October rides...

[ny biker]

I kicked off the new month with a 39 mile ride yesterday (Sunday). There is a state park in Charles County, MD which is home to a community art center. We visit the park often during rides and use the area near the art center as a rest stop on our annual club century. They had a reception yesterday for a new show of works highlighting scenes within the county, and a few bike club members had contributed paintings. Two club members planned a short ride to the art center reception where they planned to present a donation (part of the proceeds of our most recent century) as well as a painting of the center done by one of our charter members. So, I planned a longer ride that started earlier but ended up at the art center at the time of the presentation. A couple of club members joined me, including the treasurer who was bringing the donation check. The three of us had a nice, leisurely ride with much pleasant conversation...until we realized we had lost track of time and were still 10 miles from the art center with only a half hour to get there. Fortunately the roads left to travel were flat. We turned up the pace and arrived just in time.

The art on display was mostly paintings and photographs, plus some amazing wood carvings of birds. It depicted places I'd been to as well as some I'd never heard of but looked worthy of a visit. One of the people on my ride bought two paintings.

It was a beautiful day, a bit cool in the shade but very warm in the sun. The sky and the river near the state park were beautiful shades of blue. (I really need to delete some old photos from my account on this site so I can share some of my ride photos.)

[north woods gal]

Sounds like great way to kick off the October rides thread, NY. Much as I love my rural lifestyle, I do miss what living in the big cities has to offer. My recent visit to San Diego reminded me that there is another world out there beyond our woods and that's a good thing. Thanks to you and the others, here, I do get a taste of that and I am grateful. Sure would be nice to have a coffee shop back in my trails, somewhere. :)

Speaking of trails, did my usual hard labor cleaning up some trail sections before the snow falls, then finishing with 10 miles worth of laps. Rain moving in, tonight, so not sure what I'll do, tomorrow. Will probably just ride, anyway, as usual.

[Crankin]

I did a "dark ride" at 5:15 this morning. It was 41 degrees and clear and beautiful, and I was a little bit overdressed! Wore full winter gear, with the exception of my jacket, which was just my regular wind jacket. I did wear my lightest weight tights. Thinking I should have either gone with a short sleeved base layer instead of the long sleeved one, or else, a non-thermal jersey over a LS base. I felt clammy/sweaty, as my little 9 mile route was about 50% moderate climbing.
It seems like even at 5 AM, it is no longer so peaceful out there. I do live off of a main road (albeit, a 2 lane country type/suburban one), but even a year and a half a go, when I moved to my current home, it seemed quieter. Traffic is worse, so people are leaving earlier, and Main St. is how you get to the highway to Boston. Obviously, it's not like 9 AM, but it is noticeable. The one road I went on where no one passed me in a car is a climb, so I was busy suffering... that and a short stretch through a neighborhood were quiet. If I go in another direction, it is quieter, once I get past the train station in the next town. That usually involves a bit of longer ride, but it will be worth it.
Tomorrow is going to be 80 degrees... sigh. The group ride is starting in a place that involves horrible traffic for me to get to, so I will just ride around here, on my day off.

[Geonz]

I did a "dark ride" at 5:15 this morning. It was 41 degrees and clear and beautiful, and I was a little bit overdressed! Wore full winter gear, with the exception of my jacket, which was just my regular wind jacket. I did wear my lightest weight tights. Thinking I should have either gone with a short sleeved base layer instead of the long sleeved one, or else, a non-thermal jersey over a LS base. I felt clammy/sweaty, as my little 9 mile route was about 50% moderate climbing.
It seems like even at 5 AM, it is no longer so peaceful out there. I do live off of a main road (albeit, a 2 lane country type/suburban one), but even a year and a half a go, when I moved to my current home, it seemed quieter. Traffic is worse, so people are leaving earlier, and Main St. is how you get to the highway to Boston. Obviously, it's not like 9 AM, but it is noticeable. The one road I went on where no one passed me in a car is a climb, so I was busy suffering... that and a short stretch through a neighborhood were quiet. If I go in another direction, it is quieter, once I get past the train station in the next town. That usually involves a bit of longer ride, but it will be worth it.
Tomorrow is going to be 80 degrees... sigh. The group ride is starting in a place that involves horrible traffic for me to get to, so I will just ride around here, on my day off.

We're having ups and downs w/ temps, too. Saturday was NIPPY (about 49 in the barely-dawn a.m. when I started) ... today was back in the sixties.

Today's commute was slow and complicated -- constructoin everywhere and I didn't make any lights. Still beat the rain :)

[emily_in_nc]

Ooops, I had said I would start this thread, but I totally spaced on that! :D

I did 30 miles yesterday, and it was hard-fought, as we've been having significant wind. Yesterday's forecast went from 10-20 mph ENE to 15-25 mph during the time I was riding. We had head- and crosswinds heading out, and at times it was like riding through quicksand! The way back was screaming fast fun, though, as it was mostly tailwinds and nearly effortless heading south and west! Fun fun!

The only difficulty there was the last 3/4 of a mile, where we have to head back east on a highway bike lane. As the wind had built during the course of the ride, it was a tough ending to the ride!

This morning I got up with full intentions of riding until I checked Weather Underground and saw that they'd upped today's wind forecast to 20-30 mph! It was already gusting hard at 8 am, and I drew the line at riding in that. GOOD decision. DH headed out, and in addition to the wind (which bothers him less than me), he got rained on twice as brief but heavy bands came through from the Atlantic. I was so thankful I had stayed home!

Tomorrow is supposed to be the same as for winds, and it's our usual day off anyway to do laundry and run errands, so that will work out fine. I hope, hope, hope the wind will have died down some by Thursday, as I really want to ride!

[ny biker]

I would have skipped riding too, Emily -- I hate wind, and it can be dangerous at times.

I was going to ride tonight after work, to take advantage of the relatively warm weather. But yesterday I noticed that my eye was very red, like I'd burst a blood vessel somehow, maybe sneezing? Anyway it seemed to be clearing up this morning but then looked worse again this afternoon (possibly from more sneezing -- it's still ragweed season). It doesn't hurt so I don't think it's anything to worry about, but I figured it would be better to take things easy tonight.

[emily_in_nc]

Hope your eye is better, NY!

