Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Non-Thorn Related => Topic started by: Andre Jute on January 31, 2013, 10:46:23 am
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Off for a ride, second one of the year, I think. Meeting the pedal pals at the Mart (for the Americans, that's the cattle market -- I live in country town in a farming community) at noon. Weather 10ºC, sunshine until 3pm, then overcast, 25mph wind, so we'll ride a lane up a valley for protection, then over the hills through a forest, be exposed for a bit to enjoy the best view, and come back the same way rather than go down to the river where a 25mph wind is a real howler, on the verge of being dangerous for the lighter riders.
Here's the best forecast for my area http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/296315 Fill in your own town name.
Andre Jute
EDIT: As I hit "send", it started raining heavily... [SIGH]
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Off for a ride, second one of the year, I think. Meeting the pedal pals at the Mart (for the Americans, that's the cattle market -- I live in country town in a farming community) at noon. Weather 10ºC, sunshine until 3pm, then overcast, 25mph wind, so we'll ride a lane up a valley for protection, then over the hills through a forest, be exposed for a bit to enjoy the best view, and come back the same way rather than go down to the river where a 25mph wind is a real howler, on the verge of being dangerous for the lighter riders.
Here's the best forecast for my area http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/296315 Fill in your own town name.
Andre Jute
EDIT: As I hit "send", it started raining heavily... [SIGH]
Sorry, that page wasn't found
Please check your typing and try again
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i'm still waiting for a good day Andre ::) but to be totally honest i'm just a lazy one*, can't motivate myself to get some training in and this weather ain't helping any.
i cleaned and polished my sherpa yesterday so i ain't taking it out on these wet mucky roads to get it all dirty again ;D ;D yeah i'm a sad person my get up and go got up and went. :-[
[*Admin: Dan-edit for language]
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Commuting sorts that for me...yesterday the wind was so bad in places I got blown sideways on a pedestrian/cyclist promenade, had to unclip and put the foot down, but had to drop bike else I'd have gone too.
Then when I lifted it (and my XTC is 13.5 KG atm with dynohub etc.) it literally got blown sideways by the wind, hanging from my arms.
Though I wasn't so happy on the roads....slow going in case Mr White Van Man was nearby ready to give me 4 inc of space...if lucky ;)
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yeah be careful jawine in those strong gusty windy a wee thing like yourself can get blown away ;)
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Sorry, that page wasn't found
Please check your typing and try again
Sorry. The number must refer to an already obsolete forecast. Try this, and fill in the name of your own town:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/)
Andre Jute
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We did get a ride in yesterday, starting an hour late. But it was a misery. First some moron in a glazing company's van ran two of us in succession into the ditch, then we rode a ridge on the way home where the wind stopped some of the lighter cyclist dead even on a steepish downhill, and my thighs felt like blocks of ice right through a thick cotton tracksuit and angora long johns. It was such a misery that this morning, when it was fine enough to ride (if you were looking out from behind glass) I walked out with my wife instead of trying for another ride.
I see on the net that AP reports that in Ireland January was the dullest month since 1964, less sunshine and rain on more days than any month for half a century.
Andre Jute
Bring back global warming!
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It's not great cycling weather Andre, i just left my grandaughter home she's only 3 and when i was putting her into he car she said,, freezing granda ;D ;D.
roll on the summer or even global warming. ::)
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Van men generally drive like total morons...in town I just block them so I don't end up trying to find my teeth as there's no ditch to go into!
On cycling notes Belfast to Castle Espie waterfowl sanctuary is a lovely 22 mile roundtrip mostly on cycle lanes so is the Belfast to Lisburn Towpath route :)
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Van men generally drive like total morons...in town I just block them so I don't end up trying to find my teeth as there's no ditch to go into!
Since his van is so wide, and he's a stranger to the narrow lane, I would've blocked this one until the next intersection only fifty yards ahead, but he came hard on the heels of a local farmer's wife, well known to me, who I let through, so I had no chance to take the lane again.
It might be smart to rig my camera to the bike again so we can get their numbers. Even if the police won't act, I'm a master publicist and if an idiot in a van costs his employers business, his job will soon be gone, something we could build into a controversy. Adverse publicity is also useful in motivating the police.
Or I might start carrying my Abus Grant X 54 again in the handy clip within reach of my hand on the seat post; it's a most useful three-pound hammer!
Andre Jute
Name and Shame White Van Man!
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Just completed my first 500 miles of this year. I was hoping to do it in the month of January but having 5 days off the bike in London didn't help.
Can't understand why others don't get the right gear for the weather and get out cycling. ??? ???
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Well a friendly phone call advicing company might be first step after all we all make mistakes if van driver says sorry and checks mirrors more often that's all that's needed?
I am learning to drive and it's true cyclists can be hard to see. (though sometimes it's obvious driver was legally blind ;)
Unfortunately mr van man here generally has no logos so without a cam nothing much I can do.
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BE careful Andre when people get behind a wheel they turn into looneys so you could be hitting the wrong looney ;)bikepacker thats serious miles this time of year i do have the gear its the mindset i'm missing. ::)
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Well I managed to get out for a run on the bike today. The car suffered brake failure yesterday and a strip down and inspection this morning showed that the rear brake shoe had disintergrated allowing the brake cylinder in the wheel to pop the piston out so a quick 40km cycle into our local town for some new shoes. Planning to have the kids tomorrow and it is the only vehicle we have that fits the 3 kids in the back.
Car fixed and cobwebs blown off the bike. It has been a very snowy January here so only put just over 200km on the bike but have manage nearly 150km running and over 100km rowing so not too bad a month. Looking forward to March when I can hang up the running shoes and let the rower gather some more dust. Have put 8kg on over winter so it will be time to get back into shape - lol
Andy
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busy times Andy i have some weight to shift as well if only i hadn't a sweet tooth. ::)
just in from a 20 mile spin lovely day but cold hopefully i get a good spin in tomorrow. i was going great around the start of january but this is my first outing in 2 weeks and boy did i feel it.
i hate making plans because everytime i do something comes up to spoil them so i take one day at a time. ;)
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Having a sweet tooth is one of the great benefits of cycling. Can almost get away with eating what you want
Andy
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yeah but only when your cycling ;D ;D
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+1 for the sweet tooth.
Andre Jute
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Thats the problem of not being able to get out on the bike. Not only a diminished capacity for food but an increase in oppertuinty to snack.
I am looking on the bright side. 8kg of reserves must be atleast 2000km in the tank ready for the road
lol
Andy
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Hi all!
With regard to riding and weight gain/loss...
I find I consistently lose about 1lb/.45kg per day while on-tour till my usual 172lb/78kg stabilizes at about 155-160lb/70-73kg. My 2013 tour will likely take 4-5 weeks, so by the end of Week Two I should be at my usual "touring weight". It seems to be a combination of things -- riding with a loaded bike every day in really strenuous conditions, a change in food, and more sleep. I usually sleep about 4 hours each night, varying from 2-6; on tour that goes to 8 and stays there (9PM to 5AM). Also, I find the longer I'm on-tour, the more my appetite declines and I tend to eat less overall, despite the exercise. Being away from snacks helps, as does the added intake of just water instead of other drinks that sometimes have a sugary content.
So, if you want to lose weight, Dr. Danneaux prescribes a nice, extended tour in demanding conditions!
All the best,
Dan.
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Funny you should say that Dan when ever i do get away on tour i find i cant eat as much even though i cover big enough miles, i find a bowl of soup does me fine although i do drink lots of tea/coffee but other than that i eat very little.
when i'm home i can't stop snacking the wife told me just now that biscuits and cake are no longer she said my belly was way to big. :-[
don't you just love women ;D
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I bet she has your best interests at heart...that or the food bill got out of hand ;D
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she has fair play to her, every time now i want to use her credit card i can just tell her the amount of money i'm saving her not eating snacks. ;D ;D
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Best diet for me was when I lost a stone (14lbs/6.5kg) touring in India in 1995 for ten weeks. And I was only ill for a few days at the start!
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There's a fine line between boredom and hunger.
I don't eat a lot if I'm riding, particularly Audax rides or touring, but I can snack all day at work.
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lovely sunny day here in ireland so i'm off out to do some snacking on my sherpa . ;)
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Usual 15 Mile roundtrip today.
Cold and sunny here too...better than yesterday got blown all over the road, well I didn't walking it was.
Winter tires back on...heavy like mad but very stable when cornering. The XTC seems to be better on higher tires.
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Got a super 30 miles in done a lot of climbing well long drags really.
fairly windy but lovely and sunny great day to be alive day ;)
the last 10 miles i put on Jeff Waynes War of the Worlds at full vol and nailed it all the way home ,ah life in the auld dog yet. ;D ;D
going out to the shed now to try and fit my new dynamo wheel this should be fun (NOT) :-[
anto
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Ah dyno wheels not so bad, at least I got mine on OK.
It's getting the fiddly wires through the connectors that's the fun bit ;D
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I've done quite a few rides of between 40 & 60 km so far this year but I am trying to complete a Randonneur Round the Year series of rides which, as I missed getting in a 200km ride in early January when the weather was benign, I ended up riding one in on the 22nd which was rather on the dodgy side. Most minor roads round here were totally off limits so I had to pick a route that stuck mainly to A and B roads and rode a double loop from home making sure I was never more than 20km from home or a railway station. Only real problem was getting in and out of my own street which was like a skating rink.
This Sunday will hopefully complete the series with a ride from Bedford into the Cotswolds and back.
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ah lovely place that cotswolds plenty of tough hills stow on the wold.
bikepacker took me around the lanes of the cotswolds few years ago great tour.
be careful this time of year, i also keep fairly close to home plenty of time to wonder off into the sticks when the weather is better.
safe riding folks
jags.
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I was travelling on business so I had ten days without riding but today I finally could get back out. Just one of my usual rides, 16 miles. About 30F with a few snowflakes coming down but mostly sunny. Roads are 99% clear. It felt good to be out riding!
Coming down the biggest hill this oil truck decided to pass me and gave me like a foot of clearance. I like the big tires on the Nomad because I feel they give me the ability to handle whatever choppy pavement so I can focus on not getting run over instead of getting distracted by the need to avoid potholes etc.
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Welcome back home, Jim; I enjoyed your Seattle Bikewatcher's Report. I'll bet you feel the temperature difference. Good on you for getting out on the bike, but -- Man! -- that oil truck sounds pretty close. I always wonder why they couldn't have waited just a bit longer or given a little more clearance. <nods> Yes, the wider tires are grand for those nibbled pavement edges. They've saved me several potential spills in like situations had I been running the 700x32C road slicks on my other bikes.
Be careful out there!
All the best,
Dan. (...where it is 51°F/11°FC at the moment with mixed skies...a little sun, then clouds and sprinkles; not bad for riding!)
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I was even down in San Diego for a few days, for a big conference:
http://www.distributech.com/index.html (http://www.distributech.com/index.html)
I got sunburned, sitting outside for a business lunch one day, right on the waterfront. At least I got in some decent walking around San Diego. But yeah, the temperature difference!
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Just got back in from a 63km ride. Set of at 21:15 and just ot back in at 00:05. Fantastic clear night, a bit cold at just dropping below 0 as I got back in but not seen a single car on the road so had it all to myself and the few cats a fox and a badger. Its good to be able to get back out on the road for some nice rides. The 1200 m of climbing hurt but I am sure once I get a few more miles in the legs and a few pounds off the scales it will feel much easier. Just need to defrost my right foot now and then time for bed. (Dont ask me why but it is always the right foot that goes numb and the left foot is fine - go figure)
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that was a great bit of cycling well done.
night cycling is so different much quieter for a start.
i usually keep it to around 15 to20 miles circut i'm just 5 minutes from country roads
as dolly parton would say. ;)
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Maybe my toughest ride so far this year:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/52084294 (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/52084294)
A week ago or so I was on an easier route but the ride back included 33 pounds of groceries so that was hard too, maybe harder.
