I stopped to talk to a neighbor on the way to the market. He complimented my new car and said, “all wheel drive?”. I responded, “why”. He said because of this. Continue reading “The Day After The Storm”
Tag: Daily Prompt
Waiting Out The Storm
Sitting at home riding out the first snow storm of the season. Not much going on to write about so again it’s looking back on one of my bike tours.
Day 1 Burlington VT to Plattsburgh, NY: 40 miles on the road and two ferry crossings
Sunday July 21, 2013, 40 miles (64 km) – Total so far: 40 miles (64 km)
As with every tour I take, the first day is long and we really don’t get the miles we expect for the amount of time we are on the saddle. For instance, we looked at doing 80 miles today by riding from Burlington to the Canadian border at Rousse Point then riding south to Plattsburgh. We decided to ease up and ride the bike way on the rails to trails route that took us on a causeway to South Hero. The causeway had a break where a bridge used to span the lake. Now there is a ferry that only accommodates 6 people and their bike for a $5 fee. The money is used to help the Burlington bike group Local Motion.
CLICK HERE for the full journal
Reminiscing. The Erie Canal Ride Day 3
Day 3: Medina to Fairport
Sunday July 15, 2012, 62 miles (100 km) – Total so far: 124 miles (200 km)
We arrived in Medina very late last night and had just enough time to set up camp before it got dark. The fire department directed us to a park at the far end of town that gave us a nice secluded campsite. The traffic on the road near our site was just enough to keep up awake most of the night. We all got some sleep, but not much.
Exactly The Same . Just Different
Play the music while your reading if you wish.
I have a few bike blogging friends who have been riding in the snow for a couple of weeks. I read their stories and shake my head thinking, I’m too old for that and really don’t feel like riding in snow. I tell people that I might if it snowed, but didn’t really mean it. Well, it snowed last night. Continue reading “Exactly The Same . Just Different”
Hanging Around For The Night.
We expect 200 plus monsters, ghouls, princesses, jedi warriors and hobos to be at our doorstep tonight. Wifey wanted some scary pictures of her acting as a witch but none of those seemed acceptable. I also did some close ups of Sue and the brook at the bottom of the street.
Tomorrow, Sunday I’ll be finishing my coffeeneuring challenge by riding my bike from the head of the East Bay Bike Path in East Providence R.I. to the Head of the Blackstone River Bikeway, in Cumberland, R.I. I have a few coffee shops from which to choose in downtown Providence.
Hunter’s Full Moon Bike Ride
I got a call that my niece’s football team was playing their final home match of the season. Also the team was celebrating senior night. A 5 PM start under a full moon made this a great night for a bike ride. There are a few Full Moon Fiascos going on around the country. If your not familiar with them it’s worth checking out. There are chapters in Chicago, Illinois, Sandpoint, Iowa, Spokane, Washington, St. Louis, Missouri and of course, Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Check the website for next months ride.
The stadium was around eight miles away from my home and there was a busy city between her town and mine. Fortunately I grew up in the city and knew every which way to avoid most of the traffic and still have a very direct route to the stadium. It was so direct that I got there an hour before the scheduled start. It was getting chilly and I was starting to Jones for some coffee. The nearest spot was a -11 around a mile away. Having done many long distance tours, it’s not a big deal to back track a few miles for trivial reasons. Coffee was not trivial which made back tracking a mile kind of a no brainer. It was a coffee stop but doesn’t qualify for my coffeeneuring challenge.
The Dartmouth girls team was far superior to their opponent from Fall River which gave the coach a chance to play the seniors who normally don’t get a lot of playing time. With the score 2-0 and Dartmouth in full control, the officials awarded them a penalty kick. All the regular players gathered around one of those seniors and told her to take the spot kick. It was incredible. No keeper in the world at any level could have made the save on this one. It reminds me of a quote by golfer Lee Trevino when he said, “Every golfer has professional shots in him. The only difference is that the pros do it regularly”. This day #24 for Dartmouth had a world class moment, and everyone loved it.
Riding to Coffee in Rhode Island.
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All the photos of today’s rider are HERE
The day began cool enough to dress like a bike riding chef from upstate NY. Well not that cold but you get the point.