Today is another crazy gusty day here (sustained 21-22 mph, gusts to 30 mph). Last night I saw on the local weather that there was a high gust of 37 mph in our area. Whew! Tomorrow is supposed to be slightly less windy but much more chance of rain, even in the mid-late morning, so I may not get to ride again until Friday. :(

[Crankin]

Wind is one of my least favorite things, even if I am not riding.
So, we did have more summer like temperatures, today, but nothing like last week, thankfully. It was the kind of day that tested my ability to know how to dress for a ride. It was 57 when I left, and was predicted to go up to 65 or so for the duration of the ride. Full sun, light breezes. So, I wore knee warmers, a ss jersey with arm warmers, and a sleeveless base layer. The arm warm warmers were off at mile 4.5, but I started feeling overheated from the base layer, despite unzipping my jersey, no head cover, and regular gloves. I think it was because the jersey I wore is slightly thicker than most ss ones; not a thermal lining, but heavier fabric. I like it for fall and spring, generally.
The sweatiness contributed to an overall crappy ride, in terms of how i felt. Legs felt dead, which makes my back stuff hurt. Not acute, just pulling. Anyway, it was gorgeous out, so I am glad I rode. At the point I took my arm warmers off, i decided to change my route, and went over to the area where my last house was, in a not direct way, as I was already on the other side of the highway that splits my town and the next town. Once I made this decision, I had one climb (shady) and a long downhill/flat return home. I've been noticing a lot about traffic patterns on these rides. Where the area near my old house gets tons of commuter traffic at rush hour, after 9 AM and before 4, it is quiet. Now, i have continuous busyness between my house and West Concord, just under 2 miles. It's flat, though. If I go in the other direction, it's busy, too, but opens up getting to quieter stuff. It is actually easier and closer for me now to head over to the town I used to live in, when I first started riding, which is noticeably quieter, than when I first moved to Concord. But, the fact is, there are just more cars. The economy is booming here, but with so many people working from home, they are out all day long!
I rode 17 miles, then met a friend for lunch, and went for a haircut. Rest day tomorrow, and I need to rethink my rest days, with my new gym class schedule.

[ny biker]

It's definitely been hard to figure out how to dress for the weather lately. Usually for daytime rides in the 60s I am comfortable with a long sleeve wool base layer and a short sleeve jersey. Then I might add a vest and arm warmers which gives flexibility in terms of an extra layer. But the last couple of rides I did were too warm for the base layer, which you can't take off in public. For the ride I planned last night I was going to wear a normal-weight (not fleecy) long sleeved jersey, figuring I could add a vest if needed. But when I went outside it was much cooler than I had expected, cool enough for the wool base layer.

I really want to do more kayaking before the cold weather sets in but I think it's even harder to guess what to wear for that this time of year -- it's exercise but not as strenuous as cycling, if the sun is out it can get quite warm, but if you get wet you can be very cold and uncomfortable with temps in the 50s-60s. I'm figuring some combination of my cycling tops, jackets and tights or knickers will work, but am really not sure.

[rebeccaC]

On Sunday we welcomed Oct with a 63 mile ride…the first 26 miles of the first days ride of the upcoming Young Survival Coalition's Tour de Pink with a side ride into the northern Santa Monica Mountains. Some good climbs on the route and a harder climb into the SMM's. After a great descent to the Oxnard valley floor (knowing we needed to ride back up it took some of the fun away) we stopped at the CSU Channel Islands campus in Oxnard, where i do some grant work in bioinformatics with a few grad students, to take a nutrition break and stretch. A good ride and I now have a good feel for the hardest part of the first days ride. Some short rides with just moderate climbs left in my training plan and I’ll be ready for the tour. Looking forward to the hopefully full 3 days of riding and being with kindred spirits wanting to help fund services for young women going through breast cancer. The thought of doing this ride really helped in my working through my journey this year...glad it's finally almost here and i that i feel good enough to participate!!!!!

[ny biker]

That's great, Rebecca!

I rode about 18 miles last night. Started late again, somewhere between 9 and 9:30 pm. Finished around 11:00. I really like riding late when everyone is at home and the roads are empty except for a few dog walkers. Another ride in which I was deceived by the weather -- it seemed chilly at first so I started wearing a vest and arm warmers. Within a couple of miles I had to stop to remove them. It was in the low 60s but very humid, which made a big difference. Soon enough I will need to layers so I'm not complaining!

Emily, I think that rain you're expecting is from yet another tropical storm. And I think we might be seeing rain from it early next week. We haven't had any rain in quite a while, but I hope we don't get anything really heavy since that tends to cause flooding.

[Crankin]

NY, I have had the same experience with humidity. It's the same thing early in the morning, when I ride. The temperature is coolish, but the humidity makes it feel warm. It's the only reason I have ever arrived at work sweaty, when commuting, too.
We are experiencing early September like temperatures and rising humidity. I hate this. And we are getting that rain, too, on Monday and Tuesday.
I rested today. I have my bootcamp tomorrow; debating whether to ride there as my warm up, or ride to work, or both (or neither). Riding 2.3 miles to work is starting to feel like too much prep, for such a short ride. I always feel good, but... planning some long rides this weekend.

[Geonz]

Muggy in the Midwest, too. Okay, today it was actually raining :) No, those expensive LL Bean rain pants don't actually keep one dry above the knees, but I have them over my "quick dry" favorite pants (which I don't know enough about to replace - disadvantage of impulse online outlet orders...)

Now to swap out for the work pants... and to TRY TO FIND PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING. I know they're around here somewhere ;)

[ny biker]

Muggy in the Midwest, too. Okay, today it was actually raining :) No, those expensive LL Bean rain pants don't actually keep one dry above the knees, but I have them over my "quick dry" favorite pants (which I don't know enough about to replace - disadvantage of impulse online outlet orders...)

Now to swap out for the work pants... and to TRY TO FIND PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING. I know they're around here somewhere ;)

Let me know where you find the patience and understanding -- they do seem elusive.

I think there's been a fair amount of rain lately in the midwest; I haven't been paying really close attention but I see tweets from the National Weather Service office in Omaha (due to a relative living in that area) and it seems like they've been talking about rain a lot. Big contrast to our area. I had some old jugs of water that I wanted to get rid of the other day so I poured them out around my favorite tree near my home, and the ground was really hard and dry.

Again I'm not complaining since I prefer warm and humid to winter any day, and the rain will come soon enough.

