tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77648243554365531692024-02-24T15:46:16.699-05:00Yurtvilledcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-62130673313436338012019-10-20T19:39:00.000-04:002019-10-30T22:34:40.084-04:00Coffeeneuring 2019!After taking a break from Coffeeneuring over the last couple of years we are back! Short off the heels of our trip to Ireland we're in the mood to keep riding and chasing coffee's is a great way to do it. The coffee options remain slim here in our little town, but we do our best and were able to augment our first week's ride while on an out-of-town trip. I'll be updating this post with each week's outing.<br />
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Coffeeneuring #1<br />
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Destination: Pie in the Sky, Woods Hole, Massachusetts<br />
Date: October 13, 2019<br />
Distance: 5 miles, 196 ft. of climbing<br />
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We cycled into Woods Hole and enjoyed a lunch and coffee in the outside seating area at Pie in the Sky, a popular destination for all the folks waiting to take the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Wood's Hole is a great little village to spend any amount of time in. We stopped by a local potter's shop and enjoyed checking out her work on the way back home.<br />
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Coffeeneuring #2<br />
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Destination: The Sweet Spot, Waitsfield, Vermont<br />
Date: October 20, 2019<br />
Distance: 9 miles, 830ft of climbing<br />
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We were joined by our friend Jeanne on this trip and ventured out along the Common Road before dropping into town. Snow capped the ridge of the Green Mountains as we gazed across the valley, and the temps were on the chilly side. The Sweet Spot often closes for a period in the fall, so we wanted to be sure to catch it before we lost the chance.<br />
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dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-78382720271328931592019-10-19T21:38:00.000-04:002019-10-19T22:00:19.727-04:00Ireland 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We were lucky enough to spend two weeks this fall riding in County Kerry (plus a little in Cork) up and down the peninsulas and up and over the many stunning mountain passes.<br />
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Our trip was long planned, but it was really only in the last few weeks that we honed in on our plan specifically and key in that process was spending an evening with the <a href="https://blayleys.blogspot.com/">Fixie Pixie and Fear Rothar</a> who helped me narrow down the region and how much we might take on in a trip of this scope. After years of touring the country and knowing that what was good for them would be good for us, I felt lucky to get their help. Their advice was just what we needed and I felt a sense of confidence and direction about our trip.<br />
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We again travelled with our pal James and met up in Dublin. A night out in Temple Bar and then a train the next day to Killarney landed us at the start of our journey. We started with a bang by heading up through the Gap of Dunloe in the mist. What a stunning start to our trip! Despite the cars and horse drawn carts we reveled in the climb. As we crested the top the mist turned decidedly to rain and we were quickly saturated. By the time we'd reached the bottom of the other side we were deeply chilled and in need of food and warmth. Gladly, there was a small restaurant not far away and we were restored to continue our journey on towards Moll's Gap. The way broadened out in to the Black Valley and we continued to marvel at the beauty. Sheep, mountains, tiny roads, broad fields...<br />
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We never actually reached Moll's Gap, although we pretty much were right a stones throw away. Somehow we goofed up our navigation and turned back just below Moll's Gap and returned back where we'd come from to continue on over the modest climb through Lough Brin, and truthfully, I'm glad that's how we went. It made for a longer journey down to Kenmare, but it was so beautiful I would have been sad to miss it.<br />
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The climbing in Reeks is no joke and we got as much as we could want every day out during our trip. Our second day of riding took us up Priest's Leap and then later back to Kenmare via the climb through the Borlin valley. Priest's was staggeringly steep and I managed to climb it without needing to walk, but barely. I suspect that's the steepest stretch I've ever done and it was a thrill. The landscape is vast and empty. Borlin in contrast was endless and gentle and provided a perfect contrast to the effort of Priest's. We could see our road gently curving up through the valley wall for endless k's in front of us. It was a perfect journey up and over the mountain ridge.<br />
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The following days took us into Cork and out to the end of Sheep's Head peninsula, back to Bantry, over Caha pass and back into the mountains of Iverah. Sleeping at the Climber's Inn in Glenview was one of the most deep and cozy sleeps I've had in along while.<br />
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From the mountains we journeyed to the sea and took in the coast in Waterville and then moved north to Portmagee through misty climbs and spectacular views of the Skeligs.<br />
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We bade farwell to Iveragh as we made our way to Cahersiveen and then spent the night in Killorglin and began our days in Dingle. We did our time on the N561 until we were gladly able to begin the climb up and over to Camp. There's not much there, but the views are grand as you summit the pass and see mountain above and sea behind and ahead. Our first day in Dingle was a two-fer and after coming down from the climb over to Camp we made the haul to climb up and over Connor Pass. Connor is the highest pass in Ireland and it is dramatic--probably a climb that should be on any adventurous cyclist's list. That said, there are piles of tourists all driving up and down the road and that stands in contrast to some of the more remote climbs we did on the trip.<br />
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Likewise, our trip out of Dingle around Slea Head was stunning and even sublime... until the fog lifted and the busses and cars showed up.<br />
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Leaving Dingle for Tralee was our last proper day of touring and a highlight of the day was getting to Inch Beach. James and I braved the bracingly cold water for a swim and Nancy rode effortlessly over the vast open expanse of hardpack beach sand. It was dreamy and an hour or so I will not soon forget.dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-51877776015774399222019-05-21T23:10:00.000-04:002019-05-21T23:10:11.023-04:00New England Randonneurs 200k Trace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last Saturday, myself and five others biked from our home here in the Mad River Valley down to Brattleboro, VT as particpants in the New England Randonneurs springtime Fleché/Dart/Trace ride, where all riders converge at a predetermined location, in this case Brattleboro.<br />
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After the ride a friend asked how it went.<br />
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"Dreamy" was my reply.<br />
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I added that this didn't mean the ride wasn't at times hard, painful or challenging, but when all is said and done, the sum total of the experience is somehow just this big sense of accomplisment, gratitude and pleasure.<br />
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Our route favored dirt roads and low-traffic back ways with whatever lovely sights we might happen upon. We rode 131 miles in roughly 14 hours. Temps were in the mid 40's when we started and apparently reached the low 80's at the warmest point.<br />
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Its amazing how the bike, this basic tool, delivers again and again!<br />
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dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-12714296596547283552018-06-30T22:13:00.000-04:002019-06-10T22:14:36.853-04:00s240 2018!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year's ride was short but sweet... and the destination was probably the finest yet. As always, the magic of bikes, loved-ones and a beautiful part of Vermont equal some form of magical experience. Hooray!<br />
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I'm so glad we started this way back when because it set the template and now it just wouldn't be right to quit! Besides, it's just so much fun.<br />
<br />dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-41942695390909338752017-10-23T08:48:00.000-04:002017-10-23T11:07:46.445-04:00JapanWe were blessed with a two-week cycling journey around southwestern Japan. Our travels were largely based on the island of Shikoku.<br />
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With a rough plan in hand we adjusted our journey once we got a feel for the roads and options available. Also, there were four of us and we needed to account for the wishes and priorities of each. As a recent bottle cap proverb said "If you want to go far, go alone; if you want to be happy, travel together".<br />
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It was a memorable, perhaps life-altering experience. We will be back.<br />
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<br />dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-50733054418194088052017-05-23T21:13:00.000-04:002017-05-23T21:47:30.303-04:00Our 2017 S24O!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the last 9 years we have managed to enjoy 8 group s24o's with our friends and loved ones. The nominal excuse is my birthday, which falls at the end of April, but the real reason we do this is because it's so much fun--I'm honored that to be a part of it. After so many years we have a track record; we all look forward to this annual gathering filled with fun and adventure.<br />
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What's an s24o? It translates into a "sub-24 hour overnight" and it is only the most awesome thing ever. Bicycle touring on a short schedule? Speed camping? Its charm lays in its brevity. Most of us can manage to put aside our responsibilities for half a weekend and the rewards are always worth whatever juggling needs to happen to pull it all together.<br />
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We gather bikes, kids, food, camping gear and a sense of adventure to ride off down the road until we find a cozy place to camp. Tents get set up, snacks come out, stoves are lit and we enjoy yummy food and an evening together. In the morning it all happens again in reverse as we disperse back home, smelling of wood smoke, twigs rattling in our spokes, and smiles on our faces.</div>
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This year we hit something of a milestone: for the first time everyone was on their own bikes. In past years there have been kids in trailers or on trail-a-bikes but this year everyone got there by their own effort. I think of Silas in particular because the first year we did this he wasn't yet thought up, the second year he was baking in the oven, and the third year he was there in a trailer. Now he's leading the pack with gears and hand brakes!</div>
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This years trip took us again up Stetson Hollow Road in Granville. Since we first went to this area, Tropical Storm Irene managed to take out a significant bridge and scoured sections of the road down to bare boulders, so we can't go as far as we could 9 years ago. Nonetheless, we found an inviting spot with room for a handful of tents and a couple of campfire options.</div>
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As usual we came varying distances based on our time available and the umph in our legs. Sometimes I think the kids don't realize that biking the back roads of Vermont for 11 or 12 miles is not a typical activity for folks their age, but they don't know any different and seem to enjoy it. </div>
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After arriving, we set up camp and then did a little excursion that included crossing the aforementioned stream bed where the bridge once stood to see a lovely waterfall. We enjoyed some pre-dinner yummies and then went back to our campsite to fry up some sausage and enjoy a campfire. Gladly the night was not quite as cold as predicted, but we are all glad to be in our sleeping bags once we turned in. <br />
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The morning saw us sleeping surprisingly late, having a little breakfast and then getting ready to go. Some of the kids had games they needed to get to, so there was a first crew that left before the rest of us a little later. We made our respective ways home, some to waiting cars, some all the way back on bikes. <br />
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Why did we skip a year? The reason mostly was that we were trying to include a lot of families and in the end could not find a date that worked for everyone, so we skipped it. Going forward we've decided it'll be the same weekend every year so whoever can make it will be there.<br />
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dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com90tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-50552374034529678712016-11-20T19:58:00.000-05:002016-11-20T19:58:31.078-05:00Vermonster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dreams do come true.<br />
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This spring, Amtrak announced, without much warning, that they would be running a trial bikes-on-trains trial pilot program this year. And lucky me, I got to be one of the first riders on the innaugural ride along with dignitaries and press. But I digress...<br />
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I have long dreamed of bike journeys facilitated by train, and this weekend I got to live that dream with the help of some hearty adventures. Three friends, <a href="http://blayleys.blogspot.com/">Pamela, John</a> and Caleb took the Vermonter from western Massachusetts up to St. Albans last Thursday afternoon and spent the night in a local motel. The next day they biked the 70 odd miles southward to our <a href="http://nancydavebuildhouse.blogspot.com/">house</a>. We happily welcomed them in and enjoyed the company of travelling band of cyclists. A fourth rider, Kait, took the train up Friday evening to join in the adventure. My plan was to join the four of them for the following two days with a plan to catch the Vermonter northbound on Sunday afternoon to return home while they continued the rest of the way back to Greenfield and Northampton.<br />
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We all knew late October would be a chancy time of year for a multi-day tour, but no one was particularly put off by the early season snow that carpeted the region in the week leading up to the ride. Higher elevations got measurable amounts, and we got an inch or so at our house along with cold and wet. Not exactly the kind of stuff you want to go spend all day riding in, but not enough to daunt the likes of us.<br />
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Snow or no snow, rain or no rain, we all geared up and rode out from our house Saturday morning heading into a light drizzle and temps in the low thirties. We all hoped we were dressed well enough for the trip and that mother nature might spare us any serious challenges.<br />
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She did not.<br />
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Before we had even left the Mad River Valley we encountered bouts of heavy rain, but we forged on. The rain came in waves but we managed to remain passably comfortable as we continued down through the Granville Gulf towards the Rochester Gap. Hills were our friends because they warmed us--descents were unpleasant.<br />
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Climbing the Gap we were all mindful of our increasingly saturated state and the long fast decent down the other side we faced. Our worries were manifested as we careened down what must be five or six miles of wet cold windy decending. My hands were in a serious state of pain and my feet were a close second and the overall semblence of enjoyment was quickly being replaced by a kind of gloomy dread. It was a bitter kind of cold, soaked through to the bone, freezing, and only half way through the ride. Upon reaching the bottom of the mountain road no one spoke and there was no consideration of taking the scenic (and slightly longer) route we had planned into town. We just needed to get indoors without haste. It was a challenging few miles to the little cafe we reached in Bethel, and I'm pretty sure most of us were seriously questioning going any further. I certainly was.<br />
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We spent an hour or so eating hot food, drying what clothes we could, wringing socks and gloves out in the sink and doing whatever we could to restore as sense of warmth and comfort. After a while I started to feel that in fact I could go on, as did everyone else. In the meantime, the rain had mercifily stopped, giving more impetus to continue. Two bacon-egg-cheese sandwiches and a cup of black tea can do wonders for one's sense of fortitude.<br />
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The ride from Bethel to Woodstock and then to our destination in Hartland was significantly more enjoyable, although we were all still recovering to some extent from the harshness of the earlier cold.<br />
We arrived at our friend Alan's in the darkness and were grateful for warmth, good cheer, food and a comfortable place to sleep.<br />
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The next day's journey took us south through lovely wooded hills with lots of dirt roads and tons of climbing, but the weather was kind to us and the day was easier because the main challenge was the effort of riding. No more serious negotiation with the wet and cold, thank god.<br />
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My part in the journey ended in Saxons River where I parted with my friends to ride to a few miles into Bellow's Falls to catch the northbound train that afternoon. The other four continued on to Putney for the night and then rode the rest of the way home the next day under sunny skies. <br />
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Its hard to overstate the satisfaction of sipping a beer in the cozy comfort of the northbound train after a beautiful journey of some 120 miles and many thousands of feet of climbing on two wheels.<br />
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I have a serious suspicion this is only the first time we'll be doing this ride.<br />
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dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-76118243993040153262016-01-16T12:13:00.002-05:002016-01-16T12:23:37.901-05:00Welcome addition!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I've added derailleurs, switched to 700c wheels with studded
tires, installed fenders</span></i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and a front rack and moved the handlebar set up from my old Fuji</span></i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">I recently bought a
"new" bike, somewhat furtively, while we were down on Cape Cod for
the holiday. The bike in question was a somewhat neglected but fully
serviceable Fuji S12-s. This bike is not unlike legions of other better-quality
early '80's Japanese bicycles; it's magic lies in the fact that the bike is
an excellent candidate to convert to a 650b wheel size. Making this conversion
allows for a number of benefits: bigger low-pressure tires resulting in a gentler
ride, more room for full coverage fenders, and maximizing the benefits of a
low-trail "Frenchified" touring bike. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGKLBUoZ0DfjnVjQSeeIYrrHDtcc-MufvjFEASuF0B0LfttvbUPt0Z6oKcdusS4Lm-hww29G3A9gt2wsIzjH1V1EX0MhGg9dKDD9Elvlh8Sr1KlDG_mz_8wROQlM8Dc2Z9xp12x7-AYk/s1600/fuji-s12-s_23991806685_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGKLBUoZ0DfjnVjQSeeIYrrHDtcc-MufvjFEASuF0B0LfttvbUPt0Z6oKcdusS4Lm-hww29G3A9gt2wsIzjH1V1EX0MhGg9dKDD9Elvlh8Sr1KlDG_mz_8wROQlM8Dc2Z9xp12x7-AYk/s320/fuji-s12-s_23991806685_o.jpg" width="240" /></a> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Test fit of 42mm 650b wheel proves to be an excellent arrangement.
