Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[RabH]

115.7 miles?!

115.7 glorious miles actually!

 

[kahn]

@Readytoride If you need some incentive....


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

View attachment 123356

Oh, trash day, they've left an old bicycle outside the gate for pickup.

Looks like an incredible ride through incredible scenery.

 

[Prairie Dog]

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!

Outstanding road trip! With scenery like that I would think that the miles fell by the wayside without a second thought.

The combination of distance and gain in elevation is impressive to say the least.

 

[Frank/Delaware]

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.

Wonderful, simply wonderful. Thank you for your word-smithing and pictures/

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Just To Drink Good IPA in Puławy (Saturday, 14th of May 2022)

There are several locations by name of Stoczek in Poland. I got curious which Stoczek was the scene of the 1831 Battle of Stoczek, known from a revolutionary song: "While the cannons of Stoczek were being captured by the folk with their hands black from the plough; the lords in Warsaw were debating..." That would be Stoczek Łukowski. Upon reading my related post on Facebook, a friend of mine wrote to me: 'Hey, there's an interesting way from Stoczek to Puławy... Interested?' And it made me motivated to ride to Puławy, a picturesque city on the Vistula that I love so much! NB: The direct route from my place to Puławy is 100 miles.

It took me two trains and two hour ride to get to Pilawa. a large railroad junction 60 km southeast of Warsaw. The first part of the trip was easy: I was driven with a solid tailwind. Occasionally, the route as "invented" by RideWithGPS led me through Mazovian gravel and sands... (Oh yes, Mazovia is full of sand!)

"The Cannons of Stoczek". The 1831 battle against the Russian (during the November Uprising) was commanded by a talented General by name of Józef Dwernicki and it was won. The Uprising was a failure anyway (as any insurrection we Poles had ever tried).

Left: At the trip midpoint (as I thought at that time). Centre: I eventually understood the value of proper nutrition on the long ride Right: A Milk Cooperative (est. 1926) in Ryki. Ryki means "Uproar"

The River Wieprz (literally: Hog). Necessary to mention, all my ride from Stoczek was inside the western part of the Land of Lublin, another province (I was travelling from Mazovia). The Land of Lublin is a very important farming region of Poland with fertile soil.

Top: Starting from a magically looking location of Gołąb ("Pigeon"), I was moving along the railroad.
Centre: A huge chemical plant Azoty in Puławy. The plant is a fertilizer manufacturer (important for the farming country!), and one of my customers.
Bottom: a funny place! There are two cycling trails there; any cyclist needs to get off their bike and walk under the pipelines with their head down!

As soon as I reached my hotel, I left my baggage there, took a backpack and rode for several kilometres to the Hotel & Brewery "Trzy Korony" ("Three Crowns") by the Vistula. There was a kind of madness in the city. It is the season of the First Communion for kids, and their parents (wanting to show off) buy posh parties in restaurants. There are weddings, too. As the outcome, it was hard to find a place to eat on that Saturday! Here, a big wedding. It was a weight-lifter having his wedding party there. As I rode in, someone shouted: "It looks the referee has come!", and the folk burst with laughter! Inside the hotel, a charming female receptionist (who knew very well a Stefan was expected to come) sold me several bottles of good IPAs, including one poured right from the tank!

Fortunately for me, the best pizzeria in the city had a bar section in addition to their restaurant (the latter occupied by the First Communion party guests...) I was as lucky as to get my pizza in 15 minutes!

The hotel I stayed in had as many as five First Communion parties on that day. The personnel was very helpful: a waiter got my big Vado down to the basement with a lift, and the e-bike had to be transported vertically, as the lift was small! (Late in the evening, I and the friend of mine met, and had the ales together).

Because Puławy is a wide spread city, I made more kilometres than expected on that day. The temperature was 16-20 C (60s F) but the wind felt very cold. I'm glad I took warm cycling clothes with me!

 

[Readytoride]

Wonderful, simply wonderful. Thank you for your word-smithing and pictures/

It is always fun to write for a like-minded audience. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Readytoride]

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.

You're welcome. That was very sweet of you to say, and I'm glad you enjoyed the storyline. In answer to your question - yes, I wrote professionally for decades, which included a national award for a magazine (that I wrote for) feature article. I have since retired from the world of deadlines, and write simply for the sheer pleasure of it.

There, the cat's now out of the bag.

 

[Readytoride]

@Readytoride If you need some incentive....