[Crankin]

I rode to the gym. Nice way to warm up, plus I made sure I did all of my stretches before the class started, so no pain in my back.
The class today was so hard. I stand near a side door to the outside, which was partially opened, to let the 55 degree air in. Several class members were so overwrought, they stepped outside for a minute! I still think it's funny that these people who are fitter than me and younger, think riding my bike 1.3 miles there is some amazing thing. Anyway, it was definitely a degree or 2 cooler on the way home, which felt good, but I was kind of in a cold sweat. Thankfully, I had worn lightweight full fingered gloves.
In the past week, I've had lots of sneezing. Then the last 2 days I had a weird headache, on and off and Wednesday, I woke up with my nose hurting, like sinus pain in my nose. Used the saline rinse, but then after I showered, I just felt awful. First I thought I had really overdone it at the gym, but as the day went on, I realized I am just not feeling well. I felt freezing all day at work, achy, sinuses a bit off. I got home at 3, then went with DH to the store and now am getting ready to go out for dinner. I really don't feel like going out, but I don't feel like cooking, either.
Weather looks wonky for the weekend. Now tomorrow looks to be the better day for riding. Sunday, maybe ok in the early morning. I have Monday off for the holiday, and of course, 100% chance of rain.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, I think that rain you're expecting is from yet another tropical storm. And I think we might be seeing rain from it early next week. We haven't had any rain in quite a while, but I hope we don't get anything really heavy since that tends to cause flooding.

Actually, TS Nate is not an issue for us here in central Florida. But there's been a tropical wave and just general tropical disturbances off of the southeast coast of Florida that has been bringing us off and on showers to brief heavy downpours for the past couple of days.

Fortunately, this morning was simply overcast and super humid...drip drip drip! I was absolutely drenched after my 31.5 mile ride. However, the sweat was worth it as the rains and wind finally eased enough for my first ride since Monday, so I will take it. And due to the light winds, I managed my fastest speed ever for this route: 14.4 mph. Slow to some, but I will take it! Very enjoyable ride!

NY, I am in my jammies by 8 pm and in bed by 10pm, so your night rides are hard for me to wrap my head around. However, I can see how they would be more peaceful than riding during the busy times.

[north woods gal]

Speaking of night rides, had a passing thought about trying to ride our trails at night, using a good light. I know the trails by heart, so that's plus. Might be fun, though, I jump into my PJs right after dinner, too. :)

Lots of rain, overnight, and still raining, this morning. Not sure if I'll be able and/or willing to ride, today, so just doing some laundry and around the house things. Oh, well. Won't be long before that rain is snow.

[Crankin]

I rode 26 miles with DH today. Unplanned and we kind just decided on a direction to head out, and we went. Not very many cyclists out, which is weird, as it was 75 degrees out. But, schools are closed on Monday and a lot of people are away. Kind of humid, but a little cloudy, so not bad. We avoided apple orchards and big climbs, so I had a respectable for me, though not fast average, despite the fact that just before we started, my right glute started hurting. I have done nothing that would do this, thinking it's referred pain? Well, I've been stretching like crazy since I got home, massaged it with the shower head, foam roller, and ice.
I guess i have a pain in the azz!

[ny biker]

Years ago when I used to actually ride single track, I would join up with a group of people who rode at a local park at night. In some ways paved vs unpaved in the dark is pretty similar -- you need to be prepared for bumps in the terrain that you don't see. I always followed others when mountain biking in the dark so I don't know how hard it was to know when and which way to turn.

I have always been a night owl, never a morning person even during times when I had to get up early every day for many days in row; getting up early never gets easier with habit. When I was in college I would stay up until 4 and sleep until noon during holiday breaks. I could go to bed at 10 pm but wouldn't sleep for hours.

Yesterday I did a 46-mile club ride. Every year one of my friends leads a 60ish mile ride to Gettysburg that spends a fair amount of time meandering through the battlefield. This year I'm not in shape for that many miles, especially since it's a pretty hilly ride. So I and another friend started at a park in a town north of where the longer ride started and met up with that group at mile 8 on their route. It was another unusually warm and humid day, mid-60s to start and 88 when we finished. As we arrived at the battlefield we passed an observation tower where we climbed to the top to see the view. As I started to climb the steps I remembered that when I had gone up to the top of the same tower a few years ago I had cramps in my calves for the rest of the ride. Fortunately I didn't have cramps yesterday but my calves are sore today. So lesson learned: don't climb lots of steps in road shoes with cleats. I did come close to hamstring cramps after the ride and had to stretch a few times before starting the drive home, probably due to a combination of not being acclimated to the heat and not being in shape for riding steep hills. In spite of the discomforts, it was a fun ride. As I mentioned last month, Gettysburg and the surrounding area is a great place for cycling.

[Crankin]

No riding for me.... the little pull in my glute has morphed into something sciatica like.
I've had more injuries this year than all of the previous years combined. I know what caused this (not sport related), basically a missed step, followed by a jump like maneuver, where I probably twisted my right side. I have the day off, more time to heal, call the PT for tomorrow, and hope I can lead my ride on Saturday.

[north woods gal]

Had two plus inches of rain on Saturday, which we probably needed - our woods were getting pretty dry. The good news is that my problem areas on the trails where water collects are still no longer a problem, thanks to some platform bridges my hubby built for me to lay down in the trail in these spots. Love that they allow me to ride in our low swampy areas without damaging the environment or tearing up the bike with a ton of mud.
https://s1.postimg.org/4pg3jdjtrz/P1090665.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Other fun stuff

Rocks to roll over
https://s1.postimg.org/5p8yapt37j/P1090666.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Logs to hop
https://s1.postimg.org/6awn9058pr/P1090667.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Humps to roll over
https://s1.postimg.org/48tlz4hg9r/P1090672.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Lots of steep climbs/drops. Halfway down a long one (green Pugs at top)
https://s1.postimg.org/5gf7e8ky7j/P1090668.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[emily_in_nc]

Love your trails, NWG! Thanks for sharing the photos. Love the platform bridges your husband built. Those are great for the mucky parts.

Crankin, sorry that you are still ailing. Sounds pretty miserable! I hope it will heal up quickly.

NY, sounds like a good club ride. Hope your calves are better now!

Had a good ride today, and I was thinking I'd have my fastest speed all year, except I lost .6 mph at the end of the ride, dang it. We've moved to a different RV park in the same city, just a bit down the road, really, but it requires a different route to and from the bike path we ride on. We are still working on the return trip to see which roads are best, have the fewest stop signs and least amount of traffic. Today we made some bad decisions and ended up riding through downtown on lots of brick streets and hitting a lot of stop signs. Oh well...it was still a fun ride with 33 miles total. Tomorrow we'll try a different route back after studying google maps again.

