mechanicmatt

Overlooking Hamilton County, TN. That's Lookout Mountain on the far right.

natterberry 

20 miles out and back to a neighboring town. Nice weather compared to the wet and/or hot we’ve had. Here’s the western end of Lake Springfield off of the MUP:

DQRider 

My friend Bruce and I rode the trails around Hastings today. Bruce is a coworker who bought my `85 Ross Aristocrat from me after I threatened to give it to him. Let's just say I thought he needed to get out more...

Anyway, we did a different route than the usual Mississippi River Trail thing, starting with the parks along the Vermillion River.



We stopped at a trail heading down to the falls, and I went all the way to the water's edge this time to get this:



Then we went on to the Bridge of Locks:



Went storming down the big hill that led us onto the Levee by Spring Lake:



And ended up on the MRT for the ride back to town.



This was a wonderful weekend for riding, and I start my new job tomorrow (2.5 miles from home! - No more 30-mile commute.) Life is good at the moment.

Slightspeed

30 miles today on the Pasadena Velo Retro vintage ride, 2 laps around the Rose Bowl, then a group ride out to Sierra Madre and back. Great day on the old Raleigh.



Apollo 11 show at the Rose Bowl.


Ready for Launch.


Around 30 riders today.



My '73 Super Course.

Ballenxj

That was thoughtful, everybody needs a friend like you.
As usual, your photography is stunning.

DQRider 

Well, thanks, Ballenxj, I appreciate that... I think? And the photography thing - definitely thanks!

The thing is, it's a value judgement. I'm a Quality guy, I'm the dude in industry who regulates what is good enough, and what's not. It permeates my life. When one of my friends is sort of...stagnating, I try to help him/her out.

And a bicycle, in my experience, is the best way to improve someone's Quality of Life. It provides mobility, exercise, and some degree of freedom all at the same time, for a minimal investment.

And in the case of my friends and family, if I can give them those gifts by simply doing what I would do anyway during the winter here, why not?

bikemig 

Very overcast day today. I took my Motobecane Grand Record on a 25 mile ride on one of the local MUPs. It's flat until you get to a dam and then the rollers start. It's pretty country with a lot of tall grass restoration, water views, and a decent amount of trees and wildlife.

qcpmsame 

Good on you, @DQ Rider, as another Quality Professional, and Marine, your ethos reflects well on you. As a fellow cyclist, it is refreshing to see someone putting their thoughts into actions. And, you're a danged good photographer too.

Semper Fi,
Bill

Kobe 

The family took a long weekend in Ocean City NJ and I did not want to take the good bikes because the bike storage is outside. So I built the Proteus back up the night before we left. Turned out petty nice IMHO, and performed flawlessly on the 30 mile round trip from OC to Sea Isle City.
Started the morning with a ride down the boardwalk, it's pretty empty at 5am.

Starthmere beach.

Atlantic City in the distance.

Ocean City to Starthmere bridge.

Surrey was probably more vintage than my Proteus.

curbtender

Broke through the fog and made a stop at the Albany "bulb"


Haven't been out here in a while and the local artist' have spiced this up a bit.



Progress on the new Bay trail section behind the racetrack.


Maybe still 6 months out.

abshipp 

I've been riding a lot more lately, mostly on my Super Le Tour.

It's become my go-to ride for short, fast rides lately. Given the fairly aggressive position and skinny tires, it's not comfortable after more than an hour and a half, but for that time it does feel like a rocket ship compared to my Cadillac of a Trek.

Rode 24 miles with my dad yesterday.

There was a little kitten walking down the road. It was super friendly and had such a loud purr!

If I didn't already have two cats I would have been tempted to try and go back and find it. Black cats are behind only calicos and tortoiseshells as the best cats ever.

Johno59

Wow! You let a Chris King hubbed cat slip thru your fingers?

gaucho777 

@curbtender, great to see the pics of the bulb! I live just about a mile or so up Gilman from the bulb. We like to let the dog run at the beach and then check out the art installations. I didn't realize the new bike path was being built behind the horse track.

It's been a while since I've posted regularly. Hoping not to be such a stranger since I've got the summer off (teacher) and plan to get in some good riding before going back to work in mid-August.

