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  1. #46
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
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    So at least 3 days and under 2 hours away???....you know this forum has a private message system

    Glad you enjoyed the Ocean Beach area and the riding!! That section of coastline is nice.….and yeah, Sunset cliffs ftw. Happy you enjoyed/embraced the differences from the North Woods. I enjoyed riding the river bike path from Ocean Beach to the mission valley and back with friends living in La Jolla. There are some nice paved river bike paths in S.Ca.

    Ocean Beach is kinda San Diego's Venice Beach, although we’re larger, more touristy, a little more eclectic and alternative but similar in vibe/people and especially in weather…well, and we have more eccentrics too ....and a 26 mile, on the beach with lots of interesting stops, paved bike path!!!

    …..thinking the homeless also like the weather in the Southern Ca., especially areas that have some good services for them like here.
    ‘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. #47
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    OMG, never thought there might be one of my forum friends in the area! Duh. Anyway, my bad on that one.

    I always try to see the best in a new area, just like I always try to see the best in people, even when they are way different than me. I do think that SD area has a lot to offer. Not really me, but I could adapt.

    Back home and riding my north woods trails, again, and, have to admit, it feels good. Trees are turning, but not looking to be a great color season. Some trees have already lost most of their foliage and some have barely turned color. One of those mixed color change years for us.

  3. #48
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
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    6,763
    Yesterday was my first ride since we've been back in Florida (west of Orlando) post-Irma evacuation. DH had explored the bike path to the east on Monday while I went to the orthodontist and ran errands. He discovered that it was closed, with numerous trees blocking it. Not too surprising. So, he took the path west into Lake County, which we've been avoiding since returning to FL in early August because there are fewer trees and more hills = VERY HOT this time of year. But temps have cooled just a bit, humidity is lower than it was a month ago, and this part of the path was open. Yay! So we did that yesterday. Saw a lot of post-Irma damage but all had been moved off the path. Kudos to the Oakland, Clermont, Groveland city & Lake County workers as I know they have been busting butt.

    We also found out last night from an acquaintance that works for the Orange County parks & recs dept. that more of the path east is now open -- not the whole thing, but more (Winter Garden to Ocoee) -- so we'll explore that tomorrow.

    35 miles yesterday.
    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

  4. #49
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    I rode on Saturday. Just 30 miles, but with steeper hills than I've ridden in months so it was quite a workout. Another club in this area had its annual century on Sunday out in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, which is just over the river from Sharpsburg MD and the Antietam battlefield. They have started a tradition of holding a ride around and through Antietam the day before the century, and this ride is open to anyone regardless of whether they paid for the century ride. I've been wanting to explore Antietam so I decided to make the drive, about 1.5 hours and more than 80 miles. Fortunately the start time was at noon so I didn't have to get up insanely early for it.

    The weather was sunny, humid and warm, very nice actually, and the first time since July that I've had really sweaty helmet hair after a ride. Several of my friends were there and we stopped several times in the park to visit significant battle sites. It was a very good ride. There was traffic near the battlefield which was to be expected, especially since Sunday was the 155th anniversary of the battle, but enough of the ride was on quiet roads. The first and last few miles were on a road next to the C&O Canal, a part of the canal that I've never ridden. We talked about planning other rides in that area in the future, since it's definitely worth making the drive now and then.

    The rest stop on the ride was at an ice cream parlor in Sharpsburg. I had peach frozen yogurt, delicious with big peach slices. After the ride I went with a friend to a pizza place in Shepherdstown. The crust was a little thicker than I usually like but it was still foldable and quite good. It's hard to find really good pizza in DC but sometimes when you get away from the city you find some that surprises you. Shepherdstown had a bunch of restaurants that looked good, and on the drive to and from the ride I passed a few others in the small town of Boonsboro. I suspect the proximity to a major battlefield site draws enough visitors to help support them.

    Antietam and Gettysburg are roughly 50 miles apart. It's possible to tour both of them by bike. There are some areas of both battlefields that are only accessible on foot, but both have paved roads with designated auto tours that could also be done as bike tours. One of the friends I was with on Saturday estimated that a full bike tour of Antietam would be 9-10 miles whereas a tour of Gettysburg is about twice and long. It is also possible to cycle between Antietam and Gettysburg, though there are a couple of mountains that would need to be crossed.

