Thursday, May 25, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
Bike To Work Day
05-19-06_0723.jpg
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.
Today is National Bike To Work Day.
I got my stuff together last night so that I could roll out of bed and hop right on the bike. When I awoke and entered the bathroom to brush my teeth I could hear the sound of steady rain hitting the roof and gutters. Not that I'm afraid of riding in the rain but I was happy when I checked the radar and saw that the showers would be ending soon.
After getting dressed and grabbing the rain cape I fired up the Gaggia for a shot of espresso and headed out the door. The rain had stopped, but the roads were wet. Heading down Ilchester I can hit 50mph without much pedalling, but I took it a little easier this morning.
Wet roads and slick manhole covers on the curves can be scary at that speed.
Thistle is always a great climb and moreso early in the morning. It's long enough to get into a rhythm and never steep enough to reallly hurt. Plus, it feels and looks rugged with trees, rocks, and a tumbling stream being the only things lining the road.
At the top I headed over to Oella and worked my way to the No. 9 Trolley Line bike path. This is a cool little rail-to-trail path that climbs from old town Ellicott City up the bluff to Edmondson Ave.
Edmondson is a good road for commuting. It has a wide shoulder and pretty light traffic.
I cruised down Edmondson for a ways and then hung a right on Overbrook to cut over to Frederick Rd. Frederick takes a more direct route into the City. It gets a bit gritty, but is not bad until it becomes Pratt St. just West of downtown.
I usually hop on the Gwynns Falls trail before getting to the hood, but today I was running a few minutes late so I stayed on Pratt. It's a pretty nasty area with trash all over the place, potholes, boarded up homes, and junkies on the streets. Depressing stuff. There are plenty of people out and about so I feel safe, but I wouldn't want to stop and hang out.
Getting closer to downtown and the accompanying traffic I slotted into the flow of cars and rolled across town. Instead of heading directly to work I pedalled over to City Hall for the Bike To Work Day Rally.
The Rally was well done with plenty of volunteers and a lot of bike commuters milling about. There were T-shirts and other swag for everyone and a drawing for some kind of stuff. Caribou Coffee provided some damn good product and Whole Foods had a nice spread of pastry, bagels, and fruit. It gave me warm fuzzies to see all of the bike freaks out in a display of solidarity in our car-centric society.
I couldn't stay for the entire rally as I had to get over to the veggie-bacon factory where I work (at least that's what I tell Thor). I got the expected comments from my lazy colleagues as I walked onto the trading floor. Actually, I can't blame them for making fun of the lycra monkey suit. They're good people, but many of 'em are still fat, lazy, and completely fucking clueless with respect to the benefits of riding a bicycle. I can at least hope that they'll show some respect to cyclists knowing that it might be me out there on the road.
Well, it's time to get back to bacon production and mapping out a better route for the ride home.
Today is National Bike To Work Day.
I got my stuff together last night so that I could roll out of bed and hop right on the bike. When I awoke and entered the bathroom to brush my teeth I could hear the sound of steady rain hitting the roof and gutters. Not that I'm afraid of riding in the rain but I was happy when I checked the radar and saw that the showers would be ending soon.
After getting dressed and grabbing the rain cape I fired up the Gaggia for a shot of espresso and headed out the door. The rain had stopped, but the roads were wet. Heading down Ilchester I can hit 50mph without much pedalling, but I took it a little easier this morning.
Wet roads and slick manhole covers on the curves can be scary at that speed.
Thistle is always a great climb and moreso early in the morning. It's long enough to get into a rhythm and never steep enough to reallly hurt. Plus, it feels and looks rugged with trees, rocks, and a tumbling stream being the only things lining the road.
At the top I headed over to Oella and worked my way to the No. 9 Trolley Line bike path. This is a cool little rail-to-trail path that climbs from old town Ellicott City up the bluff to Edmondson Ave.
Edmondson is a good road for commuting. It has a wide shoulder and pretty light traffic.
I cruised down Edmondson for a ways and then hung a right on Overbrook to cut over to Frederick Rd. Frederick takes a more direct route into the City. It gets a bit gritty, but is not bad until it becomes Pratt St. just West of downtown.
I usually hop on the Gwynns Falls trail before getting to the hood, but today I was running a few minutes late so I stayed on Pratt. It's a pretty nasty area with trash all over the place, potholes, boarded up homes, and junkies on the streets. Depressing stuff. There are plenty of people out and about so I feel safe, but I wouldn't want to stop and hang out.
Getting closer to downtown and the accompanying traffic I slotted into the flow of cars and rolled across town. Instead of heading directly to work I pedalled over to City Hall for the Bike To Work Day Rally.
The Rally was well done with plenty of volunteers and a lot of bike commuters milling about. There were T-shirts and other swag for everyone and a drawing for some kind of stuff. Caribou Coffee provided some damn good product and Whole Foods had a nice spread of pastry, bagels, and fruit. It gave me warm fuzzies to see all of the bike freaks out in a display of solidarity in our car-centric society.
I couldn't stay for the entire rally as I had to get over to the veggie-bacon factory where I work (at least that's what I tell Thor). I got the expected comments from my lazy colleagues as I walked onto the trading floor. Actually, I can't blame them for making fun of the lycra monkey suit. They're good people, but many of 'em are still fat, lazy, and completely fucking clueless with respect to the benefits of riding a bicycle. I can at least hope that they'll show some respect to cyclists knowing that it might be me out there on the road.
Well, it's time to get back to bacon production and mapping out a better route for the ride home.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Mountain Biking Ethos
I'm working on a Lodi post, but until then this photo pretty much captures the spirit of the thing.
George raced in the Solo class. He had just finished his last lap and was enjoying some chocolate milk before cracking open a beer. The dude exemplifies the mountain biking ethos. No word on where he got the prom dress or what kind of chamois he was running.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Havin a good time...here today
With family in town yesterday I took the day off to spend time with them. Work pays the bills, but there are many more important things in life.
The highlight of the day was getting to take Thor to swim lessons. He loves playing in the pool and is getting comfortable with the concept of buoyancy. Next up is blowing bubbles. I think he'll be swimming by the end of the year.
In the afternoon my father-in-law and I built an enclosure for my compost pile...exciting shit, I know...but it was actually a lot of fun. A compost pile is a great way to brew up some organic matter for the lawn and garden. I'd much rather use the compost than dump a bunch of chemicals on the ground. We've been tossing coffee grounds, grass clippings, as well as fruit and veggies from the kitchen on the pile. It's decomposing quickly, kicking off heat and producing some dank soil...mmmmmm.
I also got out on the mountain bike for an hour and a half. My legs were pretty sore from a solid block of riding so I took it easy and enjoyed the mild temps and sunny skies. I'm going to be suffering at Lodi, but ya gotta start somewhere.
145 days until the first cross race so there's still time to find some legs.
Some static started in the pool hall...
When I lived in the city...
There was a pack of rats living in the alley.
Dogs wandered the neighborhood crapping on the sidewalk.
The bums dug through the trash cans & pissed on the side of the building.
Neighborhood robberies & burglaries were a weekly occurence.
I had to pack up the car and drive 15 minutes to get to the mtb trails.
Now that I live in the 'burbs...
There's a family of foxes living in the back yard.
Deer wander the neighborhood eating flowers.
The groundhog out back digs in my compost pile.
I can leave the garage door open and the doors unlocked.
I can ride my mtb 2 minutes and be on the trails.
I enjoyed my time in the city, but I'm a lot happier now.