The rear has a similarly ample fit</span></i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="separator" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nancy contends I got ripped off,
but the $110 I spent to buy a bike I only really wanted for the frame and a few
of the parts still feels like it was worth it. It wasn't until I had already made the deal and got it back to the house that I was able to fully test out it's suitability for fitting large diameter 650b tires. It passed with flying colors! In fact, now that I have it and
I've had a chance to test out the proof of concept, I feel even better about
having spent the money. Later I discovered that my pal Geoff in Boston has the same frame, although his is the slightly lighter "LTD" version. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is the bike as it was when I bought it: set up as a single
speed</span></i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">My current vision is to ride it
in the short term as a 700c winter commuter with studded tires, which is how I
currently have the bike set up. (My winter commuter up til now has been Nancy's old Serrota mountain bike, which was fun, but not at all a bike that moves, at least the way I had it configured.) With temperatures in the upper 30's today
I rode my first shakedown of the Fuji to feel it out and it was wonderful, despite the
studded tires. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Riding on icy
ugly January roads</i><!--EndFragment--></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMw6NtcUHz4PO9q4r6pJXx3h3e4Zw8H0WmzLSnDMqBNBNEUZKlVG7oMcvvxbD-qpnUCkNBDhTjmJ4VePI_yQDT0OG_6TL4QVFSn6FVrhZBNRnTqcOySFfvHCmQiojHbb9hIES8yO8cvo/s1600/fuji-s12-s_23991806685_o.jpg"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mind you, this is not the first
ancient Fuji I've invested myself in. My brother-in-law Randy long ago tipped
me off about a Fuji Touring Series IV at a yard sale. I invested a lot in that
bike and it saw me through years of touring, commuting, and my entry into the
world of randonneuring. It was a great step forward from whatever bike I was
riding before that. Although a great bike, it was limited by the fact that it
was a cantilever set up with 27" wheels and that means limited choices on
tires.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">In retrospect, I spent to much mental energy wanting the Touring Series IV to be something it wasn't and that's why this new frame feels like such a revelation: with minimal effort I have a solid, adaptable frame to fit in where I want to leave the Stag for lighter duties. </span>I have visions of doing a few
frame modifications (routing for lighting wires and mid-fork rack mounts) and
then getting the frame cleaned up and powder coated for a new lease on life. I
see it as a workhorse, touring rig, and winter commuter, leaving the Stag less
encumbered for randonneuring and fair weather riding. I'm also excited to talk to that <a href="http://www.waxwingbagco.com/">Waxwing Bag Co.</a> guy about a set of touring panniers for this rig ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I guess I should mention too that
I really like it's color arrangement; a sort of deep metallic blue with silver
details, including chromed "socks" at the bottom of the front
fork. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">Its a keeper.</span></span>dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-10815124776297863792015-12-06T16:37:00.000-05:002015-12-07T22:52:49.532-05:00Early Winter Riding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqLdrJCLF3U7AX-Q179ZzKAnjREPlC4-jF80Rq5mXnp1Q_NP5lqllM_Gwmdiu51ghyphenhyphenkKRyznU9jr5J_559cyYRiTjQnw4zOzMwVYoCSSarMiylPbiyl1xsd-pxg11MkhFnqDw005hKfs/s1600/22947971323_ec0c59e25d_o+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqLdrJCLF3U7AX-Q179ZzKAnjREPlC4-jF80Rq5mXnp1Q_NP5lqllM_Gwmdiu51ghyphenhyphenkKRyznU9jr5J_559cyYRiTjQnw4zOzMwVYoCSSarMiylPbiyl1xsd-pxg11MkhFnqDw005hKfs/s400/22947971323_ec0c59e25d_o+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Persistent Valley fog despite the afternoon sun</span></i></div>
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It's the 6th of December and the weather has been a mix of proper December weather with frequent and confusing bits of September thrown in. I keep going for rides with the thought that "I gotta take advantage of these last warms temps...". It keeps happening, but that's okay. Just last week I was kind of resigned to it being winter, right and proper and it was time to switch over to my sedate but winter worthy upright bike with a new set of studded tires. I want to forestal the inevitable, but gladly the inevitable is taking it's time this season. I think also that the Coffeeneuring rides keep me thinking "bike" further into the fall then I would otherwise.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam29smwgpVTctBsu3mvFfHScol_PjhOjUfycXRq9Ba_MKNj980ynS8-Wu6lHZjwnJuqLY92WcwJTYUt8QIUU32KY0u5vSeCL5c9uWrmUNf3uGLEQxhDBv8FfLpGoQP1uyNd99qV8PJBc/s1600/12342757_10153303692541586_7190398308366471343_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam29smwgpVTctBsu3mvFfHScol_PjhOjUfycXRq9Ba_MKNj980ynS8-Wu6lHZjwnJuqLY92WcwJTYUt8QIUU32KY0u5vSeCL5c9uWrmUNf3uGLEQxhDBv8FfLpGoQP1uyNd99qV8PJBc/s400/12342757_10153303692541586_7190398308366471343_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm fully aware that this can turn on a dime any day now, but so far so good. And, when it finally does snow and the roads are icy, I'll rediscover the fun of slow adventures in cold weather.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AEaly_8MWiUhjzuZN1iwUcS5CXcGXfcYFJR1dAyHhyphenhyphenmYBkpLWa7qicQXsIqJKsKZdfgGCFvHsVpuaheHND7oX02Y8vrBu1EMFcwyRzWwfvSDvBTZU9Efowdchu-xuozZ9b-RnMCwoco/s1600/12347654_10153303692581586_6992804712566277941_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AEaly_8MWiUhjzuZN1iwUcS5CXcGXfcYFJR1dAyHhyphenhyphenmYBkpLWa7qicQXsIqJKsKZdfgGCFvHsVpuaheHND7oX02Y8vrBu1EMFcwyRzWwfvSDvBTZU9Efowdchu-xuozZ9b-RnMCwoco/s400/12347654_10153303692581586_6992804712566277941_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Long afternoon shadows</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT6ELGZ7ix0og8ffR4V6GFbCVBa46yGopHYWqzc-kWXRYbkAwBigYZPUBabW7s4RpBW8IcV2zXtG9wLOT-oYQoNE3do0as_C5-MjXg9XYRLj5mObV25lzizM0QM2S-GBpZ5KmM9g2zHk/s1600/12314004_10153303692476586_5584004158343376987_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT6ELGZ7ix0og8ffR4V6GFbCVBa46yGopHYWqzc-kWXRYbkAwBigYZPUBabW7s4RpBW8IcV2zXtG9wLOT-oYQoNE3do0as_C5-MjXg9XYRLj5mObV25lzizM0QM2S-GBpZ5KmM9g2zHk/s400/12314004_10153303692476586_5584004158343376987_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nancy climbing up German Flats. There's snow on the slopes behind</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirChZe_tL7KG35vIRgfiqMwqeCQWAJwi9f5ebeX_cu6X8vMhSsjWyXCoIsRvWal1CFT0pawFkqAePFriRmx-veMOXOD_6ezu5_9fCZ2OxptYZ5PvTCgFaw-9RdaLBMqcwPqoucT-rxgMo/s1600/23505030931_c5a10c3680_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirChZe_tL7KG35vIRgfiqMwqeCQWAJwi9f5ebeX_cu6X8vMhSsjWyXCoIsRvWal1CFT0pawFkqAePFriRmx-veMOXOD_6ezu5_9fCZ2OxptYZ5PvTCgFaw-9RdaLBMqcwPqoucT-rxgMo/s400/23505030931_c5a10c3680_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">New studded tires will be put to use any day</span></i></div>
dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-84456856631177386852015-11-16T20:22:00.001-05:002015-11-16T20:46:09.884-05:00Coffeeneuring Challenge 2015<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here's my <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/2015/09/19/coffeeneuring-challenge-2015-a-dream-within-a-dream/">Coffeeneuring Challenge 2015</a> recap. I didn't pick a theme-within-a-theme but I did notice a positive trend; with two exceptions these were all social rides, not solo journeys. I didn't plan it that way, it just happened. You'd think getting out once a weekend for a cup of coffee would be a no-brainer, but it's easy to let it slip or not make it happen. Gladly, I did manage to come through. 103 miles all told.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like randonneuring events, the challenge creates a game --a framework-- that gets me out on my bike at a time of year when I would probably not ride so much, so I'm grateful for the excuse. Thinking ahead to next year, I think I might make architecture a theme to orient around. Thanks to <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/about-chasing-mailboxes/">Mary</a> for making this happen!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coffeeneuring Ride #7<br />Destination: City Feed and Supply<br />Location: Jamaica Plain, MA<br />Bike friendliness: nothing worth noting<br />Miles: 35</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJePkyIVu7jywTzJV0EbAJbcrSadz8EzmQXuaSNLDW2ZFUooppRjIEiofVtsjfpmiwcFp6StdIvV2Oj8O4AZYKtTbfhZPaEuIgcKzoKsBMwfZn5GTtrHfU9QdEDTk-IMgnW0whGzPBudc/s1600/12249704_10153270677136586_7893416187459879427_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJePkyIVu7jywTzJV0EbAJbcrSadz8EzmQXuaSNLDW2ZFUooppRjIEiofVtsjfpmiwcFp6StdIvV2Oj8O4AZYKtTbfhZPaEuIgcKzoKsBMwfZn5GTtrHfU9QdEDTk-IMgnW0whGzPBudc/s320/12249704_10153270677136586_7893416187459879427_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My favorite ride of the coffeeneuring season! I met up with a few fellow <a href="http://nerandonneurs.org/">New England Randonneurs</a> for a <span style="line-height: 19.32px;">recommended </span><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">no-fenders ride (advice I ignored) that took in a meandering course around the shoreline in Dorchester, the hills and ponds of the Blue Hills, and various pathways and abandoned roadways in the area.</span></span></span></div>
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Coffee was the fuel that started the day, drank somewhat hastily with our collective desire to get moving. The day was pretty chilly, but so much fun to be adventuring through the woods and paths.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coffeeneuring #6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">November 8<br />Miles: ~5 miles all told<br />Bike Friendliness: spot on<br />Destination: Mountain View Farm, VT</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A short sweet ride on a chilly morning with friends to the ever affordable cafe-without-walls, namely the upper fields at a neighbors farm a few miles down the road.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">With a short walk up the hill we had a nice hang out with coffee at the top of the meadow, looking over the great views across the valley. The wind was brisk and chilly, but the sun was warm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coffeeneuring #5</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">November 1<br />Destination: The Warren Store, Warren, VT<br />Bike friendliness: Good enuf, nothing special<br />Miles: ~16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nance asked what my coffeeneuring ride plan was. Truth was I didn't have much of one, envisioning a solo ride to check #5 off the list. She responded why don't we ride down to the Warren Store, get lunch and ride back. Yes! A ride with my sweetness is way more fun then heading off on my own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coffeeneuring #4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">October 31<br />Location: Field, Waitsfield, VT</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Bike Friendliness: Quite acceptable</span><span style="line-height: 19.32px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coffee: Home brew..all good.<br />Distance: 11 miles, under chilly haze</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today's ride was semi-uninspired. The available retail options are more or less mediocre and so I opted for a Coffee Without Walls locale that was quite nice at the top of the Rolston Road in Waitsfield, VT with a view that looks west across the Mad River Valley. If you love narrow, small, steep dirt roads, Rolston Road is a fun one.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Coffeeneuring # 3</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">October 25</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Distance ~16m<br />Destination: Maglianaro Cafe, Burlington, VT with a ride out to the end of the Colchester Causeway<br />Bike Friendliness: excellent</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If there were a Coffeeneurs's perfect destination, I'd nominate Maglianaro as a top contender. The cafe has been both bike themed (notice the handlebar"M" logo) and bike-centric from the start. (In their old location they even had showers available). There are no bike racks out front because bicycle parking is INSIDE, right through the front door! The coffee is some of the best in the region, and the space is open and light with deep window sills. A previous art display was a variety of antique bikes on loan from the nearby Old Spokes Home.</span></span></div>
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Our coffee stop was the launching off point for an adventure out to the end of the causeway on the Lake Champlain Island Line Trial. With 30-40 knot winds we enjoyed riding through the craziness.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;"></span><span class="_58cm">Coffeeneuring</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"> ride #2 with my brother-in-law Brian. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">October 11</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Destination: East Warren Community Market</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Roughly 13 miles round trip.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This morning's ride took us from home to the East Warren Community Market in East Warren. The route travels along the spectacular Waitsfield Common and East Warren roads, providing broad views across the Mad River Valley which is at the height of fall foliage. Coffee was fine, the company great and the tailwind home just right.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Coffeeneuring Ride #1</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sunday October 4th</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Destination: Big Picture Theatre & Cafe</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Miles: 7</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bike Friendliness: Indifferent</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My first outing was an enjoyable late afternoon ride to town for a cozy cup of coffee at the Big Picture. Although a cool day, the late afternoon made sitting outside not only do-able, but quite pleasant. From my seat I could see the ridge of the Green Mountains off in the distance. The mountains evoke a sense of wildness for me. There will be cold and frost, even snow up there before long, but for now the warmth remains and it was nice to have a causal easy ride to check off this first ride of the Coffeeneuring season. Jess, who works at the cafe was kind enough to brew a new pot o'decaf at the late hour of the afternoon, and it was quite good. Truth be told, I may have opted for a more fermented option given the time, but being a dutiful Coffeeneur, I stayed within the available options for the event.</span><br />
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dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-13042336081277095862015-09-29T22:12:00.002-04:002015-11-16T20:47:25.832-05:00The (New) Vermont Fall Classic 200k/100k<div>
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<b>Update:</b> Derek made this great little video from the ride. He and his friends arrived late for the start but met up with other riders in Randolph. See it <a href="https://youtu.be/PlYG_HRgcWQ">here</a>.</div>
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Frost and fog greeted us excited riders as we tackled the "hidden" hill not more than a half mile out of the start in Montpelier. On one hand, it helped to warm us up after standing around in the cold morning air, on the other, it was an abrupt end to any casual banter as we dug in. The hill sorted us out according to our eagerness for a stiff climb. And it just kept going....<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Anthony addressing the riders at the start</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bikes wondering where the riders are</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Marianne on her new <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/34156114@N05/">Matchak bike</a>, built by her partner Tom</i></span></div>
