2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Readytoride]

so good to hear your voice again

Thanks. That's sweet. I had been biking almost every day prior to last week in preparation for the upcoming summer charity bike rides, but somehow not finding the time to write. Life has become very busy, including me becoming a grandma for the first time, so the seconds and minutes of each day are fleeting and I'm left running to keep up while the words are left behind, scattered and adrift, and eventually lost in the whirlwinds that encompass my day.

When things get a bit calmer, and the rushing madness settles down into a more familiar rendition of mostly quiet tedium, I'm sure I'll be back to writing.

As it is, the air quality warnings have now advanced to a Code Red. We are all staying indoors with windows and doors closed, and all my cycling, my friends as well, has come to a complete halt for the duration.

Same view, yesterday on top with the smoke haze, below is when the air is clear.

 

[kahn]

Bike time has dropped to zero lately, no thanks to the Canadian fires smoke overlaying the eastern seaboard of the US courtesy of the prevailing winds. We're under a health alert for poor air quality (in some cases bordering on dangerous) with no end in sight as yet.
View attachment 155404


We are in the the thick of it near Washington DC. The blue dot is us.

View attachment 155405

All of this has completely screwed up my plans for being in the upcoming charity ride this coming weekend - a gravel road ride centered in our area, all three routes (80, 60, and 40 miles) going directly past our farm. I'm super healthy overall, well prepared for the distance, but when yesterday arrived with a blood moon overhead, zero stars visible, and a dense haze that was discernable within a half mile, and the Blue Ridge just a few miles to our west a vague white outline, almost erased in the white haze blanketing the viewshed of which there was arguably none left, not to mention giving me a headache and a sore throat, rare for me - well, all these signs irrefutably announced that a bike ride wasn't advisable and staying indoors, despite the lovely temps outside, was suggested.

I had been signed up for the 60 mile ride, but decided to drop to the 40 mile ride, all of which centers right around our location. The ride meet and parking is just 3 miles down the road.

However, if the 11th arrives under the current Code Orange cloud of particulates from the northern fires 600 miles away, I'm staying home. Bummer.

We had that happen out in Seattle last summer and the summer before. Hunkering down is the safest plan even if you have good lungs. Those fine particulates can penetrate deep into the lungs and don't naturally clear out. Best for clearing skies.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Visiting My First Professional Employer Ever

I got my first professional job (being just a technical university graduate -- MSc, Process Engineer -- with completed mandatory military service) at the Industrial Chemistry Research Institute in 1988. I had an appointment for a technical meeting with ICRI on Wednesday (the Institute is one of our important customers now).

A historical note
Professor Ignacy Mościcki, a chemical engineer, a wealthy inventor (he made his fortune by patenting a method to produce ammonium nitrate from air and water using electricity in Switzerland), and the 3rd President of Poland established what was called the Chemical Research Institute, and bought land for it in Warsaw's quarter of Żoliborz (Joli Bord, or Beautiful Rivershore) in 1926.

I worked in this very building for several years. President Mościcki is the tallest man in the second photo (1927).

The ICRI high-rise (1970s) nowadays. I was shocked to see a brand new kindergarten and nursery in the front of the building! I could not recognize the surroundings and got lost for a while!

Installing software and the license for the training I will be holding since next Monday.

Another historical note
Ms. Halina Skibniewska, a prolific architect was given a task of designing a new housing neighbourhood in Żoliborz in late 1950s. Unlike other architects of the era, Skibniewska was farthest from designing the "Communist Brutality" common to those times. Her design was Scandinavian style low blocks of flats, and preserving as many fruit trees present in the former orchards as possible. Soon, artists started competing for the flats there. The Sady Żoliborskie (Żoliborz Orchards) is one of the most beautiful areas of Warsaw now!

One of Skibniewska designs, the Milk Bar "Sady". It almost looks like it was in 1960s!

