Sunday Spin

Sue and I decided to go for a long ride on this sunny Sunday on the South Coast of Massachusetts. Sue has also gotten back into running and we took a detour to get the mileage of her route. That took us east on the new section of the Mattapoisett MUP.

We rode the 1.6 miles to the turnaround and decided to detour down Brandt Island Rd. I rode it last week and this time brought the camera.





The wind picket up the clouds rolled in and it really looked like we were in for a humdinger of a storm. We decided to continue into Fairhaven, MA, with the intention of riding to Ft. Phoenix. Meeting a couple of friends and stopping to chat forced us to cut the ride short and race home to beat the storm.

We did beat the storm by a really long way. A few minutes after we got home and put everything away, the clouds cleared and the sun again showed itself. We ended up doing yard maintenance.

The New Bike Transporter

I have owned a Vibe for quite a few years. It's the right car for the way I use a car. The bike fits inside nicely, without any disassebling. I can camp in the back, and it's great for transporting the dogs. In short, it's perfect for my lifestyle. I wanted to look for the best deal on another Vibe but Sue insisted that we look around. I spent some time shopping after that decision. Mazda, Toyota and Pontiac.

I have to think of the passengers

I narrowed my decision to a Vibe and a Toyota Matrix. The Matrix is the same car with a different name plate stuck on it. Now it came down to price and workmanship. It was time to submit an internet requests for quotes from a few dealers.

Saturday I got an offer of $5000 off two 2009 Vibes with all of my criteria. 1.8L engine, air, power windows, cruise control and a cd player. On the way I stopped at the Toyota dealer and told him what I had in mind. Toyota offered me a used 2009 for more money than the new Vibe. I did get warnings from the high pressure sales force at Toyota about the hazzards of buying a GM. "What are you going to do when you need new windshield wipers"? I thanked him for his concerns and left the property completely disgusted with the dealership and it's sales tactics.

The real clincher though was that the Vibe was Union made. I'll take that any day over a non union product. After all, I have to consider the safety and quality of work. So, the Vibe won out, with three months of XM radio and one year of OnStar complimentary. Nice. I fell better every day about my decision and really have no worries about the problems GM is experiencing right now. They will recover and do just fine. I also really think the Vibe will be around under another name once the Pontiac division is closed.

When the time comes for the new winshield wipers, I'll go to AutoZone like I always have.

The temperatures dropped substantially from 92F to a relatively cool 74F for this Thursday afternoon ride. The above distance marker is a relic from the early days of automobile travel when this was the main route to all the cities and towns on the sign.
The water pump works and delivers cold refreshing well water.

I went out to do a hard ride and soon ran into a young kid riding down the middle of the road. He kept looking back and seemed to have thoughts of outrunning me. Kids hate to get overtaken on a bike. I simply kept my spin going and realized he was just bopping along and looking back for traffic. Personally, I have to really work at not chasing or trying to outrun another bike. I have gone as far as dismounting and having a drink on those times when I can't shake that competitive urge. When I came upon him I slowed and noticed he was riding a Trek and I complimented his bike. He was so proud to be acknowledged, that he seemed to have just a little more umph in his ride. I went into afterburners and soon had my speed up to 11mph. Seriously, it was a really good night for me. I found myself riding at 18-19 mph most of the time. Some days you ride fast, some day you slog. Last night was quick.

A couple of miles later I came across another guy struggling on a slight incline. I pulled up along side to say hello. He complained about being out of shape and I assured him that round is a shape. His tires were at least 700x35 or maybe wider, with knobs. My legs began to hurt just watching him mashing those pedals.

It was a really nice night for riding and the two hour spin more than made up for the missed work commute.

See you around

Jazz in the City

The local paper did an exclusive on the local high schools jazz ensembles. Three of them were performing at the Roach Jones Duff house and garden museum.

