Blurry, misty ghostly ride

There's this big park in Tolland called Crandall Park. I went there yesterday as part of my explore-the-trails-between-Storrs-and-Hartford-on-Thursday-because-I-have-class-in-Storrs-in-the-morning-and-office-hours-in-Hartford-in-the-evening-so-I-have-free-time-between-1-and-4-and I-brought-a-car-tour (took a long time to put those hyphens in). As you may recall from Gov. Malloy's forecast yesterday, there was a lot of fog. You also may recall that I wear glasses now. Generally, I think they're great, because I can see things and also because I can recognize people. It's nice that people don't think so rude anymore. In fact, yesterday involved a lot of glasses reflection now that I think about it. I was sitting in the library reading without glasses and several people came up to me to say hi and from their initial saying-hi distance I couldn't really tell who they were. I wonder how I had any friends before glasses.

Anyway, I don't usually get glasses fogging up problems unless I'm eating soup or I stop riding after riding intensely. To cure the first problem, I take the glasses off until the soup cools. For the second, I start riding again and the rushing air seems to work as a defogger. Yesterday, the moving didn't work at all. The humidity was so high that they would stay fogged no matter what I did. So, the world was foggy and my glasses were foggy and I pretty much was blind. I still rode a few miles like this, albeit very slowly. Eventually, I decided it was too annoying. I put my glasses in my jersey pocket and my old nemesis depth perception returned. When I first started wearing glasses, the ground seemed really close, so without them the ground seems really far. Also, I was riding a 29er, so ground actually was pretty far. So, I spent the remainder of the ride hallucinating a tall bike in a fuzzy forest.

The trails at Crandall's are pretty good. I rode about 10 miles and I think there was maybe 1 or trail I didn't ride. Very, very twisty stuff, in a effort to pack a lot of trails into a small-ish area. Someone is putting considerable effort putting some new stuff in right close to I-84. They haven't removed the duff yet, so it wasn't the most fun surface to ride on. The park itself also seems pretty cool. It's got pretty much all the things you'd want out of a park except for a skatepark.

Read more!

Happy hour to last call in the Beat!

There is no photographic pixels or sound recordings of last Friday’s Happy Hour in downtown where G-Money, Hardcore (visiting from Hotlanta) and I reunited part of the old school happy hour crew and wandered around eating free food and drinking $2 drafts. Good. Keeps us out of trouble with the courts and that thing called “evidence.” But at 7, they drove and I rode to Sully’s Tiki Bar for Steve and Rod’s House Happy Hour. There were 4 or 5 bicycles locked up on the back fence and the crowd was moving to the beats and an amazing vibe fell upon the night. It was the first HHH of the season and one of the best! Such a good time indeed, except most everyone was still feelin’ it on Saturday. But what a night! Everyone was dancing outside to the house beats and great old school hip-hop. Inside, Sirsy, a two piece band was really making it happen, great music. Lots of fun dancing and being silly.

I cannot write anymore, so here’s some photos and crappy captions:


Chug water and wear a helmet! Go Amy Z and Rick! Two bicycles leaving, but more still there.


Rich’s Eyeglass Case amazed even more people. Rachel and Brooke were enthralled and maybe confused. I am not sure if this counts as yet another awkward picture of three people.


or maybe this? Hardcore looks pretty well done, G-Money is about to do something (goddess knows what) and Amisha seems to just be trying to smile in the midst of madness.


Unknown to me, my fellow bloggers have been quite busy with promo deals and cross marketing! Check Carol’s beer! She’s smiling, but if the BBB really has anything to do with brewing, I’d stay away from Chain Grease Lager!

Hey! There isn’t no more, but I can’t make “READ MORE” go away, so click it if you must, but you have been warned! Go click “READ MORE” on another post if you must read more. Read more!

Ride of Silence. May 16th. 2008

Ride of Silence.



Lightening, thunder and downpours of cold rain didn’t deter nine riders from meeting in Elizabeth Park yesterday and riding together to honor and remember fellow cyclists who have been killed or injured on the public roads as part of the international Ride of Silence. The worst of the weather occurred just before the ride as Rachel, who rode all the way from New Britain, got to experience in all its wet glory! And DANG! Did it rain! I think it started just as I left my house and continued for a while after I got to the park.