Yeah, quite remarkable, I am in a totally different category of rider than say our Dan, never mind Bradley Wiggins etc. I looked at my recent frequent rides to see how does total feet climbing per mile correlate with average speed. Here's what it looks like:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/milesfeetminutes_zpsd89df55b.jpg)
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MapMyRide doesn't seem to provide a plot of grade but it does allow elevation data to be exported, from which a plot can be extracted. Looks like my max grade today was about 13% up and about 17% down. I have yet to get up that 17% spot - I always ride around the loop so I am going down through there!
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/peckloop_zps89b185f7.jpg)
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I am in a totally different category of rider than say our Dan...
Kind words and I thank you, Jim, but I truly believe there are No Bad Rides. I fell into the "mileage trap" some years ago while a student at uni. I loved the self-competition, but when time, speed, and distance became the driving force for rides, it eventually sucked all the fun out of it. When I threw away the odometer for a few years and rode -- or not -- just for the joy of it, it all became fun again. Even better...I became a far more accomplished rider than when I was "training" all the time. Some major health issues intervened in later years. A Tour de Neighborhood meant every bit as much as the long rides used to. I haven't forgotten the joy in riding again at any level after a period when it was very difficult.
That tangent explains why I love hearing about others' rides, seeing their progress, sharing in their journeys, and seeing a different corner of the world beyond my own. Before your Catskills Nomad gallery-topic, Jim, I'd never given much though to the Woodstock area beyond that music festival some years ago. Getting to share in your rides has been fun and enriching, and they count for a lot more than you might think.
I think you're doing really well, Jim! Those are some really steep climbs, and they just never stop. That can be *really* taxing, as you just don't have much chance to recover. I think your speed was really good considering, and especially while carrying a fair-sized load. I churn along at around 2.5 to 5mph on the really steep hills myself when loaded, and your plot shows a lot of your climbing at around 10mph. That's really good for 1539 feet climbed. Boy! You sure had a climb in the middle there, but the shorter climb just after actually looks the steeper of the two.
Looking at the hybrid view in MapMyRide, you can really see that "shelf" dropping off just south of the Kenneth Wilson campground. I loved the 3-D flyover video; felt like I was riding with you and seeing the countryside. I don't blame you for dreading that 17% grade in reverse!
A hearty "well done" from me, Jim! Looking forward to more of your rides in the future!
All the best,
Dan.
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your plot shows a lot of your climbing at around 10mph.
Sorry for the confusion! That first plot with the green dots represents nine different rides. My ride today is the third from the right - maybe 9.5 average mph and about 62 feet of climbing per mile. That's 1539 feet total of climbing over 23.37 miles.
No way do I climb at 10 mph! On a gentle slope it might be 6 mph up and 18 mph down. On steep hills it's more like 3 mph up and 30 mph down. Probably on the level I go about 12 or 13 mph. Over along the reservoir there are a few really level runs but that's about it around here!
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No way do I climb at 10 mph!
Yayyy! You're Human, Jim! ;D I was worried for a bit there. :o
I think you're near average or so for touring-bike speeds and are doing well -- especially so for carrying a load.
I've really enjoyed reading about your rides. Keep 'em coming, Jim!
All the best,
Dan.
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Well I am wrong about MapMyRide - it does give grade info. I hope this crazy URL works!
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/peckloopelevationcrop_zps61cfa9df.jpg)
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It worked very nicely, Jim, and shows your climbs clearly. You have a lot of grinding along there!
Best,
Dan.
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One fun detail - that exhilarating descent around km 21 - that is on hard packed gravel! The Fearless Nomad handles it just perfectly! There was actually a car today coming up the hill as I was going down - quite unusual because there is very little traffic on most of this route. But that car really did constrain me on the narrow gravel road as I was flying along. No problem at all, though, with the bike's solid handling!
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...that exhilarating descent around km 21 - that is on hard packed gravel! The Fearless Nomad handles it just perfectly!
Don't forget the Fearless Nomad Rider, as well! You're a key component in the system, Jim!
Teamwork!
All the best,
Dan.
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Thats a cheeky little facility Jim (mapmyride)
I have it on my iPhone but have not tested it yet.
What device do you use it on?
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I just use it on my laptop - Windows XP. My usual browser is Google Chrome.
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Ah, so you dont map the ride as your out on the bike.
You put the ride in manually afterwards?
How do you do that?
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You put the ride in manually
Correct - I don't have any GPS. The manual process is not too difficult mostly. There is a "follow roads" option so with that you just mark a point and the software fills in the route along the road to that point, then go ahead another mile or whatever and mark a next point etc. There is an undo button so if the program fills in the wrong route you can go back and mark points more closely spaced to disambiguate.
Sometimes I will make a map this way to plot out a route that I plan to take or at least contemplate taking. One of my fantasies is to ride out to Ithaca to visit some friends. It's be about six days at my pace. I have worked out campgrounds along the way. Here is one possible day's ride along the way:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/119604381 (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/119604381)
That's a good bit of climbing with camping equipment on board! But if I keep hauling groceries home from the store, maybe I will get strong enough!
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Aha I see, thanks Jim.
My bike arrives tomorrow so Im going to be getting some rides in this Week, I will try the mapmyride app on my iPhone and see if works as advertised.
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My bike arrives tomorrow
Oooo what fun! Looking forward to the reports!
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Another one worth trying is Strava which works well on the iphone.
Fingers crossed for a safe delivery of your bike tomorrow and here's looking forward to the virgin ride report
Andy
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...Waiting in eager anticipation right along with you, Ian.
A bit like waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. Tomorrow's going to be a happy day!
Best,
Dan. (...who expects time will slow to a crawl between now and The Arrival)
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SAy Ian my son in law has one of those i phones and theres a great quality video camera on it nugg nugg wink wink ;D ;)
best of luck buddy hope its all you expect and more. drive carefully now. ;)
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Thanks for the support guys.
I will surely report back, im so excited I will probably go for a night ride if the bike doesnt get here till late ;D
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Today was my longest ride of the year so far, 41 miles and about 1200 feet of climbing. Woodstock to Red Hook and back, over the Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge. 50% chance of snow in the forecast but in mostly held off til I got back home, which was good since the studded tires came off last week! I saw one other cyclist out, a guy in super-spandex all matching wow! But he was nice and waved back which those "serious" types usually don't.
I have lots of wild dreams for the year but who knows what will really happen. Good just to get out and ride! Make something happen!
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Bank holiday weekend here and it's raining ice cold rain all through :(
Maybe better at Easter...off for the 4.5 mile to the manfriend with half a mile at 10% to keep me on toes :D
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i'm staying put watching Milan Sam Remo there getting some terrible weather . ::)
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Decided to take the bull by the horns and combine work with training, cycled to see one of my Learners in Manchester (about 50miles), got there flippin knackered.... Dealt with my learner which was just enough time for my body to rebel and go on strike....
Cycled from my learner to the train station and got the train back........ :'(
Few more Weeks/Months methinks before I can cycle such distances.....
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Well done Ian no mean ride when i get in from a 50 it's a shower and feet up after i get the wife to feed me that is.
btw how was the golf. ;)
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Thankfully I can Swap between Golfing and Cycling Jags, Golf most days, Cycle the others. One day I might get to do both on the same day 8)
You have an understanding wife..... ;)
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what do you play off ian.
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Im on a learning curve Jags, took the game up 2 Years ago coming back from Saudi, first card got me a 17 and down to 12 now, hoping for single figures this Year.
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i taught my older brother to play about 10 years ago he took to it like a duck to water he now playes off 3.but he was always great at sport, world champion target shooter /champion claypidgeon/ very good cyclist right smart little fecker .but gold man it used to wreck my head i was pretty good at one time but these days i wouldn't hit a cow on the ass ::)
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Here's my usual Saturday afternoon ride.
Fingers crossed the link works
Never tried this before
Matt
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wow looks like a lotta climbing :o
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Just a graph at the minute Matt, needs a Key.
Sure does look like a lotta climbing though ;D
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As case of "wanderlust" as the Germans called it lead me to an additional 7 miles to Jordanstown Lough yesterday after work. It's a quiet route, through an industrial estate, then past the motorway with views of the lough/forest 2/3rd in the route.
Of course it started drizzling on the way back, took some time before my toes were warm again ;D
(it was on the fixie BTW as it had a new chain put on which is now properly christened. The Thorn is a lot less reactive due to the extra heft/long chainstays/derailleur slack but the frame is much more comfortable too)
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I was daft enough to set off on a 200km audax ride this morning, but for the first time ever had to pack due to slow progress and deteriorating condition. After taking over 6 hours to cover 90km into a strong headwind accompanied for the most part with driving sleet and snow, and water and slush from the road starting to freeze hard to various parts the decision to head to the nearest railway station was a fairly easy one to make.
Still I suppose 108k ridden on a day like today was no too bad or at least not too silly.
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...108k ridden on a day like today was no too bad...
Understatement of the month -- Respect, Paul!
Well done, indeed!
All the best,
Dan. (...who has the 'flu and decided to pack it in and head for a hot bathtub after only mowing the lawns)
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Hope you get over the flu soon and get out on the bike again. Wish I could do some garden stuff but its all covered in unseasonable snow at the moment
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Brave attempt for the 200 KM audax!
Dan needs a hot whiskey by the sounds of it... ;)
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Last fall, Wendy, Dante, and I took a Hudson River boat trip. The trip was organized by Dante's college but it was a regular commercial tour that takes a couple hours and gets repeated a few times every day for all sorts of groups or the general public. The captain narrates all sorts of history connected with the various sights along the river. The trip starts and stops along the Rondout River in Kingston, so the first story we heard was a bit about the traffic through that juncture, where the Rondout flows into the Hudson. In the nineteenth century, the Delaware and Hudson canal ran along the Rondout, and carried impressive amounts of coal from Pennsylvania mines along the way to New York City. Those boat trip stories whetted my appetite for bicycle exploration of the canal's route.
Spring has been slow to arrive around here this year, so I had been plotting routes on the map while waiting for a break in the cold. The forecast for today was calling for clear skies and a high of 50: perfect for a ride. But I attend a regular reading group in Red Hook that was meeting today! Well, the route I'd worked out went right by the west end of the Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge. Why not combine the activities!
I got an early start - early for me, anyway: a few minute before 7 AM, with the sun just up over the horizon. My automatic light switch stayed on for the first few miles, with the sun behind trees. Soon though I found myself headed directly into a blinding sun. I was watching my rear view mirror closely - any cars passing me would be having just as hard a time seeing. Fortunately traffic was light. I passed a woman walking toward me on my side of the road. She could tell that I was blinded and seemed uncertain how we should pass each other - she started moving out into the roadway so I could continue along the edge of the road. I rang my bell to let her know that I had seen her and then pulled far out into the road so she could continue along the edge. That was a first for me, using a bell to let a pedestrian know that I had seen them!
In Red Hook I started with a second breakfast and my first coffee of the day at Taste Budd's. That gave me a chance to rest before our reading group. Ah, yes: combining activities did mean I had to carry some extra weight along on my ride: books! Only a couple, though! Altogether I was three hours in Red Hook, with 20 miles on the odometer.
After recrossing the bridge to the west side of the Hudson, I turned south on route 32, and then continued through East Kingston on Main St. I first learned about that route a couple years ago, at a farm stand in Red Hook. A whole stream of bicyclists were passing by, and a few stopped at the stand to puzzle over their cue sheets. I asked if I could help get them oriented. The cue sheet was clearly sending them over the bridge but didn't say so explicitly, so maybe I did help by sketching a bit what they should expect. But that turn onto Main St. was a bit of a puzzle for me. When I got home I checked a map & got intrigued. So today finally I got to explore that territory.
