Snow Day!

The snow fell softly for awhile...about 24-48 hours off and on. Here is the first snowfall photo...not too much just yet.

Here we have a bit more snow. All in all we had nearly 10 inches. Enough to actually have a snow day called.

New Post!

Been thinking about just deleting my blog, but there are a lot of posts that I want to remember. A lot of people I want to remember. So, maybe I'll get my arse in gear and post every once in awhile.

So, I am no longer in Taipei, but am now living and teaching in Nebraska. Unfortunately I am still not teaching in the same town in which my husband and I have our home. Not really holding out a lot of hope that it will happen for next year either, but one never knows.

My job this year is not an easy one, especially since I am fresh off the "private school in Taiwan boat"...where the climate isn't fraught with high-stakes testing and politicians who don't know any better, but still stick their noses in where they shouldn't. The teachers I work with are wonderful...they have been very welcoming and have made me feel right at home.

So, even though it's not my ideal situation, I am still very thankful to be here, and to have a good paying job.

Not Many Days Left in Taipei

This year will close one chapter of my life...on June 4th, my time at TAS will come to an end. I've had a blast and will definitely miss many many people. I am happy to be returning to Nebraska, and even though my new job will be 100 miles from my home, I am looking forward to new challenges...new school district, new bike routes, new friends...yep, the upcoming adventure should be a lot of fun.

Fun Travel

So, on December 29, I arrived in North Platte on time for my flight from there to Denver. The plane in Denver apparently had some issues, so they finally swapped out another one and made it to LBF almost two hours late. No trouble for me as I was spending the night in Denver, but the Great Lakes employees worked overtime for several people making new arrangements so all would get to where they were going.

Security in NP was pretty tight due to the "Christmas incident" with the terrorist from Nigeria. All our carry on baggage was hand checked and we were all patted down. Didn't take long, since there were just about 10 passengers.

Flight to Denver was nice, just a little bouncing around. The hotel shuttle arrived just 15 minutes after I got there, and then I enjoyed a nice repast from Ruby Tuesday's. Fantastic ribs and Louisiana shrimp...yummmmm.

I had asked for a 1:30 am wake up call and the 2:30 shuttle, but since I was still fighting jet lag, I awoke at 12:30. Went downstairs early to check out and await my scheduled shuttle departure time, but the driver was there so I went early. Only to have to wait at the airport until 4:30 when United opened their stations. Huh? They open only an hour and a half before their first flight was to leave? Got through quickly, then faced a long line for security. Huh? The line moved about as quickly as I've ever seen it, so it took just 10 minutes.

Got to the gate with plenty of time for my Denver to San Francisco 6:05 flight. Which FINALLY departed about 9:30 due to a brake problem. They scavenged a part from another airplane, which then need to scavenge a part from the next airplane in line. I don't know when the scavenging stopped, I only know that I was happy to take off. I had talked to a gate agent and inquired about the 8:30 flight (which I normally take) to SFO, but it was fully booked.

Interestingly, the guy in the seat next to me was also traveling from Denver to SFO to Tokyo and on to Taipei! ALL on the same flights as me. Our pilot really tried to make up for lost time, and would have gotten us into SFO ten minutes earlier, but some unruly passenger on another plane caused that plane to be moved to the front of all other incoming flights. When we did finally make it to the gate, we didn't know if we would make our flight...so we grabbed our carry ons (I blocked people from getting in front of us...my good Asian elbowing techniques worked well) and we RAN for the international terminal. While on the run, I slowed enough to look at the departure screen and found out departing gate...97...almost at the end of the terminal. I had to slow, but Nick kept on running.

Huffing and puffing I reached the gate where the doors were still open...I was the last person on board. I am still amazed that we made it...I was envisioning another overnight stay in San Francisco.

After that drama, the rest of the trip was completely uneventful and I arrived in Taipei 20 minutes earlier than scheduled. Now the jet lag fight begins anew...

Some More Summer Photos

Not far from Valentine is Smith Falls State Park, complete with the tallest waterfall in Nebraska. Wow, who knew the flat state of Nebraska had such a great waterfall? We were all quite impressed by Smith Falls.


Brent, Rhonda, and Russ at the falls.



Rhonda, Brenda, and Russ



On the way back to Gothenburg, a train was blocking the only way back to the highway we wanted to be on. Did that deter us? Not a chance. Russ pulled a state trooper turn and headed back down the way we had come, and turned off onto a different highway for the trip back. Well done, Russ, we saw parts of Nebraska we didn't know existed. The highway was full of ups and downs and I kept thinking, "This would be a tough little hill on the bike!"

Just prior to rolling into Arnold, we were struck almost dumb by the sight of this canyon. NONE of us had ever seen it. It was a fitting end to a really nice weekend with good friends.

A Few Summer Photos

It's raining cats and dogs here in Taipei, I'm not going to be riding my bike, and I don't feel like starting my resume just yet, so I'll pop on some summer photos. I finally uploaded them from the camera yesterday. Good grief, am I getting lazy or what?!

Russ, Brent, Rhonda, and myself enjoyed a lovely weekend in Valentine, Nebraska. We stayed in some little cabins not too far from town. Sitting outside, looking off into the distance (you could see darn near forever), enjoying good conversation as well as the resident dog, and simply relaxing...this was a really nice respite from the relaxation I was already enjoying.