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Near the top I heard the lovely clonking of what I imagined to be Swiss bells on a couple of cows ambling about in the morning mist. The city of Montpelier rapidly gives way to countryside and quiet dirt roads. At this point it was icy fingers and a sweaty brow for me. At the top of the hill I grouped up with some others and we continued on. Sweeping past Berlin Pond would have been a treat if we could have seen it--its a beautiful spot for sure--but the fog was so thick that I suspect most folks didn't even notice it.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Climbing up Hill Street (how's that for a name?) out of Montpelier</span></i></div>
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More and more, it's the social aspect of riding brevets that keeps me on the hook, coupled with great scenery and a satisfyingly challenging ride. Saturday's event checked off all three in abundance. I used to worry more about controls and finishing than I do these days, which allows me to relax a bit and take the ride in whatever way feels right.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Headed towards Brookfield; I enjoyed talking with Eric (on the right), who completed PBP in August. I was curious about his nifty Soma, including </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">the fork, which just looked a little too refined for a Soma, as it turned out to be. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I almost didn't bring gloves and as it was my fingers were pretty cold</span></i></div>
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I stayed with this little group until reaching Floating Bridge info control in Brookfield and marveled at the beauty of the mist rising off the pond mixed with serenity of the warm morning sun. I decided to hold back and wait for whomever showed up next before pressing on; it turned out to be more of a wait than I anticipated, but that was okay. It was fun to join up with a new crowd for a little food and chat on the bridge and then a nice ride down to Randolph.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Morning sun on the Floating Bridge in the village of Brookfield</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Coffee and caffeinated gummy bears are just the thing sometimes</span></i></div>
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The next control was the Randolph Depot. After a cup of coffee and a muffin, I made a short little side trip to my friend and fellow randonneur Harvie's place to say hello. When I noticed <a href="http://www.dillpicklegear.com/store/">Emily</a> scurrying off I got myself together and followed her up Rt. 12, catching up to her a few miles out of town. We rode the rest of the 100k route back to Montpelier including passing through the infamous (albeit brief) Devil's Washbowl, where even on the sunniest of days the light barely penetrates. Coming down off the top of Moretown Mountain is always a rush, and the decent on Howes Road is simply iconic.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Emily cruising through the Devil's Washbowl</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Coming down Howes Road towards Moretown Common</i></span></div>
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The final control was at the ever-amazing <a href="http://www.redhenbaking.com/">Red Hen Bakery and Cafe</a>. A home for cyclists, bread, and coffee lovers alike, it was a good place to kick back for a bit, leaving only 5 or 6 flat miles to finish off the day back in Montpelier at <a href="http://www.onionriver.com/">Onion River Sports</a>. I knew I wasn't drinking enough when the only thing that I wanted was more chocolate milk after I'd had a chocolate milk.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A social jumble of bikes and people at the Red Hen Bakery</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Marianne and Nancy nearing the end of a great ride </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo: courtesy of Tom Matchak)</span></i></div>
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Being the final ride of the Vermont portion of the <a href="http://nerandonneurs.org/">New England Randonneurs</a> season, there was a relaxed and fun get-together at Anthony's house later in the afternoon. A number of folks who were going to do the 200k switched gears and finished at 100k, allowing for an easy transition to the party. It was satisfying to chill out and chat with some good friends. I'm really glad to be a part of this little world of cycling and I'm looking forward to next year's rides already!</div>
dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-38904762415833276712015-08-16T13:44:00.002-04:002015-08-19T23:49:33.510-04:00Voyage dans L'obscurité<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Is it wise to drink a beer halfway through a 200k night ride?<br />
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There was some debate about this as we approached Sandwich. Some riders worried it might compromise their fortitude and strength, while others expressed no concerns. A consensus was reached that if we ALL had a beer the consequences would be felt equally, nullifying any risk. Demonstrating both a penchant for dubious justification and a one-for-all and all-for-one attitude, everyone had a beer.<br />
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This was the first running of the Dunes Dynamo--but the third in a series--the first two being the Dirigo Dynamo in <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2012/07/boston-maine-red-eye-express.html">2012</a> and <a href="http://eatbikenap.blogspot.com/2014/07/dirigo-dynamo-2014.html">2014</a> which ended in Portland, ME. (The vision going forward is that the ride will alternate between Portland and Provincetown annually, hence the slightly different names, based on destination.)<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A convivial start from the Bartlett St. Cafe in Jamaica Plain</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Smiles as we make our way out of town. Geoff led the way for the first ten miles or so, since he came up with the route</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Jake and Brian. Check out Brian's home made fenders!</i></span></div>
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We left Jamaica Plain on Saturday around 5:30PM bound for Provincetown. Fourteen in all at the start, one rider planned to veer off to make his way home to Providence, while others planned to join us further on in the ride. I was excited and a little nervous, as I tend to be before a long ride. Will I be strong enough to stay with others? Will I have enough food and water? Will I be okay without sleep? I packed two sandwiches, various nuts and bars, and had three bottles of water. In the end I never touched the sandwiches and may have ended the ride with one of my bottles full. That's fine, I'd rather be over prepared.<br />
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Despite these concerns, I have a basic faith in my ability to cycle long distances and go without sleep, although I don't take it for granted that I can just fly endlessly. I can't. Miles and hills take their toll and reality eventually subdues willful enthusiasm into a sustainable pace. Gladly that pace was fine with this bunch of riders.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sun grazing the treetops as the day started to cool down</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Emily, Geoff, James and others</span></i></div>
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As evening came on we passed numerous marshes and bays, making for some lovely twilight views. Glancing back, the array of high-powered LED bike lights was brilliant. We must have been a somewhat unusual and perhaps confusing sight to drivers as we approached. Somewhere around Wareham, Brian peeled off to make his way home to Providence, another 40 or so miles.<br />
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Together we travelled though rural suburban towns towards the Cape, reaching the canal in Bourne around 11:00 or so and getting to the British Brewing Co. in Sandwich in time for us to have that round of beer and pizza. Elton was waiting on the lawn and rode the rest of the ride with us from here. Three or four riders who were well fed and had negotiated a flat tire on the canal decided to skip the meal and ride ahead. We didn't see them until morning in Provincetown.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The last light of day</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Coming into Bourne</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Approaching the Bourne Bridge. Once we reached the bridge, we walked our bikes.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Long awaited sustenance</span></i></div>
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As for that beer, I pointedly ordered a Guinness--low alcohol content and seemingly high in nutritional thickness. We were glad for the food and rest, but the air conditioning had us shivering as we ate, so we were glad to be outdoors again. We filled up our water bottles at the public fountain in the village and began rolling for the second half of our journey.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Geoff filling up in Sandwich village</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Emily taking in some of the nuttiness in Onset (?), while Jake catches a wink on the pavement. We saw all sorts of capers: cops, cars full of lost travelers, cars with their lights off, cops with lights speeding by... all on one corner. </span></i></div>
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There was eleven of us now. Almost as a unit we moved together through the picturesque villages along 6A, coursing along dark quiet roads, each with our own thoughts. We'd been together long enough that conversations had started to subside. Though not articulated, we were now bonded, quietly glad to be cycling together through the night. I know I was.<br />
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It was along this stretch I felt somewhat weak and discouraged. I was moving along fine, but I wasn't feeling as strong as I would have hoped on the numerous small hills we encountered and I started to contemplate drifting off the tail-end of this group, a thought I didn't relish. Perhaps I wolfed down a little too much pizza; perhaps the beer at midnight wasn't the smartest idea... I don't know, but I know I felt a little bummed, like I had to press a little more than was coming naturally.<br />
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I was glad when we reached the <a href="http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-south/cape-cod-rail-trail.html">bike path</a> in Brewster. It meant many miles of easy pedaling. It was around this time too that we, as a group acknowledged that we were going to stay together to the end. It would have been inconsiderate to leave anyone behind having come this far together. We also consciously slowed down a little since a couple of folks had begun to drift off the back--I guess I wasn't the only one feeling the effort. I noticed too on the bike path that we had started talking again. Perhaps being off the roads encouraged our banter or maybe the lack of sleep starting to inflict a bit of chattiness.<br />
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The path carried us up to Wellfleet and soon we were cruising atop the high bluffs that overlook the Atlantic--a view that to my mind is one of the great wonders of New England, mighty and endless, although in the pre-dawn dark I could only see that stunning view in my mind's eye. I knew the road we were on led to Newcomb Hollow Beach so I was surprised as we passed the last turn off. Geoff, who had scouted most of the route, led us down what seemed like a private driveway into the most unlikely warren of small rutted and sandy lanes through the dense scrub oak forest. Cue sheets and GPS devices were weak guides in this collection of driveways and paths. Once or twice Geoff had to double back to gather those who had become lost.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Somewhere along the Cape Cod Rail Trail </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo: JPTwins/Flickr)</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Escape from the scrub oak forest at dawn!</span></i></div>
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I felt delight at the utter unlikeliness of the moment. Here I was at 5:15 in the morning having ridden a good 110 miles or so, in the woods with ten other souls pushing our bikes through barely recognizable sand tracks on a quest to reach the sea at sunrise. Geoff later announced "I'm sorry and you're welcome" directed at the riders who either enjoyed or were annoyed by this sojourn through the woods so close to the end of the ride. I for one was so happy to have this unexpected adventure. A couple of the riders who had ridden ahead from Sandwich but arrived in P'town after our group mentioned they had become lost in the "sand trap".<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Arrival at Coast Guard Beach</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The quarter moon greeted our arrival</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jake and Emily taking in the scene</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">At the beach </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo: Jeff 0728/Flickr)</span></i></div>
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Our goal was reaching Coast Guard Beach in Truro for sunrise. With visions of a nap following a brilliant sunrise we were a bit underwhelmed to find the scene chilly and mostly overcast--there would be no sunrise for us this time around. Some of us took off our shoes, laid down and relaxed for a while but somehow getting to P'town felt like it would offer greater relief, so we soon headed out for the remaining few miles into town.<br />
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As you may know, Provincetown can seem like a perpetual party along Commercial Street on a summer's day, but there was no sense of celebration when we arrived. Drizzle greeted us on empty streets as we waited for the first breakfast place to open up. The food and coffee were welcome and it felt good to be done. After breakfast we waited a few chilly hours to catch the ferry home. Daydreaming about the ride beforehand, I had visions of a brilliant morning return to Boston across a serene Massachusetts Bay, but in fact we faced a surprisingly storm-tossed and rainy ride back. More than one passenger found need for a vomit bag. Geoff and I sat together and talked with a well-rested couple who were eager to talk about bikes and our ride and all the details. I tried to muster a normal conversational effort, but the tentacles of sleep were pulling hard on me...<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Commercial Street in Provincetown</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Post breakfast chilax</span></i></div>
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Last year's ride to Maine was magical, shared with Nancy and Douglas. I will cherish that experience for a long time, but what made this year special for me was the bond with my fellow riders --some old friend, some new acquaintances. I really enjoy this aspect of a long ride: the hours one gets to spend talking with friends. We joined together in a unique journey and had fun, only to disperse in the morning with tired brows and muscles, but happy for the experience.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Awesome patch designed by Jon Doyle</span></i></div>
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I'm looking forward to next year already!<br />
<br />dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-88435305873908004762015-08-03T21:09:00.005-04:002015-08-03T21:39:49.776-04:00Radar Mountain<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWan5h9tvbjFwQmy4mebTgMQhHWrEu9S5YOkhBJlXw7CryYU7K7ud12Y1CHc-zgpEIW3HzsuMelw3KaGbQTDxjFaeTRMfEryAo6iqb2uGUKOfaI-Pvo5iEUnPMatlwMN1Nru0QIBZnXbI/s1600/DSCF5845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWan5h9tvbjFwQmy4mebTgMQhHWrEu9S5YOkhBJlXw7CryYU7K7ud12Y1CHc-zgpEIW3HzsuMelw3KaGbQTDxjFaeTRMfEryAo6iqb2uGUKOfaI-Pvo5iEUnPMatlwMN1Nru0QIBZnXbI/s400/DSCF5845.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A little breather half way up</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nancy and Adam coming down the back side of Victory Mountain</span></i></div>