The layers of history around here are quite remarkable. Even the geology is a bit of a puzzle for me. There are two main sets of hills or mountains: the Catskills and the Shawangunks. The Catskills are an eroded plateau, I have heard. They do tend to be gently rounded. The Shawangunks are very different. Some sort of tilted structure juts up in a line that starts down along the New Jersey - Pennsylvania border and finally runs out of steam just a bit north of Kingston. The Rondout runs between the Catskills and the Shawangunks, at least up to Rosendale where it breaks through the Shawangunk ridge in a rather spectacular gorge.
Kingston is among the earliest European settlements in this part of the world, dating to the mid-seventeenth century. There are still plenty of houses about from the early days. The different sorts of industry that have thrived here have also left their traces, some of which continue to be active. All through this area, from Rosendale to Kingston and further north to Saugerties, Cementon, and Hudson, there are mines and quarries. Main St. through East Kingston runs through some working class neighborhoods and then past several quarries, before arriving in the Rondout district in Kingston.
Along with docks and shipyards, the Rondout has several restaurants. Even though I hadn't come so far from Red Hook, I hadn't eaten since before the reading group met. Biking is always a great excue to eat, anyway! So I stopped at Dolce and ordered their buckwheat pancakes. I'd been missing good wholegrain pancakes since Sweet Sue's in Phoenicia has been in suspended animation. I am happy to report that Dolce makes very fine pancakes!
From the Rondout Harbor I followed Abeel St and then Creek Locks Rd up to Rosendale. This was the big attraction of the trip and it didn't disappoint. There are quite a few old canal lock structure standing, though well started on the process of tumbling down. Along the road are some very fine grand old houses that look reasonably well kept. I was hoping to get a good look at the confluence of the Wallkill and the Rondout, but that was too far off the road and behind too many trees. The Wallkill drains the east side of the Shawangunk ridge, a fertile valley dominated by orchards and vinyards.
In Rosendale I found the Alternative Baker open so that let me try their famous lemon pastries. I do make generous use of the bike riding excuse to eat! I also bought a small loaf of sour dough to get me the rest of the way home. My odometer read 41 miles in Rosendale. By the time I got home - 7 PM - it was up around 65 miles. Between Stone Ridge and West Hurley, my route goes through some remote territory, so bringing along a bit of food is the only way to keep eating!
Our reading group meets twice a month! Wouldn't it be grand to include a nice big bike ride every time! I fear I am too lazy! But still I hope I find such an opportunity again soon!
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/188607270 (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/188607270)
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My! What an interesting route and a great ride report, Jim!
Annnnnnd...you did a Metric Century...plus! Yay on you; a great result!
I enjoyed reviewing your route, as usual. Jim, were you able to see any of the water at Ashokan Reservoir as you rode by? Looks like Dike Road might have brought you right along the shoreline. Glad the weather's improving for you, and the longer days help as well.
Do take care riding into the sun; it seems particularly dazzling for car drivers when seen through the windscreen. Perhaps a good idea to activate a high-powered rear LED blinky at those times?
All the best,
Dan.
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Yes, Dan, exactly. Dike Road is right along the water. Here is a photo I posted a few years ago that's taken on Dike Rd. Today was perfectly clear, though.
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/IMG_1000.jpg)
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Ah! Now I can place it, Jim; thanks. My, that surely is a beautiful area and rich in history, just as you said. A treat to see and read about.
Best,
Dan.
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Jim,
Did you forget your camera? You usually have a thread leading to a lot of fantastic photos!
Tom
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Actually I did bring the camera. But my sweetheart Wendy, who is a very talented painter, has been taking a photography class lately. I see the pictures she takes and it just makes me embarrassed by the poor quality of my shots! I did take a few though yesterday before I got too disgusted with myself!
Here is the Hudson River, looking south from the Kingson-Rhinecliff bridge:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/IMG_1599_zps56a96698.jpg)
Here is my breakfast burrito at Taste Budd's, the shot inspired by all those South Lakes cake shots!
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/IMG_1601_zps74f5c4b2.jpg)
and, continuing the food theme, my Nomad in front of Dolce in Kingston's Rondout district:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/IMG_1605_zps61f3fddb.jpg)
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Thanks Jim,
Photos are great, your sweetie must be very good!
The Super C bags (and color) are perfect for the bike. Looks like you had a nice load on for your trip. The strap from the frame and through the wheel; is that your method of a parking brake? Nice lock and parking place.
Please always include the food shots. I, like you, believe that thoughts of food and biking come from the same sensory gland.
Tom
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Jim,
I almost missed it! Took another look and found your notebook. Is that for your trips and bike info.? If so, it looks like it is filling fast! Not to be nosey.
Tom, whose sensory glands were in overdrive.
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Looks like you had a nice load on for your trip. The strap from the frame and through the wheel; is that your method of a parking brake?
I had some extra clothes in the panniers along with the books. Needed to be a bit presentable for the reading group!
Yeah that strap... I got started using it with the clickstand. But now I use it a lot. It just stabilizes the bike. If I stop by the side of the road and need to root around in my saddlebag, I will use that strap. The bike can just lean against me and it won't steer off and roll away and fall down. I keep that strap in one of the side mesh pockets of the SuperC bar bag. In the other side mesh pocket I keep the shoulder strap for the bar bag... which is already attached in that photo.
I am trying to get a little better about organizing my photobucket files. The older ones are in a big heap along with fountain pens, dogs, and who knows what all!
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Just out of interest, what did it cost to park your bike against the meter?
;)
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what did it cost to park your bike
Eeek! The day may come! I hear talk of places around the USA contemplating various taxes on bicycles.
Here is one cool thing though: the toll to cross the Kingston-Rhinebeck bridge eastbound is $1.50 - it's free westbound. That's for passenger cars. For bikes, it's free both ways!
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http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/193038738 (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/193038738)
I didn't even bring the camera today. Wasn't much promise of fine views or anything. All the roads I've been on before, but this was a new combination. 40 miles, not too bad. 2000 feet of climbing though... a new high for the year. I should sleep well!
Riding again along the reservoir... first I pass some women's cycling club, must have been 15 riders, all in matching lycra. They seemed more to be just enjoying themselves out in the beautiful countryside and not so determined to break personal speed records.
But then, wow, a bald eagle flew by along the road - it must have been just 20 feet away from me. The closest I have ever been to such a bird. Then a couple minutes later it flies by again the other way, carrying a big branch in its beak. Wow! Up a bit along the road is a patch of woods where there was a photographer, a fellow I see there often enough, with a monster telephoto lens. He saw the eagle land in a tree... then, ah, there it goes again! Back out of the trees there were a couple more photographers... and another eagle! The photographers said it was the male.
I doubt I could have caught a good shot of either bird - you have to be lucky or have the right lens! But it's something I will remember!
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I always enjoy your ride reports, Jim, and go to the street views on your map links so I can see a bit of what you saw. Not a lot of road shoulder in some places; any trouble with cars giving you room? I'm guessing traffic count is pretty low.
You had some nice views of the reservoir, and -- Boy! -- some climbing, indeed!
I'm so glad you saw the bald eagle (and twice was even better). Those sorts of things stay with a person and make memories as nice as any photo you could have taken. Sounds to me as if it is nest-building. Given the size of their nests, I imagine you may well see it again on future rides -- fingers crossed for luck! How fortunate to see it so close; I'll bet it felt as if you could have touched it. Something about traveling outside a car seems to assure birds. On my own walk today, I got within about a meter of two Canada geese. They were completely unafraid, and it was nice to be that close without scaring them.
I hope the weather is much improved for you, Jim. All signs of Spring out my way at the other end of the country. Now, I want the sunshine and warmth to go with it!
All the best,
Dan.
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That's a nice trek, Jim, and a real bonus to see the boids! We visit those parts from time to time--have fond memories of the Catskills. Old friends have a place near Ossining, SE of Bear Mtn Park and about 100 kms south of your ride; and in the early 1980's, when we lived in Manhattan, with some friends we rented a place near Hunter Mtn. Lovely riding country, demanding at times, but that thins out the 2-wheeled traffic, no?
Have a long transcontinental ride planned (but not yet confirmed) this summer, about 12,000 k's round trip on my airhead, up the Ottawa Valley to the Soo, across the flatlands & the Rockies to Northern California, then Oregon to Vancouver, then to the Okanagan, Banff-to-Jasper, Saskatoon, and home via Superior's north shore. That will also serve as a reconnaissance for a BC/Alberta ride on my Raven-with-Rohloff next year...but if my mechanic advises against the transcontinental ride on my BMW, I've thought of doing instead a cycle-touring ride around & through the Adirondacks, south from Ottawa to the Finger Lakes, then eastwards towards Albany, brushing the northern boundaries of your turf, & home via Lake Placid.
So many roads, never quite enough time, eh?
Cheers,
J.
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Yeah, these roads would be dreadful if there were much traffic. But there's not! Probably a car every ten minutes or so on most of this route. Some cars give tons of room and other folks cut it pretty close but at least the frequency is low enough it doesn't run the stress level up.
Spring is really slow to come here. Lots of plants coming up and buds on some trees... yes, and nesting eagles! But I ran into a bit of sleet on my ride today, or snow... white stuff coming down, anyway. I was chilly the whole way. Temperature in the 40s but rather windy too.
Ossining! I lived in Ossining for a few months, Nov 1991 to August 1992. I was working at IBM Yorktown. I don't think I ever tried riding a bike in Westchester County. Roads there are like the roads here, but the traffic is lunatic. My sister lives in Norwalk, Connecticut, and I have been dreaming about a ride down to her place. Just a hundred miles or so, but maybe with camping gear I would take three days. Looks like some reasonable Multi-Use State Forests that could works for overnights. Looks like maybe the far eastern part of Westchester, east of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, might work. A friend who knows that area says probably if I can avoid rush hour and lunch time, it could work!
Hunter Mountain! That is practically my back yard, of course! Here is a photo from November 2011:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/route214south.jpg)
I don't have much desire to ride coast to coast. I guess I drove it when I moved back here in 2007 after my decade in Oregon. I-80 across Wyoming is mighty desolate! One of my big dream rides though is around the Great Lakes. Yeah, north of Lake Superior, wow, that looks like some remote country up there!
So many roads, indeed!
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Nice photo, Jim. Hunter Mountain! I think I've been on that ridge...
My friends in Ossining tell me that there's now a bike trail just a little east of there, a N-S link from Manhattan to the reservoirs north of Ossining (would that be the Croton system?) -- all told, about 100 miles. My friend Jim, with whom I cycled the Gaspé in 2010, occasionally rides into NYC from Ossining on that trail--it's a paved route, formerly a railway line. As you know, the main rail link runs along the Hudson, on its east bank. That N-S trail doesn't help much with your E-W route to Norwalk, I know.
My possible cycle-touring ride in the west (2014?) won't be a transcontinental affair -- I'm thinking of taking the train to Vancouver or Jasper, and then doing a circuit in the Canada/US Pacific Northwest, maybe based on a Vancouver-Jasper-Banff--Portland triangle. Then take the train back east again -- though the idea of cycling east across the Prairies with the wind AT MY BACK is appealing. Cycling through hundreds of kms of black spruce in Northern Ontario, however, not so much...
North of Superior is scenically stunning, but friends who have cycled it remind me that the truck traffic ain't much fun -- it's the Trans-Canada Highway (#17). Won't be quite so bad on my BMW. Some cyclists go south of Superior via the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so as to avoid the truck traffic. Even at that, there's a stretch of the Trans-Canada east of the Soo which West-to-East cyclists have to travel, before cutting south at Espanola, to Manitoulin Island in Georgian Bay. (Manitoulin is the world's largest fresh-water island, and an altogether fabulous place for 2-wheelers.)
Hope you have good weather soon -- we finally have spring today, it seems.
Best,
J.
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Here's an interesting journal from a fellow who seems to have avoided the trucks north of Lake Superior by risking moose and polar bear instead, far as I can tell!
