Eel X(treme)!

All zero of you readers probably thought that (a) the eel didn't happen or (b) I never came back.

Well, I'm here to tell you that it did and it was probably the best one since the first one.

There was nearly 20 people and all but two made it all the way through the ride in some fashion. No one did the 70 miles route the right way. Since even though I came up with the thing, I led a group astray through People's State Forest. Though in sacrificing some dirt, we rode the extremely fun road ("road") descent through the middle of the park. 

I think the route road extremely well, so no plans to change it for next year in an meaningful way and I think the date was perfect for "fall color". Maybe I'll charge $2 and get some kind of food option. Maybe not. I got a whole year to think about it. Read more!

Motet

There was a time when El Presidente de Chine used to write about these multi-modal adventures to Bridgeport, wherein he'd get driven to Middletown, take a bus to New Haven, ride to Bridgeport, take the train back to New Haven, ride to Middletown and get driven home. It was something like that. Sometimes, I ride to Avon, chop wood and then take a car home with the wood. One time, I rode downtown to work, skateboarded to the train station, took the train to Maryland and then was picked up by car. Yesterday, I used multi-modality by putting a canoe on a car, locking my bike up at the canoe's destination, driving up river, canoeing down river and then riding the bike up to where the car was left. It worked great. I've considered doing this to canoe by myself and keeping the bike in the canoe, so I can go as far as I please, but I can't figure out how to get a canoe on top of a car by myself without breaking a window on the car.

Besides, it can be lonely canoeing by yourself.

There are these things, but I'm unsure if they'd be usable in a hilly place like Connecticut.

Read more!

Canoe race!

Envisionmess?

Discover Hartford? I live in Hartford! There's nothing left to discover.

What you really need is a canoe race. I missed the one on the Hockanum back in the Spring, but another one is coming up and it partially benefits a good cause (not that the other part benefits a bad cause, I think it just benefits canoe racing, which is still a pretty good cause).

So, anyway, come down to the Nayaug Canoe and Kayak Race on Oct. 7. Here's the schedule of events. From a cyclist's standpoint, the race can be watched from the meadows, which always a nice place to be.

The part that benefits is the paddle with a pro and it benefits traumatic brain injury. Joe Damon, who has tbi, is organizing that part. Here's some info about paddle with a pro:

• Can you describe the new Paddle With a Pro event?  Who is eligible to enter and how and when do they register?  When will it take pace?  What is the cost/suggested donation?  How many people can participate?

PWaP is a benefit event of the NCR, which teams up a novice canoeist. The pro should offer casual paddling instructions. Paddlers must be over 10 years old and are selected by a random drawing of tickets in a hat. There will be  6 paddlers selected to paddle with one of 6 pros. The minimum donation is $10 and we hope that folks will purchase several chances to improve their odds of being selected in the drawing. Proceeds benefit the Brain Injury Alliance of Connecticut. The PWaP event will be held at 12:30, after the pro races and before the novice level races. The paddler drawing selection is at noon.

After paddling with a pro, you'll totally be ready to win the race next year.


Pictured above, of course, is the Hockanum, where I missed my chance for canoe glory this year. Read more!