Today’s ride took me up through Druid Hill park and over to Mondawmin Mall for a little shopping. The ride was just beautiful–under gray skies but through lush green and around a silvery reservoir to the Jones Falls Trail and its twists up and over to the conservatory and the zoo. I rode to the side of the conservatory to check out the giant agave plant’s flower. Continue reading
Druid Hill Park
A Curve in the Jones Falls Trail From Druid Hill Park to Woodberry
I woke up well rested this morning, a rather rare occurrence lately. I’m having this problem where I’m in such a lovely mood that I am trying to stay awake long enough to not miss it. Thing is, I need sleep, and I got a good lot of it last night, which meant I was pretty much immediately ready to hop out of bed and take a nice bike ride around town. I headed over to Druid Hill Park where the neighborhood was doing laps–walking, jogging, high-stepping, and bicycling. It was a bit crowded, so I took the left off the reservoir path and onto the Jones Falls Trail, under tree canopies and around the arboretum, dodging zoo traffic and disc golfers, and then I was headed down the hill to Woodberry. I snapped this picture at one of the switchbacks on this prettiest part of the trail. It was all green and blue skies and a rare whisper of a cloud, and it felt so good, so at home, to be rolling down to another neighborhood for brunch. I ended up eschewing the newer, fancier choice for an old favorite, but that meant a ride along Clipper Mill Road in all its lushness for a short climb back to Hampden. And then I took the bike back toward Waverly for a stop in a garden to peek in on a beehive before spinning home. It was a perfect sunny Saturday morning, made inestimably better by traveling by bike.
Safety Cone Overlooking Northwest Baltimore From Druid Hill Park
N. and I were getting ready to head to Druid Hill Park for a second day of Pride festivities. She was driving, but I’d have to head home first. “Why don’t you toss Brompty in the trunk?” Great idea. I folded up the bike, grabbed my helmet, and we were off. Continue reading
Remains of a Demolished Building at Druid Park Lake Drive & Brookfield
Summer arrived today, and along with the heat and humidity it brought summer school with it, so most of today was spent prepping for class and then holding it in a chilled room on the ground floor of an otherwise empty building up on campus. I got home tired and feeling lazy, but I hadn’t been on the bike since Sunday; that just won’t do. I changed into my favorite summer riding skirt and a tank top, tossed my personal music player in my bag, and clipped in for a ride over to Druid Hill Park, because tonight all I wanted to do was listen to songs and pedal mindlessly with all the other folks out enjoying the turn of the seasons. Continue reading
Pedestrian Bridge in Patapsco State Park in Ellicott City
A. asked if I wanted to go for a bike ride this weekend, and surprise, surprise, I did! Today’s ride took us from my neighborhood to Ellicott City and back, by way of the Gwynns Falls Trail, Patapsco Valley State Park, the Trolley Trail, and the Gwynns Falls Trail again, and oh, was it lovely. It was 0ddly a little chilly with whirling winds, so we kept our jackets on as we pedaled down the hill, around the harbor, and up through Federal Hill to pick up the Gwynns Falls Trail and a route I remember from our ride back into town a couple weeks ago. Continue reading
The View From the East End of the Druid Park Reservoir
Thursday’s ride took me up the hill and around Hampden before dropping back down to Druid Hill Park for some laps around the reservoir where I wanted to get a sense of what ten, twelve, and fourteen miles an hour on flat terrain feels like (thank you, wristwatchcomputerthingy!). I put some music in my ears and got in the lane, round and round I went. I passed that woman and her muppet dog a bunch of times, the three women out for a jog who were doing some speed work on that one lap, geese having sex (happy Valentine’s Day!), and lots of folks just out for a stroll. I snapped this picture looking out over the city on my fourth lap; I love the view here, sometimes because I can see so many neighborhoods, other times, like this day, because it’s mostly sky, an excellent reminder that the rest is pretty small. A couple more laps and it was time to head home, but I could have gone around in circles for another hour or two, just what I needed.
Geese on the Druid Hill Park Reservoir
Oh, it wasn’t easy to leave the perfect mid-70s sunshine of New Orleans for the sleeting skies of Baltimore, but I live here now, so there you go. Yesterday was a bit chilly, but we got a surprise (to me) warm up under heavy clouds today. Things started to look more and more like rain, so I put on my bike shoes and headed to the park for a few turns around the reservoir. It was so, so warm, so I took off my coat, shoved it in my pannier, and pedaled my way to the park. Continue reading
Public Places, Sacred Spaces Bench in Druid Hill Park Behind Clipper Park Road
Yesterday’s bike ride was long, made longer by an nighttime ride to and from Federal Hill for a fundraising party where it was all dancing, so today I woke up sore and tired, legs like lead. But it was Sunday morning, and it was Sunday Morning Hiking Club, so I had to stretch and get on out there. Today we walked through Druid Hill Park. I’ve biked all over that park dozens of times, but I’d actually never *walked* in it–makes it a totally different place. We started at this small section of the park behind the new apartments in Woodberry. The clearing is covered with leftovers from Baltimore’s city marble quarry (or something). And there was this bench–it has a little spot underneath to stow a book, including a little plastic cover to keep the pages safe in the rain. Apparently there are a number of benches like this in Baltimore parks, but it was new to me. Sometimes it’s better to walk. A few hours later and I was home, working, and then, I don’t know if you’ve heard but…the Ravens are going to the Super Bowl!
Sunset Behind Bare Trees in Druid Hill Park on the Jones Falls Trail
I had one of those perfectly lovely days, the kind where you wake up where you’re supposed to be and spend your morning doing things you’re supposed to be doing, and then there’s a meeting, but then you’re on your bike riding through the park on an unseasonably warm day. That part’s wrong, but like so very many wrong things, it feels so good. It was like springtime on my bare legs as I pedaled along, I swear. Continue reading
View Over the Jones Falls From the Wyman Park Drive Overpass Over the JFX
Finally, I got to take a bike ride again. This out-of-town-and-working business is really putting a dent in my bicycling time, amongst other things. I only had about 45 minutes to spare on this busy work day, but I took what I could get and hopped on the bike toward Druid Hill Park for a few quick laps around the reservoir. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 