2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

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All but one photo is from my two rides last weekend, humid and hot, but I had to try out my new wheels, tires and Onyx hubs. I knew at the time I'd be off the bike this week due to outpatient hand surgery on Monday. Yesterday (Saturday) rolled around and I reduced the bandage load considerably to fit in my bike glove...then I got a phone call from a neighbor I had never met who wanted me to come get my cattle from her back field.A long arduous day...helpful neighbors though including my mailman who brought his stock trailer. The estate (show horses, a hunter. The mailman ended up selling the owner a grands worth of alfalfa. And my other friend sold a bull to the mailman. For me after the safe return of my girls it was two hours to replace the water course that had blown out. No ride for me...I did get a message from a city friend who is paired with my Apple watch activity...he congratulated me for getting back to riding. I had to explain it wasn't a nice ride that closed the rings. I did get a good one in this morning...temperature about 75f with fairly low humidity. It was a good day to get lost and do an extra ten miles...which I did.

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^I like the lightning rod

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^The South Anna river...that's about as big as it gets around here. I pass over it three different places on one loop

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^this marker is near the ruins I posted last week. it's off route 6 by Dover road which runs along (but out of sight) of the James...a real river
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There will be no bike ride today. The rain coming down has seen to that.

But yesterday....ahhhh! Yesterday was the golden child of the week. A flawless quarter turn of the planet that encompassed strong cool breezes, a drool-worthy temperature, neighborly roads, and the heady glee of both ebikes as I stood, debating, which one I wanted to ride that morning.

The Vado won, as much for the faster speed it offered as the fact that the LaFree had been my mount for the past few days trundling around in the slow lane on the local gravel roads as I supplied just barely enough power to the pedals for the lovely scenery to creep by in retrospective fashion.

It was time to let the winds sweep back my hair and clear my brain of all things encompassing the sad state of affairs our society finds itself enveloped in at the moment. Honestly, though, I really didn't need to even hop on the bike for the wind to fling my ponytail back behind me. All around me a pushy headwind was vigorously bending the more fragile of tree branches, swirling the desperately clinging leaves in a frenzy, indifferent to their attempts to hang onto the trees by the tiniest of stems. The wind unceremoniously wacked me in the face as I headed down the driveway, a forewarning of what was to come once the Vado hit the open road.

But the Vado had barely gotten up to speed before I slowed it, waving down the sleek white car approaching from the other side of the road. We both came to a polite stop in the middle of the road opposite one another, and I bent down to look into the driver's open window to ask "How do you like your Tesla?" The lady driver, looking to be about my age (mid 60s) broke into the biggest grin and told me she LOVED the car. For the next couple of minutes, parked dead center in the middle of the road, we both waxed poetic on the virtues of the electric car, as I have an ecar myself. Her dour husband, at first grouchy and perhaps a bit nervous at being stopped so unexpectedly even though it was by an older lady on a bike (geez buddy, I can't look that threatening!), began to thaw as his wife and I exchanged names and compliments, chatting away as if we were old friends. We finally parted company, happily waving goodbye to each other as we headed off in opposite directions - she heading home in perfect comfort in her pristine stunningly beautiful white Model 3 with her grouchy husband in the passenger seat, and me heading out solo on my elegant deep crimson Vado - face first into a headwind.

No doubt we were both having an excellent ride.

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I had planned to do a specific route, but my game plan was as fluid as sweet tea on a hot Virginia afternoon. Thanks to the gorgeous morning, I revised my plan several times, even as I was rolling down the road, and ended up doing 31 miles of the local countryside. I saw quite a few cyclists, the younger ones cruising in packs while the vast majority were solitary ...and older... like me.

I was on one of the "back roads" when I passed a wife and husband couple biking a slow but reliable speed down the same road. I was both amused and surprised to see the wife riding a beach bike, although she appeared to be doing admirably well on the gravel road and not struggling in the least. We greeted one another in passing, my Vado wasting little time and not bothering to slow down very much for me to practice the prerequisite social protocol. However, I had to stop for a photo opportunity just a bit up the road before it ended, and the two casually passed me as I snapped away, capturing a shot I didn't want to miss. Naturally, once I hopped on my bike again it took less than a minute before I reached them again. They had stopped for a second at the crossroads, and after a very brief debate they turned the direction I had also planned to go. I took my time coming up on them, making sure I stayed out of their slipscreen by hugging the opposite side of the road in deference to avoiding any virus particulate in the air, et al. As I came closer to passing I noticed the lady's bike had a built in rear light, all lit up. I knew that only one type bike has that option - and sure enough, as I looked closer, I could ascertain the battery "bump" on the bike's frame. I pulled alongside her, noticed she was riding a Trek - which explained the beach bike build - and asked how she liked her ebike.

She turned towards me and gave me the biggest grin. "I love it!" she declared, then added with a sincere "I could never ride the distance I ride now without it!" She was astonished my bike was also an ebike, but the Vado was built with stealth in mind so I wasn't surprised that she was surprised. We rode side by side keeping appropriate social distance while we talked. After a bit I headed off at a more expedient pace, noticing as I passed her husband that he, as well, was also riding a Trek ebike. Such a nice couple obviously enjoying their ride down the roads on their ebikes.

It will be really self-satisfying when I start to see more ebikes sharing the roads with me. As for now, I will be content to pick out these rare sightings until the time comes when ebikes share the majority of the roads with the regular pedal bikes out here.

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This used to be a public road. It was laid about 200 years ago and was in use up to about 50 years ago when it was abandoned by the county in their endeavor to eliminate right angled roads with stop signs in favor of continuous roads with sweeping turns. A new curved road was laid nearby, and the old road thus reverted back to the ownership of the adjacent landholdings. The telephone poles, the sole historical landmark of the lineage of this road, still stand tall on their right-of-way granted in the 1940's when traffic coursed on the gravel byway below. Now they stand apart, witness to just tractors, cornfields, and crows.


The final miles were a mix of gravel roads and paved roads and unending headwinds that always seem to be blowing in my face no matter what direction of the compass I was pointing. Still, it didn't bother me because it was so very nice not to be under the thumb of brutal heat and humidity.

So, it is raining now, but it will be much nicer later on during the week. And I will get in quite a few more rides, I'm sure. Tomorrow we will take a road trip to Tesla's Tysons Corner showroom to look at a Model Y for my birthday which is fast approaching. That will make us a two electric car/two electric bike household. I understand that one of the options of the Y is a hitch that Tesla will install for my bike rack . That will be perfect for carrying my e-bike to attend the rides that will be hosted down on the eastern shore of Maryland ... and any other place hosting rides ... once we've eradicated The Rona. I don't expect for Rona to be gone anytime soon, tho. At least not until the end of next year if history follows the same course taken by the H1N1 pandemic of 1918 which lasted until 1920 before it faded away. But after 2021 I suspect I'm going to be having a lot of fun exploring new places and scenery with my Vado and my Tesla.

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A statement for our times that face masks have become part of the cadre of roadside litter. Not rubber gloves, thankfully, as most people don't wear them anymore.
 
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Winter's coming :cool:
Knowing Scotland it will be 21C soon! ;)

Late post today, back to local roads today in perfect conditions once again, this will soon change! I just completed my best e bike month with a total of 734 miles, this will almost certainly change next month as I will be returning to work after 5 months on furlough, it was fun while it lasted! Back to reality and weekend rides only again, it will take time to adjust again! My yearly total is now 4,308 miles so all going well I have my first 5,000 mile year since 2012, all thanks to the wonderful e bike!

@Art Deco I might catch some highland cattle tomorrow(if they are in the field, I just hope they are close enough to catch on my camera phone!

Somebody was a little tired, I tried to attract their attention but they weren't having it!🤣 Its only a few months old, a lovely little Clydesdale!

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Knowing Scotland it will be 21C soon! ;)

Late post today, back to local roads today in perfect conditions once again, this will soon change! I just completed my best e bike month with a total of 734 miles, this will almost certainly change next month as I will be returning to work after 5 months on furlough, it was fun while it lasted! Back to reality and weekend rides only again, it will take time to adjust again! My yearly total is now 4,308 miles so all going well I have my first 5,000 mile year since 2012, all thanks to the wonderful e bike!

@Art Deco I might catch some highland cattle tomorrow(if they are in the field, I just hope they are close enough to catch on my camera phone!

Somebody was a little tired, I tried to attract their attention but they weren't having it!🤣 Its only a few months old, a lovely little Clydesdale!

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Knowing Scotland it will be 21C soon! ;)

Late post today, back to local roads today in perfect conditions once again, this will soon change! I just completed my best e bike month with a total of 734 miles, this will almost certainly change next month as I will be returning to work after 5 months on furlough, it was fun while it lasted! Back to reality and weekend rides only again, it will take time to adjust again! My yearly total is now 4,308 miles so all going well I have my first 5,000 mile year since 2012, all thanks to the wonderful e bike!

@Art Deco I might catch some highland cattle tomorrow(if they are in the field, I just hope they are close enough to catch on my camera phone!

Somebody was a little tired, I tried to attract their attention but they weren't having it!🤣 Its only a few months old, a lovely little Clydesdale!

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I didn't know horses ever laid down on their side like that!
 
I didn't know horses ever laid down on their side like that!
Only when they want to go into a resting sleep of about 10 minutes, and generally only if they have a friend or companion nearby to keep a lookout. Otherwise, they sleep in an upright position resting on their sternum, or standing up. Babies, however, tend to always lie down and sleep stretched out because momma is always close by to keep watch.
 