Milk Bars was a concept of providing inexpensive meal to the working class of that era, serving tasty and simple fast food. "Sady" is probably the only "milk bar" that survived in almost original form (only very clean now), still serving inexpensive tasty grub to poor senior citizens, disabled people, Social Assistance clients, young mothers and... just people like me who value simple delicious food and the climate of that place. Necessary to mention I used to eat in "Sady" both as a schoolkid and later as a young scientist of ICRI!

My $4 lunch: Cold Soup with egg, and Leniwe Pierogi (Lazy Dumplings) with butter and sugar. Exactly as in 1970s, only even tastier!

I almost started crying with happiness when I saw that. Any fast food bar serving, say, Breton Beans (a Polish invention) or Kidneys or Tripe had exactly those three condiments (with spoons) on the table: salt, ground sweet pepper, and Herbal Pepper. Black pepper was expensive in the Communist Poland, so it was replaced with an inexpensive mixture of herbs pretending to be black pepper! I felt like a schoolkid again!

The Żoliborz part of my Vado SL ride.

 

[RabH]

My best ever cycle ride, not scenery wise but just road riding at its aboslute best!

Last night I was thinking about where to ride today and thought about a 50 miler as I was intending to do a big ride this coming Sunday, but on checkling the Sunday forecast it didn't fill me with confidence as it looks like our spell of amazing weather will be absent that day! So then I got to thinking why not do a big ride today, but there was a bit of a problem regarding that also...a small matter of a 25mph wind from the ENE! So I set about plotting a route that would make the most of the blustery conditions and came up with an absolute corker! Just 110 miles with 7500ft of climbing, was I insane to even think about it?

I came up with a hilly route out to Moscow and set off at 5.15am to avoid the traffic, this Moscow is a blink and you'll miss it village in Ayrshire! I got 47 miles from my first battery with around 3000ft of climbing due to the stromg wind at my back most of the way! I went over the Eaglesham Moors which is a beast of a climb but way easier with a 25mph wind pushing you on and with roads like this to enjoy it really was cycling heaven!

Looking back down the climb towards Eaglesham!

The flattish part near the top of the climb!

Then the awesome descent down into Ayrshire!

Now I was heading SE towards Galston with a pretty strong crosswind but I had lots of tree cover and the amazing roads just kept coming!

The road descends mostly (with some climbs of course) all the way down into Galston, the final descent is just incredible! Just after passing through Galston I changed my first battery at 47 miles, I knew some big climbs were coming and I was now about to tackle that 25mph headwind! The first village I reached is called Sornhill and its easy to see how it got the hill in its name...

I had a really nice view from the top of the hill!

Looking back down, its amazing how the camera makes it look almost flat....

Next is the village of Sorn which is picturesque in some parts but pretty awful in others!

I was now on the road to Muirkirk and battling the strong wind but the amazing roads just continued and lifted my spirits round every corner!

It was mostly overcast today but I was glad as it kept me cool, along with that ENE wind of course!

The view to the south just before arriving in Muirkirk!

On reaching Muirkirk it was time to turn NE with a big climb up to almost 1000ft at first, followed by some nice descents and some nice views of the local hills!

I knew I was getting close to one of the rougher parts of this road but as I turned the corner I got a very pleasant surprise to see lovely new tarmac had been laid!

This made this descent even more enjoyable than ever, even though I was still battling the wind!

This road leads to Strathaven and can be busy at times but to my amazement it was very quiet today, it was one of those days when almost everything was in my favour and I sure wasn't complaining! There are some lovely views on this road also, like this fishery with a stunning tree lined background!

I eventually arrived in Strathaven and continued into the wind down into the Clyde Valley which was bathed in sunshine, this was taken on the bridge over the River Clyde at Crossford!

At this stage I had now covered 90 miles, having changed my second battery at around 82 miles! I was on my last battery now which had a 94% charge and I only had about 30 miles to go so I was able to up the assist level to tackle the big climbs out of the valley, what a godsend that was as I was obviously getting tired now! At the top of the climb I took to my back roads which I ride a lot and know them like the back of my hand, once again I was closing in on some rougher parts of the road and I was astonished to see they had also laid new tarmac on the worst parts!

