Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[kahn]

I remember being amazed when I first moved to Seattle at how dedicated they were at naming roads just with a number and a quadrant and streets always go east-west while avenues run north-south.

My (now)wife took me to Mt Rainier about a month after I got here and I was flabbergasted to see roads numbered the whole way to the park in the middle of nowhere.

Even now, I see one could walk to the corner of 387th Avenue Court East and 570th Street Court East just outside the Nisqually entrance!
View attachment 123156

Seattle is interesting as its grid is like a tic-tac-toe board. Nine grid arrangement with the middle having no e/w/n/w designation.

 

[Chargeride]

Took the bike up to my favourite, not to difficult mtb trail centre, Llandegla in Wales.
I love this place, its such a cosy atmosphere, great food and filled with horrendously expensive gear and bikes.
Someones fitted a chinese petrol engine kit to a Nukeproof and its now on show.

The bike performed perfectly, it was a gorgeous warm but windy day.
On the way up the main ascent, thought I was the only one there, stumbled on a couple on bikes in full snog mode.
They were such a gloriously unlikely couple, she was , I'd say Somalian, with hair down to her waist, stunning looks and he was a pasty white, fat bald guy with a massive ginger beard.
I just said 'mornin'.
Then mumbled to myself..how did he pull her and shes into mtbing.
Envy wont get you anywhere
Anyway, the wind blew the bike over, cos the fat tyres are like sails.

Then the battery came loose and it seems the bolt had backed out so far, that it was preventing it from sliding off.
A bit of grunt got it off, though I had visions of the entire thing snapping and doing the ride with it all ziptied together...wouldnt be the first time.

Discovered a guy repairing the trails.
'You can use the them' he called out.
Oh peer pressure, I joked, I was going to miss it out.
He jumped out of his cab
No, you just do what your happy with , Im not suggesting anything..
Lawyers eh, theyve got us all edgy, theyre a scourge on humanity.

The entire are has been felled, it is a working forest, bit sad as the trail went through the dark woods and now its just a sea of stumps.

The battery then conked out, it usually lasts the entire trail, so that's something I need to investigate..adds to list.., luckily it was right by a cute bench and a path back to the van.

Ive never followed this path before and it goes right past a hidden house in the

woods with a little lake and tree houses, what a gorgeous place to live.

Great day out, got some exercise, didn't crash, bike didnt fail me.
Had some time to myself.

 

[dodgeman]

Another 13 mile ride today. We have two one room school houses near us. The pic I included is stuffed full of old farm equipment.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Llandegla

Like in "Sandegla"?

 

[Surly]

Nope. More clthlan-degla

 

[BlackHand]

Seattle is interesting as its grid is like a tic-tac-toe board. Nine grid arrangement with the middle having no e/w/n/w designation.

Yeah, I realized after I typed quadrants , that I wasn't being accurate but didn't think to describe it like a tic-tac-toe grid.

We used to live on the border between grid segments and the house across the way had the same address as us except we were NW and they were N. We traded misdelivered packages pretty regularly.

 

[Cowlitz]

I couldn't help it.

Rode again, up Salmon Creek with a thought of making it to Conconully and having a burger. That didn't happen. I got range anxiety because I'd used up more than the usual amount of power pedaling into the wind, and powering up the scary hill with angry horse trailer people behind me. It was good that I turned around because the wind had increased and in places, I had to pedal downhill. Total miles were 31. That's 11 miles short of a burger trip. Maybe I'll pack the charger next time.

Highlight of the trip?? A smelly, decaying deer at the Ruby historical site.

 

[Mulezen]

My carpal tunnel stitches were removed the other day and I promptly went for a quick six mile fix with minimal discomfort...today I went eleven my legs halfway through heavy... yesterday's resumption of weight training, I don't know the Tom in the picture but over the years his sign has improved from an indecipherable paint scrawl on a board to the present...I take this as a barometer of his prosperity.
The small farmstead is another throwback...the curious calf's white marking is unusual. Across the road the corn is emerging while another hundred yards where this road dead-ends another pasture is sprouting its first (of 24) million dollar houses...I'd say 'Mansions' but who knows what a million bucks gets you anymore.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Looks like old Tom is doing alright for himself!

You still in the cool temps way down there? 87 today, and we’re in the middle of North/South New York, half an hour from Vermont. This is a little strange, an entire week of this and no end in sight.

 

[Mulezen]

67 F when I went out…threatening rain with a bit of drizzle.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Ahoy, adventure! The train departing at 7:45 a.m.