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=186099&v=Fj (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=186099&v=Fj)
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Thanks, Jim. You really have to like black spruce if you go the northern route, through Hearst & Sioux Lookout. Long time back, I took the train from Toronto to Winnipeg in mid-January -- 24 hrs of rocks-and-trees-and-snow-and-ice along that route, and we were still in Ontario, if you can imagine...
But a circuit of the Great Lakes would be well worth doing, for sure, and no slight undertaking. A friend just published a fine book of photography on the lakes -- Sweet Seas, by Mark Schacter. (That was the early French explorers' term, les mers douces--I doubt they'd use the same words today, unfortunately.) Mark's from Thunder Bay originally. The lakes have also called forth some great music: many people will know Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", and it's splendid; but for me the best is Stan Rodgers' last album, "From Fresh Water". Poignant because it was his last one.
If I make the ride on the motorcycle this summer, I'll let you know what it looks like for a cyclist.
J.
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http://www.mapmyride.com/us/woodstock-ny/cairo-route-109051599
Bit of a narrow escape today... I like to eat lunch at Best Wok in Cairo. Styrofoam plate kind of place but pretty tasty for being in the country. I don't get up to Cairo too often, maybe once or twice a year. Today looked like an opportunity, so I pounced. But when I got there, the whole shopping plaza was gone and a new one going up in its place. Ah, but around the side, a new little section was already open. Better yet, 10% off for the grand reopening! I got my vegetables rice and tofu. Maybe not official cycling fare but I like it!
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Looks like a pretty nice out-and-back sort of ride, Jim, and the food sounds delicious! Those sorts of places may be short on "atmosphere" but they're often long on taste, and just about ideal for "filling the tank" when you have a hearty cyclist's appetite.
What a nice surprise to find the place still in business! When I lived in northern Mississippi, one of the "must stops" whenever I made the trip to Memphis was a little Chinese Buffet called Nam King. Fantastic food and really nice people owned and staffed the place. I nearly panicked when I didn't see it one trip -- it, too, had moved to the side of the complex. Whew! In relief, I rewarded myself with a double-size helping.
Thanks for sharing the ride with us, Jim.
Best,
Dan.
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The yellow lightbulb in the sky was out yesterday, so my hour and a half riding to get me places where I had to be turned into a pleasant slog. (slog, legs tired from lifting...)
We have a lot of wee bugs atm on some paths, so keeping mouth shut at all times is a requisite ;D
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(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/hillcrest_zpsb0a8addf.jpg)
Bit of a new adventure today. The elementary school's parent-teacher association was hosting a community yard sale, so our de-cluttering project made great progress. Maybe a third of what we'd put out got sold... or maybe even more. My sweetheart's Huffy coaster brake cruiser sold for $15. I pumped up the tires last night - 57 mm wide - really a nice ride! The front fender was rubbing a bit but I managed to tweak it. The buyer just rode off happy. Sale!
The place was packed so parking was at a premium. I used my Workcycles Transport bike while we were there - run home to let the dogs out, get smooothies in town, more small bills at the bank to make change - people using a $20 bill to pay for a $1 book!
I don't know what the bottom gear on that Workcycles bike is. It's a Nexus 8-speed but geared too high. 7 and 8 are really useless. I have a new 22 tooth sprocket waiting in the wings for me to get around to it. Hey, we got a couple tables of stuff put out for the yard sale! Some stuff gets done even if it is only a small fraction of needs or dreams or what's the difference, I sure don't know!
Right by our house we have a nice little nasty hill. i generally avoid riding up it! But to get home from the school, it really is the practical route. Maybe I have ridden the workcycles bike up there once before. Today I rode up twice. I stood up on the pedals to manage it. I think it's the first time I have ever stood up pedaling on that bike. It is not really set up for that sort of thing. The grips are around mid-thigh when one is seated. It is a quintessential sit-up-straight bike, with a nice wide Brooks B-66 to make that comfortable. Standing up to climb a 9% grade, the grips are way behind. I was standing up in the middle of the handlebars! The stem is really short. I was holding the handlebars way up near the stem but with a short stem that gives very little steering control - one's hands are very close to the steering axis!
I got up the hill but it was definitely an interesting lesson in bike geometry. Of course I have had the Nomad up that hill often enough and it is no big deal. 9% always calls for some respect but that's the sort of thing the Nomad is built for. Not the Workcycles Transport!
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What an adventure, Jim, and very well-described! I could just see it all in my mind's eye, and especially trying to "stand up the hill" on the WorkCycles Transport! Well done to accomplish it as you did.
Best,
Dan.
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We've had lots of thunderstorms around the area, it seems like for weeks. Finally today the probabilities forecast were a bit lower for a few hours, so I decided to try a new ride:
http://www.mapmyride.com/us/woodstock-ny/lexington-loop-route-155268025 (http://www.mapmyride.com/us/woodstock-ny/lexington-loop-route-155268025)
There were some ominous clouds about and even a few raindrops, but it turned out to be a great fun ride. The major hill, up Route 42 out of Shandaken, was not steep at all. I think I was in gear 3 most of the way and never went into 1 - on that hill. Lots of other hills and certainly down into 1 plenty - just not on the hill I was most afraid of!
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/Lexington%202013%2007%2007/IMG_1647_zpsf302d424.jpg)
I think if you click on the photo you will go to the album with other photos of the ride.
EDIT: well, I guess clicking doesn't work! How about:
http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/library/Nomad/Lexington%202013%2007%2007 (http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/library/Nomad/Lexington%202013%2007%2007)
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Ohhhh, Jim! What a fantastically wonderful photo you've posted here, and a whole album of them at the link you provided. I really, really like that waterfall with the rock platforms and the Fearless Nomad to one side.
My, what a terrific ride and beautiful countryside in which to enjoy it!
You do well to manage with the risk of frequent thunderstorms. Do you take special precautions if you're caught out in one? Perhaps move away from the bike, or seek shelter to avoid the risk of zappage?
I liked the "guardrail self-portrait" by the way.
Thanks so much for sharing these, Jim; thoroughly enjoyable.
Best,
Dan.
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I am still trying to figure out the smart thunderstorm strategy. Mostly I just try to avoid them, keeping an eye on the forecasts and trying to time my rides. But of course that is no perfect solution. A few days ago I was on on a 27 mile ride, shopping. On the way home there was a lot of lightning really too close. Some cloud-to-cloud action right above me and then some ground strikes to ridges a few miles away. My hair was starting to stand on end! Mostly I am riding in pretty thickly wooded terrain and not up high, so I figure I am not such a great target. Yeah, when I am just out riding and a thunderstorm comes up, what is the smart strategy?
I was amazed when I moved out to Oregon - no thunderstorms! I found a map of lightning frequency. Quite a lot of variation! My final two years of high school were outside Fort Wayne, Indiana. Thunderstorms are even more frequent there than here in New York!
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I was amazed when I moved out to Oregon - no thunderstorms!
True, Jim, and thankfully so. A real contrast to when I lived in for a year in Mississippi, where they were a regular occurrence. Tornadoes, too, but I was fortunate to miss them; I think the slightly hilly terrain around Oxford helped in that regard. Lots of high winds and tree-blowovers associated with the t-storms, especially the big magnolia trees.
I am really interested in your experiences, as I will likely encounter some afternoon thunderstorms on this next tour. I don't have much experience riding in them, and there's not much in the way of shelter available in such open country. I think I'd rather be off the bike -- and away from it -- if things really started going Zzot! Zzot!
Be careful riding out there, Jim!
Best,
Dan. (...who would rather St. Elmo's Fire remain only a movie title)
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Yeah if you are out in open country then thunderstorms are a lot more dangerous. On the one hand you're better off in a lower place but on the other hand you don't want to get nailed by a flash flood. My one time driving through really remote territory was when I moved back east from Oregon... I drove I-84 to Salt Lake City and then I-80 til the last few hours. Some of those signs out in the middle of nowhere, warning that water can get x feet deep where there is not the least physical sign of any possibility of water.
If things get prickly then getting away from the bike makes sense. You probably know, you don't want to lie on the ground. Better to squat down somehow... you want to be low but keep your contact area small. Once lightning hits then current runs along the ground and you don't want to be providing a conduction path.
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I got myself a portable radio with weather band reception: a Sangean DT-400W -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012YHQVE/ (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012YHQVE/)
because generally if something really nasty is coming through, the national weather service will put out a warning. I haven't actually tried using this radio out on a ride yet. But I haven't been out on a solo tour, either! Anyway, might be worth considering.
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I got myself a portable radio with weather band reception...might be worth considering.
Hi Jim!
That Sangean of yours is a beauty, alright, a little gem of a radio. I found mine in a little Sony here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4023.msg18320#msg18320 ...and will be taking it with me. It uses a single AAA cell for 31-54 hours of operation (depends on band) and easy rechargeability via my dyno-chargers and Sanyo Eneloop battery chargers.
"Knowing" what the weather is about to do is very helpful...even if I can't do much about it! Still, a bad-weather announcement would put me on notice, and I could begin planning my next move with that in mind, perhaps looking for something in terms of shelter.ou probably know, you don't want to lie on the ground. Better to squat down somehow... you want to be low but keep your contact area small.
Yes, when it has pelted down too hard to ride, I've been known to squat down on the road shoulder, arms wrapped around knees and head bowed against the rain till it lets up a bit. Something like that would help in the case of t-storms, I'd think, absent any sort of shelter. Not a lot of fun to contemplate, but like everything else, the bad stuff passes with time.
Best,
Dan. (...who has gone back at least three times to see that lovely waterfall/Nomad photo of yours, posted above)
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(http://)With the weather taking a definite turn for the better I took a ride over to Draycote Water last week part way on an old railway, bridle paths and a canal towpath.
Not a day for rushing - particularly when out in the sun .... http://app.strava.com/activities/64889791
photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_gale/9305378579 click right and left to see the others.
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_gale/9305378579/)
possibly the best part of being 'between contracts'
sdg.
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Wow! Steve!
What outstanding photos of your gorgeous Sherpa on a lovely day!
And -- my! -- what a build! Every little detail, like how you've mounted the bell so nicely so it falls next to the stem-steerer clamp, and the little anti-rub patch to protect the underside if the top tube. I have a real soft spot for Mk2 Sherpas, and this one is a corker!
I especially like seeing the fresh approach of a honey Brooks and matching 'bar tape with the black bike.
By the way, it appears you're using a little different mount for the Click-Stand on the seat tube. Is it a repurposed U-lock mount? In any event, it looks very nice and appears it would be a secure alternative to the ones offered at purchase.
Your other shots are just stunning as well; what a treat! Really enjoying all of these, Steve, thanks so much for posting.
Best,
Dan.
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Dan, thanks and yes it was a brilliant day, far too nice to rush about and miss the wildlife. The path where I took the photos is a local wildlife reserve intended to encourage butterflies.
The click stand mount is an old lock clip - I was just fortunate that it fitted so well. The click stand itself is quite a success, I was a little dubious at first but I have found it is easy enough to take it out of the clip and let it assemble itself while holding one brake on.
The bell is just held on with an O ring, putting it on the side of the stem means it is reasonably accessible but leaves the bar tops free. There are several good cycle paths near home and a ping bell seems to be the least contentious way of warning anyone strolling that I am behind them.
The saddle has also turned out to be better than I expected, I decided to try a B17 based on Thorn's 'give it a go pricing', it has turned out to be very comfortable and after minimal 'settling in'. I just went with Thorn's advice that Honey looks good with a black frame. I tried the bar tape as it was on offer ... and it is something of an indulgence. I can't quite match the colour as the wax on the saddle darkens the leather and the bar tape doesn't really change much. As bar tape goes it is not particularly well padded, so I have a couple of gel pads under it.
The Sherpa is pretty well now as I'm expecting to leave it for the long term. It has become the most used of my bikes and because of major family events, has done quite a lot of 'utility' mileage rather than touring recently.
No tour planned this year, but we have thoughts of the Rhine cycle route (EV15) next. We're off to Jersey for a long weekend on Saturday, it should be interesting comparing the hire bikes to the Sherpas ;-)
regards
sdg.