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Our pal Adam joined us for a <a href="http://blayleys.blogspot.com/2015/05/droves-2015-day-2.html">re-ride</a> of <a href="http://blayleys.blogspot.com/">Pamela and John's</a> <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1206616">Victory Mtn. Loop</a>, which leaves from East Burke and travels into the heart of the Northeast Kingdom over into the next valley with a healthy amount of climbing--in keeping with anything John and Pamela come up with. After the first climb out of town we were passed by maybe 5-7 vehicles for the next 6 hours.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Taking a food break at the bottom of the East Mountain climb</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A <a href="http://www.waxwingbags.com/">Waxwing Bag Co.</a> convention</span></i></div>
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The loop is great, but the coup de grace of this ride is the spur up Radar Road to the top of <a href="https://urbanpostmortem.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/the-east-mountain-experience/">East Mountain</a>, the site of a cold-war era radar installation. Becoming outdated even before it was finished, the USAF outpost once housed 150 servicemen complete with bowling alley, theatre, commissary, etc.. The facility was closed in the early '60's and has suffered slow but steady decay and dismemberment ever since. What remains is a post-apocalyptic corrugated monolithic mountaintop temple. Getting there requires miles of logging roads and a significant climb that is unusual in that it is paved and the pavement is in good shape despite decades of disuse.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cresting the plateau on the way up to the radar station</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Making her way up the paved section</span></i></div>
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Its great to be in the company of fat-tired randonneuring bikes. Nancy on her Matchak, me on my Stag and Adam on his Polyvalent. Much of this route is washed out or loose gravel back roads, so skinny tires would be really tough in this terrain. We all had lights too, and numerous times throughout the day I was glad to see the bright glow of a light behind me or the zing of a red taillight ahead of me. Built in lights are awesome!<br />
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Getting to the radar station is actually kind of counterintuitive; the closer you get, the better the roads are. Once there, the station is spooky. Its a no-mans land; aside from a spectacular location, there is only broken glass, graffiti, metal sheet, and rusting structure to welcome you.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Looking out from the 7th story of the largest building on the top of the mountain</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Industrial debris on a remote mountain top</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hmm...?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Adam went up the ladder to the roof!</span></i></div>
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We took it easy through out the day, with a few stops for food and water and taking pictures. It was really hot when we started but moderated a bit as the day wore on. Having left in the early afternoon, the 43 miles of the ride took a healthy 6.5 hours with the climbing, exploring the radar station, and resting along the way.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I love chasing this gal around</span></i></div>
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Some folks avoid hills when they ride their bike. Me, I find the climbing is what puts the real fun into the experience. Its hard, and can be dreadful at times, but there is a feeling of having accomplished something and having worked that I really enjoy. Flat riding is fine, but some climbing is satisfying. Throw in some amazing scenery, some good company, and a little bit of creepy mountaintop and you have the ingredients for a great day out on two wheels.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mmmn... back in Burke for some food and drink</span></i></div>
dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-66573517842362049362015-07-19T22:12:00.000-04:002015-08-03T21:17:17.227-04:00Summer FunToday we had a ton of fun with our friend and fellow randonneur <a href="http://yakbicycle.blogspot.com/">Greg</a> as he toured us around the back roads of Woodbury, Plainfield, Calais, Cabot, Marshfield and who knows where else. Our excuse for the ride was to get to the <a href="http://www.bohemianbread.com/index.html">Bohemian Bakery</a> (only open on Sunday mornings) for some coffee and treats, but that really was just the start of our day.<br />
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Riding on the back roads of Vermont is always a pleasure and seeing new regions of the place where you live is always exciting. Our journey with Greg was perfect in this respect. Adding in a "hidden" gem of a bakery was beyond perfect.<br />
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The rain dogged us all day, mixed with some high humidity and hot sun, but we managed to dodge the worst of it and in truth I don't think we were really too bothered since we were having so much fun just being out there.<br />
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Lets do this again!<br />
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<br />dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-91365634718187367242015-04-23T22:40:00.003-04:002015-08-03T21:17:54.531-04:002015 VT Piedmont Populaire 100k<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Nancy on the brief stretch of dirt. It was steep and mucky, but luckily we were coming down it</span></div>
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Last Saturday, Nancy and I rode the first event of the Vermont <a href="http://nerandonneurs.org/nersite/">randonneuring season</a>, the Piedmont Populaire 100k. Despite a dubious forecast, the weather was great; with sun and warming temps as the early morning chill wore off.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">At the start at O<a href="http://www.onionriver.com/">nion River Sports</a> in Montpelier</span></div>
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I always maintain that riding a brevet is not really that big a deal, other then the fact you ride distances others consider fairly long. It's not a race, and as long as you are timely, you shouldn't have much trouble meeting the control times and completing the ride. My initial experiences riding brevets showed me that I had the ability to do this sort of ride without too much concern about finishing successfully.<br />
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Since not completing a brevet last year due to cold weather issues and almost missing a control on another ride due to a problematic flat tire, I've started to adjust my perspective. I now take a little more care to make sure that I'll make the controls. Its important to be mindful, at least until you've gained some lead time.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Anthony, Tim, Emily and Greg</span></div>
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Gladly, our ride Saturday was problem free and we rode amidst a small crowd of familiar and new faces, including a few folks from Boston and various acquaintances from Vermont. Nancy and I have something of a jump on fitness this spring since we did some serious loaded touring in February while in <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/23997564@N08/sets/72157648907694674/">Tasmania</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tsun, Nancy, and Emily at the control in East Randolph</span></div>
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The route was beautiful, heading south out of Montpelier through Williamstown down to East Randolph and the over the hill to Chelsea and back north via East Barre. It was all new territory for me and, as Nancy pointed out, we were once again exploring in our own back yard. It's wonderful that there is always new roads to ride and places to see. What a great start to the season!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cruising north after crossing over the mountain to Chelsea</span></div>
dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-26183063128099863892014-11-23T22:52:00.003-05:002015-08-03T21:18:41.411-04:00Coffeenering: My First Year<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For the first time I participated in this fall's Coffeeneuring Challenge. I was encouraged by Rebecca Olds of <a href="http://velovoice.blogspot.com/">Velovoice</a>. Established by Mary Gersemalina, of <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/">Chasing Mailboxes</a>, the event has been growing in popularity each year. You can read about it's history and basic rules <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/2014/09/17/fourth-annual-chasing-mailboxes-coffeeneuring-challenge/">here</a>. </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><i>What follows is an account of each of my 7 (plus 1) coffeeneuring excursions this fall. I expect to do this again next year, and having gained some perspective on both the experience and the coffee offerings in our area, I will chart out my "events" a little more closely next year. </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Coffeeneuring # 1</span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Destination: <a href="http://www.sweetspotvt.com/">The Sweet Spot</a>, via tha Appalachien Gap</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Miles: 20</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">My first miles out on my first Coffeeneuring ride I realized with a joyful clarity that I, in fact, enjoy a game; I enjoy the fun of pursuing a goal realized on two wheels. I like the idea that gets me moving on my bike, being a part of something, thinking creatively about where to go and where I'll get a coffee...</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">These thoughts got me thinking that randonneuring rides themselves are really just a game or a mental construct that fools you into riding distances on a bike that you'd never do otherwise, at least <i>I'd</i> never do otherwise. Its an addictive game. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">With the sun out and the fall foliage in peak display I rode up to the pass of the App Gap with the notion that I'd stop for coffee at the Mad River Glen base lodge, which was open for the leaf season chair-lift rides to the top of the ski area. It was a good idea, but when I arrived at the lodge it was way more of a late afternoon bar scene and just didn't fit the bill of a contemplative mountainside cup of coffee that I'd imagined. I snapped a few photos and rolled off down the rest of the mountain road. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I found myself back in town and had a great coffee from the ever-generous and friendly Johnny at The Sweet Spot, sipping my coffee and overlooking the Mad River and the adjacent covered bridge. A great start to my Coffeenering season. I was glad I'd found a reason to be out this afternoon.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">===============</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Coffeeneuring excursion #2</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Destination: <a href="http://www.bigpicturetheater.info/">The Big Picture Theatre and Cafe</a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Miles: 7</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Date: Columbus Day October, 13, 2014 (Tara Rules)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tara rules: Despite an active weekend outdoors, I wasn't able to manage time on two wheels, so I was happily saved by the holiday weekend. After two sunny days, Monday turned overcast and I believe I even spotted a few flurries up in the mountains this morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, the Big Picture Theatre serves yummy coffee, but so much more...movies, food, an awesome atmosphere and all around community gathering spot. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The Coffeeneur's Dilemma</b>: To be naturally drawn to the best of the limited coffee options as each week unfolds, but knowing all the while that there are limited choices in the small town. To maintain the draw of quality, a coffeeneur must ride farther or dig deeper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">=================</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Coffeenering #3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Destination: <a href="http://www.redhenbaking.com/">Red Hen Bakery & Cafe</a>, Middlesex, VT</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miles: 18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Date: Sunday, October 19</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The Coffeeneur's Paradox:</b> There seems to be an inverse relationship between crappy weather and a really fun ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My excursion this morning was not particularly inviting looking out from inside a warm house: the temps were in the upper 30s and there was intermittent rain falling. Undeterred, I got myself ready and rolled out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I coffeeneured my way to Red Hen Bakery & Cafe in Middlesex and then continued onwards to pick up our car in Montpelier --about a 18 mile trip altogether. I added in a brief detour to my sister's home to visit the gang (<i>and have a bonus coffee</i>) en route. This added some lovely back roads and hills, which is just what I wanted. It was an exciting, beautiful, crappy day out on my bike.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Red Hen is a cyclist's haven. Great food, a very cosy atmosphere, and expertly made coffee. Besides that, there are many dedicated cyclists on staff and bikeyness is just part of the place. On this particular day I felt lucky to be the guy who'd been out on his bike in the bad weather rather then one of the cozy folks who were missing out on the fun in all their easy comfort.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;"><i>As fate would have it we had a vacation planned in the middle of the Coffeeneuring season. Happily this opened up some nice options in contrast to the limited choices at home. We spent almost a week in the Marin County area, just outside of San Francisco.</i></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">Coffeeneuring #4</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">Destination: <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/cafeverdemarin/">Cafe Verde</a>, </span>Larkspur/Corda Madera, CA</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Distance: 3-4 miles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">November 1, 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">It was a bit of an --um-- adjustment to get into cahoots with a clunky beach cruiser. Compared to our slick wheels at home this thing was a challenge. But hey, the thing worked and it's good to be reminded that every bike has a degree of virtue by simply being a bike, especially if it's reasonably functional. I'll even go so far as to say that these tanks are kinda fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">Anyway, it's great to be in the Bay Area and the best part of today's ride was Coffeeneuring with my sweetness, rather then on my own. We rode down to Corde Madera via bike paths to a lovely coffee place called the Cafe Verde. Latte for Nance and an Americano for me. We enjoyed the warm drinks as the sun was setting and the evening chill was coming on. Great to be riding bikes and sipping coffee in such a beautiful part of the world. Thoughts of chilly Vermont were far away...