Here's an update on my injured knee.
After a week of walking a little then hobbling a lot, I am now hobbling very little and walking much better.  While waiting on car work today I walked around a wholesale store for over an hour, looking at everything.  I even went down rows where there was nothing to interest me.  It felt good to just walk.  Not that my knee is perfectly healed, but at least I can maneuver around shoppers and carts and not have to grab for something every time I turn.  This healing is real improvement, and though it is slow I am very pleased with it.
I had been planning a backpacking trip for November, but will have to put that off until I am comfortable with walking again.  My goal is to backpack at least 10-15 miles at a time, before stopping to camp, and doing the same miles again the next day. I am concerned about uneven surfaces, balance and big steps, like going over logs and fallen trees.
Any bicycling will just have to wait a bit too.
Getting out won't be easy for me next week either, all my time is already scheduled.  Maybe I can go for a morning walk outdoors enjoying the cool temps.  At least the Florida weather will cool down over the weekend with lows in the 50's and highs in the low 70's.  The weather here will be nice.  If you can get outside, this is the time to do it here.  Enjoy!

Missing Bicycling in Colorado

The ride dates are June 13 - 20, 2015

The 13 years we lived in Colorado, I bicycled the region.  I rode the bicycle trails from Castle Rock to downtown Denver (plus road gaps).  I rode the parks (valleys).  I rode the plains.  I pedaled up and down the mountains, even Climbing Mount Evans once.
In 2001, I bicycled Ride The Rockies.  Getting ready for that ride, I had to build up to bicycling over 200 miles each week.  That had me starting rides the fall before, bicycling indoors (yuck) during the winter, and building a planned mileage base over the spring.
The ride began on Father's Day.  We rode between 75 and 100 miles plus crossed the Continental Divide almost each day.   Needless to say, this was the best-handled group ride of 2000 riders ever!
Planning was great, accommodations were excellent, food and music were great!
The rides took us through local bicycling routes in the backcountry, along a 14 mile gravel road, and along quiet highways.  The mountainous views were spectacular, the small towns quaint (and overwhelmed with 2000 visitors suddenly stripping the store shelves) and I learned how the Denver Post and sponsors supported the local communities where we camped.  There were group talks daily and I met the Laura of Laura Bars, quite nice!
That last day we climbed the Rockies from Grand Lake and bicycled Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park to the mountain top tundra at 12,200 feet elevation.  The drop down into Estes Park was both scary and very cool with a surprise steep climb at the end, just like it happened every other day we rode.
I remember that last night before dinner, I ate a foot long Subway sandwich with a cookie and a drink.  Then I walked over to the park and had 2 servings of lasagna with veggies and garlic bread. For dessert, I finished a large Blizzard.  By the time I got back to my hotel room, I was famished and had to walk down to the mini-mart to load up on enough carbohydrates to allow me to sleep.  My jaws hurt from eating so much all week and the 1 pack of bagels I ate daily were barely enough. Lesson learned.
Anyway I still miss the 100 mile bike rides right out my door and how the 200-plus mile weeks of bicycling felt, how alive I was and the joy I had when bicycling.  That's why I ride.
Congratulations to all applying for the 2015 Ride The Rockies.

Knee Issues

I hurt my knee again 2 years ago when I broke my hip and it has only gotten worse with popping and unsteadiness when walking.  The pain is minimal, but it can still really hurt if I somehow twist it the wrong way.  I originally hurt it 20 years ago, twisting it during a bicycle ride.

Walking along the Sanford River Walk by Lake Monroe

As a bicyclist/backpacker/bicyclist/walker/hiker my knees are incredibly important to my personal forms of travel.   Being unable to walk or bicycle much without my knee popping and being unsteady during the super-hot summer was just bearable.
I have been to a doctor and to a knee specialist while trying to fix it.  Fortunately the X-Ray and MRI show damage there is minimal, not requiring surgery.  But still the popping and unsteadiness continue. 
I was given a shot of Cortizone in the knee last week, and I am exercising it again and am really trying to improve my bicycling situation.  I was able to walk 3 miles along the waterfront in Sanford last weekend without any pain and with only a little weakness.
For bicycling, I will focus on riding the indoor bicycle in the gym, moving to my mountain bike for short rides outdoors.  20 miles is the distance I had been riding recently, so I will work on increasing that distance closer to the summertime.  While not my 200 mile per week rides of old, I am just happy to be out there again.
My plan is to just continue exercising and walking, increasing distance daily and weekly until I'm back up to my 15+ miles of off pavement travel in a day.  I figure that if I can make it to that goal of 15 miles a day, I can eventually make 20-25 miles of continuous hiking/backpacking/walking that I'll need to do in order to hike a long trail like the AT.  Of course that is a long way off.  If I'm able to backpack again on over night trips with my ultralight backpack (9 pounds base weight) by late winter/early spring I will be a happy hiker!

Please bear with me while I take baby steps to get better, I believe it will all pay off in the end.
The good news is the temperatures in Florida are much cooler now and if the rain holds off, I will be able to bicycle and walk enough to slowly improve my condition. 

Rain and Bicycling

Thanks to Weather Underground for this forecast

It has rained in central Florida almost every day the past 2 weeks, and is forecast to pour off and on for another week or two.  Some of this rain comes down in a deluge, flooding streets, homes and businesses.  The winds are strong, the lightning is fierce and you get soaked just stepping out from under the carport to get into your car.  The weather is reminiscent of a hurricane, although it is not tropical in nature.
It looks like we may get a (short) reprieve this Friday, Sunday and Monday.  If so, I'll be out there somewhere.
So bicycling during these mini-monsoons is not going to be very dry, much less very safe.  If you venture out, please be careful around cars.  Rainy weather makes it hard for them to see you.
However the main difference is with the temperatures.  The daily highs have dropped by 10 - 15 degrees, even 20 degrees before and after a heavy rainfall.  It is now warm, instead of hot, with some lows in the (gasp) mid-50's!  I can do warm, all day.  Be sure to drink plenty of water.
For those who like to bicycle in a gentle rain, please be safe and avoid the daily thunderstorms.
As soon as this rainy spell ends, I'll be bicycling again on the local bike trails.  And I will be writing about it and the wonderful Florida fall weather.  I hope to see you out there!