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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
    Posts
    1,232

    riding into June and the beginning of summer

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    I ended last month riding in the napa valley. Got a little over 90 relaxing miles in during the long weekend. Warm days in the 80’s but that didn’t bother me at all since I was riding in the napa valley and was with good friends….and cuz we found cheesecake ice cream sandwiches at Dean and Deluca in St Helena.

    Silverado Trail Rd ftw!!!.....lots of interesting winery architecture and good restaurants for lunch by going back and forth on the side roads between Silverado and State Route 29…..

    looking forward to what June brings in riding area's, challenges and delights!



    “O come sweet June, my lovely June

    The month when first the roses bloom
    -
A wondrous, colorful display
    
By sunlight kissed throughout the day, 

    So chasing all my cares away.”…Valerie Dohren
    Last edited by rebeccaC; 05-31-2016 at 11:09 PM.
    ‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
    us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… Pema Chodron

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    June is a very nice month for us with highs typically in the 70s. Lots of folks out and about doing all our sumner outdoor things and some tourists, too. Roads are never crowded, though, and traffic never an issue. Mostly just me, the bike and our north woods. Will shoot for 500 miles, this month.

    Have a great month, everyone!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,151
    It can get hot here in the midwest but it's not yet
    Last year I made 1000 miles because June is when I go to GITAP and ride on the Illinois Trails (Grand Illinois Trails and Parks ride), but I might be doing more volunteering and a little less riding this year. Still, I got in 40 miles yesterday with my commute andour "Pedaling for Pleasure" ride... so we'll see!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Good for you. I managed 32 miles, yesterday, but very windy, up over 20 mph at times. Just like old times, though, back when I lived on the prairies.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
    Posts
    1,232
    Ellie, Jennifer, who is on my work team, and I rode into downtown L.A. today for a day of 3 work meetings. Uneventful ride which is a good one when riding downtown. A pleasant ride home especially the last miles on bike paths. 8 pm sunsets ftw! The three of us went to dinner when we got back to santa monica to go over the day’s meetings.
    The early afternoon meeting was just a couple of blocks from the moca museum so we went to see an emotionally charged and complex exhibit of art works that investigate the culture of violence perpetrated on black citizens. Had a good lunch and a conversation about how we were processing the exhibit.
    48 total riding miles during a good day of work, intellectual art stimulation, easy riding and good food. Perfect day for me!
    ‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
    us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… Pema Chodron

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    I am loving the later sunsets. Still can't get through my post-work rides without lights because I start so late, but at least I can get away with just one light now. When the sun sets earlier I use two headlights because they both have relatively short battery life (~1.5 hrs) on the brightest setting which leaves no margin for error. Anyway. I had a good ride after work two days ago. Another day of feeling lazy but I pushed myself not to take shortcuts. Instead I altered the route a bit in a couple of neighborhoods and used roads I'd never been on before. I think I need to do more of this to keep things fresh and interesting.

    Last weekend (technically May, not June) I led a really good club ride. It was supposed to be 47 miles but we took a short cut at the end because it was very hot and we were very much not acclimated. Seriously it was 30 degrees hotter than it had been a week earlier. I was really feeling the heat because everyone else was much faster than me and just trying to stay within sight of them was more work than I should have done in the hot sun. Fortunately there was a lot of shade in the middle of the route, as we explored a four-mile trail that connects two parks on the Patuxent River. Half of it was a dirt trail which was manageable on road bikes but there were some loose dirt areas that required me to remember my mountain biking days. It was fun. Then of course the bike had to be cleaned afterwards.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Well, the bike rally is over, and I had my first ride of June, since I was sick on Tuesday-Thursday, and yesterday I decided to hike locally, to test how I felt.
    Weather was warm (83 and slightly humid), but thankfully, it got overcast as the ride went on. We had a big group. So, we gave our talk and explained how we split this ride into 2 groups, with 2 speeds.. If people are lagging, they can just stop and wait for the next group, since it's the same route. Within 2 minutes, one woman stopped to wait, and there were 2 others who should have. I asked them several times to please pull over and wait for Lamar, but they said no, they would go at their own speed. One was particularly nasty. There was a big enough group in the back, with me sweeping, but those 2 were outliers. We regrouped at 2 stops and at the top of a climb, so the 2 caught up.
    I'd say, it was OK, there was a couple at the end, who was lagging, and the woman had mentioned she was really sweaty, so I asked her if she was OK, and she got mad! I was really trying to be nice, so I said I was just concerned she might be overheating, and she told me rudely she was sweaty because she was working hard. Near the end, on a small hill, they told me to go ahead, but then i had to stop to check out a guy who had crashed, and was with the bike committee leader, who is a nurse. He was fine, thankfully, but they missed the turn I very explicitly told them about, and then I saw them just cut right across the street and kind of ride the wrong way, while I was stopped. Oy.
    DH also told me about the antics of a couple of guys up front, too. No matter how explicitly we talk about turning, trouble spots, model it, it seems like a lot of people just don't think. There is only one spot where we have to make a left across a very busy 2 lane road. We reviewed this twice. Still, I found myself screaming "Get in the lane," and finally, "Move left" when they were hugging the right curb.
    Still, I am not ready to give it up. We did not stay for the happy hour and dinner this year, have other plans. And now, we live close enough to ride there,
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
    Posts
    1,232
    Nice adventure on the metro train system and then riding through the east los angeles industrial and warehouse districts to take photographs today. Very few people working/driving in those areas on Sunday so it’s a good day to ride and photograph there…..well unless you ride through an open gate and find it closed/locked when you come back….thankfully just once a few months ago so far.

