Today I got to ride a brand new kind of ride for me. J. was leading a training ride up to Oregon Ridge State Park, and I have to admit, I was kinda a-skeered to join her because of all the hills. I ride up the hill and down the hill all the time in Baltimore, but this was going to be different, all rolling hills, and I didn’t know what they’d be like AND WHAT IF I HAD TO GET OFF MY BIKE AND PUSH IT UP THE HILL. Continue reading
Baltimore
Safety Signs at 26th & Charles
A short ride down the hill, a little dancing, a short ride up the hill–so much easier than walking or driving. On the way back I snapped this picture of safety signs reading “Road Closed 1000ft” and “Road Closed 1500ft” behind a fence at 16th & Charles. Charles is a main drag, but wow, its asphalt is like a backstreet. They’re repaving in chunks, and above 29th is a mess, but the mess will move down here, slowly but surely, and hopefully it will make it to at least Baltimore Street, but how will people get around once it meets downtown? No wonder we like to think our infrastructure has always been there and always will be, no matter if we ignore it–it’s such a hassle. But somebody up there knows we just have to suck it up and do it, and in the meantime these signs will let us know what to do and keep us safe, because for some reason when we see orange we just go around. I wonder how they made that happen. Tomorrow, a long ride, up hills. Better get to bed.
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
The Field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Downtown Baltimore
Sunday’s bike ride took me and the Surly downtown for a historical tour of Oriole Park and Camden Yards, another hit brought to us by the folks at Baltimore Heritage. To be honest, I was a tired out bicyclist after Saturday’s ride, and if I hadn’t booked this tour weeks earlier, I might have chosen to stay home and rest up with all the homework I saved for the very last day of spring break (yep, teachers do that too), but I’m glad I went. Continue reading
Mural on a Building at Guilford & Lanvale
It was cold and rainy yesterday and dark and cloudy this morning, but by the time I got on the Surly the sun was out, the sky was blue, and it felt like springtime. I zoomed down the hill and around the side of downtown Baltimore for a quick swim in the pool before heading the other way and up to Locust Point for some treats. It had been almost a week since I did this typical ride and it felt like home, the same row houses and red lights and intersections where cars tend to just run right on through the crosswalks so you have to be extra careful, even when you’ve got the green. It’s nice to get to know a place, but it’s also nice to just know one, and Baltimore’s a good one. Continue reading
Pier Into the Bay at Middle Branch Park
Oh yes, it’s spring break, and I need it, badly. I have a zillion things to get done this week, but this weekend I am going to take a much needed actual vacation, and it started with a bike ride on a relatively warm day, in and out of the wind. I hopped on the Surly and headed down the hill, a quick stop for bike gloves and and then for a sandwich, and I was on my way to the Gwynns Falls Trail and a ride over to Middle Branch Park. I took my time, pedaling slowly into the wind–every direction was a headwind today, it seemed–and enjoying the sights. Continue reading
Broken Chain in the Board of Ed Parking Lot at Guilford & North Ave.
And then some days you set out for a short recovery ride up to Federal Hill for a sandwich and a massage, but you make it less than a mile before the chain just flies right off the bicycle. Shifting has been a bit wonky for the last few rides, and I swear I was going to clean her innards soon, but alas, too late for that. I ran us home, took the car for errands, and then all of us went to the bike shop. The Surly’s going to spend the night and get a tune-up, drivetrain clean, new bar wraps, two new water bottle holders, and a new rear rack to finally replace the sad panda rack that has been broken and rattling since we got hit by that car two years ago. Sometimes your girl let’s you know she needs a little tlc, and this one surely deserves a spa day.
Tracks at Jones Station Along the B&A Trail in Severa Park
It’s Sunday, which meant it was time for another longer ride since, you know, I’m an athlete-in-training and all. I did that thing I always said I’d never do–I drove my bicycle somewhere in order to ride it. That seems so silly since the point is to not drive, right? Well, I need some time just sitting in the saddle and pedaling along, and I can’t into the proper groove with the stop-and-go of city biking. I strapped the Surly on the back of my car and drove to the train station by the airport and then just followed the signs. It only took about a mile to get into a rhythm, rolling past chain link fences and parking lots and gas stations and VFW posts and over the wooden bridges that add an out-of-place class to the loop trail. Continue reading
Run-Down Mansion at Frederick & Millington in West Baltimore
It’s March 1 and spring is in the air, so when I saw those Friday meetings on my work calendar, it just made sense to take the bike instead of driving. It has been awhile since I rode to campus, but I just followed my bike’s memory and away we went, down the hill, a right turn up the hill, and over into West Baltimore. The neighborhoods change so fast over here. Bolton Hill is so fancy pants, but crossing into Marble Hill blight comes quick. Continue reading
Safety Cone on a Toppled Mailbox on St. Paul & Chase
Thursday night’s ride was brief–down the hill, a lovely dinner with a new friend, and a slow walk up the hill, because sometimes I feel like walking, especially when my legs are feeling a little heavy and I’ve got some thinking to do. The night was cool, but that kind of cool that suggests tomorrow might be a little bit warm because spring is on the way. On the walk back I snapped this picture of an overturned mailbox with a safety cone on top it. What’s being kept safe is a bit unclear, but I’m safety girl, so I suppose I appreciate the warning. I saw this alert earlier in the day from my car window, and it reminded me of New Orleans and the way folks would alert their neighbors about potholes by putting a stool, halogen lamp, wicker chair, or some other tall household item in them. By NOLA standards this safety cone business is downright official.
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 