Stuff no one will steal

At one point, I was a man who had nothing made by Campagnolo. Then, I bought this old raincoat off of eBay. Now that I'm rich, I've bought actual Campy components (from the 1990s). They're pretty good.

I still use my mediocre raincoat. Last Friday for instance, I wore it and only got 96% soaked on the way to work. There's a coat rack next to the bike racks in the parking garage and I left the coat there, forgetting about it when I left on Friday afternoon. I remembered before I left for work that I left it there and then when I got there, it was still there. Well, looks like Campy isn't attractive to thieves as you think it would be. Better not leave my SRAM raincoat, though, might not be so lucky next.

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Tired Tires

In the last two weeks, I've gone through the sidewalls of four tires. Can this be explained? Two weeks ago it was Maxxis Xypher (road tire), but it was pretty old and beat to hell from riding dirt roads. One week ago it was a new Hutchinson Bull Dog. Three days ago it was an older Panaracer Rampage. Two days ago it was a Specialized Ground Control (NOS). Thankfully, I have a giant tire pile in the basement, but eventually they're going to run out.

Advice? Stop riding my bike? Stop using tires? Stop riding near rocks? Lose 100 lbs?

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Sage marriage advice

 Appalachian Gap. No pictures of Lincoln Gap, my camera wouldn't work because it was too steep.

I've been a delinquent here, but I've been doing worthwhile things out in the real world. I rode that Six Gaps thing in Vermont. It was a lot of work. I should have had some compact cranks. I failed miserably at the Tour de Glover this year with a triple flat.

I also received some sage metaphorical advice from Dario in light of my happily changed circumstances that I feel strongly about sharing with the world despite not receiving any consent from him to do so:

In marriage, you want to go "expedition" speed. You don't want to race. You're in it for the long haul. That said, I don't recommend a fat bike, even though there will be some rough patches. Your old Diamondback should work just fine. Keep it in the middle ring and keep the small ring on because there will definitely be some steep climbs. At some point in the marriage, you either go fixed or single speed most of the time.

 

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Making Connections in September

When do you make connections?   In the shower.  Under pressure.  While meditating.  Mile 60 of a century. I think we all have different spaces and situations where the pieces seem to fall into their seemingly predestined places.  Personally, the half hour I typically spend between sleeping and waking, particularly on the waking end, is the most productive.  Over the last week the thought nugget I've been churning has been the upcoming Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour.   The core tour committee has formed, and we are digesting the unexpected awesomeness that appears to be coming together on the weekend of September 20th through 22nd.

Not only has the Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour been scheduled on Saturday, September 21st, but there are bookending bicycle events on Friday and Sunday.  The Real Ride is aiming for Friday, and the downtown criterium races are planned for Sunday.  What!?  A three day bicycle weekend descending on the Hart-beat?  Yes.  The first question is, how does one successfully publicize a three-fold, weekend event like this?   The second question is, how can these three events combine and complement each other in the framework of fundraising and sponsorship.  Each event is quite different but still connected by the common mechanism of the humble bicycle.  

The Real Ride has a loyal following of Real Art Ways folks, and realistically with its current embodiment couldn't handle more than 300 riders.  That said the Real Ride has some "real" draw beyond the confines of Hartford metro.  Aficionados of lighted, urban night rides have attended from New Haven, Northampton, and Boston.  Initially I'm thinking of the Friday night Real Ride as an insiders' pre-party for the rest of the weekend.   Bike Walk CT could send a special invitation to the volunteers that won't have the opportunity to ride due to their Saturday duties.  Any indirect publicity beyond that already done via Facebook and the Real Art Ways website will bring in a few more folks, but the majority of the publicity will focus on the Discover Hartford Tour and the criterium races.

The Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour is a welcome reincarnation of the Hartford Parks Tour, as a fun / fundraiser ride for Bike Walk Connecticut.  Started in 2007 the Discover Hartford Tour blew back into town under the angel wings of Allan Williams.  Last year's 2012 tour was the most smoothly run, but unfortunately ran afoul of the weather gods and didn't get the day of registration that was hoped for.  This year, registration is open a month earlier.  The weather gods hate procrastinators, so get your ass registered early.  The Tour showcases the parks and hidden gems of Hartford, while promoting cycling as both recreation and transportation.  The audience for the tour is vast as there are 10, 25, and 40 mile routes.  The 10 mile route is perfect for less experienced cyclists and families.  The 25 mile route is the most popular and hits the parks in Hartford.  If you need more mileage, the 40 mile route leaves Hartford and samples other nearby communities - which have yet to be announced.  Each year the route gets switched up a bit.  There are cue sheets and the turns are marked / signed to keep you from getting lost.   So that you don't get confused and try to race, Bike Walk CT has rest stops and there is a list of historic sites and things you'll see.  You will at times stop and look around to take it all in - and that's OK.  Save the fast riding for Sunday's criterium.

The Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour is partnered with the Hartford Envisionfest.  Envisionfest is in its second year, and last year set the bar high.  After the tour, there are oodles of FREE things to do within easy walking and biking distance.  It's the whole package!  The burbites will be seething with jealousy, once they get done enjoying themselves of course.

And if you need a speed fix, either riding or spectating, Sunday, September 22nd is the inaugural Connecticut Cycling Festival.  Featuring an "electrifying nine turn course" and a sizable purse for winners, purported to be $15,000.  The official USA Cycling event will include races fit for novices, experts, and pros.  There will be a cycling expo that is sure to have vendors supplying the next best thing for your bike, diet, or saddle sores.  I haven't raced for ages, but I'll enjoy sitting in a shady spot along the course watching the spandex heroes riding in circles - some on bikes that cost as much as a good used car.

I'm not kidding folks.  This weekend in September is overwhelming.  How do we connect these events?  How should we connect the most riders to the registration?  Do you ever feel disconnected, when everything around you seems to be connected?

The following photos were captured while I was testing out a potential 40 mile route this past weekend.  (1) There was a big flood and humankind suffered.  (2) Humans triumphed over nature using machinery and technology.  (3) Man spends the rest of forever holding back the waters in Sisyphean fashion.  These curiously detailed panels were on an otherwise nondescript pumping station just a little ways off the route.

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Hartford artist mutilates mountain bikes and makes cool art

Victor Pacheco is a cool guy. You may have noticed some of his murals on and around Park Street, his giant guiro and tables at La Paloma, or maybe went to the shows he had around here before he moved to New York with his wife. I don't remember how I happened upon this, but apparently he has made sculptures out of SRAM components. Check it out. Read more!

Secret Art in Hartford

Sad?  Resigned?  Bored?

Freedom or security?

Day of the Dead

Ambling around the less traveled Hartford by foot and by bike, one finds amazing works of graffiti art.  The best pieces often the least accessible or exposed.  I find this really interesting.  It's as if those that wander off the beaten path in urban Hartford get rewarded with private viewing of secret art.  I'm thinking that wasn't necessarily the goal of the artist.  Most graffiti is put up without permission and under threat of vandalism and  trespassing charges.  Putting the piece up in a seldom used train tunnel gives the artist much more time than what could be slapped up on a visible overpass or abandoned building facing the street.  The artist has time to layer, add detail, and go large.  If they don't like something, they can fix it.

Another interesting aspect of graffiti art in Hartford and some other cities, is when the previously illicit art, honed in the shadows, becomes an accepted art form and finds its way onto buildings as advertising and decoration.  When graffiti is seen for the value it adds, instead of the value it detracts - and it can do both.  Park Street has several "legal" graffiti based signs and art, as does Homestead.  I recently came across a huge piece on Windsor Street.   Certain entrepreneurs, public organizations, and arts organizations have identified the talent and recognized the visual draw of well executed urban art.  Every time I pass Pelican on Park Street, the Sophia Maldonado work on the front of the building makes me want to get a tattoo, and someday I'll actually do it.

You may have seen these modified crosswalk signs around town.

Hartford has a little slice of Heaven for lovers of graffiti art.  Its actually called Heaven, and this legal graffiti zone / park is located just north of downtown Hartford.  If you haven't been there, you are missing a dynamic art hot zone.  Pieces may last a week, or several months.  There are small quirky works and stencils and huge sprawling burners and artworks taking up entire walls.  The Hartford Graffiti ride that I'm doing on Friday, July 19th starts (@ 7:30PM) and ends at Heaven.  If you show up, make sure you bring fat tires, pumps, and spare tubes.