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;"><i>(<b>Note:</b> This ride not being submitted for credit, although it might qualify, since we walked the last mile or so there and then walked again for a while upon leaving)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">Coffeeneuring #5 version 1 (see version 2 for credit) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">Larkspur to San Francisco multimodal trip</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">November 2, 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">Miles on bikes 3-4 ish</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Destination: <a href="http://www.themillsf.com/#about">The Mill/Josie Bakery Bread</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We took the ferry over to San Fran and promptly signed up for SF's bike share bikes. I had hopes that we could rent some slightly more interesting bikes along the lines of Public bikes or Civia, but no luck. Anyway, we made-do quite well on the bike-share bikes and made our way down Market Street towards our destination. Unfortunately the docking stations are not extensively distributed, so we had to dock and then walk for a while (a mile maybe) to actually reach our destination, The Mill. The Mill is a somewhat famous for serving toast baked in conjunction with Josie Baker of Josie Baker Bread. You can be charmed by Josey in <a href="http://vimeo.com/77071595">this video</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The cafe was packed with a line out the door on this nicely warm Sunday morning and our excitement to be there was rewarded in ambiance, hipness, and yummy food and drinks. The music (Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys) coming over the sound system was in fact from an LP playing on a record player. How cool!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Coffeeneur #5 version 2 (for credit)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Destination: <a href="http://www.troublecoffee.com/content">Trouble Coffee and Coconut Club</a> Outer Sunset, San Francisco, CA</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miles: 18, give or take</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Date: Novemeber 4, 2014 (vacation rule)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We multi-modaled it from Larkspur on the mighty weighty beach cruisers to the ferry, rolled on...rolled off, and rode to <a href="http://www.cityridebikerentals.com/">City Rides Bike Rental </a>and rented some nice quality lightweight rides. My bike was a Globe Roll 8; I loved it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We made our way out through Golden Gate Park almost to the ocean, where we turned and entered the Outer Sunset neighborhood. Our destination was Trouble, a somewhat famous coffee shop started by a woman, Giulietta Carrelli, who was featured in a Pacific Standard article about how the shop and it’s offerings became a vehicle for bringing balance to her life after years of chemical/emotional struggle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Carrelli called the shop Trouble, she says, in honor of all the people who helped her when she was in trouble. She called her drip coffee “guts” and her espresso “honor.” She put coconuts on the menu because of the years she had spent relying on them for easy sustenance, and because they truly did help her strike up conversations with strangers. She put toast on the menu because it reminded her of home: “I had lived so long with no comfort,” she says. And she put “Build Your Own Damn House” on the menu because she felt, with Trouble, that she had finally done so.” –John Gravois</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(You can listen to the story on This American Life <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/520/no-place-like-home">here</a>.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Arriving, we found what we knew would be a very small little coffee shop. Great coffee, a punky-hipster atmosphere and an interesting story. We contemplated this as we gazed down the street at the mighty Pacific Ocean, and then headed back into the city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Coffeeneuring #6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Destination: From home in Waitsfield, VT to Moretown General Store, Moretown, VT</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miles: 12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sunday, November 9</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today's ride was somewhat unremarkable but fun enough. My challenge lies in the fact that there are a limited number of quality coffee establishments in our small rural locale, so by week 2 or 3 I was through the easy and desirable choices. It's been a little harder since. I contemplated a challenging ride to the to of the Appalachian Gap to do a coffee-in-the-wild but decided on the easier option of riding to a fairly standard roadside general store in the next town over. On the way there I stopped to use a friends grinder to smooth the ends of spokes I plan to re-thread and build up into a new wheel with a generator hub, thus adding bikeyness to an already bikey event. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happily, the store had some Vermont Coffee Company coffee in addition to the more common Green Mountain Coffee Co. offerings. Despite the chilly temps in the low 40's I sat comfortably on the porch chairs and enjoyed my warm drink. I was curious to notice a little box made to be a house with an openable roof. Inside, I found a notebook where you could list you name, town, date, etc, but alas I had no pen so I didn't sign. I wondered who left this there and what the idea is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The day was grey, chilly, and a bit dreary but I was glad for a reason to be out on my bike. The ride home was fine. I stopped by the covered bridge for a photo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">Coffeeneuring # 7</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">Destination: <a href="http://www.mixcupcakerie.com/">Mix Cupcakerie</a> and Farmers Market Bandstand, Waitsfield, VT</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">Distance: 7 miles</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5pt;">Sunday, November 16</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This afternoon I found myself sitting happily alone in a windswept bandstand sipping my coffee. It was late in the day on a cold Sunday in November and I felt grateful to have been a part of the Coffeeneuring community this fall. I simply wouldn't have found myself out at these random places sipping coffee and contemplating life like this otherwise. Hats off to Mary for creating this little game --this structure-- which had me riding my bike more then I would have at this time of year. It's been a fun and engaging challenge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As previously mentioned, quality coffee options dwindle quickly within a 5-10 mile ride from home, but I managed a nice offering for my finale. Mix, a cupcake shop in town, does single-cup filtered coffee, and it's quite good. So this afternoon I got a cup to go in my travel mug (and a cupcake too) and rode about 400 feet down the road to sit in the lovely gazebo where the farmers market happens in the warm months. This structure was built some years ago by a class at the nearby Yestermorrow Design/Build School (where I also teach periodically) and it made a very suitable abode for my late fall reverie. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sitting there I felt content, comfortable, and glad for bikes, shelter, cold fall days, coffee, adventure, and a warm home to pedal back to.</span></div>
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dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-41492448130009257612014-10-05T12:59:00.001-04:002014-10-05T23:22:54.754-04:00Miles and miles of beauty <br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Passing under the majesty of Mt. Mansfield, somewhere around Jericho</span></i></div>
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With the completion of last Saturday's <a href="http://nerandonneurs.org/nersite/?p=1362">Vermont Fall Classic 200k</a> (and the 114k for those who chose the shorter route) another brevet season comes to a close. And what a way to end it! It was a spectacular day with temperatures in the upper seventies and clear skies throughout.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Departing from Burlington in the cool of the early morning</span></i></div>
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Hints of morning fog hung low in the fields as a large group of riders departed from Old Spokes Home at 7:00am. There was no mass rush to get out on the street and the beginning felt almost hesitant, but start we did, and it was fun as usual to ride out in the mixed jumble of bikes and faces, some familiar, many not. </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Emily</span></i></div>
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I've noticed that as time has gone on and I've ridden more of this kind of ride that I am more relaxed about the whole thing; preparation, starting, getting to controls, etc... Now that I have a pretty good sense of what to expect I'm less anxious about the details--given that I've covered the basics. I still run through my night-before checklist and give my bike a look-over for any neglected tune ups. I'm a little less competitive about the whole thing at this point. Sometimes I think I'll try to make a particular ride a best-time effort, but in the end tend to fall into the company of other riders and am much more focused on just being out there and having a good day. </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Matt and Tyler</span></i></div>
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Such was the case when, within just a few miles, I'd fallen in with <a href="http://www.dillpicklegear.com/">Emily O'Brien</a>, with whom I had the pleasure of riding this same ride <a href="http://eatbikenap.blogspot.com/2012/10/it-was-lovely-wet-great-day.html">two years ago</a>. She rides fixed gear which slows her down on hill climbs and also means I can keep up with her. Somewhere in the first few hours Tyler and Matt also fell in and we had a little group that stuck together for the rest of the ride. Other than riding the spring 200k pre-ride by myself its been a long time since I've ridden a brevet alone and I have to say I enjoy company. </div>
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Given the range of weather that might have been on tap for the day, the cool morning leading into the hot-ish afternoon was tailor made. I rode this same ride two years ago when it was overcast and raining much of the day. Although that ride was great, I was stunned by the views and scenery I missed last time out. Coming around the untouched backside of Mount Mansfield was something of a revelation since I live within an hour of where we were riding. I experienced a certain wonderment at just how beautiful and dynamic this state we live in can be. Overlay the peak fall foliage and the experience was top-notch. From broad mountain valleys, to small twisty tree lined back road and later open farmland vistas, the ride covers a wide spectrum of classic Vermont backroad beauty.<br />
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I remarked to Emily about how Velouria had written such a <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2012/10/misty-memories-vermont-fall-classic.html">glowing post</a> about her ride experience in 2012 and how little of the mountainous drama was actually visible that day. Not that I doubted in the least that it was a wonderful experience for her, but I wondered what she'd have made of the ride were she doing it this year. Much of the ride felt new to me. Going into the day I thought I remembered the lion's share of the route, but in fact most of it was unfamiliar, and that was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Coming down the back side of Shaker Mountain Road</span></i> </div>
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It was a wonderful day. Our little gang took some nice rest stops, particularly as the afternoon became hot, and then a bit latter after climbing over Shaker Mountain Road and descending into Starksboro village. At The Lewis Creek Farm stand we found canned dill pickles and rapidly split a jar between us. I drank the leftover juice and munched on the garlic pieces... I couldn't resist, in fact I kinda wanted to buy another jar, but we had to move on. Perhaps I wasn't fully up on my salt intake?</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stopping at the Post Office in Starksboro</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A welcome rest in the cool shade at the Lewis Creek Farm, with dill pickles on offer</span></i></div>
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Somewhere along the second half of the route my right crank started to make a distinct click with every revolution. I wasn't too alarmed since it didn't seem to be accompanied by any noticeable movement, and I didn't have either a pedal wrench or crank extractor to do any real work on it anyway, so I just kept going. A silent bicycle is a experience of grace, while a noisy bicycle can be a vexing irritant. Luckily my riding companions didn't seem overly bothered by my monotonous click click click. I determined that it was simply a loose pedal when I was able to check it out later.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greenbush Road in Ferrisburg as the sun was starting to set</span></i></div>
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Noticing that we had to keep moving if we were going to make our controls, we picked up the pace a bit for the last couple of hours home. We were now traveling north along the shores of Lake Champlain and the long rays of the setting sun bathed the scene in golden light. We reached the penultimate control at the covered bridge in Ferrisburg (or Charlotte?) just as the sun was setting. After a few photos we moved on and kept the pace up until we reached the finish at the <a href="http://www.oldspokeshome.com/">Old Spokes Home</a>. By this time it was dark and it was good to have lights, although I hadn't imagined we'd need them coming into the day.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sunset over the Adirondacks</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pausing before the last push back to Burlington</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not an especially swift ride, but no sweat, it was a fun day</span></i></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Brevets are satisfying on many levels. They provide the framework to do a ride that is certainly longer than anything I'd do on my own, they typically favor back roads and great scenery, and there is just enough of a competitive element that I feel challenged and happily tired at the end. There is also the camaraderie and simple fun of being out with like minded riders riding bikes. Its good stuff. As I remarked to a friend it was "a spectacular ride through amazing foliage in good company for a long time on a beautiful day". </span></div>
dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-35079881946466516182014-09-14T12:43:00.001-04:002014-10-05T13:03:50.714-04:00Northeast Kingdom 300k<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnFCiQ72b0IruezxSUyLCYXCxeWetECDVI7u9wasTQd1jCn6pC9rACHsAqZ9X04-Xa5Asu084EIEAqcuwDyNKSP3FEasDK7SXjE-4Sns3ki-alZ501ZLAP8nNqWGflstafyZ1dUotrj0/s1600/IMG_6733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnFCiQ72b0IruezxSUyLCYXCxeWetECDVI7u9wasTQd1jCn6pC9rACHsAqZ9X04-Xa5Asu084EIEAqcuwDyNKSP3FEasDK7SXjE-4Sns3ki-alZ501ZLAP8nNqWGflstafyZ1dUotrj0/s1600/IMG_6733.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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June 14, 2014</div>
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It's 10:30PM the night before the 300k and I am drying my sneakers in the oven. I've been anxiously focused on doing the 300k all week and by late in the afternoon on Friday I had pretty much let myself off the hook--I wasn't going to do it. I even said so to a coworker. My internal dialogue was going something like this:</div>
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<i>"I don't need to do this.."</i></div>
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<i>"It's fine to do it, but there's no shame in NOT doing this.."</i></div>
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<i>"But you'll be psyched if you DO do it!"</i></div>
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<i>"Nobody cares if I do ride it, nobody cares if I don't. It's my deal--do what makes you happy."</i></div>
