I Saw It. I Did It. I Conquered It.

Distance 30 miles. 
Time 3 Hrs.  (includes walking time)
Max Speed. 31MPH
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The intention was to ride the usual route to the Fall River, Ma. boundary line and back.  I had never been on this section of Hicksville road before today's decision to give it a go.  I was really enjoying this new route and was grateful that I would not be riding this nasty section like Brandon and I did last year.  Then I saw the sign.  Last year when riding solo at the other end of this route, I crossed paths with another biker.  We were going opposite directions and stopped to talk a bit about biking.  I told him I was going to try the dirt road up ahead.   "Don't" he said,  "you will do lots of walking".

Now I'm wondering, is this the other end of that same road.  I do have two choices, go right or straight and the sign doesn't tell me which one the warning is about. Actually I also could have backtracked, but us bike riders hesitate to do that.  We're adventurers right? The route going straight looked too much like a driveway into the woods.  I went right and even though the road was dirt, I was thinking "this isn't so bad. I soon found the the sign maker wasn't being facetious. (the only English word with all the the vowels and in order)  It was bad, and I did have to walk a bit.  Quite a bit.  But it was and adventure and really nothing more than a pain in the neck as opposed to being dangerous or anything like that.

Water Supply for Fall River Ma.

The road wasn't bad at all before the turn off to Quanipaug Rd. 

Quanipaug Rd got bad quickly

 Then it got worse. Not a good road for a carbon fiber road bike.

This whole adventure was around two miles.  Some walking, some riding.  I got a hoot out of it, but obviously wouldn't do it again.  These photos by the way, weren't the worst part of the road.  Motor vehicles would have difficulty in a couple of section, but walking them with a bike was no big deal at all.


Quanipaug Rd. eventually brought me right to the spot I was talking with the other rider last year. The place where the guy said, "don't go there".   I saw it, I did it and I conquered it.

Woe Is Me

As always, click photo for big. Click again for bigger

Distance 34.2 Miles
Ave Speed 11MPH
Time in Saddle 3:06
Top Speed 22.6 MPH


It was the first long road ride of the season and it was done on the steel touring bike.  It's heavy.

As I was approaching a cross street six or so miles into the ride, a roadie went speeding by.  When I got to the corner and looked up, I could see he was not riding that fast.  I'm thinking "his first day out also".   The Jr. High feeling of wanting to chase kicked in and I upped my cadence for a couple of minutes.   Luckily, I came to my senses, pulled over and took a couple of photos till he was well out of sight.  I really don't like that feeling of, I have to catch up.

Before that, another rider and I passed each other on the Phoenix MUP in Fairhaven.  I said hello and he just looked.  I don't wear a kit or a helmet and I really think he took offense with the look I got from him.

I have been doing lots of fitness over the last couple of months but it wasn't bike stuff.  I was in and out of the biking zone mentally for the whole ride and when I was out of the zone I was struggling.  In the zone, time passes unnoticed. and riding is a breeze.  Speaking of breezes, I'm pretty sure that's was kept knocking me out of the zone.  The wind gust were pretty stiff at times.  But as I approached the neighborhood I felt like I accomplished something.  But my first though entering the house........Woe is me.

Cranberry bogs without the actors.

Mattapoisett, MA.  River Rd.

Derelict Light Ship in Wareham, MA.

Just a house, in Wareham

A WWII landing craft

The Wind is My Friend

 Distance 25.2 miles
Ave Speed 11.2 MPH
Saddle Time 2:15


Finally, a day good enough for a long bike ride. Less than a minute after deciding to head to Providence and ride the East Bay Bike Path , the winds picked up. So much so that going for a bike ride was losing it's appeal. A friend declined to make the 35 mile drive to the head of the path, and decided instead to fertilize his lawn. (He is new to biking and doesn't yet know the art of procrastinating.) For me, the upcoming Five Boroughs Ride in NYC was enough motivation to get me out riding, even though along the bay, the temps hovered around 50F. But as always for bicycle riders, a couple of dozen pedal strokes melt away any anxiety or doubts about riding.