Taipei "Lovely" Weather

Yeppers, it is a bit hot here. Feels like 109 degrees? No wonder I haven't any energy.

Back in Taiwan

After a lovely summer spent relaxing and biking in Nebraska, I took the big bird back across the pond. After four uneventful legs, I arrived back in time to find everybody preparing for the first typhoon of the season. Since I had been gone for the summer, there wasn't much food in the cupboards and practically nothing in the fridge, so I hightailed it to the nearest 7'Eleven and picked up a few things.

Yesterday was spent inside the apartment listening to the wind howl and watching the rain come down in occasional torrents. The rain is a very good thing because Taiwan was in the middle of a drought and this will help fill up reservoirs. Not sure where the eye of the typhoon currently is, but I'm hoping it's on the way outta here quickly.

Sublime Solo Saturday

What a beautiful day for a bike ride. The bike took me on Highway 47 south toward Farnam and back. Had some nice gently rolling hills, very little wind, and tons of blue sky. Saw three rabbits, three families of wild turkeys, and one deer. Ended up with a scant 30 miles, which was just fine by me.

7/9/09

The bike took me on the old highway out to the Cozad road and back. I then went home to replace my new saddle with my old one. Back out...and the bike decided to go the south road nearly to Cozad and back. Kind of a hard ride, but not hard enough to deter me from getting 54 miles today.

Weather Conditions: Dark black clouds for a bit, southwest winds while heading east, southwest winds while heading north and east, north winds when heading south. Misted on me a bit, skies remained overcast. Temp was perfect!

Solo Sunday 7/5/09

What a beautiful morning for a 35 mile ride...not much wind, blue sky, white puffy clouds and very friendly folks. Went the old highway to Cozad, then took the south route back to Gothenburg. Stopped for a bit and watched the crop duster. I don't particularly like the chemicals, but it is fun to watch the flying.

I am so lucky to be able to ride here in the summertime...the people really are amazingly friendly and give me plenty of room when they go around me. Add that friendliness to the wide open spaces, the green fields and hills, and we are truly blessed to be here.

Oh yeah, I did have one dog try to give chase on Highway 47, but since I was already cruising at 18 mph, I just bumped up the speed enough to leave him in my dust.

Solo Saturday 7/4/09

Cut my planned 35 mile ride short due to very iffy looking clouds and strong winds. Old highway almost to Cozad road and back. Fought the wind on the way back, but it was a fair fight and I won. Besides a good hard workout, I needed the fight because I'm still perseverating on my friend's email. Gotta stop...gotta put it behind me.

7/2/09

Solo old highway out and back. Had only planned on going 5 miles to Willow Road and back, but my bike had other ideas. I love it when that happens. Had me some good healing tonight from a recent incident. Is there anything that heals better than a bike ride??????

6/14/09

Have I mentioned lately how much I like riding bikes in Nebraska? I finally felt well enough to ride this morning, and although not a long ride, it felt great. As usual, I headed out on the old highway. Most of the time I ride to the Cozad road, turn around and come back. I decided not to go that distance this morning, so I just went to the Willow Island road, up to Highway 30, then on back home from there.

I don't think there was one car on the old highway, and even highway 30 wasn't too busy. And all vehicles that passed me gave me plenty of room, and some drivers even waved. Very nice, indeed.

GB Biking Dude

This is Robert, my former high school wood shop teacher. He is an amazingly strong bike rider, I can never keep up with him. One of these days I'll be stronger than he is, I swear!!!

Taiwan Construction Dude

I love how Taipei lets motorists know of construction zones. What you can't see are the dudes arms waving up and down. From a distance you can't believe how real he looks.

Time to Update?

Just arrived back in the states on Sunday night for the summer. No biking yet, even though yesterday was perfect for it. A cold decided to lodge itself in my system while I was flying home, so I need to get rid of that before I have energy for the bike. I really was hoping to get in some training for the upcoming Tour de Nebraska next week, but I figure I can do it anyway...I'll just ride more slowly and stop more often than normal. The first day is just 57 miles, so it should be doable.

I'll Fly Away

This was one of the songs sung at Sandy's memorial. It was a comfort to me then for Sandy, and is a comfort to me now for Polly. I listened to it a bunch of times on the airplane yesterday while winging my way home.

It's a song of sadness and comfort. Sadness in knowing I won't see Polly again in this lifetime, but comfort in knowing Polly is in a land where joys will never end.

I'll Fly Away

Some bright morning when this life is over
I'll fly away
To that home on God's celestial shore
I'll fly away

I'll fly away oh glory
I'll fly away (in the morning)
When I die hallelujah by and by
I'll fly away

When the shadows of this life have gone
I'll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls I'll fly
I'll fly away

Oh how glad and happy when we meet
I'll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet
I'll fly away

Just a few more weary days and then
I'll fly away
To a land where joys will never end
I'll fly away

Good-bye Polly

Godspeed, my friend and most excellent mother-in-law...

Pauline Ellen "Polly" Kibler
1925-2009
Pauline Ellen 'Polly' Kibler, 83, of North Platte died Thursday, April 30, 2009, at her home in North Platte.

