tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89698073228095169652024-03-14T14:49:08.972-04:00Boston By Bikebostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.comBlogger435125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-35462437240784042512024-03-04T20:58:00.006-05:002024-03-04T20:58:56.923-05:00Gear shifting - electronic or not?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However you look at it, it's 2024 and electronic gear shifting is now available to masses. There is no need to pay $700 for just the rear derailleur only. Thanks to new groupsets, like SRAM Apex, a 12-speed electronic rear mech can be had for "as little" as $270. So when the prices keep dropping and everyone around you raves about how great button-shifting is, you start to wonder - should I go for it?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">First of all, there is no denying that electronic shifting comes with measurable benefits. Two main ones are <b>precision and speed</b>. These systems can change gears faster than mechanical indexed setups. In terms of precision - the best way to understand the difference is to try shifting a 9-speed and 12-speed cassette with a friction shifter. Since the 7, 8, and 9-speed cassettes used wider chains and had wider spacing between cogs, there was simply a lot more travel required to move the chain between these cogs. This means there was much more tolerance to the position of chain. A slightly misaligned chain would still run through cogs just fine. Not so with a 12-speed cassette. Cogs are now spaced so tightly that a narrower chain is needed and that means much shorter jumps between cogs and much less tolerance to chain misposition. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKIEi-Qe68aAKEw-EB8SPUs3mWRxsW2a7oL4z0psvAFyRckMgHY8UEfqY8YIjcjNbY9b-K4fmEap2k3pZy6YTXZZtZrSii71eY06-xCqGb4jFEh83PB2k4lpcDzfjcq3ssvdLjxRxwDjqxPTkcToXQ2Vwgy0toN74fiqmrJYAgr-vjzuuSuxDBbGA5C7T/s909/cassettes.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="909" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKIEi-Qe68aAKEw-EB8SPUs3mWRxsW2a7oL4z0psvAFyRckMgHY8UEfqY8YIjcjNbY9b-K4fmEap2k3pZy6YTXZZtZrSii71eY06-xCqGb4jFEh83PB2k4lpcDzfjcq3ssvdLjxRxwDjqxPTkcToXQ2Vwgy0toN74fiqmrJYAgr-vjzuuSuxDBbGA5C7T/s320/cassettes.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Spacing and sprocket width of typical Shimano cassettes. Source: <a href="https://bike.bikegremlin.com/1232/bicycle-cassette-compatibility/">BikeGremlin</a></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The situation becomes more challenging the more cogs you pack on the cassette and that will require higher shifting precision that mechanical systems may won't be able to provide. This makes me predict that 13-speed derailleurs may be the last ones to be offered in the mechanical version. Everything beyond that will be electronic-only. Now keep in mind that I'm writing it from a standpoint of someone who has 3 bikes, none of which use electronic shifting, 2 of them still run 9-speed cassettes, with one using friction shifting. So yes, I'm way behind the newest tech.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As you can tell right now, I decided that despite the obvious benefits, electronic shifting is not for me. At least not right now. The reasons are:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Price</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, prices came down quite a bit. For a simple 1x drivetrain, the most expensive components are the rear derailleur and shifters. These entry-level components will still cost you about $500-$600 total. That's a good chunk of money and everyone needs to decide if it's worth it. But price may be just a minor problem. The next one is...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Battery</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Note that I didn't say battery life, but battery in general. Of course, there is a non-zero chance that you may run out of battery to your "gearbox" during your ride, but the bigger problem for me is the existence of battery in the first place. I see bikes as simple machines. One of the major advantages over other means of transport is that bicycles don't require fuel and only very little maintenance. Once you throw in battery to the mix, you complicate things unnecessarily. Now you have to think about "fueling" your bike before the ride. Now the "it just works anytime" mode is gone. You sacrifice simplicity for the sake of precision and speed. You need to decide, which one is more important to you.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Reliability</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This may not be a burning problem for you, as modern components are generally quite reliable, but certainly increased level of complexity over purely mechanical systems means that chances of something going wrong go up. After all, an electronic derailleur contains not just circuit boards, but also battery, motors, wireless communication, mechanical systems, etc. It's like the Charles Lindbergh situation - when asked why he wanted to fly across Atlantic in a single engine plane, he replied that with 2 engines chances of something going wrong are doubled.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Compatibility</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the big reason why I'm still resisting. Once you dive into the electronic groupset, you are stuck as these components are only compatible with their own kind. That's not a problem if you are buying the entire groupset for your bike, but if you like to mix and match, you will run into issues. On the other hand, mechanical systems, especially when running on friction shifting, give you all the setup freedom you want. Comparing the the world of computer operating systems, electronic shifting is like MacOS - works great, is fast, precise, easy to learn, but also costs more and locks you in. Basically, you sacrifice some of your freedom for the convenience of use. On the other hand, friction shifting a mechanical derailleur is like Linux - a much steeper learning curve, less precise, but free and with complete compatibility and freedom.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Looks</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, there is a beauty problem. Let's be honest - these modern electronic derailleurs are ugly. First of all, they are all black. Gone are the classic, polished silver components. Next, due to integrated battery they look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame (the rear ones) or a British Royal Guard in a comically oversized hat (the front ones). There is no subtlety in these designs.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggd8YjdroNKZ7_w_A2MFP5BipLpOI0-iXuuC7RG8UIGFbaSP0JX9c2OnqNRTeL7MJW0KXN4B5wVIn41o4YAlbVT6zbPGjY6DT8EU5_35gIAo1LT4E9IIS4a3K3oFwwWk9hyphenhyphenNE-HIEOMsVwbJOdXe2XwpZpTjlKDlLQpxldUCAtPoiIEQYm-bmpNJwuZki6/s650/rd-rx817.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggd8YjdroNKZ7_w_A2MFP5BipLpOI0-iXuuC7RG8UIGFbaSP0JX9c2OnqNRTeL7MJW0KXN4B5wVIn41o4YAlbVT6zbPGjY6DT8EU5_35gIAo1LT4E9IIS4a3K3oFwwWk9hyphenhyphenNE-HIEOMsVwbJOdXe2XwpZpTjlKDlLQpxldUCAtPoiIEQYm-bmpNJwuZki6/s320/rd-rx817.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shimano GRX Di2 rear derailleur - looks like Robocop's mechanical arm</span></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKiX9xE8DycW131zJvr8Fn7LA3XeZxhbw0mCHHxHGECIl9y3MTgymsHe2vCBjw_zU6NYWUf-m_0nVFb3B2PhrkSJqk4WzDr2pAXSFSY-jpMHCUO6J-XjzQhJuqi2LjpitaA6ksdcDAl-qyzZRLE0F9fjIu6wsfAq01lmEwg6HMnY_LviW17kJPwIV8RSC/s650/force-axs-d1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKiX9xE8DycW131zJvr8Fn7LA3XeZxhbw0mCHHxHGECIl9y3MTgymsHe2vCBjw_zU6NYWUf-m_0nVFb3B2PhrkSJqk4WzDr2pAXSFSY-jpMHCUO6J-XjzQhJuqi2LjpitaA6ksdcDAl-qyzZRLE0F9fjIu6wsfAq01lmEwg6HMnY_LviW17kJPwIV8RSC/s320/force-axs-d1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">SRAM Force eTap front mech - is it a tumor?</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it. Some of you will consider these to be unimportant and irrelevant. That's ok - everyone has different priorities. For now, I'm perfectly happy with my oldie, friction 2x9 setup and I don't really need anything "better".</span></div>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-62161548318810134652024-02-23T11:27:00.000-05:002024-02-23T11:27:04.265-05:00Indoor trainers or outdoor rides?<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's winter time so some of you are likely still in hibernation mode, which means parking your bike in the garage until it gets warmer again to ride. Others, myself included, will keep riding as long as it's reasonably dry outside (i.e. it's not pouring heavily at the moment). Then, there is a third group that will not ride outside, but use an indoor trainer instead.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7B_Zs-RLt4pmlV66HGO_kwwy7YvpEWQrvACXO4LGu9-rH0EqictWZmplrWb5zI0j3VWvpnYSWHLVrcEOKM48a560WHaWlv52SwpymExvFDrBeA6CNZdFpciMIGb3ngYsLMraTg8tqmDhfXw8VPiyephYwHYhI3nuXiSxfS28D6nOpM3E9HwLoRIZqWI9O/s933/garmin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="933" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7B_Zs-RLt4pmlV66HGO_kwwy7YvpEWQrvACXO4LGu9-rH0EqictWZmplrWb5zI0j3VWvpnYSWHLVrcEOKM48a560WHaWlv52SwpymExvFDrBeA6CNZdFpciMIGb3ngYsLMraTg8tqmDhfXw8VPiyephYwHYhI3nuXiSxfS28D6nOpM3E9HwLoRIZqWI9O/s320/garmin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">The new and fancy Garmin Tacx 3M for as little as... $2000. (Source: <a href="https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/885302">garmin.com</a>)</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't like indoor trainers and find them pointless, but I think I understand why they may be an attractive option for some cyclists. I'm guessing that there are at least 3 main technical reasons why someone would use an indoor trainer:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ol><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Bad weather.</b> This one is most obvious. Some people don't like riding when it's cold, icy, snowy, rainy, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>No "winter bike".</b> Some people only have 1 bike (impossible!) and they don't want to expose their nice, expensive bike to road salt, mud, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>No place to properly clean a bike.</b> Some people live in apartments or tighter spaces that lack facilities to clean the bike after a ride. Knowing that I can simply use a garden hose to wash my bike right after, makes me want to ride it more in winter time.</span></li></ol><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But then there is another, important, philosophical reason why some prefer indoor trainers, while others would never use them. It's the answer to a question - <b>why we ride?</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's basically a difference between <b>racing</b> or more competitive riding <b>and touring</b> or "romantic cycling". You simply need to ask yourself - what's the goal of my riding? If the goal is the destination and you want to get there as fast as you can, then you are racing and in this case your body output and power will be important to you. An indoor trainer will help you stay fit, well-trained and maintain peak performance through those gloomy winter months.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The other answer is - my goal is the journey, the ride itself. The destination is not only secondary, it's actually something unwanted because it ends my ride. I want to travel, see places, take pictures, spend time in nature. In that case an indoor trainer is as useless as two chopsticks to eat a soup. A trainer won't take you to places. You will be stuck in your room</span><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">, spinning cranks and staring at a wall.</span></p>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-24267117692617170332024-02-14T22:18:00.001-05:002024-02-14T22:18:57.637-05:00Liberating Limitations<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We live in interesting times - the times of many opportunities. We have a chance to go to more places than our grandparents ever could. We can do more things, as they are generally more accessible to us. We have more options to buy and own various stuff than before.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And yet, sometimes it feels that this variety, this accessibility, these opportunities are overwhelming. Not that I would like someone to make decisions for myself, but I do get a feeling that less is more and limitations can be... liberating.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Take cameras, for example. I always take one on every bike ride. If I want something small, it's my Ricoh GRIII. If I have space for something larger, it's my Fuji with a 35mm lens. That's it. No multiple choices. No zooms. Small and simple. One focal length to do it all. At first, this looks like a severe limitation. You may think that you need to be able to take ultrawide angle pictures of landscapes and close ups of distant wildlife, all on the same 50 mile trip. No, you don't. It actually better to limit yourself to one focal length and learn how to see the world through just one lens. You won't take all pictures, but you will take some good ones.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaqEeQXGESTUZIhWpy3si5ixSyLCB7pFlBVPn0Xqy-ODzJ-JjGxr8EZJh0RQUuGt1Uezaube4DjF3cGuFND8vytugTnPMgltJd16Aes_czwCVfaXQUVgrlZwtbMvzAYpV8HknP2MSN1HedwU190lkor9sR0dWzIWQgaEgqRHnF5OQhkG3T4Ekit5ar2ls/s1000/DSCF7129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaqEeQXGESTUZIhWpy3si5ixSyLCB7pFlBVPn0Xqy-ODzJ-JjGxr8EZJh0RQUuGt1Uezaube4DjF3cGuFND8vytugTnPMgltJd16Aes_czwCVfaXQUVgrlZwtbMvzAYpV8HknP2MSN1HedwU190lkor9sR0dWzIWQgaEgqRHnF5OQhkG3T4Ekit5ar2ls/s320/DSCF7129.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">Ricoh GRIII with a single focal length built-in lens - limiting yet wonderful.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back to bicycles - single-speed bikes are liberating in some sense. Not having to think about gear shifting keeps it simple. You can focus on your ride and surroundings only. Just push on pedals and go. If you can't go - walk your bike uphill. It's not a race and you are not in rush.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If that's too much for you and you really want to keep your gearing, that's fine. It's useful in most situations. However, I found out that those modern, multi-speed systems are not needed to day-to-day riding. Unless you race, there really is no need for a 12-speed cassette and top of the line shifters. In fact, my adventure bike has a simple 2x9 speed setup with </span><span style="font-family: arial;">friction shifting. That sounds ancient and is not something that most cyclists would be willing to try, but again, it's liberating. It works with any derailleur, from any brand, is cross-compatible with most mechanical components, and is so simple that there is basically no way to break it. I mean, a friction shifter is built of 3 main parts that pretty much can't fail in normal conditions. May not feel or look fancy, but it is in fact a true zombie-apocalypse-ready gearing.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7y9GbI3pTGwxgB5V-28xmY9MzPEvGbEZ9inQnp6d_mBf1ubblL0b4Syg7qIgio-HzrWCg7zRqS-UKQ6aI1j8vVm1TGp0pbd6tYvCQtDgv7kTh2hJ5UkSYWUAZas78hfb1bPJaZ-bp4P4fG8pVfj_zVikDguqmd37qefvnvDU0-xQJGMy9n_4YAhyphenhyphendz_f/s1000/DSCF5938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7y9GbI3pTGwxgB5V-28xmY9MzPEvGbEZ9inQnp6d_mBf1ubblL0b4Syg7qIgio-HzrWCg7zRqS-UKQ6aI1j8vVm1TGp0pbd6tYvCQtDgv7kTh2hJ5UkSYWUAZas78hfb1bPJaZ-bp4P4fG8pVfj_zVikDguqmd37qefvnvDU0-xQJGMy9n_4YAhyphenhyphendz_f/s320/DSCF5938.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">Simple friction shifter - works with anything.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sometimes it's just not necessary to overcomplicate things!</span></p>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-51839151592037416242023-08-24T22:44:00.000-04:002023-08-24T22:44:08.929-04:00Around Green Mountain NF - in a very wet Vermont<div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Moist - possibly the most hated word in English language</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Murphy's Law says that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. In my case it was the perfect alignment between the time I planned my PTO for, booked a couple of places in Vermont, a series of thunderstorms and heavy rain in the area. Let's just say that this was my wettest bike tour to date.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At very least once per year I try to go somewhere by bike. And I don't mean a local grocery store, but more like the neighboring state. This year it was Vermont (again). I only visited Green Mountain NF once so far and I felt like repeating it. Last week Wednesday the bike was packed, I was ready, just the forecast looked... uninspiring. This entire summer, starting in early June, has been pretty terrible - sort of like a mini monsoon season. Very, very humid, hot and heavy rain just about every other day or so. Sure, everything is green and there is no risk of wildfires but it's just difficult to enjoy this kind of weather.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=38775759&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 1 - Springfield to Grout Pond (104km/65mi)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On Thursday morning I left my house around 7am and drove to Springfield, VT. Left the car on a Park&Ride lot and by 9:20am I was in the saddle. The morning was very cloudy and humid. At least it didn't rain. Yet. The first climb on Meany Rd wasn't the hardest of the day, but not that much fun either given a very high humidity. At least the downhill ride was great and rewarding.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmulFjN0-08tjTZRAP7Vz1-oUCAMpNrz-2EsjVPG9D4NWEXMR99nVvTumvrjBsFCUxmYFHGUEmSN8eQ7NkxCExf0ywbkvk8QSA039TWP_W15H2DEGdXMdxgSeucN5JrxiM6yfwKYpafmQTMV1wgk9bJ4aNO8cGf9hWvqsXdaUIgXMZFdjG4clfd2J2yxI/s1000/R0002570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmulFjN0-08tjTZRAP7Vz1-oUCAMpNrz-2EsjVPG9D4NWEXMR99nVvTumvrjBsFCUxmYFHGUEmSN8eQ7NkxCExf0ywbkvk8QSA039TWP_W15H2DEGdXMdxgSeucN5JrxiM6yfwKYpafmQTMV1wgk9bJ4aNO8cGf9hWvqsXdaUIgXMZFdjG4clfd2J2yxI/s320/R0002570.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I reached Bellows Falls, although I had to sort of go around as the footbridge connecting the island with Rt12 on the east side was closed to all traffic. The town has a nice vibe and revolves around all things trains, which I actually liked a lot. Basically, Bellows Falls is trains, train yards, hydroelectric power plant and a small center square that should definitely be pedestrianized.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIkte4FsJtnXi_qUPZfna5vcDIb8dhRPHpk2KCdlMh0-tAk4mNE13BsnHhoz9K1d2e-HKcfGWlxuFWrMlZtgLONP9PBrmsNA4L-n0uOwPKP2fS5Jr88bI3RxvZ-VjXZzrEajbFd9mT7qCO10BUai5l99C0eCiD59F0rvvfgWAzPkU73lFL3pwjFITuI0y/s1000/DSCF4582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIkte4FsJtnXi_qUPZfna5vcDIb8dhRPHpk2KCdlMh0-tAk4mNE13BsnHhoz9K1d2e-HKcfGWlxuFWrMlZtgLONP9PBrmsNA4L-n0uOwPKP2fS5Jr88bI3RxvZ-VjXZzrEajbFd9mT7qCO10BUai5l99C0eCiD59F0rvvfgWAzPkU73lFL3pwjFITuI0y/s320/DSCF4582.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I continued along the Saxtons River and somewhere past Athens I found two guys on Crust bikes finishing the "Brattleboro Loop" around the mountains. Their bikes were well covered in dirt and mud - a signs of things to come. We biked together for some time until I had to take a turn towards West River. At that point the sky opened and poured for at least 2 hours. Grassy Brook Rd we were on is actually a very nice gravel road to bike - wide and flat with some views. It's also probably more enjoyable when dry.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This forced me to adjust my setup a bit - place a trash bag over the handlebar bag and put my Cleverhood poncho on. Little I knew this would be my default setup for the next 2 days.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHB7CvP3R6pmSgAUUWNQtu1VSq9cvY4SmedqXjQAvRy0Q4Crb-dFxUHG1_TCw5w4AAAQbtNgN0ml_E-9tqW67f4LK65OzK0ESQs7h4R5lDvtfanbZOswhMu0YeENEuE_rrFhDlygr0OMzS4UNhU41DbKBvKDZes-w343Wg4HXatgTjGmcoZXtEudijTXkI/s1000/DSCF4598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHB7CvP3R6pmSgAUUWNQtu1VSq9cvY4SmedqXjQAvRy0Q4Crb-dFxUHG1_TCw5w4AAAQbtNgN0ml_E-9tqW67f4LK65OzK0ESQs7h4R5lDvtfanbZOswhMu0YeENEuE_rrFhDlygr0OMzS4UNhU41DbKBvKDZes-w343Wg4HXatgTjGmcoZXtEudijTXkI/s320/DSCF4598.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I arrived in Jamaica the rain has already stopped and I was very happy to find a water hose on the outside of the local store. I could rinse off my muddy feet, bike and poncho. Worth pointing out that this is technically the last decent resupply point before entering the National Forest.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The good thing was the as I was climbing up West Jamaica Rd the sun started peeking out between the clouds around 3:30pm. I made it to my reserved campsite at Grout Pond around 5pm and given the partially blue sky, no rain and few bugs, I could actually enjoy the evening, especially a visit from an unexpected guest. As I was sitting at the edge of the lake I heard a buzzing sound behind me, which turned out to be a hummingbird eating from the nearby flowers.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYG16bIwEL4nVsfE-6a58HP_b81bn23sXCXPjJPWttWfSixNukgtObRTjRLGVNYsPEOBJbKcBOpz1z3M9Uu7xM7HDeo6cAoBUF3QdC8VHOCMeTLBSkyWBbQe1YD9he57NwD4wuPA5HO3Y0rjjKCQ6uUGSTPmKEBY7rYvMGMKQwmsuZHtj76BCLOj9_EdK9/s1000/DSCF4600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYG16bIwEL4nVsfE-6a58HP_b81bn23sXCXPjJPWttWfSixNukgtObRTjRLGVNYsPEOBJbKcBOpz1z3M9Uu7xM7HDeo6cAoBUF3QdC8VHOCMeTLBSkyWBbQe1YD9he57NwD4wuPA5HO3Y0rjjKCQ6uUGSTPmKEBY7rYvMGMKQwmsuZHtj76BCLOj9_EdK9/s320/DSCF4600.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I noticed one minor setback - packed the wrong cable for my phone to connect to a portable battery. This means I was carrying the battery for nothing - without the cable it couldn't be used to charge my phone so I had to rely on finding wall outlets somewhere for the rest of my trip.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bdq0wVJ2j-cMKXwfqOlZ5i8VbiBGFHESjkPB0Fr5OmK0a609qgoMpCMUdPx8692XvIOfj8c5BtGLuo8e9qJByej-JF7OwCfPWXeVNeLi9LzEIbNe3RGwe7VToRR8ENvhChXQDPCmh0rmN6tA2u6QwABOzrVv76cBNDoBDfLNipbdH2VvWdCCI6lfsxOL/s1000/R0002582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bdq0wVJ2j-cMKXwfqOlZ5i8VbiBGFHESjkPB0Fr5OmK0a609qgoMpCMUdPx8692XvIOfj8c5BtGLuo8e9qJByej-JF7OwCfPWXeVNeLi9LzEIbNe3RGwe7VToRR8ENvhChXQDPCmh0rmN6tA2u6QwABOzrVv76cBNDoBDfLNipbdH2VvWdCCI6lfsxOL/s320/R0002582.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I like Grout Pond for its remoteness, waterfront campsites, peace and solitude, and decent infrastructure (which basically means just a flat spot to pitch your tent and a porta potty nearby). It's a popular place though, hence reservations are recommended in season. What I don't like about it is... its remoteness. You really need to bring everything in and out with you. No place nearby to go for an evening dinner or booze, I suppose.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When sun came down I slipped into the sleeping bag to get some sleep. I planned on getting up early next day to pack up my camp, as rain was forecasted for 7am.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 2 - Grout Pond to Frog Hollow Farm (121km/75mi)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The next day I got up at 6:20am, which turned out to be too late. That's because when I had about 90% of my stuff packed, it started pouring. I quickly jammed the remaining things in the bags, covered them with plastic and left the campground to find some roof. Fortunately, there was a maintenance building nearby that had a small roofed section. I could repack my bags and make a quick oatmeal for breakfast.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YgBph69csnjOZYoRNPrt8PKSA0mzAvJyw1zk8oROFloBn4jNp4D2PrEwsk5uw93S_MELYziW9mixAD3DJkrF2o2wn2nmq4mTVCR7qJ2eoMdr8BSRb1DDQbfvE5bgQO-LeQNcQ6442VNJwa3v9TzeYFaI7UqrUYhcsuV3dkJNUNj8ZNKtoHTzRs0mEtbw/s1000/R0002591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YgBph69csnjOZYoRNPrt8PKSA0mzAvJyw1zk8oROFloBn4jNp4D2PrEwsk5uw93S_MELYziW9mixAD3DJkrF2o2wn2nmq4mTVCR7qJ2eoMdr8BSRb1DDQbfvE5bgQO-LeQNcQ6442VNJwa3v9TzeYFaI7UqrUYhcsuV3dkJNUNj8ZNKtoHTzRs0mEtbw/s320/R0002591.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By 7:30am I was on road. Rain didn't pause for a moment and I could hear a distant thunderstorm. The next 15km (9mi) were all downhill, which in regular circumstances would be lots of fun, but doing that in a heavy downpour hits somewhat differently.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcJvlicSKtRzT7xW4zdCUzjduI_6yYhchHR1bASohaD-XLLAVN1I0HpuWCqGNTjm_ZbI7iAW2cJKZkoKNxVyd5R89eT9fFs5N4QMvGOJHCSX2bEBKqZ5M7wbCvP3WUx1f0Wj3cJjQGEWLxb-NOhpq-9IiPvjK07NHyLKWFYzOjmtA5mJRbYEZXYoZy9RE/s1000/DSCF4606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcJvlicSKtRzT7xW4zdCUzjduI_6yYhchHR1bASohaD-XLLAVN1I0HpuWCqGNTjm_ZbI7iAW2cJKZkoKNxVyd5R89eT9fFs5N4QMvGOJHCSX2bEBKqZ5M7wbCvP3WUx1f0Wj3cJjQGEWLxb-NOhpq-9IiPvjK07NHyLKWFYzOjmtA5mJRbYEZXYoZy9RE/s320/DSCF4606.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I reached Arlington on the other side of the mountain I was actually a bit chilled. The morning air temperature was low, it was cloudy, rainy and I had wet clothes on. All this meant that I could really use something to warm up. I found a country store in the village and stopped for a cup of hot tea and a hot egg + bacon + cheddar sandwich, both of which really improved my overall mood.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then it got even better because once I was done with my sandwich the rain stopped. When I was leaving Arlington and by the time I reached NY state border the sun was out and I could see some clear sky for the first time that day. The sun was most welcome as it would finally dry up the trails and my wet clothes. Or so I hoped, at least. Unfortunately, all it did was to turn everything into a sauna. I rode up the Tate Hill Rd, deep in the forest and with humidity this high everything felt like being coated with a film of water. My gloves, hat and the shirt on my back did not want to dry out at all, even in direct sunlight. The downhill towards Rupert brought a brief relief. There, I hopped on the Delaware And Hudson Rail Trail, which meant no climbing, at least for a while.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNHFv7blfC1YoqP6FMuFwZqV8zYmwYSgvYRRSe7iMVHlHss7NjgmGS7B8auP4inyTT--UEJd2yPXCjwRr4gXdmf1v3KOJjJxJ3nsD93ci2my4jram-WQDQdJ4P5T10_5GfS-X0PqChMnMDJ4eFx4qfGPrcfOdu_iDoTk5vBVDc7ZqtQJGcRFrdyleF0f-/s1000/DSCF4612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNHFv7blfC1YoqP6FMuFwZqV8zYmwYSgvYRRSe7iMVHlHss7NjgmGS7B8auP4inyTT--UEJd2yPXCjwRr4gXdmf1v3KOJjJxJ3nsD93ci2my4jram-WQDQdJ4P5T10_5GfS-X0PqChMnMDJ4eFx4qfGPrcfOdu_iDoTk5vBVDc7ZqtQJGcRFrdyleF0f-/s320/DSCF4612.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The trail is actually really nice - hardpacked gravel, well maintained, with great views, and flat. I rolled to Granville, NY, where I did no stop, as I planned to take a longer break in Poultney. On the way I discovered one major problem - due to high heat and humidity, the camera I had in my bag started fogging up from heavy condensation. I had no other choice but to take it out of the bag and strap it on top of the handlebar bag with a bungee cord. This allowed the sun and airflow to keep it dry.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ-cvwz4HqvpDHcmqNQAfZHKHoVEMI6ujqKalOVYsFNt75P43AUr6M0ijZMax0aUgqBFrAchdj3mEAHMaJBY0jWSrOrtLmjilqPM_-2X_bWjWhLhovYAkejvKRq9NDr2VfO3Q2FKP8r-cdUgReXd00sfWR4wlQJvSONGh5EPG0faVr90wAXzmJnN-5_YB/s1000/R0002608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ-cvwz4HqvpDHcmqNQAfZHKHoVEMI6ujqKalOVYsFNt75P43AUr6M0ijZMax0aUgqBFrAchdj3mEAHMaJBY0jWSrOrtLmjilqPM_-2X_bWjWhLhovYAkejvKRq9NDr2VfO3Q2FKP8r-cdUgReXd00sfWR4wlQJvSONGh5EPG0faVr90wAXzmJnN-5_YB/s320/R0002608.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The good weather ended too soon. I was about a mile away from Poultney when the sky opened and it started pouring heavily. The only good thing about these heavy showers is that they don't last long so by the time I arrived at Analog Cycles in Poultney, the rain stopped.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOlLDGDup1HUXWNvjWW5b5IgPKFxv4Uwsspw94Q9PVt5U9uvTJcRJTkl0r7RitVIbZ2omcE3sPtSUtacMR8eDy4JR3RsZW5Ihrh4YHmfuySxy049vGspg-j0Tg-mEwlOEY64FdWsvdaVr1pe-zM1qodbBPmZOL0RzZDLfaA7o1LdJA76FFS8-Dun1BEhW/s1000/R0002606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOlLDGDup1HUXWNvjWW5b5IgPKFxv4Uwsspw94Q9PVt5U9uvTJcRJTkl0r7RitVIbZ2omcE3sPtSUtacMR8eDy4JR3RsZW5Ihrh4YHmfuySxy049vGspg-j0Tg-mEwlOEY64FdWsvdaVr1pe-zM1qodbBPmZOL0RzZDLfaA7o1LdJA76FFS8-Dun1BEhW/s320/R0002606.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At this point I decided I needed a break and I treated myself to a burger and beer at Poultney Pub, where I also had a chance to charge my phone (remember the wrong battery cable?). The weather forecast looked surprisingly good for the rest of the day, but I learned already not to trust it at all.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios6SCm0_6OVvrgpmjzpsBkauaXkrRWZHHRWL3FS0-XinRGiahT2odwNTwkVupZtiPo7-jWvtbHUOCExOpb1ADRkRqcXUjGxjw9z2bhhMmBRDNM51bEl7WjGQYQFkRjJi6pVG01zqHs7bLg47f6vNHWJFS-bjESJHT9OQHn0Q5qDq_tg07GEaiciqAEsxE/s1000/R0002610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios6SCm0_6OVvrgpmjzpsBkauaXkrRWZHHRWL3FS0-XinRGiahT2odwNTwkVupZtiPo7-jWvtbHUOCExOpb1ADRkRqcXUjGxjw9z2bhhMmBRDNM51bEl7WjGQYQFkRjJi6pVG01zqHs7bLg47f6vNHWJFS-bjESJHT9OQHn0Q5qDq_tg07GEaiciqAEsxE/s320/R0002610.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was moving north when somewhere on the way to Half Moon State Park I got caught in yet another heavy downpour - the last one of that day. I finally reached Frog Hollow Farm in Hubbardton at around 5:30pm. I booked this place through hipcamp.com as an alternative to staying at the state park. The Half Moon State Park had a silly requirement to book 2 nights minimum, which did not make sense to me, hence my decision to try the farm instead.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1G364tOgcLfnXj5SVBPcM2s7hLh_Uea3EzUccj3Q-rRpDLYYZqMZayh29IDE8EDH3TE2IpkxQaKed5FaFVP1Or--QIWMkvJ7UozNTlR7vtZhPBBarNJpwbE6gNBrn8X-XEM00oToyuTH_D2v9IE0MACBXuvp4Z37dd49XrV3ACXPkOH3Gx_20LPT3x8KC/s1000/R0002613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1G364tOgcLfnXj5SVBPcM2s7hLh_Uea3EzUccj3Q-rRpDLYYZqMZayh29IDE8EDH3TE2IpkxQaKed5FaFVP1Or--QIWMkvJ7UozNTlR7vtZhPBBarNJpwbE6gNBrn8X-XEM00oToyuTH_D2v9IE0MACBXuvp4Z37dd49XrV3ACXPkOH3Gx_20LPT3x8KC/s320/R0002613.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The campsites at the farm are all located at the top of the hill, which is good because you don't share your tent with farm animals, and it's bad because you have to carry all your stuff up a steep hill. On the other hand though, views from the campsite were awesome and my hosts provided me with a delicious focaccia/pizza for dinner.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 3 - Frog Hollow Farm to Springfield (102km/64mi)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The day didn't start well, all because it started raining at night and a heavy rain woke me up around 4am, I think. Fortunately, the rain was much lighter at 7am and I could pack my wet tent and keep going. The rain continued until 8:30am and as such I made a decision to skip going off-road, over the mountain tops, as this would mean climbing hills just for the sake of it - something I certainly didn't feel like doing in a wet and humid weather. I opted to stay on the main road - Rt103, especially that it had a decent, wide shoulder. After the last climb on the Old Turnpike Rd it was all downhill all the way to Ludlow, where I arrived earlier than expected, at 11:45am. Some of the severe damage from heavy floods in mid-July was still noticeable in the area. This part of Vermont was hit hard by heavy rains and local rivers and streams flooded towns and cities, leaving many roads damaged and houses ruined.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP_Jr7XgKlMTgjc0IdH9UHX3KqQBGh4fVnbIVLVTxWhduUOaJETU23CLLS3PjoNlxVm-Do1PSZbAQIbsG7g5UbK_MKehKCpERifNDej8Xb28tXar2Zr3qlOyiZUoGXRbjQYaAOJZY_Mp7iLLQjRUEZnN2eQcnJwRk-26Na3ObHEvx-jlB4oj_cZC3H3b1/s1000/R0002596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP_Jr7XgKlMTgjc0IdH9UHX3KqQBGh4fVnbIVLVTxWhduUOaJETU23CLLS3PjoNlxVm-Do1PSZbAQIbsG7g5UbK_MKehKCpERifNDej8Xb28tXar2Zr3qlOyiZUoGXRbjQYaAOJZY_Mp7iLLQjRUEZnN2eQcnJwRk-26Na3ObHEvx-jlB4oj_cZC3H3b1/s320/R0002596.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I stayed in Ludlow for a about half an hour having a panini lunch at Johnny's Kitchen, then I continued to Proctorsville. I didn't take any major stops on the way until Springfield, finally enjoying decent weather - mostly sunny with noticeably lower humidity and around 75F (24C). In Springfield I briefly stopped at the Food Co-Op to get a few snacks and I was back at the car at 2:15pm.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYtobO2jSY1hQFCjZ2KZunhQsmexruJC2rgkrlnf5wqYwt0STxxSdaRYcz-JZtg0joCVPxR55fprrESdJc8fso7zzE3Di-V7BoEgTOyRVy55z-Iks-GfSfJBYqpaQTJi9SJSFTl48ftaaexb9hfs0pP5cbTr99IJrhWy8ndKYDu3-ihUO7PdkcUjb7g-p/s1000/DSCF4628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYtobO2jSY1hQFCjZ2KZunhQsmexruJC2rgkrlnf5wqYwt0STxxSdaRYcz-JZtg0joCVPxR55fprrESdJc8fso7zzE3Di-V7BoEgTOyRVy55z-Iks-GfSfJBYqpaQTJi9SJSFTl48ftaaexb9hfs0pP5cbTr99IJrhWy8ndKYDu3-ihUO7PdkcUjb7g-p/s320/DSCF4628.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Overall, this was for sure the rainiest, wettest, and most humid bike trip I have ever done and I certainly don't feel like trying it again. It's just not enjoyable in such conditions, but unfortunately this summer didn't create many better opportunities. There were good moments though and a some miles of nice weather and great roads or trails to explore. I'm trying to think where I would like to go next...</span></p>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-31632780277584852602022-08-15T19:41:00.001-04:002022-08-15T19:41:24.251-04:00Townsend S24O<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 1, 97km (60mi)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Given my busy schedule, at least once per year I try to travel somewhere by bike and stay overnight. This year is different. First of all, we sold our car, which makes planning for any bike tour more difficult in my area. Usually, I would just put the bike in the car, drive somewhere far away from home, leave the car overnight and continue by bike. Thanks to a system of free Park&Ride lots nearly anywhere in New England, this approach worked very well for me in the past years.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Without a car it's just more complicated to get to some farther locations. Buses won't work and the only train that may help is the Amtrak Downeaster between Boston and Portland/Brunswick, ME. To keep things simple, I decided to simply start a tour from my front door. You would think that that's the most obvious solution, but it's also the least attractive one. It's because I just know my neighborhood too well already and it's just much more exciting to ride through the unknown.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">First, I planned to reach Erving State Forest in Erving, MA. It's a good starting point to visit Green River, Greenfield, Deerfield, and even Southern Vermont or New Hampshire. Then, three days before the planned vacation my luck ran out. In the middle of this hot, dry summer we got a major thunderstorm in the west, which damaged many trees in the area. As such, shortly before my departure I got an email that the Erving State Forest campground would be closed for the remainder of the season. This news sort of broke my spirit and I had to change my plans in the last minute.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=40350314&sampleGraph=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I decided to keep things simple, especially that weather was just not great and didn't inspire me to travel far. We were in the middle of a long heatwave, with temperatures reaching 36C (97F). I figured this was not a time when I would want to spend many hours on the bike climbing steep grades. Instead, I figured I would stay local and limit the number of kilometers/miles I would ride in one day. After a brief research, I picked Pearl Hill State Park in Townsend, MA as my overnight destination. Sure, stealth camping can be fun, but it's somewhat difficult to execute in more populated New England areas. Plus, for just $17 a night I got access to a very decent campground, hot showers and facilities.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because it was only a quick trip I didn't have to pack much. I still took the full tent with me but almost no extra clothes, no cooking equipment and only some food. On the other hand, I packed a book to read later at the campground. You don't need much in the middle of summer for such short distance rides.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another advantage of traveling not to far away is that I didn't have to wake up at dawn and start could delay my start until 8am. The day was hot. After the weeks-long heatwave I noticed many bogs and ponds to be completely dry. Despite the temperature I was making a decent progress, probably by taking an advantage of shade in the forested areas. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I arrived at campground at around 3pm, stopping for a longer break at Parker Maple House on the NH side of the border.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEu5jguAartE8pQ2GdUSCYfjNRGe8yaIa-OO6V-5ihWvmgfJrvz7Y_NeewjeBbfP-NuOi5CFJTP8S6ZmpT16JDgRkEQWN-qsSBDKpyj9G1C5lTSS1nuppR3_ksUmz8si3hEyvacbo6WbR2TxeAu2vLbA9asEol47rHZQ5YzFXKUdpMZmQHrn_G0IgYag/s1000/DSCF0240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEu5jguAartE8pQ2GdUSCYfjNRGe8yaIa-OO6V-5ihWvmgfJrvz7Y_NeewjeBbfP-NuOi5CFJTP8S6ZmpT16JDgRkEQWN-qsSBDKpyj9G1C5lTSS1nuppR3_ksUmz8si3hEyvacbo6WbR2TxeAu2vLbA9asEol47rHZQ5YzFXKUdpMZmQHrn_G0IgYag/s320/DSCF0240.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Air was hot and heavy. Lack of breeze in the forest was especially problematic, as many people at the campground decided to start grilling and smoke was just sort of suspended in large clouds between trees, not finding its way up or being blown away by wind. I only wished I had 2 things with me: a hammock and cold beer. Unfortunately (or fortunately) alcoholic beverages were not allowed on the campground.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqceNsetrlEyimaM7EDyRcIkDSAcCXVjmpF0sRUqtxs6Z7p_KUH8MiLzK81zH2CoewxDzs0xYIQux8mqlbII6zds1wAHVBkVg_dbzRvvEjhRxolWIo18mz83wkGDm5hpnydAO_XZkbsUThO9QMa3Rn0-LcEyinPIzA8-hsKaf2Sd1louAENDnbA_UpzA/s1000/R0001440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqceNsetrlEyimaM7EDyRcIkDSAcCXVjmpF0sRUqtxs6Z7p_KUH8MiLzK81zH2CoewxDzs0xYIQux8mqlbII6zds1wAHVBkVg_dbzRvvEjhRxolWIo18mz83wkGDm5hpnydAO_XZkbsUThO9QMa3Rn0-LcEyinPIzA8-hsKaf2Sd1louAENDnbA_UpzA/s320/R0001440.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Before setting up a tent, it's important to check if ground is sufficiently level.</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNq1uWDOvpXnHEthw6UKV9MUyRM0mJsFdD0ZIHW5gDRqE4nI4jJFMRUOW4YIalV1_b64O09dCw3dD7ItiGUg8jK-m8Bp_H16kZSXfP2ufBNDQP7CM8GOf_WmhRbF0onZHRYadfTKT3LySPTh8reXsFahnqiBAZfEUmG0muzKHv5sEM9mMAL7HrcMi9HQ/s1000/R0001441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNq1uWDOvpXnHEthw6UKV9MUyRM0mJsFdD0ZIHW5gDRqE4nI4jJFMRUOW4YIalV1_b64O09dCw3dD7ItiGUg8jK-m8Bp_H16kZSXfP2ufBNDQP7CM8GOf_WmhRbF0onZHRYadfTKT3LySPTh8reXsFahnqiBAZfEUmG0muzKHv5sEM9mMAL7HrcMi9HQ/s320/R0001441.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> <b>Day 2, 78km (48mi)</b></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There was some rain at 4:30am and when I woke up at 6:15 air was noticeably cooler. I had an option to take a longer route home, going south through Fitchburg and Leominster, but decided against it. It sort of didn't make much sense. I already know visited this area before and would be just adding distance to my trip only for the sake of it. I decided to head back and by 7:15am I was back on road.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtnffUQQNgY0eBGX4JeJg5FRKNggo_eAwxJuLkudRoO8VjYutvtAzTaFDbJGNpBcmoi_xbgvanZrUDNKlipHhKdkJe1kaiep09vl9NprmOJAXVjX7EY_lbQ9l5idDG73fFvodw-EUdP8-sns133m-NN8x_Ihv--fecOVV-GrXY7SIsY697rQf6jySrQ/s1000/R0001437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtnffUQQNgY0eBGX4JeJg5FRKNggo_eAwxJuLkudRoO8VjYutvtAzTaFDbJGNpBcmoi_xbgvanZrUDNKlipHhKdkJe1kaiep09vl9NprmOJAXVjX7EY_lbQ9l5idDG73fFvodw-EUdP8-sns133m-NN8x_Ihv--fecOVV-GrXY7SIsY697rQf6jySrQ/s320/R0001437.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I took Old City Rd through forest, which was barely a road at all. More like a rough path between the trees. It was workable but tough and if weather was only more wet, the road would certainly be quite muddy in places.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I stopped briefly in Groton to resupply in water and some snacks. At this point the morning cool but humid air was mostly gone, and by 9-10am hot weather was back. I continued east and took Indian Hill Rd through forest. It's a nice double track and I will probably revisit it later in fall.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It didn't take me long to get back home and I arrived early afternoon. Now I'm thinking that next time I need to try maybe something a bit different. It would be fun to take my upright commuter bike for an summer bike tour, ride a flatter route to a B&B (no camping) and spend evenings in a hammock with a book and beer.</span></p>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-57618387019557517502021-10-04T16:06:00.000-04:002021-10-04T16:06:00.172-04:00Exploring Vermont Rail Trails - Day 4 (of 4)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 4 (Waterbury - St Johnsbury, 105km or 65mi)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got up early and started packing. It was a cool night indeed but I was warm, maybe because I decided to wear most of my clothes to bed (which was not much - I didn't take a single long sleeve shirt and had no socks). At 6:50am when I left air temperature was only 11C/52F. A bit too cold for sandals. Pretty soon my toes felt a bit numb, especially on fast downhill.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=37621566&sampleGraph=true" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I put the rain jacket on, which help blocking all the wind chill, but had nothing to protect toes and fingers with. It would've been nice to buy socks, but there were no appropriate stores open anywhere at 7am. I kept going, sticking to Cross Vermont Trail.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EB9vU7G9g-OnLG3TUloUOUBMVGw5iLY8nOKu11fy_A2Ogk5wrSktgwSxxMsNOd8rmM6LrtTOJIGydPywJ75ITVX-013nqOXHekkOld63458R4z7dPZ2SnsyQYmsYw6m8sv9mAnWUrAgS/s900/DSCF7924.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EB9vU7G9g-OnLG3TUloUOUBMVGw5iLY8nOKu11fy_A2Ogk5wrSktgwSxxMsNOd8rmM6LrtTOJIGydPywJ75ITVX-013nqOXHekkOld63458R4z7dPZ2SnsyQYmsYw6m8sv9mAnWUrAgS/s320/DSCF7924.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Weather forecast for that day said partly cloudy with sun and no rain. Unfortunately, in the early morning hours all I could see was nearly nothing. Everything was covered by a thick fog.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP4UZWX-9pweRvNKjil9c7wiSy02Ipm0FFq0U4VthjM_jmaDMkG618IBiX5irNS7l3CnWz3CWdoP_fdTUVAnGtDeXBwzYsCmAqbOX-twc4EMK0fPi3SuReAFNQfhCuMQaDXJ0szZMA2g0/s900/DSCF7926.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP4UZWX-9pweRvNKjil9c7wiSy02Ipm0FFq0U4VthjM_jmaDMkG618IBiX5irNS7l3CnWz3CWdoP_fdTUVAnGtDeXBwzYsCmAqbOX-twc4EMK0fPi3SuReAFNQfhCuMQaDXJ0szZMA2g0/s320/DSCF7926.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Before 9am I was already in Montpelier. Foggy weather continued and it was actually quite pretty, especially when sun started peeking through. The worst part about it was that on downhill my glasses got very quickly covered with millions of tiny water droplets and I couldn't see anything. I had to stop frequently to wipe it off.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDqL1q8RwJZvA16NY90rISm7qRiyTz8-JQxcQY35iVnFtE3a9BfJ7JBNiS5khypZ0irK6jGYD7uEALu6GVgnhcZCdusZl9k_Ln6yBn8iVIdWeAGxcUhbJWsBNWDnk27z0AOwyC-N4vLUw/s900/R0000743.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDqL1q8RwJZvA16NY90rISm7qRiyTz8-JQxcQY35iVnFtE3a9BfJ7JBNiS5khypZ0irK6jGYD7uEALu6GVgnhcZCdusZl9k_Ln6yBn8iVIdWeAGxcUhbJWsBNWDnk27z0AOwyC-N4vLUw/s320/R0000743.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">By 11am fog was pretty much gone. It was getting hotter and more sunny. I stopped at Cabot briefly, got some water in a local store and kept going towards the last section of Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. Now I feel that the hill I climbed right outside of Cabot was sort of pointless - it didn't add anything meaningful to the trip and it was probably better to just take the main road (Rt215), which wasn't that busy.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_09PsOyboXzgF66F3N0gB-UtH0BmnHxoPXeUc1ENlUUBiwTh1mF097Asd-X1SDHV-5fTIcxIFMG5VVVgzvVQFsYilW_R7TI4b5ZwO0mds_QbR8Y3JuQU5_NUOOfX0aNAx9uWn_eQZSrNJ/s900/R0000745.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_09PsOyboXzgF66F3N0gB-UtH0BmnHxoPXeUc1ENlUUBiwTh1mF097Asd-X1SDHV-5fTIcxIFMG5VVVgzvVQFsYilW_R7TI4b5ZwO0mds_QbR8Y3JuQU5_NUOOfX0aNAx9uWn_eQZSrNJ/s320/R0000745.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The first part of the remaining trail was rough with chunky gravel yet again, but once I reached Channel Dr the graded trail begun and from there it was basically all smooth sailing all the way to St Johnsbury. Even better - the whole trail is this direction is on down slope making it very fast to ride.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I got back to my car at 2pm after 4 days of cycling, 436km (270mi), 2 burgers and 6 beers.</div></span>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-85440658140296979982021-10-04T16:02:00.004-04:002021-10-04T16:02:58.099-04:00Exploring Vermont Rail Trails - Day 3 (of 4)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 3 (Lake Champlain - Waterbury, 130km or 81mi)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was lying in my tent trying to fall asleep, thinking about coming rain. Since I hate packing wet stuff in the morning, I figured I could probably avoid this by bending the rules a bit. Deep at night I decided to move my tent (freestanding tents are easy to move) and bike inside the "breakout room" at the campground. It was nothing more than an old shed with some pool tables and arcade machines inside, but I figured that nobody will play there at 2am. I was lucky. Soon after I managed to hide inside, it started to rain. Heavily.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I woke up at 6:15am ready to start the day. Unfortunately, it was still pouring outside. I started packing up my stuff and wrapping everything in plastic bags. By 7:25am I was ready to go, if only weather was a bit more cooperative. The forecast said it would stop raining by 11am but there was no way I could wait for that. I zipped up my jacket and rolled on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=37621236&sampleGraph=true" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As expected, pretty soon I was all wet. That didn't really bother me that much. It was that kind of weather with steady rain yet warm and even when wet I wasn't cold and felt surprisingly comfortable. I did discovered a couple of issues with my setup though. One was that I had my camera in a hip bag, which was getting wet and muddy from the splash coming from the rear tire. I slid the hip bag over to the front, placing it on my belly which took care of that problem, but then I thought it would be really good to have a simple plastic, lightweight fender" attached to the bottom of saddle bag, protecting my butt and lower back.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The best decision of the trip was to take sandals instead of regular shoes. Sandals are absolutely the best as long as temperature allows it. No need to worry about soaked shoes and wet socks.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Once I got back to Swanton I simply continued on Lamoille Valley Rail Trail - the second one of rail trails planned for this trip. The section from Swanton to Sheldon Junction is still not officially open I think, but it's very usable, being nicely graded and finished with red crushed fine stone.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsabkjRe14lfm2cNOlnGupcYla7m0fPpwHAQjdJwd5x1y38BPQBZs9fMp2P98xH6wQw6hKLji4uKXccRmaDE34NoqN8ysE_D_jlJs0q7RNO86-LCbHn8Ln3YJ_wXOUKv_JiUd9neFKkYv/s900/R0000721.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsabkjRe14lfm2cNOlnGupcYla7m0fPpwHAQjdJwd5x1y38BPQBZs9fMp2P98xH6wQw6hKLji4uKXccRmaDE34NoqN8ysE_D_jlJs0q7RNO86-LCbHn8Ln3YJ_wXOUKv_JiUd9neFKkYv/s320/R0000721.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The more adventurous part starts after you cross the renovated rail bridge on Missisquoi River. From here the trail is officially not on map and it seems to be used mainly by snowmobiles in winter. It's often narrow, muddy and flooded in places, with lots of chunky gravel on others.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ttSYborgFJX8bPT-Q8KIlWxiAk4UOxUYRqCoGIk57DHktQhLYHOCCZjpNVQYTfjW80J4hGeT3io39dnL2eqkLQ2zxuao-SCgIcuF-noeA-xdb9HWFRt8hwEPbtUuzUGfIWzROi-xcokt/s900/R0000723.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ttSYborgFJX8bPT-Q8KIlWxiAk4UOxUYRqCoGIk57DHktQhLYHOCCZjpNVQYTfjW80J4hGeT3io39dnL2eqkLQ2zxuao-SCgIcuF-noeA-xdb9HWFRt8hwEPbtUuzUGfIWzROi-xcokt/s320/R0000723.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It's definitely useable for cycling, as long as you bring your mountain bike. Just be careful with bridges - there are many on the trail and most are in decent condition, with only a couple in a derelict state. Officially, in these places the trail is closed (which is properly marked), but you can still cross on your own risk. Just don't step on rotten wood beams.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHfuQZrNjN4KCV3aq-7ebf7hFfpkyaFLvN3hHEmxQZTRABckfCAEsv9fMZ792rW85M2MqeI8rWobXhedrcgA9uC5V5R5UsLXcV8Ns5AzKWXLnUplrIClXftZvrRY4tUxOBX_DqTBjh1RS/s900/R0000724.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHfuQZrNjN4KCV3aq-7ebf7hFfpkyaFLvN3hHEmxQZTRABckfCAEsv9fMZ792rW85M2MqeI8rWobXhedrcgA9uC5V5R5UsLXcV8Ns5AzKWXLnUplrIClXftZvrRY4tUxOBX_DqTBjh1RS/s320/R0000724.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtFMnO4r2AmKojzPnHSPFEcePXi00G1bjylQknGL19vMcpZOZR2aW9mzjv2IIzo_NVrmgE9Leel5GODlel82qL7q7FPSYrP0Mo7Zafda7Mm-bd1eOvSGOpICvk_DyQaoXLxkKc41WAgmK/s900/R0000730.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtFMnO4r2AmKojzPnHSPFEcePXi00G1bjylQknGL19vMcpZOZR2aW9mzjv2IIzo_NVrmgE9Leel5GODlel82qL7q7FPSYrP0Mo7Zafda7Mm-bd1eOvSGOpICvk_DyQaoXLxkKc41WAgmK/s320/R0000730.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This rough trail section continues all the way to Jeffersonville, at which point the trail becomes more civilized again and the officially open section begins. At that time it was about noon and rain stopped. My jacket and bike started to dry off and I raced along the flat path towards Morrisville. I was getting hungry and was very excited to arrive at Lost Nation Brewing around 1:45pm, where they serve excellent beer and really good food as well.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrnDAlofIwVBLV2I8As-amEpLO5AyWJLgm8K6P8Tk_Xt72qxNbbqdzadkhTdDsGWP6hfQqBxqPhmGhx6YL9noz0MAgwhQV53XLn7dlwV6AhlTlgIgTkruIa8sxcrCiK56g_Ll16yF192X/s900/R0000737.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrnDAlofIwVBLV2I8As-amEpLO5AyWJLgm8K6P8Tk_Xt72qxNbbqdzadkhTdDsGWP6hfQqBxqPhmGhx6YL9noz0MAgwhQV53XLn7dlwV6AhlTlgIgTkruIa8sxcrCiK56g_Ll16yF192X/s320/R0000737.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Once refueled, I continued south towards Stowe and Waterbury, taking a more scenic route away from the main road (Rt100) to avoid car traffic. At Waterbury I really wanted to visit Prohibition Pig bar, I heard so many good things about but I wasn't hungry nor thirsty and it was getting a bit late, so I decided to move towards the campground.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After arriving at Little River State Park I was told that campground was full and sold out. That's not something you want to hear after biking over 80mi in rain. Fortunately, after a while and some negotiations it turned out that someone was leaving early and I got a spot. I set my tent up, cooked a dinner, took a shower (good I had 2 quarters left!) and hang all food and soap in a bag on a tree. Just in case some teddy bear was going to visit at night.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That night felt much cooler and air was crisp and fresh. The rain must have pushed all the humidity away. It was going to be a cool night.</div></span>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-59141497144131408762021-10-04T15:56:00.000-04:002021-10-04T15:56:16.577-04:00Exploring Vermont Rail Trails - Day 2 (of 4)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 2 (Newport - Lake Champlain, 125km or 78mi)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After a very windy night I got up at 6:20am, packed up and started cooking breakfast. Unfortunately, cooking on a an alcohol stove in windy conditions is close to impossible and I very soon found out I was burning through too much fuel. I finished my oatmeal but decided to change my plans for next couple of days in terms of future breakfasts, since I had to conserve fuel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=37621031&sampleGraph=true" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back on road at 7:25am I was making a good progress moving through some rural land just south of Canadian border. Here is where I had the only mechanical on the trip. I found out that one of the plates in the chain has slipped off the pin and chain was just hanging on on one plate only. Not good. Fortunately, I had a tiny multitool with me and could use pliers to move the plate back in position and then push the pin in with chain breaker tool.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QXpVk7DDTSGZNk_xAMv5ZEEukE8pvqUb7yjnJt2PErGDCL_1gwzTAojr_lr24htWkdgEk4XbWh85riO1LrzOcTX2_uyRBpBcLv7Ino2HlQMkppf2b_0zQBueIS4DmHAg8mhP7E5dMr_E/s900/R0000696.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QXpVk7DDTSGZNk_xAMv5ZEEukE8pvqUb7yjnJt2PErGDCL_1gwzTAojr_lr24htWkdgEk4XbWh85riO1LrzOcTX2_uyRBpBcLv7Ino2HlQMkppf2b_0zQBueIS4DmHAg8mhP7E5dMr_E/s320/R0000696.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirL8iSZSA7-dSOXM3_63cQ3v2vYWNyVvPdtNdXsmB7DfpqdqHlaBN5dejd0OJ2WCyyP-Tnk6TTgKLnV-A1G0kQ8SE4l1MXJ1hw-_Hhvm24666qavAjQN5LrPPQm47tR7dbAttO7hi4oJn/s900/R0000698.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirL8iSZSA7-dSOXM3_63cQ3v2vYWNyVvPdtNdXsmB7DfpqdqHlaBN5dejd0OJ2WCyyP-Tnk6TTgKLnV-A1G0kQ8SE4l1MXJ1hw-_Hhvm24666qavAjQN5LrPPQm47tR7dbAttO7hi4oJn/s320/R0000698.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Sometimes I find some very unexpected things</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The next step was a strenuous climb up the mountain pass in Jay Peak range. It's not particularly steep, but it's loooong so don't get too excited - the summit is still further away than you think.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGEgEtaqb9QhitG6C40wNPKdd4W4odCQW5gwoPjBlv3xsSrTSHMPwzjkdRQlGiE1T5qui9IHgb_99KDf5Gm24nm7itfpwkg7xH03ftfmXQjPijRcb7ZbknJmueYuOXiUih7XCBkWFHoHJ/s900/R0000703.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGEgEtaqb9QhitG6C40wNPKdd4W4odCQW5gwoPjBlv3xsSrTSHMPwzjkdRQlGiE1T5qui9IHgb_99KDf5Gm24nm7itfpwkg7xH03ftfmXQjPijRcb7ZbknJmueYuOXiUih7XCBkWFHoHJ/s320/R0000703.