Two trains, 73 km, unfortunately 2 hours total to be spent on the railway trip.

 

[DiggyGun]

View attachment 123246
Ahoy, adventure! The train departing at 7:45 a.m.

Have a good day.

 

[Chargeride]

no

Nope. More clthlan-degla

Now wipe your keyboard

 

[Prairie Dog]

Once again, I hit my favourite trails yesterday with a bit more fervor and rode the new bike hard now that it's fully dialed in. No pussyfooting around with it this time particularly along many of the root infested sections. With road riding temporarily sidelined it might be a good time to look for other more technical trails outside of my local area.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Just To Drink A Good IPA In Puławy...

What an exciting trip! Now stiff from fatigue.

I got this Rye Session IPA right from the brewer, two weeks before the premiere, freshly poured from the tank!

Returning on Sunday morning via a shorter route.

 

[Readytoride]

The Art of Outracing The Rain (with apologies to Garth Stein)

My day didn't involve a Golden Retriever, a sports car and a tragic storyline. All well and good when you are writing a best seller, but in my case my day was written as a simple blog entry involving a fast bike, a fast moving pursuit of nasty rain clouds, and 24 miles in which to figure out who will win.

(Hint: I did, but only by a nose)

I hadn't been able to ride my bike near as much as I needed due to an endless array of excuses. Some valid, most not. But I have a charity bike ride looming on the weekend horizon, and I am desperately in need of some cycle time to tell me if I should do the half century ride I'm signed up for, or switch to the family fun 20 mile ride that is less strenuous, doesn't require me to carry my extra battery because the lesser distance doesn't have of the endless hills of the century/half century, and has some great views in an area I've yet to see.

Today I had 2 hours to give myself for a ride. Before I pulled my bike from the garage and pumped the tires, a glance at the immense towering stacks of cumulous nimbus clouds crowding the depressingly humid skies suggested a glance at the radar might also be a good idea. Areas to the south and west were huddled under some heavy rain storms, but my area was still showing bits of blue sky. A fast 25 miles promised to get me around the block and home before I got any wetter than just my own sweat.

I took off on the Class 3 for my favorite paved road loop into the county below. Being mid afternoon there was little traffic asking to share the road and so the vistas and countryside was mine alone to ride, photograph, and enjoy.

Most of my route would follow the line of the Blue Ridge where the footpath of the 2,000+ mile long Appalachian Trail threaded the crest heading north to Maine and south to Georgia. Lately I've been reading the blogs of several through "nobo" hikers ("northbound" abbreviated in their unique lingo), enjoying their daily ramblings (both physical and written). It was amazing to me how so many could find such a plethora of unique adjectives day after day to describe what amounted to the exact same walk over the same type of terrain day after day. Rather like a bike ride over the same types of roads. How many times can you say the same thing and still keep it fresh? How many times can you eleoquat one foot after another stepping over a rocky trail, or pushing a bike pedal around and around, before there are no more words to describe it differently.

I found we do the same thing, those many solitary people that were hiking the crest of the mountains to my side while I biked the roads a thousand feet below them. We looked at the clouds. We watched our path, our route for potholes and tripping hazards. We greeted fellow travelers along the way be they nobo or sobo. They at least stopped to chat or fell into step for a while along the way. I remained solo, exchanging quick greetings with any other cyclist along the way. And all of us together attempted to outrace the incoming rain. They, at least, had dawn to dusk to walk their average distance of 25 miles of trail, and numerous trail shelters to use should the weather become nasty. I only had speed, wheels, and 2 hours.

Still I did take time to photograph, and also take a quick detour to stop in at a cemetery enroute in Upperville and bring a sprig of flowers to lay on the stone of an old endurance riding friend, reflecting on our years together riding and training our horses on that same mountain that is the keystone of the hiking blogs.

I noticed that one of the old dwellings in the town had been honored with a sign, which looked quite nice and certainly dressed the old building with a nod to its historic past. The town is comprised of old historic buildings. Nothing new as there is no room to build, and every inhabitant takes pride in owning and maintaining the centuries old dwellings that exist within the confines of those narrow town lines.

As I tucked my camera away I noticed the clouds closing in from the west and south had gained more troops, many threatening severe rains. I glanced at the radar and saw with growing alarm that my time was running out. For sure the hikers along the trail at the top of the mountain had already taken refuge as the rains had reached there sooner and were viciously pounded the summit. The valley below where I stood was the next target. It was time to go.