*** The Hartford Graffiti Ride has been subsumed by the RAW Real Ride due to rescheduling of that event for the same evening.  Still riding, but starting from Real Art Ways on Arbor Street.  Meet at 6PM, and roll when it starts to get dark. ***

This bee was hanging out in Heaven a couple weeks ago, but he's gone now.

A friend from Urbana, IL just forwarded me a photo of a Kickstarter funded public art piece in an underused and previously boring alleyway.  This is a great business model for public art in times of contracting municipal budgets!  Find a building owner with a vacant and boring wall, pitch them an idea for a piece, start a kickstarter campaign to pay the artist.  Graffiti artists that had been forced to do their best work in secret could make some inroads into exposed public spaces, with the time needed to put up the best - and get paid.

Found this unexpectedly well populated wall in Stafford Springs.

Heads up to Tavis / Skan duo (or someone that knows them can give them my contact info).  I've seen a lot of your work and chatted with a certain arts organization.  What would you think of a Kickstarter type campaign and piece on a large wall associated with the arts organization?  I would love to help make this connection and could even help with the Kickstarter stuff.  Drop me a line either through Beat Bike Blog, or you can email me directly (acherolis at gmail.com).

Nice burner by the river.  

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Sorry, guys

I know that votes were tallied and it said I was supposed to go ride the D2R2 again this year despite my dithering. However, I'm too broke and $125 is too steep for a bike ride. I mean it's not like anyone wants to ride with me anyway. I know that it benefits all sorts of nice parts of Massachusetts, so maybe when I'm not so broke, I'll go do it again.

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Take me to the River

*** The RAW Real Ride has been rescheduled for Friday July 19th.  Similar timing, but there won't be fireworks.  The fireworks are on July 18th, which unfortunately fell on the evening of Creative Cocktail Hour at RAW. ***

Real Ride VII - Take me to the River.  Saturday, July 6th.  Meet at Real Art Ways.  Bike Decorating at 6PM.  Ride leaves at 8PM.  Fireworks at 9PM.

The ride will leave from Real Art Ways on Arbor Street and wend its way down to the Connecticut River in time to watch the fireworks.  After the fireworks finish, the group will ride back.  Note that this ride will be on city streets, and there will be traffic.  On the return trip the roads will be chock full of stop and go traffic.  That said, the bikes are a much more efficient (both space and fuel) way to get to the fireworks.

It's a leisurely 8-10 mile ride round trip.  Bring your lights, more is better.  Some folks are basically mobile Christmas trees, or more seasonally, battery powered firework displays.  There will be music, or bring your own.

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Crazy bike ride!

Glimpse of a bear. Just discovered that my phone makes animated gifs if you take the pictures in rapid enough succession. 

I went for a crazy bike ride two days ago. I rode up to the Reservoir on my 'cross bike. I knew there would probably be a storm, but I was hoping that it would only be five minutes of rain like it was the day before. It held until just north of the MDC office at Reservoir 6 and then was a big storm. My phone apparently makes these angry weather alert sounds now. I keep thinking they're alerts that my phone has been infiltrated by water because the plastic bag I was using got a hole in it. Nope, just weather alerts. There are always "areal flood warning[s]" these days.

Anyway, there was one of those flashes of lightning/instant thunder/hair standing up (out of fear or static electricity? who knows?) things. Then, I got a stick in my derailleur. I bent back the hanger, but I need a new one again. I go through a lot of hangers. Singlespeed really is the way to go.

After that, a bear crossed right in front of me! Totally the closest I've ever been to a bear. It didn't seem to notice me. I was under the powerlines right where the blue-red trail goes back into the woods. It ambled across the path, went through the brush and back into the woods. They aren't very graceful walkers and when they don't see you they don't have a very intimidating presence.

Then I rode through Penwood and eventually ended up in way north Bloomfield in this warren of trails north of Day Hill Road along the river. Eventually, I followed this dirt road to a fence that told me I was in some environmental clean up area. Or a superfund. I think if you don't ride into the superfund site, you might be able to connect to Northwest Park. If you're nice to me, I'll show you where these are.

Mysterious Farmington River Park of Bloomfield. Following Hartford's lead, it seemed to be made for ATVs and dirtbikes.

Also, I saw a copperhead.

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Can you handle more graffiti?

Because if you can't, that's okay.  Regardless, I'll be riding around on Friday,  July 19th looking at notable urban art.  Hartford has amazing graffiti, if you know where to look. Following the train tracks yesterday I stumbled across these hidden gems.  Unfortunately the works shown below won't be on the bike ride, as the extended length of sketchy, rough train tracks would be punishing.  That said, the ride may include some short segments of train tracks and off road riding.  Fat tires will be appreciated, and spare tubes / patch kits invaluable.

The informal bicycle wander will meet and end at Heaven, a well used and dynamic legal graffiti zone just north of downtown Hartford on Main Street.  Meeting at 6:30PM and shoving off by 7PM.  Brendan is working with folks to get a skate park built at heaven to complement the existing vibe and give the kids something to do.  After the ride I'll be heading over to Sully's for Past\\Forward.

Disclaimer - This is not an organized ride.  In fact I guarantee that it will be very disorganized.  I'm not sure how far I'll be riding, but expect to be back at Heaven 1-2 hours from when I shove off.   There is no cue sheet, and I don't plan on watching out for your safety.  If for some reason you choose to ride around and look at graffiti, it is of your own free will and you are assuming the risks inherent in riding your bike on roads, various terrains, around other vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

If you missed it, I've heard there is an Alley Cat planned for June 22nd.

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Polysemous Cyclists

Dario took the bait and here is the responding guest post.  Let's roll this idea around a bit more.

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     Tony's eloquent post (Sun., June 9, 2013) launching from verses by Wallace Stevens and landing on a topic, sustainability, which is dear and near to beatbikeblog readers seems at first a stretch. But as I re-read his post, I begin to see interconnections that I think we can develop further. If Stevens did indeed compose his lines while walking to work in the morning and back home in the evening, he wouldn't be the first peripatetic philosopher-poet in Western civilization. Homer, Dante, and Whitman immediately come to mind. But there are so many others. All of them great travelers. Stevens perhaps less so, although he didn't need to travel as far and wide in order to gain perspective on the world. Like Dante, Stevens is a keen observer of the small, the incidental, and of happenstance. For both poets, nothing, however, is ever really small, incidental, or just the result of happenstance. Everything is pregnant with meaning. The "thin men", the "blackbirds", the "golden birds" from the seventh stanza of Steven's Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird are polysemous, that is, they can mean many things to many people.

    Imagine Mr. Stevens who was quietly but fervently skeptical of absolute and universal belief systems walking along Asylum Ave. thinking such thoughts. At the time of the poem's publication in 1917, Stevens had recently taken up his post at The Hartford insurance company. World War I was raging. Bolsheviks were taking over Russia. Labor strife in the United States. Revolutionary ideas. Hartford with its history of craftsmanship and industry and also finance was a flourishing city. But not all was golden. Stevens was politically conservative, but he was a radical thinker nonetheless. He had a deep sense of the overarching paradox of our lives that bind all of us together, rich and poor. Of necessity, the poor have to enjoy the "little things" in life. But conversely, if the rich cannot or are unwilling to see the grandeur in the small and in the ordinary, then they are blind and truly impoverished. Lao Tzu reminds us: "Have little and you will gain./Have much and you will be confused."
           
     In his post Tony writes: "If you want to live a happy and sustainable life, it seems important that we recognize our nearby and local treasures." I'd argue more forcefully: "Without cherishing our surroundings we cannot endure." This is why walking through Hartford (as Wallace Stevens did) and cycling through its streets (like the beatbike bloggers often do ) is necessary and not just important. Without assiduously casting our gaze in purposeful seeing (analogous to the way we view works of art, let's say, or the famous sights of the world's great cities) can we ever fully appreciate where we live? I'm reminded of this question, Tony, when on our rides we see a side of Hartford not seen by many others. The actual experience of seeing is often a catalyst for the imagination and, vice-versa, the imagination inspires our ways of seeing things. Sustainability and, more ideally, happiness require the use of imagination. Perhaps Wallace Stevens didn't need to walk along Hartford's streets in order to create his introspective art. Perhaps he saw the thin men in his mind all along or maybe while walking he saw all too many thin men (real ones and metaphorical ones) that inspired his poetry. For beatbike bloggers, cycling is a catalyst of the imagination and of our own individual sustainability.