I took my Look out for about 30 miles into the Berkeley/Oakland hills. After several days of overcast skies, today was a (not too) warm, sunny day in the bay area.


A nice view of the bay from near the top of Tunnel Road


"Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it." -Richard Feynman
We could say the same about riding a bike.


Who doesn't love a redwood forest?


Down Butters, a cool, tree-lined, canyon byway off Joaquin Miller.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2gxtdY3]
This oddity is a Church of Latter Day Saints Temple. This structure is visible for miles and miles from the I-880, a major east bay freeway. I've lived in the area for over 20 years but today was the first time I got an up-close look.

ButchA

Just a real quick 7½ mile spin around the neighborhood side streets. Dummy me didn't get out early enough this morning when everyone else was out riding. Oops...

So, I had to contend with rising heat & humidity, and wisely cut back on the distance, so I wouldn't be out in the awful 107° heat index or Lord knows what it would be later on. Lesson learned: Want to ride and be comfortable? Get out early and beat the heat!

Bearly sane

Today I took my first bike ride in a couple decades, since the summer of 1998.

Just a few laps around the block. I needed to adjust the brakes, get a feel for the shifter.

Maybe ten minutes of actual riding and I was sweating like a piggy (dang I'm outta shape!).

thinktubes 

Rode 70 miles up north to Lake Bluff. Started at 7:30am to beat the heat, but it was in the early 90s for the last 2 hours of the ride.

Had a mess of eggs and toast when I got home.

Taking a break in the shade on a bridge in Lake Forest



Did I mention it was hot?

Bianchi84

I unexpectedly rode through the 'Hood today.


Rested at the Dog Park/Kid's Park where it was too hot for Dogs or Kids to be there.

Bianchigirll 

I am ashamed to admit it but I finally got my first ride of the year in today. I don't know why maybe it was all the rain we had over the spring, the 50-55-60+ hour work weeks, just being lazy or something worse but I finally made myself do it today. It was short 12ish miles and I was slower than a sloth caught in the great molasses flood of '19 but I went out.

as they say, "The joy is not in wining, but having the courage to get your fat arse out the door"
The fabulous '86 Volpe.

Bianchigirll 

Congratulations!!! I hope there are many more rides in your future this summer

jimmuller 

BG! I admit I've been slack reading BF but even so, it is good to see you again! Also good that you merely rode by that place rather than stopped in as a client.

jimmuller 

We took the tandem out for a leisurely spin on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail yesterday. Hot weather and lots of other folks out. Still, a good day. Mostly we were in search of monarch butterfly eggs. Sharon found LOTS of them. In a few weeks she's gonna' be busy feeding them milkweed. When tended properly they nearly all hatch and survive to become butterflies. Studies show that in the wild they have less than 1% chance of survival. Since the monarch is under pressure from disappearing habitat, they can use all the help they can get.

Some pics from the BF and NARA Park, Acton.

Wildwood 

My favorite ride. Into Mt Rainier NP, Carbon River entrance, north side of Park.

Was so nice, I rode it twice. On different bikes.



Carbonado, WA


The old bridge, just one lane.


Empty road ahead


Turn around spot is the Carbon River


SLX is nice on a large frame that lets me stretch out.

noglider 

I was at our weekend house on Saturday, in High Falls, NY. I was alone there for a change, so nothing to stop me from doing what I love the most.

First I stopped in at the annual High Falls Fair and had a little lunch.





It was a hot day, but there is a lot of shade on the roads there. Some of the roads have complete canopies.



Here is a view from near the top of the Shawangunk Ridge. The Catskill mountains are in the distance. The ride was 28 miles and had 1,800 feet of climbing.



Here are some driftwood sculptures in the artist's yard.

eom 

Friday night went for a ride with about 1500 or so close friends.




Brother in law & sister in the foreground, GF & me behind.

Saturday's 25 mile ride with B-I-L included a tire patching class.

Miele Man

At least you've started to ride. Good for you! Keep it up.

An old man walked across Canada. A reporter talked to him at the end of the journey.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter: "How did you manage to walk across the country at your age?"
Old Man: "One step at a time Sonny. One step at a time."
Reporter: "What was the hardest part of your journey?"
Old Man: "Taking that very first step Sonny. Taking that very first step."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheers