Commuting Again

Finally got back into commuting to work. Actually I had planned to be retired by now but things are moving slowly with the company.  I'm waiting for an enhancement that until this quarter, has been offered every quarter for the past three years.   We have 24 surplus people, but also have a no layoff clause in our contract. 

The morning commutes are chilly but really not that bad.  It's in the mid 30's and I have the gear to handle that.  In the evenings I get to ride in 50+ temps.

The "Five Boroughs" ride is quickly approaching but the plans for the summer tour are on hold because of the retirement thing.  We have a couple of vacations booked and I need to hold on to my vacation time just in case the retirement falls through for the year.   I really would like to go as soon as possible but staying a few months more is no big deal either.  As long as we have our bikes right?

American Outlaws

Preparation for the World Cup  is starting to get frantic. Teams are looking for friendly opponents who play a similar style to their first round opponents.   Except the US of course.  We open with England and also play Algeria and Slovenia. It would be a huge upset for us to come away with even one point vs the Brits. Our chance of advancing is beating Algeria and Slovenia.   This is very possible and a good second round draw could get us deep into the tournament.

Two friendlies in May are within easy and cheap travel distances and I may take in one or both.  The Czech Republic is a short two hour drive to Hartford, Conneticut.  This could be nice revenge for the fans of the 3-0 drubbing we took in WC 2006 in Germany.   The second match is a few days later in Philly vs Hungary.  That is a cheap $40 bus ride each way or a $150 round trip flight.

There are purchasing options for tickets. Ticket Master is like a health car insurer with the exhorbitant fees. Another way to get them is through The American Outlaws. I am a member but don't want to sit behind the goal and sing for the whole match.  I like to stand, and don't think anyone will be sitting anywhere in the stadium in Philly. With the exception of the Outlaws section, things will be wild but at times quiet.  Rest period you know.

I also keep up with the football happenings on Fox Soccer. It probably takes up 90% of my TV watching. Besides the games. FFF, Fox Football Fone In, is my favorite show on the tube. I enjoy Wynalda's independence and his take on players and teams. It's great to watch the European footall this time of year especially the EPL. MLS ends in Oct. and there is really not much in the way of sports on tv besides soccer, unless you like American style football or basketball.

Only a short three months till opening match in South Africa.  I have Spain winning the whole thing.

Summer Tour

Do you know of Adventure Cycling? It's a place where bicycle touring people post their rides and it's a great resource for those like myself who are researching rides, pretty much anywhere in the world. Except Canada. That's probably because of me no doubt. I don't want to seem paranoid, but the world is against me.

The original plan was to drive to Albany, NY, take the Adirondack Amtrak to Montreal and ride to Toronto. From there we would ride around lake Erie to Niagara Falls then Buffalo NY. The Erie Canal route would take us from Buffalo back to the car in Albany. The glitch is that Amtrak does not accommodate bikes from Albany to Montreal.

We looked at the C&O/AT ride from DC to Pittsburgh and also the Natchez Trace from Mississippi to Nashville. Crazy guy journals dissuaded us from both of those rides. Then along came the Adventure Cycling magazine. That's where I saw a couple of rides just around 400 miles. One in Vermont and one in Upstate NY. Both look like they are right up our alley. Also a repeat of the Erie Canal tour of 2008 is a possibility.

I just ordered one of the maps from Adventure Cycling, the Adirondack Park Loop.

Here is a link to a few journals of that route. As you can see, the ride has a few rollers and at least one mountain to climb.

As usual, the plans are constantly changing.  We have a route set in stone, then either something about it sours our desire, or a ride more interesting pops up.  In 2008, we did not decide on which area to tour till we were pretty close to leaving home.  This summer, it's the Adirondak loop. And that's final.

Unless we do the the Green Mountains Loop

Another Gift Book.

 All of the bicycle books have been read and it's time to move on to other subjects.  The only sport I watch is football or as us yanks say, soccah.

One of the boys got me this book as a Christmas gift and it's a page turning eye opener.  This may replace my favorite soccer book "Fever Pitch" I'm not far into it, and it's really got my attention.

Franklin Foer travels the world from Brazil to the Ukraine with plenty of stops in between probing and observing. The stories he tells demonstrate how trends in soccer are a reflection of globalization. The book shows the effects of globalization at a cultural and national level as well as its effect on the lives of individuals. The individual stories are the glue that holds the overall narrative together.

A Couple Of Things

If I mention I like something around the holidays, I often get over indulged.  Biking for example. Everyone who bought me a gift gave me a bike related book.  One coworker gave me a book of 1001 tips on riding a bike. I accepted it graciously because it was thoughtful, but something suited for a novice.  My sons got me bike books, one of which I really enjoyed and was written by David Byrne of Talking Heads fame.

Bicycle Diaries chronicles David’s observations and insights — what he is seeing, whom he is meeting, what he is thinking about — as he pedals through and engages with some of the world’s major cities. In places like Buenos Aires, Istanbul, San Francisco, and London, the focus is more on the musicians and artists he encounters. Politics comes to the fore in cities like Berlin and Manila, while chapters on New York City, and on the landscaped suburban industrial parks and contemporary ruins of such spots as Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Columbus are more concerned with history in the urban landscape. Along the way, DB has thoughts to share about fashion, architecture, cultural isolation, globalization, and the radical new ways that some cities, like his home town, are becoming more bike-friendly — all conveyed with a highly personal mix of humor, curiosity, and humanity.