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Open season on cyclists …

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West End, Brisbane
  • The first day of September is the first day of spring; that's the national consensus amongst Australians and…
  • The first day of spring is the first day of open season on cyclists; that's the consensus amongst Australian magpies…
  • Let the fun begin!
  • If this life-size* bit of street art next to the riverside bikeway is anything to go by, we live in exciting times!
* Clearly, anyone who disputes this 'fact' has never been the subject of a magpie's swoop.
 
Dammit Rab, I finished with 720 miles this morning. Nicely done!

I was going to change out the stem on my Civante until I realized I was missing the most important tool of all... no beer! Not a single bottle of Sam Adams in the house. Tomorrow.
Sorry for stealing your thunder Dave! :p 720 miles is not to be sniffed at, great effort buddy!

@Art Deco No sign of the highland cattle today I'm afraid! I see horses lying on their side quite often here but they are usually in packs, maybe the Scottish ones are lazy!;)

Just a local jaunt today, the light winds have now gone to be replaced by gusty winds again but only around 25mph which is fine, still dry so all is good! 4 dry days in a row actually but it will be all change from tomorrow, the morning might be ok though!

Somebody could do with a haircut!:p

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Sorry for stealing your thunder Dave! :p 720 miles is not to be sniffed at, great effort buddy!

@Art Deco No sign of the highland cattle today I'm afraid! I see horses lying on their side quite often here but they are usually in packs, maybe the Scottish ones are lazy!;)

Just a local jaunt today, the light winds have now gone to be replaced by gusty winds again but only around 25mph which is fine, still dry so all is good! 4 dry days in a row actually but it will be all change from tomorrow, the morning might be ok though!

Somebody could do with a haircut!:p

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It's OK... those horses are very photogenic too.
 
...one of the options of the Y is a hitch that Tesla will install for my bike rack .
It would be a good idea to determine that the Tesla installation is suitable for e-bikes. Particularly is it capable of e-bike weight, and especially, if its clamps are compatible with your frame and tires with fenders?
 
It would be a good idea to determine that the Tesla installation is suitable for e-bikes. Particularly is it capable of e-bike weight, and especially, if its clamps are compatible with your frame and tires with fenders?
I should add from personal experience with an R&M Delight that the options for a rack for hitch are extremely limited; I could find only one I can use, the Thule EasyFold X2.
 
I should add from personal experience with an R&M Delight that the options for a rack for hitch are extremely limited; I could find only one I can use, the Thule EasyFold X2.
Oh, on re-reading, I see that Tesla can install a hitch for your rack. That is fortunate because a friend had a lot of trouble finding a hitch for her new car. Some hitch makers have limited compatibility with various model cars. At first, U-Haul didn't have a fit for her, then after ordering another make hitch the installer was unable to make it work. Finally, U-Haul did offer a hitch for her car, which she now has.
 
Visited Delamere forest, it has all the usual attractions like Go Ape, Offroad Segways, adventure trails for the kids.
But also miles and miles of tracks deep in the forest and you could ride all day thinking you were in the middle of a rainforest.
It has a lake in the middle that is full of decaying trees and I'd say its the closest place to a Jurassic landscape I have ever seen.
You get lost...recognise something..then completely lost again.
There are no laid out trails, you just follow any path you see, some are dead enders after a mile of battling through vegitation, others kick you out into a clearing you have never seen before.
I came to this path to find it had a 4ft deep mud section, but turning back was a good mile through dense overgrown paths.
I managed to wobble across on the branch, dragging the bike.
Pretty awesome adventures all round I'd say.
I'll be going back next week to complete some great tracks I saw, after 3 hours the battery said no more.
Completely knackered tonight.

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Oh, on re-reading, I see that Tesla can install a hitch for your rack. That is fortunate because a friend had a lot of trouble finding a hitch for her new car. Some hitch makers have limited compatibility with various model cars. At first, U-Haul didn't have a fit for her, then after ordering another make hitch the installer was unable to make it work. Finally, U-Haul did offer a hitch for her car, which she now has.
Yes, they will install a hitch. A Tesla hitch. Cost $1k.

All a moot point now as I wasn't all that impressed with the Model Y in real life. It didn't have that WOW factor I needed, and the important check point items I wanted are still TBA at an indeterminate time. If I didn't already have an electric car, and if I traveled great distances regularly, I'm sure I would have been more googly eyed. But I expected more, and that wasn't what I found.

Will be having Nissan install a hitch on my 2018 Leaf .
 
Last chance dunny* …
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Brisbane Valley Rail Trail
Wanora, Queensland
Remember to lift the lid, if it has one, to check for redbacks (local equivalent of black widow spiders).

* AU & NZ slang (not crude) for a toilet, typically one outside the house.
 
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