I had two choices. One - take the highway out of town and do all paved roads to home, or Two - take the shorter route via a local gravel road and hopefully be home quicker. I chose option Number Two and booked it, so to speak. Within 5 miles from home I felt the first drops of rain. It was a warning. A threat almost. The crest of the Blue Ridge was enveloped in a downpour, rendering half of the mountain invisible. I wondered about those hiking the trail, and hoped they were huddled in shelters safe from the storm. As for me, I pushed both the bike and myself to the 28mph limit. The pavement flew under my wheels as I endeavored to outpace the rains thundering up behind me. But I ran out of steam within 2 miles and had to back down the speed, disgusted at myself for being so unfit.

Not all for naught, however. I'd given myself enough of a head start to be just out of range of the exploding storm at my heels. The final 3 miles flew under my feet and I was up the driveway and home before the first serious drops fell. A victory, albeit a close shave.

I will enjoy the hiking blogs as we compare our separate 25 mile "outracing the rain" stories, those atop the mountain on the narrow rocky trail, and mine below on the smooth paved road. And maybe today I'll be out again cycling on the road, just as those hikers will be on the trail. They have 2,000 miles to cover in their quest. I, on the other hand, simply have a ride this weekend. 20 or 50 miles. Still hard to decide which. Still a toss up. For now.

More rains forecast today, worse than yesterday. Lots of "severe weather" warnings already popping up on my phone and tablet.

Guess I'll have to lay out some strategy for this next ride if I want to outrace the rains again.

 

[kahn]

The Art of Outracing The Rain (with apologies to Garth Stein)

My day didn't involve a Golden Retriever, a sports car and a tragic storyline. All well and good when you are writing a best seller, but in my case my day was written as a simple blog entry involving a fast bike, a fast moving pursuit of nasty rain clouds, and 24 miles in which to figure out who will win.

(Hint: I did, but only by a nose)

I hadn't been able to ride my bike near as much as I needed due to an endless array of excuses. Some valid, most not. But I have a charity bike ride looming on the weekend horizon, and I am desperately in need of some cycle time to tell me if I should do the half century ride I'm signed up for, or switch to the family fun 20 mile ride that is less strenuous, doesn't require me to carry my extra battery because the lesser distance doesn't have of the endless hills of the century/half century, and has some great views in an area I've yet to see.

Today I had 2 hours to give myself for a ride. Before I pulled my bike from the garage and pumped the tires, a glance at the immense towering stacks of cumulous nimbus clouds crowding the depressingly humid skies suggested a glance at the radar might also be a good idea. Areas to the south and west were huddled under some heavy rain storms, but my area was still showing bits of blue sky. A fast 25 miles promised to get me around the block and home before I got any wetter than just my own sweat.
View attachment 123331
I took off on the Class 3 for my favorite paved road loop into the county below. Being mid afternoon there was little traffic asking to share the road and so the vistas and countryside was mine alone to ride, photograph, and enjoy.
View attachment 123343

Most of my route would follow the line of the Blue Ridge where the footpath of the 2,000+ mile long Appalachian Trail threaded the crest heading north to Maine and south to Georgia. Lately I've been reading the blogs of several through "nobo" hikers ("northbound" abbreviated in their unique lingo), enjoying their daily ramblings (both physical and written). It was amazing to me how so many could find such a plethora of unique adjectives day after day to describe what amounted to the exact same walk over the same type of terrain day after day. Rather like a bike ride over the same types of roads. How many times can you say the same thing and still keep it fresh? How many times can you eleoquat one foot after another stepping over a rocky trail, or pushing a bike pedal around and around, before there are no more words to describe it differently.

I found we do the same thing, those many solitary people that were hiking the crest of the mountains to my side while I biked the roads a thousand feet below them. We looked at the clouds. We watched our path, our route for potholes and tripping hazards. We greeted fellow travelers along the way be they nobo or sobo. They at least stopped to chat or fell into step for a while along the way. I remained solo, exchanging quick greetings with any other cyclist along the way. And all of us together attempted to outrace the incoming rain. They, at least, had dawn to dusk to walk their average distance of 25 miles of trail, and numerous trail shelters to use should the weather become nasty. I only had speed, wheels, and 2 hours.

