There was never any doubt that I would ride to the fitness center today. As soon as I left my driveway, my professor friend from Mass Maritime detoured off the bike path where he was walking his dog, to berate me for riding my bike in the snow. He was aghast that not only was I riding in the snow but also that my tires were not knobby. I reminded him that he does not ride bikes so his opinion about riding in the snow had no merit.
There is a prediction of a foot of snow tomorrow so I’m predicting that riding my bike will again go on hold. However……… I just might install my studded tired tonight. It won’t do me any good on the unplowed MUP, buticy route 6 will be fine with the studs.
Sudden Shifts Sudden shifts in weather can occur at the beach for sure. But they can also happen riding a bike three days after a blizzard. Soft snow, icy footprints, crusty snow and pavement can make for some challenging bicycle riding. But if you bike, you know it’s also fun.
The footprints and bike tracks are all mine and my dogs. The tire tracks are my neighbors quad.
MUP is an acronym for Multi Use Path. The one I use is a Rail to Trail converted alternate route into town. If the path is not clear, the only way to town is on US Rt. 6. A four lane highway with a posted speed of 40 MPH. Most drivers exceed 50 and approach 60 MPH since the road was newly paved in the fall.
I decided to get studded tires for my bike this winter because the town doesn’t clear this path of snow, and no one on rt 6 clears their sidewalks. Those two things force bikes and pedestrians onto a state highway to get to the town center.
Today I rode the MUP to the gym and the coffee shop. The terrain was a mix of ice, crusty snow, blacktop and 5″ deep soft snow. I had to stop three times and walk when I hit the soft snow. The one mile ride was a pretty good leg workout and warm up for my time in the gym. After the workout I stopped in the Flower Girl Baking Company for a good cup of coffee and a really light and delicious slice of quiche.
Flower Girls Baking Company in Fairhaven. You gotta try the quiche.
On the return trip I avoided riding on the path and took my chances on RT 6. It’s two lanes in each direction and I took 1/3 of the lane forcing cars to go around and not squeeze me into the embankment. It worked out fine with every vehicle moving to the passing lane as they drove by me. Today I got to ride a little ebony and a little ivory.
Below is the example of sudden shifts in the terrain while riding my bike. (Having fun).
This one is a humdinger in the making. The call is for 12-15 inches with high winds and heavy wet snow. I’m hoping the temperature drops into the 20’s to make the snow much lighter. This storm is predicted to last 24 hours with more snow coming later in the week. I am fond of saying that things like this are just a weather event until people are added into the equation. Then it becomes a catastrophe. Continue reading “The Blizzard of 2016”→
Live to Eat
Lots of physical activity, especially bike riding, keep me from turning into a blown up tic from eating too much.
When I ride the MUP (Multi Use Path) there is one spot that always gives me a ever changing view of itself. There is so much activity on the salt marsh if we pay attention. As I rode by on my newly studded tires the ducks called to me. They were really warning each other that I was around, but I take it as a compliment.
The path was quite a mixed terrain ride today. Icy tire tracks, deep-ish snow, blacktop and mush. Today was my first day on studded tires, and frankly it kind of knocked the stuffing out of me a few times. I had to buy the tires separately which gives me 200+ studs on the front and 75 studs on the rear tire. When I hit some of the deeper snow, (about three or four inches) the back tire would slip and slide making me tense up and struggle to keep upright. I was able to force myself to keep pedaling through the more natural thing of taking my foot off the pedal anticipating a fall. The sliding made it very difficult to hold any kind of a line in the tire tracks which seemed more like the side to side down hill skiing than bike riding. Continue reading “Winter Has Settled In”→
We got a pretty good snow storm yesterday. Naturally I had to drive to the airport so the kid could fly back to his 70 degree weather in Austin. Also both studded tires arrived this week and the storm couldn’t have been more opportune.
Putting on the tires was a frustrating task. Both fought back with every stud, but I finally got them installed. All this work took place in between football games. The English Premier League takes up most of my Saturday mornings. It’s not very good football, but it’s fun to watch. I did a fair share of profanities not only from the studded tires, but also the games. My wrist hurts from struggling with that last few inches of the tire install, and my ankle hurts from stomping on the floor when one of the teams I decided to support today, played stupid.
Studded Tires Installed on the Marin.
I decided to take the dogs for a walk before the inaugural studded tire ride and when I looked down the street the first thing that came to mind was, “Dam you, DPW. They did a great job prepping the streets before and clearing the streets after the snow. First time ever by the way. Last year it took weeks to get the streets down to pavement. Dam DPW. I’m going to bitch. I have a six mile ride into the city tomorrow for Yoga and am hoping that New Bedford keeps their low standard of clearing the roads in tact.
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”→
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”→
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Symmetry.”
Cover Photo. Many of the area homes have ice sculptures of varying size and shapes.
As always, click any photo for big. Click again for bigger
She looks both intrigued and proud. Below is why.
The past week was a meet the parents holiday. Brandon and his lady Janae, traveled from Austin, Texas to Fairhaven, MA (which we now call Alaskachusetts), just in time for the second major blizzard to hit the area. Because there was so much snow from the previous storm, we were running out of places to put new stuff. Janae was in awe of her man looking like he was working in a coal mine. Little did she know that this storm dumped a foot of new powder that was no heavier than fairy dust.
Taking a break
A note about my recent postings.
Most of my musings are bike riding and bike touring posts. Being snow bound allows me to take online courses to help make my writing, photos and videos better and more interesting. The Daily Post does a weekly photo challenge that suggests a theme for participants.
As always, click any photo for big. Click again for bigger.
Snowstorms, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, floods and stuff like that happen all the time. These are just part of nature and are no big deal. Until of course when humans are added to the equation. Then these natural phenomenon become disasters.
The past two weeks of blizzards and daily snow squalls for a while seemed like disasters. Now however, people have realized that although there is a lot of snow around, it’s really not causing much havoc. The roads are clear, the supermarkets have plenty of milk and bread. Gas is plentiful and it’s winter break for the schools.Now when we are walking or driving, it’s like being in a maze. Check out some of the astonishing Boston photos below by clicking the link.
Icicles are the norm
Even the dogs like to look at the snow
Life is pretty much back to normal within a few hours of a blizzard. Because the temperature is so cold, the snow is very light. Kind of like fairy dust. It’s easy to plow and shovel. The only problem is that there is no longer any room to put what gets plowed and shoveled. Cities have resorted to trucking the snow to open spaces and rivers.
A Midnight Rider 