Congrats on such an awesome personal achievement. Hat's off in admiration! Those photographs bring back such fond memories of my trip to Scotland in the 90s. The stunning starkly beautiful scenery, the wide open vistas, and the mirrored lakes without even the tiniest of ripples to mar their glass smooth surfaces. A gorgeous, gorgeous countryside everywhere we went, from the south to the north and west across the bay into Skye. Would love to one day tour those roads on a bike. The stories are already floating about in my brain for that adventure...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

"Headwindy" Puławy Return Ride (Sunday 15th of May 2022)

Let me tell you about the history of Puławy
The place, dubbed the "Polish Athens" was an aristocrat residence since 1662, hosting families of Opaliński, Lubomirski, and the famous familia, the Czartoryski family, one of the most powerful in Poland (and great patriots, too). It was the heart of Polish culture, art and intellect. The palaces built there were all destroyed, one by one, during many wars. Following the collapse of the Kościuszko Insurrection of 1794 (more on it later), the Russian destroyed the last palace there, too. In 1796, Princess Izabela Czartoryska tried again. She built a gorgeous new palace, and created a romantic park around, with a function of a museum (which was not usual in those times). Following yet another failed uprising in 1831, the Czartoryskis had to emigrate, and the place was renamed to New Alexandria by the Russian.

As the Tsar of Russia wanted to visit the place, a straight avenue was built: from the railway station right to the palace. (That would be the Partisan Avenue followed by the Royal Avenue today).

In 1960, the Azoty chemical plant and the City of Puławy were created. Nowadays, Puławy is a gorgeous, green and flowery city on the Vistula.

Got up at half past five in the morning, had the breakfast at seven, and set off for the ride at 7:36 a.m...
Another waiter brought my Vado back from the cellar, noted!

Sunny Sunday, 8 a.m., nobody alive to be seen! Top: The Izabela's Palace.
Centre, Bottom: RideWithGPS route planner can be totally wrong. The stupid algorithm took me for a lengthy trip including singletrack and all it ended with me walking my Vado steep uphill in the Walk Mode!

I was in the search of the Princess Izabela's Temple of Sybil. A big inscription on the front read: "THE PAST THE FUTURE". She probably meant "(A gift of) The Past (To) the Future" but I interpreted that as "The Past (of) The Future", that is, "Now" The Temple was a museum already in the times of the Princess! It remains to be a museum now (unfortunately, it was closed so early).

Tancred & Clorinda (Jerusalem Delivered).

The Gothic House, a lapidarium.
Soon, I could discover why RideWithGPS was so stupid: there is only foot access to the park via a staircase and footbridge, through a concealed entrance...

Getting onto the left bank of the Vistula. Top: Ignacy Mościcki's Bridge (The Old Bridge). Professor Mościcki, once the President of Poland was a chemist who actually created the chemical industry of Poland. I spent several first years of my professional career in a Warsaw Institute he had created and owned, the home of the Polish chemical industry! Bottom: The Vistula is a sandy river. Far in the background: The New Bridge.

Plagued with a strong headwind, I rode onto the bank of the Vistula... A ferry crossing but there is no ferry. Why? (My lips are sealed! I will not tell you!)

And I had separate chats with two local people:
The Local A: No need for you to continue along the riverbank! No road there! You will regret it if you continue your ride! Go back to the main road! Trust me, I am an angler, so I know the area!
The Local B: Go on! A nice ride! Even cars can get through! You will join the main road in Opatkowice. Trust me, I'm a local here!

So I (of course) rode on! Many anglers out there, all with their cars! Although the "road" was dramatically bumpy!

'A rare sight, eh?' -- said the shepherd when we started our chat. He was leading his (hungry) cows towards the Vistula, as the beasts would find a lot of sweet grass to be eaten there. (See how the animals greedily eat young cereals!) The guy was very intelligent. We discussed e-bikes, smartphone cameras, DSLRs, etc. Actually, I was doing anything to stay stationary in the warm sun and not to ride the main road against cold, howling headwind!

What you could see in the pictures above (and this picture) is called "powiśle", or "the land of Vistula". There is a huge area behind the embankment towards the river with fields, pastures, and thicket/scrub. Nice local roads follow the embankment. It is exactly the same "powiśle" as you would find in the Hollander Land up north. Here, I had just passed the Lublinian/Mazovian border (which is rather complex).

In 1794, one Thaddeus Kościuszko (the name might be familiar to some of you) rose the nation to the insurrection against the Russian occupation of Poland. Kościuszko was a great advocate of emancipating serfs, so he promised freedom to the peasants if they joined the fight. In fact, he succeeded to convince the folk in Lesser Poland (Cracow and around). Peasants were fighting with straightened scythes (the left picture). After initial successes, Kościuszko was defeated, wounded, and captured by the Russian army, effectively terminating his brilliant military career. Right: The place where Kościuszko got wounded in the Battle of Maciejowice (Mazovia).