Somebody was watching over me today (thanks dad ), I just couldn't believe my luck with the roads all being fixed and it just continued all the way home! What a brilliant day on the bike, one week ago I was cycling round the beautiful Isle Of Arran but today topped that with the amazing roads! I'm very tired now but on cloud 9 after that incredible day!

@Readytoride Congratulations on becoming a Grandma, my younger brother is due to become a Grandpa in October and he is super excited about meeting his little granddaughter! I hope the awful smoke will be gone soon and you can enjoy riding your bike again, in between babysitting...

 

[DaveMatthews]

View attachment 155506

My best ever cycle ride, not scenery wise but just road riding at its aboslute best!

Last night I was thinking about where to ride today and thought about a 50 miler as I was intending to do a big ride this coming Sunday, but on checkling the Sunday forecast it didn't fill me with confidence as it looks like our spell of amazing weather will be absent that day! So then I got to thinking why not do a big ride today, but there was a bit of a problem regarding that also...a small matter of a 25mph wind from the ENE! So I set about plotting a route that would make the most of the blustery conditions and came up with an absolute corker! Just 110 miles with 7500ft of climbing, was I insane to even think about it?

I came up with a hilly route out to Moscow and set off at 5.15am to avoid the traffic, this Moscow is a blink and you'll miss it village in Ayrshire! I got 47 miles from my first battery with around 3000ft of climbing due to the stromg wind at my back most of the way! I went over the Eaglesham Moors which is a beast of a climb but way easier with a 25mph wind pushing you on and with roads like this to enjoy it really was cycling heaven!

Looking back down the climb towards Eaglesham!
View attachment 155507
The flattish part near the top of the climb!

View attachment 155508
Then the awesome descent down into Ayrshire!

View attachment 155509
Now I was heading SE towards Galston with a pretty strong crosswind but I had lots of tree cover and the amazing roads just kept coming!

View attachment 155511
The road descends mostly (with some climbs of course) all the way down into Galston, the final descent is just incredible! Just after passing through Galston I changed my first battery at 47 miles, I knew some big climbs were coming and I was now about to tackle that 25mph headwind! The first village I reached is called Sornhill and its easy to see how it got the hill in its name...

View attachment 155512
I had a really nice view from the top of the hill!

View attachment 155513
Looking back down, its amazing how the camera makes it look almost flat....

View attachment 155514
Next is the village of Sorn which is picturesque in some parts but pretty awful in others!

View attachment 155519
View attachment 155520
I was now on the road to Muirkirk and battling the strong wind but the amazing roads just continued and lifted my spirits round every corner!

View attachment 155524
It was mostly overcast today but I was glad as it kept me cool, along with that ENE wind of course!

The view to the south just before arriving in Muirkirk!

View attachment 155525
On reaching Muirkirk it was time to turn NE with a big climb up to almost 1000ft at first, followed by some nice descents and some nice views of the local hills!

View attachment 155526
I knew I was getting close to one of the rougher parts of this road but as I turned the corner I got a very pleasant surprise to see lovely new tarmac had been laid!

View attachment 155527
This made this descent even more enjoyable than ever, even though I was still battling the wind!

View attachment 155528
This road leads to Strathaven and can be busy at times but to my amazement it was very quiet today, it was one of those days when almost everything was in my favour and I sure wasn't complaining! There are some lovely views on this road also, like this fishery with a stunning tree lined background!

View attachment 155529
View attachment 155530
I eventually arrived in Strathaven and continued into the wind down into the Clyde Valley which was bathed in sunshine, this was taken on the bridge over the River Clyde at Crossford!

View attachment 155531
At this stage I had now covered 90 miles, having changed my second battery at around 82 miles! I was on my last battery now which had a 94% charge and I only had about 30 miles to go so I was able to up the assist level to tackle the big climbs out of the valley, what a godsend that was as I was obviously getting tired now! At the top of the climb I took to my back roads which I ride a lot and know them like the back of my hand, once again I was closing in on some rougher parts of the road and I was astonished to see they had also laid new tarmac on the worst parts!

