My Garmin Edge 1030 crapped out a couple of weeks ago (screen lifted and then it just stopped working and contributed to getting lost at the last gravel race). Garmin was really good about exchanging the device with no questions asked and at no cost. It's kind of a pain to get it all set up, so I had procrastinated on replacing it when the screen first lifted.

When the replacement unit came in, I spent some time getting it charged up, then synced to my Garmin Connect account. There were a couple of massive software updates that took what seemed like an eternity. Then synced it to my phone, set up my data fields, installed Garmin IQRidewithGPS. The last step was to sync it with the power meter on the gravel bike.

And it all went without a hitch! Looking back, there must have been something wrong with the first 1030 from the start. It had trouble syncing with my phone, kept losing the power meter, etc. Anyway, call me happy about that.

Worked in the office until 3. With the time change it was already getting shadowy out. Matt from the lbs had texted and said he needed to order a couple of parts to switch the new wheels from the Fuse to the Chisel, so if I wanted to just take the bike and ride it with the stock wheels, that was fine. He also gave me a price quote which worked out really nicely. The Chisel had a tiny scratch in the paint which he pointed out --- guess he bumped it into something when it was unboxed. It was such a small blemish that I probably would not have noticed it, but it was enough for a little bit of discount.

Went over to the church trails and rode some laps. It's such a nice day that there were at least 9 cars in the parking lot and lots of people walking on the trails. It was almost crowded and I kept having to navigate around families with small children. It was great to get out. The new bike is very light and nimble and just sails over logs/obstacles.

Steve left for Florida to spend a week working at the condo. It really needs an overhaul but right now he just wants to fix little things and when we have more time, we'll tackle the major stuff. He found that some of the blinds were broken and was miffed that the rental manager didn't report that to us. That's part of why he's planning to interview different managers this week. The current firm just isn't doing a very good job for a variety of reasons.

I worked in the office for about half the day and then from home. Stopped by the bike shop and paid for the new wheelset on my mountain bike. It's a Specialized Fuse, a trail bike, and built like a tank. I've come to the conclusion that it's a great bike but too heavy for me. It comes in close to 30 pounds and is just too stretched out. Jeremy at the shop suggested that I take a look at the Chisel, which is an XC bike. It's aluminum but super light. They let me take it over to the lake trails. The trails are dry and leaf covered so no worries about muddying the bike up. Loved it! Floated over roots and up hills and around corners. I think I'm going to trade bikes.

Had a bike board meeting last night. It started at 7 and ran until 9. With the time change, it felt like I was up late into the night. Some of the old farts on the board need to just give it up. There was way too much arguing about stuff that doesn't matter.

Ugh, this time change...the cats don't know they're supposed to sleep for another hour so they were pacing and crying at 3:30 a.m. Went ahead and got up and fed them. We drove over to Hannibal to visit Katie and her family -- it was super cold and windy so we had to stay indoors most of the day.

Went to a social ride hosted by the local mtb group --- it was great to be around some people I hadn't seen in a long time and especially to meet some of their kids. We did some easy laps on the church trails, and I rode a couple of obstacles that have been too intimidating in the past. Watching others ride and then following their line was very confidence-boosting.

In the evening, Steve and I made a fire in the fire pit out on the driveway and set up a table for the trick or treaters. This was kind of the norm in our area, since ringing doorbells was discouraged. I have to say we had a really good time sitting outside and actually got to talk with some of our neighbors this way.

The house next door is probably going up for sale soon. There was an elderly man who lived there and he passed away earlier this year. His kids had an estate sale there today and told us that almost all of the furniture was sold. They were pretty emotional about it, it's tough to see your parents' belongings being parceled out.

So over this project. It's due on November 4th, so just a few more days of this.
Went to meet Steve and his friend Larry at Chipotle for lunch today, only to find that they've reverted to takeout only. Illinois' Covid is rising and the governor has been threatening to lock things down again, but this must have been some kind of corporate mandate.

Locally, our mayor is following the example of other communities and saying that he won't use police to enforce the coming ban on indoor dining. There's been a lot of pushback from the restaurant industry on this, with many stating that if they are shut down again, they will go out of business, so they are going to just go ahead and remain open.