Polly was born June 30, 1925, to William Steen and Celinda 'Grace' Curtis Porter at LaJunta, Colo., where she grew up. She graduated from LaJunta High School in 1943 and later worked for the Air Force in the PX. She lived in California before returning to LaJunta. On Sept. 6, 1958, Polly married Sidney Jefferson 'Bud' Kibler, Sr. in Raton, N.M. They made their home in LaJunta before moving to North Platte in 1962. She worked for 24 years at J.M. McDonald Colo., and Herbergers.

She is survived by her daughter, Paula (Tom) Richardson of Hershey; five sons, Russell (Brenda) Huff of Gothenburg, Jim Huff of Nashville Tenn.,
Jay Huff of North Platte, Sid (Brenda) Kibler, Jr.of Council Bluffs, I.A., and Sam Kibler of North Platte; five grandchildren, Randy, Brian, Annie, Sabrina and Kacie; eight great-grandchildren; and other family.

Polly was preceded in death by her husband, Bud; her parents; four sisters, Violet Hamilton, Hannah Madsen, Jeanne Watters, and Leorah Thomas; and two brothers, Harlan and Raymond Porter.

Healing Ride

This was a gentle, healing ride today. A day to remember my friend Sandy Puckett. A day to heal with each turn of the pedal. May God's blessings be upon you Sandy...you have touched the lives of so many people around the world. You lived your life fully, graciously, and with joy. I'm honored to have had you for a friend.

2/8/09

Wow, what a short ride! I had planned on three hill repeats to Psycho Squirrel, but could only muster one climb halfway! Does the gearing on my Giant OCR 3 make that much difference compared to the gearing on my Fuji hybrid? Or maybe it was the 40 miles plus two hour walk I did yesterday that left me gasless today. Perhaps it was the Alley Cat calzone and Hagaan-Daz mango/passion fruit ice cream/Sprite float I made for dinner last night. Whatever it was, I did what I felt like, and then came on home. Still good to be out on the bike. The bus that nearly turned into me today missed me by more than the one two weeks ago. At least three inches!

What is it about Bicyclists?

Today I had a Chinese road biker pass me as I came off the bike path onto the road at the Guandu Temple. I was moseying along, he was cruising! I stepped on it, it took awhile, but I caught up to him and passed him as we were nearing the next bike path approach. He tucked in behind me and I led him up to where they had closed the path for a few feet to put in new plants. I didn't know what he was going to do, so I slowed up and pulled to the right. He slingshotted past me toward where I was headed in the first place.

Of course I sped up and caught him again. Right behind him up a small ramp. He stopped at the road he was going to cross, and as I went by on the road I was not going to cross, waves, smiles, and thank-yous sang out from both of us. That was FUN to "semi-race" a dude on a tricked out road bike...me on my Fuji hybrid.

2/1/09

Had me a good funk on, so I shook myself off, grabbed the bike and headed up. Up past the National Palace to Psycho Squirrel. Rested two minutes, then back down. (Max speed going down was 32.1 mph before I started hitting the brakes) And then back up one more time. I should have gone for three, but the bus and bike traffic had increased exponentially and I thought it prudent to take myself home. The one bus that semi-turned into me wasn't really THAT close. It missed me by at least two inches.

Fireworks

After listening to fireworks for what seemed like hours, I decided to look outside. Since they were sort of pretty, I used my digital camera to take a short video.

Busy Day at the Zoo

Ahhh, so this is why there were so many people at the zoo when I rode by yesterday:











Story from chinapost.com.tw
Giant panda enclosure opens to full house
Taipei, Taiwan -- The daily quota of visitors at the new giant pandas' enclosure was reached yesterday; three days after the endangered animals from China completed their quarantine, a Taipei Zoo official said yesterday.

All 22,000 tickets allotted for the day were snapped up within four hours after the zoo opened at 9:00 a.m., said Taipei Zoo manager Jason Yeh, who attributed the soaring number of visitors to yesterday's mild weather.

In the first two days after the Chinese New Year, fewer than 19,000 of the 22,000 slots were issued because of the rainy and chilly weather, he pointed out.

The male Tuan Tuan and female Yuan Yuan, both four years old, were seen wrestling and having fun playing with each other after breakfast.

Their enthusiastic interaction thrilled viewers, with some wondering if the endangered animals' frequent smelling of each other meant Yuan Yuan was in heat.

Yeh stressed that the animals were only playing with each other as giant female pandas are not usually in heat until March, and their typical mating period is between March and May.

According to the zoo, the two giant pandas sleep about 10 hours a day while eating for much of the rest of the day because of the low calorie content of bamboo. Bamboo is the staple of the animal that DNA tests suggest belongs to its own sub-family within the Ursidae, or bear, family.

Although the two giant pandas, named Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, arrived in Taiwan from Sichuan province in southwestern China on Dec. 23, they were not shown in public until Jan. 26, because they had to remain in quarantine for at least one month.

The arrival of the giant pandas triggered a media frenzy befitting the arrival of a major world leader or rock star, with many in Taiwan overcome with anticipation to see the chubby bamboo-eating animals.

To control an expected crush of visitors to the Taipei Zoo's giant panda pavilion, the zoo set a daily visitor quota to ensure that as many people as possible catch a glimpse of the animals.

The two giant pandas were a gift from Beijing that many critics said was part of its strategy to unify China and Taiwan. The combined name of the two pandas — Tuan Yuan — means reunion in Chinese.

Metric #2

Second metric for the year already! Headed back out toward the zoo, found a bike path that is newly finished, wasn't on the right part of it, so it dead-ended for me.