Somebody was watching over me today (thanks dad ), I just couldn't believe my luck with the roads all being fixed and it just continued all the way home! What a brilliant day on the bike, one week ago I was cycling round the beautiful Isle Of Arran but today topped that with the amazing roads! I'm very tired now but on cloud 9 after that incredible day!

@Readytoride Congratulations on becoming a Grandma, my younger brother is due to become a Grandpa in October and he is super excited about meeting his little granddaughter! I hope the awful smoke will be gone soon and you can enjoy riding your bike again, in between babysitting...

Outstanding!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Just 110 miles with 7500ft of climbing, was I insane to even think about it?

Some of us have been wondering about that, too. The "Just" in that sentence isn't exactly evidence against.

Sanity aside, you continue to be an inspiration — not just for the heroic distances and elevation gains on a regular basis, but also for the nonchalance about it all. When I catch myself thinking about cutting a ride short, I think, "Would RabH wimp out here?" and keep going.

My best ever cycle ride, not scenery wise but just road riding at its aboslute best!

Glad to hear it!

 

[Twin Valley]

Some of us have been wondering about that, too. The "Just" in that sentence isn't exactly evidence against.

Sanity aside, you continue to be an inspiration — not just for the heroic distances and elevation gains on a regular basis, but also for the nonchalance about it all. When I catch myself thinking about cutting a ride short, I think, "Would RabH wimp out here?" and keep going.


Glad to hear it!

Exactly, my ride this morning was a third of Rab's saddle time and a tenth of distance covered. I really do think Scotland should be on the old bucket list!
My ride in the Nechako Forest of Central British Columbia took me over to Lake Eulatazella (I know that's quite the mouthful but the locals call it Graveyard Lake). I was up early to beat the heat and with the fish jumping like crazy thoughts turned to a fishing pole instead of biking ... With much of North America on smoke alert this area has so far avoided the dreaded forest fires

and it really was a great ride in the mountains - huh Rab's positivity is rubbing off on his readers!

 

[Chargeride]

Visiting My First Professional Employer Ever

I got my first professional job (being just a technical university graduate -- MSc, Process Engineer -- with completed mandatory military service) at the Industrial Chemistry Research Institute in 1988. I had an appointment for a technical meeting with ICRI on Wednesday (the Institute is one of our important customers now).

A historical note
Professor Ignacy Mościcki, a chemical engineer, a wealthy inventor (he made his fortune by patenting a method to produce ammonium nitrate from air and water using electricity in Switzerland), and the 3rd President of Poland established what was called the Chemical Research Institute, and bought land for it in Warsaw's quarter of Żoliborz (Joli Bord, or Beautiful Rivershore) in 1926.

View attachment 155471View attachment 155479
I worked in this very building for several years. President Mościcki is the tallest man in the second photo (1927).

View attachment 155472
The ICRI high-rise (1970s) nowadays. I was shocked to see a brand new kindergarten and nursery in the front of the building! I could not recognize the surroundings and got lost for a while!
View attachment 155473
Installing software and the license for the training I will be holding since next Monday.

Another historical note
Ms. Halina Skibniewska, a prolific architect was given a task of designing a new housing neighbourhood in Żoliborz in late 1950s. Unlike other architects of the era, Skibniewska was farthest from designing the "Communist Brutality" common to those times. Her design was Scandinavian style low blocks of flats, and preserving as many fruit trees present in the former orchards as possible. Soon, artists started competing for the flats there. The Sady Żoliborskie (Żoliborz Orchards) is one of the most beautiful areas of Warsaw now!

View attachment 155474
One of Skibniewska designs, the Milk Bar "Sady". It almost looks like it was in 1960s!