    So that was my weekend. Last night I went for a ride after work, about 16 miles. It's still warm and humid. I had planned to take tomorrow off as a part of the furlough time that I have to take before the end of the month, and was going to do a club ride in a nice area near the Patuxent River in southern Maryland, but today I had a change of plans. A colleague is out from tomorrow through next week and they want me here to cover for him, so I no longer have to take the last 3 furlough days that I thought I had to take. This is a good thing overall since it means 3 days of sick and vacation time that can keep for the future. I am kind of disappointed about not being able to do that ride tomorrow, though, since I haven't ridden in that area in months and I was looking forward to enjoying a warm sunny day outdoors. I will do a shorter ride after work instead.

    - 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

  5. #50
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    We had mist and light rain from José yesterday, so no group ride. I went to step and sculpt class instead, where I had the thought of comparing the level of suffering between that and a hot, hilly ride. It was so humid out, that the AC in the room was struggling. I always put Nuun in my bottle when I go to this class.
    I wanted to get up and do a dark ride this morning, but, I hardly slept last night. I will rest today. It's Rosh Hashanah, and I am going to work, which is making me feel guilty... my family is coming over for dinner tonight, so there wil be a little celebration.
    Tomorrow will be my last Friday group ride for the summer. The series has not attracted a lot of people, so it's mostly been me riding with the other leader. Not sure what is going on, as about 10 years ago, DH and I led Friday AM rides and they were well attended. I think part of the issue is my friend, who set up this series does the same ride every week! It's also at a start place that is further away from the city than the previous one. We always started in the same place, but we did different rides. He's kind of an old, set in his way guy (won't travel anywhere, except into NH), but is a good friend, and volunteers hours for both of the clubs I belong to.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  6. #51
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Warm, rainy and then foggy all day in our woods, yesterday. A little different to be riding trails in the fog in mid-afternoon, to be sure. That's when it's a real plus to know your trails.

    Also a real plus to know my trails now that they are almost completely covered with downed leaves. A stranger would be lost, but I know them like the back of my hand, so not an issue in that respect. On the other hand, a buildup of wet leaves under the tires can be a hazard as far as the tires slipping as I'm sure some of you have experienced with your road biking with wet leaves on pavement. Can be an issue for MTB riding, too, especially with wet leaves on rocks. Yup, I do get sometimes get slippage on wet leaves with my classic MTBs and their skinny 26x2" tires on our trails under these conditions, but not with the fat bikes. The fat bikes pretty much take that hazard out of the equation. Nevertheless, I'll probably walk some of my trails with a rake at some point before the snow falls. Trails dry out, quicker, when not covered with leaves.

    Talk about slipping on wet surfaces. Yesterday, as I was walking one of the fat bikes down our wet wood steps from our deck, I slipped. Me and the bike went sliding down the steps to land on the hard pavement at the bottom. Ouch! Fortunately, just a scratch on my arm, but I know people who have been seriously injured taking a tumble down steps. Pretty spooky, but mostly just a bad scare. Bike survived just fine, too. We both headed off to the woods and forgot about it.
    Last edited by north woods gal; 09-21-2017 at 07:37 AM.

  7. #52
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
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    NWG, I remember slipping on damp fall leaves on a wooden bridge at one of our local MTB trails in NC. Went right down on such an easy little stretch. I was just starting to MTB and honestly didn't expect it. Lesson learned!

    NY, the year we did Bike Virginia, much of the ride was actually done in WVa, and we went through Shepherdstown. In fact, that may be where I spent several days in a gorgeous inn suffering mightily from the waterborne illness that took so many of us out that year (2003, I think?), Campylobacter. If you had to be deathly ill, that beautiful suite was the place to do it. (We did the inn option rather than camping and booked late so had to take a very fine suite. It even had a bidet in the gorgeous marble bathroom, and that was a godsend for my very poor intestinal condition!!!)

    It is definitely a hilly but gorgeous area. Glad you got to do a nice ride there!

    Today's ride took us east on the West Orange Trail, where we saw lots and lots of evidence of Irma damage. The entire length of the trail is pretty much lined with piles of branches and logs. All the debris has been moved off the trail, but it's definitely a lot less shady now. So many beautiful trees down, but so many survived, which is a great thing. These are mostly Live Oaks with Spanish moss and add so much to the ambiance and charm of this area. Glad we still have many left to enjoy but so sorry that so many were lost.

