photogravity

That's because I'm not getting that many rides in these days... Just some little short ones which aren't worth reporting. Here's the Norman when I rode down to the Potomac Street Grill for lunch Saturday.


Lunch at PSG by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

Bianchigirll 

I need to move! You guys are kicking my but in the scenery department!

Despite getting a late start and angry skies I had a great ride today. I got out about 3 miles and it started to drizzle a little but it looked like the sky was clearing so I planned to continue to about 8 miles and if it kept raining I would head home. It stopped raining and I kept going. I worked hard most of the time even up the hills!! The gearing today was a bit bigger/ harder than I have been riding so there was a lot of climbing out of the saddle. I ended up with barely getting 28 miles in so the route I did yesterday thinking it was 30 miles was 2 short at only 28 of course 2 of that was walking

I thought these wild roses might make a good backdrop but I couldn't figure out how to keep the bike up without the trashcan.

Lamplight

I set a new climbing record for myself today! I rode down Chuckanut Drive to Skagit Valley, then up to the Samish Overlook, then to Lake Samish and back to Bellingham. Total distance was about 41 miles, total feet climbed about 2120. I also didn't eat enough before I left, and only took a couple of granola bars with me, so for at least half the ride I was basically running on fumes. Lesson learned. And since my internet connection is barely working right now, no pictures!

scozim 

Got out on the Trek 950 today - I'm really loving this bike for the low $ investment. Downhill is a little rough with the rigid fork but the thing handles so nicely that I keep grabbing it.

Today was another fire survey ride. I did this ride on an old Jeep trail this spring that included a little hiking before I tied into separate old road. The Jeep trail is essentially a dirt road now thanks to the bulldozers widening it as a fire break.

Early on I decided to explore a horse trail for some single track - unfortunately I ran out of trail after 1/4 mile



Then it was some climbing. I was pleased to see this nice little meadow was not damaged in the fire even though it came right down to it's eastern edge.



The "hike a bike" portion. Unfortuntely, the foliage was just too thick in the creek bottom and I had to turn back



Looking west across the canyon



Looking north when I was walking back down a really old, overgrown road I decided to explore on foot.

Velocivixen

After lots of searching online and coming up with vague directions, I made my way to the Crown-Zellerbach trail. In 1900-1945 it was a railroad designed to haul logs from the Columbia to somewhere in the woods - Chapman. Not sure if there was a mill in Chapman or what. The railroad got torn out and made into a logging road & logs were hauled by truck. Well, now it's mostly a gravel/dirt road that does not allow motorized vehicles. It was very deceiving riding uphill as it almost looked like you were riding flat. I rode 1 hour in one direction - 6.4 miles. I stopped on the way out to take photos. On the way back it took only 37 minutes, coasting a lot of the way - that was clear I was going downhill!

I saw 2 mourning doves, heard 2 Stellar Jays, saw a flock of American Crows, a HUGE Turkey Vulture, some cows, a garter snake, an orange cat, 4 humans, 2 dogs and some cows. At one spot on the trail I stopped and listened - it was silent. I mean the kind of silence where your ears get that "full" feeling. Then a large dog woof echoed off the valley to crack the silence.

I rode my 1992 Specialized HardRock Ultra with 26x1.5" Paselas - wrong choice of tires. I've never mountain biked or done any gravel grinding, but let's just say there was heavy, deep gravel much of the way. Had no idea I'd get such a workout! There's definitely a technique for it. Here are a few photos, but none showing gravel.

Sixty Fiver

Was too tired to post last night... 222 km in two days tired me out.

This was a memorial ride for a friend of ours that passed away earlier this year, she was a hard core touring cyclist and a wonderful person that was taken from us far too early.

This is the land of big skies...



Fields of golden wheat...



New friends and old friends...



And one trusty old steed... ready for the next trip.

Lamplight

Finally, yesterday's pictures!

jimmuller 

65'er, that looks like great adventure material! And LL, great pics. Lots of good ridin' goin' on.

Bianchigirll 

I got myself out again today and it was a bit warm and very humid! I had to stop for a minor mechanical and was immediately drenched YUK! I did pretty much the same 28 mile loop as yesterday but tried harder to keep the speed up. I had to make a detour to the C-Store for some ice/water so that gave me a total of 29.36. Now my elapse times and therefore average speed include traffic lights, I have no idea why Garmin didn't design the stop watch as a start and stop affair, but I managed a 13.8 average today to yesterdays 12.9 over the 28.6 miles. My average HR was about the same both days at 72 and 73% of MAX the latter being today. I've never been a big hill climber, not that the hills are big around here, but I just never learned a smooth technique for gliding from running flat out on level ground to climbing that short 3 or 4% grade. So I am sure that is also really dragging my average down.

But it doesn't really matter I had a fabulous ride despite the heat and that is all that is really important right?

jimmuller 

Yes!