New Bedford, MA. High School Jazz Choral


Old Rochester Regional High School (Mattapoisett, MA) Jazz Ensemble


Old Rochester Regional


Although most of the musicians were sophomores and juniors they were very good. Many of the ORR Jazz go on to major in music at schools like Berkley. There was one more jazz group to perform, Dartmouth High School, but the time and the drop in temperatures sent many home from this outdoor concert.

See you around

Feeling Better

After three and a half months, my racquetball injury has finally cleared up. The injury was back, groin, hip, hamstring affecting and took forever to get everything back in working order. Till now, about all I could do was bike ride. Lots of rainy days really put the kibosh on that. Now however, everything is hunky dory and I am able to begin a regular exercise routine to compliment the riding.
I have been watching with envy a fellow blogger really racking up the miles and having a blast. The envy is because she rides in many of the same places I like to bike.




After work I got ole blue ready and took a 20 mile spin in Fairhaven, Acushnet, Rochester and Mattapoisett. All in Massachusetts. The southeast coast if your looking at a map. The ride provided a really good cardio workout which is something I haven't done in a while. I don't usually ride that hard, but it's been so long since I got a good workout, I couldn't resist pushing the envelope a little.












See you around

Mattapoisett MUP

The neighboring town of Mattapoisett has completed the first phase of their MUP. The roads that cross are a really good place for a bike ride.

When I got home from work, the sun was shining and the temps were "mui tiempo" very mild. By the time I got ready to go for a Friday night ride, the clouds had set in, the fog crept ashore and the temperature dropped. It made the ride very different. Not at all bad, but very unique.

Fiasco #8

Our small group set off from Pub 99 at 7PM under a clear sky. A stiff wind kept our speed down, but did not damper the spirit of any of the riders.
We made good time which gave us a few minutes to explore Battery Milliken, before the 7:50 moonrise. Our lights were more than adequate for the tour, but no one was too enthused about spending too much time in the darkened bunker. The group did get a good look at Fort Taber and was able to meander inside another of the cleaned up bunkers.
Site of New Marriott Hotel


About the time the moon began to appear at the horizon, the clouds rolled in covering the eastern sky. We decided to head back to Fairhaven and made a short stopover at Clegg Field, the home of the South End Youth baseball league. We watched a bit of a game which was quickly deteriorating into a rout. As we left the moon made it appearance in all of her glory. A spectacular moonrise sent us on our way.

Rodney French Blvd. in New Bedford.


We encountered very few vehicles during the three hour ride. Quiet clear roads took us to Ft. Rodman where we saw how much cleaning up has been done since the fall. They are in the process of bringing back the WWII bunkers to as close to original condition as possible. There is still lots of grafitti to be removed, but the progress is well ahead of schedule. Darkness was not a problem with any of the riders either.
Begin New Bedford Bike Path.


WWII Battery at Fort Rodman


Full Flower Moon rising.


The next full moon fiasco. #9 will again leave Pub99 at 6PM on Sunday, June 7th. The more the merrier.

Full Moon Ride

Lets try this again. April 8th is the Full Flower Moon (close enough). It's also a Friday. Perfect for a Full Moon Fiasco, night bike ride. Casual dress is recommened, but full regalia is also welcome.


Things will start at Pub99 in Fairhaven at 7PM. There will be plenty of parking there or across the street at the old Applebees place.







The Ride:

From Pub 99 we will spin the Pheonix MUP to the Fairhaven Bridge, crossing the span on the east sidwalk before we portage our bikes down the stairs to Front Street. There we will make a decision to ride through downtown or directly to Rodney French Blve and Ft. Rodman.

The return loop will take us past Davy's Locker which has an outdoor bar on the pier. (Just a thought) A safe ride thought the deserted North Terminal road could put us in the vacinity of Antonio's (another just a thought), before returning to Fairhaven, which would put us close to the Bayside Lounge. (It's Friday night don't forget).

We are still trying to get this ride off the ground. This could be the one.