Get on your bikes and ride!

The 2010 Discover Hartford Bicycle & Walking Tour is happening (and I do mean happening) this coming Saturday, September 11. Online registration ends Thursday evening. That's tomorrow, for those of you who are still off by a day since Labor Day. You can still register in person on Saturday if you'd prefer to pay an additional $5 and wait in line. The tour committee has been working overtime to make this year's tour better than ever, with live music, food, art, bike demos and displays, mobile DJ and more reasons to linger after you finish your ride. It's going to be a blast and you should be there!

Read more!

Calories and stuff

Calorie deficits are weird. You do something that uses of a lot of calories. You're not hungry while you're doing it, but then you're hungry for the next three days.

you can buy this cd. it's got music by me on it.

Anyway, there's another catalogue this weekend. It's a tag sale and you can buy art for $5. Some details:

Hello All,

Reminder: August CATALOGUE event, Original Art Object Tag Sale:

Saturday, August 28

From mid-morning onward

342 Oakwood Avenue, WH CT

This is an opportunity to:

Make money

Get your work into the community

Get rid of old objects that someone else might love

Purchase art objects that are worth more than $5 for $5

Drink lemonade

True-no-foolin' tag sale. It will take place beside the road and contain a million art objects. This is the goal. We do not have a million yet. Many, but not a million. Everything will be priced at $5 and will come with a CATALOGUE tag of authenticity, signed by the seller. The seller will take home all earnings! There is no limit to the amount of art objects you can offer. Come and sell things. Come and buy things.

Contact Nick or Joe at CATA.info.LOGUE@gmail.com to arrange drop-off and to sign tags by Monday, August 23rd (so that the work can be organized, photographed, and arranged by the 28th).

Signed,

CAT

Read more!

Stank Locker

In case you're asked to check your bags at the front desk of the oldest art museum in Hartford, you can use this photo as proof that your junk'll probably fit just nicely in one of their complimentary lockers. One locker holds: massive cargo bike pannier, two helmets, and a medium-sized purse. Sure, we could have taken two lockers and not gotten everything wrinkled, but I think the point needed to be made.

Before we reached the museum, we had to do some rush hour traffic riding. Before that, I practically got marriage offers from some dudes in my neighborhood. It went something like this:
DUDE ONE: We need us a simple girl like that.
DUDE TWO: Yeah, all these girls 'round here all they want's for us to get expensive cars and drive them around.

DUDE ONE: (to me) Hey, can I ride wit you? I'll behave.

This was one of the better random street pickup attempts I've been victim to, mostly because I agreed with them. Too many females see males as chauffeurs and ATMs. Relying on a man to supply one with these things is just setting oneself up for disappointment. Thus, I quote Destiny's Child: "I depend on me if I want it."




At the museum, we saw that someone thought himself too good for both wheels.

This is not the first time I spotted a unicycle downtown. Last year, someone sped around Main Street on one, doing tricks and hopping off the curb.

Before hitting the after party, we wanted to ride home to make some wardrobe adjustments. Interstatement picked up a passenger for the back of his bike -- a friend in the neighborhood who was too lazy to walk his self home -- and I once again dazzled onlookers by being able to pedal in heels. Here's a secret: it's really not that hard. In fact, it's way easier to ride a bike in heels than it is to stand still in them. What sucked about the ride had nothing to do with my footwear. The seat on Starry Starry Bike was still at this high, strange angle, and I've been spoiled riding the Jenny, which allows me to sit upright. I have a cranky back and any hunched over posture, if not immediately uncomfortable, at least promises to cause me discomfort the next day.

We rode home and then back downtown, locked the bikes on a random railing because there are no visible bike racks outside on Columbus Boulevard, and proceeded to check out the after party before running into a friend stumbling down from a mere few blocks away. Sure, he left later than we did, but I think this makes a sound case for why he needs a bicycle yesterday.

Also, if you need more information to pull out if the subject ever comes up, bike helmets and panniers were allowed into a swank restaurant in the Convention Center/Science Center vicinity.

Read more!

Some stuff to do, if you're sick of your bike

Tomorrow is supposed to have nice weather, but since Sunday is also supposed to be nice, you should forgo your Saturday bike ride and check these things out instead.

Manny Mania at Heaven (New Ross, County Wexford Park)

Skateboards are cool and this a contest dedicated to the manual. As a member of Hartford's Skateboarding Task Force, I strongly encourage you to go. Competition starts at noon and goes to around 4.