We all certainly enjoyed the ever-changing weather. The ride left Elizabeth Park in a light sprinkle and retuned with sun shining between brooding clouds. All went well. No issues with downpours, motorists or flat tires.

We rode down Asylum Avenue into downtown, under the arch, around the Capitol Building, down Capitol Avenue, down Boulevard in West Hartford, right onto Raymond Rd, past the Police Station, meandered through Blue Black Square and its live and rockin’ 50’s band and returned east along Farmington Avenue and down a side road back into the park. wow. Can you say that all in one breath?

I kept stopping myself from talking, which was hard, as part of the ride. It was also hard as I am sure there were things other people wanted to say or share as well. It was weird not talking at all and knowing there was a line of people behind me! But it did force me to think and ponder much more, which was interesting. A few times I felt more celebratory than somber and wanted to smile and shout…but didn’t.

Though we all knew what we were doing, nobody watching us ride by had any idea of what was going on; we were just nine people on bicycles. The Ride of Silence idea wasn’t clear. Next year I will certainly make a pair of signs to put on my rear rack and will encourage others to make signs as well. “Ride of Silence” or remember “Joe Smith” or “share the road” would all be great messages.

I did make a sign incase we needed to block traffic that said “Thank You For Waiting” on one side. The other side is for people who feel the need to honk their horns and reads, “Honk If You Love Bicycles.” I never got to use the sign on the ride, but I did later on by accident at The Half Door. I was showing it to Rachel, Rich H (the cool eyeglass case dude) and Steve Tizzle when another table must have seen it and a young woman gave us a “HONK” later as she left. Good times. Good Times.

Well, I have no idea who everyone was and I was a bit nervous, but I think it all turned out well and I am super happy so many people braved the weather and came out to support something important. Thank you to everyone. Keep riding safe and see you next year.



one last photo, and what a great one too! i think i really captured the essence of everyone's shoulder.


Read more!

Bike Everywhere! (to Happy Hour)

CCBA Bike Everywhere Bike to Happy Hour. friday, may 16th


I’m going to cut to the chase here, and give props ASAP to the core group that laughed at the rain and rode their bikes to the Bike Everywhere Happy Hour at the Corner Pug today. Big ups to Steve Tudisco, Ben Bare, ChillWillme!), Rich H, Matt Spader, Kevin Sullivan and Robyn Baena. Good on y’all mates! Well done! ‘nuff respect.

All in all, we were 11 strong, with most people biking or walking, and only three or four drivers. Long commutes (from Enfield etc) and massive bicycle tire and clothing issues resulting in wide spread wetness and bandaged fingers all get free passes...this time! Its great to see people putting the B of the CCBA to good use! Woo-haa!

So what happened? Well, what happens at CCBA happy hours stay at CCBA happy hours. I can say many wings and nachos were consumed and washed down by rounds of pints of frothy, beautiful beer. mmmm…beeeer! Flyers were passed out, stories shared, plots schemed and other things occurred as well. The club even bought the first few rounds of brew and noshes. Good lookin’ out CCBA!

Expect another CCBA Happy Hour next month and we shall welcome the weather no matter what mother nature feels like sharing with us! Rain, sleet, snow, heat, river mud or locusts, we shall ride on. Hopefully in June we will be sitting outside in the late evening sun; plotting a late night ride through Bushnell Park, snaking through downtown and down the stairs and along the riverfront and across the river. Bridges! Hells yeah! Y’alls know what I’m talking about.

Always bring your lights and spares/tools etc cuz ya never know what might happen.

Also this summer: Bike to Jazz in the Park. Live jazz in Bushnell Park Monday Evenings. Picnic blanket republics form and establish pot-luck trade routes of noshes and wine under summer night skies. Enjoy the city, the music, the people, the entire vibe of the park. This annual series is always an evening my city shines and I am super happy to live and work here.

more photos after the jump:
(hey! that means click READ MORE!)




Rich (seen in the backgroung looking quite amused) has the most amazing eyeglass case. take a good look at him. if you ever see him out at a party, perhaps enjoying happy hour or about to sit down and enjoy the theater … make a point of saying hey, hello, hi, how ya doing and ask to see his eyeglass case. Its brilliant!



Ha! Double B leaving “coincidently” right after the CCBA tab runs out. hmm….






Read more!