Today was my last ride on my Felt road bike.  Sunday Sue and I begin our two month road trip. Coincidently we have a friend moving back to this area from out of state who was looking for a place while they house shop.  Things worked out great for both of us.  We are leaving on Sunday morning and they are expected “sometime” Sunday.

Today was also my last session of PT for my tennis injury.  I pulled a muscle in the back of my head hitting an overhead volley.   I never knew this existed until I hurt it. It hurts back 10 times as bad.

We will be spending the next two days getting the RV ready.  By ready I means converting our vehicle into a tiny house and all the stuff that makes it a house. Clothes, pots and pans, pot, non perishable food etc.  You know what’s needed. Both of our utility bikes are tuned up and ready.  The RV is small enough, 23 feet, that we don’t need to bring along a car.  It’s about the size of the bus you would see at the senior center. 

Our two dogs, Lucy and Owen will be with us, but midnight the cat will be staying with a friend.  We will be in touch from the road.  First stop.  Pittsburgh.

It was raining at daybreak but the forecast was for clearing by sunrise.  We stuck with our plans to drive to Newport, R.I. for a ride around the beaches and the mansions.  We also did a quick jaunt through Fort Adams, best known for being the sight of the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals.

We left the car at Bike Newport which is on Facebook HERE.  Bari the big cheese, directed us to free parking which is very much at a premium in Newport in the summer.  It’s good to have “people”. It felt like Jason and I did more stopping than riding.  So often one of us said, “stop here, I want to get a photo”,  or in my case, video.  In Newport, on a bike, you kind of have to force yourself to keep riding and forgo some pictures, or at the very least, try to take them on the fly.

Newport is definitely a destination for both the casual and serious bike rider.  The area is bike friendly enough for both styles to ride the same routes and on the same roads.  Just listen for “on yer left” and you will be fine.

Newport with Jason from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

EBBP with the Fall River Gang from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

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Bike Ride Sunday, August 13th, on East Bay Bike Path

Meet at 7:45am – ride starts at 8am

Parking lot off of Route 103 in Warren RI, right after Del’s Lemonade

Ride is perfect for both beginners and regular cyclists. We will ride south to Colt State Park, this part of the ride will be about 10 to 12 miles total. Of course cyclists can choose to shorten the ride and return to their vehicle.

Part of the ride is expected to be on-road in a quiet section of Bristol. After traveling to Colt State Park the group will ride back to the parking lot in Warren. Some riders will continue north towards Providence.

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Mountain bike ride through the bioreserve on Tuesday August 15th.

Meet at 5:45pm – ride starts at 6:00pm promptly
Location: Meet at the intersection of Riggenbach Rd. and Wilson Rd. Parking on Riggenbach Rd.

This ride is all on road, but some of the roads are in sorry shape and have not been maintained in 50 years or more.
This means that you will need a mountain bike. It is doubtful that road bikes will survive some of these roads.
The Route: We will travel down Wilson Rd., across the causeway to Blossom Rd. Up Yellow Hill Rd. Left on Indian Town Rd. left on Copicut Rd. Left on Bell Rock Rd. and back to Wilson Rd. Total distance is 12 or 13 miles.

Extra items needed:  bug repellent, lights would also be helpful as sunset is earlier with each passing day.

Rain cancels the ride.

My neighbor Jay wanted to go for a ride after a long hiatus from biking.  (A few months). I had to retrieve my RV to load up for a long road trip.  It was stored 23 miles away and it was mostly country back roads to get there.  The day also offered near perfect weather to ride.  So we did.

Ride to Berkley with Jay from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

I got an invitation for an off road, (sort of) bike ride. It was on roads that hadn’t been maintained for around 50 years. Once there I recognized it to be a place that in my high school days, 68-69, we drove around when we skipped school. Some pot, some co ed’s and a driver. Who could ask for more?

The post highly recommended mountain bikes. Me being such a big shot, I figured I could get by fine with a hybrid and 700×33 tires. To keep it short, I rode OK but very slow, mostly in order to stay upright. I felt a little bad that I slowed everyone on their mountain bikes down quite a bit. In the video, you can see how the roads deteriorated as we biked.

I offered to make them internet stars and all was forgiven. I also learned how difficult it is to film on such bad roads. Not that I’ll ever do this ride again. Unless of course a great deal on a used mountain bike magically appears. Could happen.

Fall River Bioreserve from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

A few years ago at the Buddy Guy concert a 12 year old kid from New Bedford asked to play his guitar for Buddy in his dressing room before the concert. Buddy Guy ended up bringing him on stage and the 12 year old matched licks with him. He has since played with all the greats including BB King, Clapton, Guy, Bonamasso just to name a few.
His latest video was filmed in the same places I do my videos. Maybe if your a follower of my stuff, you will recognize some of those places. If not, simply enjoy the work of this now 18 year old guitar player who is now one of the greats he idolized just a few short years ago.

Below is the list of published rides. There is usually a late entry for a local weekend ride or two. Check back later in the week and those will be listed.

Wednesday:

Buzzards Bay Casual Ride.

Meet at Moby Dick Brewing across from the New Bedford YMCA for a 9 mile ride around the peninsula. If you prefer to double the miles, meet me at Staples on RT. 6 in Fairhaven for a 5:30 start.

Friday

Music on Pier 3 in New Bedford.

Meet at Staples in Fairhaven for this easy 4 mile ride to Pier 3 just over the bridge.

The anticipation for this weeks performers, the World Premier Band, has been building for weeks. I hear they are a must see band.  Beer, wine and food will be sold at the event, but if you have panniers on your bike like I do………

Sunset Ride

Evening/Sunset ride on the East Bay Bike Path on Friday 8/4/17.

Date: Friday 8/4/17.
Location: EBBP off Rt 103 near Del’s Lemonade.
Time:
Arrive: 5:45PM
Departure: 6:00PM promptly
Sunset: 7:59PM
Distance is flexible.
Rain cancels the ride.
We will ride toward Providence till we decide to turn around.
Bikes should have adequate lighting.
Bring water, snacks, cameras and anything else you might want or need.
Helmets are highly recommended.

Saturday

– NBW Cafe Ride

Weather permitting
East Bay Bike Path – from Fort Hill to Bristol Bagel and back (27 miles)
Leaves Fort Hill Parking Lot at 9:00 AM
Contact John Nery for more details

Sunday

The Narragansett Bay Wheelmen do a large club ride every Sunday. This week they are in Glocester, RI offering 30-45-69 mile options. It’s titled the Hill and Gully, a spectacularly scenic and challenging ride through magnificent rolling countryside, including two high open ridges with unsurpassed views and long descents.

CLICK HERE to visit the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen page.

Many groups were represented in today’s Fort to Fort ride.  It’s one of the favorite area casual rides.  It’s an 18 mile round trip from Fairhaven, MA into and around the peninsula of New Bedford, MA.  The weather couldn’t have been better offering a sun shining, 80 degree, low humidity morning.

For the third time this season, we managed to stumble upon  a triathlon.  We did manage however, to share the roads gracefully with the event, and it was nothing but smiles from both groups.  The ride also included a 12 mile extension to Ned’s Point light in Mattapoisett.

Be sure to check out Brian’s photos after watching the video.

Fort to Fort 18 mile ride. July 30 2017 from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

Wednesday Night Causul, July 26, 2017 from John Sullivan on Vimeo.