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Any other aspiring literary cyclists out there in Hartford or regions further?  If so, how goes your appreciation of blackbirds?  Does your imagination seem to be sustainable?  Are you feeling anti-social? 

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Social Lives

I used to go out a lot. I'd go to events, I'd go to bars, I'd go to parties and I'd go to other things. Then, I started riding a bike a lot more frequently. Since then, I've realized I don't make new friends who don't ride bikes. I try, but the problem comes when it comes to mutual activities. I like to drink beers with the best of them, but I find that I like to do so early, because I usually go to bed on the early side.

Last night for example, Johanna wanted to watch some throne game show. I find that show to be tedious. Instead of going to the bar or calling up my friends to do that. I decided to go on an extreme urban awesome ride trickfest* to blur lines between being 13 and 30.

I've kept my old friends from before I became a bike weirdo, although I almost lost one when I took him on a ride in Vermont a few weeks ago.

* I rode down some stairs. Read more!

O thin men of Hartford

I was struck by the Wallace Stevens stanza while perusing Real Hartford's latest photos of the Asylum Hill neighborhood.

     O thin men of Haddam,
     Why do you imagine golden birds?
     Do you not see how the blackbird
     Walks around the feet
     Of the women about you?

Not sure why, but I thought is was both funny and relevant.  Mr. Stevens was an insurance company executive at The Hartford, but also found time to write poetry.  I've been told much of the poetry was composed while walking the couple miles to and from work.  The historical markers are way points on his route.  If you watched the Hartford-centric indie film Rising Star, you'll recall that the nuanced sledge hammer message of the movie that one can have both a profession and a passion.  If the passion isn't the profession, the separate passion doesn't have to be extinguished or left to wither.  Make your bread, but don't lose your fire.  If you reach too ardently after the golden bird, you may find yourself lacking in depth and short on joy.

The movie also seemed to imply that you could walk all of Hartford in a leisurely afternoon.  I would be interested in seeing a route of the scenes on a Google map and with calculated mileage.  There is a difference between suspending disbelief and believing in the absolutely ridiculous.  I imagine that the local audience is supposed to take the exhaustive walking tour of Hartford as an inside joke.

The golden bird may be an idealized goal, or simply cold hard cash.  In chasing the hard to reach and living the commercially promoted life we forget that within walking (or biking distance) of our home and place of employment there are countless blackbirds possessing their own singular beauty, overlooked perhaps with familiarity or prejudice.  Within a life that isn't gilt there are still opportunities to find happiness.  This is a valuable lesson for Connecticut and those living or working in the Hartford metro region.  If we want to live a happy and sustainable life, it seems important that we recognize our nearby and local treasures.  Culturing an appreciation for blackbirds may both simplify and expand our lives.

Dario - I expect this will give you some inspiration.  Perhaps a guest post?  

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Show up. Get herd. This Saturday.

The following just showed up in my inbox.  The topic is near and dear to your heart, and it's an opportunity to show up on a damn bike and shout Complete Streets.  Who's with me?  I'm planning to pack a picnic lunch.

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Congressman John B. Larson &
Congressman Bill Shuster, Chairman of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Invite you to a Transportation & Infrastructure Forum

With a variety of landmark legislation facing the 113th Congress, it is crucial that Connecticut be kept at the forefront of the national discussion on transportation and infrastructure. Larson is hosting Chairman Shuster to discuss local, statewide and national issues including the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), the East Hartford-Hartford levee systems, aviation, mass transit and other Connecticut transportation and infrastructure issues.

Who?

• Congressman John B. Larson
• Congressman Bill Shuster, Chair of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
• Congresswoman Elizabeth H. Esty, member, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
• Congressman Joe Courtney
• James P. Redeker, Commissioner of CT Transportation 
• Representatives from the transportation and construction industries
• Members of the Connecticut Congressional Delegation

Where & When?
Riverfront Boathouse, 20 Leibert Road, Hartford, CT 06120
Saturday, June 8th, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

RSVP HERE OR CALL 860-278-8888

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This will be a well spent Saturday morning, and I've been looking for a reason to pack a picnic lunch.  The monsoon rains will have passed and we can bask a bit in the sun after making a statement (with a rack full of bikes) and making some noise (by asking intelligent forum questions that shape the conversation).