Milk Bars was a concept of providing inexpensive meal to the working class of that era, serving tasty and simple fast food. "Sady" is probably the only "milk bar" that survived in almost original form (only very clean now), still serving inexpensive tasty grub to poor senior citizens, disabled people, Social Assistance clients, young mothers and... just people like me who value simple delicious food and the climate of that place. Necessary to mention I used to eat in "Sady" both as a schoolkid and later as a young scientist of ICRI!

View attachment 155475
My $4 lunch: Cold Soup with egg, and Leniwe Pierogi (Lazy Dumplings) with butter and sugar. Exactly as in 1970s, only even tastier!

View attachment 155477
I almost started crying with happiness when I saw that. Any fast food bar serving, say, Breton Beans (a Polish invention) or Kidneys or Tripe had exactly those three condiments (with spoons) on the table: salt, ground sweet pepper, and Herbal Pepper. Black pepper was expensive in the Communist Poland, so it was replaced with an inexpensive mixture of herbs pretending to be black pepper! I felt like a schoolkid again!

View attachment 155478
The Żoliborz part of my Vado SL ride.

Those meals look diet friendly

 

[Chargeride]

A bit of a nostalgia coincidence, weve just lost a good friend and we all got drunk at my other friends house, they guy I climbed the mountain with on the standard ebikes.
He did a deep root in his loft and found long lost pictures.
This is us in the Isle of Man in the late 90s during the TT race, the Island has a lot of dirtbike friendly tracks over the Island and they were great for getting about during the race road lockdowns.
Ive still got that bike, its now 34 years old.
Jeans and skijacket..Im such a scruff

 

[DaveMatthews]

A bit of a nostalgia coincidence, weve just lost a good friend and we all got drunk at my other friends house, they guy I climbed the mountain with on the standard ebikes.
He did a deep root in his loft and found long lost pictures.
This is us in the Isle of Man in the late 90s during the TT race, the Island has a lot of dirtbike friendly tracks over the Island and they were great for getting about during the race road lockdowns.
Ive still got that bike, its now 34 years old.
Jeans and skijacket..Im such a scruff
View attachment 155555

That brings back a lot of awesome memories!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My best ever cycle ride, not scenery wise but just road riding at its aboslute best!

I am so happy with your happiness @RabH! Congratulations!

Those meals look diet friendly

I could live without sugar on the top of Lazies but indeed, no harm to your diet would be done!

Ive still got that bike, its now 34 years old.

I could never understand motorcyclists, sorry! For me (judging by action films) motor-bikers are usually the bad guys!

 

[Chargeride]

I will never understand the universal urge of motorcyclists to stick noisy exhausts on.
I bought a ZZR and the guy had put straight throughs on it, Ive got the originals he said, but you probably dont want them.
I took them and fitted them the next day.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I will never understand the universal urge of motorcyclists to stick noisy exhausts on.

Agree, it was always about the Gs and speed and skill and being outside for me, not the sound. Putting my Suzuki GS1100 through its paces on a 3D mountain road was the closest I'd ever get to the sensation of flying an F16, and I'll always be grateful for those experiences. Also grateful I survived them.

For 10 years, rode with the Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club out of the San Francisco financial district. Hardly a bunch of thugs, @Stefan Mikes , but definitely a fast crowd — mostly on Japanese, German, and Italian sport bikes. As with any other group, motorcyclists aren't all of one cloth.

 

[Chargeride]

I bored of it eventually and now Im happy to quietly toot around on my ebike, motorbikes just got everywhere too fast.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Just returned home from an awesome out and back ride along the Moraine Lake Highline Trail. No where near the mileage that @RabH has logged but it certainly could rival some of the views in his images. He's the energizer bunny of EBR...literally.

More pics and video to come!

…and my wife brags about the rocks in her garden. Much of the climb towards the top was riddled with rock gardens and roots. Combine that with riding in the blistering heat made it challenging even on an ebike. What a bike though.