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Just back from a short break in Jersey, not a 'normal tour' but perhaps worth recounting ...
We hired a couple of bikes as taking the Thorns would have entailed extra cost and too much faffing about for three or four days on a small island. I can just imagine turning up at Birmingham airport with two packed up bikes on the first day of the school summer holidays ........
Stayed in a B&B in the centre of the island (St Lawrence) and pootling around the network of green lanes gives a great sense of what the island is really like. The local drivers are at least very tolerant of cyclists, and in many cases helpful to the point of holding back at junctions and waving us on. Just watch out for the hire cars ... easy enough to spot as they have a conspicuous H on the number plates. There are few 'main roads' and the ones in the towns tend to have alteratives or off-road cycle paths nearby, they island has also gone for letting cyclists go against the traffic in one-way streets. This is 'interesting' but given the size of the roads and the high stone walls no-one drives at any real speed.
Jersey is only 9 miles by 5 (~40 miles around the coastal cycle route) so there are no great distances to cover and no need to rush. Clearly, the island is affluent and not adventure cycling territory! In the past few years the local tourism organisations have moved away from beach holidays and more towards pushing the island as a walking and cycling destination. The green lanes network is restricted to 15mph and well signposted, there are also several marked up cycle routes which can be joined up to make a tour of the whole island or just one section. Lots of historical sites to visit which are all signed from the cycle routes. There are several bike hire setups on the island so I guess it is working, we didn't see anyone on a tourer with panniers, although lots of people out for a whizz along the sea wall path in St Helier and lots of commuters at the end of the day.
We hired our bikes from Aaron's bikes, (http://www.jerseybikerepairs.com/hire-info/) and had them delivered/and collected from our B&B Villa d'Oro (http://www.villadorojersey.com/)
I'd recommend both of these as everything went as expected. Zebra hire looks pretty well organised too and their free map of the island was the one we used almost exclusively.
Island info here: http://www.jersey.com/english/sightsandactivities/cycling/pages/default.aspx
Routes here:
http://app.strava.com/activities/69290974
http://app.strava.com/activities/69290965
http://app.strava.com/activities/69290955
The weather was unusually warm and sunny for the UK so the times reflect the many stops for drinks and admiring the view.
We both missed our spd pedals but apart from that the hire bikes were pretty good. All in all, a great break and ideal for anyone looking to unwind or wanting to take young children with them.
A couple of photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_gale/9365246086/in/photostream/
sdg.
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My!
What a wonderful cycling holiday and ride report, Steve; I'm so glad you were able to do this and I appreciate your telling us about it.
Though not on Thorns, what a wonderful way to see the island and just the thing to pique others' interests in the place. It is surely on my list now.
Loved your photos...especially the one of the Corbiere lighthouse. The beach looks inviting, but the food would be enough to see me there!
What wonderful weather, as well. Brilliant report, Steve.
Best,
Dan.
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http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/266660785 (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/266660785)
pushed my limits a bit yesterday... beautiful riding weather!
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/Ellenville/IMG_1726_crop_zpsf593df27.jpg)
http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/library/Nomad/Ellenville (http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/library/Nomad/Ellenville)
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pushed my limits a bit yesterday...
Over 80 miles; I'll say! Well done, Jim, and especially so with the uppy-downy alonog the way.
Lovely photos, too; my favorite is the one showing the Fearless Nomad at your lunch break. Looks bucolic, restful, and likely very welcome after the climbs.
Thanks for sharing, Jim!
All the best,
Dan. (...who thinks Jim lives and ride in some really scenic countryside)
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enjoyed those photos jim looks like a great place to ride a bike ;)
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That funny photo that just shows a tall wooden fence and gate... Here is a story from 2004:
Estate's buildings on block
By Deborah Medenbach
Times Herald-Record
dmedenbach@th-record.com
Napanoch – It's one of the top 10 most expensive parcels on the Sotheby's International Realty associates site.
The listing features a classic mansion with rolling lawns trailing down to a stocked lake. The exclusive 632-acre estate known as Lyons Lodge is priced at $5.9 million and is surrounded by a wilderness preserve. A second listing further down the price scale shows the $1.5 million Moore House estate, comprising another 62 acres with stone manse, numerous barns, kennels and outbuildings.
Neither listing uses the buzzword that would draw the attention of the locals.
After four years in private ownership, the Lundy Estate buildings are back on the block.
The 5,405-acre parcel was purchased in 2000 by the Open Space Institute to protect more than six miles of the Vernooy Kill and preserve the accompanying wilderness from development. The majority of the land was later sold to the state for $5 million to be folded into Catskill Park.
The buildings and surrounding acreage were sold to Douglas Eger and his wife, Cristina Khuly, who had great dreams for the property when they first moved in.
The couple spent the first two years assessing renovation needs at the Moore House buildings and working diligently on restorations at Lyons Lodge.
After two more years, Lyons Lodge is complete and Moore House and its accompanying buildings have been stabilized.
The couple are now ready to move on to other preservation projects.
"We're in a time period where there will be more development pressure in the area. If there's more special property up here that we can work with, we'd love to do it again and again," Douglas Eger said.
"No matter what, you're not going to see 600 split-level ranches up on the mountain. OSI puts conservation restrictions on any property we sell," said Tally Blumberg of the Open Space Institute.
OSI counsel Bob Anderberg explained. "There are serious conservation easements on both properties. Basically, people coming along 100 years from now will see it pretty much as it is now," Anderberg said. "It's a real success story. The DEC pays full taxes on the land transferred to it, and the private owners pay taxes on their land and buildings, too. The land is protected. Everyone wins."
History of the Lundy Estate
1911 – Dr. William Woodend buys 1,500 acres along the Vernooy Kill from the Terwilliger brothers and begins construction of a stone manse, airstrip, kennels, stables and other outbuildings that comprise the core of the estate.
1917 – Woodend sells the property to Edith Crawford Moore, who renames it Tunessa Lodge and lives there until 1929.
1929 – Brooklyn restaurateur F.W. Lundy purchases Moore's property and begins acquiring other contiguous parcels, eventually increasing his holdings to 5,405 acres.
1964 – Lundy purchases Lyons Lodge, an elegant estate with lake frontage that borderes his property.
1977 – Lundy dies in September. The estate is threatened with conflicting claims until his sole heir is located, 50s pop singer Teresa Brewer. The land goes to one of Lundy's employees and eventually is lost in a bankruptcy sale.
1980s – Parc Europe is proposed by French investors for the Lundy Estate. The theme park would recreate 17th and 18th century European villages. The project faces opposition and is eventually dropped.
2000 – The 5,405-acre estate is purchased by the Open Space Institute. OSI is interested in preservation of the land, but not management of the substantial buildings and barns. The buildings and acreage surrounding the Lyons Lodge and Moore House complexes are sold with conservation easements to Douglas Eger and Cristina Khuly for an undisclosed sum. The remainder is transferred to the state for $5 million, to be added to Catskill Park.
Dec. 16, 2004 – Both the Lyons Lodge, with the original 400 acres and 232 additional protected acres, and Moore House estates, with its 62 acres, appear on a Sotheby's International Realty associates Web site. (TH-Record 12/17/04)
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Since moving from Dumfries to Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, I have been able to do some long rides on my Raven.
With a Brooks saddle I can sit there for hours.
I know they are built for touring and carrying panniers but the Raven suits me for an all day, chew up the miles kinda bike.
Not sure if link below will work.
Matt
I found cool biking route with the free Bikemap app. Check it out here: http://www.bikemap.net/en/route/2280914-inverurie-to-peterhead-and-back/
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Yippee.
The link appears to work.
Here's a trip from last weekend.
Down on a Friday to see my pal George in Perth, Scotland.
Chill out on the Saturday watching Tiger Woods playing golf in New Jersey, then same route home on Sunday.
Raven performed well and met a couple on a Thorn tandem.
No pictures since camera lost 3 months ago. Looking forward to my birthday in November when family should buy me a new one.
Matt
I found cool biking route with the free Bikemap app. Check it out here: http://www.bikemap.net/en/route/2264508-inver2aperth/
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ah matt you need a camera ;D
what sat nav are you using on the bike.
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Did the link work for you?
Used a Garmin Forerunner 205. But the link I posted was to Bikemap. I am not sure how to link the Garmin route to here. So, when I arrive home I load the route to Bikemap.
I also used a Cateye Adventure to help me with distances, times and altitude. There is a big get off and push hill of 454m half way.
On the return trip from Perth the Cateye stopped working. No warning, nowt.
Manual says a warning light should show or the digits blink
Turned out it was the battery in the main body.
Wasn't carrying spares to no data on the Cateye for return trip; but it was the same route.
At home, reloaded fresh batteries and now x2 are stuck on the inside lid of my bar bag.
Yes, camera is well missed.
Pleased someone recently asked a question here re make. I will be watching that carefully.
Matt
ah matt you need a camera ;D
what sat nav are you using on the bike.
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on the smart phone i have you can take a photo and show exactly the spot where it was takin by gps.
mind you i have no idea how to do this ;D ;D just thought i'de tell you that bit of useless information.
(love gadgets)
jags.
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Not nearly enough cycling this summer. Instead, I devoted a large block of time (five weeks of good weather) in July and August to a transcontinental ride on Hans, my airhead, to Northern California (visiting my sister and her family), going north from there to Vancouver, and then back east across mountain and prairie to Ottawa. In Oregon, I stopped in at Eugene to scrutinize and wonder at Danneaux' Nomad, which is every bit as impressive in person, as it were, as in the photos. (And Danneaux is as courteous and helpful as you'd imagine him to be.)
So, in mid-late August, back home in Ottawa and back in the (Brooks) saddle again, I took my Eclipse for a canter up into the Gatineau Hills across the river in West Québec--and my legs felt like it was May all over again.
Still, with the rain we've had this summer, late August in the hills has been beautiful. Here are a few photos taken in the last week or two, part of my regular 60 km up-and-back ride to the top of the Lusk Escarpment on the western edge of the Gatineau, east of the Ottawa River:
A downstream view of the Ottawa River, east towards the city, early afternoon: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0werfrt01li5kzu/1%20-%20E%20twd%20Ottawa%20from%20pont%20Champlain.JPG (https://www.dropbox.com/s/0werfrt01li5kzu/1%20-%20E%20twd%20Ottawa%20from%20pont%20Champlain.JPG)
Up on the escarpment east of the river in mid-afternoon, looking NW up the Valley: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wn0r7ecv0eduivd/2%20-%20Ottawa%20Valley%2C%20NW%20from%20Champlain%20lookout%2C%20Gatineau%20Hills.JPG (https://www.dropbox.com/s/wn0r7ecv0eduivd/2%20-%20Ottawa%20Valley%2C%20NW%20from%20Champlain%20lookout%2C%20Gatineau%20Hills.JPG)
And looking back towards the city, SE from the escarpment: https://www.dropbox.com/s/c3t31ul72pndvtt/3%20-%20Ottawa%20River%2C%20SE%20back%20twds%20city%20from%20Gatineau%20Hills.JPG (https://www.dropbox.com/s/c3t31ul72pndvtt/3%20-%20Ottawa%20River%2C%20SE%20back%20twds%20city%20from%20Gatineau%20Hills.JPG)
And for you, Jags: If you kept going N & W up the Valley, and rode a long way, a very long way indeed, to the small town of Wawa, north of Lake Superior, you'd come to the symbol of that "town in North Ontario" so dear to Neil Young and celebrated in "Helpless", with its "big birds flying across the sky": https://www.dropbox.com/s/t879ft1y4j1idhf/%22Big%20birds%20flying%20across%20the%20sky...%22.JPG (https://www.dropbox.com/s/t879ft1y4j1idhf/%22Big%20birds%20flying%20across%20the%20sky...%22.JPG) (Every cyclist making the ride N of Superior has this photo, or another one of the many geese in Wawa.)