It was 47 F when the ride began in East Providence R.I. this morning. The sun was shining and the wind was just a whisper. On the subject of the shining sun. It was 9 AM and I was riding east. All I could see was the sun and not the four people I almost rode into.
The East Bay Bike Path is a rail to trail conversion. It’s 16 miles from East Providence to Barrington, R.I.. When riding most rail to trail conversions, there is very little to see. Most were freight rails and towns are often quite a way off the trail. Much of the riding is on lonely dirt paths with miles and miles of nothing much. The East Bay rail road was a passenger rail that carried people to and from Providence for school, work, or connecting trains to New York or Boston and had stations in all five towns along the route. Main St. in all these places are no more than a block away.
Willie Wier , author and Adventure Cyclist has traveled all over the world on his bicycle. He set out to ride the KATY trail in Missouri a few years back. Hours and hours of riding on this trail and seeing no one really bothered him. One of the best things about bike touring is seeing things and meeting people. With that in mind, he got off the trail and did the rest of his week long bike ride on the streets and roads. Today I got off the trail on Warren R.I. in search of a decent coffee shop. While riding down Main St. I spotted a coffee shop with lots of activity. Even on this chilly day, the sidewalk tables were occupied. One thing I learned traveling is that good restaurants have full parking lots, and in this case, few available tables. I was pleasantly amazed when I entered the joint. It was very eclectic and looked very much like one of those men’s clubs you see on old movies. The Coffee Depot offered comfortable chairs, a library, and a counter from end to end filled with coffee shop goodies.
The Coffee Depot goodies section
The temperature rose to the high fifties and I was treated to the full colors of fall in New England during my 20 mile ride.
And the wildlife.
Newport R.I. Bike Ride on Sunday Oct. 25.
About this Sunday’s Ride
NBW #064 Newport Island Circuit Tour
Click here to print
Why this ride is special
- This is a new route of an old favorite, updated by Pete Rice, which is designed to keep us off busy roads and is especially suited to late fall and early spring rides. The short ride travels the famous Ocean Drive with its majestic bay and ocean views, and then continues up Bellevue Avenue past the mansions.
- The longer ride heads further up the island past Middletown’s farmlands and beaches.
- Larry & Sue Rollins will lead a beginners/new riders group on the 18 mile loop.
- Off Season – safer riding for cyclists
Towns & Villages we travel through
Newport – Middletown
Some of the landmarks we pass by
Fort Adams
Castle Hill
Ocean Drive
Bellevue Avenue
St Georges
Start:
- 10:00 AM Start
- Fort Adams
- The GPS address is 84 Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI
GPS Files – RideWithGps format (free to use)
- 19 mile route with 800 feet of climbing
- 29 mile route with 1400 feet of climbing
- GPS Instructions for Garmin Units at bottom of email in FAQ section
Back On The Road And Feeling Good
Source: Garmin Connect for today’s route.
I don’t really care about my average speed, but it is a good indication of improving fitness. Today was the last warm day for a while and I decided to get one more comfortable long ride under my belt. Tomorrow is movie day, so I doubt if I will get much of a ride in. Could happen, but probably not. I didn’t stop much on this 27 mile ride. I lost two miles on my Garmin trying to figure out again how this Touring one works.
I lost my Edge 200 which is nothing more than an expensive speed o meter. I do like it for long rides though. The Touring Garmin I own was used when I downloaded a gps route with turn by turn directions. The Edge will show up. I’m guessing when I clean the work bench in my bike shop which was nothing more than a junk draw all summer.
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Road Ride
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It’s my second time on the road bike since May and it feels good. I’m glad I didn’t sell old Gertrude. A friend asked if I was going to blog today’s ride. I said no, I was going to ride hard and make it a fitness ride. A point and shoot camera was next to the Garmin and as I was leaving, I grabbed both. Today was the first day that the fall colors were noticeable. Funny how one day everything is green and two days later the colors have burst like a Hindi Festival of Color.
Today’s ride was 27 miles at a moderate speed with a couple of photo stops. I couldn’t help myself. Not much to say about the ride except the sights were pretty groovy.
A Midnight Rider 