Adding up the $$$ as this tanker offloaded it cargo of petroleum

 Low Tide

I don't know what this was all about. They were young and my guess, high school ROTC

 

These self shots always come out much to serious. (and jowly)

 

I knew there was a wind at my back but really didn't now how stiff it was blowing.  When I reached the turn around point I realized that I had a 13 mile ride ahead of me, with a 30 MPH sustained wind in my face.  There must be a name for this kind of wind and another rider said it best.  "This is wicked pissah".   If you live near the ocean this photo will tell you all you need to know about the wind.

Whitecaps=wind

The outbound miles were a breeze, so to speak. Returning was a slog, but a good slog.  Just keep saying, "the wind is my friend. The wind is my friend."

New York City

It was a last minute decision to spend a couple of days in NYC.  We took an early morning bus out of New Bedford for the 5 hr. ride to Manhattan.    I'll be returning at the end of April for the Five Boroughs Ride and did some scouting for things to do then while also enjoying the city now.  On this trip we stayed in the Upper East Side near Central Park and spent the evening in that section.  During the day however we toured the Lower East Side.

Naturally we took a walk through Times Square and other parts of Mid Town.  It's crowded, touristy, and hectic.  It's also one of those things you got to do when in Manhattan.   Last year we took a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.  This year we walked the Williamsburg Bridge.  It connects the Lower East Side of Manhattan with the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn.   The Lower East Side is a really neat place to spend some time.  One of the highlights is the Tenement District National Park and we toured three different 97 Orchard St. apartments. Each told a story of a different era. 1865, 1901 and 1938.

In between tours we had time for lunch and walked to the famous Katz Deli. Here is the history.  Once inside we saw the size of the portions and decided it wasn't for us.  (Much too big).  We saw a Himalayan joint across the street and decide to eat there.  It was a good choice.

NYC is a "fit" city.  Walking is a major part of getting around.  Even getting to the subway requires lots of walking and stair climbing.   The other thing we notices is the lack of personal cars.  There were lots of taxis and buses and limos but not much else.   Another thing is that most restaurants show the calorie count for the meals.  A couple of times seeing the amount of calories in my preferred choice, persuaded me to change.  One pasta dish I was taking a liking to offered 1700 calories.

This guy was outside our hotel on Tuesday Morning.

Times Square

Williamsburg Bridge

 Bikes on the upper level, trains in the middle and autos on the sides

 Empire State Bldg in the distance

 Upper lever is for bikes and walkers

Katz Deli.  There was just too much meat on the sandwiches.

The perfect lunch spot in the Lower East Side

The Tenement District.  This was the next step up from Five Points (Gangs of New York area)

97 Orchard St.  If you go to NYC take this one hour tour.

Episode 40: Todd Rundgren :: Live From Daryl's House with Daryl Hall :: Current Episode

Put on your headphones, set this to full screen and enjoy.


Episode 40: Todd Rundgren :: Live From Daryl's House with Daryl Hall :: Current Episode

Full Moon Ride

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Well, 99% full.  It was too nice an evening not to ride.  The afternoon gave us winds close to 40MPH and it was a good time to catch the first showing of Lincoln Lawyer.   Two thumbs up from me. 
 
Back to the full moon.  Tomorrow will show us a Super Moon as some put it.  It's the closest to Earth in 20 years. This evenings temperature hovered around 60F for most of the ride and the sky was clear as can be. Perfect.   Some of the high school players I coach had an indoor match which I stopped by and watched for a bit.  It was a Portuguese team vs the American from Fairhaven.   Naturally the yanks won handily 11-8. 

Indoor Soccer.

Outdoor hoops

I head the bus approaching and from experience know that bus drivers here are dickheads.

The proof is in the photo. He didn't give and inch when he passed.

It began to get dark after leaving the arena and the moon gave a great show.

A Week of Biking and Other Stuff

The bikes have been tuned and the weather is sort of cooperating.  The main thing is that the path and roads are now clear.  The wind has been horrendous this week often gusting to the 50+MPH range.  A couple of times a gust caught me and threw me and the bike off kilter.  Double digit speed was at a premium this past week.

The sights are always there for the taking.

Old English Tudor style building architecture

Unitarian Church steeple in  Fairhaven Mass.

A mid week trip to Cambridge, MA to hear former Liverpool defender and NE Revolution head coach Steve Nichol give a talk on the team

An adult tree house in Fairhaven, Ma.

 

We ended the week at a fantastic Jazz concert.