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Like I said before, the great thing about climbs is that there is always a downhill afterwards. Very soon I was back in the valley and next I took West Jay Rd, which is unpaved, keeping me away from trucks and cars and it runs close to the border. I mean - very close to the border.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_AToSSMYqMwV5d6idRx2onvt4AoilUzu9hoMKOKGrq8ziWtwLprVXa-rB0Cy2flsS_XYXd2qeV0s95oyWZr2kd8MZnC2Y9NDB1vEner7HysIkhrOKUAn2U8mrewUmzGOVkCAhNPVqaxd/s900/R0000706.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_AToSSMYqMwV5d6idRx2onvt4AoilUzu9hoMKOKGrq8ziWtwLprVXa-rB0Cy2flsS_XYXd2qeV0s95oyWZr2kd8MZnC2Y9NDB1vEner7HysIkhrOKUAn2U8mrewUmzGOVkCAhNPVqaxd/s320/R0000706.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In fact, the road is so close to the border that at some point you will find yourself in Canada, even if you didn't ask for it. That's one of those unique spots on U.S. map where the border, which is a straight line on a map, crosses the infrastructure "in a wrong way", putting the official border markers on the wrong side of the road.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Very soon I reached Richford and hopped on the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail - the first long rail trail on this trip. I like this place. It's a very easy road to ride, being flat and well graded. It runs through some open farmland and just feels relaxing in general. Not every bike route needs to be like a stage in Tour de France, right?<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaogSJV5hsjahFJA8OFuFYAVb9w0P3zaUblZo2CzSybP2mPou9M3AsA2us9lGqlda8mGIW5rT5i9MlZhWeoK6dlxoSTjxsCPaqnE2IdvNZkyjVZYZAu3joLkB69rRSBc-ujU8paLg57op/s900/R0000707.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaogSJV5hsjahFJA8OFuFYAVb9w0P3zaUblZo2CzSybP2mPou9M3AsA2us9lGqlda8mGIW5rT5i9MlZhWeoK6dlxoSTjxsCPaqnE2IdvNZkyjVZYZAu3joLkB69rRSBc-ujU8paLg57op/s320/R0000707.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">By 1:25pm I was already in St Albans. I suspected some overcast and even rain on this day but it was actually sunny and hot. I ran out of water, so my first step was to get resupplied in liquids and some snacks and my second step was the have beer and eat something good. I found a table outside of Twiggs Gastropub and can recommend not only their burger, but also Fiddlehead IPA - excellent in every way.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At 2:30pm I was back on road and went north towards Swanton. My plan was to reach a campground at the edge of Lake Champlain but the only way to get there was Rt78. Unfortunately, it's a terrible place for cycling. Being the only route connecting Vermont, New York State and Canada in this part of the country it's very busy with heavy car and truck traffic. I wish they built a proper separated bike path somewhere next to the road, because riding a bike there feels sort of terrifying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I arrived at Campbells Bay Campground I found out I was the only one with a tent. Air was heavy and humid. Felt like thunderstorm was on the way.</div></span>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-58261488768720570442021-10-04T15:51:00.000-04:002021-10-04T15:51:12.469-04:00Exploring Vermont Rail Trails - Day 1 (of 4)<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's the fall season of 2021 and all I know that I need a break. Just a few days on my own, away from family (sorry!), my usual surroundings and especially, from my day job. Since in these weird (post)pandemic times nothing is certain anymore, when an opportunity came, I grabbed it quickly and decided - I'm packing up my bike and going to Vermont.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">End of September is typically quite decent weather-wise here in New England and after checking forecast I found out it was supposed to be still warm so no heavy clothing was required. Unfortunately, the forecast also mentioned some heavy rain coming up in a couple of days. Not ideal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Day 1 (St Johnsbury - Newton, 77km or 48mi)</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Early morning I put everything in my car and drove north to St Johnsbury, VT. Getting close to White Mountains the fog on highway was so heavy I couldn't see anything a half a mile ahead. I started to rain. "Just great" - I thought - "If the whole day is going to be like this, it doesn't seem like a good start". Fortunately, once I cross the mountain range weather improved quite a bit, rain stopped and sun started peeking through a gap in clouds.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I arrived at around 10am, unpacked and started pedaling north. The great thing about Vermont is that even around larger towns it doesn't take long to find an unpaved road. It was humid, cloudy and cool (~64F/18C). That's actually not a bad weather for cycling (as long as it doesn't rain). I hate riding in full sun anyway.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=36847686&sampleGraph=true" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Soon I realized that I had a pretty good pace, which may have been because there wasn't that much to see on the way so I didn't stop for pictures too often. I was rolling through a cattle country.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFkimunJaCmAF48IV7ZXZPNIs-kK9d3byfCzFMj_TE_VBRbA8xziBGq6UStk2SrXfm-qxXd_CW3egyVcJuUyQkUySHwnqrwVhXKWvUcNd0VxaL1QnwLh0TytonUtU8iYqau62rpubvRt4/s900/DSCF7820.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFkimunJaCmAF48IV7ZXZPNIs-kK9d3byfCzFMj_TE_VBRbA8xziBGq6UStk2SrXfm-qxXd_CW3egyVcJuUyQkUySHwnqrwVhXKWvUcNd0VxaL1QnwLh0TytonUtU8iYqau62rpubvRt4/s320/DSCF7820.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Actually, to be honest, there were things to see. Unlike in Massachusetts, in Vermont fall seemed to be in full swing already. Lots of trees were wearing yellow and red outfits.</div><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-KsXy5BFFPLIWb5PeBcCBJryvVqJMorHEj9XwWAmsZcf0goE9t2ljTZGgbji7Z3GIT3XICHFuUKKNpsOg_M7PlVHOg-HChXUCbzu_TLRhezUARm6a0yw8IXYpKaz87j-n8IdbUq8Ctqp/s900/DSCF7821.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-KsXy5BFFPLIWb5PeBcCBJryvVqJMorHEj9XwWAmsZcf0goE9t2ljTZGgbji7Z3GIT3XICHFuUKKNpsOg_M7PlVHOg-HChXUCbzu_TLRhezUARm6a0yw8IXYpKaz87j-n8IdbUq8Ctqp/s320/DSCF7821.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After several climbs and some very rewarding downhills, I first reached Barton and then my final destination for the day - Newport. I arrived early, at 2:45pm. There was still plenty of daylight left, so I set up my camp at Prouty Beach Campground, took a shower and went to Newport Natural Market to get something to eat. I found out they had some really nice beer for sale as well (Chimay!) but only in 4-packs. I guess that's a benefit of travelling with someone - you can share a 4-pack. I had to pass on that, otherwise I probably wouldn't be in condition to bike the next day. Four heavy Belgians is a bit too much in one setting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDU93eiZ241hqyJ0QfMIeamnpmzLWtz1gMaFIU2zkq4zTVQ420gHxwkmwlqMlfXmpUHT9GKMcP9W3gS4XPmXaHuyv4mYvaw5MnkxeHXwmctGl5KQXILEtCNm9fLWKDC5U25J3U-IicY0R/s900/DSCF7856.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDU93eiZ241hqyJ0QfMIeamnpmzLWtz1gMaFIU2zkq4zTVQ420gHxwkmwlqMlfXmpUHT9GKMcP9W3gS4XPmXaHuyv4mYvaw5MnkxeHXwmctGl5KQXILEtCNm9fLWKDC5U25J3U-IicY0R/s320/DSCF7856.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I decided to bike a bit on Newport Bikepath north, along the eastern edge of Lake Memprhemagog. Arriving back at the campground I cooked dinner, watched some really nice sunset and then went to bed. Unfortunately, while the test sites are beautifully located right at the edge of the lake, they are also not sheltered in any way from wind. There was a pretty strong wind coming in from the lake and with my tent flapping and making noises, it was very difficult to sleep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6Wlzn-9HFFI0K2j-RKweOSq3C883xL-NEdRnRkAN9RZ1-uZ8E5gVn6RdGw5XAuL-7OMTBWjSd6StVcto6Fc2rcM3OehtgsqJDevk319DGMusTCk-GqnD4snZO23Iyd-WfEnjBrlmm0QK/s900/DSCF7862.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6Wlzn-9HFFI0K2j-RKweOSq3C883xL-NEdRnRkAN9RZ1-uZ8E5gVn6RdGw5XAuL-7OMTBWjSd6StVcto6Fc2rcM3OehtgsqJDevk319DGMusTCk-GqnD4snZO23Iyd-WfEnjBrlmm0QK/s320/DSCF7862.jpg" width="213" /></a></div></span></span>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-84145522884413950062021-05-25T20:55:00.000-04:002021-05-25T20:55:50.028-04:00There is no bad weather for cycling... but there is pollen<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As we all know, there is no bad weather for cycling, only bad clothes. At least I wish it was all this simple. Unfortunately, no clothing is going to protect me from pollen, which we get in overabundance every April through June. There are days where absolutely everything gets covered by a thick yellow dust blanket. After living in New England for quite some time, my body apparently stopped tolerating pollen and now every spring I suffer from allergies.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This creates a problem. I sort of temporarily run out of good options where to ride a bike. My usual places are heavily forested and in general, pollen seems unavoidable. After a few unpleasant situations and remembering my last year's ride when I was pretty much ready to pull my eyeballs out, I decided to completely change the strategy this year.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The goal was simple - ride where there is no pollen (duh)! Of course, around Boston this means there are basically only two options left: (1) city and (2) beach. Essentially, I either ride in the middle of Boston, where are few trees or ride very close to ocean, where constant breeze blows pollen away.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After testing it over the last two weekends, I have to say this actually works. First, I tried the city. Since riding a bike in Boston isn't typically a very pleasant experience, I decided to start very early on Sunday morning, when traffic was still very light and go to those places where cars don't go - the old, narrow alleys of Beacon Hill.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bZqsq0dYZMav_fMvMPX1pwycgjFfeQDD9hzmng9M0ie4Uqhfg6F0fFw8sU0_6cp-_CL-cke7y1Td01J5tQj_H0o-5P898T2R5b8gdhJXqkRMjhUbnH1eGd16c_v2PIEi-estWTOifhm6/s900/DSCF6648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bZqsq0dYZMav_fMvMPX1pwycgjFfeQDD9hzmng9M0ie4Uqhfg6F0fFw8sU0_6cp-_CL-cke7y1Td01J5tQj_H0o-5P898T2R5b8gdhJXqkRMjhUbnH1eGd16c_v2PIEi-estWTOifhm6/s320/DSCF6648.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Sure, it wasn't a very long ride (in terms of distance) but revisiting those XVIII/XIX-century streets is a purely magical experience.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxv3iYU0l_KGm6-Ac_tXbiuAkyJujbdGbpCfdSQ1IV1yAMQL3yZ4oFAUlMQ7B708U8I1pKVdRVFHeFN-pcc9cALrLLUT-Ac2fr8H5UzR_s61pOQiQo_VmF9H-YcOcJGe7yFUYX-JRZ0kg/s900/DSCF6623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxv3iYU0l_KGm6-Ac_tXbiuAkyJujbdGbpCfdSQ1IV1yAMQL3yZ4oFAUlMQ7B708U8I1pKVdRVFHeFN-pcc9cALrLLUT-Ac2fr8H5UzR_s61pOQiQo_VmF9H-YcOcJGe7yFUYX-JRZ0kg/s320/DSCF6623.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Going back home to Arlington, I could immediately tell the difference between the very downtown core of the Hub and the greener suburbs. The closer I was getting home the worse pollen situation was becoming.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=35827794&sampleGraph=true&privacyCode=3YwNBfYYalzo5cuY" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, I tried the beach. I mean, I can't actually ride my bike on beach, but I could design a route that would take me as close to the ocean as possible. Starting from Georgetown, I followed north to Newburyport and then along the coast all the way to (almost) Portsmouth, NH. It was actually a perfect morning for such a ride: 17C (63F), cloudy and with a light breeze.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHABheo6IBmPQFXKgaAmuY9PinVndQx8bkaZVsRzeoOHwKq5TFKMw79UEHWKCx-79-X6DfA_-Wyirr5_lFXl_hJ97-wNijL_KDh6FI9QHXVVsEgBgFPya-jP38MdSg_GQ5W34RRuLPS-x/s900/DSCF6673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHABheo6IBmPQFXKgaAmuY9PinVndQx8bkaZVsRzeoOHwKq5TFKMw79UEHWKCx-79-X6DfA_-Wyirr5_lFXl_hJ97-wNijL_KDh6FI9QHXVVsEgBgFPya-jP38MdSg_GQ5W34RRuLPS-x/s320/DSCF6673.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYO9FgQyS72920G45xTdiSAQ9x4yqiPj-lsjiNRccpFSOFIY9ZDmX4bo3bu29pQWGQhg_hYAnO6tBSLBrQusM5h43-Fc_TZP-5SkNC0UythK8HH19eLvN2Pfh3SPo9uQy5HYhkMNTK2yEu/s900/DSCF6671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYO9FgQyS72920G45xTdiSAQ9x4yqiPj-lsjiNRccpFSOFIY9ZDmX4bo3bu29pQWGQhg_hYAnO6tBSLBrQusM5h43-Fc_TZP-5SkNC0UythK8HH19eLvN2Pfh3SPo9uQy5HYhkMNTK2yEu/s320/DSCF6671.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The way back was a bit boring though and since I didn't want to follow the same route I decided to ride a bit more inland. Unfortunately, that meant being exposed to pollen more. Overall, the coast part of the route was way more interesting and I wouldn't mind trying it again.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now my problem is that I have already tested the two most obvious options and I ran out of ideas what to try next. Can we end the pollen season early this year, please?</span></p>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-77896802752506654572021-04-30T23:43:00.002-04:002021-04-30T23:43:24.251-04:00Riding the distance<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let's get to the point - my last post was titled "<a href="https://bostonbybike.blogspot.com/2021/03/why-i-dont-have-time-to-ride-century.html">Why I don't have time to ride a century</a>" and just a few weeks later I had a chance to use a whole day to ride as much as I wanted. And I didn't like it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But let's start from the beginning. I decided to just enjoy a full day of riding - something that doesn't happen very often as work or family usually sort of "get in the way". I designed a route that seemed reasonable, picked a day when weather was supposed to be decent and started early enough to have plenty of time.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=35408531&sampleGraph=true" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I took off in Winchendon, MA and moved north towards New Hampshire. There are some nice dirt roads in this area that are certainly worth visiting - roughly between Winchendon and Jaffrey. At this point I realized that there are some problems with riding a bike off-road in early spring. First - it's still quite cold, to the point when it may actually be sub-Celsius-zero in the morning. Second - April is rainy, which means that some trails may be flooded.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5LGFMvpwmsMkgW_uEL4Yg00wWSMEwn7GtocvaflfZwC_ly9Yp6t0Q3fOeMteHNDW4aDDIsSDln8htnECcxfEfuqPAsFE4m7yEAgHDowyWVQHBxLS14jAc-WjXXXS_eSTEYRtK2ISMk1G/s900/DSCF6476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5LGFMvpwmsMkgW_uEL4Yg00wWSMEwn7GtocvaflfZwC_ly9Yp6t0Q3fOeMteHNDW4aDDIsSDln8htnECcxfEfuqPAsFE4m7yEAgHDowyWVQHBxLS14jAc-WjXXXS_eSTEYRtK2ISMk1G/s320/DSCF6476.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">And they were. After carefully assessing the situation I realized that the puddle is too deep to ride through it, but shallow enough to walk through. Unfortunately, both sides of the road had enough vegetation and swamp to make it impossible to go around the puddle. That left me with one option - shoes off, bike on shoulder and walk.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here comes the worst part. If you see that the top of the puddle has a thin floating sheet of ice on it you can be sure that this isn't exactly a hot tub.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After waiting a few minutes to get at least partial feeling in my feet, which allowed me to put my socks and shoes back on, I continued towards Jaffrey, NH. From there I moved back south using Monadnock Branch Rail Trail.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_BFAlZ9Ja_jQBDvvD5U9DSLpiSnPljgmcE92HSpd8ToxGfFX9TRgydoLYF7iYwNRDNs_Komz3-Ubj5IKS1azY5M4uHIrHJJfy7nkCk-qYeuKxq0m6jxiVUzXLnKSLhIfXuXKeC5Dmgeh/s900/DSCF6491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_BFAlZ9Ja_jQBDvvD5U9DSLpiSnPljgmcE92HSpd8ToxGfFX9TRgydoLYF7iYwNRDNs_Komz3-Ubj5IKS1azY5M4uHIrHJJfy7nkCk-qYeuKxq0m6jxiVUzXLnKSLhIfXuXKeC5Dmgeh/s320/DSCF6491.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I rode west just north of the state border. It started getting a bit warmer and some sun was popping out. It was already afternoon and I had to take a break for lunch. It's always good to pack up some real food - sandwiches, nuts for snacking, chocolate. I hate riding with just fake "cycling food" like gels and bars.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAt1YfYN5vL0FkJLPlSPGA9FCN7EbjeCMiT8Iaya86HNY5hu0yZoQXb07fEPzKdKf8AWknbAxlj6Eq1iQORiMcOcf07AC-F2rL1MYwpRg3HLVuB3ZrOHp2W0QJpNfwpCurPK6ADEqsxHi/s900/DSCF6499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAt1YfYN5vL0FkJLPlSPGA9FCN7EbjeCMiT8Iaya86HNY5hu0yZoQXb07fEPzKdKf8AWknbAxlj6Eq1iQORiMcOcf07AC-F2rL1MYwpRg3HLVuB3ZrOHp2W0QJpNfwpCurPK6ADEqsxHi/s320/DSCF6499.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">At some point around mile 60 or so, I started getting a feeling that I was supposed to enjoy it more. In other words, weather was fine, road was good, bike was rolling just fine, yet I somehow couldn't enjoy riding the distance and adding miles. I was getting tired.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Maybe it was simply that 127km (80mi) was too much to take in a hilly terrain. At least for now. Maybe my expectations were wrong. Or maybe I need to pack up more sandwiches next time. Somehow I think that in the future I would rather go for two short rides than one really long one. We'll see about that.<br /></span></p>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-25032152766180288672021-03-23T12:01:00.001-04:002021-03-23T12:01:37.827-04:00Why I don't have time to ride a century - Hampstead Circuit<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>It got warmer and now you see them everywhere. They were hibernating over winter and with first signs of spring, they come back ready for action. Landscapers. Their noisy leaf blowers wake me up now every morning.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Just kidding, I was obviously talking about cyclists. Most people give up cycling in winter. I don't - but I understand that riding in freezing weather may not be enjoyable to many. I, on the other hand, don't enjoy riding in rain. Or mud.