    First time I’ve used the metro trains with a bike. rode to the station in santa monica and then the train to east l.a. There are spaces for 12 bikes on either end of the rail cars. One hour with a few stops vs shorter in a car outside of rush hours and over two on a bike. They are building out the rail system even larger during the next 5 years too.
    Only rode for 23 flat miles total with a lot of stopping and walking to take photos. Good day and enjoyed just being with me.
    Last edited by rebeccaC; 06-06-2016 at 09:28 AM.
    ‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
    us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… Pema Chodron

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Boise Idaho
    Posts
    1,162
    We celebrated National Bike Travel Weekend in the Owyhee Wilderness. Small group but we had the campground to ourselves - well except for the two rattlesnakes - one by the bathroom and one in my GF's camp. Also bunnies and chipmonks galore. We think the rattler by the bathroom killed a chimpmonk and he was toasting on the sidewalk yesterday - yuck. It was certainly warm (temp. sign in Jordan Valley said 98 as we drove thru on the way home.)
    My gf's are both fighting back issues so Saturday we all started together and they turned around first - after a lovely 7 mile climb... I rode a few hours longer with the boys and then returned to camp to hang with my friends. The "boys" were riding with camping gear and spent the night out. We "girls" had a great evening soaking in the creek and drinking beer. Sunday's ride was a little short - only ten miles but we explored another new road until we came to a gate. Even though it wasn't posted we opted to turn around and I will check with the Owyhee Wilderness Ranger to see if we need to get rancher permission to travel through. These photos are from two years ago but same friends and the hill coming out of camp.Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Sky King; 06-06-2016 at 06:06 AM.
    Sky King
    ____________________
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  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Thanks for the great post, Sky. Way back in the 70s, we lived in Boise for a time and did some traveling in that area. That is some rough country, for sure. Beautiful in its own way, though.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    So DH and I started out on a 38 mile group ride, which started very near our house. There was the regular/a bit fast speed group, a slow group, and then a fast group. We went out with the regular group, and there was so much bad riding behavior, DH was not happy. We split from the group at mile 6 or 7 and then got onto the route we led last Saturday. It's a beautiful day right now, but severe thunderstorms are predicted and at the rate the group was stopping, we were concerned about getting caught in a storm. We stopped to use a prta potty at the Stow Golf Course driving range and all of a sudden a large group of cyclists came by. It was the fast group! We got in what we though was behind them, but there were more, so we rode with them for like 2 miles, when they stopped for a break and we went on, a slightly different way back, as we did not want to get caught up with them. I could hang on at the back, but I'd be wrecked afterwards! We ended up doing 28.5 miles, which was fine.
    Feeling much better, but I can tell i am about 85%. I am glad I am going away this weekend, so I will have a little break from riding. If the weather is OK, I'll be home in time to ride Sunday.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
    Posts
    6,763
    Finally got out on a short ride today (we've been doing lots of hiking lately since we've been by great trails, not so much cycling). I debated going as I woke up with a sore throat this morning, and DH has had a bad cold the past few days (so I know what's coming for me). But this was my last and only chance to ride in this beautiful state park where we are only until tomorrow morning, so I got out for an hour rather than miss out completely. Rolling, swoopy hills, beautiful views. generous bike lanes, almost no traffic mid-week, sunshine, breeze, and temperature around 70. Except for the way I felt, nearly perfect cycling!

    We are in Mount Magazine State Park in the Ozarks of Arkansas, and I can highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in this part of the US. The mountain is the highest peak in AR, not high by many state's standards (2753'), but being up at even this altitude means that it's a lot cooler here than in the valley, so a nice summer destination. The views are astonishing, and the cycling and hiking are primo as well. There's a gorgeous lodge, beautiful cabins, and a very nice campground (where we are). We will definitely return when we can stay longer.

    A couple pics of this gem:

    Attachment 18050 Attachment 18051 Attachment 18052
    Emily

    2011 Jamis Dakar XC "Toto" - Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flow
    2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD "Gloria" - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow
    2004 Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
    Posts
    1,232
    that sounds and looks like a perfect ride!!!! nice that you got it in before leaving!
    ‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
    us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… Pema Chodron

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
    Posts
    6,763
    Quote Originally Posted by rebeccaC View Post
    that sounds and looks like a perfect ride!!!! nice that you got it in before leaving!
    Thanks, Rebecca! I am too. I felt so much ickier today that if I hadn't gotten that ride in yesterday, it wouldn't have happened, even if we'd extended our stay. So it was meant to be!
    Emily

    2011 Jamis Dakar XC "Toto" - Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flow
    2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD "Gloria" - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow
    2004 Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
    Posts
    6,763
    I just put up a blog post about some of our rides during our two-week stay in the Lake Ouachita area of Arkansas in late May. Yes, our blog is about 2 weeks behind!

    http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...ton-campground
    Emily

    2011 Jamis Dakar XC "Toto" - Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flow
    2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD "Gloria" - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow
    2004 Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow

 

 

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