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When I got home after work I found myself setting up my aero bars and giving them a quick test; they were were fine. With the bars in place I knew the only serious obstacle to doing the ride was my anxiety.</div>
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By that point the game was over. I was doing it. It wasn't long before I found myself hurriedly getting my stuff together and feeling that jittery amped up feeling that I get the night before every brevet.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The early morning start took us north out of Montpelier in a steady </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rain up through Maple Corner towards Hardwick</span></i></div>
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It's been 2 years since I've ridden anything longer than a 200k. Going into the 300k I just wanted to show myself that that year wasn't a fluke. Plus, I just get really excited at the prospect of a challenging brevet. I fear them and love them. </div>
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This year's route was a new ride Anthony Menona schemed up that takes riders north out of Montpelier up around the Northeast Kingdom. The new route was appealing too; riding through territory in an unfamiliar part of the state.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.63636302948px;">There was no time to clean the bike--I just gave it a quick look over to make sure there were no glaring issues. </span><span style="font-size: 13.63636302948px;">With the decision made, and my bike in reasonable shape, Nancy and I enjoyed a quiet dinner out. </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">It felt nice to just relax and put the ride out of my head for a while. </span></div>
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At 4:30am m<span style="font-size: 13.63636302948px;">y alarm went off</span><span style="font-size: 13.63636302948px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">and I arrived at the start with only a few minutes to sign in and get going--poor planning on my part. I was glad to see some familiar faces there, including Josh, Emily, Jake and a couple of other folks I'd seen on earlier rides. It would have been nice to get there with a little more time to socialize!</span></div>
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There was a steady rain as everyone flew north out of Montpelier. We were soon on muddy dirt roads heading towards Woodbury. The truth is I hadn't ridden much distance since I rode the 200k pre-ride back in May, so I was slightly anxious about my capacity for endurance, but as the day wore on I was feeling as fine as I could hope.<br />
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<i style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Emily and Tsun</span></i></div>
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The rain started to let up somewhere around the time I was climbing Stannard Mountain and it was around this time that a rider named Harvie and I talked about doing the rest of the ride together. I was a little hesitant to make this commitment so early in the day because it can be stressful to either feel the need to keep up with a faster rider or to need to slow down for a slower rider. Hence I was slightly noncommittal, but also glad to know there was someone I could stick with through the long hours of the ride. After the 400k a couple of years ago I decided that it didn't feel good to be alone in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night after 20 some-odd hours of riding. It's good to be with other people for many reasons, not least that it is safer, but it also helps pass the time and allows for some interesting conversations.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Traveling with Harvie</span></i></div>
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<i style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Riding past Lake Willoughby. The weather had eased and it was even starting to warm up a little</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I think this was somewhere before reaching Derby Line; Holland perhaps?</span></i></div>
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The weather moderated as we reached Derby Line sometime in the afternoon with the sun coming out. It was fun to see this unique town which abuts the Canadian boarder. Little streets had gates across them, but the US and Canadian houses seemed to be part of one neighborhood. I've heard that the library is situated over the borderline itself and is open to residents of both countries as a gesture to international harmony. I'd enjoy checking it out sometime. <span style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Derby Line led towards a decent unpaved stretch on the Mempheremegog rail trail into Newport. The level grade without the distraction of cars on the roadway was a welcome change of pace. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Approaching one of the boarder crossings in Derby Line. It is fascinating to see what is essentially a </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">large village separated by an international boundary</span></i></div>
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Whatever ease was felt on the rail trail soon gave way to a climb out of town headed west on Rt. 105. I hadn't studied the route well enough to realize we were headed towards the longest climb of the day over the ridge adjacent to Jay Peak. The grade was never brutal, but it just seemed to keep going and going. Just as I was about to stop for a rest I could see the top was within reach, so I reached the high point and rejoined the other riders who had got there first. The ride down was a fast, dramatic, and beautiful descent through wilderness and great views. Although I didn't realize it at the time, the route briefly took us over the border momentarily in a heavily forested area. Now I can say I've biked to Canada!</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Reaching the top of the day's long climb. Altogether the ride was about 14,000 feet of climbing for the day</span></i></div>
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Harvie, myself and two or three other riders had pretty much coalesced into a small group and we cruised the miles westward into Richford together. Food and a rest put us back in shape to head for the next control in Morrisville. As we climbed out of town, ominous clouds seemed to be moving back in, but they did not immediately threaten rain. Somehow the latter part of the ride started to feel a bit easier than the earlier part of the day. Perhaps it was having the major climbs out of the way, or cooler weather, its hard to say, but a fellow rider and I both noted that it now felt easier. Who would think that 130 miles into a 190 mile ride things start to feel less effortful?</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Leaving Richford, the clouds started to gather after a sunny afternoon</span></i></div>
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Our little band churned out the miles. At one point we collectively waited while one rider fixed a flat, which was a nice unplanned break; I took the time to casually walk up a hill rather than ride it. The fireflies made a great light show as our hub-powered lights joined in the flickering display. We soon got rolling again and finished the rest of the miles to Morrisville. We had traveled over 150 miles at this stage with quite a lot of climbing, so I was starting to want to be done, and this can make the distances seem long. After a while we arrived in Morrisville; pizza and coffee were what I needed to take the edge off the chill and sustain me for the remaining miles. The rain had started again and the air had cooled so I adjusted my clothes to keep warm and dry. This turned out to be a wise choice since it rained the entire 27 miles back to Montpelier.</div>
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Those last miles were something of a dream-like blur. Seeing only the beam of my light on the road and Harvie's taillight off ahead I felt the maniacal nature of what we were all up to: speeding though the rain with nearly 200 miles of riding behind us in the pitch black, and yet it was so thrilling at the same time. Tired, wet, and completely happy. The grade was slightly downhill most of the way and we were now on familiar terrain. The end was is sight.</div>
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As it happens we arrived with only half hour or so before the close of the control, but we made the cut off with time to spare. I guess I had taken for granted that we had plenty of time and didn't really concern myself with it. Needless to say food and drink at Anthony's were greeted with great appreciation.</div>
dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-41628793281661435322014-07-25T14:14:00.002-04:002014-12-08T20:33:58.259-05:00Dirigo Dynamo 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><i style="background-color: white;">"I think for me it's more about the magical adventure - adventure that overrides the occasional pain and effort of it. I mean come on - riding my bike from Boston to Maine under a full moon? Beyond my wildest dreams, plain and simple." -- Veloria, <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/">Lovely Bicycle</a>, 2012</i></span><br>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #353535; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">On July 12, Nancy and I rode the second ever run of the <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2012/07/boston-maine-red-eye-express.html">Dirigo Dynamo</a> and it was a night I will long remember.</span></span><br>
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<span style="color: #353535; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Some years back I heard about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich_Dynamo">Dunwich Dynamo</a>, the inspiration for the Dirigo, on <a href="http://thebikeshow.net/">The Bike Show</a> (a podcast/radio show based in London). The vision of a long overnight ride to the sea captivated me. Images of pub stops and salt air mixed with the delirious sensations of sleep deprivation just sounded too fun, perhaps even transcendent. Nancy and I have even kept the Dunwich in mind when thinking about possible vacation journeys. It would be great to ride it one of these years. So when word came via the NER'ds email list of the Dirigo, I knew I wanted to do it immediately. </span></span></span><br>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #353535; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><br></span><span style="color: #353535; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Nancy and I have done some hard work on our bikes over the last month or two. Despite this baseline, the prospect of riding 140 miles, and staying up all night to do it, were daunting for Nancy, even though she was excited to give it a go. Looking at the elevation gain (~3,200vf) we knew the Dirigo ride was relatively flat with modest gains spread out over a long distance. Nancy has been riding a bunch and I had no doubt in her ability to do the ride, although I too was unsure of what it would be like to ride overnight. I've ridden until the wee hours on brevets, but I experienced that as staying up really late, somehow different from staying up all night long. </span></span></span><br>
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<span style="color: #353535; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Oh yes, I also was initially a little vague on the distance of this ride. I thought it was a 100 mile ride based on some hazy recollection, and that <i><b>false</b></i> information was what hooked Nancy in. It wasn't until about a week before the ride that I clarified that it was in fact 140 miles--not an insignificant difference. To her credit, she didn't let my weak possession of the facts diminish her commitment to the ride, though a bailout plan was hatched: return at the 100 mile point by picking up the train in Wells, Maine if need be.</span></span></span><br>
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<span style="color: #353535; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">An added bonus was that our friend Douglas had been intrigued about the ride and after taking some time to make a decision, committed to joining us. We were excited to have him along. He's a good guy with a great attitude and we looked forward to the adventure together. I spent a little time trying to help him get ready with bags and whatnot since he'd never ridden over 100 miles. The mileage would be new territory for both him and Nancy. </span></span></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Getting sorted out as we were about to start</i></span></div>
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My primary excitement was for the ride itself, but I was also looking forward to meeting or reacquainting with some folks I had met or ridden with on past brevets. An added bonus upon arrival was seeing the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/23997564@N08/14375824488/">deluxe bag</a> I had just completed for Geoff put into service for it's maiden journey on the front rack of his 650b Boulder Bicycle. When we were working out the details of Nancy's <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/34156114@N05/">Matchack</a> frame, Anton was very helpful in some of the decisions we made regarding wiring and it was good to finally meet him in person. I think something like nine or ten people started the ride, with a few more joining along the route.<anton lights=""></anton></span><br>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">The bag I made for Geoff, mounted for it's maiden journey</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Nancy and I managed to get a solid night's sleep on Friday and took it easy on Saturday, trying to keep our kinetic excitement as subdued as possible.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We arrived in Union Square with ample time to get a cool drink and wait for folks to arrive. Alarmingly, Douglas called saying that some last minute morning bike repairs had resulted in a messed up front wheel. We briefly thought that he was going to have to ditch, but getting himself to a different bike shop resulted in a new front wheel and he was ready to go in short order.</span><br>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Good spirits and nice pre-ride chat (l.-r. Geoff, Jon, Nancy, Douglas)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Brian, one of the organizers, made an effort to instill a bit of order to a pretty casual event. His aim was to have riders re-group periodically along the route. I was glad at least to know that we would be led the first few miles out of Somerville, since it is challenging to be navigating right off the bat in an unfamiliar area. Its much easier to go with the crowd for a while until the ride settles in and you can begin to organize your mind around the route. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Heading out through Medford. Other riders joined along the route, like a neighborhood gang of kids picking up friends along the way</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As we gathered and were about to head out we learned that our 100 mile bail out plan was foiled! Bikes can no longer get loaded onto the train at the Wells train station, or anywhere else between Boston and Portland. We now knew we were heading the whole way to Portland. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Anton and Brian</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">During the early miles, the pace was quick and I was feeling the tension of wanting to socialize with folks ahead but feeling aware that I wanted to be attentive to Nancy and Douglas behind. Brian, Anton and us three Vermonters fell into a subgroup for the first 25 miles or so up to Melinda Lyon's house, where the other riders were resting and refilling their bottles. At this point it was decided not to try to maintain a single group, easing the pressure so everyone could go at their own pace. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Much of the riding in this section of the route was through small wooded lanes, so even though sunset was still a while off, our lights were already doing their work. Sudden breaks into the sun came as a bit of a surprise. The cooler evening air felt good after a fairly hot afternoon.