Approaching the Taunton, Ma. Green


Superior Court House


During my usual short cut through General Dynamics I came across a guy leaving the building in full gear. I struck up a conversation and he was riding around 2/3 of my route. He told me his name as a car was passing in the lot. I asked him again and his answer was just as the car next to me slammed it's door. He was on a single speed so I dubbed him "single speed on a red bike".

We were able to converse pretty freely with the very light traffic. I took him on a route that was a little longer than his normal but much safer. He was hit last year on the route I wrote about a few weeks ago. It's one I stopped riding years ago. Vindicated, is the word that floated through my brain.

He turned off near to go to the LBS after five miles and I continued the six remaining to my car. My new car.

The traffic was light for the whole ride. The three spots I have to be on my "A" game were a can o corn today. Sometimes that happens.

The weather is great for riding through tomorrow. Thursday is a wash but I have to get my hair done anyhow. So.... no matter.
Traffic was light at this left turn.


Ole Blue leans on the ride home. The new Vibe.

There was a chill in the air at the 6AM start of the commute. Low 40's got a few "brrrs" out of me. By the time I got to the Asylum the temperature had warmed considerably.

On the homeward part of the commute I came across a new walker in the abandoned State School. Usually it's the same couples and dog walkers, but today, "fresh meat". I zoomed in with my camera to get the shot below trying to bring the road in close for a unique perspective. You can see what I'm talking about if you click the photo to make it big.

As I approached from behind I wondered if by making a noise I would scare her. I decided to veer to the right as far away from her as I could and pass by silently. If she didn't notice till I was past, she would see that it's just a bike rider. Wouldn't you know, just as I was passing she glanced to the right, looked ahead and quickly snapped back looking to her right again. Through my peripheral vision I saw her jump, gasp and her hands went up in a defensive posture. I'm pretty sure she thought I was a deer ten feet away from her ready to pounce.

I thought about apologizing, or saying something to lighten the mood, but being on a bike, the indecision let me get away without saying a word. I rode stiff in the saddle looking straight ahead without emotion as long as I could. First I smiled, then chuckled and finally guffawed. I don't scare people intentionally usually, but do find the reactions very funny sometimes. Especially when I try to imagine what they could be thinking.
This walker has a story to tell. he he

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