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>For this reason, I actually very much enjoy riding on dry winter days. That means - those days with no rain, no snow, but sub-zero (That's a metric zero!) temperatures. In such conditions all mud is frozen and those flooded trails that were impassable in summer, become icy roads.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>But those days are gone. Sun is out in nearly full strength, rapidly melting snow and ice. I thought I could revisit some long-forgotten places, so last weekend I took a quick trip just across the northern state border - starting in Windham, NH on a rail trail.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=35424500&sampleGraph=true&privacyCode=UBPPUthUwPwC6vwX" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Early morning was still a bit freezing. Air temperature barely hovered above 32F/0C. I decided to stay warm by going faster.<br /></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDEIKWRV-h7OoR7YpW9d-F9DkWZv7FpWgzXoNU16wb-uqjeqCz-Rq2PRBpPtkRe6Sg4QRD92-O91wtvaLPCSEaf2ab4lmAuGiPcaiLj3Ni2n8g7PYJzvnR9f3m1PVHAmGYMrmO0HUTEsD/s900/DSCF6219.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDEIKWRV-h7OoR7YpW9d-F9DkWZv7FpWgzXoNU16wb-uqjeqCz-Rq2PRBpPtkRe6Sg4QRD92-O91wtvaLPCSEaf2ab4lmAuGiPcaiLj3Ni2n8g7PYJzvnR9f3m1PVHAmGYMrmO0HUTEsD/s320/DSCF6219.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Not all ice melted yet.</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Soon I reached the intersection with Rockingham Recreational Trail and started rolling on its frozen, sandy surface. I was glad to be there early in the morning, before sun begins melting frozen mud into a gloopy mess.<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>The trail was empty, not counting a few loud ATVs. These buggers are the main reason why Rockingham Trail remains muddy and eroded. I still remember when I tried to ride there years ago on my old bike with 35mm wide tires. Big mistake.</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NGccAUoltDCtCddEl7PxJYXmVXo71kL5ldFTfFjYYHTbWeoY3Y6RE_9dIU_hMH4qzZl_0Y0qsaPyr3-6MD6OoB6XjUkVVBD0pE52poiQ0DVQuRUvVCwp_6v6lwoLzMoTvP9goNKhjjce/s900/DSCF6228.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NGccAUoltDCtCddEl7PxJYXmVXo71kL5ldFTfFjYYHTbWeoY3Y6RE_9dIU_hMH4qzZl_0Y0qsaPyr3-6MD6OoB6XjUkVVBD0pE52poiQ0DVQuRUvVCwp_6v6lwoLzMoTvP9goNKhjjce/s320/DSCF6228.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sandy Rockingham Trail in early morning sun.</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>After roughly 25km (15mi) I decided to turn around and start riding back. I thought it would be a good idea</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> to use a power line. You see, most high-voltage power lines have a maintenance road running under them. With a bit of luck, we can use those roads as informal trails.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>"A bit of luck" turns out to be the critical factor here. With my luck, the trail quickly turned out to be completely flooded and I had to turn around. "Well, no matter" - I thought. I simply followed the main road instead, until I could reconnect with the power line trail.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>I found that while I could enter the trail off Rt 111A, the entryway was again flooded. The flood wasn't huge but had a stream of water rushing right through the middle of it. I figured I could still use the trail if I go around the flooded part. This forced me to walk through some bushes. What I didn't anticipate is the number of thorns on those twigs. Very soon my legs looked like</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> were scratched by an angry house cat.</span></span></p></div><div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLrCDTiTmldLM0AECNThtdzSKU8luH65kGZefSbUa6VRq-fIj70RF1lvMtcjC6Dn-RfrkWFXANUjvoE3Izl2hrWfdgjrYAXtYYHbzxIPLQRa2-HXb1gGzEvhw5Nraur-jrybVtwiN0feE/s320/DSCF6249.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It hurts more than you think.</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Back on the trail, I started going up and down the uneven rocky surface until just after barely a few minutes I found myself in front of yet another flood. Darn! There was no way I could cross it, but looking at my bleeding legs I decided not to turn back and go through the thorns again. Fortunately, there was a narrow ATV trail to my left and after a quick look at the map, I figured it would probably take me to Long Pond Rd and maybe I can abandon the power line.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>But no. The ATV trail was just meandering between the trees and suddenly I found myself back at the power line... on the other side of the flood! Fortunately, this was the last major obstacle on my route and the rest of the trail was somewhat more usable.<br /></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0lBAoeS1rDn7nW2Gyf1CgwbsWRVT0rnDfu2kLIuf2dhIMQ8TKMjFesgSh8nF2WDPTIOwaoGoJGs53QVTrsQyPGElkIsLml39-8M73KOmIz6UZ8UsO1FScCO0uR6aKjuwD6CR_seWlE-1/s900/DSCF6252.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0lBAoeS1rDn7nW2Gyf1CgwbsWRVT0rnDfu2kLIuf2dhIMQ8TKMjFesgSh8nF2WDPTIOwaoGoJGs53QVTrsQyPGElkIsLml39-8M73KOmIz6UZ8UsO1FScCO0uR6aKjuwD6CR_seWlE-1/s320/DSCF6252.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ups and downs. The power line trails can be rough, but it's the floods that make them a real challenge.</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Once I reached Kingston Rd, I stayed on pavement for most of the return leg. I tried to avoid Rt 111 though. It's like a main highway with way too many cars and trucks and despite a pretty wide shoulder, riding bike there is simply not enjoyable at all.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Soon I was back at Windham. Those 55km (35mi) took me 4 hours to ride - way too long by any "road" standards. But then no regular "roadie" would try to ride in places I did. This is basically why I don't have time to ride a typical century. There is just not enough light in the day to fit that many detours and stops in my ride.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Some people ride to add miles, but when I ride I only add scars.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span><p></p></div>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-19612402360449678722021-01-12T21:11:00.000-05:002021-01-12T21:11:04.904-05:00Rethinking 2020<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's finally 2021.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After the dreadful 2020, we all hope that 2021 will bring some long-awaited relief and things will start changing for better. I'm ready for more bike riding without wearing a mask all the time.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's also time to rethink some things here. For years, I've been writing this whole blog mostly for myself - to document my own thoughts. My audience was scarce and infrequent. Yes, I know that in order to have a lively and successful blog one needs to write almost daily and write interestingly. But building a large audience has never been my goal.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As such, you can expect that in 2021 blog updates will remain scarce and infrequent. Maybe it's the pandemic that has been wearing me out in the recent months. Or maybe it's simply that now I want to focus more on what I find most interesting and most fun for myself - just documenting my occasional bike rides and bikepacking trips.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There weren't that many of them in 2020. Because of the virus most of us got stuck at home. I actually had some big cycling plans for the last year and obviously, they never had a chance to realize. Who knows, maybe with the vaccine coming, 2021 will let me enjoy bike riding more?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8xQ9Yi478i_9rxQ9T7s9ywB324ngphwM2PK3Fq0yG-6H4-ij89Zhtk6WNeXoOGAFPdhM9Na3fdyVWpK9OsEQn-lVQVoy3R4JZciBm2YO76FQWhbb9tjctMFwN4_Wxdk3XXbvuUZDXId_/s900/DSCF5844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8xQ9Yi478i_9rxQ9T7s9ywB324ngphwM2PK3Fq0yG-6H4-ij89Zhtk6WNeXoOGAFPdhM9Na3fdyVWpK9OsEQn-lVQVoy3R4JZciBm2YO76FQWhbb9tjctMFwN4_Wxdk3XXbvuUZDXId_/s320/DSCF5844.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-4007199124401633682020-10-30T21:43:00.000-04:002020-10-30T21:43:20.966-04:00A bag of mixed feelings<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And just like that it's the end of October, although judging by the weather I would think it's January (Yes, we got quite a bit of snow).</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I know I haven't written anything in a while. Maybe it's just me being tired of the reality - unusual work and school schedules, coronavirus, isolation and the election season wearing me out mentally. Or maybe it's just the fact that I know I'm writing all this mostly for myself, because rarely anyone visits this page anymore. Whatever.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There's been some pretty good stuff to read lately. That is, if you interested in the subject of how motoring industry keeps screwing with us. If you have been following the topic this is not news for you. Otherwise, take a look:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://jalopnik.com/hey-maybe-someone-go-check-and-see-if-gms-truck-designe-1845160016">First, car makers are going completely nuts designing "road tanks", </a><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/19/21522959/cadillac-escalade-2021-first-drive-safety-oversized"><span style="font-family: arial;">and driving one of those ridiculously oversized family trucks can be a stressful experience.</span></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://jalopnik.com/nhtsa-isnt-doing-enough-to-protect-us-from-giant-trucks-1843129168">To make matters worse, NHTSA doesn't really give a damn about pedestrians.</a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-08-12/why-are-cars-still-so-dangerous-to-pedestrians"><span style="font-family: arial;">And you can't expect car manufacturers to police themselves and install pedestrian protecting features.</span></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there we are. <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/26907/you-dont-need-a-full-size-pickup-truck-you-need-a-cowboy-costume">American men buy trucks because they think this makes them manly, while all they need is a cowboy costume.</a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On top of all that there is the p<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/pandemic-shows-what-cities-have-surrendered-cars/610423/">andemic, which exposed the sad truth how badly cars messed up our cities</a>. If we wanted though, <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/157805/american-cities-built-cars-coronavirus-change-that">we could change that</a>. But we likely don't because somehow Americans can't picture a day without driving everywhere. Unlike <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200429-are-we-witnessing-the-death-of-the-car">Europe, which is making progress in giving the space back to people</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's what it looks like in a nutshell. Honestly, I don't have high hopes it will change anytime soon. Our future is supposed to be determined next Tuesday, but even though at least one of the candidates seems to embrace trains, science and green energy, let's remember there is a big large party behind him that likes to play safe.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But enough of that. To avoid being bogged down by these mixed feelings, once a while I have to clear my mind and cycling is one thing that keeps me sane.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last weekend I tried a quick, 30-mile route between Winchendon, MA and Jaffrey, NH. Even though cooler weather was approaching, it still had this perfect New England fall vibe.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=34497677&sampleGraph=true&privacyCode=QgicS5qA3ppEZsSl" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, with today's snow. It's all gone now. "Like tears in rain".</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUhAwrIbfY4sqEMCuD7BQXQph4BVzxWRukyuZmWyNReuCT7HynEvCuj4lRjK6HA2EAaMQ8NNNBrv6mGXOn3jPJKZPk1esu0yvNTVT1ZtvyTSsXCTFG-tk24fJLNmZllxdQURu-nTh_d0-/s1000/DSCF5034c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUhAwrIbfY4sqEMCuD7BQXQph4BVzxWRukyuZmWyNReuCT7HynEvCuj4lRjK6HA2EAaMQ8NNNBrv6mGXOn3jPJKZPk1esu0yvNTVT1ZtvyTSsXCTFG-tk24fJLNmZllxdQURu-nTh_d0-/s320/DSCF5034c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-83396617834579426692020-09-09T22:34:00.001-04:002020-09-09T22:34:29.803-04:00Deerfield River Dirt Ride S36O<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I believe I mentioned this before - when it comes to traveling anywhere by bicycle, usually the biggest problem for me is finding time. The solution is an overnighter - just a quick, 1-night trip somewhere nearby. Most of these are called S24O - "sub-24hrs overnight" rides. I typically like to turn them into S36O and try to pack more hours of riding in a 2-day period.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last week I had a rare chance to take 2 days off and go west - visit Berkshire County in Massachusetts and then continue north into the southern part of Vermont's Green Mountains.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=33663746&sampleGraph=true" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 1 </b><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To begin, I drove west to Shelburne Falls, MA where I left my car at a Park&Ride lot. I started pedaling at 9AM in a still cool but humid morning air. Fortunately, around 10AM sun started popping out from under clouds and pretty quickly humidity was gone. I stopped briefly at Bardwell's Ferry Bridge then rode north towards Greenfield.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcZHhPqMT7Mp0RPGJ2M-WQuCg-ThGmBxruiw9cpkDTLgW9kqFwejtfBI_AKLwv5Abd-R_2urpRqE8K7cCUQbhlWFNlFDeNFHBV0XZY0ovJ0E7kObcwR6YvqKdT4aEQ4Ae6R4Bz6tz6KkO/s1000/DSCF4441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcZHhPqMT7Mp0RPGJ2M-WQuCg-ThGmBxruiw9cpkDTLgW9kqFwejtfBI_AKLwv5Abd-R_2urpRqE8K7cCUQbhlWFNlFDeNFHBV0XZY0ovJ0E7kObcwR6YvqKdT4aEQ4Ae6R4Bz6tz6KkO/s320/DSCF4441.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Right after Greenfield is where the fun starts. My route was taking me along Green River and this section was very familiar, since I rode it before - when I tried to <a href="http://bostonbybike.blogspot.com/2018/05/my-own-d2r2-climbing-more-climbing-and.html">replicate my own D2R2 experience</a> back in 2018. The Green River Rd is a great place to ride - relatively flat, unpaved and with nice views of the river and several good spots to stop and dip your feet in cool water.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhru6qWe2JnOjRz5BT22uRceQMxwGsqL3-mbDtzcG62YHoT9zNVO6fk9JSh_eEW7t_PE8qepu_GsSN0KN2h_Z3uEUtuRGnqK-HlSGKFfBWFbRHDbHWR0BdnN-zgZZl6RjKdcm99jl0RjR2O/s1000/DSCF4448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhru6qWe2JnOjRz5BT22uRceQMxwGsqL3-mbDtzcG62YHoT9zNVO6fk9JSh_eEW7t_PE8qepu_GsSN0KN2h_Z3uEUtuRGnqK-HlSGKFfBWFbRHDbHWR0BdnN-zgZZl6RjKdcm99jl0RjR2O/s320/DSCF4448.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This time the road was a bit more muddy because of the ongoing grading work and some rain a day earlier. Soon, I reached the famous Green River Covered Bridge.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AKZCplhlsg3wCEFo24ZltC-SxWI7WX0hcPhk-L2X3KGAiAQRDoqegWTjOlXeXI5ZFirOtXve4X9TyV5N9tYnY3p1n2QuLvmuDdcxq3n-o-qM4mQTylck6O5mfQG4u8WAQH25xd7k1xQO/s1000/DSCF4465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AKZCplhlsg3wCEFo24ZltC-SxWI7WX0hcPhk-L2X3KGAiAQRDoqegWTjOlXeXI5ZFirOtXve4X9TyV5N9tYnY3p1n2QuLvmuDdcxq3n-o-qM4mQTylck6O5mfQG4u8WAQH25xd7k1xQO/s320/DSCF4465.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At that point it was already around mid-day and it started getting a bit hot. I kept going to enter Wilmington, VT. This looked like a relatively good spot for lunch or to resupply but I wasn't in need of neither and I didn't want to be close to other people. We are still in pandemic after all.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A bit further down the main road I finally spotted National Forest Road 71 - my entry into Green Mountains. This is a fairly long road (23km or 14mi) that runs pretty much all the time through forest and has many free (legal) roadside camp spots.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHfGvWzNrQiiDxI3FkSQ7Hjcg9CFWw9EnO0FNbZY9WwPSZswXpfTH5biB15kSDaY4UIjFoGTdDK2s_OrsmZQXiMYmQnF5LxzjYvnyza2PnA5k-O8RL1bVkE-nrYkjUbwdT1_e14tZhuyS/s1000/DSCF4483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHfGvWzNrQiiDxI3FkSQ7Hjcg9CFWw9EnO0FNbZY9WwPSZswXpfTH5biB15kSDaY4UIjFoGTdDK2s_OrsmZQXiMYmQnF5LxzjYvnyza2PnA5k-O8RL1bVkE-nrYkjUbwdT1_e14tZhuyS/s320/DSCF4483.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I wasn't planning on staying there overnight. The spots were not particularly attractive. Most of them were very shady, moist, with muddy ground. They seemed to be designed for a quick overnight stop for car tourists.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It started raining very slightly. Nothing major. I kept going uphill for quite some time. My knees started to hurt slightly - might be my lack of training in mountains. Despite that I seemed to have a decent tempo the whole day - about 15km/h (9mph). That's enough for a touring pace.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, I reached Stratton-Arlington Rd. It was close to 5PM at that point and I only had about 2.5hrs of sunlight left so I wanted to find my camping spot.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Camping in Green Mountain National Forest is free, but not always legal anywhere. Some places are clearly labeled as prohibited. The one good camping spot I had on mind was Grout Pond. Silly me not to do enough research about this place. It turned out to be a popular spot. There are multiple designated places to set up a tent but most of them were reserved! I had no idea that camping at Grout Pond isn't free (there is a fee to leave in a deposit box) and can be reserved online. Had I done my research, I would've reserved one too. I spent several minutes walking along the pond trying to find a spot that wasn't reserved but they all seemed occupied.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRB4n4dRBywzVh0FKNbfqGXx9P4twzwMEmIvE9vScvETqqhBrIqJ8Lz6-shw3h97nk0ABvp1jvURbAXSgGswr8zgIIxrPnZvW-LgURDRhw_2-Q7yV5dpDEsoAKiciUt_IL5cVJFK8_kYRM/s1000/DSCF4485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRB4n4dRBywzVh0FKNbfqGXx9P4twzwMEmIvE9vScvETqqhBrIqJ8Lz6-shw3h97nk0ABvp1jvURbAXSgGswr8zgIIxrPnZvW-LgURDRhw_2-Q7yV5dpDEsoAKiciUt_IL5cVJFK8_kYRM/s320/DSCF4485.