I'd love the idea of the "credit card touring" but that's not that easy. A spare battery, tools, toilet paper (!!!), all necessary chargers, beverages, snacks: all of that leaves very little space for warm clothes! (Perhaps doable in the really warm season). Here, in Łaskarzew, where I had a long talk on e-bikes with a 67-yo cyclist. His friend lets the guy use his hybrid e-bike, so the guy could join rides with younger buddies. (I was doing everything not to be riding into the howling wind!)

The howling wind was tiresome mentally. As I reached the Pilawa train station, I was surprised to hit the metric century sharp! And I was so lucky: I got my train within several minutes! (I even could cut an hour worth nap on the train!)

The entire, 221 km weekend ride.

Within the regional map of Europe.

 

[DiggyGun]

"Headwindy" Puławy Return Ride (Sunday 15th of May 2022)

Let me tell you about the history of Puławy
The place, dubbed the "Polish Athens" was an aristocrat residence since 1662, hosting families of Opaliński, Lubomirski, and the famous familia, the Czartoryski family, one of the most powerful in Poland (and great patriots, too). It was the heart of Polish culture, art and intellect. The palaces built there were all destroyed, one by one, during many wars. Following the collapse of the Kościuszko Insurrection of 1794 (more on it later), the Russian destroyed the last palace there, too. In 1796, Princess Izabela Czartoryska tried again. She built a gorgeous new palace, and created a romantic park around, with a function of a museum (which was not usual in those times). Following yet another failed uprising in 1831, the Czartoryskis had to emigrate, and the place was renamed to New Alexandria by the Russian.

As the Tsar of Russia wanted to visit the place, a straight avenue was built: from the railway station right to the palace. (That would be the Partisan Avenue followed by the Royal Avenue today).

In 1960, the Azoty chemical plant and the City of Puławy were created. Nowadays, Puławy is a gorgeous, green and flowery city on the Vistula.

Got up at half past five in the morning, had the breakfast at seven, and set off for the ride at 7:36 a.m...
Another waiter brought my Vado back from the cellar, noted!

View attachment 123461
Sunny Sunday, 8 a.m., nobody alive to be seen! Top: The Izabela's Palace.
Centre, Bottom: RideWithGPS route planner can be totally wrong. The stupid algorithm took me for a lengthy trip including singletrack and all it ended with me walking my Vado steep uphill in the Walk Mode!

View attachment 123462
I was in the search of the Princess Izabela's Temple of Sybil. A big inscription on the front read: "THE PAST THE FUTURE". She probably meant "(A gift of) The Past (To) the Future" but I interpreted that as "The Past (of) The Future", that is, "Now" The Temple has been a museum already in the times of the Princess! It remains to be a museum now (unfortunately, it was closed so early).

View attachment 123463
Tancred & Clorinda (Jerusalem Delivered).

View attachment 123464
The Gothic House, a lapidarium.
Soon, I could discover why RideWithGPS was so stupid: there is only foot access to the park via a staircase and footbridge, through a concealed entrance...

View attachment 123465
Getting onto the left bank of the Vistula. Top: Ignacy Mościcki's Bridge (The Old Bridge). Professor Mościcki, once the President of Poland was a chemist who actually created the chemical industry of Poland. I spent several first years of my professional career in a Warsaw Institute he created and owned, the home of the Polish chemical industry! Bottom: The Vistula is a sandy river. Far in the background: The New Bridge.

View attachment 123467
Plagued with a strong headwind, I rode onto the bank of the Vistula... A ferry crossing but there is no ferry. Why? (My lips are sealed! I will not tell you!)

And I had separate chats with two local people:
The Local A: No need for you to continue along the riverbank! No road there! You will regret it if you continue your ride! Go back to the main road! Trust me, I am an angler, so I know the area!
The Local B: Go on! A nice ride! Even cars can get through! You will join the main road in Opatkowice. Trust me, I'm a local here!

View attachment 123469
So I (of course) rode on! Many anglers out there, all with their cars! Although the "road" was dramatically bumpy!

View attachment 123470
'A rare sight, eh?' -- said the shepherd when we started our chat. He was leading his (hungry) cows towards the Vistula, as the beast would find a lot of sweet grass to be eaten there. (See how the animals greedily eat young cereals!) The guy was very intelligent. We discussed e-bikes, smartphone cameras, DSLRs, etc. Actually, I was doing anything to stay stationary in the warm sun and not to ride the main road against cold, howling headwind!