In mid-September I'll do a weeklong tour in the Madawaska Highlands NW of Ottawa, about 5 days' riding in the direction of the second photo above. There are some demanding hills, in the 14% range, but the scenery is worth it, classic Canadian Shield landscape of lake and river, forest and granite, with some farmland closer to the Ottawa River. Most nights I'll camp, but I'll also visit friends who live two days' ride from my house. They live on the family farmstead built in the 19th century by their grandparents, who came from East Prussia. The original log house built in 1869 (followed by the "new" addition in 1890!) has been refurbished and is in regular use, with hot and cold running water put in about ten years ago. A bit of heaven -- though earning a living from farming there would be anything but. The farm occupies 1300 acres, of which the arable bits add up to 100 acres. My friends' parents and grandparents only ever used horses for cultivation -- the fields weren't big enough for a tractor.
The Madawaska route, which I first cycled a year ago, will be a good test for the Thorn Raven in My Future -- have just competed the purchase of a Raven frame and forks, and Rohloff and SON28 hubs, with the remaining components to follow later this autumn. I plan to complete the bike over the winter, with my excellent LBS doing the build. Then in May, after the snow and before the bugs, we'll do a test run across the hills. A break from the tough hills can be found in the occasional roadside cafés: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0otz1wfpsr1pm53/Quadeville%20cafe%2C%20selling%20the%20essentials.JPG (https://www.dropbox.com/s/0otz1wfpsr1pm53/Quadeville%20cafe%2C%20selling%20the%20essentials.JPG)
No cellphone coverage in those parts, BTW, so no worries about choices, strategy and gear for recharging.
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Thanks for the kind words, John; it was a real pleasure having you come by, and I only wish there had been time for a longer chat and visit.
John, those are simply wonderful photos of fantastically beautiful country. They really helped me better visualize the area where you ride, and the very steep hills rising suddenly from the flatter land around.
All congratulations your way on joining the Thorn Fold as an owner -- how exciting! Now you've placed your order, I'm afraid you'll be learning the elastic nature of time as the minutes turn to hours during the wait for Arrival. You've made a terrific choice in the (new) Raven, and I can't wait to see it built to your planned configuration and color scheme.
So very glad you've had the chance to some before Fall's arrival, with more plans in the works. What a wonderful trip you have planned to your friends' homestead, and some real hills to test yourself on for later comparison using the Nomad's Rohloff gearing -- all to the good! I am, however, a little worried about the advertised menu in that little roadside café -- worms I could take, but iced worms? Ehh, I might have to pass on those! :D
Thanks again for so nicely sharing the scenery in your neck of the woods -- gorgeous!
All the best,
Dan. (...who's yet to see such a large Canada goose fly overhead here in Eugene!)
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super photos John thanks for the big bird i never new that great song mind you. 8)
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Thanks, Jags and Dan, for your kind words. Here's k d lang singing "Helpless", standing in for Neil Young at the 2005 Juno awards (he was ill at the time): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5KRVtjgMkM
Great version of a great song, wonderful imagery.
Dan, those ingredients in the café window fit together this way: you put the worms on ice for a while, then grill 'em real quick on the barbie -- keeps them nice & pink on the inside that way, so I'm told.
On another image: a lot of German and Polish families settled in the Madawaska Highlands in the late 19th century. There were some small mines, and logging in the winters, but people depended mainly on farming for their livelihood. They must have been tough people, because the conditions were sooo difficult: a recent local history of the German settlements just north of my friends' place has the title, Harvest of Stone. You climb the highest hill in Southern Ontario (only 2200 feet above sea level, but with the dips in the climb included, it's more like 3000 feet), and on top, there are stone walls everywhere -- not "walls" so much as long piles of granite boulders marking the fields. https://www.dropbox.com/s/vij8h41ri53gm1n/Harvest%20of%20Stone%20-%20granite%20walls%20around%20fields%20atop%20Foymount%20Hill.JPG (https://www.dropbox.com/s/vij8h41ri53gm1n/Harvest%20of%20Stone%20-%20granite%20walls%20around%20fields%20atop%20Foymount%20Hill.JPG)
Each spring, there's a new "crop" of these critters in the field, turned up by the movement of the soil & subsoil. They would be taken off and piled along the walls, or just heaped in mounds in the fields. The device for doing this was called a "stone boat" -- a piece of heavy steel or cast iron, about 3' x 6', dished to hold a bunch of the stones. Horses (& later tractors) dragged the stone boat, people loaded & unloaded the stones. (Earlier in the spring, stone boats were used as vessels in which to simmer and reduce maple sap -- they were held off the ground by big stones, and a 24-hr fire built underneath them.)
Climbing to the top of Foymount Hill, you're forced to reflect: for me, this is demanding and sweaty work, but it's really just recreation, a way of seeing and feeling the countryside. Real toil is clearing those wretched stones every spring, and building the walls bigger and longer every year. And for a farm family, there's no choice about it: if you are going to plough the field, you have to clear the stones. My ride to the top takes maybe 45 minutes, and I do it maybe once a year. Cannot imagine--well, I can, actually--the effort and heartache that made those walls, year after year after year. The remarkable thing is that there's still a functioning farm near the summit, very well kept. Will try to get some fotos of that in a couple of weeks' time.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7letrMf_nE
i'm a big neil young fan this was my party piece at the friday night session.
just restrung my guitar so maybe now that the dust is off it i'll learn a few more of neils songs. oh to be able to sing.
lots of dry stone walls here in ireland ;)
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Yes, Ireland was on my mind for sure, Jags. Dry stone walls in the SW of England too. I lived in Corfe in Dorset when I was a wee kid--lovely place--and have the impression (knowing nothing about stone) that the Purbeck stone of Dorset was more workable than the granite of the Shield. Picturesque for cycling, tough stuff to work with.
A few years ago, a friend of mine interviewed Willie John McBride, part of making a video on the Lions' rugby tour to South Africa in 1974. My friend asked Willie John what he did to train for that tour. The big man took him outside, pointed to a dry stone wall and said, "I built that."
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i seen willie john one time in a pub he sure is a giant of a man ::)
just on stone walls theres a lot of polish lads doing that work over here.
and when i was over for the benson rally going through the cotswolds we met a polish lad building a class wall outside a private house he was doing a great job.
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Got in an overnight! Some photos:
http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/library/Nomad/little%20pond%202013 (http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/library/Nomad/little%20pond%202013)
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Class.
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As jags, says, "Class"! Wonderful trip out, Jim, and the distance doesn't matter -- a short tour is just as nice as a longer one, and gives yu a chance to sort the gear and technique and find what works and...doesn't.
Some really beautiful countryside in which to ride, and a corker of a camp as well. Some really steep hills, to boot!
Terrific photos of your journey, Jim, and nicely shared with the rest of us. May this be the first of many more!
All the best,
Dan.
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Got in an overnight! Some photos:
http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/library/Nomad/little%20pond%202013 (http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/library/Nomad/little%20pond%202013)
Such a privilege to live in beautiful surroundings. Such beautiful photographs. If i didn't already live in West Cork...
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Here's the route:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/288012183 (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/288012183)
Funny affair! I was stuck 3 hrs in Margaretville, waiting for the teenager so I could help him over the cell phone with his math. 15 minute quiz tomorrow put everyone into a panic! So lots of family stress and then it's getting late and I have to climb this hill where I have never been plus set up camp etc. Practically ten miles out of town just to where the hill starts and I have my head churning with all kinds of worry. Out in such beautiful country! Ain't life absurd!
But the wonderful thing: the climb was just beautiful, enhanced by the low light. Plus anyway I have great lighting on the bike. I did put on the flashing LED lights on the panniers to augment the main B&M taillight, just to be sure. Yeah, ha, while I was cooling my heels at the Bun 'n' Cone, some scruffy guy was on his cell phone, "Isn't your brother a lawyer? Does he handle DWI [Driving While Intoxicated]? I just had my license suspended for life! What, doesn't your brother like me, or what?" Not really the sort of thing I want to hear right before an evening ride! Very funny sort of window into the weird games that go on inside my head!
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Jim what tent is that your using it looks great have you any issues with it as in could you improve it in any way.is there such a thing as the perfect tent..
the trangia would be to slow for me all i would be cooking is food that needs heating up like beans. tin soup.tea and coffee.thats the reason i like to have a pocket full of money resturants cafes for when i need a feed of spuds. ;D ;D
Andre's part of the world west cork is stunning, but what spoils it is the amount of houses dotted all over the beautifull countryside (Celtic tiger my arse)distroyed the country in more ways than one.
just that when you guys post photos of your part of the world it looks so so different, not a house to be seen for miles ;D ;D only joking.
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That's a Eureka Backcountry 1 that I slept it. That was the first time I'd used it - hardly enough for a proper review! It's a solo tent for sure - not cramped width-wise, but no way you could squeeze in another person! Length-wise there is good room - I had my handlebar bag at my head and my shoes at my feet and still plenty of room for my 5'11". Conditions were really pleasant though - no wind or rain or even insects - so not enough of a test to be meaningful!
I was trying to light the Trangia with one of those magnesium / steel spark makers. Started right up in the evening, but in the morning it just wouldn't go. I ended up taking a dry leaf, dipping it in alcohol, lighting that with my butane lighter, and touching that to the alcohol in the burner. Oh, it started up fine that way! Of course most of the leaf fell into the burner. I got a good bit fished out, but there is still some in there. And dirty alcohol doesn't burn so clean, so now my pots are a bit browned! Once it takes off though the Trangia burner puts out reasonable heat. I had intended to cook a bit more but getting into camp so late it didn't happen.
Yeah the USA sure had it's own housing boom but that didn't happen everywhere. I was living near Portland, Oregon at that time and new housing was going up like mushrooms. There is enough real economy there that I don't think that stuff has crashed too badly. Up around the Catskills where I am now, I don't think the housing boom really touched. The park itself is huge and its building restrictions would have put a damper on things. But somehow between no jobs and cold winters, it's pretty quiet here! Lots of tourism but that's about it. There's skiing but even the ski condos don't seem to have taken off. As long as plane tickets to Utah are affordable... I'm not a skier but I've heard it can be more like downhill ice skating! Vermont, too, is quite close and the skiers like that better, I hear!
Ha, here is a story! On Sunday I hiked up Twin Mountain with a friend. Great view at the peak. A few other hikers were lounging up there and snacking. Got to talking a bit. The older fellow was the author of a recent Catskills hiking guide:
http://www.amazon.com/Catskill-Hikers-Guide-Alan-Via/dp/193195108X (http://www.amazon.com/Catskill-Hikers-Guide-Alan-Via/dp/193195108X)
He told us that the younger guy had hiked every one of the 35 Catskills peaks over 3500 feet in every month of the year - yeah, must have been the fellow Ralph mentioned in this article:
http://www.catskillmtn.org/guide-magazine/articles/2007-09-the-great-outdoors.html (http://www.catskillmtn.org/guide-magazine/articles/2007-09-the-great-outdoors.html)
I mentioned that I do more bike riding than hiking. Ralph told a story where he did a century on a knobby-tired mountain bike, with many big climbs around here. He was keeping up just fine with the road bike crowd on the ride, until he got some nasty bit of wire in his tire that he couldn't find, so he would ride a couple miles and pump the tire up again - still wasn't the last person to finish!
The stuff people do!
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Andre's part of the world west cork is stunning, but what spoils it is the amount of houses dotted all over the beautifull countryside (Celtic tiger my arse)distroyed the country in more ways than one.
One day during the building boom I'm sitting in the back of someone's car between a couple of pretty ladies on the way home from a restaurant where we ate dinner after climbing Carrauntoohil (1038m) when one of them whispers in my ear about some offensively placed houses we passed. Not grasping why she whispered, I said aloud, "The planning officer who permitted that outrage should be emasculated so he can't breed more little crooks. And for authorizing those wretched hipped roofs, which belong in Hampshire suburbs, not the Irish countryside, he should have his ears cuts off as well. Read all about it later this week in the Examiner. Thanks for the idea for my column." A silence fell in the car -- and I remembered the guy in the front passenger seat was introduced as the planning officer for the region... Oops!