See y'all there. Read more!

BREAKING: New York Times steals Beat Bike Blog's awesome idea from like four years ago

Critical infrastructure in Vermont.

Joel came up with this cool idea a few years ago of an annotated bike map for the Hartford region. It never really got finished, but it was a cool idea.

 

View BeatBikeBlog Critical Infrastructure and Key Facilities in a larger map

Obviously when looking for cool story ideas due to the return of bike interest in New York, they checked back issues of the beat bike blog and found our map, hired slick graphic designers and made this thing. While it may look much better and be in New York, it's basically the same as Joel's map. This is almost as bad as the time that spam blog stole all our posts. Read more!

D2R2 poll

D2R2 is coming up again. Should I ride it? I can't decide.

I haven't been paying to ride things so far this year. I haven't even renewed my USAC license.

So, vote on the right. Read more!

Hot Mess

Rolled around this morning, through the Southwest corner of Hartford.  Up through Cedar Hill Cemetery and by the huge Tilcon quarry.  Poked around over in Newington looking for cut throughs and not so closed roads.  Then back to Hartford for some Puerto Rican Day Parade madness - the loudest street event I have ever experienced.

Bring your reclining seats.  

It's a long way down. 

Did you know that Hartford is the home of the inventor of surgical anesthesia, Horace Wells?  There was an article in this Sunday's Courant and by odd chance I rode by the monument for this famous addict in the Cedar Hill Cemetary.  The three bronze panels read (1) I sleep to awaken, (2) I shall feel no pain, and (3) I awaken to glory.  The feminine figures on the plaques are surrounded by poppies.

I sleep to sleep.  Not sure what Horace was thinking.

Knock out sauce.

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Pedro's did me a solid

I lost the 8mm adaptor for my multi tool the other day and I was bumming. I emailed Pedro's and they sent me a new one free of charge. Thanks guys!

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Skatepark Fever

I've been working on this skatepark in Hartford for a long time. Our hope is that this summer will be our summer. Everything is in place except the DOT approval.

I've been getting antsy. I have no idea really how to ride BMX or skateboard. I don't even really know how to ride a bike. However, I'm totally scared that when the skatepark opens in Hartford, I won't be able to do a cool trick at the ribbon cutting. I've been practicing at the skateparks that grace the routes I often ride on. One time I rode the Middlefield skatepark and on an occasion or two I've ridden the Newington one. The one in Martin Park in East Hartford is totally terrible, so I don't ever go there. The Wethersfield one, which is very nice, I pass all the time. I've started stopping in there with an improper bike.

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Ride it. Love it. Respect it. Pick up the Trash.

Just saw an announcement of a trail cleanup day along the East Hartford section of the Hockanum River Trail this Saturday, June 1st.  9AM-noon.  Meeting behind the East Hartford Town Hall on Main Street.  It seems they are also having a competition as to who can make the best Gorp.  I'm going to skip the trail mix challenge and try to weird out the AMC hikers with my trash bag toting bike trailer.

Huge fan of this trail and if you don't know about it yet, you're totally missing out.  As one astute fellow and very occasional Beat Bike Blogger notes, the East Hartford section near Main Street is "like road bike single track."  Also pretty nice for walking and running.  Hidden gem.  The Hockanum Trail (and associated linear park) is much longer than you would expect.  Hopscotching its way along the Hockanum River valley all the way through Manchester.  

June is a busy month.  Just check out the Real Hartford list of fun stuff to do.  Didn't purposefully post over Brendan's most entertaining video of a bicycle towing a load of tin cans.  He likes river cleanups, so will likely approve.

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Ski bus

People in New England were all "crazy weather" this weekend. It was justified, as Memorial Day snow is sort of weird. I had noticed that the Hartford DPW trucks and a few others still had their studded tires on passed the May 1 deadline. I don't know if that's the sort of thing anyone enforces, but apparently it was needed because they were preparing in sympathy for the snow in northern New England. Upstate New York apparently got 3 feet, but I only saw about three inches in Vermont at around 2000 feet.

