Bird Watching

Between the beautiful weather, holiday weekend, and a wedding featuring a gorgeous couple, I was grateful that we decided to bike to Elizabeth Park. We had our choice of spaces to use on the bike rack, but parking spots for cars looked very hard to come by, unless you were lucky enough to be driven to the Pond House in a sexy, gleaming classic.

After we had our fill of sunshine and roses, we meandered down too quiet streets in West Hartford toward the Center. I've never seen the streets so empty of traffic. I even rode on Farmington Avenue without pissing myself. I had to make a stop at R.E.I. for to buy an accessory using Interstatement's member discount. The secret to not dropping an entire paycheck there is to show up accidentally ten minutes before they close. That leaves no time to try anything on. From there, I did venture up to try out Chipotle, the new Mexican restaurant. I'd rank it as better than Moe's, though given the length of time I had to wait in line, it probably will be some time before I go back. Also, I think I weighed five pounds heavier after eating the burrito; thus, when we tried to see what our speeds were by zooming past the speed limit checker machine on Boulevard, I think the lasers hit my thick-with-burrito stomach and broke the machine. It said that I was going faster than Interstatement, who was a block ahead of me.

On what was possibly the easiest ride ever -- barely broke a sweat, didn't get cut off by any drivers -- I noticed that the bike lanes on Capitol Avenue in Hartford were recently repainted. The arrows were a little smaller and I think this helps put more emphasis on the bike stencil. Not sure if the two are related, but I did not see any cars drive in the bike lanes there, for once.


This picture was not even taken today, but I felt guilty putting up a photo of a car but not one of a bike. This belongs to a friend who should ride it to Elizabeth Park. See -- connection made.
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Schleppin' Ain't Easy

My long Easter weekend began by waking up at four a.m., possibly still drunk, to pack for Jersey. It is of little concern that I don't believe Christ to be the cat who came back the very next day (or, two days later, as I have been since informed). Nor is the record of me saying "you can't drag my stinking corpse to NJ" of any consequence. At the blurry hour of 0400, what matters is the thought process that helps select transportation. Driving less than a mile to Union Station to then park my car in an expensive lot was out of the question. Calling a cab meant paying stupid money for a trip I could make easily on my own. Walking at that hour seemed like a great idea earlier in the week, before I realized that the sun does not come up until a bit later. This forced me to weigh my options: Starry Starry Bike, The Jenny, or The Pretty Red Bike AKA Brakeless Wonder. Given that the bike would be locked outside for a few days, the possibility of theft was considered. The Jenny would under no circumstances find herself stranded outside of the train station. In addition to theft, I had to consider which bike I would mind least if it was peed on. That's like asking which of my children I would prefer run away to join the circus. Of the two remaining bikes, one has a rack and panniers; the other does not. The choice came down to which I am least sentimental about in case of theft or urine, rather than all-around practicality.

Schlepping three bags of random fancy clothes, shoes, and gifts, before sunrise, is not the best idea I have had. Doing so on a bike with no recognizable brake system is among the worst. Between one nonchalant handbrake and a decorative coaster brake, I barreled down the street in a somewhat sideways, rather than straightforward, position. This somewhat compensated for the vodka-inspired angle my head was stuck in. It seemed brilliant to cut through the grassy knoll on the corner of Broad and Farmington/Asylum, which is how I discovered this was more mud than anything, and sunk. In heels. Before the sun was even thinking about rising.

The train was awesome, even if everyone else hates it. I've been told that getting a ticket as inexpensively as I managed to was a miracle rivaling the Second Coming. Until the gum-snapping teenager boarded in Upstate New York, I was able to enjoy the view of graffiti and junkyards in silence. I would have hated her more, but saw she was reading Pride and Prejudice. A wave of unprecedented sympathy washed over me and I gave her an extra half inch of leg room.

