spiker

I slept thru the first ride way back when & had to work the rest. Out or work at 9, gotta feed & let the dog out before heading over. Is there an ETA? Live 4 miles from the start. Weather reports I've gotten say showers hold off until late afternoon.

Took the single speed DL-1 there a couple weekends back & did 25+ miles on it between the CCRR & the OCRT. That was a workout.

pastorbobnlnh 

10:00 to depart. Many are trying to arrive about 9:30. See ya there!

rootboy 

'fraid I'm going to have to miss it fellas. Thought I'd wait and see, last minute. But…no go for me. Have a great ride.

jimmuller 

We'll miss you, RB. Sharon has some cookies with your name on them. Maybe you could be there at the start?

pastorbobnlnh 

otg 

I'm up, need coffee...See everyone in a few.

jimmuller 

Report from MetroBoston, Cape Cod Division
We met at the trail head in Dennis with the usual mayhem at the start, including installation of fenders for the possible rain (which didn't happen):


Everyone ready? L to R: Top, me, Scott, Pastor Bob, Dave (otg), spiker (trying to hide but too tall to do so), Sharon (my sweetie and stoker on the tandem), Frog (a BF lurker with a great 1955 Raleigh Sport wearing more modern components):


On the trail:


Scott's flat tire, me pumping it back up with our Solibloc vintage pump:


A short stop at Nickerson State Park:


After many miles and lunch, we stopped briefly at Marconi Beach, with a pounding surf in the Atlantic Ocean behind us:


48.87 miles, one flat, no rain, and a great time.
Of course the crowning event occurred at the end. We were swapping parts and stories at the end, all reluctant to leave, and who should show up but frequent MetroBoston contributor Mr. and Mrs. sherbornpeddler! What a coincidence. He was on his first ride since being off the bike for a while. We gabbed for a while longer and eventually they took off down the trail and we hit the road.

It was a great day!

ScottRyder 

Jim, nothing about my lost keys?

Great photos and commentary on our ride, Sharon rocks as usual! Great to meet Spiker and Frog too.

I'm looking forward to riding again on the 18th., I'll be better prepared with my usual wine and cheese this time. And my flask, can't forget the flask.

oh, I'm totally ashamed, I discovered when I got home today I had mismatched rims on the Paramount!!

Scott

jimmuller 

I was being charitable.

I won't tell anyone if you don't.

After such a nice day Sharon wanted to go out again this morning. So we did 31.85 miles on the tandem. A great day with cool, dry autumn air. Then I spent the afternoon hanging a microwave over the stove and finding why the tandem's rear wheel has been going soft. The tube had a tiny, tiny, tiny leak. Fixed that, cleaned up the bike a little. I need to clean up the Peugeot for commuting, and also fix its own go-soft rear tire. No time left, no energy left. So I'll ride the Raleigh tomorrow.

Find the bike in the pizza

otg 

Had a great time, really enjoyed meeting up with some old and new friends. I'm also looking forward to the 18th. Been a real busy weekend, I just got in from Vermont. We drove to Manchester, N.H. as soon as I got home from the Cape Saturday evening. Got there around 11:00, slept in a hotel and got up at 3:30 AM to meet my son in Montpelier VT. He was racing up the Appalachian trail gap at 10:00AM. He did OK, finished about mid-pack. It's half time in the Patriots game, so far, so good.

Ed.

Looks like I missed a good time. Either bike I'd likely have brought has miss-matched rims, I'd have been in good company.

But, not being there, but instead on the Vineyard, I do have my own story. We were at the Vineyard Aggie fair, located somewhere in the hinterlands (all trips were by car, and we were shoehorned into the back, so I can't be more specific). We'd wandered around the grounds and were now in the crowded barn, and I heard, "Ed?" I turned to see who had called my name, didn't recognize either party, tho I guess there was something familiar about them. I'm frequently addressed by people who know me and I have not a clue as to who they are, so I really hope I didn't have the deer in the headlights look. It was a cousin and her husband, who we'd not seen in over 20 years, despite having spent years getting in all kinds of trouble together. I hate to say it, but missing out on the ride was worth it.

I read two references to the 18th? Care to clue me in ?

ScottRyder 

"I read two references to the 18th? Care to clue me in ?"

Ed, Jim has set up a CCRT Autumn Ride the Fourth - Part Two. I won't be doing the full Wellfleet ride, maybe just to Orleans with a full fledged picnic at Nickerson State Park on the return. Hope you can join us!

Scott

pastorbobnlnh 

Late to the report! Also got home late after Mrs. PB detoured us into Boston and the Prudential Center for dinner. Then yesterday was a full church day (no surprise there)!

Dave, if you drove from Manchester to Montpelier, you passed me as you headed north up I-89. The church is a mile east of exit 11 and my house is about 2 miles west. Hope you had a great time in VT.