View attachment 123471
What you could see in the pictures above (and this picture) is called "powiśle", or "the land of Vistula". There is a huge area behind the embankment towards the river with fields, pastures, and thicket/scrub. Nice local roads follow the embankment. It is exactly the same "powiśle" as you would find in the Hollander Land up north. Here, I had just passed the Lublinian/Mazovian border (which is rather complex).

View attachment 123472
In 1794, one Thaddeus Kościuszko (the name might be familiar to some of you) rose the nation to the insurrection against the Russian occupation of Poland. Kościuszko was a great advocate of emancipating serfs, so he promised freedom to the peasants if they joined the fight. In fact, he succeeded to convince the folk in Lesser Poland (Cracow and around). Peasants were fighting with straightened scythes (the left picture). After initial successes, Kościuszko was defeated, wounded, and captured by the Russian army, effectively terminating his brilliant military career. Right: The place where Kościuszko got wounded in the Battle of Maciejowice (Mazovia).

View attachment 123473
I'd love the idea of the "credit card touring" but that's not that easy. A spare battery, tools, toilet paper (!!!), all necessary chargers, beverages, snacks: all of that leaves very little space for warm clothes! (Perhaps doable in the really warm season). Here, in Łaskarzew, where I had a long talk on e-bikes with a 67-yo cyclist. His friend lets the guy use his hybrid e-bike, so the guy could join rides with younger buddies. (I was doing everything not to be riding into the howling wind!)

View attachment 123474
The howling wind was tiresome mentally. As I reached the Pilawa train station, I was surprised to hit the metric century sharp! And I was so lucky: I got my train within several minutes! (I even could cut an hour worth nap on the train!)

View attachment 123475
The entire, 221 km weekend ride.

View attachment 123476
Within the regional map of Europe.

Wow. Lovely report Stefan

 

[RabH]

Congrats on such an awesome personal achievement. Hat's off in admiration! Those photographs bring back such fond memories of my trip to Scotland in the 90s. The stunning starkly beautiful scenery, the wide open vistas, and the mirrored lakes without even the tiniest of ripples to mar their glass smooth surfaces. A gorgeous, gorgeous countryside everywhere we went, from the south to the north and west across the bay into Skye. Would love to one day tour those roads on a bike. The stories are already floating about in my brain for that adventure...

You are one up on me as I have never been to Skye, despite my older brother raving about how beautiful it is as he has been there many times! I will get up there one day for sure! We call them lochs here in Scotland, the most famous being Loch Ness of course! I hope you get out for many more rides as I'm sure we all love reading your stories!

@Stefan Mikes It looks like you had quite a weekend, Stefan! You put so much into your reports, I always love reading them! Shame about the headwind, I know how you feel too well!

Surprisingly my legs feel ok today, the weather is awful though! I'm hoping to get out on Wednesday for a more sedate ride!

 

[Readytoride]

Yes, lochs, not lakes. My apologies.

We did see the Loch Ness monster. It was a big fiberglass rendition of a brontosaurus planted on a pedestal next to the Loch. My son (7 at the time) was not amused, although he consented to having us take his photo next to the wrong species replica. He did spend quite a bit of time gazing at the waters, hoping for a glimpse of the real thing. Sadly, Nessy wasn't in the mood to surface that day, so we left the Loch behind as we headed further West on General Gate's roads, a disappointed little boy in tow.

I do hope you get to cycle some of the roads in Skye. I would love to read your experience. My memories of those roads are all ones of beauty and charm through a peaceful landscape.

 

[DiggyGun]

Update on our honeymoon and cycling holiday.

I was doing some servicing today on Mrs DGs bike, which is a Wisper 705 rear hub drive, when I noticed a burning mark on the cover where the controller is housed. I opened this up and found that the three motor wire connectors, (thick Yellow, Green and Blue with Blue bullet connectors), had melted causing a number of wires to fuse together. This was stripped down, wires separated and the controller removed.

Spoke to Wisper directly, who advised that on some models there can be a problem with overheating and the bullet connectors melt, being the weak link. They are going to send a new controller with different connectors to my LBS so that they can fix it. So we’re dropping the bike off later this afternoon.

Hopefully, the bike won‘t be off the road too long and we can get back to our cycling and of course, our picnics

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Mrs DGs bike

Perhaps the time for a better e-bike for your lovely wife?

 

[Cowlitz]

I survived the terrible intersection of Tiny town. This is the busiest intersection in the county, It has the most complex traffic lights of the four in the county. You'd think that folks know that RED means stop, but they don't.

