October rides...

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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.

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.

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.

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

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Originally Posted by 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

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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.

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.

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.

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. :)

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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!

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Originally Posted by north woods gal

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

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

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

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.

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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.