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...the guy in the front passenger seat was introduced as the planning officer for the region... Oops!
;D ;D ;D
Best,
Dan.
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got me thinking of Monty Python's Oscar Wilde skit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxXW6tfl2Y0
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Such brilliant stuff -- not everyone's cup of tea, or jelly doughnut, or whatever, but I think they're brilliant. Odd coincidence: tomorrow night, Marcia and I are going to a John Cleese performance. Looking forward to that! should be quite a ride (he said, returning to the thread.) So -
Here's a report and some photos from my only cycle tour this summer, a four-day velosafari in the Madawaska Highlands northwest of Ottawa. I started this past Sunday, Sept. 15, and finished Wednesday evening, Sept. 18. I had ridden this circuit last August, and found it to be a mixture of beautiful landscapes, some very tough hills, and an easy ride in the last two days through rolling farmland closer to the Ottawa River. On this trip, I planned to stay with friends one night, camping on other nights. I took along lunches and snacks, a breakfast and two freeze-dried suppers – there are few villages with cafés along the route, especially in the back country.
I've summarized the route and distances, for those who might be interested to check the map of Eastern Ontario:
> From Ottawa, head a little south of west for about 75 kms, then angle NW to Balderson, and to McDonald’s corners near Dalhousie Lake (less a lake than a reach of the Mississippi River). Campgrounds available. 100 kms +/-
> From McDonald’s Corners, head north and west past Dalhousie Lake and through the small back-country villages of Ompah and Plevna, and then over a very hilly 30-mile stretch to Vennachar Junction, just near Denbigh. My friends Richard and Kate have an old log homestead there. Richard’s grandfather and great-uncle, just boys at the time, helped their parents build the house in 1869. They were a farm family from Silesia in eastern Germany, now part of Poland. Distance: 90 kms more or less.
> From Denbigh, you ride north, up and down some serious hills until you reach the Madawaska River. The Madawaska is one of the major tributaries of the Ottawa River, which at this point is about 100 kms due east as the crow flies. After an easy half-hour cycling east beside the river—very gentle here, but a famous white-water route both upstream and downstream—you meet a long uphill north to Foymount, at about 500 metres the highest village in Ontario. Not very high by the standards of most countries outside the Netherlands, I know, but the 20-km ascent includes three clusters of long, steep and stepped hills, each cluster separated by deep dips. The 500 metres feels like 1500, and the grades are 10-12-14%. So, the 20 kms takes a good 90 minutes. From the top, it’s a looong fast downhill and then an easy 25 km east to the village of Eganville on the Bonnechere River. There are campgrounds in the area. Total distance for the day is about 100 km, 75% of it very demanding for anyone on a loaded bike.
> From Eganville, it’s about 150 kms south to Ottawa through rolling farmland. When I made this ride in 2012, I took a day and a half, camping overnight beside a lake about 65 kms west of Ottawa. This week, I rode the distance in a long day, arriving at sunset after some ten hours on the road.
> Total distance, then, about 450 kms over four days.
Here’s a collection of photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2ml4qdlvm6vm583/4a_CXcWPG9 (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2ml4qdlvm6vm583/4a_CXcWPG9)
You’ll see from these that the landscape, especially in the highland areas, shows a family resemblance to the Catskills where Jim rides—photo #17 gives some sense of that. (I understand that both the Catskills and the Adirondacks, a big eroded massif in upstate NY, are part of the Frontenac Spur, an extension of the Canadian Shield southwards cross the St Lawrence and into New York state.) The granite of the Madawaska Highlands is some of the oldest rock on Earth, but the hills in Eastern Ontario are much lower than those in New York. The hills here were squished and bevelled under more than a mile of ice during the last Ice Age. Between the rocks, the cedar swamp, the shallow and scattered topsoil and the blackfly, it’s pretty unrewarding for farmers.
Not that people didn’t try. During the first half of the 19th century, many Scots and Irish families settled in the Ottawa Valley, and in the area between Ottawa and Kingston at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. Some fled the Great Hunger, and the ships that brought them to Montreal returned to Ireland loaded with white pine from the Valley. After 1815, many veterans of Wellington’s armies, especially but not only Scottish highlanders, settled in the area. They were given 100 acres (too often little more than cedar swamp), an axe, a shovel, and a bag of flour, and were told, by the way, please be ready to form a militia to serve HMG if the ‘Murricans decide to invade again. In the 1820s, Scottish stone masons were engaged to help build the Rideau Canal traversing the 200 kms between between Ottawa and Kingston. They adapted their skills and knowledge to the local limestone, so one can find examples of one-and-a-half storey stone cottages throughout the area west and south of Ottawa. (Photo #6 is an example.) They’re beautiful to look at, but desperately cold in the winter unless well insulated with modern materials.
So the place names are rich with references to the Celtic fringe of Europe. In the latter part of the 19th century, they were joined by settlers from Poland and Germany. (First Nations didn’t have much of a say in all of this, as you may know. They remain here, however, especially Algonkian people on both sides of the Ottawa, and as elsewhere in Canada, refuse to fade quietly into the night.)
But it’s a region not heavily populated these days, and where a century and more ago the economy of the area rested on marginal farms, lumbering in the winter, and some mines, today the farms in the hills are largely gone. A reduced lumber trade remains, and tourism offers some income, as do niche products like alpaca wool. The Ottawa Valley closer to the river has fertile lowlands and its agricultural products can be of very high quality: the tiny village of Balderson, for example, produces the best cheddar cheese I’ve ever found. The five- and six-year-old varieties are to die for. The closest challenger I’ve ever found was (Andre will be pleased to hear) a five-year-old cheddar sold by a farmer from South Africa’s Eastern Cape, and bought in a Johannesburg market, of all places.
The first brush of autumn came on Monday night, when the temperature dropped to -1. Happily, I spent that night with my friends in their splendid log cabin. Now nearing 145 years old, it’s equipped with mod cons like broadband satellite internet, not to mention H & C running—things their forebears couldn’t have imagined. After a cool and cloudy first day, I had sunny cool weather for the remaining three days, and the nights were clear and very cool. We had a brilliant full moon on Tuesday, bright enough to read by. The area is being considered for a night-time observatory: it is the most southerly spot in Canada for an observatory, as the absence of towns means very little light pollution. Certainly I’d never seen such a moon in Ottawa, 200 kms away.
As often happens on a tour, I had a couple of delightful conversations with strangers in cafés. I had stopped for an early supper on Tuesday, after 100 kms across some very hard hills, and struck up a conversation with a genial guy in his late ‘50’s who was intrigued by the bike. I asked him for advice on the campgrounds nearby, and he said, “Don’t bother – come and pitch your tent in my backyard.” So I did, and we had an enjoyable conversation, solving most of the world’s problems, if anyone was paying attention. Turned out his family were second cousins of my friends in Denbigh.
The only wrinkles I encountered were mechanical. On the 2nd & 3rd days especially—i.e., in the hills—my rear derailleur started giving me problems, becoming very reluctant to shift into the 2nd-lowest cog on my cassette, especially when I was using my smallest chainring. This was never a disabling problem, but it was a serious distraction, especially on the hills—I never could be certain that I’d make the downshift cleanly. Eventually, I did a workaround by shifting down from the 3rd to the 1st cog, skipping the 2nd altogether. Will try to sort it out over the weekend, after giving it enough time to reflect on and repent for its sins.
This is not a new problem for me, and it’s why I now have a New Raven frame and forks in my basement, awaiting a shipment of front and rear hubs from Germany. In January, these will be mated with bars, wheels and tires, mudguards, brakes, BB and cranks, etc., and built into a complete New Raven. Then, I’ll retire my Eclipse from loaded touring and keep it for day rides.
The Madawaska tour is also a good test of gear ratios and my 66-year-old legs. My Eclipse has a 12-36 cogset, mated to 24-36-48 chainrings. This gives me a low of 18.3 gear-inches. I managed all right on the couple of dozen “Grade 1” hills in the ride (for me, “Grade 1” means the lowest cog on the small ‘ring.) But, there were several times when I would have welcomed a lower gear. Or two. A Raven with a 38 x 17 would give me two gears below 18.3.
So, I’m thinking that next spring, post-snow and pre-bugs—May, sometime?—I’ll take my New Raven to the Madawaska Hills. It’ll be a good test for German mythology technology!
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John!
My, what a fabulous ride through gorgeous scenery, and well-captured by you and the camera. Very nice to finish with the sunset, and you couldn't have done a more tidy job of packing; looks great!
As in much of Ireland, it appears the farmers had to first harvest rocks (and make fences out of them!) before they could properly raise a single crop. What incredible work that represents, and such a struggle over the years of effort for so little yield. Hard country from the first farmer's perspective, and not much easier now, methinks.
The bike looks good, but I'm so sorry the derailleur gearing problems returned to plague you once again. I'd love to get my hands on it for repair, but happy to advise from afar if you wish. One of the great values in taking this trip will be the chance to compare the same ride from atop the Raven next Spring. I think the Rohloff gearing will prove most welcome for your needs, and I can't wait for that ride report as well.
So glad the trip went well and you had the chance to get Away for awhile. Thanks for sharing your journey with us John, a real treat to read about and see in photos.
Best,
Dan.
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Thanks, Dan, for your kind words. I was rushing along the cycle path to get to the hill overlooking our local beach bef the sun went down! Just made it with a couple of minutes to spare.
I'll take a deep breath before looking hard and long at my rear der--grokking the fullness of the device, as they'd say in California (do they still say that in CA?). Then maybe I will get in touch to take advantage of your wisdom on such matters--might even take my laptop to the basement & do a skype!? Will let you know how it goes, in any case.
best,
J.
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Thanks so much for the ride report, John! That beautiful country is actually within conceivable riding range for me... just might happen over the next few years!
I was walking back to my tent from the wonderfully hot showers at the campground on Tuesday night by that very same bright moon. Paths through the woods but I didn't need my own light at all!
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Thanks, Jim, glad you enjoyed the piece. I've also thought of taking my Raven-in-the-making to New York state next summer -- let's stay in touch about one or both of those possibilities.
There is an annual roadie ride around some of the hills that I rode, but so far it's only a one-day affair. I do think that there's cyclo-touring potential in the Madawaska area, but it would take a bit of organization and some investment. Québec has shown the way with the provincial Route Verte (the Green Route), a 4,000-km network throughout the province.
Those moonlit nights are magical, aren't they?
J.
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Yeah I have heard really good things about the Route Verte. Definitely high on the list!
And no question, New York has a lot to offer too! Definitely let's see if some kind of coordinated expedition could work!
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Thanks for sharing, john. You have a good eye for a striking photograph!
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Got in an overnight! Some photos:
Great photographs Jim ..... they definitely give a sense of the journey, you may have started a tend here
sdg.
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I forgot a few magical details in the account of last week's ride -- the sight and sound of some splendid critters:
There were a few wonderful moments when wildlife appeared unexpectedly. On several occasions, I heard the haunting sound of geese overhead, doing their prep for their huge trek southwards. En route to Denbigh, a couple of magnificent grey herons arose from a marsh less than a hundred metres away. North of Denbigh, as I turned into a side road to climb the ridge leading to the Madawaska River, a big timber wolf came out of the woods and loped across the road in front of me, maybe 50 metres away. He was a handsome fella, as big as a large Alsatian, but more rangy; grey-brown, with black accents on his muzzle, ears, tail and paws, and apparently unworried or unhurried by my presence. First one I’ve ever seen in the wild.
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...
Isn't it wonderful, John, how the memories of a tour just keep flooding back after it's over? A friend calls them "flashback memories", and there's some real truth to that. Touring is such a immersive experience, it can take awhile simply to process everything one has seen, felt, and experienced along the way.