I need to transfer my pictures and write more later. Great time everyone! I was so glad I could get away and make the ride!

jimmuller 

Scott, there are some other options which you might want to consider. Since you have reason to be distance-limited this time, why not ride the whole length once and try to work out a pick-up or drop-off at one end or the other? The Wellfleet end is a great place for a picnic and it would great to ride the whole length with you. In any case, Sharon wants to do the whole length out and back (part the payback for the long drive down there). We have time to work out details.

I don't know that I'd call this an "Official C&V Autumnal CCRT Ride the Fourth - Part Two", but yeah, we are going to ride it again, sort of an unofficial de-facto casual ride that nobody gets points for, except style point for being there with a cool bike, or with any bike at all for that matter. Sharon and I are going to ride just to have fun. Oh wait, there weren't any point for the last one either, as I recall.

otg, Ed., Top, it would be great if you can join us for the whole run. Nobody gets speed points for this one, BTW. On the last one Pastor Bob had a long trip home and he showed his Mt. Kearsarge conditioning on the return! We sure couldn't maintain his pace the whole way back!

otg 

Pastor Bob, I kind of thought we went near your neck of the woods, seems like we were very close. It was still dark when we went through, but I've driven Rt. 89 quite a few times and that area is very nice. I had never been to Montpelier before and I was surprised at how small a town it is for a state capital. I liked it there.

rootboy 

Great report fellas. And gal. Who is that guy in the Brooks jersey, though? Don't recognize him!

Ed.

Complicated weekend. We'll see what develops.

otg 

[h=3]Sat Oct 18[/h] 64[SUP]°[/SUP]
54[SUP]°[/SUP]
Sunny

Chance of rain:10% Wind:WSW at 11 mph


Still a bit early, but looking promising!

jimmuller 

There was one interesting event from the Oct 4 ride that Top was supposed to describe but hasn't yet. So I will.

It happened at our stop in Orleans on the way back. We had been resting and hanging out over the bike racks when a beautiful tall blonde, statuesque, long-legged woman came through on a large-frame (61cm?), black, experienced-looking Motobecane Super Mirage and parked it in one of the racks. All of our middle-aged guy-eyes bulged and guy-heads swiveled as she went by, and all of us were thinking "Wow! Nice Moto!"

(We struck up a conversation and complimented her bike. She rode most of the way back to the Harwich rotary with us. She even took a picture of us. For some odd reason we never got a picture of her. )

pastorbobnlnh 

@jimmuller Mrs. PB and I hope to make it to Hampton Falls, NH to Applecrest Farm this afternoon and experience Southern Rail live and in person.

I hope the 18th is sunny, temperate, and with light breezes to your backs coming and going!

On Monday the 20th, @BluesDaddy, my gravel grinding riding buddy Paul, and I plan to ride the entire length of the Northern Rail Trail through Grafton and Merrimack Counties, NH. We will leave BluesDaddy's car in the middle with lunch and provisions, and Mrs. PB will drop us at the northwest end in Lebanon, NH. If we need to bail at the midpoint, we can. If all goes well, Paul's wife will retrieve us 60+ miles later at the southeast end on the Boscawen/Concord town line.

If this ride is successful, I'll do my best to plan and organize a Fall 2015 ride. I now have a double snow mobile trailer which could easily transport 10-20 bikes. There's a church camp not far from the mid-point which could provide inexpensive basic overnight lodging. Since this is packed "bluestone" gravel the entire length, you'd want at least 32mm wide tires. Fenders are helpful to keep the dirt confined even when dry, but are very useful when the trail is wet. So keep this in mind and maybe this could inspire a build over the winter.

Paul and I will be riding our mid 1980s Schwinn High Sierras. BluesDaddy plans to showoff a late '80s early '90s all chrome Fuji MTB he's been working on.

Ed.

Still!!!

jimmuller 

PastorBob, bluesdaddy, how did the Granite State RT ride go?

top506

Figures.
No way I can get three weekends off in one month.
Have fun, folks.

Top

pastorbobnlnh 

We are pushing off to do this on October 20th. Watch for a thread or in "Where Did You Ride."
Speaking of Top, I never posted my pictures. I thought I had taken more, but seem to only be able to find two.

Top waxing on about the virtues of tubulars verses clinchers.



My group shot. I think Scott is thinking, "Yummy, tastes like clams!"



P.S. The next time we ride the CCRT in the Spring, I think I'll bring this new acquisition which followed me home after church Sunday. A circa 1939 Elgin with an invisible seat tube.

Ed.

We have semi-alignment of the stars - 8AM - 6PM coverage for Mum, but not our normal person - my car has chosen to go a bit wonky, but I think it will pull through. It will be tight for me to make it by 9:30, so do lallygag (SP?) a wee bit. I'll need to be back at the parking lot no later than 4PM.

Cool bike!