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">A rest stop at Melinda's house. We broke into sub-groups from here out, although everyone reconnected a couple more times before the finish</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Douglas, leaving Melinda's</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Nancy and Douglas</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The miles rolled along and the route was a dream of small back roads through forests and wetlands. Traffic was minimal. We rolled into Newburyport to find the lead group ready to head out, so we all rode off together again. It was a joy to see all our lighted and fendered-randonneuring bikes rolling together in a bizarre nighttime procession. Many onlookers called out--and in return we rang our bells. I wonder what they made of us? </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">La lune!</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoG7vQFn0qDTLc75eJODEBPakqGFzbLIhbutKgZsPtAqka-OLWXYkq8RQtCdNsegk3vAflaViolU0dhaKr-fRyAZVBHlSrNYgw2S25UkoScsSI2b8mNHT5t27Jywek93jr1SHQ1IjcTA/s1600/IMG_7213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoG7vQFn0qDTLc75eJODEBPakqGFzbLIhbutKgZsPtAqka-OLWXYkq8RQtCdNsegk3vAflaViolU0dhaKr-fRyAZVBHlSrNYgw2S25UkoScsSI2b8mNHT5t27Jywek93jr1SHQ1IjcTA/s1600/IMG_7213.jpg" height="300" width="400"></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Rolling through Hampton</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTxpsO-jFpslZ208fDhWo9xp8ecPZKzui3qCUQZ_MKwgsOrQtQSvUrJAIue7_wdzwKPuSHwdHOUiQBMGiKFEB0DonUf9RSBrn3czIuD0_l0v7ERX8k0tuUqJILeMJHPbsUwuBF8qwkzo/s1600/IMG_7218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTxpsO-jFpslZ208fDhWo9xp8ecPZKzui3qCUQZ_MKwgsOrQtQSvUrJAIue7_wdzwKPuSHwdHOUiQBMGiKFEB0DonUf9RSBrn3czIuD0_l0v7ERX8k0tuUqJILeMJHPbsUwuBF8qwkzo/s1600/IMG_7218.jpg" height="240" width="320"></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">That clutch of bright lights is a group of riders</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Although this could be an Echo & the Bunnymen album cover,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">it is in fact the moon over the Atlantic as we passed through Rye</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ahead lay a few surreal miles through Salisbury followed by the dazzle of Hampton Beach, NH. Suddenly we were zooming through a hot mid-summer nighttime carnival of drinking parties and porch dwellers with fireworks, arcades, pedestrians and vehicles everywhere. It was fun, in stark contrast to the secluded miles in the woods. Hampton Beach gives way to North Hampton, which in turn leads to Rye, each progressively quieter and calmer. With a tailwind at our backs and the super full moon hanging low over the Atlantic, these were some of the most thrilling miles of the ride. It felt exciting and effortless.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Food, rest and chat in Portsmouth</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Brian, Nancy, myself, and Douglas (photo courtesy of Jon Doyle via Flickr)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Portsmouth, NH is the halfway point at 70 miles. We rolled in at around 11:30 and found the others sipping beer, eating nachos and chatting at the Portsmouth Brewery. The ride had been smooth so far, although two of the riders decided that they weren't feeling well and opted to catch a 3AM bus ride back to South Station. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Crossing the bridge over the Piscataqua into Maine</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">At this point Douglas, Nancy and I rode on our own. Douglas had never even ridden a 100 miles previous to this, so he was dragging a bit already and had many, many more miles to go. We settled in for the second phase of our adventure.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Of course it's a challenge to photograph a night ride, but the generator hub/LED headlight combo makes</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">riding at night a non-issue, </span></i><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">almost unremarkable in it's ease</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Leaving Portsmouth we immediately crossed the bridge into Maine towards a slightly inland course. The route took on a gently rolling quality, leaving the long, flat stretches behind. The moon was bright above us and the countryside was quiet. Cars were almost non-existent. The route from the Maine border nearly to Portland follows the <a href="http://www.easterntrail.org/">Eastern Trail</a> (ET), which is well signed, making navigating very easy. Nonetheless, we missed a turn somewhere around South Berwick, but luckily stopped for a rest and noticed our mistake. We were able to reconnect with the route in short order. Somewhere outside of Kennebunk we reached "105" on the cue sheet and high-fived Douglas for his first-ever century. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">The first light of dawn</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Nancy, as we arrive in Old Orchard Beach</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We decided that at Old Orchard Beach we would take a longer rest. Somewhere in these miles on the rail-trail the sun came up. Reaching Old Orchard, we happily found Brian sitting on a bench waiting to make sure we were okay. He sped off to Portland while we went down to the beach and took a doze for about an hour. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">I took this moments before happily dozing for about a hour. Such comfy sand..</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Beautiful tidal zone through Scarborough</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The rest did everyone a world of good and the last 15 miles into Portland were back up to speed and uneventful. Rolling into town we camped ourselves at The Good Egg for breakfast and started to feel the full measure of our night. As chance would have it, the Good Egg is directly next store to <a href="http://www.deanssweets.com/">Dean's Sweets</a>, owned by friends of ours from our days in Boston. Kristin gave us a tour and some amazing truffles for our trip back home.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Two good eggs at The Good Egg</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have long dreamed of the day when I would be able to bring my bike on the train. It is painful to me that this sensible option has been unavailable for so many years (although I am hopeful that we might see the situation change in the next year or two, fingers crossed).</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Our bikes ready to board</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6k8AcZI9x8ltcIJnJEu_sh_1sJXupKEGVJBJ7OTgYLUl5dRgdyzUZ_EfkUWNom79vuskZUElP_s8_X9tfkb4LiwzPWUkNlSgTbLE-vz_TxnL0AO5oDZ4VSyLheXQNYTc0XbAv4f_-a4/s1600/IMG_7282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6k8AcZI9x8ltcIJnJEu_sh_1sJXupKEGVJBJ7OTgYLUl5dRgdyzUZ_EfkUWNom79vuskZUElP_s8_X9tfkb4LiwzPWUkNlSgTbLE-vz_TxnL0AO5oDZ4VSyLheXQNYTc0XbAv4f_-a4/s1600/IMG_7282.jpg" height="300" width="400"></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Rolling to the baggage car</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIjRHXDiRYGtqgRwRVQl9BLI9mbdJvlFxWZnGKCEbIOe3HMUFNalNp2THfzsczBXX8apfp4N_Pmjl3MCOtDY7SrIE1BI_pNRBa29sFKcPVvZboufRHm4-V8nO-GhoiiR1JLlzgjqK9VY/s1600/IMG_7284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIjRHXDiRYGtqgRwRVQl9BLI9mbdJvlFxWZnGKCEbIOe3HMUFNalNp2THfzsczBXX8apfp4N_Pmjl3MCOtDY7SrIE1BI_pNRBa29sFKcPVvZboufRHm4-V8nO-GhoiiR1JLlzgjqK9VY/s1600/IMG_7284.jpg" height="400" width="300"></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Loading was easy and the conductor was confident in his manoeuvres. Our bikes were in good hands</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Happy and full of stories and thoughts about the next itteration</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With this in mind, I had the pleasure of riding to the Portland train station and loading my bike onto the train on for the first time in my life. For some blessed reason, the <a href="http://www.easterntrail.org/">Downeaster</a> allows bikes on trains, although only from the Portland to North Station stops. No on loading or offloading in between. The experience was smooth and uneventful, just as it ought to be. Brian, Nancy, Douglas and I settled in for the 3 hour ride back. Although we tried to doze, in truth we were excited and had much to churn through from the experience. In retrospect I was grateful that Nancy and I had each other to to keep talking to over the next day or so, since the experience had stirred so many thoughts and ideas. It would have been hard to have to hold them all alone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This experience proved to be almost more magical then I could have imagined. The lack of sleep was nearly a non-issue. I guess our bodies just knew the plan was to keep going. Barely a small yawn was uttered between us until we were on the train homewards. More then anything I was so grateful to share such a wonderful experience with Nancy and Douglas. It would have been a weak approximation to try relay in words. We shared a rare blend of effort, pleasure, and magic on a full moon night along the New England coast that I will recall fondly for years to come.</span></div>
dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-70948493901135967552014-07-17T11:55:00.002-04:002014-07-29T11:27:07.660-04:00Pedaling in Droves<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Towards the end of the day, headed up Long Pond Road</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">A couple of fortuitous elements brought us to Lake Willoughby for the weekend in late June. As strange fate would have it, we met <a href="http://blayleys.blogspot.com/">Pamela Blaylock and John Bayley</a> about a month earlier at a <a href="http://www.lukabloom.com/">Luka Bloom</a> concert in Boston. We were seated, waiting for things to begin when a couple sat down in front of us. Somehow I had this inkling that this might be Pamela Blaylock, the Fixie Pixie, who I was familiar with from various blog readings over the years. When we noticed her looking at people on bikes on her phone I got up the nerve to ask if she was indeed Pamela, and she was. We had a nice pre-concert chat with her and Fear Rothar, otherwise known as her husband John.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Climbing up Hinton Hill Road</span></i></div>
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With this meeting fresh on our minds, we were keen to investigate one of Pamela's <a href="http://blayleys.blogspot.com/search?q=droves">DROVES</a> rides<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">.</span><span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">The DROVES weekends are excursions for a bunch of folks from Massachusetts who come up to enjoy the beauty and challenge of Vermont's hills. No opportunity for climbing is spared. </span><span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Looking at Pamela's blog where routes are listed, we picked a 45 mile loop </span><span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">around the Willoughby-Burke area. </span><span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Somewhat surprisingly, we both just felt a little excited and more curious than intimidated by the elevation gains, so without much thought we both shrugged; "Cool, let's just do it". We cashed in on </span><span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">a long-held gift of an overnight stay at the Willoughvale Inn and headed up to the Northeast Kingdom early Saturday for our weekend adventure.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Indeed!</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">The selected</span><span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"> route happened to pass within a mile of the inn, so it was easy for us to jump on the track, and not surprisingly, we immediately began climbing up Hinton Hill Road. This was to be the order of the day; either going up or going down, but rarely anything in between. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I thought it would be fun to change "Drives" to "Droves"</span></i></div>
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As we ascended the hillside, we marveled at the beauty of the broad hilltop ahead of us while we also caught glimpses of Lake Willoughby dropping below us. We were impressed right off the bat and excited to see what other vistas we'd be exposed to.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Approaching Burke</span></i></div>
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By the way, DROVES stands for "Dirt Roads of Vermont, Exceptional Scenery" and I've been aware of this little ride-retreat for since first reading Velouria's account in <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/">Lovely Bicycle</a> last spring. That <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2013/05/droves-diaries-ii-loop-of-defeat.html">memorable year</a>, Memorial Day weekend delivered snow and rain derailing many holiday excursions across Vermont. <span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">We, in contrast, had pleasant, almost cool weather with varying clouds. </span></div>
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We were game for whatever the ride offered and we were delighted to see remote parts of a region that is largely unfamiliar to us, other than the fact that I'd ridden through this zone a week before on the NEK 300k. The ride felt like a mini-brevet since we were traveling unfamiliar terrain with a cue sheet; the difference being that we had no time constraints.<br />
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Nancy and I have a bit of a running joke where, on a ride, in a moment of excitement I exclaim "We should do this!", meaning: adventuring on bikes is lots of fun and we should be doing this more often. The joke being that I usually express this in the midst of us actually doing what I insist we should be doing. It's a sure sign I'm having a good time.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Checking out the mountain bike scene in East Burke</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Making our way home</span></i></div>
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After 20 odd miles we rolled down into Burke and decided we'd have<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"> some food and a little sit-down. That day, East Burke was a bit of a circus with a three-day <a href="http://www.nemba.org/">NEMBA</a> mountain bike festival in full swing. Swarms of riders were rolling down into the village to eat, rest, hang out or catch a ride back up one of the hills. We were the oddballs on our non-mountain bikes. I was somewhat surprised to see that riders were actually getting shuttled back up the mountains with trailers carrying their bikes. I </span><span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">guess its sort of the same logic as riding a chair lift, yet I was slightly dismayed to see the bike relegated to such one-way downhill-only fun. I like to say that you shouldn't need a car to ride a bike, and in this case, you don't need a truck to get a bike up a hill. Maybe I'd feel differently if I did that kind of riding, but it seem to me folks are missing some of the fun only going down, but then I guess that's why I find downhill skiing a little boring.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fish in a fishbowl</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A quick stop at the Willoughby store before getting back to our cabin</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Leaving East Burke we climbed up Darling Hill Road and checked out the lovely farm/inn at the top and then continued back towards Willoughby. As I already said, climbing was the order of the day. By the time we reached Long Pond Road we were starting to drag a bit, but by then home was within reach and we enjoyed the class-4 like quality of the road and we were pleased when we eventually dropped back down to Lake Willoughby right next to the general store. We stocked up on a six-pack and headed back to our cabin for a relaxing cool down and then dinner at the inn. It goes without saying that we slept well and deeply after such a pleasant and dynamic ride. </span></div>