[rebeccaC]

Emily have you looked at (mapmyride (https://www.mapmyride.com))? It can show bike paths and connecting roads in any area you want.



Great photos NWG….you’ve also done a great job on making your woods into interesting trails for your riding….any chance that one of these days you’re going to come upon someone else who finds them?

For a different kind of landscape/ride…from our Sunday ride into one of the lesser steep canyons going into the santa monica mountains.


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4486/37575510252_5eb92cf42c_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Zfqj63)


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4472/37558821676_5e64479f10_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ZdWM9Y)

[north woods gal]

Love the pics, rebecca, as always. What a beautiful area.

As for encountering others on my trails, not an issue, since it is private land and we know all the neighbors. Also, on the two access points to enter, away from the house, I placed rocks and logs to negotiate to keep out ATVs and casual bikers. Have to be a fairly competent MTBer to get past those. With so many other MTB trails in our area, though, no interest in my setup, anyway, with the local MTB crowd. Encounters with deer, though, are a potential issue, so I have to keep an eye out for them. Have actually had some close calls as far as collisions when coming down off the steep drops.

I'd actually like to have some company, now and then, and despite inviting some local gals who want to try mountain biking, no takers, yet. Really would make a nice learning trail for mountain biking, since I've built by-passes to go around the trick stuff should you not want to test your skills. This has been done mostly with my husband in mind. Yup, I've managed to get my husband out on the easy trails with me, now. First time, ever, off the pavement for him. Doubt he'll ever be up to trying the scary climbs/drops or doing any trick stuff - has no interest in that and thinks I'm a little nutty for doing it - but it is nice to have him along. Star, our Border Collie, though, is my constant trail companion and knows the trails as well as I do. She takes shortcuts, now, across the trails to meet up with me, as I go. Be lost without her. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Emily have you looked at (mapmyride (https://www.mapmyride.com))? It can show bike paths and connecting roads in any area you want.

Yes, we use that frequently when traveling to a new area. But here we know the area and the bike trails very well; this is our third year in this area (winters only until this year). We know of all the road alternatives to getting to and from the trails, but there are so many different choices of neighborhood roads that it's mostly a matter of which ones have the least number of stop signs, stoplights, and bumpy brick road segments (historic area), and those are kinds of things you really just have to try for yourself to figure out. It seems like most who ride here drive to one of the many trailheads rather than riding to them; we're the oddballs who bike everywhere! We did try a better route back from the trail today and even have a third option we'll try on our next ride to compare.

Love your photos, as always!

[Crankin]

Yesterday I did an 11 mile ride, to see how my sciatica is healing. It was OK... got kind of humid just during the 45 minutes i was riding. It did rain overnight, but when I got up, it was a lovely 53 and dry. I went out at 5:15 AM and did a route I had done when I first moved to my condo. It's a little longer than most of my early morning rides, but I am sick of the ones I normally do. One part of the ride goes down a favorite road I used to commute on when I was still teaching and where I used to ride a lot, when I first started riding. When I first did this as an early AM ride, it must have been late spring or early summer, as it was not dark out. There is part of this road that has no homes, wooded on both side, which felt very creepy this morning! Although it is a well used road, it was early enough to not be busy. After that, I was back in suburbia, where I had one hill to climb, before a nice gradual downhill for the last 3 miles. There was actually a "traffic jam," where I had to wait behind 5 cars to make a turn, bout a mile from my house. Mostly pick ups full of mean looking guys, going to Dunkin Donuts. Well, this is Massachusetts...
13.5 miles. I was dressed correctly, but my new helmet was bothering me with a head cover under it. It either felt too tight or too loose when I adjusted the ratchet. It's not the first time I've worn a head cover with it, but now I have a headache!
Still unsure if my ride will go on Saturday. The forecast for the area we will be riding in is getting a bit better, but the decision is in someone else's hands.

[north woods gal]

Don't know if all Border Collies are like ours, but Star is very much the look before you leap type. Anything new and different gets a good looking over and study before she proceeds. Even if I change the furniture around in the house, she notices and has to inspect, first. The good news is that we have no poisonous snakes, up here, though we do have plenty of garter snakes, right in the yard and our woods. Star has seen these and will follow them at a safe distance, but a simple command of "No" and she backs off. Same with deer and other animals. As I said, she's a great pal and very easy to work with.

On the other hand, our English Setter requires two of us, full-time, managing him when he's allowed to run in the woods for his daily workout. I have trained him not to chase deer, but off the leash, all he wants to do is hunt. Can't lose track of him for a second. Why we got a hunting dog when we don't hunt was a decision I do regret. Great dog, but not in the same class as Star as a companion or in terms of IQ. :)

Back to biking. Our leaves are about 75% fallen, now. Going to wait a few more days and then do a little trail clearing of leaves to get ready for winter. Will also be changing some of the tires on the fat bikes to more snow friendly design tires. Also, the last few days, have been riding my classic 26x2 MTBs for kicks and to get some time in on them before the snow comes. Then they go in the shed for the winter. Yeah, I love the fat bikes and the plus bikes, but those old standard 26ers still do the job. Like any other MTB, they have their strengths and weaknesses. On the skinny tire MTBs, mostly a matter of being careful in the soft stuff and when rolling over rocks.

[rebeccaC]

He does not have any sense of caution. His method of discovery is to dash up to something and stick his nose into it. What a goober.
:)...

Golden retrievers ftw….had one growing up and he always liked having me in sight until we were day hiking, especially around the lakes of Huez and in the foret d’Huez in the nearby Alps, then he would dash off to explore, jump in the lakes, make birds take flight and generally be more of a manic mess….but then we’d get home and he would nuzzle me with pet me eyes, actually he'd do that with anyone :)….i miss him, his personality and unconditional love. When we have children I’m getting another one.

[emily_in_nc]

My 15 year old Boston Terrier is a long legged guy who has always been very fit and strong. (30 pounds). He is such an inquisitive, clueless dog, I've never allowed him off-leash. He does not have any sense of caution. His method of discovery is to dash up to something and stick his nose into it. What a goober.

Oh god, you have just described Paisley (our 9.5 year old Boston Terrier) to a "t". They don't know caution, do they? Even on leash she has gotten herself in trouble. In Belize she got bit or stung by something on our after dinner walk (in the dark, so I couldn't see what it was), and her faced swelled up huge. Terrifying. Fortunate a Benedryl brought it down quickly, as this was at night on a weekend on a third-world island with only one vet, and us without a car. If it had been a true emergency, we might not have her today.

