Animal Tracking

We saw and ad in the paper for a group that would be identifying animal tracks. It sounded like something we would like to try. We did and it was ok. But we did get a good hike and were also able to test our arctic wear. (It was really cold).

Follow the person in front of you.

We crossed a few of these small brooks.


Coyote and deer tracks. Probably a major crossing for most of the animals.


The roads are still a mess in some places and another blizzard could hit on Tuesday.

We're Bored

Finally the MUPs are just about clear enough to resume commuting. One more day of melt and were golden. Unfortunately the weather calls for 6-10 inches of snow Tuesday night into Thursday.

We are getting bored.

Not Yet

No riding but the dogs are getting lots of quality time. Coats and all.
The surface is all rutted ice under the fresh inch of cover.

Cold, Wind and No Path

Lots of comments at work lately, like too cold for ya to ride? Fair weather commuter huh?

A good chunk of my ride is on a 66 year old MUP. It could be one of the originals and is located at the Paul Dever School. The school was for the severly handicaped, and MUPs were necessary for obvious reasons. The problem is that the roads and MUP are not maintained. Everything is a sheet of ice after last weeks snow, thaw, deep freeze.

The lack of roadway is the reason I'm not bike commuting, but with the single digit temperatures and wind chill dropping that into negative numbers, I'm really not missing it that much.

Creative Bike Club

This club never lets me down. It's why I have them in my favorites and bookmarks.

If you've never spent a cold Sunday afternoon with 25 of your friends riding ten speeds around my parents neighborhood and shooting BB guns at water balloons hanging from strings, you should. That's what the FBC did on January 4th 2009. We called it the FBC Winter Biathlon

more

The Office Bug

Finally a weekend off and what happens? The office bug got me. I felt it coming on just before leaving work on Friday. By the time I go home the cold was in full fury. Achy muscles, headache, stuffy and dehydrated. I spent a lot of time in front of the TV screen over the weekend and have to say the pickings were slim.

There was an OK movie now and then but I was forced to settle on House Hunters too many times. The evenings had much better choices with three PBS stations available, but my realization that TV is a mindless waste of time was fervently reinforced.

I suppose the American football fans were were able to overdose, but that's not an activity I ever got into.

The weather is clearing the roads and by mid week if this head cold clears, commuting will resume.

It's Not the Temperature, It's How You Dress

The snow began to fall around 10AM. Throughout the day the intensity increased. By mid afternoon the accumulation measured around 6 inches and still falling. Add heavy winds and dropping temperatures and you have a typical New England blizzard. I had a forty mile drive to meet everyone in Providence RI where we would welcome in the new year and spend the night.

Dinner reservations were at Capriccios located on the bank of the Providence River in the heart of the city. The word is, "always keep your back to the wall, because you never know who will walk in". The reservations were for 9PM. I met everyone at the hotel at five. The storm was beginning to abate, but the temperatures continued to fall. Looking out the window from our 9th floor room, saw the first night activities beginning. I could not convince anyone to venture out into the night that gave single digit temperatures and flag ripping winds. But I'm a bike commuter right. We bike commuters know, "it's not the weather, it's how we dress". I had layers, and did a solo walk around town with very little discomfort.
Let the festivities begin

A $15 bracelet got me access to any venue that struck my fancy. I was convinced to buy the bracelet with the promise that the "dare devil show" would alone be worth the price of the all night, all venue bracelet. It wasn't. No matter, I had to leave to make the trek to the restaurant.
Irish ballads.

After dinner, no one wanted to walk the city and experience any of the first night events. I mentioned that everything was indoors and every event was withing a seven block area. "Nope, too cold" Alone I ventured out and spent time listening to the Blues, Jazz, Irish Folk and swing dancing like you don't usually see. Three of the events were in churches and the most contemporary was built in 1789. One was the oldest Baptist church in America founded by Roger Williams.

January 1, 2009
New Years day brought even colder single digit temps but the wind had ceased. A perfect sunny morning for taking photos of Old Providence.

State House


Providence City Hall


First Baptist Church


Providence River


"Look up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane". Yup, that's the superman building.


Old Stone Bank and County Courthouse steeple in the background


Haven's traveling diner. Since 1848


Snowy main street in Old Section of Providence.


LAYERS, LAYERS.

Dressing in layers, a technique that was tested and perfected by bike commuting gave this midnight rider the chance to experience a a great first night and New Years day while my companions spent hundreds of dollars to sit in a hotel for two days reading a book and watching tv.