No worries, I got off onto the street, went toward the zoo, and chatted with three Chinese bikers who were headed to Maokong. I went that way for a bit, but then turned around and got onto a different bike path. It dead-ended, too, and once I got on the streets, I wasn't sure where I was, so I rode for about half an hour or so trying to find my way. I knew it was the wrong way when I saw the sign for Wulai and Ilan, so I turned around and found the Taipei sign. Kept on going the right way and eventually found my way back to exactly where I wanted to be.

It was a gorgeous day...blue sky, sun, warm enough to ditch both my jacket and arm warmers. Unfortunately the weather and Chinese New Year holiday brought many many bikers of all ages out to the bike paths. I decided to get off the path at the Grand Hotel and put up with street traffic the rest of the way home. This was a FUN metric!

This photo is of the Keelung River...pretty sparkly today with the sun out.



Here's the view I have of the Grand Hotel when I get off the bike path.

First Metric Century of 2009

It was a long time coming, but I finally got another 100 km today. It wasn't an easy day for a metric century...pretty chilly (for Taiwan) and darn blustery. I had winds coming at me from every direction, and at one point I could only muster 14.6 km an hour. That's slow even for a turtle like me.

Still, it was fantastic to get out on the bike and ignore all the weather forecasts that called for rain. I figured this was as good a day as any to stay out for hours. I should have eaten more, though. I started out with no breakfast, but stopped for some of Taiwan's famous healthy nuts and seeds that I had in my seat bag about 12 miles into my ride. After that, I stopped a few times for more nuts and portions of the Snickers Bar I had along with me.

The bike took me to the end of the Jingfu Bike path, a ride I haven't done in far too long. There have been a couple of new improvements to the path, which made it an even better ride than before. Since I knew my first goal of the day was to reach 80 km, I turned around at the end, rode back to one of the rivers, and turned left to head over to Guandu. Decided to stop at a convenience mart for more sustenance, then sat at the biker's rest area not too far from the temple.

As this is Chinese New Year's Eve, the temples can be pretty busy with people visiting. I was wondering why all the policemen were at the temple, and up and down the road, when I noticed a prison bus pulling in to the parking lot. When I left, two more buses had joined that one. I guess even prisoners are allowed a visit to a temple on this auspicious day.

Once I left the temple, I knew just heading back on the bike path wouldn't garner me my 100 km, so I traveled up and down the roads in Tienmu a bit until I made my goal. Now I just need to hit 5 more metric centuries for my 2009 goal.

Album from Photobucket

Year of the Ox

Well, Happy Chinese New Year! The year of the ox is blowing in heartily here in Taipei with very high winds that will keep me off the bike today. I really was hoping for a nice long 50 miler today to get my first half-century in. Maybe tomorrow.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2009 is the Year of the Ox. The Ox, or the Buffalo sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox or Buffalo are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the resolution and fearlessness that the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task. Ox people work hard without complaints at work or at home. They know that they will succeed through hard work and sustained efforts, and do not believe in get-rich-quick schemes. (information freely lifted from some internet site, so it must be true)

I am not an ox, but I do have a few of the characteristics...since I've tried a few get rich quick schemes...I know they never work. Wish I didn't complain as much as I do, that's something I continually need to work on.

Huh...our newly elected president, BO, is an Ox. Hooray for us. (insert sarcasm icon here) Here is a complete description of the Ox characteristics:

The Sign of the Ox

Invariably solid and dependable, Ox people are excellent organizers. Oxen are systematic in their approach to every task they undertake. They are not easily influenced by other's ideas. Loyalty is a part of their make-up, but if deceived they will not forget. Oxen do not appear to be imaginative though they are capable of good ideas. Although not demonstrative or the most exciting people romantically, they are entirely dependable, and make devoted parents. Oxen are renowned for their patience, but it has its limits - once roused, their temper is a sight to behold.

People born under the sign of the Ox or Buffalo usually have strong codes and work ethics. This can lead to a tendency to be a workaholic, and they should make an effort to relax more. Ox people are usually strong and robust, and according to ancient wisdom, they should be blessed with long lives.

The Ox home is his castle where he finds relaxation and peace from the everyday hustle and bustle of his career or responsibilities. He also enjoys spending much time in planting gardens and trees. He generally prefers to decorate his home comfortably with nature colors.

Able, ethical and aware, co-workers of the Ox can depend on their eyes for details. Because they are so well-organized, they are better-suited for specialized positions and prefer to work in large companies. They work best when they work alone since they can be unhappy when participating in a large group.

Last Ride of 2008

I love the fact that I was able to ride outside yesterday and today in Nebraska, in December. Really lucked out with the weather, considering how frigid it was a short week ago. It was 46 degrees today...very nice! Today I went out with Robert, my former high school shop teacher. Over 65, he rides me into the dust. I went from my house to Hwy 47, met him, then we turned left just past Thirty Mile Canal, or what we call the south route. Rode to Jim and Dee's (Jim is my former high school English teacher), chatted with them for a bit, then headed back home. We had some wind out of the East, which slowed me down, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what I rode against yesterday.

I had my camera, but didn't take any pictures. Nebraska isn't all that pretty in the winter, although the blue sky would have turned out nice. The friendly folks here more than make up for the lack of scenery. I had one jerk honk at me as I approached the interstate bridge, but he was from out of state. All the other (maybe fewer than 20) drivers were their normal friendly selves, waving and giving us plenty of room. I love riding here. I love being here. Summer is only five months away and I'll get to enjoy the riding again. This time, with both Bob and Jim, as Jim and Dee are moving back permanently after they retire from teaching in California this year.

