It wasn’t much of a week for bicycling, I’m sad to say. Workdays stretched into the night, and then there was the part where it was just flipping hot out. Why, September, why must you be all mid-90s and humid? I want my cooler air cycling, please! I did a quick pedal down the hill to meet S. for a beer on Tuesday night, but other than that, nothing. Continue reading
Hampden
View of the Sky from a Waverly Back Patio
Friday’s ride started early with a morning pedal over to R.’s to sit on her back porch and ostensibly talk about our project, but we got waylaid by jokes and girl talk and such, sipping coffee and staring up at this beautiful sky–all blue and green, the power lines a punctuation more than anything, because that was my mood, sitting there with my friend in her neighborhood, feeling at home here. And then I rode over to Hampden for an appointment, pedaling as fast as I could because that neighborhood is always farther away that I think, and I do not like to be late. An hour later and I was riding home to grab my car for the drive to work. Oh, I would rather be on a bicycle these days, especially as the weather just starts its turn to that part where full sun doesn’t mean full sweat and the breezes are actually cool. Bring it, fall. This bicyclist is ready to transition, and I’ve got my windproof gear all ready for a long winter. And I want to sit out on that patio and watch the leaves turn gold and red and orange and then stare up at bare branches against a chilly blue sky. Sometimes I don’t want time to pass, but right now I’m ready for it. I’m glad I get to tour the changes by bike.
Virginia Creeper Covering Everything But Two Tree Trunks in Druid Hill Park
Today’s ride took me over to Waverly and then up to Druid Hill Park for some laps around the reservoir where I could safely listen to a song or two on repeat. Halfway around the circle and I was zipping through clouds of gnats. I ducked my head down, but there’s no way out but through with these things. Not willing to hold my breathe for the long straightaway, I veered off the path and up over toward the Jones Falls Trail for air hopefully less filled with these tiny bugs. I stopped to snap this picture on the bridge over the falls on the way to the zoo. Continue reading
Alcohol and Televisions at David’s 1st & 10 Sports Bar at 36th & Falls Road
Tonight’s ride took me up to Hampden to join J. for a night of preseason football. I could write about any of the many things I saw: the obscene numbers of televisions in this place; the inexplicability of a non-high def TV at a bar with this many TVs; what understaffing looks like; the 7-11’s 2010 “Top Breakfast Sandwich Sales” trophy; the girls tossing a ball between them on the porch, counting how many times they could pass it without it dropping; the crowd at the new ice cream shoppe; or a zillion other things. But tonight’s ride was all about that feel when flying down the hill: I was a little chilly. It was such on odd sensation, one I haven’t had in months and months, but there it was today, another reminder that time passes; best make the most of it.
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.
Tiny Canal at Meadow Mill at Clipper Mill Road & Union
Today’s ride took me out first thing in the morning, down the hill and left to another swimming lesson, and wow but it was a totally different Baltimore from yesterday. Blues skies and bright sun, but I left my sunglasses at home. I squinted my way east, took the lane on Boston to keep the cars from trying to pass me (three feet people, three feet), and made it to the pool in 35 minutes. The ride back was considerably less annoying past rush hour, so I took my heavy-legged time, stopping for brunch before heading back up the hill to home. The sun was dimmer but the wind was picking up, and I found myself thinking, turn down the wind machine Baltimore, some of us are trying to ride our bicycles up the hill with the tired legs of the just-learning-to-swim already! Continue reading
Beer Cans on the Jones Falls Trail Under Hampden
It’s Sunday, time for another meeting of the Sunday Morning Hiking Club! Our member with a good sense of direction and the commitment to get us somewhere good was under the weather, though, leaving A., S., and I to our own devices. We didn’t go far, just heading to Hampden. After a couple of false starts we managed to get on a trail following the Jones Falls, which still runs through Baltimore, underneath all the streets and expressways named after it. Continue reading
So Many Cars Everywhere Downtown
Monday was unseasonably warm, but I had to spend most of it inside offices and classrooms. And then I didn’t, so I rushed home, changed into short pants, a tank top, and a sweatshirt, and hopped on the bike down the hill to enjoy the waning moments of light on a premature spring day. (Something’s not right here, but I will let the climate bloggers worry about that.) What did I see? I saw a burning red disk of a sun sinking into the western skyline, kids in short sleeves throwing balls around an alleyway, a just-dead squirrel I had to go around, folks waiting too long at bus stops, three buses in a row going the other way, and cars. So many cars pulling out of parking lots and turning corners and waiting in lines to get on the JFX. They were all trying to get out while I was trying to get in, but even if that hadn’t been the case I could have zipped ahed of them at all the lights. Total gridlock downtown and it wasn’t even 5 o’clock yet! There has to be another way. I did my turn at the gym and the grocery and headed back up the hill and to Hampden where folks are in their cars again, touring 34th Street’s holiday lights. Me, I will take the bike every time, especially in such nutty weather.
Fall Colors on the Jones Falls Trail Behind the Zoo in Druid Hill Park
I didn’t feel like going for a bike ride or going to the gym or doing much of anything but crawling in my bed with a book after a long day of staring at my computalator waiting for words. But come on, I could at least go for a short ride, just up to the park and back, you know you want to. I Continue reading
Tree Growing From a Balcony on Hamburg Between W. Ostend & Bayard
After a long morning in bed nursing an insomnia hangover, it was time to get on the bike and head out into the sunshine of another perfect fall day. I headed over to Hampden for lunch and then back downtown along the Jones Falls Trail. I stopped to check out the scene at Falls Road and ran into my downstairs neighbor, a fellow bike enthusiast. He was heading out on his bike with no destination in particular just like I was, and it was the perfect day for that. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 