My Husband and I Biked This Glorious Weekend 2/17-2/19/2017

Captions: 1. Jim Conzemius riding his bicyle. 2. Maria Conzemius fortifying herself with Irish coffee at the Sag Wagon Bar in Cedar Rapids 2/4/17 before pedaling to the Kickstand Bar in Czech Village.

My husband and I rode Ididaride, an annual bicycling event, February 4, 2017. It was so cold that when we went outside I biked as fast as I could from the Sag Wagon bar to the Kickstand Bar in Czech Village, Cedar Rapids. When I'm freezing, I'm motivated to ride fast. The wind was strong and cold and I only stopped on the trail to ask for directions.

"Where's Maria?" asked Norm, a tall drink of water among the MelonHeads, most of whom look like former football players or wrestlers.

"I think she already left," my husband replied.

February 17th through Feb. 19th was entirely different. It was so warm over the weekend that many cities in eastern Iowa and possibly beyond broke temperature records. The wind was blowing from the southeast, and we rode southeast from our house, but then we turned around and rode northwest on Sand Road toward Terry Trueblood Park, which was thronged with walkers, bicyclists, and skaters.

We biked behind one of our cycling instructors, Todd Simpson, his friend, and their dog. We recognized them as we passed.

"Hey, big dog!" I greeted them.

Todd's friend turned around and said with a big grin, "Are you talking to me?"

Of course, before passing we politely said, "Behind you, on your left." We wish everyone did.

Earlier, as we approached the trail on Lakeside Drive that took us to the soccer park, a bicyclist going straight passed us without saying a word. We were just about to turn left to get on the trail, so I was unnerved. That was a close encounter of the dangerous kind. Bicyclists who silently pass other cyclists at a high rate of speed have no idea how easily they could cause an accident. It's rude and unsafe not to warn people you're about to blow by them.

We did enjoy Terry Trueblood Park.

"Build it, and they will come."

The trail and park were crowded with happy people enjoying a beautiful day.

In Iowa City we stopped at Mickey's Bar and Restaurant, where the food and service are excellent. I had French onion soup and Jim had fried chicken with fries. Some people think he's a health food nut. He's not. He does, however, have good genes on both sides of his family.

Today (Monday, 2/20), even though KCRG weather news predicted rain and it did rain midmorning, Jim rode his commuter bicycle, a Bianci, to work. I would have jumped in my car and tried to pick him up at work when it started raining, but I've done that before and it's a fool's errand. He just doggedly rides home anyway, and I waste time and gas.

He makes his choice to ride in the morning and he's determined to live with it. He's looking forward to riding all this week. I've got him lit up like a Christmas tree. In fact, this past Christmas I sprung for a video display for his front wheel. One of the videos is of a dog running. The rest are a series of colored lights and shapes. He had to show the gang at work his new gadget in the parking lot. Now he's seen on his bike from the front, the back, and the side.