entire path was closed from several large trees just outside Rochester. The path through the park was Plan B. There were about 75 geese on the sidewalk. We laughed as we scared them and rode through. They all flew off and then had the last laugh (or honk) as they started dropping bombs all around us. That juvenile fun sort of backfired. Had to stop and admire the family of 8 deer and the antlers on the buck. Mother nature provided quite an interesting backdrop for this surprise December ride. 

Amazing weather! Lots of folks on the trail to Chatham and back. We had to stop and visit a few times. The colors of the leaves and sky were breathtaking. Gotta love fall in Illinois! 

The leaves were falling from the trees as fast as rain. Actually, the rain was also falling as fast as rain! Splish splosh.

Hedgeball alert! They were falling off the trees and rolling across the trail like bowling balls. I thought cycling was going to be a relaxing de-stressing sport. I am beginning to think it might be a little weather dependent and dangerous. But, I could be wrong. Better keep up the research! 

The rain had carpeted the trail with leaves to make a golden path. The warm weather was a welcome reminder of the beautiful summer that is now behind us.  

Great cool day. It sprinkled most of the way. Need to get some winter riding clothes, brrr. Now it is off to Dave & Glenda's annual Ridgely wiener roast and hay rack ride. I love fall! 

Friday the 13th was a very good day for me. We passed 1000 miles of riding since mid-July. This is a huge accomplishment for an out of shape 44 year old who always felt like he had been hit by a truck by the end of the day. I even received a certificate from Keith for 1000 miles. High five to us both!

Saw Rob F. running with his dog and looking for his lost cell. I sort of ran into the dog because the sun was in my eyes. Sorry. Stella caught us buying king size candy bars at Hucks. She promised to keep our unhealthy secret since we were celebrating 1000 awesome miles of riding! 

Missed the storm but windy. The temperature dropped tremendously in the past few hours. Two more miles to go to reach the goal of 1000 miles since July. That is quite an accomplishment for a guy with a desk job! High five! 

Beautiful night. Lots of BIG bugs. I don't know why I swallowed a huge bug. It wiggled and tickled and jiggled inside me. Perhaps it'll die! 

409.5 miles in September! Beautiful fall day. Corey joined Keith and I for a guys day out since the girls went to a Cheetah Girls concert. We made it to Springfield Lake. Great distance for a 10 year old! 

Beautiful day but cold. Saw a mother deer and two young deer in front of crimson red sumac with the sunset behind them. I yelled "BANG" and off they ran. Just kidding. :) 

Got a late start due to a meeting. Came home in the dark but there was a great sunset! Note to self: don't wear perscription sunglasses anymore due to shortened daylight hours. 

Short ride. Kids had lessons tonight. Great weather and lots of sun. Rode to Woodside Road and back. Had to burn off all of the birthday goodies from work today. 

DOT trail today. Brrr.Still a newbie at this so just think it is strange to be so cold and sweatin' up a storm at the same time. Cute tiny Disney-type chipmunks were running crazy all over the trail. I didn't know they were tearing down the older school in Rochester.