2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Anna]

Today I stayed in town completing errands all morning and with little daylight left I had little time for my usual longer tours so I decided to stay in the main town and cruise around some sites I rarely visit.
Entrance to the main gardens. The gargoyles adjacent to my ebike are re-creations of the Chios Sphinx, was common on the ancient coins and statues found in this region going back over 2 millennia. It’s used on the island flag and official municipal documents and buildings to this day.
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Western wall of the mostly intact and with people still residing inside the 10th century Byzantine castle constructed during the reign of Eastern Roman Emperor Leo“The Wise”. Remains of castle moat in background
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More sections of the western facing wall
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Main entrance with original doors still intact
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More of the moat
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Once inside after passing the front entrance
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Once inside and reaching the main square. Now populated by trendy restaurants and cafes would normally be busy but currently the country is in COVID lockdown
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The Eastern Roman Empire was officially after the great schism and the fall of the Latin western Roman Empire to German tribes the continuation of the Roman Empire. This surviving buildings architecture is testament to that as it is constructed in the Republican Rome style quite clearly. It’s only 1100 years old but wouldn’t be out of place in the Ancient Roman forum in Rome. Nearly identical to the surviving Roman senate building in Capitoline hill today. Within the ERE borders it was known as such, simply the Roman Empire; outside it’s borders it was known as Imperium Graecorum “Empire of the Greeks”
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Typical residential road with homes within the castle with some still in use today. There are more interesting sites on the northern section of the castle but it involves many steps and ancient ramparts that would involve me either locking and parking my bike or carrying it up staircases converting my bike tour into a walking one. So I stopped here and turned back.
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The main port next to the castle. This port was invaded by ancient Greek General and leader of the Corinthian league Alexander the Great in the early 4th century BCE due to the Greeks of Chios not being a member of the league. They surrendered to Alexander without resistance and accepted his rule. This led to Alexander’s “ letter to the Chian Greeks” which outlined the terms of the treaty and what they would contribute to his war effort onwards to the Achaemenid Empire in Persia. This bronze artifact still exists and is part of the main exhibit and attraction at the Chios Archaelogical Museum. It is the only known surviving artifact in the world with Alexander the Great’s handwriting due to his signature appearing on the treaty.
More recent history of the port is when Christopher Columbus moored here and lived on the island for two years and recruited local sailors and maps before his voyage to the new world.
During World war 2 the port was repeatedly bombed by the British Royal Airforce because of its use by the German navy during the Nazi German occupation of the island.
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Wonderful read and what a BEAUTIFUL ebike!

 

[Anna]

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Day...
Climbing into the clouds!

On the accent I met this big fella receiving someone’s generosity. He was easily as big as a 17 hand horse. My photo doesn’t capture his true essence but I must share...

The landscape is tardy on its quest this year to become Fall.

Clouds teased me into climbing further...

Slow down...

The decent towards home...

Abandoned barn. If only I was brave enough to trespass! No signs, just my imagination.

I apologize if these files are big! Fighting my computer.
Happy riding friends!

 

[Art Deco]

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Day...
Climbing into the clouds!

On the accent I met this big fella receiving someone’s generosity. He was easily as big as a 17 hand horse. My photo doesn’t capture his true essence but I must share...
View attachment 72683
The landscape is tardy on its quest this year to become Fall.
View attachment 72693
Clouds teased me into climbing further...
View attachment 72699
Slow down...
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The decent towards home...

View attachment 72702

Abandoned barn. If only I was brave enough to trespass! No signs, just my imagination.
View attachment 72713

I apologize if these files are big! Fighting my computer.
Happy riding friends!

Biggest buck so far. Maybe an elk? Anyway nice shot.

 

[Sierratim]

Biggest buck so far. Maybe an elk? Anyway nice shot.

California is home to 3 species of elk. I believe it's the Thule elk that populates the central coast area. They are impressive. The largest, the Roosevelt elk, populates a few of the north coast counties. You can hear the bulls bugle from boats off shore.

I believe the doe and buck are white tailed deer.

 

[Taylor57]

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Day...
Climbing into the clouds!

On the accent I met this big fella receiving someone’s generosity. He was easily as big as a 17 hand horse. My photo doesn’t capture his true essence but I must share...
View attachment 72683
The landscape is tardy on its quest this year to become Fall.
View attachment 72693
Clouds teased me into climbing further...
View attachment 72699
Slow down...
View attachment 72700
The decent towards home...

View attachment 72702

Abandoned barn. If only I was brave enough to trespass! No signs, just my imagination.
View attachment 72713

I apologize if these files are big! Fighting my computer.
Happy riding friends!