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And... Another installment of Catalogue!

CATALOGUE Reminder for this Saturday, June 26th @ 8: Russ Podgorsek

Grace, Grease, and Guidepoles

Saturday, June 26, 2010

8 o'clock

342 Oakwood Avenue

West Hartford, CT

(Please note that this show will NOT take place at Arbor Street, but rather at the above residence. Parking is on Oakwood and surrounding streets.)

Russ is a violist and composer. He is a graduate of the Hartt School of Music (CT) and the University of Dayton (OH) where he studied composition with David Macbride, Larry Alan Smith and Phillip Magnuson. He was recently commissioned by the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra (MD) to write his "MicroSymphony" and by the Sudbury Youth Orchestra (ON) for his "Lament and Lullaby" for string orchestra. He was also recently featured as composer-in-residence for the 2008 Simsbury Chamber Music Festival (CT) with performances of his music by the New World Trio and Les Inegales.

Russ will be performing a group of new compositions. There will be a stage. There will be players. There will be Russ, sometimes yelling, always serenading. Russ will confront us in the basement of 342 Oakwood, and if we are so inclined, we will listen from the yard outside, and watch via live feed (love those). We will celebrate the coming of another CATALOGUE. There will be S'mores. And Vodka.

CATALOGUE is a monthly event that showcases artists, musicians and other creative endeavors, and is hosted by Joe Saphire, Nick Rice, and Joel VanderKamp. The event is a collaboration between artist, curator, community and space. CATALOGUEs for May: Dawn Holder, as well as other previous shows, will be available on the 26th.

Contact us for directions or questions: CATA.info.LOGUE@gmail.com, and please pass this reminder along to those we might have missed.

Joe Saphire

Nick Rice

Joel VanderKamp

Read more!

Bikes Outside: For Reals

This morning brings us a bumper crop of bikes outside at this past Thursday evening's Creative Cocktail Hour. I spotted some familiar bikes about town including the gadgetized Bianchi that irked Brendan once upon a time. Turnout was no doubt boosted by Real Art Ways' offer of discounted admission and valet parking for anyone arriving on a bicycle. The evening was bike-themed and included an opportunity for people to decorate their bikes for the Saturday night Real Ride. Whatever the reason, it was great to see so many bikes assembled in one place.


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Real Ride Hartford (and West Hartford) Bicycle Parade

Preface: There were photographers with actual camera mounts for their madly expensive gear, so if you want to see "professional-looking" photos, I'm sure those will be online somewhere in a few days.

Saturday evening's bicycle parade made me very proud, happy, and relieved that I live in Hartford. More on that later. We began at Real Art Ways on Arbor Street. Here, people had the chance to tart up their bikes with lights and random art supplies provided by Anne Cubberly. There was a fish bicycle
(perhaps a reference to the quote often falsely attributed to Gloria Steinem?), cat bike, horse bike, clock bike, and demon bike. Those stuck out the most in my memory. Others were piled with lights and glowing orbs. One gal had a plastic flower on the front of her bicycle -- it dispensed bubbles! I did not get the chance to talk to her, but I see a mobile bubble dispenser as part of my future. At least two riders had awesome camera mounts which I am sure enabled them to take focused, high resolution, non-blurry photos that they are not going to be ashamed of showing to the public. There was at least one tandem and it was rigged with a souped up vuvuzela. That I can not describe each and every bike says something about the turnout. There was at least four times as many people there than I expected would show -- some coming down from Boston for the event.


The parade turned right onto Arbor Street, then right up Capitol Avenue. We turned left down Flower Street, crossed the railroad tracks, and then turned right onto Farmington/Asylum. The ride stopped at ArtSpace (555 Asylum Street) so that we could meet up with people who were attending the Art for AIDS fundraiser. It would have made more sense to stop in the back lot instead of on the incline of the street, but it also would have made sense for the stops to last ten minutes or more to allow for a drink/bathroom break. We did not go inside ArtSpace or Billings Forge, so the purpose for stopping at each place was unclear. In the future, more work could go into allowing for people at each venue and on bicycles to mingle, if that's the point. I'm not saying it wasn't fun. I thought it was a blast. But the stops could have been a bit longer. Anyway, I know that the original plan was for this ride to take an hour. I think the route planners forgot that it was going to be a slow ride, made perhaps even slower by the presence of a DJ being hauled on a trailer behind a bicycle. You just can't take corners fast on that kind of rig and who wants to rush along a trailer full of awesome?

