Commuting - what a day to commute: pt 1

so these were taken end of april on one of those beautiful spring days. your lucky instead of staring at my ugly mug the whole time my girlfriend meghan is the model for these shots.

of 200 photos these are the only real good ones.

about 3/4ths of the way into our commute when we pop on kelly drive things start to get nice (before that it was on roads with no real photo-ops)

first glimpse of centercity, our destination
http://forum.bikemag.com/photopost/data/500/DSC02898.JPG
http://forum.bikemag.com/photopost/data/500/DSC02900.JPG

boathouse row
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the art museum
http://forum.bikemag.com/photopost/data/500/DSC02943.JPG

and then heading home

out of centercity
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back on kelly drive path
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http://forum.bikemag.com/photopost/data/500/DSC02971.JPG

crew people looking like they are enjoying the day
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uh, we broke our boat or sumthin...
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continued in pt 2....

off the kelly drive path into wissahickon park (look at that climbing gear, who needs a singlespeed?)
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under a big bridge
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ANOTHER huge bridge
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and the climb out
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if you lived here you'd be home by now
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still climbing
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this final pitch can really get you on a bad day
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from there it is a mile to the house.

If you like, I can provide pictures of my thrilling ride, complete with garbage bag-lined streets, four gas stations, a McDonald's and five car dealerships.

*Sigh* enjoy that commute, Max. You are a truly fortunate commuter...

Great pics max.
Your g/f is wearing arm warmers (or long sleeve jersey) and leg warmers in the AM. Is it still that cold there?

I gotta remember to bring my camera some morning so BF folks can see some really "great" pics of Atlanta. :lol:

Hey max, can you ride the wissahickon tr w/a road bike, or is it smooth like the kelly dr path? I've never been on the wissahickon...

ron: she was wearing a heavier longlseeve jersey in the morning and a lighter one on the way home. i think it was in the low/mid 40's on the way in and mid 70's on the way home. perfect commuting weather!

tuckerton: we do... it is 90% baby butt smooth crushed gravel ith ocasional rocks and dips that can be easily avoided.

we both rock 28mm touring tires for daily commutes, but i have ridden it on real skinny road tires as well. i only ever had one sidewall blowout and it was my fault for pushing the tires too hard over one particular spot of rocky terrain.

i wouldn't hesitate to ride through on a roadbike just take it a little easier than you would on the road.

Hey max, can you ride the wissahickon tr w/a road bike, or is it smooth like the kelly dr path? I've never been on the wissahickon...
You should try it sometime; better yet continue on to the Forbidden Drive to Valley Green Restaurant, best ride in philadelphia, IMO.

Very nice pictures Max. Attached are some pictures I took when I was back in Phila. last Sept. I'll be back in May and June for my daughters graduation from Drexel and might ride my old haunts again.
Sure beats mucking around on a bike in Center City. Strawberry Mansion Bridge is my favorite in Fairmount park, but the stone Wissahickon (Suicide) bridge is pretty too.

Click on pictures to enlarge:
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/5294/bridge19md.th.jpg (http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bridge19md.jpg) http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/2921/bridge28do.th.jpg (http://img184.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bridge28do.jpg)http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/5832/wissahickon4og.th.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wissahickon4og.jpg)
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/6079/valleygreen2vo.th.jpg (http://img182.imageshack.us/my.php?image=valleygreen2vo.jpg)
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/2866/cityhall5yf.th.jpg (http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cityhall5yf.jpg)

How about a better pic of the girl friend? :)

You should try it sometime; better yet continue on to the Forbidden Drive to Valley Green Restaurant, best ride in philadelphia, IMO.

that what we do on the way home! out left is up wises mill right after the valley green restaurant!

i like to bike if you come to philly maybe i can meet you on my fixed gear and we can go ride??? ;) :p but seriously if your up for it let me know!

If you like, I can provide pictures of my thrilling ride, complete with garbage bag-lined streets, four gas stations, a McDonald's and five car dealerships.

*Sigh* enjoy that commute, Max. You are a truly fortunate commuter...

Do tell. We all enjoy seeing photos of others commutes.

Wow, that path looks deserted! Lucky you! In Toronto in nice weather any such path would be occupied by hundreds of cyclists, rollerbladers and walkers, most of whom would be, well, slow...

that what we do on the way home! out left is up wises mill right after the valley green restaurant!

i like to bike if you come to philly maybe i can meet you on my fixed gear and we can go ride??? ;) :p but seriously if your up for it let me know!
Sounds like a plan. I'll send you a PM. Maybe I'll be converted to the dark side. Or do I have that wardsback?

Do tell. We all enjoy seeing photos of others commutes.
Enjoy! My current commute; shoulder surface of river rock and stones is unsuitable even for my 622 (700C) x 47mm tires.