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, I got lucky. One spot was reserved for the following night but not the night I needed. It was empty. I studied all information carefully to confirm I was right. I didn't want anyone to suddenly show up and kick me out just before the sunset.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My camping spot was perfect. Right besides the pond, with a bench and a picnic table. All I had left for the day was to set up a tent, cook dinner and hang up food bag on a tree. This is officially recommended in order to avoid surprise night visits of Yogi Bear or his companions. Having encountered a black bear in that area 2 years ago, I would say the recommendations are reasonable.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3u5wDj9LAZYXQmn0KcF1zBkJx4-hhOi7DYn0q70CmP6L8so80Tt1WKAymQrzr8Pktliqg3eDQL1ZNXELsWRp1JxlC3UVVM6xk7q-1hW4kRYyX1N59PlPLkDjGBkVpcuUhqAhf-uQGu59/s1000/DSCF4499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3u5wDj9LAZYXQmn0KcF1zBkJx4-hhOi7DYn0q70CmP6L8so80Tt1WKAymQrzr8Pktliqg3eDQL1ZNXELsWRp1JxlC3UVVM6xk7q-1hW4kRYyX1N59PlPLkDjGBkVpcuUhqAhf-uQGu59/s320/DSCF4499.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The night was warm and quiet.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 2 </b><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I woke up at 6:30AM. That may seem like an early hour for some, but since I was in bed around 9PM (there isn't much else to do in a tent after sunset), it felt right. Morning was dull and very cloudy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFLBdlzxKC8EX6LumYwpkq3zUQq8QXjezNf9WDPL-EJcxmD2DceGUPvZGbFY64WD9i5e0O4Uk5iqqjBSDuze1RBNuY5RAkSXnmoJCHGopEC85iQayxCo7kZqIOgryDvPPDtNI-o0ddeu7/s1000/DSCF4508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFLBdlzxKC8EX6LumYwpkq3zUQq8QXjezNf9WDPL-EJcxmD2DceGUPvZGbFY64WD9i5e0O4Uk5iqqjBSDuze1RBNuY5RAkSXnmoJCHGopEC85iQayxCo7kZqIOgryDvPPDtNI-o0ddeu7/s320/DSCF4508.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, I retrieved my food bag (no bears), made breakfast, packed up everything and by 7:20AM I was back on the road. The early riding hours were humid. There was not a slightest breeze in the forest and despite relatively cool morning I felt hot. Maybe because I was still moving uphill.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fortunately, after every uphill comes a rewarding downhill and boy, this one was! The next 16km (10mi) was all downhill - about 35 minutes of coasting down the mountain on an unpaved road. Brilliant!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtmb2plr19w9gFUIWCPlo9HfXgz-hcchfXBQnz68ZI3542WGqgKMA7ufLNggKZCDeU2QIlWf5OxTCjAU5PHPmWzW9k-Yv_ob5WNraQ_N3FagHRDc9XJ7sd-sQemI1Xz_eMFPap3yrAMf1/s1000/DSCF4523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtmb2plr19w9gFUIWCPlo9HfXgz-hcchfXBQnz68ZI3542WGqgKMA7ufLNggKZCDeU2QIlWf5OxTCjAU5PHPmWzW9k-Yv_ob5WNraQ_N3FagHRDc9XJ7sd-sQemI1Xz_eMFPap3yrAMf1/s320/DSCF4523.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With sun out, it started getting hotter, but less humid again and soon I reached Bennington, VT. I had to resupply in water and some snacks and fortunately, a nearby convenience store solved that problem. I was then going to face the first major climb of the day - my plan was to go across the next mountain range and reach North Adams, MA.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Very soon the road started going uphill and then the pavement ended. For the next hour I kept riding and walking my bike (more of the latter than former) uphill. The first mile or two were on a rough dirt road but then it turned into ATV-only trail, with large rocks scattered all over the place. Well, at least the "road" was there and it wasn't flooded or muddy. Still, I spent a lot of time pushing the bike uphill and covered barely 7km (4mi) in an hour.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQ3T92DPilMmBfNBRvz3sXMd1lPdV7Lg81WJoplE4NAkhsnBdIlZr06pXitHGsLIcTFwEHM5qn6pMoaA4jcoB3MFBWG7UsgKenBY_hpsk-F4wCTWJXx4qFgxtLNKPoDFaATmBFeTV-0rF/s1000/DSCF4536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQ3T92DPilMmBfNBRvz3sXMd1lPdV7Lg81WJoplE4NAkhsnBdIlZr06pXitHGsLIcTFwEHM5qn6pMoaA4jcoB3MFBWG7UsgKenBY_hpsk-F4wCTWJXx4qFgxtLNKPoDFaATmBFeTV-0rF/s320/DSCF4536.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But again, that hill had to end somewhere and what came next was a crazy fast downhill ride all the way to North Adams. The next 9km (5.5mi) flew by in no more than 5 minutes!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eU3OJ0gGmuznNV3KWrUAYSrW0xq9I7tmibfpnzu9zERtOytEn3cfxm8_GQDm1wBck1alhqp8PWdaokYrrxqgDuPUz7HgMC1d5aKdpYbiFXn5ftjhu3atgzYte3grq62goZUVaoFApUZJ/s1000/DSCF4544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eU3OJ0gGmuznNV3KWrUAYSrW0xq9I7tmibfpnzu9zERtOytEn3cfxm8_GQDm1wBck1alhqp8PWdaokYrrxqgDuPUz7HgMC1d5aKdpYbiFXn5ftjhu3atgzYte3grq62goZUVaoFApUZJ/s320/DSCF4544.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, I wasn't done climbing for the day. I still had to go over Hoosac Range and the next climb started nearly as soon as the previous one ended. I was making my way slowly up on Mohawk Trail - a major paved road (Rt 2) with plenty of car traffic and in full sun. Not fun. I couldn't find a better way to reach Florida, MA (what a name!) from North Adams though. Well, at least this climb was a bit easier and with some rewarding views form the top.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_RYSd9xlmd4R0Wb8pJ0d9b5LUC2dySNEP5fZDHeBgpWYVKdhgSO-1BSa42N-L6D1aXvzUF2w-9lykYGVpbHVIBSUfHRm-PiI85CqQVlR6_PI4Ddg5_JXCFGESaHpvEUl2FmKKO9Bv-0B/s1000/DSCF4545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_RYSd9xlmd4R0Wb8pJ0d9b5LUC2dySNEP5fZDHeBgpWYVKdhgSO-1BSa42N-L6D1aXvzUF2w-9lykYGVpbHVIBSUfHRm-PiI85CqQVlR6_PI4Ddg5_JXCFGESaHpvEUl2FmKKO9Bv-0B/s320/DSCF4545.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After another long and steep downhill (Whitcomb Hill Rd - amazing!) I reached River Rd, where before continuing east, I decided to briefly ride up west and see the historic Hoosac Tunnel (Old railways are fun!). The rest of the trip was a smooth ride along Deerfield River, back to my car in Shelburne Falls.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dVtMvjAioh9w6R2E5WhY1sk2bodNyaaVqfVGVU3QCnidN-1X8-SSRFU_gFsGuHCGN1HzvyqnBPS4WCrEtk_bD537mWCMiEPPyBtyIvzKk7k6Y8t0iVilZZWWH_xgpUtx-B0ZnUCg-ycQ/s1000/DSCF4551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dVtMvjAioh9w6R2E5WhY1sk2bodNyaaVqfVGVU3QCnidN-1X8-SSRFU_gFsGuHCGN1HzvyqnBPS4WCrEtk_bD537mWCMiEPPyBtyIvzKk7k6Y8t0iVilZZWWH_xgpUtx-B0ZnUCg-ycQ/s320/DSCF4551.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNZ6v34Kb8-dsn2QclIw0OMjd4iTJrF23YxMZW0Jgp-Assb4H53SjZwCdv61wzwSCqb2TwMKQx5k51mLCo_C2SDt2P6MKtqJSIyPcSI8DPxtkMBWVyPUXTsk5pCFz1KvxnHsSNYpYCam1/s1000/DSCF4561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNZ6v34Kb8-dsn2QclIw0OMjd4iTJrF23YxMZW0Jgp-Assb4H53SjZwCdv61wzwSCqb2TwMKQx5k51mLCo_C2SDt2P6MKtqJSIyPcSI8DPxtkMBWVyPUXTsk5pCFz1KvxnHsSNYpYCam1/s320/DSCF4561.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course, I had to stop by at Hearty Eats and get some dinner. Even for non-vegetarians this place is a must-go.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm glad I had a chance to visit Western Massachusetts and Green Mountains. I should certainly explore that area a bit more. One final conclusion I made was that 115km (72mi) in one day seems like a bit too much in a very hilly terrain. It simply doesn't give me much time for longer rests stops and at a camping. Or maybe it's just my old bones talking.</span></p>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-30752138475393912542020-08-12T19:25:00.000-04:002020-08-12T19:25:16.176-04:00Wear a helmet - it will save your head when your torso gets crushed by a truck<div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">I was on the way back home from work one day when this happened:</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"> </font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><i>- "You should wear a helmet. Or at least ride all the way to the right."</i></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"> </font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">As I explained earlier, now in the times of Covid-19 I stopped using Minuteman Bikeway. It's too crowded and I feel safer on the road, even though car traffic seems to be back to normal. Having all drivers encapsulated in metal cans means that at least they don't exhale on me when I ride my bike alongside.</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"> </font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">Anyway, the woman who spoke those words through the opened passenger side window seemed actually to be truly concerned. She looked worried that someone may hit me with a car and she thought the best solution in this situation was for me to put a styrofoam lid on. Sigh...</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"> </font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">Unfortunately, as more and more Americans driving small cars and switch to SUVs, the effectiveness of bike helmets gets reduced even more. Not that they were particularly effective against speeding cars before, but now when cyclists are facing speeding trucks, helmets are more useless than ever.</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"> </font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">Still, most people, like the woman quoted here, feel that helmets are some sort of a miracle car repellent. But Americans don't drive cars anymore - now they drive trucks instead. <span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-slap-a-warning-label-on-suvs-20200707-s6hl4ia6jzhepjsstm3s2wsxky-story.html"><i>SUV sales have been booming in the United States, from 7% of vehicle sales in 1990 to an expected 50% in 2020</i></a>. The vehicles used for daily commute by most Americans became larger, heavier and more powerful over the last 20 years. On top of that, they are deliberately designed to look aggressive and intimidating on road, which is accentuated by very tall, nearly vertical front, with hoods often much higher above the road than a roof of an ordinary sedan.</span></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8szANDQNIY1-NHxZ1yVHCCIwPHMpxZuZmNKwg44dabbIs42gGgrDxams00fwhdhYlpLQkIec_dx4INvrJwk4CmWWk-wbc5uWGT9yrrlNewg5i8KlOHTQ9qWhujeC852yMEKLulCEZW1T/s640/2020-silverado2500-1lz-gji-colorizer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="640" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8szANDQNIY1-NHxZ1yVHCCIwPHMpxZuZmNKwg44dabbIs42gGgrDxams00fwhdhYlpLQkIec_dx4INvrJwk4CmWWk-wbc5uWGT9yrrlNewg5i8KlOHTQ9qWhujeC852yMEKLulCEZW1T/w410-h205/2020-silverado2500-1lz-gji-colorizer.jpg" width="410" /></a></div></font></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><span style="font-size: small;">2020 Chevy Erector...uhm, I mean, Silverado. Ideal "car" for insecure males. </span><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"> </font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">No helmet is going to protect you, when you are hit by a speeding wall - and that's what these comically oversized trucks essentially are. Unfortunately, motor industry doesn't care. They admitted that they <i><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/pickup-trucks-are-getting-huge-got-a-problem-with-that-11596254412">"spent a lot of time making sure that when you stand in front of this thing it looks like it's going to come get you"</a></i>. </font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">And they do. United States is clearly heading in the wrong direction when it comes to pedestrian casualties. While <a href="https://theweek.com/articles/929196/case-against-american-truck-bloat">European Union managed to reduce pedestrian deaths by nearly 40% within the last 12 years</a>, U.S. increased it by 53% in about the same time frame. That's no surprise though. When Germany is planning on banning SUV in cities, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90420280/should-we-ban-suvs">recognizing they are terrible for pedestrians, cyclists and environment</a>, America's automakers make sure nothing would disrupt them in selling huge trucks, such as a proposal to factor pedestrians into vehicle safety ratings.</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><font face="arial"><div style="text-align: justify;">Apparently, roads layered with dead bodies is the price we need to pay for American "freedom".</div></font>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-4609637333982383702020-07-06T17:47:00.001-04:002020-07-06T17:47:47.967-04:00Too hot, too sunny<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We humans love to complain. It's difficult to make us satisfied. I'm not different. When it's winter, I know it's supposed to be cold, icy and snowy. Yet, the longer winter lasts the more I keep thinking about those dry summer days when I don't have to worry about wet weather, mud and freezing hands.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But then summer comes quickly and I start complaining that it's too hot and too sunny. Actually, I'm one of those weird ones who would rather ride a bike when it's cold than hot. Anything above 75F (24C) is too much for me. I can't understand how people in my family can say they miss those 85F summer days. But they don't ride bikes, so maybe that explains it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGFQGTT5pWiIdZAU89W0JWbsJtANT4Fq6bhBiLILaUxSHVZCHYU-WA6PTtmv7yJYfb7MoMdCYYyQkmI7jkG_MsDDHSTm_5EdeQ5IbfgTmJURjzp-xlMNRMw4QJs4phyXxbqt1YdHRSZwl/s1600/rw4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGFQGTT5pWiIdZAU89W0JWbsJtANT4Fq6bhBiLILaUxSHVZCHYU-WA6PTtmv7yJYfb7MoMdCYYyQkmI7jkG_MsDDHSTm_5EdeQ5IbfgTmJURjzp-xlMNRMw4QJs4phyXxbqt1YdHRSZwl/s320/rw4.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In fact, after years of cycling I came to a conclusion that the perfect cycling weather is 50-60F (10-15C), dry (no precipitation), not windy and partly cloudy. You don't need it to be any warmer when you're on a bike.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My biggest problem with summer cycling is the sun. There's too much of it. I overheat easily and even bringing enough water doesn't help. It's not so much about how much I drink, but about the constant exposure. I can't always ride in the shade and when I stay in the sunlight for too long my head overheats and I get bad headaches.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gHlOo8evrKKzdT-JzhVDbDy30e0iliJ-ctUCN1sTOgTOpDQM3H0O5_nAn_Jrv2SY6h70WpfBGN6VHyax3W1yGhH_BHMGZqQJVU5DWuITLbY96TvwjnHIMx-4SUByDHMxPuNNuon1Qqla/s1600/2012-07-12.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="800" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gHlOo8evrKKzdT-JzhVDbDy30e0iliJ-ctUCN1sTOgTOpDQM3H0O5_nAn_Jrv2SY6h70WpfBGN6VHyax3W1yGhH_BHMGZqQJVU5DWuITLbY96TvwjnHIMx-4SUByDHMxPuNNuon1Qqla/s320/2012-07-12.gif" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Source: yehudamoon.com)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thinking more about it, there are a few options I can try:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">wear a tinfoil hat to reflect the sunlight - out of the question for obvious reasons</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">soak my hat with water periodically to keep my head cool</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ride very early in the morning, from dawn to the time before it gets too hot and sunny</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ride late in the evening, possibly into the night</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last three options look quite good on paper. Wearing a wet hat may work, but I'll be using a lot more of my drinking water this way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Riding late in the evening is a good idea in general. Unfortunately, it would interfere with my family plans, since riding from, say, 4pm to 9pm means I would e.g. miss a family dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Riding early in the morning is likely the best option here. I could be out at 5am and ride until 9am, which means I could be back for breakfast on time. Maybe I could even squeeze in a ride before work, on weekdays. The only problem of course is getting up before 5am - a bit too early for my taste, to be honest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm going to give it a try. Meanwhile, if you know any reasonable options for riding in sunny weather, let me know in the comments.</span></div>
bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-62331746688363217412020-06-02T20:05:00.001-04:002020-06-02T20:06:23.616-04:00"If you think you live in the perfect country, you really have no imagination"<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's difficult to write anything right now. I could just take it easy and put a black square on Instagram, but I decided to write something here instead.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY63Hdc3Zu78A0i1EofWXdbKV0EsfOtlDc80ZEsKY30vLzuLvxd7vx0_4E9HIJmyRNxGFWzGofRnWH8bwIq1HpMowzpCujFORn8K2MYwxWlqkaldf0XGblhBYMycne56VwKJAnkMGsU1rO/s1600/_MG_4070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY63Hdc3Zu78A0i1EofWXdbKV0EsfOtlDc80ZEsKY30vLzuLvxd7vx0_4E9HIJmyRNxGFWzGofRnWH8bwIq1HpMowzpCujFORn8K2MYwxWlqkaldf0XGblhBYMycne56VwKJAnkMGsU1rO/s320/_MG_4070.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You all know what this is about. It's about that pre-existing condition that America had from day one and even before. How long can one live with cancer that is growing slowly inside? At some point things are going to spill out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I happened to live in three different countries in my life so far. I wasn't born here and my experiences and understanding is likely very different than the one of most Americans. But maybe this lets me look at this situation from a different angle. The main problem is - America has never tried to make peace with its past. Whether is the First Nations or people of color, their problems and harm done, have been continuously swept under the rug for decades. Instead of facing real issues, Americans just decided to tell themselves that they live in the "best country in the world".</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyF7diW8emFKjovja_WtKBmSMvWi7n8GCx_AuLJJlqWyLBSyDc2ymIkzTeW5kEqxC2hDzjq6WrLV3-BX1gKriQJD8JTtFYJZ1BY_ssOCooUhrJAfloBv8TkgoPENc0WBHhKH85K1IGEOdG/s1600/_MG_1735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyF7diW8emFKjovja_WtKBmSMvWi7n8GCx_AuLJJlqWyLBSyDc2ymIkzTeW5kEqxC2hDzjq6WrLV3-BX1gKriQJD8JTtFYJZ1BY_ssOCooUhrJAfloBv8TkgoPENc0WBHhKH85K1IGEOdG/s320/_MG_1735.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Such patriotism rarely happens in Europe. In Germany for example, people are generally very aware of mistakes they did in the past and learned not to repeat them in the future. As such, you can't expect to walk the streets of Berlin with a Nazi flag in hand and not being arrested. But in the United States this is perfectly possible, in the name of "freedom".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Freedom and egoism are two words I could describe Americans with. People here have a very different concept of freedom. While in Europe we know that personal freedom can't often go above and beyond the freedom of the whole nation, Americans are being very selfish. This is why you recently heard things like <i>"It's a free country and you can't make me wear a mask!"</i>, but it's also why any solutions that could potentially benefit the nation as whole are so difficult to implement here. Americans just somehow don't have the same feeling of being a part of one nation as many Europeans do. While Germans or Danes may agree that public preschools and universal healthcare are good for them because they're good for everyone, Americans in their selfish way would say <i>"Why should I pay for public school from my taxes if I don't have any kids?". </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While Finland, Denmark or Iceland are in <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2020/social-environments-for-world-happiness/">the top happiest countries in the world</a>, United States will have a serious difficulty ever getting to the podium. We focus on entirely different values here - money, wealth, career, consumption - and we stack cards in favor of those few who want to pursue those values at all cost: corporations. The rest, like many Americans of color, become victims of this system.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's time to change this. If all lives matter, then why do some matter less then the others?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOF5pwieKZCSkZj2ZUPNvEqgPPBodBEzJJssj7jTeD6Rwtm6YyXvcYkCV1iJuSTTLiLYO6D27FwmzakP_qypjO8hJZDompiwp2B8X2M0rpbIph_vX06Uy67og5u4oAtXsjT7bWUj93CkPF/s1600/CRW_8774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOF5pwieKZCSkZj2ZUPNvEqgPPBodBEzJJssj7jTeD6Rwtm6YyXvcYkCV1iJuSTTLiLYO6D27FwmzakP_qypjO8hJZDompiwp2B8X2M0rpbIph_vX06Uy67og5u4oAtXsjT7bWUj93CkPF/s320/CRW_8774.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>*** </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"But wait, I came here to read about bikes. How does it even relate to bicycles?"</i> - you may think.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It does. Our <a href="https://bklyner.com/brooklyn-cop-speaks-out-protests/">police force efficiency is rated by the number of tickets written and arrests made</a>, which makes cops naturally seek the weakest targets in order to improve statistics. These could be people of color or it could be bicyclists. NYPD is being especially "productive" here, responding typically with yet another "cyclists crackdown" and absolving drivers of any responsibility after nearly every car-bicycle collision in New York City.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This approach to policing somehow reminds me of communist police states in 1980's Eastern Europe. Police is then no longer a service to people - a formation to protect the citizens and enforce the law, but becomes a tool of oppression by the government. How come the freedom-loving Americans can ever tolerate this?</span></div>
bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-64290881757595588922020-05-08T22:11:00.000-04:002020-05-08T22:11:24.765-04:00Bear Brook State Park and my muddy misfortunes<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"He chose poorly"</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">- Guardian of The Holy Grail</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the long month of April, when air temperature never exceeded 70F (21C) and frequent rains soaked the soil like a sponge, the warmer weather has finally arrived. Unfortunately, plenty of sun and clear skies mean that now, in the middle of Covid-19 pandemic and after sitting at home for weeks, everyone wants to be outside. This presents a major problem - how to enjoy cycling, yet stay away from people?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Obviously, the solution is to ride somewhere where people don't go. That's easier said than done. Here, in Eastern Massachusetts, we simply don't have enough non-urbanized space and truly remote locations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For this reason, last weekend I decided to travel just across the border, to New Hampshire, and visit places around Bear Brook State Park. I figured that this forested area is large enough that even if more people show up later in the day, I should be able to social-distance myself just fine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=32528566&sampleGraph=true" style="border: none; height: 700px; min-width: 100%; width: 1px;"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It all started quite well. I drove up to Auburn, NH and left my car right next to the popular Rockingham Recreational Trail. At 7AM the trail was still empty and after a short ride, I left the trail to move north, along Tower Hill Pond. At the early hour I encounter only a few guys fly fishing and a couple of dog walkers. However, then my route took me by North Candia Rd into Bear Brook State Park and this is where things started getting dicey.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIM3_NFRnviwAyXfMAV82cEYsAWBURBNcOBAjXTnxLRomOi63Sr_eQjdFQ8KMJhLLgg1MHEP381sMEBHjvgC2H80TdAW7nRwtvErfuDhbJOH3nzcePaFC00RD8G486tUCbGtloZSsHKbyp/s1600/DSCF3744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIM3_NFRnviwAyXfMAV82cEYsAWBURBNcOBAjXTnxLRomOi63Sr_eQjdFQ8KMJhLLgg1MHEP381sMEBHjvgC2H80TdAW7nRwtvErfuDhbJOH3nzcePaFC00RD8G486tUCbGtloZSsHKbyp/s320/DSCF3744.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYfdQPWnnxzyUKD4ZeKt6H2tU4vkrsaFE3Dv5nbzegzwI-Bge_kqYaggE_rUDOFEz9cTQyoWd5AK_lmIPefWmYe9dBgKYZDL0JxnmqEcV3elDlEv45iCZI6uKd6YIpLTe5CWyAQ7WTJon/s1600/DSCF3762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYfdQPWnnxzyUKD4ZeKt6H2tU4vkrsaFE3Dv5nbzegzwI-Bge_kqYaggE_rUDOFEz9cTQyoWd5AK_lmIPefWmYe9dBgKYZDL0JxnmqEcV3elDlEv45iCZI6uKd6YIpLTe5CWyAQ7WTJon/s320/DSCF3762.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Routes through the parts are something like a cross between dirt roads and hiking trails and can get very muddy and rocky in places. I can't say I enjoyed "roads" consisting entirely of ankle-deep mud or those very steep trials looking more like someone just dumped a truckload of rocks there. I didn't enjoy them because you can't really ride your bike there. I had to do quite a bit of walking instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The situation has improved once I reached Podunk Rd - a fast, wide dirt road. Then, I continued along Lane Trail, which turned out to be a popular mountain bikers' destination, judging from tire tracks in the sand. Fortunately, the trail was still empty, even though it was already close to noon time. As such, I kept maintaining a proper social distance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Soon enough, I left the park and arrived at Epsom and at that point I thought the rest of the route should be easier. But I was wrong. Once I reached North Pembroke Rd things went south really quickly. As it turned out all roads around Whittemore Town Forest are actually ATV trails - very frequently used ATV trails, to be clear. That makes them completely ruined for anyone not on an ATV. Look, I realize that ATVs are "fun", but from a perspective of a cyclist (or a mountain biker) they are scourge to anyone who doesn't share the same type of fun. Honestly, I don't like drowning in mud or wading across giant puddles just because someone thinks cutting deep tracks in soil with massive tires is the best way to kill some time.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGMrcKWtsjffKUjxfxOFs5zRuKbd6zfPzUJLcq47Y_NTXyzwdCxmzd6BZY3r-WoCVEImvyylcqdxp2zx-ZWI1-65O4hyuIUKwsh7B6Gm2j6ioY010iYt5LwUO8YJnqWMBBe7KrTAevgrV/s1600/DSCF3742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGMrcKWtsjffKUjxfxOFs5zRuKbd6zfPzUJLcq47Y_NTXyzwdCxmzd6BZY3r-WoCVEImvyylcqdxp2zx-ZWI1-65O4hyuIUKwsh7B6Gm2j6ioY010iYt5LwUO8YJnqWMBBe7KrTAevgrV/s320/DSCF3742.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was really glad I finally reached safety of Route 3, even though it was a bit busy with the usual car traffic. At this point I was really tired of muddy trails and I was glad to be rolling on a regular road - Chester Turnpike. Unfortunately, the regularity of this road quickly became much less regular and became a very rough, muddy (again!) ATV trail. Even worse, a good chunk of it was completely flooded so I had no choice but to take shoes off and carry my bike over.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzddSEKqTi_85woFZ4XIwJ9RzDTrjj1vAhj62Y7pTM9RNOkaPItSRGV9rXk-9tqc4dBz8T8UUNqynjCT8NkQ_jRrpMPWVpgy7eV8sw-Da2kUKkdxVDjS7oFbpP__y2YpKlucl7vvJ2W_dd/s1600/DSCF3764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzddSEKqTi_85woFZ4XIwJ9RzDTrjj1vAhj62Y7pTM9RNOkaPItSRGV9rXk-9tqc4dBz8T8UUNqynjCT8NkQ_jRrpMPWVpgy7eV8sw-Da2kUKkdxVDjS7oFbpP__y2YpKlucl7vvJ2W_dd/s320/DSCF3764.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chester Turnpike (no kidding!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once I was through this mess, I entered Tower Hill Pond area again, but since it was early afternoon and very sunny, the place was then packed with cars and people. No chance of maintaining any social distance in such conditions, so I evacuated myself ASAP and went back home.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6rnRgWB1r26IgoEu_3iYSbPURDRiWqc1WPpTV2BUmPvdKOsyJ5oqp5-vmZhMevM3RFj8dszSr-3dI99yzDl4aRvv91iALiUlrE6MZkrJmHqQ-DxVxBc2TckFosGTLjZCEv1VxL3iwRZ0/s1600/DSCF3766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6rnRgWB1r26IgoEu_3iYSbPURDRiWqc1WPpTV2BUmPvdKOsyJ5oqp5-vmZhMevM3RFj8dszSr-3dI99yzDl4aRvv91iALiUlrE6MZkrJmHqQ-DxVxBc2TckFosGTLjZCEv1VxL3iwRZ0/s320/DSCF3766.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks for the advice! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my search for new places to ride and places that are free of cars and people, I have a bad tendency to choose poorly. Too often I end up in the middle of a swamp. Too often I have to walk my bike. Eastern Massachusetts is not exactly famous for open dirt roads with no car traffic - somewhere where you could just ride and enjoy the view. My only option is to either embrace the paved road or venture out farther. Much farther.</span></div>
bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-61770034217218113402020-04-25T22:20:00.000-04:002020-04-25T22:20:03.389-04:00Version 2.0<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This new virus reality sucks. It's been 7 weeks of social distancing so far and it doesn't look like end of it is near. I'm trying to find some positives about this situation but there aren't many. Not being able to attend family parties every weekend is actually one of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another one is cleaner air. When car traffic dropped dramatically, many cities reported a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/22/world/air-pollution-reduction-cities-coronavirus-intl-hnk/index.html">significant improvement in air quality</a>. People in India can see the Himalayas, while citizens of Los Angeles <a href="https://la.curbed.com/2020/3/26/21195699/pollution-los-angeles-traffic-coronavirus"><i>have the longest stretch of clean air since 1980</i></a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDl3AexrnsKFOs5h1qkH1X1Qx-TX5lqakpzWRA_1B_LsOsYTjPjNMq75L7cpmMZZdn1UL1FylV7xTHcw81o6ciJ02jY4JYtsKoAmKblB4zXktfNIIOPd8mHBRWuwpZjNJYYmuHw22b5nT/s1600/india.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDl3AexrnsKFOs5h1qkH1X1Qx-TX5lqakpzWRA_1B_LsOsYTjPjNMq75L7cpmMZZdn1UL1FylV7xTHcw81o6ciJ02jY4JYtsKoAmKblB4zXktfNIIOPd8mHBRWuwpZjNJYYmuHw22b5nT/s320/india.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Before and after - cleaner air in India due to reduction in car traffic (Source: CNN)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I see pictures like this I think that people are the virus and Covid-19 is the cure. You can get roughly the same impression from this excellent short animated movie - <a href="https://www.nfb.ca/film/what_on_earth/">What On Earth!</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I realize it's increasingly challenging for many folks out there. Unemployment is through the roof. Economy has slowed down to a crawl. In my case though, my work keeps me very busy and one thing I regret is that I cannot simply do things I love as much as I would like.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going on a bike ride is difficult. We are having a cool April, which means that every warm and sunny day results in hundreds of people going outside, walking, riding bikes, running, and playing. Everyone is waiting for warmer weather, but on top of that, people don't want to be stuck at home forever so they go out - all at once. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5EPOvvar_sw5TSbRkJySxatVp5RlsZlmdouVSDgAXkBewhI_SD1z5jCaUWxW35Cyuz5ZYHUdwikkk2O1PMI624Ld0gh3O-Q3i6vNt24XJlHu7xmJtMJxp-Eg4UmIKQxp07zU2ezOx3JD/s1600/DSCF3697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5EPOvvar_sw5TSbRkJySxatVp5RlsZlmdouVSDgAXkBewhI_SD1z5jCaUWxW35Cyuz5ZYHUdwikkk2O1PMI624Ld0gh3O-Q3i6vNt24XJlHu7xmJtMJxp-Eg4UmIKQxp07zU2ezOx3JD/s320/DSCF3697.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's not easy to find safe places to ride. Ideally, I should just visit a deep, remote forest (not many of those here in Eastern Massachusetts), otherwise there's no guarantee I won't encounter a large group of "roadies" riding together (I guess they didn't hear the news), just like this morning.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlYXVL6OhKbbangOptfoRjpF4Juvw77uVIOwrLuDjCirRa3J0aivjadZ8_z6LRM3WB_Ne4GoFkgX7iHYu-Nl16P0dK-06bNRDtNIEsuSNALkOfNqErWX0SFPEuF2VjGGlLbCBegAcbpYJ/s1600/DSCF3698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlYXVL6OhKbbangOptfoRjpF4Juvw77uVIOwrLuDjCirRa3J0aivjadZ8_z6LRM3WB_Ne4GoFkgX7iHYu-Nl16P0dK-06bNRDtNIEsuSNALkOfNqErWX0SFPEuF2VjGGlLbCBegAcbpYJ/s320/DSCF3698.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After this virus is over, we need to restart into a newer, better reality. We need Version 2.0.</span></div>
bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-430192753376952082020-03-31T22:18:00.003-04:002020-03-31T22:18:38.460-04:00Cancelled and postponed<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 23 of my quarantine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything is cancelled or postponed but after the early panic period things seem to stabilize a bit. It's easier to find food in grocery stores and some toilet paper rolls. I could never understand why one of the first items to quickly disappear from stores were cooking oil, ketchup and toilet paper. Seriously, how many liters of oil do you think you need to keep at home to survive?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apparently, with the weather getting warmer we can count on the situation to improve, since the virus doesn't live too long at elevated temperatures. Unfortunately, it would have to be well into the eighties (or over 30C) to have a meaningful effect, which means we may need to wait until June.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess that in order for things to get better, they will have get way worse first. Something tells me we are still about to reach the peak of this pandemic and judging by people's behavior, I don't think I'm wrong. Since all playgrounds and play fields are closed, on every warmer day there are masses of people going hiking in parks and forests. The tiny Whipple Hill Forest in Arlington must be packed on weekends, as evidenced by the number of cars parked all over the place.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkt0wXeLnVOEDf_1qDktkfmdZGABS4ylwTT7TB1aTJ0K_QNSt5y3PD41tE6-fMlBGyePaLag8Vcvr3-sJKOIIiyqVhZxwy6aiOD3fCR3Y0mWHOurG-9N6WEcwcfY5kaMiwX0kquSPwAC7i/s1600/DSCF3482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkt0wXeLnVOEDf_1qDktkfmdZGABS4ylwTT7TB1aTJ0K_QNSt5y3PD41tE6-fMlBGyePaLag8Vcvr3-sJKOIIiyqVhZxwy6aiOD3fCR3Y0mWHOurG-9N6WEcwcfY5kaMiwX0kquSPwAC7i/s320/DSCF3482.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because I have to visit my workplace on some days, for limited time, I went back to taking the Minuteman Bikeway to work again, ... only to abandon it ASAP. It feels strange to write this, but now, with so little traffic on roads, it's actually safer to take a road without any proper cycling infrastructure, than to ride on the Minuteman Bikeway. All because the roads are empty, while the Bikeway is packed with people. Social distancing? Not so much.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUjfDVqO2AIMlVSOQ6usfjQy0rboNkp4MHaom_58P2GOD2LlXUs46Bt3Tdj36qFXW64oUKu2BSsRA7FGlYO1kggPJgrbgYwR3SVYObyJU08LC500x5vSw-zKe7VCnq9FtQj2M_42qeTTb/s1600/DSCF3484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUjfDVqO2AIMlVSOQ6usfjQy0rboNkp4MHaom_58P2GOD2LlXUs46Bt3Tdj36qFXW64oUKu2BSsRA7FGlYO1kggPJgrbgYwR3SVYObyJU08LC500x5vSw-zKe7VCnq9FtQj2M_42qeTTb/s320/DSCF3484.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I understand that in order to retain any level of sanity in the current situation one must go outside once a while. Even in the middle of pandemic I don't want to completely give up on cycling. Given the situation, the best thing I could do is to ride in more remote places, where I know I won't likely see anyone.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97OTezls5TmXUP7vaMNRPR2fGTF4Lq2Ib-Wt5IZcmh2TnvQnBjH058Ad8hmfEVdR8uIMMdzQ4lDy0BAIDtj4hBH34uzMSC05761Lt_pbpBeXkKLQ6t5239663ic5CpffAsFd6ybR0unNC/s1600/DSCF3488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97OTezls5TmXUP7vaMNRPR2fGTF4Lq2Ib-Wt5IZcmh2TnvQnBjH058Ad8hmfEVdR8uIMMdzQ4lDy0BAIDtj4hBH34uzMSC05761Lt_pbpBeXkKLQ6t5239663ic5CpffAsFd6ybR0unNC/s320/DSCF3488.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmo-DjMNS67delBoR4AUy5sNbFO2pOEWjh8Ut4Y-b80qSY9_H4Ne-YzGrnlkATOgSVJs9Tzm8VkPBVRJRAZKhp9N-I06pWjsm90iMODQNSve7qgYcWAXpqBhJ5oK-weJfvwPBqDxfdFYgq/s1600/DSCF3492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmo-DjMNS67delBoR4AUy5sNbFO2pOEWjh8Ut4Y-b80qSY9_H4Ne-YzGrnlkATOgSVJs9Tzm8VkPBVRJRAZKhp9N-I06pWjsm90iMODQNSve7qgYcWAXpqBhJ5oK-weJfvwPBqDxfdFYgq/s320/DSCF3492.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay safe. Stay healthy.</span></div>
bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-29162706621404768472020-03-17T16:21:00.001-04:002020-03-17T16:21:31.697-04:00What happens at deer camp, stays at deer camp<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a weird time to be alive. I've been sitting at home for what feels like forever (actually just over a week), things have been pretty quiet outside, no school, low traffic, people trying to avoid each other and, of course, ... shortages of toilet paper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, the last weekend I had a long-planned trip to Vermont and at first I questioned whether I should still go. I would be spending 2 full days in a group of 10 people after all - and that's maybe not the best idea in times of <i>social distancing</i>. But then, I thought that since most of these people would be from rural Vermont and I likely have a higher chance of catching any illness by just going to my local grocery store, I decided it should be safe to go.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfTvvb0ujU5cRWmB8TOVINfVXqv_Lm6Rokg9Dz-PiiSgEZpy8TmhR6-5cJKyKz39CawPonZBLejqYirOIZdWf7D3dSj3gLioDQsavR7tPDZ9PwGZzjB6IfdLttpiW-6uCwr8RxwnS9C7Z/s1600/DSCF3241r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfTvvb0ujU5cRWmB8TOVINfVXqv_Lm6Rokg9Dz-PiiSgEZpy8TmhR6-5cJKyKz39CawPonZBLejqYirOIZdWf7D3dSj3gLioDQsavR7tPDZ9PwGZzjB6IfdLttpiW-6uCwr8RxwnS9C7Z/s320/DSCF3241r.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"2020 Eira Experience"</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> organized by </span><a href="https://www.analogcycles.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Analog Cycles</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, was originally planned as a fatbike ride through the snowy Green Mountains of Vermont. However, since this winter has been unusually</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> warm, there was no snow left, not counting a few frozen patches deep in the forest. We did face plenty of very mushy mud though and some flooded trails.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBg95shoOnX2s0i2HnUqUDhVPeihGD6FaPofAFec6MklMrzEyXABuiej5KtPL-m1702Q_byBWzLTIawBJtv4Ah8zh72qesZWTjjLP3YDb2feUdQilb2Q7i0hSFcau-qtr2Y64rJQ07Ph1P/s1600/DSCF3252r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBg95shoOnX2s0i2HnUqUDhVPeihGD6FaPofAFec6MklMrzEyXABuiej5KtPL-m1702Q_byBWzLTIawBJtv4Ah8zh72qesZWTjjLP3YDb2feUdQilb2Q7i0hSFcau-qtr2Y64rJQ07Ph1P/s320/DSCF3252r.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I don't own a fatbike, I decided to rent one and generally, it worked great. We rolled through some soggy snowmobile trails and often (ok, way too often), we pushed bikes uphill. Basically, it was lots of pushing and crawling.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKNM4seADYaRLPhWo4xhjeTD5BCVPwBi4B9amAjFSEYW7i-NksVbzlG-zXoLxPs9snyDVLlxOl7q5ou24dYlRYIYYZiuBhXEn_4_RXbBa5sWbaDEUebJWB0lYhicuo1wWz9tVEbuSoDCW/s1600/DSCF3261r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKNM4seADYaRLPhWo4xhjeTD5BCVPwBi4B9amAjFSEYW7i-NksVbzlG-zXoLxPs9snyDVLlxOl7q5ou24dYlRYIYYZiuBhXEn_4_RXbBa5sWbaDEUebJWB0lYhicuo1wWz9tVEbuSoDCW/s320/DSCF3261r.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, we reached our camp for the night - a hunting camp in "secret location". It was cozy and warm, with a large wood-burning stove in the middle.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeQZSaTQW_2Mk-HV-2EKY5uzP-pLVshESIv9VXh-gHuxSkltkrTJ6chFs3wYg9yE9aJa9jadRpIEYvFPNzqR8Fd8rW4ZhVH7EwRRL1o2IqEAR-c__gcbaGhaSiyFFxReHiXbUfx54Qrdo/s1600/DSCF3276r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeQZSaTQW_2Mk-HV-2EKY5uzP-pLVshESIv9VXh-gHuxSkltkrTJ6chFs3wYg9yE9aJa9jadRpIEYvFPNzqR8Fd8rW4ZhVH7EwRRL1o2IqEAR-c__gcbaGhaSiyFFxReHiXbUfx54Qrdo/s320/DSCF3276r.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMuqe1fASx64oVWOjVl5frGy8pMK_YS2Aum0Eh_rTs_xv-_OmEj3lq6XZ_UL-EliyRzVBb4mZLzCFrkMhqOCw8VB2V7maKu-HX4d48_OfK-VeezfckDlwVKAOjqNtxmV5HgjCZ-c7AT07/s1600/DSCF3279r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMuqe1fASx64oVWOjVl5frGy8pMK_YS2Aum0Eh_rTs_xv-_OmEj3lq6XZ_UL-EliyRzVBb4mZLzCFrkMhqOCw8VB2V7maKu-HX4d48_OfK-VeezfckDlwVKAOjqNtxmV5HgjCZ-c7AT07/s320/DSCF3279r.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnQ_NwNzkgkLyUwkEEu5yaLu977guQNufZR0Llsq_BJssvmS2MJVeFaO71GHj38edYHonJoBCZ1GRv9HDwvH789Ith36Dx9mEU_O88kIh46bS7ZS0eT9eu7V34qbpReaJhEnaowzYEQxS/s1600/DSCF3306r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnQ_NwNzkgkLyUwkEEu5yaLu977guQNufZR0Llsq_BJssvmS2MJVeFaO71GHj38edYHonJoBCZ1GRv9HDwvH789Ith36Dx9mEU_O88kIh46bS7ZS0eT9eu7V34qbpReaJhEnaowzYEQxS/s320/DSCF3306r.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We ate tacos, shared stories, drank bourbon laced with maple syrup and sat by the fire. (Plus some of us decided to consume mezcal grubs for a midnight snack.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMuqe1fASx64oVWOjVl5frGy8pMK_YS2Aum0Eh_rTs_xv-_OmEj3lq6XZ_UL-EliyRzVBb4mZLzCFrkMhqOCw8VB2V7maKu-HX4d48_OfK-VeezfckDlwVKAOjqNtxmV5HgjCZ-c7AT07/s1600/DSCF3279r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFR3a4mBtz6bowu3xWo5rFKmNMfJ_xV-57rYk7sqMMUuXv1zmuJ_GzfVxIE2Msi1unCYq1g4BZRxszaG4swFafH8MaC8UVhq80cuHaNYCLfmamxf-bKPiZocaUnm2iJLDFWXs5_9lYmkv/s1600/DSCF3316r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFR3a4mBtz6bowu3xWo5rFKmNMfJ_xV-57rYk7sqMMUuXv1zmuJ_GzfVxIE2Msi1unCYq1g4BZRxszaG4swFafH8MaC8UVhq80cuHaNYCLfmamxf-bKPiZocaUnm2iJLDFWXs5_9lYmkv/s320/DSCF3316r.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day morning was noticeably colder, with only 23F (-5C) outside. We had breakfast, slowly packed up and head back to the shop. It was a great way to break up this winter, even though it unfortunately had to happen in the middle of virus outbreak.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhDkLTyjAhWRQ-ENA6YiXuDeESnNQm2dNJLEHf37hlPA3dGZVYXZe0VT7-pdP6rOHEZXy3FoOJCQFrd4wwWh4GhJxG2fAQwNWKmjOkx97JZ620s2UYavzfMvafxo5kVWh4SOtPJ4MZG0L/s1600/DSCF3340r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhDkLTyjAhWRQ-ENA6YiXuDeESnNQm2dNJLEHf37hlPA3dGZVYXZe0VT7-pdP6rOHEZXy3FoOJCQFrd4wwWh4GhJxG2fAQwNWKmjOkx97JZ620s2UYavzfMvafxo5kVWh4SOtPJ4MZG0L/s320/DSCF3340r.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let the warmer days arrive.</span></div>
bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-88667066392899234802020-01-31T23:58:00.002-05:002020-01-31T23:58:42.877-05:00How to deal with the size problem?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking at the recent news, it's becoming very clear that our cities are having a serious size problem, that is, cars became too large, to the point when they present a serious danger to anyone on the outside of a car.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just look around you the next time you're out on a street. It feels like at least a third of all cars are <i>"Stadtpanzer"</i>, as Germans call them - <i>"city tanks"</i>. Their drivers may feel safer, even though this large size <a href="https://kfor.com/2018/06/12/two-of-americas-most-popular-suvs-earned-poor-ratings-in-crash-test/">doesn't necessarily translate into excellent crash test ratings</a>. However, these massive SUVs are <a href="https://jalopnik.com/suvs-are-28-percent-more-likely-to-kill-other-drivers-i-1838994674">28% more likely to kill other drivers in a crash</a> (which is still an improvement as it used to be 132% more!).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXJ179t6p2wBfViDelAp_W8ID-x8TQVdineL6CG24K0taXkEn884GdZw_lfGDr_-UJcXUyYtdL9FBqArrMEmfhjZUZAvblkVg6r0RNXvExpU52CPPaAgNeMvp2_eHH9sjiC4dA6aWaME8/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="976" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXJ179t6p2wBfViDelAp_W8ID-x8TQVdineL6CG24K0taXkEn884GdZw_lfGDr_-UJcXUyYtdL9FBqArrMEmfhjZUZAvblkVg6r0RNXvExpU52CPPaAgNeMvp2_eHH9sjiC4dA6aWaME8/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For pedestrians, these numbers are a lot higher - if you're hit by a small, lightweight sedan, chances are you end up with broken legs and you would be thrown on top of the hood. But if you're hit by a large SUV, your torso gets crushed and you typically end up under the car. One doesn't need to be an expert to picture what is worse.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, there are trucks - something Americans just love to death. The death of anyone who happens to end up in front of the hood, of course. American trucks may be dependable workhorses, but unfortunately they were not designed for city use.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 2020 Chevy Silverado HD (seen advertised during this NFL football game) seems specially-designed to make people in front of this wall of truck invisible. <a href="https://t.co/FibNLs2cUF">pic.twitter.com/FibNLs2cUF</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— big trucktural change (@bikepedantic) <a href="https://twitter.com/bikepedantic/status/1216484945784340480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2020</a></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The biggest problem with American trucks are their ridiculously high hoods - often as high above the ground as a roof of regular sedan. This may work fine on an open highway, but is extremely dangerous in crowded cities. The blind zone ahead is simply enormous. In a recent experiment, <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/13-investigates-millions-vehicles-have-unexpected-dangerous-front-blind-zone">KidsAndCars.org showed how large this blind zone can be</a> by placing sitting children in front of a typical, large family SUV.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PcDQTe6EK6CYFPJBkO5xiFmnQJJr8x4bkSGRVVMB4VsVUFCsiR2KVqbATm8oGUDNoLkYu_amVTNsn51_ayRwCEeIQvbEQ5kxQZ3IpdqZupCpRbxtgNOJmE2v2_Wu-en4HBUg4PusvNL_/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1600" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PcDQTe6EK6CYFPJBkO5xiFmnQJJr8x4bkSGRVVMB4VsVUFCsiR2KVqbATm8oGUDNoLkYu_amVTNsn51_ayRwCEeIQvbEQ5kxQZ3IpdqZupCpRbxtgNOJmE2v2_Wu-en4HBUg4PusvNL_/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took 9 kids, sitting in a row, to finally notice the top of the head of the last one of them, from behind the steering wheel. This really gives you a good idea how badly our modern SUVs are designed. And pick-up trucks are even worse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No wonder more and more cities are planning on banning large SUVs. I read earlier about Berlin limiting access of <i>"Stadtpanzer"</i> into the city center. Then European Transport Safety Council <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/337600/suvs-should-be-banned-from-city-centres-to-protect-pedestrians-and-cyclists-safety-commission-warns/">has urged all cities to do the same</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that's in Europe. Here in America we are still in love affair with cars - the larger the better. And nothing seems like this romance is going to end. Just yesterday, <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/30/gmc-hummer-ev-truck-reveal-may-20/">GMC decided to revive the most obnoxious, anti-city tank</a> ever introduced - the Hummer, as a 1000hp electric vehicle. Coming soon to your neighborhood street.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it comes to cars, we are still taking a completely ass-backwards approach.</span>bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-85714755725936344592019-12-24T12:57:00.000-05:002019-12-24T12:57:38.020-05:00Happy (Christmas) Holidays (unless you're stuck in traffic)!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's this season again when if you really have to go to the mall, better go there by bike. Otherwise, you are at risk of being stuck in heavy car traffic for a half an hour just to enter the parking lot, only to wait another hour to find a parking spot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, as <a href="https://bostonbybike.blogspot.com/2014/12/when-is-best-time-to-start-riding-your.html">I mentioned before</a>, I think the best time to try to ride your bike in the city in exactly now - between Christmas and New Year's Day. Last night I was on my way to a liquor store to pick up some wine for the Christmas dinner when some dude in a pimpmobile yelled at me for slowing him down by roughly 3, maybe 4, seconds. I think he yelled "Move!", although I could swear that from the outside of his car it sounded a lot more like "I have a small d**k!".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone seems rushing these days, especially right before Christmas, but drivers are always impatient. It's almost like once we sit behind the steering wheel, we stop to notice anyone else on the road. If you're on a bicycle - you lost. If you're a pedestrian - forget it. You may as well stay home, since crossing American streets is a sport for only the very patient and determined ones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My mom, my sister, and her 4-month-old trying to cross a street in Chattanooga, TN. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unsignalized crosswalks are a decades-long gaslight perpetrated by traffic engineers on America's pedestrians. <a href="https://t.co/JKZQ4odWiX">pic.twitter.com/JKZQ4odWiX</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— The Pumpkin Spice Must Flow (@WarrenJWells) <a href="https://twitter.com/WarrenJWells/status/1207398260928892929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2019</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Neighbors near Arkansas Ave. and Varnum Street have been asking to make the intersection safer and tonight I saw why. <a href="https://t.co/K5SRvF8aB1">pic.twitter.com/K5SRvF8aB1</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Janeese Lewis George (@Janeese4DC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Janeese4DC/status/1205297527249088512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2019</a></span></div>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may think, in the future we won't have this problem - autonomous cars will automatically stop for pedestrians at the crosswalks, but I wouldn't be so sure. Apparently, car companies now basically <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3064539/self-driving-mercedes-will-be-programmed-to-sacrifice-pedestrians-to-save-the-driver">program their AVs to kill you</a>. That is - to kill you if you're a pedestrian. They don't want to harm their clients - the drivers. Something tells me that if you take a self-driving car to your destination, dying in a crash due to software error should be a calculated risk you should be signing for. It was your choice to "drive" after all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that won't happen anytime soon. We will have to wait longer for all new cars to come with a massive door sticker "Driving kills". Which is why my idea for automated red light pop-up bollards at every intersection and crosswalk should be implemented ASAP.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile, we could just <a href="https://boston.curbed.com/2019/11/15/20961871/boston-ban-cars-downtown">start with banning cars</a> on at least the most walkable streets in the city. After living in the Boston area for the last 15+ years, I still don't understand why neither Newbury St, nor Hanover St (to give just two examples) are not permanently closed for cars (any thru-traffic).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Or we could <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adammillsap/2019/11/21/is-it-time-to-take-highways-out-of-cities/#171d5fb61a04">take the highways out of our cities</a>...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But we won't, because as Michelle Wu said - barriers are almost entirely political:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My takeaways from today’s <a href="https://twitter.com/GlobeSpotlight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GlobeSpotlight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeeingRed?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SeeingRed</a>:<br /><br />🛑 We’re not imagining it. Traffic really is that bad<br /><br />🚍 Our transpo system is in crisis but we know how to fix it! Even small shifts have a big impact<br /><br />🕴The barriers are almost entirely POLITICAL<a href="https://t.co/PRqhzazDwg">https://t.co/PRqhzazDwg</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Michelle Wu 吳弭 (@wutrain) <a href="https://twitter.com/wutrain/status/1196963805865160705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2019</a></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's true. We're not trying to push boundaries in some antimatter research here - we know what to do: solutions exist and good examples are plentiful. But until the leadership changes, we will stay stuck in traffic, wait for the bus that never comes and be yelled by an impatient pimp with an undersized wiener.</span></div>
bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969807322809516965.post-73125681300121633552019-12-13T09:04:00.000-05:002019-12-13T09:04:50.238-05:00Twelve Days of Christmas<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Christmas season is upon us, which means that here we go again - it's time to play the same old Christmas songs that we all know and honestly have enough of. Not only we have to listen to the same oldies wherever we go this time of year, but also those songs often feel outdated and don't represent the true Christmas spirit of modern times. Which is why I decided to update the lyrics of one holiday classic. Sing with me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>On the twelve days of Christmas my bike ride gave to me,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Twelve drivers speeding,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Eleven drivers texting,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Ten cars idling,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Nine trucks passing</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Way to close to me!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Eight near misses,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Seven drivers vicious,</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Six </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">blocked bike lanes,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Five </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">delayed trains,</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Four that smelled like pee!</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">trucks coal-rolling,</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Two that ran on red,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>One person dead,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>And our Mayor in a SUV!</i></span><br />
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bostonbybikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002562971047930168noreply@blogger.com0