Drillium Dude 

Well, that sux. Physical issues or too much work?

I hope you get a few good ones in before the snow flies

DD

Drillium Dude 

Some really great pics lately! I especially enjoyed those Skagit Valley views! I've gotta add that to my ride list.

DD

Sixty Fiver

We had a great time, our late summer weather can be truly incredible and our night at the lake was one of feasting and celebration of life.

I don't post pictures of friends without their okay but there were 9 of us sharing food, stories, and laughter long into the night.

I plan to head out for at least one more weekend...

Sixty Fiver

A few more... that would be me in the high vis yellow.

photogravity

Thanks for asking DD. Starting in October last year through about April or May, I had a persistent cough along with wheezing. Made it hard to ride, since I couldn't get enough air. By then, lack of momentum and motivation didn't help. Now, I'm on a special project at work for the next few months, so that's interfering. As far as riding accomplishments, I just had to entirely reset my expectations and goals. These things happen.

therover

Finally rode across the Golden Gate bridge after years here...it was as obnoxious as I thought it'd be. Then up the Marin headlands which just kept on going, and so did I. After coasting back down it was in and around Marin, ended up at the end of Tiburon where there was a view of the bridge I never knew existed. Then back home, exhausted.

jimmuller 

Nice pics. Several thoughts come to mind. I wonder who took that last pic and how from the high vantage point?

If the colors of the vegetation in those fields is accurate then that high-vis yellow is more like low-vis yellow.

Sixty Fiver

My friend was riding ahead... he is six three and was shooting backwards from his upraised arm from a little rise while we were ticking along at a decent clip (mad skills).

It was probably one of the best rides I have ever been on... at this point the wind that had pounded us for the first half of the day had dropped as it does later in the day, we had skirted some small storm cells, and were getting a sun bath.

Found that the high vis glove covers work exceptionally well for signalling and adding visibility, even in the day time.

YouthxCrew

Bianchigirll 

I don't know if I'll get a ride in or not today. Waiting at the auto garage while my car gets inspected and some tires mounted. I had forgot about the inspection or I would have dropped it off rather than wait. I may take the Hetchins out for a leisurely stroll later this evening.

Kobe 

Great pictures of Philadelphia, I especially like this one of the Art Museum and water works.

Kobe 

We took a long family Labor Day weekend to Ocean City NJ. I apologize to Vonruden for taking my crappy Mongoose conversion to his lovely neck of the woods, but our bikes had to stay locked up outside the condo we were renting. I would loved to have seen that 3Rensho on the road.

Our first day was a family ride along the Ocean City boardwalk and then down along the bay. The teenage girls got to sleep in while my wife and son did 20 miles with me.

An ussie at the Music Pier.



Ninth Street bridge.





The second day I was up at 6am and off by myself. I started off along the ocean.



Crossed the bridge to Strathmere at the bottom of the Island.



I ended up at at this Church that had a cool Ark out front, my son's name is Noah so I took this one for him. A total of 29 miles.



The last day the girls finally got up and we did the touristy thing, and rode a surrey.



And of course the boy really, really wanted to drive.

Vonruden

Nice pics Kobe. A ride with the family beats any other ride in my book!

Bianchigirll 

While I am waiting on the GPS and phone batteries to charge I'll post yesterdays ride report. I had a late start, I was trying to get the RIGI cleaned up but it took too long. I thought I just needed to wipe it off and change the bottle cages to something more useful but ended up doing an mini tuneup and the back wheel came up lame anyway.

I got fed up with it and grabbed the Batavus and hit the road. I went out along my usual route out towards Williams Grove and along the Yellow Breeches, where some idiot not only pulled out in front of me but made a K turn right there! On into Boiling Springs and then into Carlisle and back home.
Ended up at just over 42 miles, with 1228 ft of climbing and average HR of 135. I did make a quick stop at Sheetz for ice and a protein bar, should have stopped the Rutters on the way home too.

The hills seemed especially hard yesterday and I discovered why this morning. I swapped some wheels and cassettes around last week getting the Trofeo ready to sell, need to pay the rent in Nov, and I somehow ended up with 12/21 cassete and for some reason I could not get in the 21 so I did all the hills on 39-19 instead of the 39-24 or 25 I have been using as a bailout! OY!

I also had a bit of of a Buggs Bunny "Tortoise and the Hare" moment yesterday. I past a public ball park and a woman was standing by her mountain bike doing some stretches and when I got to the next little town about 4 miles maybe (by the route I take) she was standing there taking to someone at a park bench I gues there must be rail trail or something or she was just fast enough that if she went straight where I went left on Gutshall Rd she might have gotten ahead but it was really funny for a second.

littlebeetle

Had a good experience riding in F1 track here in Malaysia last weekend event.