Longest Day of the Year Ride

Ten Speed Spokes Bike Shop in Newport Rhode Island, puts on this annual bike ride on the closest Thursday to the actual day of the Summer Solstace. A police escort boxes the hammerheads for the 46 mile route. The rest of us drop out of that kind of riding within a couple of miles, but have no doubt that this ride is geared to paceline riding.




Once a rider makes the decision to do this at a more casual pace, Newport is a very great place for an summer evening spin. The weather will be in the low 70's and the sky overcast. Not bad at all for the event.

From 10 Speed Spoke, Newport, R.I

For a slideshow of the 2007 Longest Day ride, CLICK HERE

New York City

From New York City

If you have ever been to New York you know it's one of the coolest cities in the world. It's a five hour bus ride from our little city on the south coast of Massachusetts. A bit longer than driving it yourself but the bus is not a bad way to travel.

Off and on heavy rains greeted us on Thursday and lasted throughout the day. Friday turned out very nice and allowed us to do some great walking activities. One of my favorites is the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Another is Times Square, which by the way is close to vehicle traffic. That was a really good decision by the leaders of the city. There were lots of complaints before the closing that were pretty much exclusively traffic related. That falls on deaf ears to those of us in the bicycle community.


The food. Again. The food. Everyone braggs about the style of cooking where they live. The southerners are very good at making the "food of the south" sound like it's the best in the world. Every tried it? It's good, but by no means do we us a capital G in good southern food. A place as big as NYC you are bound to find Good Food. We found this Mexican restaurant on the corner of 50th and Lexinton in Manhattan. They advertise the best guacamole you will ever taste. So far, they are right. It's the best I have ever had.


Dos Caminos on 50th and Lexinton. Put it on your list


A walk through Central Park is also one of the more interesting things to do in the city. All the fields were being used, mostly for softball this day. The usual banter could be heard at these venues. However there was a different tone coming from the fields up the hill. Lots of good natured cheering and geering. It was kick ball games. Not your usuall playground matches either. The thing that struck me was the pitching. They rolled that ball as fast as they could with lots of spin. Needless to say, "bunting" was the most common play. Thats when the fun started.

These were all twenty something players who took the game very seriously but managed to keep things upbeat and fun. The kind of thing you can only pull off in New York, and something you really have to witness to appreciate. There was a lot of in your face talk, but it was back and forth. And when one player struck a cord he would get a finger pointed at him and a head nod by his adversary with a "ok, you got me" look.




There were tons of bikes riding the streets of Manhattan, and you really have to be ready to get a photo. They appear and ride by very quickly. It's always said that if your in a hurry, you don't belong on a bike. Well in Manhattan, a bike is without a doubt the fastest way to get somewhere.

Hundreds of these around, but some of the drivers seemed very shady. Especially in Central Park. A good thing going bad.

We also spent some time in Brooklyn at the Botanical Garden. Later we wanted to have pizza at a place right under the bridge but the line of people waiting to get in made that impossible with our time limit. Waiting for the 3 train in Brooklyn

From New York City

Dead Heads at the Brooklyn Museum

From New York City

Upper East Side (I think) from Central Park

From New York City

Between The Rain Drops

Rain has dominated the area for that past two weeks. The commute was put on the back burner because of that and and entertaining family and friends. We have had visitors the last two weeks off and on including #1 Son from Boulder and #2 Son from Atlanta. Sue and I will be visiting him in NYC this week while he is doing a trade show.
Click any photo for big
Fort Phoenix Plaque


Looking East from the Fort.


Looking west

Roc bike

When the sun finally made it's appearance the grass needed an immediate cutting. The kids across the street had big plans and two of them went to work to get things done.




You going to be much longer?



Fishing off the hurricane barrier in the middle of the harbor.



Peace tall ship.



Lemonade stand on the MUP

A Day of Riding

Fiasco #9 began on time with a very small possee. It turned into a religious showdown. Budda Monks vs Evangelical Sailors. Riding through downtown we came across the Budda monk ceremony at Gallery X When we began riding down the hill we noticed a tall ship in the harbor. It was a "faith based ship and I don't remember the name, but I was given a brochure with an envelope inside. Both groups were dominated by young followers. The younger the are the easier to indoctrinate.






The full moon rose at 7:40 and as in the past, the clouds began to roll in around 7 and completely obscured the sky. A few of us will ride out tonight while it's still full. I'll be the guy in the black cap with the bicycly imprinded on the crown.






Barrier road to the middle of the harbor


Fresh seafood with the fishing boats in the background


New Bedford, Ma. Library


No Problemo grill man's fixie

"Dead whale or a stove boat"


Ants climbing Gallery X

Martha's Vinyard ferry


Join us Tuesday,July 7th and ride the full Buck Moon. 6:30 at Pub 99 in Fairhaven.

Rain? Maybe. Maybe Not.

"You riding tonight" I asked John at work.

"I just talked to a tech and he said it's raining in Rhode Island" he answered.

"I'm going out right after work, Weather Underground says no rain till around 11PM."

"Didn't you hear what I said? It's raining in Rhode Island" John said with a disgusted tone.

We bantered back and forth about the track the rain may follow and I said the downpour will probably happen at my halfway point. I could almost count on that happening when I used to golf. The farthest point from shelter and the sky opens up. But I'm putting my faith in the professional weather watchers.

After quickly changing in some riding duds I was on the road around 5:30. There was and off and on rain that was so light, one could barely feel it. The road was wet but not enough to cause any pooling. Ole Blue was feeling good, the gears were shifting smoothly and the tires, freshly topped off, offered a smooth hum as we spinned along at a comfortable mid to high teen rpm.

A two hour ride gave a really good fitness workout while still providing childlike fun that riding a bike often presents. The air hung thick under the threatening clouds and light traffic, which allowed me to zone out and enjoy the evening.

I wanted to get home in time to work on this blog, take the dogs for their evening walk, have dinner, and watch the 8PM US/Costa Rica football World Cup Qualifier. Now that I write this out it seems like a lot. Things improved when I noticed that the 8PM start was MT, translating to 11PM here. No problemo.

This ride was on the country roads away from the coast. As mentioned the traffic was light, but fast. Most vehicles speed along at around 50MPH in this usual 30MPH zone. The roads are plenty wide for sharing, and most crossed the solid line to the left to give me lots of room. Mainly locals driving these roads, which are also very popular bike and motorcycle routes.
Wide, wet and quiet


I take most of my photos on the run so to speak. The camera is stored conveniently in the handlbar bag. It's very simple to reach in, hit the on button and snap a photo or two. Very seldom stopping to get that perfect shot. In the beginning a few years ago, the technique made for some shaky riding, but in time it became very easy and natural.

Trailer homes on Main St. Acushnet, MA.



Handy man's shop that really could use a handy man to tidy things up.



Keith's farm is expanding. They only had peaches and apples for years.



Boats at a blueberry farm.



Mattapoisett Chowder House. It's not bad but there are lots of really good seafood places in the area.


There was no weather problem during this evening ride. Such a heavy, quiet evening did bring on a little melancholy and will also provide an "I told you so" moment at work tomorrow.

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