Riding the South Coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Author: capejohn
A bike riding footie fan living and riding in SouthCoast towns of Massachusetts.
My bicycle rides include commuting, day trips as well as long and short tours.
Find me online
https://amidnightrider.com/
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/my/?o=1mr
https://www.facebook.com/john.sullivan.79677471
The New Bedford, MA. Starchasers took part in the Cranksgiving food drive by bike. Many communities around the country participate in this annual event. How it works is listed in the video description, when you watch on youtube. Ten of us collected 280 lbs of food to donate to the local hunger commission.
Cranksgiving is a food drive on two wheels. Part bike ride, part food drive, and part scavenger hunt. All you need is a bike, a bag, and a lock!
The ride will make stops at selected grocery stores around the South end of New Bedford. Everyone will have a list of non perishable items(the scavenger hunt part), that are best for distribution to the hungry. Go in the store, buy a couple of things, put them in your bag or backpack, and move on to the next store. Buy as much or little as your little heart desires. There may be a turkey on a bike.You will know it when you see it. Feel free to wear you own costume. Or not.
We were expecting 12-15 riders. Thirty one showed. Because of Covid 19 restrictions, we split the group. The faster riders lead the way followed by those not so fast. Three meet up places on the route were set to take a head count and confirm the directions for the next leg.
Everyone had a great time and are looking forward to next months, Bakery to Bakery ride.
The bike ramp exiting the NB/Fairhaven bridge.
Public: Hosted by Buzzards Bay Coalition
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2020
Meet at Staples in Fairhaven 17 Plaza Way. Fairhaven MA
9:45 for a 10AM wheels up.
A casual 16 mile ride mostly on bike paths and lanes. Roughly 10% will be on quiet streets. A brief historical talk will be given at Fort Rodman, Fort Taber and Fort Phoenix. (Two or three minutes at each location).
This is a casual ride along the Phoenix Bike Path and the center of Fairhaven. We will pass some of the historic sites before crossing the NB/Fairhaven bridge via the south sidewalk. The new ramp will take us off the bridge to the bike lane on Memorial Dr. to the south end of New Bedford.
The Joseph Saulnier bike path will take us around the peninsular with brief stops inside the Fort Rodman/Fort Taber complex. The route will continue along East Beach and make the assent to the elevated Harbor walk taking everyone to the gates of the hurricane barrier.
It’s then a short ride over the bridge again
into Fairhaven and a visit to Fort Phoenix. A two mile ride on the Phoenix path will take everyone back to Staples, giving a total of 15.7 easy scenic miles.
I had a basil cell cancer removed from my shin last week. Shin? Yea shin. The Doctor had to dig deep, twice, to remove all the cancer. The wound ended up so large, he had to cut a piece of skin out of my leg to close the wound. In addition to sutures, staples were needed to secure everything.
I didn’t get a good look at his work till yesterday when I was forced to remove the original bandage. The staples looked like a ladder going up a water tower or something.
I never had so many shots of numbing stuff for the doctor to do his thing. Also, there was never any pain. Some discomfort, but that’s about it. Everything is good and I’m back to normal.
I had to procedure done on the 19th. Weather permitting, tomorrow the 30th, will be my first ride since then. (p.s it rained buckets all day and turned to snow late afternoon).
Recently I was hired to lead monthly rides by a local conservation, research and advocacy group. My first is a ride I have lead a few times. The Fort to Fort ride. On a good day, it draws riders from a few local groups. Biking had exploded around here the past few years. The Pandemic added a lot of new riders, who do not yet feel comfortable riding in casual groups. Over time, some will join us I’m sure.
For now, I will be good to get back in the saddle.
Please join us for a nine-mile round-trip bike ride on the Phoenix Bike Trail through Fairhaven. View the beautiful scenery of salt marshes, forests, and local neighborhoods.
The ride will roll from the trail’s start at Main and South streets. Public parking is available on local streets in the area and at Fort Phoenix State Reservation, which is less than a mile away. If you live nearby, you can plan to ride to the start!
We will be following the state’s guidelines for social distancing, so please remember to bring a mask as well as your helmet, bike and water bottle. If you have a bike light, you should bring that, too, as the sun will be setting as we return.
Whenever I’m on my bike, I always peruse the landscape for interesting things to video. Much of my shots are all about nothing really. It’s just 2-4 second snippets that I keep in a folder for those times I need a short transition video, or a jpg shot.
Yesterday, I ended up at the local, (New Bedford, MA), zoo which has won a few awards for it’s humane care taking of the animals. All of which have been abandoned by individuals or have been shipped here out of necessity. None are purchased from poachers or trappers.
Some of the larger animals are quite old. Ruth and Emily, the two elephants especially so. Years ago, the trainers would walk Ruth and Emily a couple of blocks to the local Dunkin Donuts take out window between 11 PM and Midnight. There the staff would greet them with a couple of donuts that had been on the shelf too long and some hot chocolate. It was always a sight to see. When they are gone the zoo will transform the elephant exhibit to rhinoceros.
Zombies have breached the perimeter of the “Safe Zone”, wreaking undead havoc on the Intergalactic Posifunkitude! Welcome to New Deadford, the city that lights the future. It’s up to The New Bedford Starchasers to jump dimensions to a post-apocalyptic Earth and save humanity from the hoards of the living dead in “Operation Hallowheels: Ring the Bells – a New Deadford Story!”Hallowheels is our annual Halloween costume party on wheels!
Join us for an evening of games, music, and spooky hijinks! Then, stay for snacks and a not-so-scary movie (presented by the Midnite Romero Society) on the roof deck at Play Arcade!This is an 8-light year mission, flying at the speed of funk, is free, open to the public, and cosmically inclusive. Costumes and masks are required. All human-powered and assistive vehicles are welcome! See Less
As always. Click any photo for big. Click again for bigger.
I continue to do my faux commutes daily. Ten miles in the morning and again in the evening. When evening turns to nighttime I’m happiest. You see, most of the group rides that I participate are at night. The full moon rides, the Starchasers and Providence Bike Jam (soon to be started again), are my regulars. Riding around town at night is very relaxing, and some nights all I hear is the sounds of nature. It’s amazing how many critters, large and small are active in the suburbs.
Because of the scarcity of bike events, much of my photography and videos lately are generic B-Roll shots. I had intended to do classic techniques such as, reveals, pans, wide to closeup and static shots, but alas, mother nature is offering up some much needed heavy rains over the next couple of days. After typing this, I just got some ideas of B-roll rain shots. It pays to think out loud.
Also, I filled out my ballot and tomorrow I will deposit it in the town drop box. I understand that all the absentee ballots and mail in ballots will have been counted by the time the polls close in Massachusetts. With all the chicanery going on, don’t we all wish every state did that?
A Midnight Rider 