From ArtSpace we continued into and through Bushnell Park, but only a sliver of it to cut behind the Legislative Office Building and Armory. We looped back onto Capitol Avenue and then Broad Street so we could stop at Billings Forge. Since an artist briefly spoke to the group, this stop seemed more meaningful. There was some kind of solstice event supposedly going on at Billings Forge. When we rode through, it seemed like only a few people were outside of the venue/compound.


Here is where dynamics got weird. And by dynamics, I mean that almost everyone in the parade was white and we were about to head further into Frog Hollow -- an area I am convinced was virgin territory for a number of the cyclists. Disclosure: I am perhaps being overly sensitive about this because I live here and am very familiar with the area and people. Before heading back on Broad Street and down Park, I overheard a couple people making remarks about how they hoped the musical selections for the area were "appropriate." This was followed by several Speedy Gonzalesesque cheers. Very not okay. Very WTF. Guess this reminded me that I can not stereotype all artists or bicyclists as being open-minded or aligned with progressive values. Maybe instead of a bubble machine, I could rig my bike with a flamethrower in order to more productively deal with racially and ethnically bizarre comments.


Riding up Park Street made me proud to live in Hartford. It was around 9-9:30pm, I'd guess, and the sidewalks were busy. People were outside cheering us. Really cheering us. There is this great vibe that emanates from the area and makes it hard not to smile, honk, wave, and holler back. A strong contingent of kids joined us for a ways, riding their BMX, department store, and low-rider bikes on sidewalks and in the streets. The photo at the beginning of this blog post is of two of them. I yelled for them to join in, and two or three stuck with us for the rest of the ride. These kids made the event seem more like a parade and less like a regular old ride. Another funny indication that some riders had no idea where they were: I overheard one woman getting nervous about the presence of a police cruiser coming down Park Street. Really? Really?! I got stopped by a cop on Park once for looking suspicious while pushing a wheelbarrow filled with shovels and pitchforks. He wanted to know why I had these tools, so of course I told him something like they were for stabbing someone to death and then burying her. My memory on that conversation blurs a bit. Maybe I said they were for farming. I don't recall. A little traffic on the street is nothing they aren't used to. Hell, just a couple weeks ago, in the lead up to the Puerto Rican Day Parade, the street was used to showcase everyone's decorated rides, causing far more severe traffic jams, and the police involvement was kept to a respectful minimum. The government that governs best governs least.



I hope this ride was educational for non-local or non-bike-commuters, as the amount of broken glass in the bike lanes and streets is something that a large number of people are now aware of and could complain about. There are some immediate infrastructure differences between Hartford and West Hartford. The moment we crossed into the suburb, the pavement became smooth. The only real debris there was roadkill. While a less comfortable ride, I felt safer in Hartford. Cars seemed to give us more space and props in the city. The horns were cheering us, not expressing impatience with us and then zooming past at 50 miles per hour. During the week, I experience plenty of impatient, distracted drivers whizzing past me in the city, but on Saturday night, they all seemed chill.


And then we crossed into West Hartford. The pavement became so smooth and we could hear the sound of our tires against it, which is to say that nearly all of the observer encouragement ceased. While passing one of those restaurants with outdoor patios (I know which one, but I'm not going to give them free publicity) on Park Road, we actually received polite golf claps (not to be confused with booty claps. we received no booty claps that I am aware of). There were a few cheers, but the ratio of noise to people was sorely disappointing. C'mon! Live a little! It's okay to break with decorum, particularly on a beautiful Saturday night in the summer.

Around this area, someone asked, "What are you doing?" to which I responded, "Riding a bicycle!" Duh! "But what for?" "To ride. Because it's fun." Someone else jumped in to give a convoluted explanation of what we are doing. My policy? When people ask stupid questions, keep the answers short so that they can understand. If we were riding for "something" we would have had signs or shirts announcing that probably.


We turned onto South Quaker, then left onto Boulevard. Here, the street got very dark and even quieter. Up in the Center, we did some zigzagging and I did not bother paying attention to all of the road names. Some of the people dining outdoors on LaSalle Road were more supportive. We looped around, returning to Main Street and then cut through Blue Back Square. Again, a decent number of people outside, but too, too quiet. We took Farmington Avenue down to Sisson Avenue, Capitol Avenue, and then Arbor or Orange (depending on whether or not the cyclist felt like following directions), back to the Real Art Ways parking lot. The only part of the ride where there were impatient motorists seemed to be on Farmington Avenue, in West Hartford Center, and Blue Back Square. But for the few jerks behind steering wheels, there were a number of patient motorists who waited calmly while everyone passed.