View attachment 123339

Still I did take time to photograph, and also take a quick detour to stop in at a cemetery enroute in Upperville and bring a sprig of flowers to lay on the stone of an old endurance riding friend, reflecting on our years together riding and training our horses on that same mountain that is the keystone of the hiking blogs.
View attachment 123345

I noticed that one of the old dwellings in the town had been honored with a sign, which looked quite nice and certainly dressed the old building with a nod to its historic past. The town is comprised of old historic buildings. Nothing new as there is no room to build, and every inhabitant takes pride in owning and maintaining the centuries old dwellings that exist within the confines of those narrow town lines.
View attachment 123344

As I tucked my camera away I noticed the clouds closing in from the west and south had gained more troops, many threatening severe rains. I glanced at the radar and saw with growing alarm that my time was running out. For sure the hikers along the trail at the top of the mountain had already taken refuge as the rains had reached there sooner and were viciously pounded the summit. The valley below where I stood was the next target. It was time to go.

View attachment 123342

I had two choices. One - take the highway out of town and do all paved roads to home, or Two - take the shorter route via a local gravel road and hopefully be home quicker. I chose option Number Two and booked it, so to speak. Within 5 miles from home I felt the first drops of rain. It was a warning. A threat almost. The crest of the Blue Ridge was enveloped in a downpour, rendering half of the mountain invisible. I wondered about those hiking the trail, and hoped they were huddled in shelters safe from the storm. As for me, I pushed both the bike and myself to the 28mph limit. The pavement flew under my wheels as I endeavored to outpace the rains thundering up behind me. But I ran out of steam within 2 miles and had to back down the speed, disgusted at myself for being so unfit.

Not all for naught, however. I'd given myself enough of a head start to be just out of range of the exploding storm at my heels. The final 3 miles flew under my feet and I was up the driveway and home before the first serious drops fell. A victory, albeit a close shave.

I will enjoy the hiking blogs as we compare our separate 25 mile "outracing the rain" stories, those atop the mountain on the narrow rocky trail, and mine below on the smooth paved road. And maybe today I'll be out again cycling on the road, just as those hikers will be on the trail. They have 2,000 miles to cover in their quest. I, on the other hand, simply have a ride this weekend. 20 or 50 miles. Still hard to decide which. Still a toss up. For now.

More rains forecast today, worse than yesterday. Lots of "severe weather" warnings already popping up on my phone and tablet.

Guess I'll have to lay out some strategy for this next ride if I want to outrace the rains again.

I don't know your backstory. But do or did you write professionally or only for pleasure. It certainly is a pleasure to read. Loved the parallel hiking/biking narrative in this missive. Thanks for sharing.

 

[RabH]

@Readytoride If you need some incentive....

Yesterday I was studying the weather forecasts trying to decide where my first imperial century of the year was going to take place, I think I changed my mind about 5 times as it wasn't looking great anywhere according to the normally reliable met office! At least I was leaving early (5am) when the forecast was looking good so if the rains came I was at least warmed up, it was only 7C when I set off....

I actually managed 65 miles before the rain arrived and by this time it was around 14C so the rain wasn't going to spoil my day, it actually refreshed me! Thankfully the rain quickly cleared and I was back on dry roads and having the time of my life, with views like this what's not to like?

This is why I picked this route, even without the sun its still stunningly beautiful and the roads are mostly in good condition! There are a few exceptions of course but nothing I couldn't handle with this awesome bike! The road alongside Loch Ard is in good condition and such a joy to ride with these views!

This really was cycling heaven and well worth the effort, even when your legs are tired the stunning views just give you a massive lift and make you want to keep going and going...which is what I did!

I'm really jealous of the people that live in this beautful house overlooking the loch!

A few miles on and yet another beautiful loch (Loch Chon) to enjoy, so picture perfect with the reflections!

The road then ends at Stronachlachar where you get a very nice view of Loch Katrine which is where I'm headed next, to the path where I stumbled across Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards many years ago!

They have improved the path around the loch which was very welcome, its about 13 miles long and very up and down! It ws my lucky day as the path was very quiet so I could enjoy the big descents at high speed!

The beautiful views just continue!

At the end of the path the pleasure boats were preparing to sail, Rob Roy III and Lady Of The Lake! Some info here! https://www.lochkatrine.com/cruises/loch-cruises/

This was the first picture I took today, at the Forth and Clyde canal at 5.30am!

What a fantastic day that was, I think I will be on a high for quite some time! It was so good to get out without time constraints for once, all thanks to my older brother for looking after my dad! Back in 2018 I completed a very similar route with a single battery, I just had enough juice left from my 2 batteries to get up the final climbs at home! I very much doubt I could do it with a single battery now...my legs are feeling it now but it was so worth it!

The stats from 2018 as a comparison, I notice I climbed even more that day with the single battery!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

115.7 miles?!

 

[RabH]

115.7 miles?!

115.7 glorious miles actually!