Touring in more remote areas away from urban environments really opens one up to seeing and experiencing wildlife. What a thrill to see a timber wolf for real and in the wild, unlike how most people see them in the artificial environment of zoos -- or even more remotely -- on television....the haunting sound of geese overhead...a couple of magnificent grey herons...
All part of the wonderful soundtrack and "film" that one rides through while on-tour. Nature really *is* magnificent!
Thanks for sharing this, John.
Best,
Dan.
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unfortunately Dan all my Touring memories are not good ones. ::)
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...all my Touring memories are not good ones.
Terrible shame, Anto. Come over one day, and we'll do it up right on the tandem with a ride on the Row River Trail before heading over Mount June and then up into the Callapooya mountains to Oakridge.
The tours you've taken may not hold the best people-related memories (neither do mine!), but you surely have some wonderful photos of gorgeous scenery as you passed through. That ride up Healy Pass was one for the lifetime photo album. I'm attaching it per your request.
Just look at *you*, Anto! Anyone looking at that photo would say "well done!"
Best,
Dan.
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Top of the Healy pass next stop Kingdom of Kerry i was in heaven at point an hour later i was in hell. :'(
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unfortunately Dan all my Touring memories are not good ones. ::)
One of my favourite roads that. After I fitted a Chevy Small Block V8 to my wife's Volvo estate, and breathed on the engine and the suspension a little... Ah, I'm on a cyclists' conference. Sorry, fellers!
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This was perhaps my 'ride of the falling leaves' ~65km around Warwickshire's lanes, my last chance to ride around near to home before we go away for a month ....
Not a promising weather forecast and I'm really glad I took Erwin with his mudguards. As is often the case on these go out anyway rides, it was a brilliant morning and when the sun shone through the, soon to be gone, leaf canopy there were several 'why did I leave the big camera at home?' moments.
Route here: http://app.strava.com/activities/90211870 (http://app.strava.com/activities/90211870) I'm assuming the head wind on the way back is responsible for the 'epic' rating ... it wasn't that hard and we were not going particularly fast.
Hasty Mobile Phone camera shot at the end ....
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5484/10381084924_3bf1f473d2_c.jpg)
sdg.
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Class ;)
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Yeah, how a "go anyway" ride can turn into such a glorious experience. To what extent is it just that low expectations are more easily exceeded? Who cares! But that is one reason I like a tough bike, it gives me the courage to jump the barriers!
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Lovely shot and bicycle, Steve; thanks so much for letting us share a bit in your impulsive ride.
Like Jim, I think this reminds us of the value in unplanned, go-for-it rides. Always better to just throw a leg over the saddle and seize the moment.
Best,
Dan. (...who sees the value in Carpe Bikem)
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Nice bike and nice shot. I have always shot my Raven side on but like the angle you have used.
Just back from 42 miles around the Aberdeenshire coast.
Great weather, great ride and found a superb location on a small harbour.
Waves crashing over the break water and the light was good.
Also found my camera battery flat!!
Just ordered a spare back up from eBay.
Matt
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Last weekend ...'Cycle Somerset' Ride on the Dorset coast
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/32849079_5rHh2L
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looks like you folks had a great day out .great photos and thats a nifty bike trailer.
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'Cycle Somerset' Ride on the Dorset coast
Lovely stuff--seeing those signposts makes me all daft & sentimental (except about the rain), as I was born in Swanage, & came to consciousness as it were in Corfe. Still have family in the West Country. I owe myself a ride in those parts, on my Raven-in-the-making. (So long as it's not raining...)
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Beautiful weather today and I managed to get out and explore some new territory!
http://www.mapmyride.com/us/woodstock-ny/windham-loop-route-271553747 (http://www.mapmyride.com/us/woodstock-ny/windham-loop-route-271553747)
http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/slideshow/Nomad/windham%202013%2010%2021 (http://s140.photobucket.com/user/kukulaj/slideshow/Nomad/windham%202013%2010%2021)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/windham%202013%2010%2021/IMG_1796_zps6d4b26f2.jpg)
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Love that rear mudflap! :)
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so do i I'll have some next week courtesy of our man Dan.
jim class photo your certainly getting in the miles fair play to you did you do any more camping.m starting to build up a kit again i should never have sold my camping gear i'm a total geek.
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I expect it'll be next year before I get any more camping done. My hope/plan... well, it's a funny thing, but the ACA Atlantic Coast Route passes near where I live and then passes near where my parents live! About 240 miles house to house. I figure, maybe 4 days riding. Next year, that seems like a good next step!
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Lovely stuff--seeing those signposts makes me all daft & sentimental (except about the rain), as I was born in Swanage, & came to consciousness as it were in Corfe. Still have family in the West Country. I owe myself a ride in those parts, on my Raven-in-the-making. (So long as it's not raining...)
What do you mean "So long as it's not raining" It didn't rain at all ...that was just low cloud :-) ........ all part of the fun ....you never know what you are going to get.
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sounds great Jim hope it works out for you.anymore photos of that ride you done.
jags.
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anymore photos
hit that slideshow link... there're 25 or so pics there... can't imagine anyone would want more after those!
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Great ride, Jim, and a nice set of fotos. Been so long since I've visited those parts--maybe I shd do a trip in the Catskills next late spring/early summer, part of my shakedown rides with the Raven. Liked the shoulders on the larger secondary roads -- not enough of those in Ontario.
J.
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that was just low cloud :-) ........ all part of the fun
Dunno, Froggie, we Canajans are closet softies (this one, anyway), captives of our own mythology about The Land And The Weather. Hiking in Scotland in 2008, one of the best lines I heard was, "If you can't see the mountains, it's raining; if you can see the mountains, it's going to rain."
I think we're spoiled here by fairly dry weather in cycling season, March to December. We tend to get spring and autumn rains, but we have a continental climate, as one would expect, a bit different from even the south coast on a wee island in the North Sea... Still worth a visit on 2 wheels, for sure, and I promised the folks at SJS Cycles that I'd bring my new Raven round for a viewing. My sister has a place in Seaton, and we have old friends in Lyme, so I have a jumping-off spot for LeJoG. - J.
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Liked the shoulders on the larger secondary roads
Yeah that was my first time riding on NY Rte 23 and it was quite comfortable the whole way. Quite similar to Rte 28, which it parallels. They're both reasonably busy and high speed, but the shoulder is wide enough that it works OK. Not the kind of road I would prefer, but with the mountains here there are precious few alternatives if you want to get anywhere.
http://ridingthecatskills.com/ (http://ridingthecatskills.com/) has lots of awesome Catskills rides, but his shortest distances exceed my longest! A good resource all the same!
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[quote/] "If you can't see the mountains, it's raining; if you can see the mountains, it's going to rain." [/quote]
My other favourite quote is " there is no such thing as bad weather.....only bad clothes"
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The old ones are usually the best ....
sdg
Very much enjoying this thread ... good to see our Thorns getting out for several day rides as well as the longer distance 'real' tours.
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" there is no such thing as bad weather.....only bad clothes"
Indeed. And of course, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a bit." Actually find that the weather in the West Country is quite gentle--much softer air than we have here--so I'm just symbolically grousing about the rain. Mind you: some years back, a friend from Vancouver rang to say they'd be visiting Ottawa. It was February, so I said she should bundle up, as it was -25 at noon--as we say, "a dry cold", and sunny. She said she didn't care--she hadn't seen the sun for 41 days...
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A 45 km run with my dad in the Hinterlands of south Netherland.
On my mum's Koga Traveller, a fine bike with butterfly bars and an Alfine 11. I really do not like an upright position at all. Can't get out of the wind and there's plenty in NI.
Hub gears however are great, there's an Alfine 11 on my mum's bike and an improvement on the 8 year old Nexus 8 on her spare bike. The frame is stiff with 0 "zing" which is not my thing, but for those that like thatyou can't go wrong.
Good pre-training for the Scotland tour...I shall have to bring plenty of fuel as I ran out the last 15 km. The "man with the hammer" as that's called in Dutch.
My dad thought I got both end of the claw hammer it was that slow lol
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On my mum's Koga Traveller, a fine bike with butterfly bars and an Alfine 11. I really do not like an upright position at all. Can't get out of the wind and there's plenty in NI.
Yay-yeah -- I found out wind is the stand-in for hills/mountains in NL. Was it something like this?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8qgjyqibwY
I would have been lost without my drops and riding "knees inside elbows" on my last tour there. You rode upright into the wind? Respect!
Best,
Dan
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Somebody who held the word record around the world (I am terrible with names) for a few years also toured on butterfly bars on a Koga.
Drop bars are more "road bikes only" in NL, it's part cultural. And at near 60 (my parents) I guess your neck may demand a higher position too...
...well my dad is the clear winner, butterfly bars and 23 km/hour in the wind with me plodding along behind. It gets to show my lack of long rides at speed due to lack of time...practice is more important than age :)
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that was Mark Beaumont Scottish cyclist when he cycled the Americas he rode 25 mile into a head wind,
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During my ride along the Rhine in Sept 2012, I met up with some German guys who all used butterfly bars. They said they managed with headwinds by laying their forearms across the bars. Maybe that would work -- I sat on one bike, and the "lowered" position wasn't bad. But still, I recall cycling along the south shore of the Gaspé Peninsula in late July 2010, and one morning, we rode for 6 hours into a brutal westerly: covered just over 60 kms. Can't imagine handling those conditions with anything other than drop bars -- unless, of course, you just do what canoeists do when windbound: set up camp, make tea, read a book/whatever, until the wind drops.
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You don't need drop bars to get a horizontal flat back on a Dutch touring bike. Gazelle, parent company of Koga Miyata, on their better models fit the Switch stem, on which you flip a lever, reposition the handlebars, flip the lever again, and ride on, a five second operation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFG-rOG8os Not shown in the video is rotating the stem all the way forward so it points downwards, then rotating the handlebars in the stem so that the grips point to only 15 degrees off vertical, and you ride with a horizontal flat back into the wind. Much nicer than those clumsy drop bars the cyclists left over from the last century like. I used an upright Dutch stadssportief, the Gazelle Toulouse, to set my ton-up 60th birthday personal record behind a specially prepared truck. I didn't even turn the North Road bars upside down, I just lowered them on the Switch stem as above, and after I set the record reset them to my preferred upright riding position. A superb stem, but unfortunately only made for quills. (There is rather cruder version made for Ahead headsets by Kalloy, if you're interested.) I also often used it to ride into the wind or to hunch up on really cold days.
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Much nicer than those clumsy drop bars the cyclists left over from the last century like.
:D
All the best,
Dan. (...a proud drop-barred-wool jersey-wearing-cleated shoe-toe-clipped Luddite er, "traditionalist" :D )
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Just checking whether anyone is awake.
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;)
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You don't need drop bars to get a horizontal flat back on a Dutch touring bike. Gazelle, parent company of Koga Miyata, on their better models fit the Switch stem, on which you flip a lever, reposition the handlebars, flip the lever again, and ride on, a five second operation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFG-rOG8os Not shown in the video is rotating the stem all the way forward so it points downwards, then rotating the handlebars in the stem so that the grips point to only 15 degrees off vertical, and you ride with a horizontal flat back into the wind. Much nicer than those clumsy drop bars the cyclists left over from the last century like. I used an upright Dutch stadssportief, the Gazelle Toulouse, to set my ton-up 60th birthday personal record behind a specially prepared truck. I didn't even turn the North Road bars upside down, I just lowered them on the Switch stem as above, and after I set the record reset them to my preferred upright riding position. A superb stem, but unfortunately only made for quills. (There is rather cruder version made for Ahead headsets by Kalloy, if you're interested.) I also often used it to ride into the wind or to hunch up on really cold days.
As usual the Dutch have the solution :P
I set the bars on my roadster very low but I don't really like a very upright position anymore...
...yes I have been away to far from the Moederland.