On the October rides subject, did our same 33 mile loop today and have found the best way to get back to our new RV park. Each route we try gets a little better. We have one more tweak we might try to this one tomorrow to avoid a busy four-way stop.

[emily_in_nc]

Scary, Emily. That is one thing that worries me about the idea of travel outside the US with my dog. Glad Paisley is okay.

Yes, and that is why, if we take her out of the country again, it will be back to Mexico, and only to a city with plenty of good vets. We had good luck in Playa del Carmen, where not only are there a ton of good vets, house calls are common and don't even cost extra!

Ended the week with a nice 32.3 mile ride on a windy day. The tweak to our going home route did not work out, as it involved a longer stretch on a road that ended up being brick surfaced (through downtown) for several blocks. We'll go back to the route we did yesterday, which has a busy-four-way stop followed by a quick left turn, but at least avoids the brick street. Plus it's 3/4 mile longer, extra miles! :D

[Crankin]

We did cancel the ride we were going to lead on the south coast of MA and RI. Going to try again in November.
So the forecast here was for occasional showers/rain, starting at 1. We left at 10:30, hoping to do 20-30 miles or so, and do a long ride tomorrow. At mile 5 it started raining. mostly a heavy mist, but it was getting uncomfortable, plus we both were dressed too warmly. It would have been OK for the temperature, but it was like 80% humidity. So, we turned in a direction to head home and then it stopped. We had more options, so we did not go straight home. Ended up at 12 measly miles. Fast, though, and I feel like I got a good work out. Just so sweaty.
After lunch, we went to an Oktoberfest in the next town. We went to the brew pub across the street from the little fair and had cider., brewed right in Boxborough, where I used to live. Of course, by then, it was sunny, drier, and 74. No rain in sight.
Hoping to do that ride we set out to do a few weeks ago and ended up doing something else. I found the correct route, by searching DH's rides by date.

[ny biker]

Okay I've been away for a few days. Or a week maybe? Not sure. I rode after work last Tuesday night, a week ago. Another uneventful ride, and I think it was warm-ish and humid but can't really remember.

On Thursday I danced for over two hours at the Foo Fighters concert in DC. Thought it was the best concert ever. Then on Saturday I danced for 3 and a quarter hours at the Foo Fighters concert in Richmond. It was beyond awesome. They were adding songs to the set list on the fly. And they did some old songs that were totally unexpected. So much fun.

On Sunday afternoon I rode 35 miles. It was supposed to be a 39-mile ride that I was leading for the bike club, but no one else showed up. And it turns out that dancing for 3:15 the night before kinda wore my legs out. So I took a few short cuts to cut out some hills, added a few miles in a flat area but still ended up with fewer miles than planned. Which was fine. It was another humid day, cloudy at first then the sun came out. It was actually comfortable as long as I was moving. It was 80 degrees when I finished.

And just like that, the Augtober weather is gone. We're under a frost warning tonight. It's expected to warm up again in a few days but I think the humidity it gone until next year.

p.s. Rebecca, they ended both shows with Everlong.

[Crankin]

You did a really good deed! I cannot imagine riding on an interstate highway in any of the 4 states I've lived in. Perhaps I am a wimp.
Like, you Sheila, I have not been doing a lot of miles, but I have been riding. I've accepted that this will be my lowest mileage year in about 13 years. That said, we are starting a string of gorgeous weather, and since today is a day I don't work and the group ride started way far from where I live, I rode with my friend Jack. I thought we were going to do a ride we did last time, but, no, we did our usual Friday ride we lead. As soon as I started, I knew my back would be acting up; not the thing that had me flat 10 days ago, just my usual SI/disc issues. It is gorgeous out and I was dressed correctly. I was fine on the climb up Strawberry Hill, perhaps because I could do it sleeping, but after that, I knew more climbing would just make me feel worse. After a longer not so steep climb, we stopped, Jack took off some gear and I rested. Then, we proceeded to the street with the 15-18% grade in one spot. It's not too long, but after an initial steep uphill, it flattens before a longer steep uphill. I told Jack I'd see him at the turn/top. I never lost sight of him, but I did see 5.0 mph on my GPS. Anyway, after another half mile climb, where he sprinted and I spun, we had a long downhill and then through a residential country road in terrrible condition. At the end of this I told him I was heading back to the start, and he didn't need to come. But, he did. The end of this ride has never thrilled me, through a business park, a community college, and the VA hospital and services campus. So, we got back on the flat road and ended up doing 24.5 miles instead of 31. I felt badly, since I asked him and then I wimp out, but I needed to stop. He slows for me, even when I am at my best, but not so much I feel badly!
Anyway, if I wake up feeling good tomorrow, I will go for a flat, dark ride at 5 AM. Going down the Cape to stay with friends this weekend, may or may not ride there. So another nice weekend, without long rides.

[north woods gal]

That was a very nice thing to do for those folks, Sheila. The way we bicyclists look out for each other is one of the things I love about our community. That tricky route where things fluctuate between good and bad sections sounds very much like what I experienced in the Chicago suburbs. All of the 'burbs are connected, of course, but they all varied a lot in how bike friendly their streets were. Just commuting to work required a mile plus of a road that I would never ride by choice, but it was the only way to get there.

As for grades, come for a visit. Have a surplus of ups and downs on my homemade trail system. Some of the steep ones require me to stand up and pedal to crest them, even with the lowest gear on the MTBs. They're what I call my leg burners. Going down is a real kamikaze thrill, for sure. :)

I ride a minimum of one hour a day, usually closer to two, seven days a week. Not a lot of miles, but they're trail miles, so no way for me to convert them to road miles. Enough to keep me in shape and fun, too, so that's what counts. For sure, no worries about getting hit by a car. A deer or bear, maybe, but not a car.

Our weather has been unusually warm all fall and continues to be so. Beautiful to be out riding in the woods in nice weather with all the leaves falling. Really spoiling me, because I know how drastically things will change any week, now. Will be getting the fat bikes ready, now. One thing I did on one of the Norco fat bikes that made a tremendous difference in performance was having my bike shop set up the wheels tubeless. Those fat bike inner tubes weigh about a pound, each. Not only does the bike handle, better with no tubes, but I'll be able to drop the pressure as low as I want, this winter, without having to worry about a pinch flat. Going to see about going tubeless on some of the other bikes, now.