To rectify the weekend of Jesus in the Jersey ahead, I scheduled some me-time in New York City. Aiming for Tiffany's, I landed somehow in the Strawberry Fields section of Central Park instead. It was here where I felt seething jealousy over those who had more between their legs than I. If I were not such a cheapskate, maybe I would have coughed up the money to rent a bike, but then, where would I leave my baggage? I could have hired one of the many rickshaws. The what-to-do-with-my-bags problem would have been solved, as would be my feet-already-hurt-and-I've-been-here-twenty-minutes problem. But these bikes were for tours of Central Park. I really just wanted to hire someone to haul my lazy self up and down Fifth Avenue, waiting outside patiently as I browsed merchandise that would, if purchased, lead me straight to defaulting on my mortgage.




Instead of renting a bike, I bought biking clothes. Having ridden my bike pretty much year-round, I needed something to mark my rite of passage into spring. What better than a shirtwaist dress? It's short enough to avoid spokes, but long enough to avoid unfortunate bike seat calamities.

When I landed in Jersey, I again had bicycle envy. Riding the mile from train station to house would have been so much quicker than walking. The trip was mostly flat and there were lots of little kids riding bikes out on the street. In a lot of ways, this was the perfect bicycle town. There was not enough traffic to warrant designated bike lanes and people seemed alert. Alas, it would take me a few more days and a motorcycle ride to feel somewhat satisfied. We landed in a New York village that offered both decent vegetarian meals and an open, well-lit, unpretentious bike shop. Here is where I found the next project for completing Starry Starry Bike:



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Critical Mass. Columbus, Ohio. August 2009

That title above should read something like; Being critical of the lack of a mass in Columbus, Ohio. It was surreal. Freaky. Inexplicable. Strange. Disappointing. I arrived at the State House lawn 30 minutes early hoping to meet some peoples, but found nobody. Eventually, around 5;30 I recognized someone I met the day before, a friend of friends of mine, Issac. I had no idea he was in the middle of a massive years long cycling trip. He was from Canada and hanging around for a month. I was from Hartford/Key West and hanging around for a week. And there we were, the only people who showed up for Critical Mass and both of us were out-of-towners! Huh? Yep, and it gets worse and strange. Really strange!


So, first, here's a pic of everyone ready to ride. Me on the left and Issac on the right. Thank you to the random lady reading on the bench for taking out picture and making sure no one had their eyes closed. I really was looking forward to the ride. It had rained all day, but cleared up pretty nice and I wanted to explore and mingle. But nothing. Nada. Zilch.


So, this guy in the blue t-shirt comes up to us wanting us to sign some stuff about clean and affordable energy. We couldn't help as neither of us were registered Ohio voters. I asked him about the critmass ride, hoping he'd know something. He kinda laughed and said he hadn't owned or ridden a bicycle since college, almost sounding like cycling was beneath him or something. He then wandered off still chuckling to himself as Issac and I wondered about his commitment to clean and affordable energy and feeling super confused. Whhhaaaaat!?!?

We headed over to the Tip Top bar, which I was told had $1 PBR's for cyclists and was a pretty hoppin' hangout. We arrived to a great mix of people, several bicycles locked up and lots of people who looked like urban cyclists. We ordered a round and tried to talk to a table of people who obviously biked. I asked about Critical Mass. They said not many people usually go and it kinda sucked. I excitedly suggested they make their own flyers and make it a great ride. The response? "Someone used to make flyers." And that was that.  They also mentioned the monday night rides but were not fans of it citing irresponsible riding. They weren't particularly friendly. Perhaps if I returned in cut-off jean shorts and Issac got a fixie, things would have gone better.

Issac and I sat down at a nearby table and crowd watched. One dude was actually wearing a critmass t-shirt! Yep, during the time the ride shoulda been happening, someone was drinking at a bar, wearing the shirt? WTF Columbus? Really?

UPDATE Stopped in a few bike shops today and it turns out the Monday night has upwards of 200 people with good weather (like today!) and critmas is pretty much dead. Well, weekly sounds better than monthly! Looking forward to the ride tonight. Might also head back down to the river around sunset for some explorations.

TUE MORNING UPDATE!