Time to add some pictures

Here's a great sign alongside the bike path...which is once again full of construction:



I'm thinking this may be my next bike style:



Ah yes, some of the better scenery in Taipei. Wonder what property rates are in this neighborhood?



Now some real beauty...

Home For Christmas!

Although travel during the holidays borders on nightmarish, it is still wonderful to be back in my own house for Christmas. Even with temperatures ridiculously low! I'm a wuss now when it comes to driving in the winter, so I haven't even ventured out to the grocery store. I think I'll head that way sometime today, though, so I can look at all the new goodies I don't get in Taiwan.

I was hoping to get in one outdoor bike ride, but the weather looks like it's going to keep me inside. Guess I'd better dust off the rollers, trudge out to the garage for my bike, and set everything up somewhere. Maybe the basement...that way it'll be out of the way if I decide to actually get some sewing done. No tv downstairs, but my iPod Shuffle should do the job of keeping me entertained while I try to stay upright. I think I'll take the resistance band off the rollers so I can just spin. Miles no longer matter that much to me, and I'd like to be able to stay on the bike long enough to get a good sweat. We'll see how lazy I'll be today and the next week and a half.

12/14/08

This was a solo Sunday am, congratulations I am done with report cards ride. Should have stayed out longer, but it was nice to go out to the wharf and back and be able to enjoy the rest of my day. I do still need to proofread my comments one more time and probably will need to make some minor corrections. And I need to prepare information for the K-12 math task force meeting tomorrow as well, so I don't get to sit around on my keister all day long. Anyway, the ride was uneventful, the bike path wasn't even crowded with people. This looks to be my last Taipei ride for 2008, since I head to the states on Friday, and most likely won't get out before or after school before I leave.

Have I said recently how much I like my new Fuji????

It's Official

The golden handcuffs are tightly locked on my wrists and ankles. TAS gets me for one more well-paid year.

Surprising Sight

So, a few weeks ago I was biking along a road beside the bike path, when I was dumbstruck by the sight of this little piggy. There is a family of these critters who live in Tanshui, but I was miles away from there. I wonder if this little piggy lives at the horse stables and just got away?

New Fuji

Finally got out for a bike ride today on the new bike. So far I like it a lot.

New Bike November 8, 2009

Just walked my new 2009 Fuji Absolute 1.0 home in the rain. Pictures to follow another day. It feels strange to have a bike brand other than Giant, but this looks to be a very excellent bike. And James, co-owner of the bike shop with his brother, was most helpful and had much better customer service than my local Giant shop. Had I purchased this bike in the states, I'd have definitely spent much more money. Now I hope the rain goes away so I can go get it dirty with a bunch of road grime tomorrow.

November 2, 2008

Note to self...until it cools off, don't go out riding in the blazing sun at 10:30 in the morning. Had to make it a short ride because I felt every degree today. The temperature was 90 degrees, humidity 55%, so the real feel temperature was 96 freaking degrees. Dang, dang, and dang...last year at this time it was high 60's-low 70's. I did still "enjoy" being out on the bike, especially because the air was crystal clear, which made for a very pretty ride. I decided to take a few odd photos, though...mostly the undersides of a few bridges and freeways that are above the bike path.

November 1, 2008

Solo Saturday since Karen is due to take off on her Starship trip sometime this morning. The road bike decided to take me up to Four Corners via Peitou. Man, I have not done hills for a long, long time. And with God as my training partner again, it was a tough little climb for me. Going up via Peitou is about 5 miles, all a gradual to not-so-gradual uphill. I didn't stop and rest going up, although I thought about it a few times when the wind blasted me as I rounded some of the corners. It was a nice accomplishment once I arrived at Four Corners. It was also sweet, because I passed four bikers also heading up the hill. Usually I am the one getting passed.

Had a bit of a break, then went down, this time via Cherry Hill. This way has much more of an incline, plus it is a shorter distance to the bottom. I actually stopped going down to give my braking hands a break. Once I got to the bottom of the hill, I just rode around on the streets for awhile. Short ride, but a pretty good workout. Doesn't get much better than this.

October 26, 2008

Oh, what a fun morning solo ride. Wasn't sure where I wanted to go, so the newly tubed road bike led me to the bike path, over the bridge, then right toward Daijia Wharf. I just missed the end of a fun run, which was good, because there were tons of people, but not like there would have been in the middle of the run.

Got onto the smooth part of the path and over at the wharf they were setting up rental bikes and very colorful canoes. Got off to watch for awhile, realized nothing was going to happen for an hour, so I rode on. When I came back, there was just 20 minutes to wait, so I hung around. Took some pictures, chatted with a young family whose kids had not been afraid to say hello to a foreigner. Finally, the loudspeaker announced it was time for the festivities to begin. Well, I guess that's what it said.

Probably 20 people were instructed in how to use the paddles, outfitted with life vests, and proceeded to get into their canoes and paddle off down the river. Fun to watch. (especially the Fire Department guys)

October 25

Today I did the River Loop ride with Karen P. Haven't done this ride for a long time. Nice to do something different. Not so nice to change a flat back tire. Man, am I slow at that! But, got it done, so Karen and I were free to continue training with God. Headwinds made Him our training partner today. And we enjoyed it by golly!