Despite the amount of broken glass and potholes, I do not think anyone popped a tire. I only saw one person fall, and it was one of those "can't get my foot out of the clip" incidents -- toppling over, more than a violent collision. She said she was okay. I heard something pop or snap on another rider's bike but don't know what happened. Some shit fell off my bike when I hit one of the many potholes, but the lost items were not integral to the operation of the machine, and I basically knew they were not going to stay on because I rushed the decoration process.

It was heartening to see so many females and even a few children riding, which of course begs the question -- why am I not seeing this many women on the road normally?


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RAW deals

This weeks Hartford Advocate features a cover story on how lousy Connecticut is about accommodating cyclists, showing that they are right on top of the breaking news that we discussed here in January. Lest you get mopey from the DOT's neglect, take comfort in some of the local bike love that's all around:

Tonight, for instance, you get free or discounted admission (depending on whether or not you are a RAW member) to Real Art Ways' Creative Cocktail Hour if you arrive by bicycle. If that's not enough V.I.P. treatment, you can bring your bike right inside where artist Anne Cubberly will host a bike decorating workshop. Why would you want to decorate your bike, you might reasonably ask?

On Saturday, you can join the Real Ride hARTford at 7:30 PM, which is described as such:

"Art up your bike and throw on some lights for a night ride through our neighborhood, Parkville. The one-hour guided bike tour, with a DJ on wheels, leaves from and returns to Real Art Ways. The outdoor cafe and bar will be open for libations or just freshening your water bottle."

I'm taking a break from working on the DJ trailer as I type this. What better maiden voyage for my new utility trailer than to load it up with a friend and his DJ equipment?
Read more!

Festival of Smug

Biking in the rain provides many surprises, especially when one is loath to check the meteorologists' predictions for the day. Needing to venture to West Hartford Center to do some banking, I opted to leave the house on the early side. There is an immeasurably unpleasant one-block stretch of Capitol Avenue that is most tolerable when the sphincteral drivers veering toward the I-84 onramp are at an absolute minimum. My timing was excellent and I arrived in the WH Center/ Blue Back Square area with nary a bead of sweat. What's more, I learned that it was the annual Celebrate! West Hartford Festival – which I had always avoided like the plague in the past, only partially because the sloganeers are punctuationally impaired. By the way, I have an amazing track record for avoiding the plague. But this time, on bike, I smugly and gleefully zoomed past the orgy of SUVs and minivans, all bedecked with that annoying WH smiley-face bumpersticker. Sometimes I like to rub wounds with salt. Big chunks of kosher salt. I rode in the middle of Raymond Road and made the traffic worse. This is not something I would do normally, but hell, the whole point, I thought, of a town center is for peeps to mingle. I had a choice spot on the REI bike rack. When I returned to it later, there were loads of other bikes on it. Quite pleasin' to the eye.

After taking care of the necessary errands, I decided to wander through the festivities to see what all the fuss was about. The arts and crafts were surprisingly non-kitschy (as a whole), so I added two photographs to my collection. I was hoping to find a gangsta Star of David belt buckle, but nobody had those. Maybe I need to have a booth next year.

Around this point, I realized how massive an event this was. They had all manner of adorable animals to get bitten by, and trust me, it's an honor to get nipped by a llama. Rides, food, a women's chorus, every bank in creation trying to expand business...impressive. The West Hartford cops were raffling off a “kids bike” which was basically the standard bike that adults in the aluminum returning business ride in Hartford, except that the one they were raffling was new, pretty, and not coated with a layer of beer residue.


Something terribly frightening is realizing that one is lost in Blue Back Square. Once in the middle of all the vendor booths and rides, I could not see a way out. I am forever in debt to the girl pushing the Park Road Playhouse for pointing me in the right direction. Meandered to REI. You are all on notice. Next time I say “REI,” just jack me up and take my debit card away. I don't know what happened, except that I definitely will need to show up for work every day next week to rectify the situation. Around my birthday, I justify a lot of things by saying that “nobody ever remembers my birthday, so I'll just get myself things I like.” On the plus side, three of the four items are completely practical, and the other item is brainfood. I've done worse.