    30.25 miles.
    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

  8. #53
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Emily, that's the trail I rode on our Florida visit. Glad to hear it's open. May take some time, but the trees will come back.

    Crazy weather up here, too. Highs in the upper 80s today and the next few days. That's as hot as it gets at the peak of our summers. About 20 degrees above normal. Oh, well, may as well get some tan in while I ride before winter sets in. Weird, though.

  9. #54
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    No one signed up for our last Friday group ride, which was good and bad. When it's just me and Jack, I have to go fast...
    Left the house with a darkish sky and occasional wind gusts. Not big ones, but cool ones, at 61 degrees. I saw no rain forecasted, but it was raining just north of here. Yup, as soon as I had driven a couple of miles, it started spitting, then stopped. Then, as soon as we left the lot on the bikes, it started misting, light rain again. It wasn't bad, but I didn't want to do the big steep climb, as I had already been to boot camp and my legs/back are toast, so we skipped that, took a nice alternate, and then skipped the last part of the ride, to go back straight on a main road. We stopped and had a cup of coffee at the Bedford Council on Aging. Jack plays pool there and also leads a Monday ride from there, for younger seniors, which means people more in their 50s, 60s. The place creeped me out. I was the youngest one there, but the coffee was good. I then rode back to my car, about half a mile. So, 24 miles, at a good pace, considering the suffering I did at the gym at 5:30 AM!
    Tomorrow we are doing a ride called the Tour of Mt Pigsah. No, not the one n NC.... the one in Northorough, MA. It's jointly led by the Sudbury Valley Trustees, which is an environmental organization, and AMC. We will be riding west of here a bit, stopping to look at some of their conservation sites and efforts. It's co-led by a friend, who is the director of development there and also an AMC leader. It's only 21 miles, but it's hilly, and will be an enjoyable change of pace for a ride.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  10. #55
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    I rode last night after work, per my revised plan. Earlier in the day I had an idea that I would lengthen the route from 16 to 20 miles, which would add a couple of bigger hills. But it seems my new normal is not getting started until 9 pm, and though I didn't feel tired I also found myself riding slower than I had the other day. And my knee hurt in the beginning, a pain above my knee on the inside which started during the hilly ride last Saturday. So I decided to skip those bigger hills. Total miles was just under 18. Another generally quiet ride, not cold or hot, slightly humid. I just replaced the batteries in several blinky lights that are not rechargeable ( my helmet lights and night-ride tail light), so they are all super bright again. These batteries will get me through the winter unless I do something dumb like accidentally hit the power button while they're sitting in my bike bag.

    Since I'm still trying to rest the torn ankle tendon, cycling is the only cardio exercise I can do right now. I'm thinking of starting to do two night rides per week, possibly slightly shorter routes. I'd end up having to change my weight training schedule too, but that's not a big deal.

    - 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

  11. #56
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    The ride yesterday was weird. It was quite cool when we arrived at the farm for the start, and cloudy. I had arm warmers on, but DH did not. He pulled an emergency light weight hoodie out of his car, though. One of the workers made us move our cars, saying there would be 5,000 people there later in the day. Then, she told us we couldn't use the bathroom! We did, anyway. Not an auspicious start. So the ride was advertised at a 11-13 mph average and very hilly for 21 miles. Laura started out way faster, though. I couldn't keep up with her, but at least I was not in the back, with the slowest. We went down a steep descent for awhile, on a road the was horribly pot holed. A bunch of people passed me, which I was nervous about, as we had no GPS route, although I took a cue sheet, which was in my jersey. The plan was to stay together. We did, that, but I felt horribly agitated for the whole ride. I was tired from boot camp and riding on Friday, not from lack of sleep, but my quads were tired. The environmental part the tour was interesting, and we were on a few roads I have never been on. Part of the ride was on the same roads DH and I were on 2 weeks ago, when we were on that ride that was not the ride we thought it was... however, the detour we encountered was finished. The 2 biggest, steep climbs yesterday were on roads I have done, so not a big deal, but there were a couple of longer, less steep climbs at the end, that got to me. And the other riders were a strange combination of, what I am not sure. A lot of them tried to pass me while climbing, I would go ahead, and then they would play cat and mouse on the flats. I tend to keep a very consistent pace, which allows me to do the climbing I do. Anyway, let's just say there was a high level of geekdom here, and not bike geekdom. One guy harassed DH about his rear blinkie being too strong; it was on daylight mode. After trying to be nice, DH told him not to ride behind him, then! He wanted to tell him to get ****, but since we are leaders of the sponsoring group, we have to restrain ourselves.
    There were about 5,000 people at the farm when we got back. What a zoo. Again, I guess this provides a Disneyland type experience for people, but ruins the quieter suburban and country roads we ride on. The lunch options there were horrible and I don't eat cider donuts, or any donuts. We went home, where I ate, showered, and then did some errands.
    I know I felt weird beause I did too much on Friday, but also, a combination of some crappy roads and the other riders didn't help! Still glad I went, though.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  12. #57
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
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    Sounds like a bit of an odd ride, Crankin. Also sounds like you need a day or two of rest. Better to come back fresh next time than to be so fatigued. Also helps mentally, I think.