BTW the Columbus Monday Night Ride was pretty sweet. There were 40ish people and went everywhere. wow. so very, very happy to have had 35's, gears and brakes! Met some nice, sharing peeps and even took turns going around an unlighted BMX track! sketchy...but fun. One dude crashed on a street and totally taco'd his front wheel. The thing was toasted. Really burnt toast at that. He removed the wheel and smashed it on the ground until it was reasonably tru again, put it back on the bike and off we were after a great rest stop in the middle of industrial southern Columbus. Well done!  

There were a few red light runnings, multilane blockages and beer can litteringt that I felt was a bit obnoxious and irresponsible, but overall the ride was great. Thanks Columbus!

Click Read More for a story about a redeeming 20miler along the Olentangy River Greenway!



Saturday, after an afternoon breakfast, we embarked on a ride along the Olentangy River Greenway. T'was great being out of traffic and in a somewhat natural setting. Urban wilderness we'll call it. I'd happily swim in the Connecticut River before jumping into this one! But it was pretty and a good amount of people were out on it. It parallels High Street, several blocks away, for miles and its a great alternative to the busy street.


We passed this great bike rack parking lot outside of a large building on Ohio State University. The trail skirts the campus for a bit. There's also some options for riding right next to the river or on higher ground. Its all paved, but there were lots of side trails for mountain bikes too.


I don't remember the name of this pedestrian bridge, but I really liked the curves of the wood.


Mikey and Jason catching up with emails and texts!


What a glorious day to fly down a little hill...


Jason is really diggin' the flying.

We eventually met up with Chrizzle, who just bought a sweet city cruiser and rode High Street the whole way back with a few pitstops along our merry way. Thanks again to Chrizzle and Jason for buying those chocolate chip cookies! 

I am still trying to figure out the scene here. There's a good bit of infrastructure here, lots of people on bikes and even quite a few bike shops; though some seem to focus on hipster clothing more than bike stuff! Drivers seem pretty cool except for two rednecks in a pick-up truck yelling at us to "get the hell off the road!" Other than that, cars have been super respectful. There's bike racks all over and lots of people pedaling around. OK, i am off to tear apart my van looking for the handlebar tape i bought at EMS in West Hartford. The Gunnar has got to get rewrapped!

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Getting ready

It's the last weekend before I have to get up at 4am, drive to Deerfield, MA and ride the D2R2. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm still worried. I've been riding my bike a lot, but not exactly in the D2R2 style, a style which is difficult to ride in the greater Hartford area. We've got like two dirt roads and the biggest nearby hill is like 1000'. So, my plan this weekend is to take a place drive out to Salisbury on Saturday and ride up Mt. Riga into the Mt. Washington State Forest. It's a redux of a failed ride from earlier this year when the road was impassible due to snow. It looks to have a little more than 2000' feet of climbing and be at 1/3 dirt. This is it on gmaps pedometer. Anybody want to join me? It's not even a 50 mile ride! We'll go through Bash Bish Falls, which I hear is very pretty.

image stolen from the new england waterfalls website.

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A Painful Case

Well, not really. It just happens to be one of my favorite stories in Dubliners, along with "Eveline". As egos are an important part of cycling, I thought maybe I'd give some words of caution.

Everybody knows that I'm mediocre on a bike. I can mostly ride without looking stupid, but I don't have an emulation-worthy style. I'm just another schlump with a beard on a bike. However, like more cyclists if I don't get beat down periodically, my ego will start to grow unchecked. I think that's probably been happening lately. So, when I took off for Case Mountain (it happened to be the first time I rode there by myself without getting lost at all!), I thought I was going to slaying and doing whatever other cool verbs there are out there for single track. I did have a good time, but I rode the yellow/blue blazed trail and got my ass kicked. It's really hard! So, I've been humbled again. I'm not awesome.

I rode this and I was all proud of myself, but there was a really sharp turn right after that I couldn't make. That's why I stopped to take a picture.

I did not have trouble riding this, but this picture illustrates how nice of a day it was.

I didn't totally understand what this posting meant, but was happy that I was riding before the 17th. Does it mean that a parking area is closing or that the trail is closing?

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What happened?

Dear reader, it's been some time since that nonsensical post about fish and parties last week, so you're probably assuming that one of those things claimed my life or caused me to quit this blog. Nope. In fact, I was doing lots of cool things and now I'm going to tell you about them.