Not planning to purchase every last thing that was not bolted down in West Hartford, it took me awhile to properly load my bicycle. Two minutes into my trip home, it began to rain. No rain gear, no lights, a new book, and two new pieces of art. Nothing much to do about it, so I just pedaled at normal speed and made sure that drivers didn't yank out in front of me. Only had to give the finger once, which is not bad. Lady Gaga needs to learn that the middle finger is a magical sign that should be used only when absolutely necessary. When at baseball games, you give the finger to an umpire who makes a lousy call. Not to everyone who looks in your general direction. The Lady is no Madonna, that's for sure.

As I got closer to home, other cyclists – equally unprepared for the downpour – were giving me the whole “what's up” thing, but had the good sense to compliment Jenny so as not to seem overly skeevy. It was only upon arriving home that I learned that the rain storm had rendered my shirt completely transparent. Awesome. Read more!

Riding Massachusettsly

People who live in central and western Mass seem to be good at riding bikes. To figure out why I'm going up there this weekend. Well, no, that's not really true. I'm actually going up there, because Johanna's brother is having a wedding in Lenox. Maybe I'll have interesting stories upon my return, maybe I won't.

But, you can take some time from the edge your seat to stop by Catalogue over at 56 Arbor Street. This month it's Dawn Holder, she's awesome (and rides a bike to boot (maybe even rides a bike in boots)). It'll be at 8pm and here's a descriptive email about it:

Greetings and happy spring. May is the greatest.

This is an email announcement & invitation to our May CATALOGUE, featuring Dawn Holder:

Nocturne

Saturday, May 22

8 o'clock

56 Arbor Street

Suite # forthcoming

Hartford, CT 06106

Dawn is curious. She is an explorer, however an introverted one, navigating psychology rather than terrain. Her work is scary, and also fluffy. Porcelain explains it all. So does sugar. These are common tools.

Dawn is an adjunct faculty member and ceramics technician at the Hartford Art School. For CATALOGUE, she will venture into an odd, natural world, using oddly natural materials, creating environments with phosphorescence. We will walk in and look.

CATALOGUE is a monthly event that showcases artists, musicians and other creative endeavors, and is hosted by Joe Saphire, Nick Rice, and Joel VanderKamp. The event is a collaboration between artist, curator, community and space. CATALOGUEs for March, Brendan Mahoney, as well as other previous shows, will be available on Saturday the 22nd.

Contact us for directions or questions: CATA.info.LOGUE@gmail.com, and please pass this invitation along to those we might have missed.

Joe Saphire

Nick Rice

Joel VanderKamp

Read more!

Flood or no flood

Flooded rivers, within reason and without property damage, are cool. Rivers are cool to begin with, but when they go over their banks and start flowing all fast and dangerous, it's awesome. The Connecticut is in full effect right now. It's actually the highest that I can remember. There must have been a lot of snow up in Vermont, etc.

Great meadow is totally flooded right now and I guess RT 17a is like barely passable.

The Farmington River, on the other hand, isn't It's flowing a little bit more than usually, but floods in Farmington, Colinsville or Avon or anywhere where I rode my bike yesterday. I guess the wilds of central Mass didn't get that much snow.

But, most of the weekend was spent with CATALOGUE and it was lots of fun!

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Catalogue: me

I've been given the singular honor of being featured in Joe, Joel and Nick's monthly Catalogue show. Come check it out (and tell me that I should stick to bikes)!

Hi!

Please accept this E-Minder-Invite to attend the March CATALOGUE show:

Saturday, March 27th

8 o'clock

56 Arbor Street

Hartford, CT 06106

Suite number forthcoming

Brendan Mahoney is a soup-eater, a daily morning one, and this practice is done alone, in the morning, in the kitchen, before work, one hit of Romen per day. Brendan is a craftsman of soup, a proud cook, and lover of those noodles that you can't get anywhere else. The broth packets, however, he has retained and must now purge. With us, Brendan shares this cleansing. He will be cooking soup all night, a bowl at a time, and maybe you'll get one if you ask him. Don't know. This is a celebration. This celebration will include soup, hot-plates, Brendan, soundscapes, boiling broth, maybe video feeds? Love those.

Brendan is a Hartford warrior, writer of referenda and avid bike-man who works for the city. CATALOGUE is a monthly event that showcases artists, musicians and other creative endeavors, and is hosted by Joe Saphire, Nick Rice, and Joel VanderKamp. The event is a collaboration between artist, curator, community and space. CATALOGUEs for Nick Rice's February show, as well as other previous shows, will be available on Saturday the 27th.