Weather Conditions: Some fine mist, some pretty blue sky, one full rainbow, some white clouds, some gray clouds, definitely wind in all directions. Temp 84°, 70% humidity, felt like 91°. C'mon fall...I am tired of being hot here.

Today's ride was somewhere around 23 miles. Don't know for sure because my computer is still not working all the time. I've talked to the guys at the bike shop three times, each time they look at it, spin the wheel, and pronounce it good to go. Guess I need to look at it myself. And boy oh boy, do I need to clean the bikes! I just never seem to have the ambition to do that, partly because as soon as they are clean, they get mussed up again from the gunk here. And partly because I don't have a good place to clean it, although since I moved furniture around again, I may be able to use the front balcony. I think there is even a hose out there. Guess that takes care of the place issue. Now to work on the laziness issue...

October 18

Solo Saturday past the Grand to the end of the path and back. Lots of people, lots of sunshine, lots of wind. Lots of up and down emotions for me. Nearly didn't go out because it had just rained here and gray clouds kept rolling in. Changed my mind about taking the road bike and went out on the good old Freeda. Turned out to be a very good ride, even though the wind made me work. Will NOT complain about that...I'm blessed to be able to go out on two wheels. Or two feet. Not so one of my good friends who is battling cancer. She has shown some progress, though, so hopefully after the final two rounds of chemo, the one remaining tumor will have also disappeared.

Karen P., her friend Bianca, and I had a nice ride from TAS to the end of the bike path past the Grand Hotel. Had to go around a barrier to get onto the next path that just goes for a short ways. Then it was onto the road, past concrete trucks, and onto the path again. This path is definitely not my favorite because it is made of bumpy tiles instead of half-smooth blacktop.

At any rate, we took this path to the end, then came back. Thought about taking the road back into Taipei, but Bianca said it was a super busy one. I stopped at the bike shop on the way to my apartment. Got new brake shoes, a bit of adjustment, but still no satisfaction with my intermittently working computer. I'll have to play with the magnet myself and see if I can get it to work all the time.

This turned out to be a pretty nice day in which to ride, even though we had some heinous headwinds every once in awhile.

Solo Sunday

A nice sunny, solo Sunday ride this morning. Out to Dadaocheng Wharf and back. It was equal opportunity day with near misses by a car, a scooter, and a bicycle. Really close on the bicycle near miss. I don't keep count of the number of times I have to swerve to miss bikers, walkers, scooters, or dogs on the bike path. I also rarely count the number of times I have to swerve to avoid people who decide red lights don't count for them when I'm out on the streets. That's just life in Taipei.

First October Ride

Not much to say here...rather an uneventful bike ride with Karen P. out past the Grand Hotel to the end of the bike path and back. It was nice to be able to get out and not have a typhoon keeping us inside.

On another note, I just sent an email to the Larry King Live show. I started watching it when I got back this morning. There were four participants discussing the VP debate. Well, discussing is a rather loose term. Mostly there were two panelists butting in when the other two were trying to make a point, and I found it very caustic and contentious. I found it to be so annoying that I changed the channel and decided to send a letter. Sheesh, if you have people on the show, let them speak! Each of them has a voice, they should be allowed to use it. And Larry decided to just sit back and let the loudmouths speak out over the other two. But then he does that a lot of the time. I'd love to see him try to control a classroom full of enthusiastic students.

Typhoon Heading Away

Slept fairly well last night, so apparently the winds weren't bad at all. I did wake up to a good downpour, and right now we have light blowing rain. Still a good day to stay inside. I'll probably venture out this afternoon or later this morning to have a look-see, and just to get out of the apartment.

May as well add the last video

It's short as well, but the trees are blowing around more than in the other videos.

YES YES YES

No school tomorrow. Gee, what will I do with myself? Well, now that I have been given a reprieve on needing to respond to reading journals, I think I'll upload another video. See if this one will show the coverings blowing away. Yep, had I been reaching out instead of shooting the video, I think I could have grabbed the closest piece. It's funny how tame the video makes things look. I also didn't take photos when it was really pouring and blowing, it was bad enough in the doorway when it was "tame."

We should continue to get pounded by Jangmi throughout the night, and right now the rain is a torrential downpour outside. Glad I'm in a cozy place.

Super Typhoon Jangmi Continues

It is nearly 6:00 pm, and I'm waiting for the local English radio hourly typhoon update. In the past couple hours it has gotten really hairy. I don't feel threatened by any part of it, but my lights have flickered a few times, and the new coverings (that were blown off by last year's typhoon) on part of the sports complex have been ripping and blowing off. I first noticed it when I heard a loud retort, much like a gunshot. Looked across the street, and yep, there they went.

Of course, I then had to go stand in my balcony doorway to get a few snapshots. I shot a couple videos, too. I've got the clips uploaded to photobucket, but that site is running so slowly that I won't post the videos tonight. Wait, maybe I'll see if I can upload to blogger...that would be a first for me.

My day was pretty productive. Made a great pot of beef stew...so yummy and fragrant. Finished grading the math journals. Still need to respond to some reading journals, but I'll put that off for awhile. See if we have school tomorrow or not, then I'll decide when or if to respond.

Quick update from the radio station: Gusts 227 kph, wind speeds 180 kph. Waves along the coast over four stories high. Airports closed. Bus flipped on its side from strong wind. Lots of localized flooding, signs down, etc. Bridges impassable, rock slides, parts of roads washed out, etc. 86,000 households without power, according to CNN. (You know it's a bad typhoon when CNN has coverage.)

Shoot...nothing about TAS being closed. Taipei will make the decision in the next hour or so. Yeah, that's what you told me an hour ago. C'mon, we lost a second weekend due to weather, give us the day off of school tomorrow. I'm not going to sleep anyway if the winds continue to batter my windows like they are right now, so I won't be that energetic anyway.

Well, it's not the most exciting video and you can't see the coverings fly away, but you can certainly hear the noise of the wind. And you can also see that I could barely hold the camera still. Pretty shaky.

Super Typhoon Jangmi

Looks like a good day to stay in the apartment and try to get some school work done.

Taiwan tv is showing videos of flooded areas and mudslides...probably in the mountains. No idea for sure since it's all in Mandarin and I don't recognize any of the areas. I bet our bike paths will be filled with debris for awhile.

Another Weather Related No Saturday Ride

The streets are still wet after last night's downpour. That wouldn't keep us off the bikes, but the wind is howling, so we're taking a day off. Again. On a Saturday. Again. Oh yeah, and we're watching the next typhoon. Again.

Short Ride Saturday

Wow, today was a very short ride. Solo, since Karen needs a tube replaced, Gretchen's back is bad, Karen is still undergoing therapy for her wrist, and who knows what Chen Li was up to! Short ride today because it was humid as heck and I didn't feel like sweltering, plus I had had some light treatment on my face last night, and I was a bit swollen. Thought I should stay home with ice. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Typhoon Gone?

Winds howled last night for HOURS, so the tin and plastic coverings of balconies in the back of my apartment kept up a cacophony of sounds, which had me tossing and turning most of the night. Right now it's calm and the rain has stopped. From what I can tell (as best I can from the Chinese news stations) that we aren't yet finished with Typhoon Sinlaku. Some of the mountains in northern Taiwan have been pummeled with over 1,000 mm of rain. Don't know how much Taipei got, but it started raining here on Friday night and continued all day and all night Saturday. Looking at tv right now, and it looks like Taipei must have gotten over 600 mm of rain. I'm perfectly content to remain inside the rest of the day...Youtube has some decent tv shows and I've got some paperwork to do. Maybe one of the bikes will get used this week before or after school.

Well, that didn't last long. Rain is here again.

Typhoon Sinlaku

Seems to be mostly tons and tons of rain for us, not sure what it has done elsewhere in Taiwan. We'll more than likely be inside all weekend, then get to go back to school on Monday.

Short Solo Sunday

Hmmm, strange how I had lots of energy yesterday, and not so much today. I had planned on doing some hill repeats up past the National Palace Museum, but I settled for the short donut (Jianaan Road) hill climb and back into Tienmu via the bike path and Chung Shan past the ACC. I did finally stop for a picture of the National Palace Museum from the hill...it is a more striking view in person, but I'm happy enough with this shot that I'm including it here.

Finally, a September Bike Ride

When I have to set the alarm to wake up for a Saturday morning ride, I wonder if it's worth it. I actually was hoping for rain this morning. But, it turned out to be a very nice morning, and a fantastic ride with Karen P. and Chen Li. We took off from school and decided to go up a hill. Not a big one, mind you!

Did the donut hill, then descended into Neihu, and rode over to the bike paths. After deciding we needed to extend our ride, we headed for parts left, walked up the elevator bridge, crossed the river, then headed home via the other side of the river.

I finally felt good and almost strong. Still coughing from being sick last weekend, but had lots of energy and the heat didn't fry me like it did the Saturday two weeks ago. I'm so happy this was a ride I enjoyed. Now I'm pumped to get back out and push myself.


Ya know, Taiwan does have it's moments, and today was no exception. We ran across a place along the bike path with some great looking flowers, AND the fountain was on at the dog park. Best part of that? No dogs.

The photos below are of Karen and Chen Li. Found some nice flowers along the bike path today, and the fountain at the dog walking park was on. If you look closely, you can see the Grand Hotel in the background.

Don't Tease Me, Russell!

At one point in our Skype conversation this morning, Russ mentioned that I could be going back to Nebraska sooner than my original plan. Bring it on...I'm ready.

Saturday Morning Ride

We decided to leave TAS at 6:30 yesterday, instead of our more established 7:00, in order to try and beat the worst of the heat. Since I had gotten overheated last week, I thought I'd try wearing a light cotton shirt instead of my ROC'n jersey. Mistake. I was early, so after I made a quick ride around the block, I ran back up to my apartment and put on proper bike clothes.

The air was so heavy with humidity that we could barely see the buildings across the river. I wasn't hopeful for a relaxing, fun ride. However, I was quite mistaken! Before Gretchen, Karen P., and I started out, two other new members of the TAS family saw us in front of school and came over to chat. After a bit of conversation and introductions, they decided to join us so we could show them how to get to the bike path. They stayed with us just to the "t" where the bike path splits. I'm hoping they will join us again, because one of the most fun things for me to do is to introduce people to the great biking in Taipei. Guess I'd better send out an all-school email and let people know we still explore on Saturday mornings.