Thursday was this:

People were drinking & dancing at City Hall!

On Friday, nothing really happened besides eating some Vietnamese food at the Vietnam Restaurant. Best bún around!

I also walked home from work in the rain on Friday and considered the necessity of Green Infrastructure in Hartford.

On Saturday, I went to Penwood with my newly rigid Stumpjumper and I found this (which I did not drink, because Mike's Hard Lemonade is nasty, not because I found it in the woods):


And, it caused my rear tire to go flat shortly after I took this picture.


The evening led to some more dancing courtesy of that Bacchanalian HartBeat Ensemble.

On Sunday, I went to Cockaponset and it wasn't all I hope it would be. Most of the trails were kind of overgrown. This description was a little hyperbolic if you ask me.


This above trail was kickass, but I'm not altogether sure if I was allowed to ride on it. There were bike tire tracks, but that's often a meaningless measure of the rules. I apologize if I screwed up and rode on a "no bike" trail. I know you aren't allowed on the blue blaze here, but this was blue & red and I know you were allowed on the red. There weren't any of those CT Forest & Park Association "NO BIKES" diamonds on it, though.


There was also this weird moonscpaed fireroad where it looked like they had done some logging.

I ate this bowl of soup, too:

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A Rollerskating Jam called Saturday

Saturday, Saturday, it’s a Saturday.
5 whole days of work and one whole day to play

De La Soul knew what was up, but my pedicab shift on Saturday was the farthest thing from work and yet I got Paid in Full. The line between work and fun is completely blurred, perhaps even eradicated, on days like this.

I was craving sausage gravy and biscuits even before getting on the saddle and pulling out of Perfect Pedicab and onto Whitehead Street. A short ride across Old Town to my other job, a restaurant called Turtle Kraals, ensured I was well fed thanks to my employee discount. Thrifty and tastey, yeah, that’s how I’m rollin’. Luann, the morning bartender, asked me to take her visiting parents on a tour later and paid me in advance. Sweeet. I hooked her up with a deal and left feeling good; not even 11AM yet and I already made bike rent. ahhhh, a great way to start the day.


It was a super slow morning spent mostly at the South end of Duval on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island. This is a wonderful spot to chill, relax and wait for a fare. Lots of people walk the full mile and half or so all the way down Duval, to see the Southernmost Point buoy; and then feel all lazy about walking back. A ride in a pedicab, especially with cocktail in hand, is a wonderful way to get back to Mallory Square, Sloppy Joe's or wherever you want to be next back in Old Town. Some say Duval Street is the longest mainstreet in the world as it streaches from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean!


Jason and Mikeeee getting some needed rest. Friday was a looong night. The pictures in the background are by Bob. He spends the morning and afternoon painting as his artwork hangs behind him on the fence in the great gallery of the island shoreline. Dozens of people pass by every five minutes speaking in all sorts of accents and languages. The cool ocean breeze always compliments the contrasting rays of the strong tropical sun. There’s usually a few of us here reading, resting or entertaining ourselves and the tourists.


Jeff’s secret to success…the pig helmet cover!


So today is Thursday and I am trying to remember the details that made Saturday so amazing to finally finish this post. But I can’t remember the specific things, it was just a really great day. Sunny with a nice, cool breeze. Occassional white, fluffy clouds provided brief patches of wonderful shade. It began slow, but as it progressed, I got a lot of rides that were fun and tipped well. I had a great time bugging out and chillin’ with the other riders. Everything and everyone was just on the One.



Kapsis giving his sweetie Barbara a ride home. These two are waaay too cute and in love. He’s always blowing kisses from his pedicab to her as she works at a restaurant’s outdoor patio. The Ohio boys and I passed them enroute to happy hour. Yep, most places here do happy hour seven days a week. And the bars are open to four. But's that's a whole other post.


Happy Hour at Kelly’s. This certainly helped keep the great vibe going after work. Forget the fact it’s the original Pan-Am headquarters. Forget it’s owned by Maverick’s love intrest in Top Gun. Happy Hour is bangin'! $4 gets you a half dozen of some of the best wings on the island. $3 gets you a massive margarita. We had a lot of both.