[Crankin]

I did do my dark ride this morning.
I should have rested.
But, at 41 degrees, I was dressed correctly, with winter shoes and fleece beanie/gloves, but not too hot for once. Too bad my back was not happy. I have deduced it's from the hike I did Sunday. Well, it will be gone eventually.

[ny biker]

I rode 17 miles last night. Got a very late start, around 9:40 pm. I was talking to someone at work for a while and then had to sign and fax a bunch of documents to refinance my mortgage before leaving the office. But the more I ride late in the evening the more convinced I am that it's safer because there are so few cars on the road. Of course it helps that the neighborhoods I ride through have low crime rates and the ride start/finish is next to a court house and police station so I expect there are security cameras there. I always look around when I get back to my car just to make sure there's no one around other than the occasional police officer in a patrol car.

It seemed cold when I started even though the temperature was in the 60s. I think the real issue was that it's been so warm and humid lately that there hasn't been a chance to gradually adjust to dropping temps. So I overdressed a bit. Long-sleeved lightweight wool under a short-sleeved jersey and arm warmers, with a Gore windstopper jacket on top. Plus full-fingered unlined gloves, midweight fleece tights, neoprene booties and my wool cap. After a few miles I stopped to take the cap off, unzip the jersey and lower the zipper on the jacket a couple of inches. I could have taken off the arm warmers too but it didn't seem worth the effort. I was on the line between overdressed and comfortable for the rest of the ride, but didn't really work up a sweat.

I think this might have been my first time wearing the midweight tights. I bought them at REI last spring, on sale. They are the REI brand. Good reflective stripes down the sides of both legs and around the left calf. Comfy yoga waistband, perhaps a bit too comfy as I noticed when I got home that tights were drooping and the waistband had slipped down a couple of inches. But so many other tights seem to have a too-tight elastic waistband, I'm willing to put up with one that needs to be hiked up from time to time.

Several of my friends will be down in Staunton, VA this weekend for a fall foliage ride. However I steadfastly refuse to accept that summer is over, and have planned a ride on Saturday with views of the Chesapeake Bay.

[rebeccaC]

I hope they have a nice trip. :)

….and you were a wonderful contributing element in helping them having a good trip with your caring thoughtfulness and friendliness. I wish more people would understand that being nice to others is not only a good way to live but also helps the mood of the giver too!

We are a week away from the 3 day tour de pink and we are tapering our training this next week to this weekends long easy rides in the Santa Ynez valley on some of our favorite roads and staying at one of our favorite hotel/spa’s. There is a lot of emotional content in doing this ride for me and I am really thankful to have the strength of body and mind to do however much of it as I can. I also feel blessed that two of the women who I became good friends with in the support community here are doing the ride with Alex and I too. I'm a true believer that being a cyclist can be a positive force in our lives and in this family we are part of.........

[ny biker]

I led a 47-mile club ride today on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The weather was perfect, sunshine, no wind, 70s. We rode a leisurely pace, 12-13 mph, and had a very nice ride.

Good luck at the tour de pink, Rebecca. I'm so glad you're able to take part in it.

[north woods gal]

Well, I knew it couldn't last. We've had unusually warm fall weather with an unusual number of sunny days (not typical for us). All gone, for now. Cold and rainy, today, and the rest of the week and, yup, some snow mixed with the rain in the forecast, later in the week. Oh, it won't stop me from riding and I've been getting the fat bikes setup for snow riding and breaking out the winter riding gear, but I'm spoiled, all the same. Since our weather seems to work it's way to you folks in the east, take advantage of any warm weather you have, now.

On a more positive note, have added some nice boulders and rocks to climb on my trails. Funny how the things I avoided when I was just starting to put in my trails are now things I'm adding. :)

Tried a dropper seat post for the first time on one of the fat bikes. Can't say it's essential for my downhills, but I can see how it helps. Allows me to get way low when doing my fast downhill runs. At this point, haven't decided whether to keep it or go with a lighter, standard seat post, because these are heavy setups. We'll see.

[Crankin]

I was down the Cape from Friday afternoon to around noon today. We stayed with friends who have moved there full time. The weekend included a strenuous hike, walking in sand and lots of other walking.
When we got home it was 74 degrees out, so despite having shopping to do, we went out for a little 13.5 mile ride, to loosen our legs from the hike. It was much faster than it needed to be, but good. Obviously, with such warm weather, tons of riders out.
We have the rain moving in Tuesday night, through Thursday, so probably not any riding until next Friday.

[ny biker]

We're only forecasted for rain tomorrow (Tuesday) here, actually might be mostly overnight tonight and early in the morning. Colder weather expected by Wednesday, and windy. Actually the temps will be closer to normal and technically not cold, but it will definitely be time for more layers, especially in the dark.

I wasn't able to do any hiking or anything strenuous on my trips to Cape Cod, mostly because I was with my parents who don't do that sort of thing anymore. The closest I got to a bicycle was a visit to the historic train station in Chatham which is next to the rail trail there. Which was fine, but someday I will have to go back to experience the things I missed.

[Crankin]

My friends live in Orleans; I am not quite as familiar with the lower Cape and am still amazed that after 64 summers (first one at age 9 months), there are still places on the Cape I have not been to. Of course, we don't go regularly anymore, and my family was most certainly not hiking in the 50s and 60s! But, I did a fair share of riding there, as a kid, mostly in our cottage compound. In fact, it's where I learned to ride, at age 9.5. Yes, that's how uncoordinated I was.
The hike we did was in Wellfleet, on Great Island. It started on a trail, and then we were on the beach for at least 2.5 miles. The trail reappeared and we had respite for awhile, with hard pack and a climb, but then we were back on a sandy trail. This killed my hips and back. We were at the height of high tide, so near the end, the path was narrow, with a water crossing at one point.
Glad I went, but also this reinforced my feeling that I would never, ever want to live there. All older people, not normal.

[ny biker]

My friends live in Orleans; I am not quite as familiar with the lower Cape and am still amazed that after 64 summers (first one at age 9 months), there are still places on the Cape I have not been to. Of course, we don't go regularly anymore, and my family was most certainly not hiking in the 50s and 60s! But, I did a fair share of riding there, as a kid, mostly in our cottage compound. In fact, it's where I learned to ride, at age 9.5. Yes, that's how uncoordinated I was.
The hike we did was in Wellfleet, on Great Island. It started on a trail, and then we were on the beach for at least 2.5 miles. The trail reappeared and we had respite for awhile, with hard pack and a climb, but then we were back on a sandy trail. This killed my hips and back. We were at the height of high tide, so near the end, the path was narrow, with a water crossing at one point.
Glad I went, but also this reinforced my feeling that I would never, ever want to live there. All older people, not normal.