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We heard a bang outside and the dogs began going nuts.  I though it may have been a car accident till wifey said it sounded like someone slammed the breezeway door.  I look out the window and saw and unconscious hawk on our porch. He soon recovered but remained there dazed for around 30 minutes. I was able to get withing a couple of feet for this photo.

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I decided to ride the SS to the market.  It still didn't feel right even with the bar ends installed in the "bar middle". I went for a short few miles repositioning the end and settled on a relatively upright position.  The bike is still not quite right and I'm thinking a new saddle may get it to an acceptable comfort level.  It's something to do on a chilly 35 degree Sunday afternoon.  Ride to the ocean, yea....that's the ticket.

 It's not pink, it's Salmon colored.

It's OK

I am pretty much finished with the SS. It's something I have thought about for a couple of year. I came close to buying one new from Sheldon Browns bike shop in Boston last year. A few months ago my neighbor offered me his 1980 something Raleigh 12 speed. Over time I stripped the parts off and installed new gearing, cables and had the rear wheel rebuilt. I installed some fenders this week and am going to put on bar ends on the flats of the drop downs to give me a couple more options. 

It's not fun to ride yet but I'm told it will grow on me when I'm able to ride it more.

Buenos Aires

As always, click any photo for big. Click again for bigger. Click the back button to return to the post

We boarded LAN airlines in Bariloche for the two hour flight to the Atlantic coast of South America, Buenos Aires.  Todd does a ton of business travel and is a Hilton Platinum member.  With that we were able to get five star accommodations in the city for a three night extravaganza to put an exclamation point on our trip.

Celebrating 5 Stars

The Hilton has second happy hour at 6PM.  Our ritual was to meet at the bar, have a couple or three bourbons, some light tapas and check the internet.  Then it was time for a two or three hour siesta before going to town for a 10:30PM dinner.  We chose restaurants that were recommended by friends who had visited Buenos Aires and a couple from different tour books we had.

Day 2 in Buenos Aries we taxied to the Boca district specifically to tour the Boca Jr. stadium.  To say that Boca is one of the premier sports teams in the world, their stadium left a lot to be desired. As a matter of fact, our local amateur pitch would give it a run, if your don't count the game atmosphere of course.

Louis who gave the tour was gracious enough to repeat everything for the four English speaking fans, (us).  He told some really off beat stories, for example.

Louis our gracious host

The visiting team enters through a very small doorway, the locker room is tiny and there is no hot water provided. Many times the teams arrive in uniform, and shower back at their hotel.

Ma and Pa at La Bombonera

The Stadium at gametime

We ventured into the Boca district nd lunched at the artisan section. Tango dancers entertained while we tried to eat very bad food.  Overall the experience was a good one.

Houses done with leftover boat paint

Dancers entertain while we lunch

Sue favorite activity. Feeding dogs.

 

Day three was more sightseeing.  After visiting the art museum and the exhibit of Andy Warhol we visited a very funky cemetery in the Recoleta district, which is a bit like the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  Here is a the cemetery where Evita Peron is buried. The grave are mostly above ground, like New Orleans but these are big and gaudy. They could be the tombs of kings or queens. The caskets and their inhabitants are visible through the glass doors of many of these "little palaces."  This is a neighborhood, a barrio, exclusively for the dead. Necropolis, where one can also see stairs going down into semidarkness where you can just make out more shelves holing more inhabitants. Probably where previous generations "live"

There are long avenues of "buildings" in varied architectural styles--art deco, classic Greco-Roman, gothic, modern--block after block, and entire metropolis just for the dead, built on a slightly reduced scale from the real city outside the high wall that surround the cemetery.

We had a 9:30 PM flight to JFK and the day for a walking tour of the city.  This day the temperature soared to 97F with high humidity.  When we were out in the sun it was stifling.  The shade was a welcome reprieve.

When we looked at a map of the city we realized how tiny an area we were able to experience in four days. Pretty much two grids on a giant map.

Buenos Aires is the Paris of the south, due to its wide avenues, cafes, and nightlife. Avenida 9 de Julio is the widest avenue in the word. If the obelisk wasn't set in the middle of this boulevard you could easily land a 777 in the middle of the city. Located in the temperate zone the Argentines tend to see themselves as more European, and more sophisticated than their Brazilian and Chilean neighbors.  It's felt and seen in the Argentine architecture, cuisine and clothing.  I have to say the the women dress very sheik and the men handsomely.  I rate Buenos Aires four stars for class, and the Patagonia of both Chile and Argentina get my highest rating.

Pedestrian Bride at Puerto Madero

Bike Route

The Hilton entrance

Avenida 9 de Julio

Apartment House designed by Italian Farmer

Bye By Argentina.

THE END

Part 1 Chile

Part 2 Patagonia

Part 3 Bariloche, Argentina