Good thing my hunting buddies weren't on that ride!

 

[Taylor57]

Good thing my hunting buddies weren't on that ride!

When you grow up in a small town you get bored!

 

[Art Deco]

California is home to 3 species of elk. I believe it's the Thule elk that populates the central coast area. They are impressive. The largest, the Roosevelt elk, populates a few of the north coast counties. You can hear the bulls bugle from boats off shore.

I believe the doe and buck are white tailed deer.

Yep the doe and buck look like white tails. Very common here in PA. We do have a herd of about 100? Elk ( in Elk county, what a shock ) just a few hours east of Fallingwater. They don't look quite like that big guy, though.
I've been there several times. The elk understand traffic and will just stand by the side of the road waiting for the cars to go by so they can cross. Smart, like a huge dog, instead of totally stupid like a moose.

 

[Sierratim]

When you grow up in a small town you get bored!

Hear that, but as I told my kids if you're bored there's always plenty of firewood to split and stack! They'd have friends over that they'd immediately muffle if they even statred to utter the words "I'm bor...". Worked great!

 

[Taylor57]

Hear that, but as I told my kids if you're bored there's always plenty of firewood to split and stack! They'd have friends over that they'd immediately muffle if they even statred to utter the words "I'm bor...". Worked great!

Yeah, but we grew up in Yuma!

 

[Sierratim]

Yep the doe and buck look like white tails. Very common here in PA. We do have a herd of about 100? Elk ( in Elk county, what a shock ) just a few hours east of Fallingwater. They don't look quite like that big guy, though.
I've been there several times. The elk understand traffic and will just stand by the side of the road waiting for the cars to go by so they can cross. Smart, like a huge dog, instead of totally stupid like a moose.

The California Thule elk bulls get to maybe 600lbs. The larger Roosevel elk bulls grow to over 1,200lbs! I've heard them from off shore while abalone diving, but only seen them in pics...WOW!

 

[Sierratim]

Yeah, but we grew up in Yuma!

Maybe not much demand for firewood in Yuma but Google says Yuma has over 90,000 people now. WOW! Our little place has something like 3,000. It's nearly an hour by car to a town as large as Yuma.

 

[Taylor57]

Maybe not much demand for firewood in Yuma but Google says Yuma has over 90,000 people now. WOW! Our little place has something like 3,000. It's nearly an hour by car to a town as large as Yuma.

Tim, you are officially in the sticks and when I was growing up there we were sub 30k

 

[Sierratim]

Tim, you are officially in the sticks and when I was growing up there we were sub 30k

And we're a couple of miles out of town, 1.5 miles from the last street light. Not 'country' by many standards, but it is dark out there! Lots of stars on a cool night like tonight, but the fire is sooo warm. The stars will there in August when it's warm and comfy outside!

 

[Art Deco]

And we're a couple of miles out of town, 1.5 miles from the last street light. Not 'country' by many standards, but it is dark out there! Lots of stars on a cool night like tonight, but the fire is sooo warm. The stars will there in August when it's warm and comfy outside!

We are the last street in similar sized small town. Streetlights and tons of light pollution from the university. Stars ? Not so much.

 

[Taylor57]

Lets face it, we are blessed to be able to ride new fangled Ebikes and have our health and the ability to share our stories with our "little ebike friends" as my GF calls us!

 

[Art Deco]

Lets face it, we are blessed to be able to ride new fangled Ebikes and have our health and the ability to share our stories with our "little ebike friends" as my GF calls us!

You were doing great except for the "little". Most of us are older and larger than we like to admit, methinks.

 

[Anna]

Biggest buck so far. Maybe an elk? Anyway nice shot.

Yes an elk. I should cycle with a proper camera like so many of you. Usually, I don’t stop but perhaps I will learn.

 

[Taylor57]

You were doing great except for the "little". Most of us are older and larger than we like to admit, methinks.

Lol, those are her words not mine!

 

[Anna]

Yep the doe and buck look like white tails. Very common here in PA. We do have a herd of about 100? Elk ( in Elk county, what a shock ) just a few hours east of Fallingwater. They don't look quite like that big guy, though.
I've been there several times. The elk understand traffic and will just stand by the side of the road waiting for the cars to go by so they can cross. Smart, like a huge dog, instead of totally stupid like a moose.

 

[Anna]

I think the deer are Mule deer...very big ears! . I’ll get some closer photos. Thank you for sorting out the elk varieties. These guys just take my breathe away.