Trike on Ice
Dec. 10th, 2007 07:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
susanstinsonEverything was glazed with ice today.
The first winter I had the trike, I was nervous about riding in the road, and tried to stick to the sidewalks. Since I had walked everywhere in all seasons before that, I was used to the fact that sidewalks are often poorly shovelled, slippery or not shovelled at all, but, on a trike, that could stop me cold. Riding in the road is so much better, even on a day like today.
But, getting on the bike path was a bit rough. I tried to go as fast as I could to get up the little hill at the entrance, but I found myself still on an incline with my wheels spinning with no traction on totally smooth ice. I tried to get off and walk it, but it was too slippery. The trike slid backwards, just a little, which was worrying, but then I kicked at the ground with my feet and got to a spot where a public works truck must have driven the path and crunched up the ice a little in its very swervy path. The path was flat by then, and, with lots of extra effort, I could keep moving. It's a steep and very icy short hill off, and then the road is unplowed for a ways, so I walked up most of that. The plow came by on the bike path right after me, putting down salt.
On the way home, I had trouble getting back on the path. The short, steep hill (it's like a ramp) was totally glazed with ice. I had to hold onto the posts that are there to keep people from driving onto the path, and skitter to the side where there were leaves in the ice that were frozen in rumply shapes that gave some traction. Once I got there, I was able to push the bike up the hill, and the path was completely clear down to the asphalt, from the salt and rain. The whole ride home was easy, so much of the ice had melted fast.
It cleared my head for writing. Plus, I got milk.
The first winter I had the trike, I was nervous about riding in the road, and tried to stick to the sidewalks. Since I had walked everywhere in all seasons before that, I was used to the fact that sidewalks are often poorly shovelled, slippery or not shovelled at all, but, on a trike, that could stop me cold. Riding in the road is so much better, even on a day like today.
But, getting on the bike path was a bit rough. I tried to go as fast as I could to get up the little hill at the entrance, but I found myself still on an incline with my wheels spinning with no traction on totally smooth ice. I tried to get off and walk it, but it was too slippery. The trike slid backwards, just a little, which was worrying, but then I kicked at the ground with my feet and got to a spot where a public works truck must have driven the path and crunched up the ice a little in its very swervy path. The path was flat by then, and, with lots of extra effort, I could keep moving. It's a steep and very icy short hill off, and then the road is unplowed for a ways, so I walked up most of that. The plow came by on the bike path right after me, putting down salt.
On the way home, I had trouble getting back on the path. The short, steep hill (it's like a ramp) was totally glazed with ice. I had to hold onto the posts that are there to keep people from driving onto the path, and skitter to the side where there were leaves in the ice that were frozen in rumply shapes that gave some traction. Once I got there, I was able to push the bike up the hill, and the path was completely clear down to the asphalt, from the salt and rain. The whole ride home was easy, so much of the ice had melted fast.
It cleared my head for writing. Plus, I got milk.