I went to a baseball game in Orleans -- it's a nice park for a ballgame, but there seemed to be a cold wind from every direction thanks to its location near the elbow. It was actually the farthest out (down Cape?) that I've been. The main thing I noticed about the people was that many had faces that looked like they'd spent a lot of time in the wind, from sailing I assumed. Last summer (2016) we took a boat ride on the Canal and saw cyclists fighting headwinds on the trail there. I wondered if it was always windy or if things settled down as the summer warmed up.

I think I am heading out to ride tonight after work. Today was our last warm day, possibly for months. They're saying it will be in the 30s and 40s by tomorrow morning. I think we'll still get some comfortable daytime weather in the next few weeks but with the sun getting lower in the sky and fewer hours of daylight we are rapidly heading toward needing Amfib tights and thick fleece booties.

[Crankin]

The wind has commenced, branches everywhere when I got home. Torrential rain and wind tomorrow. Maybe OK by Thursday afternoon.
NY, you were at the Cape in late spring/early summer? It's always windier and colder there than where I live. Once, I went on a field trip where it was 50 degrees and windy in Sandwich, in May. When we got back to school, it was 85 degrees, all within 90 miles. However, it is always windy there, more so in the spring. I rode on that path by the canal in September about 7-8 years ago and it was fine.

[ny biker]

Yes we were there in June. Needed blankets at a couple of the baseball games, especially Hyannis. In DC a south wind usually means warmth, but up there it just means cold ocean air.

It was breezy here yesterday but by sunset it was calm. I did go out to ride after work. It was cool enough to fool me at the start, though, and I headed out wearing tights, booties, full-finger gloves and a windstopper jacket. I quickly warmed up and took off the gloves. Later I took off the jacket. I had originally thought that a vest and arm warmers would be enough, changed my mind at the last minute, and ended up regretting that I hadn't gone with my original plan. Anyway I was reasonably comfortable without the jacket, though a bit chilled going downhill.

The real problem was my right leg. Several times in the past month or so I've had pain just above the knee on the inside during bike rides. The first few times it happened I was able to control it by trying to focus on proper knee position over my foot. But last night it seemed like everything I did made it worse. The question is, what is the cause? It seems to happen when my legs are tired (which they were last night, due to strength training the night before). But this year I think my saddle position is slightly different, after putting a new saddle on my bike. And recently my right shoe has felt weird, like the cleat is too close to my toes, even though when I look at both shoes the cleats are even and in the right place. Of course the right foot is the one connected to the torn ankle tendon, and I've developed a habit of holding my toe up to keep from straining that tendon. And just for kicks, the cleats are old and looking worn around the edges; they clip in and out okay as long as I keep them clean, but maybe they need to be replaced. So who knows what is really causing this problem.

[north woods gal]

Rain or snow for basically the next week for us. How much rain versus how much snow is a guess, given the temps will be right at that borderline for snow. Have been getting ready for winter snow riding, anyway, so I'm ready. Put the skinny tire bikes in the shed for the winter and dusted off the Norco (a Canadian bike company) Bigfoot with it's big 26x4.8" 45NTH studded Dillinger tires. It sits in the shed during the warm months as I ride my other fat bikes, but the warm months are gone, now. Ride my other fat bikes in the snow, too, but this one gets the call when things turn icy. Also what I ride out on our lake when it ices, over. Yeah, fat biking in the snow and ice is a whole different world, but, remember, fat bikes are what I mainly ride on trails in the summer, too.

https://s1.postimg.org/29f7trya7z/P1090701.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[ny biker]

Rain or snow for basically the next week for us. How much rain versus how much snow is a guess, given the temps will be right at that borderline for snow. Have been getting ready for winter snow riding, anyway, so I'm ready. Put the skinny tire bikes in the shed for the winter and dusted off the Norco (a Canadian bike company) Bigfoot with it's big 26x4.8" 45NTH studded Dillinger tires. It sits in the shed during the warm months as I ride my other fat bikes, but the warm months are gone, now. Ride my other fat bikes in the snow, too, but this one gets the call when things turn icy. Also what I ride out on our lake when it ices, over. Yeah, fat biking in the snow and ice is a whole different world, but, remember, fat bikes are what I mainly ride on trails in the summer, too.

https://s1.postimg.org/29f7trya7z/P1090701.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Even if you get snow, if the temps aren't that cold I imagine it would melt pretty quickly since the ground probably isn't too cold either. But yes winter is just around the corner. (Though folks in southern California would disagree I suppose, given the heat wave they are having.)

Around here I worry most about borderline rain-snow temps because sometimes the result is ice, either freezing on contact with roads and sidewalks or weighing down tree limbs and knocking out power lines if it is really bad. Ugh, I don't even want to think about it.

My knee feels better -- yesterday there was some pain when I walked down stairs but today it's gone. I will try a short bike ride on Saturday afternoon. Must get out and enjoy the sun while it's here! Sunday is looking rainy all day. We do need the rain, though.

[Crankin]

I had a Norco full suspension mountain bike from 2004-8. It was nice, but I sucked at mountain biking and I was pressured into buying a small size, whenI needed an x small. But, I would definitely buy another Norco bike again.

[north woods gal]

Glad to hear the knee is better, NY. Yeah, ice storms are the worst. We actually had more of them, last winter, than is normal for us. Global warming?

Crankin, I get what you're saying about the mountain biking. It took me a lot of time, patience and getting over some of my fears to get where I am, now, not to mention developing a whole different kind of physical strength. To be sure, mountain biking is really a very different kind of biking than road biking, completely different sport, but I still do both, though mostly the MTB stuff because it's so darn convenient, what with trails right outside the door.

I like Norco. Their bikes are well-researched and designed with good components, but it's mostly their frames that I like on these fat bikes. Norco fat bikes handle very much like regular MTBs. Not at all slow or sluggish as some fat bikes are. Their fat bikes make great year round trail bikes.

[north woods gal]

Rode the trails late afternoon, yesterday, in a light rain and snow mix. Only sound was the dripping of water off the trees. Actually very pleasant. Reminded me of riding in the winter when I lived in Portland, Or.. Was riding the Pugsley, now rolling with the much more aggressive Nate 26x4 tires which I put on the day, before. Had been riding the very fast rolling Specialized Fast Track Fats - great summer trail and gravel road tire, but a wee bit out of its element in the deep, soft stuff or icy stuff or slick mud, which is what I had when riding yesterday. The Nate's stick like glue when things turn wet. No hesitation or slipping at all on climbs where it would have been too slick to safely walk.