 

[Readytoride]

@Readytoride Congratulations on becoming a Grandma, my younger brother is due to become a Grandpa in October and he is super excited about meeting his little granddaughter! I hope the awful smoke will be gone soon and you can enjoy riding your bike again, in between babysitting...

Thank you. No babysitting yet as the new parents are still besotted with their tiny offspring and go everywhere as a trio. They do send new photos everyday to an electronic picture frame they gifted me on Mother's Day (it's logged into the Net) so I can watch a daily influx of new photos of the little guy growing in leaps and bounds. Can't wait until he's old enough to ride a bike! (Yeah, I know we're talking years, but still...)

Skies began to clear yesterday evening and we woke up to a mountain view - a sight that's been missing for the past several days. There's a hint of blue up above in the milky white overcast, and no more smoke smell. I will actually be able to get out on the bike today. If I can even do 1/10 the distance of your recent epic ride, I'll be thrilled. All your fresh, lovely tarmac made me drool! I'll be on dusty, dry gravel roads that are desperate for rain. Any rain at all.

All fingers are crossed the smoke stays away for Sunday's charity ride.

@Prairie Dog - Wow! Those views!

 

[Readytoride]

I could never understand motorcyclists, sorry! For me (judging by action films) motor-bikers are usually the bad guys!

Not all of us, Stefan! My motorcycle and I had lots of fun adventures, and explored lots of new places, when I was in my 20s, although for the most part it was basically just my main transportation to get to the boarding barn 20+ miles away so I could ride my horse. I still miss that thrill of looking down at my feet on the foot rests with the tarmac flying by, only a few inches below my soles, at 60mph. I also remember like it was yesterday the night I rode home from the barn in a rapidly developing snowstorm in rush hour traffic, in the dark, shaking from the cold and fear of my bike slipping out from under me in the growing slush and snow on the back roads. I got home safe but was so unnerved that I never rode that bike in the winter again.

Those days are now long gone with just fleeting memories, but given half a chance to climb on a small nimble bike that fit me, and let it take me for another run down the road (sunny summer days only, please), I'd probably do it. Granny that I am. My head still turns at the sight of any nimble, fast, throaty rumbling motorcycle, and I always smile.

Come to think of it, all my photos from my 20s are me with my horses and bicycles. I don't think I have even one with my motorcycle.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Not all of us, Stefan! My motorcycle and I had lots of fun adventures

Well, Flora, I owned a moped (that is, a 50cc motorcycle) when I was 18. A short adventure (the gearbox fell apart, and I returned it still on warranty). I kept my liking to bicycles.
I'm sure the motorcycle is a part of the American lifestyle and culture, especially as distances in North America are not small!

Please forgive my joke about the "motorcycle thugs!"

 

[Prairie Dog]

Skies began to clear yesterday evening and we woke up to a mountain view - a sight that's been missing for the past several days. There's a hint of blue up above in the milky white overcast, and no more smoke smell. I will actually be able to get out on the bike today.

All fingers are crossed the smoke stays away for Sunday's charity ride.

@Prairie Dog - Wow! Those views!

We’re normally good trading partners but I’m afraid that this time we didn’t come through for you folks. Here's hoping that the smoke clears in time for your charity ride.

The Highline Trail is one that I had on my bucket list for a while and it was truly a spectacular ride albeit through some challenging terrain. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[RabH]

Not surprisingly I nodded off after dinner last night!

@Jeremy McCreary Thank you for your very kind words, I'm glad I inspire you.
@Twin Valley Your neck of the woods looks pretty awesome also!
@Stefan Mikes I was a biker until recently because I decided to sell it last month, this is the first time I have have been without a motorbike since 1979! I'm having too much fun with my e bike and just not feeling like riding a motorbike anymore...
@Prairie Dog Not my type of terrain but what an incredibly beautiful part of the world you live in!
@Readytoride I'm glad things are improving, wishing you all the best with the charity ride if it goes ahead! Sorry for making you drool... I'm sure your grandson will be on here in the future telling us about his rides if you have anything to do with it!