Click read more to see the ridiculousness of getting a new printer home from New Town.






A bungee cord held it in place. I could steer holding just the box, but that was kinda scary and i didn't do it again. Ok, i did a few more times, and it was still scary! But, after living here since the first week week of January, I have only driven my van four times, three to go kayaking and once when I moved from Brian's couch to my apartment.



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BBB Pub Crawl II: Repeal Day

Friday, December 5th marked the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the glorious 21st amendment to the US Constitution, and an end to 24 years of prohibition! And we celebrated! Many weeks ago our loyal reader(s) read Rich's original call to action! Well, we acted, and drank that action well!


I rode up to the rear of the spigot and found a dozen bikes locked and chained in all sorts of various configurations. Some looked familiar and i looked forward to seeing friends as well as finding out who the new bicycles belonged to. It was super wonderful to see a bunch of friends after being away for almost two months.


Rich gave a passionate sermon extolling the wonderful virtues of the 21st amendment. His hand gesturing was so full of energy his right arm is captured only as a blur, speedy beyond the realm of digital photography. We reveled, we gave thanks, we stayed late past the schedule and enjoyed the breaking of such earthly rules.


Mere glass cannot stop the energy flow of BBB dap, especially if involving Rich and a liter of beer and el Presidente de China. I believe I once got a text from Lucas proclaiming vegas as "the place where wasted happens!" Yep, pretty much. Two Fridays ago i stayed for two rounds of the special, a liter of any draft and any shot for $10. Dang. But as usual, a good time was had. More amazing photos after the jump including Joel working the stripper pole at Mad Dawg's!




Is Rick doing an anti-flat ritual of some kind as Rich double fists multiple liters of beer and Julia laughs nervously and protects her pizza.


el Prez pimpin' on my old Mercier. Well done!


As promised, Joel working it for Kristen and looking quite sexy!


A few went to Sully's, the most at the Spigot, half made it to Mad Dawgs and a few to the Red Rock. A great night and a hell of a way to return to Hartford! Read more!

The Hartford Alleycat 4

Sean passing out the prizes

Sean has thrown this alleycat for four years now and really hooked up a great race this year. Baileyworks and Manhattan Portage sponsored with a few bags and there was plenty of PBR and Schaffer after the race at South Whitney House. Joel, Lauren, Krash, Tony and I rode the 30 mile Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour that morning/afternoon and then raced that night. I heard Valdez won a mountain bike race that morning as well. Wow. That's a lot of pedaling y'all.

the list from Sean...unsure of after 10 hub stati

1 Valdez
2 Tj
3 Goo (fixie)
4 Abe
5 Jeremy (fixie)
6 Chillwill
7 Ryan (fixie)
8 Krash
9 Lauren (fixie)
10 Dale
11 Jimmy
12 Drew
13 Nate
14 Sabrin
15 Rob
16 Shane (fixie)
17 Jeff
18 Dan
19 Joel
20 Steve T
21 Willy
22 Darcy
23 Katie
24 Orion
25 Brendon
26 Tony
DQ's Ashley Ross Smitty

ladies
1 Lauren
2 Sabrin

1st out of town Jeremy

The checkpoint on the East Hartford side of the Founders Bridge was a bit of a challenge due to the Pilobolus performance at the Riverfront Recapture tent/ampitheater. There were lots of people and rangers and cops along the park on top, which connects Constitution Plaza with the Founders Bridge. The more racers that passed through the area, the more the cops and security yelled. Eventually riders were being stopped and lectured and threatened with arrest! I heard some crazy stories and was super happy i got through very early on with little trouble.

I left Union Place and was about to head to Townley Street when i realized i skipped the freakin' Ancient Burial Ground checkpoint. Fuck! Shit! Damn! Hell! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I prolly lost 4 or 5 minutes backtracking and then rebacktracking right past Union Station again to get to Asylum Hill. ARRGGG! But i did ride extra hard at that point. Cussing myself helped alot.


Steve T, Tony and Rob

more photos after the jump






Nate and Sabrin


Kristen and Bianca are always ready to sign yer manifest!