Contact us for directions or questions: CATA.info.LOGUE@gmail.com, and please pass this invitation along to those we might have missed.

Joe Saphire

Nick Rice

Joel VanderKamp

It's free and the beer's free!

Read more!

a little Key Wierdness to warm your day

Handcuffs for bike locks are as common as rusty fenders here in Key West; but this awesomely strange combination of handlebar and bar ends is certainly not. I wondered who the rider was as I passed this bicycle going into the Bottle Cap Lounge as well as when I left. Perhaps the owner was sitting next to me? Perhaps they are seven or eight feet tall? Or enjoy riding standing up with good posture? I dunno, but bless them for making me smile!


Many people here simply do not have cars and use bicycles for everything; commuting to work, grocery shopping and towing their jet-skis! This dude prolly ain't getting into the large chainring anytime soon.


A fixie with a basket isn't too weird, but jumping sharks!?!? Really!?! Luckily we didn't have to dodge any this night during our pier tour. I bet a bite from one would mos def leave a bruise.


But...if a jumping shark had attacked us, I would have whipped out my sword and used my pirate skills to battle to the death! I have also found it to be very effective when drunk tourists stumble into the street in front of me while riding. A loudly yelled "ARRRRRRR" and a sword over my head usually sends them running back to a sidewalk of laughing bystanders. (yeah, go ahead and call me trash for not yet taking down my Christmas lights!)



We've all seen the Hartford messengers stacking their fixies on parking meters and poles in front of Mad Dawgs, Vegas and other spots. Well, down here in Key Weird, we hang our cruisers in trees when going out for swanky dinners. There's actually a second cruiser in the back of the tree and both are locked up in the branches.

a few more after the jump...




This installation, part of Sculpture Key West can be found at Fort Zack until April. Have a seat here in the shade if the sun and beach gets too hot for you.



Considering I took this during the Holiday Lights Bicycle Tour, it isn't really weird. There were also a few other bicycles with dogs, actually a lot, but only one trike with a dog and so many lights. Well done!


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Art Basel Miami Beach

So, perhaps is this of interest to my Grandma, because she's in Pompano Beach. I won't be able to make it down over the weekend.

You're invited to ride an installation from freak bike culture. Experience Doyle's three part bike exhibition featuring the Hell-a-Copter, the Regurgitator and Tall Bike Jousting at Art Basel Miami Beach, December 3 - 6, 2009.

Squishy Universe Gallery
150 NW 24th Street
Miami, FL 33127

Check bikeclubgames.com for all details on daily LIVE web streaming events from Art Basel Miami and get all the information about
TALL BIKE JOUST iPhone app available 01.01.10.

Ryan Doyle on Art Basel and the new Tall Bike Joust iPhone app: Check out the interview by Bike Blog NYC!

Could you please post this information to your blog? I'm trying to get the word out.
Thanks! -Keith

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Postcard from Glenwood Canyon in Colorado

Interstate 70 finds a way through the west side of the mighty Rockies via Glenwood Canyon, a beautiful drive many of us have prolly made driving cross country. This time, I noticed the multi-use path along the river and decided to check it out since I had my bike with me. Wow! This thing is a feat of engineering in which the builders really worked hard to preserve trees and the canyon and not just blast though....and it shows! If you ever find yourself driving through here and want a fantastic break, bust out yer bike or walking shoes and go exploring. I think there's about a dozen or so miles of path.
It's super fresh to see the tunnels for cars while gallivanting under the dang road! The road noise varies depending where the trail is in relation to the cars and trucks.


The trail moves from the sides of the Interstate, to under, to next to and all over again as the roads and trails meander through the steep, twisty canyon. Its sometimes awkward and noisy with speeding cars a few meters away, sometimes strangely peaceful and quiet, but always surreal. so very urban in many ways, but in a huge natural canyon.


You usually don't share a path with paddlers carrying boats in Hartford!


But then again, the Hog River doesn't have much great white water to paddle! Not that there aren't some great adventures to be had paddling in Hartford, or for that matter, under Hartford!


There's some artwork along the way including this memorial which was enjoyable and musical

more pics...

I wasn't the only cyclist enjoying watching the paddlers bob up and down through the rapids.


The scenery and break from driving made me quite happy!


so did an avocado after the ride!

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