Once the three of us got to Dadaocheng Wharf, we decided to stop in at Dante Coffee for a bit of a refueling. I very much enjoyed a wee pastry and a large frozen mango smoothie. Gave all of us enough energy to face the sea of humanity and the grueling sun on the way back home. Nah, it wasn't that bad.

Some days we get lots of waves and smiles. Yesterday was no exception. Seems almost everybody had to give us a morning greeting along with gigantic smiles. It was a lot of fun. Karen set a nice pace...we've decided (at least I have) that when the temp and humidity make the index over 100 degrees, that we need to slow our pace down. I'm looking forward to October when the temp is more humane.

Big OOPS. I've been reorganizing my photos on my computer and inadvertently deleted the photo with Gretchen, Karen, Tina, and Dan. Sorry guys! The one lone photo remaining of Saturday's bike ride is just a shot of colorful barrels from some sort of business near the bike path.

After School Ride

Nope, I didn't get up at 4:30 to ride with the early group, but I did get out after school. I got around 13-16 miles. Not sure because my computer went wacko. I had it wired to the back wheel last winter so I could use my trainer and count miles. Found out I hated the trainer, and the stand I park my bike on messed with the sensor so it was always out of adjustment. Stopped at Giant after a laborious ride out toward Dadaocheng Wharf and one of the nice young new helpers put the sensor on the front fork. Cost...about $1.50 US. Why would I do it myself for that price???

Traffic was whizzing this afternoon...one of the bad things about riding in the afternoon instead of in the morning. But at least I don't have to rush to get home in time for a quick shower and a bite of breakfast before heading to school. I only had a couple close calls...pretty typical for Taipei.

Today was rather nice because school was dismissed at 2:00 instead of our normal 2:30. (now don't go thinking them's all the hours we work, cuz we routinely work till 5:00, get to school before 7:00 am, take work home with us and work on the weekends)

Taipei was holding an air raid drill, which means all traffic stops, and nobody is allowed out in the city streets. School buses needed to run earlier in order to get the kiddos home. I got a bit of work done, visited with a former 5th grade student who will soon be on her way to a boarding school in Switzerland, and left school at 3:30. It was nice to be on the bike by 3:50. It wasn't nice because I had a bonker of a ride...sore muscles from Jillian's workout, plus not having had much lunch (not enough time) and the heat did me in again. At least I got out, and I expect the heat will improve day by day, so I won't have that excuse to whine before too long.

Bikejournal Blog

One reason I started blogging was to chronicle my bike rides. I've been logging my rides on bikejournal.com since 2004, and now I am blogging there as well. This is a new service that Sean is providing, and since it so very easy to write and add photos, I decided it was well worth $20 a year to remain a premier member.

Some of the forum threads and posts get to be a bit testy for me, so I'm not reading nearly as many as I used to. And I post very infrequently these days. But, I remain a member because of some very nice folks I've met in person or in cyber space. They make my visits to bikejournal fun.

My "not so very exciting to anybody but me and sometimes not even me" blog can be found by clicking on the "blog."

Olympic Coverage

I'm so pleased that Taiwan has had some television coverage of Olympic events, as they had none during the last winter Olympics. I've been especially riveted on the table tennis, badminton, Taekwondo, and tonight...synchronized swimming! Can my heart take the excitement???

Looks like it's all over...I'm watching what looks to be the closing ceremony right now. (in between working on setting up OneNote notebooks for anecdotal records.)

Bloody hot ride yesterday!

Yes, I like the blue sky. No, I don't like to ride in the sun in Taipei when the temperature is 95 degrees and the humidity is 49%, which makes the heat index 105. It feels hotter than that because of all the concrete and asphalt...not like in Nebraska where I ride in wide open spaces. Yesterday was a tough ride for me. Karen P. and I took off from TAS, and met up with Chen Li at Guandu.

Keeping up a pretty good clip, we rode around the Archaeological Museum and stopped at the Giant bike shop before heading back to Bali. I started feeling the heat just before we got to the wharf, so stopping for cranberry juice and Pocari Sweat was just what I needed. Once we rested, we took off again for home, but I couldn't keep the pace that Karen was setting. Heat was just too much, so I finally stopped, Karen and Chen Li came back and I told them to go on ahead. After that I stopped in the shade occasionally, and kept a slow, steady pace home. I didn't get overheated that way, and I recovered quickly when I got home.

Other than the heat, it was a nice ride. We're going to start going out at 6:00 am next week, though, to avoid some of the worst of the heat.

Karen and I saw this dead little critter just as we were turning a corner to get onto the bike path. I had to turn around and get a picture because we rarely see these things in this kind of condition. That's my cell phone beside it.



Karen and Chen Li in action on the bike path.



When it's hot and sunny here, nobody stops right at the intersections to wait for red lights. We all stop and wait far behind, wherever there is a hint of shade.

Small Update

Well, I am back in Taipei, but still recovering from jet lag and preparing for the new school year, so updates will have to wait. I've got to unpack the boxes from my old room into my new classroom today, and since there isn't much space, it looks like I'll need to bring a lot of the stuff home. Yep, looking forward to walking to and from school a dozen times with my bag lady cart in Taipei's heat and humidity. Ugh.

Update...NOT!

I've been having too much fun to do any updates to my blog...looks like that is going to have to wait until I get back to dreary old Taipei. Gotta run, my quilting is calling my name.