I went for a bike ride down jeep trails on my road bike. Blah blah blah.

I also went for a very cool bike ride with this:

And made a cool video.

None of this kept me from mowing the lawn.

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I am so f-ing glad I don't have a yard.

Folks at work this week talking about their three day weekend were saying things like, "I'll finally get a chance to catch up on my yard work."  I remember those times.  As a near suburban home owner I too had a yard and sacrificed one, if not two, nights a week.  Never again.  For those that find this time meditative, good on ya, but it ain't my bag.  Would much rather take in a movie at Real Art Ways, go for a hike, head to the museum, volunteer somewhere, go for a bike ride, well - you see there are a lot of things that seem more fun (for me) than cutting the grass or yanking out weeds.  And I totally don't dig the guilt trip, keeping up with the neighbors crap.  Might as well grow a huge yard sized garden rather than grass, at least you'd get some tasty organic veggies for the labor.

Bike Trailer Movers.  Raining all damn day.

Since I've long escaped the enslaving bonds of lawncare, I was able to help Ken K continue his gradual move into his new digs.  We didn't get to use a pulley and ladder to wedge stuff into his second story window, as it was too rainy for that to be even marginally safe.  Instead we loaded up bike trailers and ferried stuff the three blocks from his old place to the new, freshly painted one.  Ken was using the nearly dead coffin trailer, and I hooked an extra kid trailer in tandem with my standard flatbed.  The tandem handled remarkably well.  Ken rewarded me with a huge Salmon fillet for my trouble, a fractional share of the 40 lbs that he had picked up that morning at the restaurant supply warehouse in the South Meadows.  That's a lot of fish!

Creepy Graffiti in Stafford Springs 

Saturday I decided at the last minute to ride up to northeastern CT to test out my new tent with an overnight trip.  The destination was Bigelow Hollow State Park, and more exactly Breakneck Pond.  On the DEEP website map of the park there was a tent symbol although the info for the park makes no mention of camping.  My guess was that there were some under publicized primitive sites around the pond, and I was right.  I didn't get to check it out, but based on the signage in the park there is even a 3 walled shelter on the East side of the pond.  My approach to the park was from the north via Mashapaug Road, which turns into Breakneck Rd, which turns into a washed out, rocky quad track that was quite interesting.  Those that love their rims or are smarter about cracking their skull (far away from cell service) might want to stick to the southern approach from Bigelow Hollow Road.

Hat Trick.  Tent, bike, and fire.

The camping was amazing.  Memorial Day is usually to total cluster fuck at State Park campgrounds.  Everyone and their loud drunk brother decides to take out the RV or popup trailer.  At Breakneck Pond I was totally alone.  No cell service, a book, a bottle of wine.  A beaver, peeved that I was poaching his pond shore, postured with tail slaps as he swam by.  It's amazing what a mile and a half of hiking into a primitive site does to thin the hordes.  Awaking to the myriad birds at 5:30AM I hiked a bit of the loop path south of the campground.  Totally worth staying two nights next time.  Lots of hiking opportunities.  A hook and line could bring in dinner.

Artsy?

The ride back was through some of the best dirt roads that CT has to offer.  South of the park is a large parcel of forest owned by Yale.  I was on dirt roads from Bigelow all the way to Westford.  I also spent some time on Route 89, which for a numbered state route is a surprisingly good ride.  Meeting up a friend for lunch in Willimantic at the Thread City Diner was the calorie boost I needed to make it back to Hartford via the Hop River Trail and East Coast Greenway.  A stop in East Hartford at a friend's Memorial Day BBQ rounded out the day.   At no point this weekend was I stressed about what my neighbors thought about my lawn.

Awoke to a swiftly rolling fog.

Oh yeah.  There is an Alley Cat, the Hartford Hellraiser, coming to Hartford on June 22nd.  Get your fixie bikes ready, or any bike for that matter.  Perhaps I'll ride a three speed just to spite the hipster element and keep myself from riding irresponsibly.  Should be a good time.

Raising the Dead

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