Woke up this morning to a skiff of snow on the ground. I'm ready, though, and the bikes are ready. :)

[Crankin]

Rode 25 miles with our friends who are in from western MA. We have a time schedule today, as we are going into Boston later, so we stayed in Concord and Carlisle. It's beautiful out, 55-64 degrees and mostly sunny. There just seems like there's been a huge increase in cars, especially on the weekends. I think Concord Academy must have been having a visiting day, as it was like rush hour by there. Still, nice, and nice to be riding with friends. And, any 25 mile ride in the other direction would have involved big climbs. I did take my base layer off, though at lunch. Yes, in the bathroom at Ferns Country store.
Probably won't ride tomorrow, maybe just time for a walk. We'll see.

[emily_in_nc]

I visited family in NC from Oct. 18-29th and just flew back into the Orlando area yesterday afternoon, bringing cold weather and a north wind with me! No cycling the entire time I was there, since I had none of my bikes, but I did walk as often as I could, did yard work, and did a nice mountain hike with my brother. Today it was chilly, plus I had an orthodontist appointment and errands to run, so no riding. Hoping to get back out tomorrow. Depending on what time we get going, it may well be my first time in leg warmers and long-sleeve jersey this fall! Supposed to get back to normal weather by week's end, which means shorts and short sleeves. I can't wait! :D

[ny biker]

I ended up not riding this weekend. Kind of a long story. There is a Smithsonian Environmental Research facility located on a river that feeds into the Chesapeake Bay. It's about an hour from my house (by car). They have a few short hiking trails that are open to the public, a dock where you can put in a canoe or kayak, plus lectures and volunteer opportunities. They also lead short canoe trips (2-3 hours) on weekends during the warmer months, and this past Saturday was the last one for the year. I had planned to do it with a friend, with the idea that I would bring my bike and do a ride from there after the canoeing. I had a route all planned and a cue sheet ready. But my friend had to cancel at the last minute and I was too tired when I got home on Friday to get the bike stuff together. So I decided to do the canoe trip and then find a place for lunch and figure out what to do for the afternoon.

The weather was absolutely perfect, not cold in the shade or hot in the sun. We had a nice time canoeing on the river and a creek that fed into it. After we finished I decided to check out part of one of the hiking trails that went along the river. I ended up staying for more than three hours. They had benches at various points, and I kind of lollygagged, hanging out in one area for a while, taking pictures and just sitting, then heading up the trail a ways and stopping at the next bench, etc. It was very pleasant. I plan to go back again. I also want to plan some bike ride that stop there, since there are picnic tables as well as a visitors center with rest rooms and water.

[Crankin]

That sounds really nice, NY. Sometimes you just go with the flow!
The rain started earlier on Sunday than we thought, and when our guests left, it was already sprinkling/misting, so we went out for a 3 mile walk with our hiking rain jackets on. Rain and leaves on the road are a bad combo for riding. The storm that came through did pretty bad damage all around here, with towns just 10 miles NW of here still without power/no school today.
I was planning on doing a club ride tomorrow, 37 miles in an area I am not so familar with. But, my hair cut/color appt. is at noon, not 4 pm, so that totally jacks that plan. I will go out in the AM, which will be freezing, but I am committed to at least 20 miles. We are going up to Portland, Maine this weekend, for my birthday, and planning on taking bikes. Forecast looks a little conflicting from various sources, but we have route planned and will decide based on the forecast on Thursday night.

[emily_in_nc]

The canoeing sounds fun, NY! Don't blame you for the change in plans.

Did my first ride in two weeks (exactly) today -- our most usual 33-mile loop. Felt good and averaged same as before my trip, so I guess I didn't lose as much fitness as I thought I might have. I was able to wear shorts along with two layers on top (a heavier short-sleeve jersey over a lightweight base layer) and, after a brief chilly period at the start, warmed up and was comfortable for the rest of the ride. It was 60 when we left, with a north wind, and 72 upon our return. Chilliest ride since we've been back in Florida (got here in early Aug.) Low humidity too!

After the ride, we enjoyed a lovely dip in the (now heated!) pool here in the RV park. The water felt great, but the breeze upon exiting felt a bit cool! Glad they turned the pool heater on, or I'd be done with the pool until April. Glad we moved to this park, as the one we stayed in previously, just down the road, does not heat their pool, so it's too cold for us until April.

Tomorrow I plan to do my workout with light weights, then a mix of yoga and Pilates, as I haven't done that in 2 weeks either. Back to the bike trail (and warmer temps) Thurs/Fri. Glad to be back to it!

[north woods gal]

Going on a week, now, of highs in the 30s with snow showers or sudden snow squalls with wind. Forecast is the same for the next week, but with maybe some snow accumulation. My trails have a skiff of snow on them, every morning, now, but it usually melts off by late afternoon. That, of course, will change as the temps continue to slide downwards. Had hoped for some more moderate November weather for the sake of some road riding, but road work is very cold with the rain/snow and, especially, the winds. At least back in the woods, you're not as exposed to the wind and you're going slower, too, so that helps. Still riding the trails, every day, of course. Only missed on day of riding in October. Hope to do as well in November. Hey, it's November, tomorrow!

[emily_in_nc]

Still riding the trails, every day, of course. Only missed on day of riding in October. Hope to do as well in November.

Good for you, NWG! That's quite a streak!

[ny biker]

Did a fast road ride on my CX yesterday after work since that was the only bike I had with me. Hurried home to get candy ready for the Trick or Treaters. Hadn't done that in years since few bother with my back street. Ugh. Not one person, child or adult, showed up. They all go to ritzy neighborhoods hoping to get the 'best' candy. Grrr. I brought the candy in to work, and plopped it on the desk of the woman who talked me into doing that.

It was pretty funny. Now the basket is on the conference table. Little bags with Almond Snickers, Peanut Butter Cups, Take 5, and Kit Kats.

I really give the 'best' candy. Too bad no one bothers to come and get it.

Once in my entire adult life I had trick or treaters stop at my home. It was when I was in college, living in a house off campus. We had no candy so we gave them money (coins). Then we ran out and bought candy but didn't need it.

Most other years I've lived in apartments. But my parents have noticed fewer kids coming to their house in recent years. Just not many young children in their neighborhood anymore.