I made a Walmarche (walmart) run. As Walmart does, the store was built on the edge of town, in a bad place, traffic wise. I have to cross the highway at a traffic light to get there. It's crazy so I push the buttons and walk my bike across on things called, CROSSWALKS. Well, the little man in the box changed from WAIT to WALK. I pushed my bike into the crosswalk and out of the corner of my eye saw Mr. Farmer-Rancher in Cowboy Hat blindly barrelling through to make that right hand turn. Had I not jerked my bike back, there would have been Gazelle carnage and the guy probably would have been oblivious to it, just like he was to me almost stepping into the crosswalk. Then, I started again and a car driven by a woman almost took me out. She had better sight and jammed on her brakes. She looked exasperated at me. I pointed to the little WALK hand light flashing and soldiered on across the field of lava and made it to the other side.

When I was waiting for the voice to say WALK to get across the highway, I watched a Canadian in a large motorhome who also didn't understand that red means stop, go for a left turn onto the highway while the arrow was red. He made it, and nobody honked at him. I yelled at him because I was mad about the close call with Farmer/Rancher man.

I know of two wrecks of cops there. There was talk about putting in a roundabout but I wonder how that would work for pedestrian traffic.

There were no Golden Retrievers in convertibles to be seen and no tractors. I did make it home without mooshing the bread.

 

[DiggyGun]

Perhaps the time for a better e-bike for your lovely wife?

Yes, we’re getting this one repaired. Then maybe look for a mid drive bike.

 

[kahn]

I survived the terrible intersection of Tiny town. This is the busiest intersection in the county, It has the most complex traffic lights of the four in the county. You'd think that folks know that RED means stop, but they don't.

I made a Walmarche (walmart) run. As Walmart does, the store was built on the edge of town, in a bad place, traffic wise. I have to cross the highway at a traffic light to get there. It's crazy so I push the buttons and walk my bike across on things called, CROSSWALKS. Well, the little man in the box changed from WAIT to WALK. I pushed my bike into the crosswalk and out of the corner of my eye saw Mr. Farmer-Rancher in Cowboy Hat blindly barrelling through to make that right hand turn. Had I not jerked my bike back, there would have been Gazelle carnage and the guy probably would have been oblivious to it, just like he was to me almost stepping into the crosswalk. Then, I started again and a car driven by a woman almost took me out. She had better sight and jammed on her brakes. She looked exasperated at me. I pointed to the little WALK hand light flashing and soldiered on across the field of lava and made it to the other side.

When I was waiting for the voice to say WALK to get across the highway, I watched a Canadian in a large motorhome who also didn't understand that red means stop, go for a left turn onto the highway while the arrow was red. He made it, and nobody honked at him. I yelled at him because I was mad about the close call with Farmer/Rancher man.

I know of two wrecks of cops there. There was talk about putting in a roundabout but I wonder how that would work for pedestrian traffic.

There were no Golden Retrievers in convertibles to be seen and no tractors. I did make it home without mooshing the bread.

Where do you live again. Omak, Tonasket, Outer Mongolia? As for the Canadian, they have these absolutely confusing BLINKING GREEN LIGHTS in Vancouver so maybe they don't know reds.

I did the RAW (Ride Across Washington) ride, now, many decades ago and we passed all those lovely bike friendly villages. One pickup tried running down our Aids/Hemophiliac recumbent rider causing him to topple on one of the bridges way east. He was carted to the hospital to make sure he did not start bleeding.

 

[Mulezen]

A short (9m), tomorrow I'll go a bit further when a friend from town comes out to try my trek guest rider. The picture is from the junction of my dead-end road and the real world. These flowers will soon be bound in round rolls A quarter mile before a big deer crouched in the corn decided to jump up and race me for perhaps twenty-five yards and then sped up crossing over towards a pond.

 

[BlackHand]

I made the smart/dumb decision to spend the beautiful afternoon Saturday on yardwork and household chores, so by the time I wrapped up that and cleaned up dinner there was just enough time to head down to the waterfront at dusk.

Had to ride around the block a little to make it an even 10k for the ride with 500 ft of climbing.

Determined not to miss a good ride, I checked the weather only to see solid rain predicted on Sunday up until the evening. To be continued...

 

[kahn]

I made the smart/dumb decision to spend the beautiful afternoon Saturday on yardwork and household chores, so by the time I wrapped up that and cleaned up dinner there was just enough time to head down to the waterfront at dusk.
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Had to ride around the block a little to make it an even 10k for the ride with 500 ft of climbing.

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Determined not to miss a good ride, I checked the weather only to see solid rain predicted on Sunday up until the evening. To be continued...

Splendid.

We are contemplating the Kitsap two ferry ride sometime soon or not!