I heard a rumor it was raining outside, but I figured since the weather report on my smartyphone said there was a 40% chance of rain I would probably be able to avoid getting too terribly wet, seeing as how I was only riding a couple of miles. Welp, that 40% chance was 100% chance, and the ride down Bedford Avenue on Brompty reminded me–again–that fenders are good thing if you’re going to ride in the rain. Fortunately, I don’t melt, so I just kept on pedaling and when i got to the donut shoppe to meet E. I took cover under this scaffolding, rung out the back of my skirt, and listened to the music coming from the church behind me. The thing about NYC is that there’s always scaffolding. And then there were artisan donuts and a cold, wet ride up the Franklin Avenue bike lane to home, with extra donuts in a bag for yesterday’s half marathoner. This wasn’t the best weather for a ride, but I’d still rather ride in the rain than get around any other way. Thanks, New York, for another excellent weekend enjoying your fine bicycle infrastructure.
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View From a Pier Along the Gwynns Falls Trail Near Harbor Hospital
Today’s ride started early early, up with the sun in anticipation for the short ride to Waverly to meet J., C., and our new beehive! I spent a goodly portion of my childhood wanting to be a beekeeper, so when they asked if I wanted to go in on a hive together, well, that was a no brainer. We spent an hour and a half moving the combs from the home hive to our new one and then staring at the hive, wondering if the bees were ok, if the bees that were in the box would find their way home to the new hive, if there was a queen in there even though we didn’t see her, and just generally being excited about the appearance of bees on the scene. Continue reading
View From a Footbridge Near Ashbourne & June in Arbutus
I had to come into campus for a full day of meetings and things today–a total bummer given that the sun was going to come out after several days of rain and I was feeling a bicycle ride. Solution: multimodal commute with the Brompty, and that’s what I did, flying down the hill to catch the 9:25 train to the Halethorpe station, not even 3 miles from campus. Continue reading
Storage Container in the Field at Frank C. Bocek Park at Edison Highway & E. Madison
Monday was a beautiful sunny day that called for bare arms, bare legs, and a bicycle ride. I started with a quick flight down the hill to meet E. for lunch and a chat about public history. I tried to stay after to get a little work done, but it was just too tempting, the fresh air and warm breeze, so I packed up my things, hopped on the bike, and took a left on Biddle. Continue reading
Trees and Trucks at Falls & Shawan in Cockeysville
It’s Saturday, which meant it was time for another long ride in preparation for the big ride coming up next month. J. was leading the same ride as last week, this time with an extra loop to get the mileage up. I woke up to sunny skies out my bedroom window, warm in the sun, so I put on not-enough-layers and sunscreen before heading up to the farmer’s market to meet today’s riders. Continue reading
Pierce’s Park on Pier Five at the Inner Harbor
And some days you are pretty much just going through the motions, but fortunately, going through the motions for me means I get to ride my bike, which I did, down to Harbor East for a quick swim and then over to the Inner Harbor piers for lunch. I walked my bike to lunch so I could give my legs a different stretch, and I heard what sounded like a xylophone coming from over there. It’s Pierce’s Park, and it was all wavy lines and dulcet tones and children running around and climbing things like they do at every park. It was seriously a class act. Continue reading
View From a Bench Along Riverside Park Path in Riverside Park in Federal Hill
Baltimore’s getting the temperature right, but wow, this place had the wind machine on high today, so I had to keep pedaling down the hill to keep from being pushed off my line by the wind. It was good, though, just to be outside on a bicycle with naked legs, so many promises for the months to come. Continue reading
Tiny Blue Flowers on the Grass at President & E. Baltimore
Oh, spring, please just get here! It looked like I got my wish this morning, and when the weather report suggested in might reach 50 degrees today, I actually considered leaving my tights at home. Yeah, no. My ride took me speeding down the hill thanks to a significant tailwind I new would bite me on the way back, a left turn over to Canton for some reading and a coupon redemption–for a mani-pedi, my first and quite likely last; it kinda felt like a fairly massive waste of time and it looks like I’m wearing tiny Easter eggs on my fingertips. Continue reading
View Down the Shore Bikeway at Erskine in Brooklyn
Yesterday’s ride was a short one-down the hill to Penn Station on the Brompton for our ritzy train ride up to NYC. Best laid plans to ride across ALL THE BRIDGES were spoiled by a snowy deluge-this cat does not ride on ice- but today it was warm, sunny, and breezy, just perfect for a ride. I wrote down directions from Crown Heights to Jamaica Bay so I could see water, and off I went. My map took me out Eastern Parkway on its busy bike/ped path where you can see the segregated neighborhoods switch over by who is sitting on the benches to a right onto Rockaway’s buffered bike lane filled with glass and double parked cars, and then through the scrap metal district leading to that Brooklyn that looks like Queens to me, all single-family homes with awkward awnings and the lattice work that looks like it’s done with bed poles-you know what I mean if you’ve seen it. I dodged some hairy traffic back on Rockaway, but then I was on the bike/ped path that hugs the shore of Jamaica Bay, and oh, it was smooth sailing. It is still obvious that Hurricane Sandy was here, and much of the ride was sandwiched between the KEEP OUT signs of rebuilding and the cars speeding by on the Belt Expressway. I pedaled out until the path disappeared, got lost in Queens due to my tendency to follow a bike lane no matter what, and then I was 12 miles out, taking a break, performing a quick shifter repair, saying my good mornings to this particular set of dogs, and wondering when they’ll rebuild all the tiny piers outside the homes at 165th Ave. and 99th Street. The ride home was into the wind but worth it as I retraced my steps, and this spot, at least, was downhill. Pedaling along under the NYC sun, yep, I am pretty lucky. Lesson learned again: it is always worth it to take your bike along if you can.
Blue Skies, Trees, and Naked Poles at E. Lafayette & S. President
I woke up to snowy skies and yesterday’s wind, but I was pretty much dedicated to riding my bike to the gym to go for a swim in an attempt to get back on a schedule, so that’s what I did after some reading and writing. I layered up, put on my hat and gloves, and pulled the bike out. And the wind. Wow, it was cold, and there was a thin layer of ice everywhere in the shade. I carried my bike down the stairs, put a foot on an icy spot, almost slipped, and reconsidered my dedication to taking a bike ride. I am, however, quite stubborn, so I hopped on, tried not to brake, and was on my way. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 