    I'll take the cider donut you didn't want! Although I eat donuts only very rarely (like when traveling to Portland or Seattle, where there are some awesome donut shops) they are a true guilty pleasure due to that rarity!
    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. #58
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    For some reason, donuts have never appealed to me.
    I did ride today, a ride I enjoyed with my Wednesday group about a month ago. DH changed the route, to start from our house, instead of Concord center, which made it 32 miles. No big climbs and not near any orchards! It is extremely warm and humid out. We left at 10, should have left at 9. My quads were a little sore when I started riding, but I felt great when I got up. Traffic was light, as I think most people were inside, getting ready to watch the Patriots' game, which to me is an excuse to go places that are usually crowded!
    The last 4 miles of the ride, basically getting back to our house is pretty unshaded. That kind of stunk, but despite the weather, we made it back with no issues. I did drink a whole bottle of Scratch, though.
    I hope my body gets used to cycling with my boot camp classes. I did this before, so I imagine it might take a couple more weeks. I actually looked at my paltry mileage total for the year, and this might be my lowest since 2004. I think my back issues in the spring were a lot of it, as I started off strong in the winter. I'll be lucky to make 2,000 miles.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  14. #59
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Abnormally warm weather, this last week, with highs into the upper 80s and very humid. That's what we get for a maximum at the peak of our summer, but here it is heading into the last of September. Have to say, though, that I've enjoyed it. Gotten a lot of work done on our trails, followed up each day with a heavy dose of trail riding. Yup, get back to the house soaking wet with sweat, but I'm not complaining. We're heading back down, now, to our more normal highs in the 50s and low 60s, but nice to have had a last taste of summer while it lasted. Winter will be here soon enough.

    Every year, at this time, as winter approaches, I do think about spending the winter in a southern state where I can ride without snow, but just don't know if I can handle all the crowds that have the same thing in mind. Kind of spoiled being able to ride in my woods, every day, with just me and the woods for company.
    Last edited by north woods gal; 09-25-2017 at 07:02 AM.

  15. #60
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
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    Quote Originally Posted by north woods gal View Post
    Every year, at this time, as winter approaches, I do think about spending the winter in a southern state where I can ride without snow, but just don't know if I can handle all the crowds that have the same thing in mind. Kind of spoiled being able to ride in my woods, every day, with just me and the woods for company.
    It's the truth about the crowds! Of course, we find Florida to be way too crowded even now, and it will only get worse as the snowbirds descend. (Since we got here in August this year, I get to say that... ) Arizona is similar, and when we spent January in North Padre Island, TX a few years ago, I got to learn all about "Winter Texans". But I get it...I don't want to be anywhere cold during the winter, having spent the last seven or so in places like Belize, Mexico, and Florida!

    We're still having hot (upper 80s to low 90s) and humid weather here in central Florida, of course, but I'm used to it by now, and it's nice to know that the trend is in the right direction, even though the change in season is infinitesimally gradual. It definitely doesn't feel like fall yet!

    30 miles on the bike path today. They've done a great job of clearing up hurricane debris, although there's still a long way to go along the sides of the trail, but at least the path itself is clear!
    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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