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Discover Hartford Walking and Bicycle Tour 2008

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day for a wonderful event here in Hartford. I have no idea what the turn-out was this year, but from all the smiles I saw, it seems like a raging success. Thank you to the CCBA, all the volounteers, all of the sponsors, and to the walkers and riders for a great morning and afternoon. I got some great photos of all the shenanigans!

I saw many more police officers corking intersections this year, it was great. As soon as cyclists arrived at a manned intersection, the officer stopped traffic to let us through. Yeah baby! I also saw riders, not just marshals, stepping up and corking a bit! Well done! We all felt like VIP’s! I also really liked the waterproof maps and cue sheets. Well done CCBA! Great idea! But, just curious, who uses the cue sheets!?!? Who!?!?

I think Keney Park once again stole the show. The cool shade of the tree lined roads felt great as the day warmed up a bit. Enroute some hateful, racist yelled, “Go Home!” from his car on the bridge near Weston Street. I found that sadly funny as I, along with many others, live in Hartford. Ha! I guess that’s why it’s called ignorance! Anyways, Keney Park! Woo-haaa! The riverfront was also nice, but I spent a lot of time in the beginning of the tour helping people with my mini-pump. I really wish I had brought a floor pump, but I wasn’t expecting to be a marshall!


This dude and his doggy are ready to pedal the city!!!

Not sure what else to write. There’s a bunch of photos of the tour and our afterparty @ Kenny’s (Red Rock Tavern) after the jump. They are all in chronological order since I’m kinda anal like that somethines! Enjoy.

Click read more to see more!




“I do it in Hartford” I want that woman’s t-shirt!!!!


Joel and Kristen hard at work at the registration table! Hey, i think he likes you. Get a room!!!


Bianca and a Velomobile with a sticker saying “Bianca Signs” She's says no relation...but who knows!?!? I think she secretly makes bicycles and signs at night in her basement. I forget the dude’s name…sorry!


Krash and Wizzy on the tandem. They later arrived at Kenny’s (Red Rock Tavern) on another tandem. There’s atleast 3 in town right now scooting around. NICE!!


Rick, ohhh Rick. Another flat! Dang dude! What's with you and flat tires. There’s Babaganoush and Lindsey just about to ride past him wondering the same thing!


I dub thee, “The Yosemite RV!” WOW! What a set-up! I love it! Notice the kid's bike on the rack on the trailer!


Sonny showing how much of a safety man he is…tubes and patches! Good thing too, as he later entertained us with an amazing over-the-handlebars dismount on Fern Street. The average judges' score was an 8.6! We were stopped for Ben’s 2ed flat and the homeowner came out with a floor pump! Yeah! Go Hartford! I have no idea why everyone who got a flat…got two? Wierdness indeed.


Do not attempt to adjust yer computer monitor. The water in this pond in Goodwin Park is indeed green...really green! So green, that stuff floats on top of it!


I actually discovered something new about Hartford!; this pathway between Wethersfield Avenue and Brainard Road. I don’t think its usually open though, but what a great little shortcut!


I always seem to get people into situations like these! I wanted to continue along the riverfront and not backtrack so we went this way to avoid being seen and having people mistakenly follow us. Atleast she has a cross bike and well... this is what it is made for!


Donnie taking orders and making us laugh at Kenny’s. I respect and like Donnie a lot, though I pretty much refuse to call the bar by its new name, Red Rock Tavern! I am going to get him elected mayor someday because he runs a great business and really knows how to treat people and keep them coming back. Corner of Capitol and Lawrence Street. Lots of lockable bike parking along the patio fence.


hmmm…Rick again…and now on a different bike! After his second flat, he stopped home and went for the burly mountain bike!


Amy Z and Big Nick chatting amongst the dozens of bikes in and around the bar!


More bikes at the bar. Krash and Wizzy switched to Amy Z’s and Rick’s tandem, seen here. Lots of tandems around. I like that.


Dawn and I took a ride around the block while waiting for our food. It was each of our first times on such a bike. Fun! I’d like to go on another short ride on one.

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