Advocacy & Safety - Nature

If I am posting in the wrong category, like a man in the women's room, please understand that the facilities will still suffice.

:eek:

Er, anyway, "Nature," take two...

Uh, has anyone noticed that cycling makes one more aware of, "Nature?" You know, that thingy that sort of is everywhere, that doesn't shout but whispers it's beauty to anyone who will listen?

Does anyone know what in the "nature world" I'm talking about?

:)

Absolutely. Regular readers of this forum will know, of course, about the meteorologists in Southern Queensland raving about the "unusually hot summer" that we've had to date (although it seems to have taken a week or so off). Regular readers of this forum will also know that I exclusively predicted this back in September (about 2 months before anyone else realised) by watching the flame trees bloom a couple of months early. I still don't believe this was a mere coincidence.

When I told someone I would rather live in the cool, wet, green Pacific Northwest than in the southwestern desert, she said that she actually preferred Phoenix, which is "comfortable because you're always either in a swimming pool, an air-conditioned building, or an air-conditioned car." So much for nature contact ...

Naturally. Its one of the best parts of riding!!:D

Riding the same route every day, you can see the seasons change. Its a great way to see animals and birds as well, they dont scare as easily.
When I lived in London I once went 2 weeks without seeing a tree. When I travelled by bike I used the canal paths and cycled through the marshes of east London. Even in the middle of the city, there were kingfishers and heron. Right now there are some very rare Bittern.
In the midle of my town I have ridden at night with fox and badger for company.

Not all of the Pacific Northwest is cool and green, we have DESERTS here too! In fact of all of the climatic zones in the world, I believe there are twelve in all, Washington State has all but two- Tropical Rain Forest and Arctic Tundra!
I don't want people to think we're monoclimatic here!

Ride in all Climates
Pat

I feel that driving is to cycling, like cycling is to walking. I mean this in such a way that when walking, you notice everything. Every crack in the sidewalk, every ant, every smile from the front porch, nothing goes unnoticed. I certainly enjoy my bike rides around town and to work, but nothing beats a walk to enlighten the senses.

I think the speed of travel should be related to the change of scale in your terrain.
Today we had a gale force storm blowing up the English Channel. I went down to the seafront and battled my way againt it, the rain was stinging my face. I turned around and was blown back along the empty promenade path for 2 miles, enjoying the huge waves. Sometimes cycling is so much more fun than walking.
Im sure people in cars were feeling sorry for me out in all the "bad" weather, but what a blast.

Originally posted by MichaelW
Im sure people in cars were feeling sorry for me out in all the "bad" weather, but what a blast.
The best things in life are free.

For the rest, there's Mastercard.

Originally posted by MichaelW
I think the speed of travel should be related to the change of scale in your terrain.
Today we had a gale force storm blowing up the English Channel. I went down to the seafront and battled my way againt it, the rain was stinging my face. I turned around and was blown back along the empty promenade path for 2 miles, enjoying the huge waves. Sometimes cycling is so much more fun than walking.
Im sure people in cars were feeling sorry for me out in all the "bad" weather, but what a blast.

Personally I've been finding these high winds a real pain...

Any tips for coping with sudden cross blasts?

Richard

Originally posted by Richard D


Personally I've been finding these high winds a real pain...

Any tips for coping with sudden cross blasts?

Richard

Have to agree, unlike rain, a wind can actually hurt you.

It helps to look around for signs of a gust, Im not sure what that is, but I can generally tell, maybe a sudden lull in windspeed, or extra disturbancs of leaves, rain, etc as the gust arrives.
Lean into a gust, just before it arrives, and it will keep you straight.
Ride extra wide in the road to give yourself room.

With really bad storms, like up north (90mph gusts) it may time for plan B, and leave the bike at home.

Michael