Saturday afternoon was colder, windier, sunnier than Friday, so I took the Sam Hillborne and rode East.
Tuxedo Sam (so named due to the color scheme, black and creme, with silver highlights) is quite ridable in the wind, climbs quickly, and descends with speed and stability. The 38mm Rene Herse Barlow Pass Extralights did for the stretches of rough pavement that are encountered on this Eastern hills-and-traffic route at times. The bike coped with headwinds and cross winds as needed, and sailed along on the occasional tail wind. I got the layers right, and was in a cool-not-cold winter riding state of grace for the duration of the ride (I know, it's not
^real winter, but it's certainly prep for one).
Old cemeteries tend to become invisible when passed by repeatedly: in this case, the Bell Rock Cemetery, Malden's old burial ground, had become easy to miss for me, just at the point where I get onto the Northern Strand Community Trail. So I took a little time to photograph it anew, along with some of the bike traffic on the Northern Strand. Taken together, I think the resulting animation documents the corner of Quick and Dead.
Once again, I found myself riding in traffic at night, thanks to the early sunset, the gift of EST. Sign me up for Atlantic Time.
The night was dark as molasses. Good thing the current generation of LED bike lights allow us to see the road, as well as to be seen by others. I raced my shadow home.
The eerie blue glow of the
jet d'eau on the Fellsmere pond, shining through some intervening scrub fringing the water, contrasted with the general blackness of the night. Farewell to Malden.
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