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The next day I posted to Facebook something to effect that the ride was "rarely flat". Pamela wrote back the folowing: "Rarely flat? Let me know where you found more then 10 feet of flat road on that ride!" and then posted the following image accompanied by "Oh I see it here. It was that short strech AT the lake". In retrospect its pretty interesting to see just how much the ride really is either up or down. </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pamela's elevation map. See that little flat line in the middle? That is the brief non-climb on the ride at the lake</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">The next day was a little more sedate. We stayed off our bikes and opted for a nice canoe around Willoughby followed by a hike with our friend Kate up Mt. Piscah where the views were spectacular. After a swim we topped the day off with pizza at <a href="http://parkerpie.com/">Parker Pie</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Panorama from Piscah</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Paddling on Lake Willoughby</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kate and Nance</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Climbing Mt. Piscah with Kate the next day</span></i></div>
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A perfect weekend and one that will be long remembered.</div>
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dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-17886844842229511052014-05-27T22:09:00.002-04:002014-07-29T11:30:31.920-04:00Lets Go on an Es-Two-Four-Oh!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocPaC2vABkifL_aJVPsSl7SOta8OTsgqCr6y7CDpBSCvIFeREqNCRKK3ZmC5N_HumWQiwqsZVkiSEZhZi60mpD8tFWwAMgTI6p9FLV4Nv02iiMvPvNwXcoMPLG57y1IMpGUKFf7eo19w/s1600/IMG_6534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocPaC2vABkifL_aJVPsSl7SOta8OTsgqCr6y7CDpBSCvIFeREqNCRKK3ZmC5N_HumWQiwqsZVkiSEZhZi60mpD8tFWwAMgTI6p9FLV4Nv02iiMvPvNwXcoMPLG57y1IMpGUKFf7eo19w/s1600/IMG_6534.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The gang</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A couple of weeks ago we loaded up bikes, bags, kids, trailers, food, friends, tents and headed out for S24o. What is remarkable is how this never gets old; we all know pretty much exactly what's going to happen and yet the spirit of shared fun and adventure takes hold and before you know we are all goofing around and having a great time. Speed is not of the essence, we just move along enjoying the ride. Getting there is as much fun as any other part of the excursion. Maybe part of the magic is that we are all in on this together--nobody is sitting in the back seat--kids and adults are on equal footing and the mission is pretty clear: get there, set up, have food, hang out and enjoy a night camping.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqODhnVAiVsm6lAvy0neX0SG_pHHrQpvKqQWVDa7hW_B5tgFr2rh80NcqzZlNdcGffZ8wSqerrRWxa0lk8JZeLn4zWaqTe9-ZSr8qZbHqH3n5s_nfEYbDEK2Z3nZHyJp2aO79DkyC-08Y/s1600/IMG_6439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqODhnVAiVsm6lAvy0neX0SG_pHHrQpvKqQWVDa7hW_B5tgFr2rh80NcqzZlNdcGffZ8wSqerrRWxa0lk8JZeLn4zWaqTe9-ZSr8qZbHqH3n5s_nfEYbDEK2Z3nZHyJp2aO79DkyC-08Y/s1600/IMG_6439.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Getting ready to head out</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zrY3dTplrBEaZ9AAn7xMCRfiGFJiSpmhnJTytonKzoh3Q7QaVfyyTBxZsmtXooPr71-_s_JY9PfqLFtgY04lz6hV7Xti3nTTy39wO1yGYWETmxV8kdCy1IzzhSXkEta_6cdfM5374l0/s1600/IMG_6479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zrY3dTplrBEaZ9AAn7xMCRfiGFJiSpmhnJTytonKzoh3Q7QaVfyyTBxZsmtXooPr71-_s_JY9PfqLFtgY04lz6hV7Xti3nTTy39wO1yGYWETmxV8kdCy1IzzhSXkEta_6cdfM5374l0/s1600/IMG_6479.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pausing in Middlesex</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7bSTDQoBA608lEzK58KkOzE-pqOSekcknXwXjrH55JDJZT0wfgsXl0upqX6iXacwUslkbBDUp0PboIEnN0yOb27JEpAWXNtzpk8i2pYYgDZSXERGI213LqtHwoI7iuAFXT2nINqMEw8/s1600/IMG_6485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7bSTDQoBA608lEzK58KkOzE-pqOSekcknXwXjrH55JDJZT0wfgsXl0upqX6iXacwUslkbBDUp0PboIEnN0yOb27JEpAWXNtzpk8i2pYYgDZSXERGI213LqtHwoI7iuAFXT2nINqMEw8/s1600/IMG_6485.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Headed for the hills</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;">The nominal excuse for this trip is my birthday, and as a birthday gift I can't imagine anything more deeply satisfying t</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;">hen a night of camping and adventure with family and loved ones.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieueAvDiWRkn56DHJP8Ol6OaaEe6ZR514KQjyA1xgrE8ghUIoernJrv9q86mVGgd9Fn2jspEikuHyEwudXU11jYzAiHhoJsl1TPVhOHqDiC3Q29y0mp19nxmb_x6UlUHwpwDUVOKLThNI/s1600/IMG_6476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieueAvDiWRkn56DHJP8Ol6OaaEe6ZR514KQjyA1xgrE8ghUIoernJrv9q86mVGgd9Fn2jspEikuHyEwudXU11jYzAiHhoJsl1TPVhOHqDiC3Q29y0mp19nxmb_x6UlUHwpwDUVOKLThNI/s1600/IMG_6476.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<i style="color: #37404e; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Making our way</span></i></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">This is our sixth year doing this and each time we all get geared up, loosely coordinate food, and then meet up on Saturday afternoon. We head off with everyone on bikes and trailers full of stuff in tow to some accessible yet nice place, ideally out of the way in the woods or some meadow. The journey is always as fun as getting there, and after we arrive tents get set up, food is hauled out, and warm clothes are put on. The night was chilly and after a great meal we enjoyed a small campfire for a while before climbing into our sleeping bags. Some years we've been far from civilization; this year we scouted a spot on yard of some bike-friendly folks in Middlesex who were away on their own bike vacation. We were able to take advantage of their grill and outdoor composting toilet, which was somewhat more luxurious than other years. <span style="color: black; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">The hardest part of making this adventure happen is finding somewhere to go that involves the right distance to bike (keeping the kids in mind), quiet roads, and hopefully a nice place to arrive at and camp for the night. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohRdJKeTP6jxtAk2dX0U9sSidrl6y55eGmEqGgWRyiioAKR26ZMIwWgBB2VcY-NrmOZsAF4743Vxu4vZWvA84W1IMGgjoVkft9djhngoHWyAI3jVXF3rLYqdM4xgPZmAfueVYHYp694g/s1600/IMG_6503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohRdJKeTP6jxtAk2dX0U9sSidrl6y55eGmEqGgWRyiioAKR26ZMIwWgBB2VcY-NrmOZsAF4743Vxu4vZWvA84W1IMGgjoVkft9djhngoHWyAI3jVXF3rLYqdM4xgPZmAfueVYHYp694g/s1600/IMG_6503.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Arriving</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDJ3WshopCe9a6Ps0Q2_vFn8dOtHSM3-TsQAzL2MbGk_CXGtkb-pTK3qpt_cE1IMhu8zAVqtqGR16ZL_RZ5GNJ2OIaGaIS8CRP14bMqw2k8qEokXT5L1Zk4kJJ7DAYxngXqKY1gKUkAQ/s1600/10292222_10152384051327920_5105767412647702919_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDJ3WshopCe9a6Ps0Q2_vFn8dOtHSM3-TsQAzL2MbGk_CXGtkb-pTK3qpt_cE1IMhu8zAVqtqGR16ZL_RZ5GNJ2OIaGaIS8CRP14bMqw2k8qEokXT5L1Zk4kJJ7DAYxngXqKY1gKUkAQ/s1600/10292222_10152384051327920_5105767412647702919_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Its fun to recall that the first time Liza and Randy's kids did this they were in a burley trailer and now they are on geared bikes. Anda first rode on a trail-a-bike and now she doesn't blink at a ~20 mile ride. Silas wasn't even born our first time around. We've camped when there were patches of snow still hanging around and other times we've put the whole thing off until later in the summer, but we've all been there every year for six years. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOG6C-2OgFoWRnuWY5bdW7RxXOp941HLgdibe_SxtZlquExDCbRWprz2JVMwltvS_jdjL7BheH0E1aUln9DiMBJTlz1fYi0JpmmCJ6F-5UFhHTv4pvt8le3a1ioSjM9p1cHCV5D8DNv9A/s1600/IMG_6507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOG6C-2OgFoWRnuWY5bdW7RxXOp941HLgdibe_SxtZlquExDCbRWprz2JVMwltvS_jdjL7BheH0E1aUln9DiMBJTlz1fYi0JpmmCJ6F-5UFhHTv4pvt8le3a1ioSjM9p1cHCV5D8DNv9A/s1600/IMG_6507.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRZJ0uov1j-OBOPWFIWPMbvqkS99SkzQJXGNua-ab2OzRKHvQwut56SPpBherhqoYDNiWFa0QCCMIUGPkjf4RctFCxZYqECMTrRJwJMT1TQVdiDuMhW2vUDVaYt56aUrjrMIlvIjhaEM/s1600/IMG_6514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRZJ0uov1j-OBOPWFIWPMbvqkS99SkzQJXGNua-ab2OzRKHvQwut56SPpBherhqoYDNiWFa0QCCMIUGPkjf4RctFCxZYqECMTrRJwJMT1TQVdiDuMhW2vUDVaYt56aUrjrMIlvIjhaEM/s1600/IMG_6514.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Nobody minded that we had a grill at our disposal...</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrW62qdnasNvIVg9dgFY7q75NbTb3i8idNv0hOwtFzgyq1kF4ttIvk_ibgyspRzKEl67z4wre44H4ZUkmqjxqIN3ivEAo-qkcdLHStiOfhGY5yeV0nbdD0M-MbBVnJvdOqNf_3_oltvc/s1600/1920169_10152384051342920_5312609496199317949_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrW62qdnasNvIVg9dgFY7q75NbTb3i8idNv0hOwtFzgyq1kF4ttIvk_ibgyspRzKEl67z4wre44H4ZUkmqjxqIN3ivEAo-qkcdLHStiOfhGY5yeV0nbdD0M-MbBVnJvdOqNf_3_oltvc/s1600/1920169_10152384051342920_5312609496199317949_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><i> ...or a table.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRZJ0uov1j-OBOPWFIWPMbvqkS99SkzQJXGNua-ab2OzRKHvQwut56SPpBherhqoYDNiWFa0QCCMIUGPkjf4RctFCxZYqECMTrRJwJMT1TQVdiDuMhW2vUDVaYt56aUrjrMIlvIjhaEM/s1600/IMG_6514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9bNmU1qnrU7HdkXoGA1F0BzKDEUf9nG1IqdizQfLkk3nAZdEpxmjapfZO8bI23xIHC4coTvE48SpChyz66ThJMAZeu1s-PTPjkTPTjzAxnNEejKypHOUM_H9AGzmUGZo2h-DCcBMUVc/s1600/IMG_6519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9bNmU1qnrU7HdkXoGA1F0BzKDEUf9nG1IqdizQfLkk3nAZdEpxmjapfZO8bI23xIHC4coTvE48SpChyz66ThJMAZeu1s-PTPjkTPTjzAxnNEejKypHOUM_H9AGzmUGZo2h-DCcBMUVc/s1600/IMG_6519.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our attempt at a campfire</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline;"><br /></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline;">For most of us, this is the first night camping of the season. As camping seems to always do, we all feel ready for a good night's sleep barely an hour after the sun sets. Last summer Nance and I purchased the new version of therm-a-rests and they are really a step up from the old style. Not only are they thicker, but you seem to not slide off quite as readily. The only really downside is they take a bunch of blowing to fill them, but I think its a good trade-off. Nancy kept saying things like "this is the most cozy I've ever been" inspired by her plush therm-a-rest. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XPH28LKOleDAJ14dikicn90Z2lbkvIaenGYv4eDgz6vgKOKJdCIWoHdsq1IuJrrzoYK8U05KVv-3UeGAWDxOJbHJ2eUETg-0dGqX0B21HUNOy2t3avhszbNaKo9A3B-eYmIXNGfRvQY/s1600/IMG_6531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XPH28LKOleDAJ14dikicn90Z2lbkvIaenGYv4eDgz6vgKOKJdCIWoHdsq1IuJrrzoYK8U05KVv-3UeGAWDxOJbHJ2eUETg-0dGqX0B21HUNOy2t3avhszbNaKo9A3B-eYmIXNGfRvQY/s1600/IMG_6531.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our hosts are avid cyclotourists and this was the hook in the humanure outshouse</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaRR3pxQQ2WAJ9FHoyXz6oBMvmNCfNrIOkxE_SQp8Y23tudwkvB3Y1Rv46ORyp5X0sJtyMtATdCakPUV0cPiuwr9l_2a-CogwMr7xEmb3vQpGh1bUW8Tx360mFWPyS16kToM4cbTDC2E/s1600/IMG_6525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaRR3pxQQ2WAJ9FHoyXz6oBMvmNCfNrIOkxE_SQp8Y23tudwkvB3Y1Rv46ORyp5X0sJtyMtATdCakPUV0cPiuwr9l_2a-CogwMr7xEmb3vQpGh1bUW8Tx360mFWPyS16kToM4cbTDC2E/s1600/IMG_6525.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Breakfast before heading out</span></i></div>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="color: #37404e;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">After a nice nights sleep, the morning was crisp and sunny and we had a lazy breakfast before we rolled out for our return home. The ride to our camping spot had been a super gentle climb for a few miles, so the kids were all quite happy at how easy the ride back down to Middlesex was on our way back. With a quick stop at Red Hen we all continued on but then decided that we'd split up since Jeremy, Anda, Nancy and I were all headed back to Waitsfield and wanted to get on with our day. Randy, Liza, Maia and Solveig took their time and headed back to their house. </span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Heading home</span></i></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline;"><span style="color: #37404e;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">I am so grateful that as a group this is something we all love doing, that we live in such a beautiful place for this kind of adventure, and that we somehow fell into this wonderful tradition. Up til now it's been a once-a-year thing, but we are starting to scheme a mid-summer version for sometime in July with whoever wants to come along. </span></span></span></span>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The majesty of Camels Hump obscured by clouds</span></i></div>
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Two small pieces of stainless metal wire nearly did me in.<br />
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I was about 10 miles into a 200k (125m) ride and had just left the busy streets of Williston behind me as I headed into the farmland of Richmond. I was starting to settle-in and enjoy the day before me, even singing out loud a little. Without warning, something felt funny at my rear wheel. I glanced down and everything seemed to look okay, but a few more pedal strokes and it was clear something was not right.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Two metal bits embedded in my tire</span></i></div>
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A flat. My first since I started riding this new bike last summer. Its hard to get a pinch flat with the super cushy Hetre 42mm tires on my bike, so I suspected a puncture of some sort, and my suspicions were correct. I quickly found two bits of wire neatly embedded in my tire like a couple of tiny spears well-thrust to put a kink in my journey.<br />
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I should point out that the ride I was doing was pre-riding the course of next weekend's <a href="http://nerandonneurs.org/nersite/?p=1352">200k Vermont Brevet</a>, for which I am responsible this year. In order to get credit for doing the ride (since I can't do it the day of) I chose yesterday as the best opportunity and went for it, starting off at 7:00am with a jelly doughnut purchase at Dunkin' Donunts to verify the start of my ride in Burlington.<br />
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I've ridden 200k's a number of times now and my finish time has always been just over the 11 hour mark, so I thought it would be fun to try to move swiftly enough to shave 10-15 minutes off my previous best time in order to come in in under 11 hours. This flat was putting a dent in those plans soon out of the gate<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd never actually fixed a flat on this bike before and was a little anxious about it because the rim-tire combo is pretty snug and I was afraid I might struggle getting the tire on and off. It turned out that wasn't so much the issue as some ill-advised maneuvers on my part. Once I'd removed the offending metal, I decided to switch out tubes and not bother patching the double puncture. Easy enough. I switched out tubes, remounted the tire, and then put my pump on the valve and pumped it up, being grateful for the ease of the full size frame pump. Once it reached full pressure, I pulled the pump off the valve and WHOOSSH, all the air came rushing out. I'd broken off the little threaded closing stop. Dang! I quickly realized I had not flipped down the pump-head closure lever, allowing the valve end to swing around inside the pump enough to break the stop off. Lesson learned, and back to square one. Now with one useless tube I had no choice but to patch the first. Luckily there was a stream nearby that made it easy to find the holes as the bubbles flowed out and I was able to patch the tube quickly.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A view up to the Appalachian Gap. Luckily we only have to look at it on this ride!</span></i></div>
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While dealing with the flat, I was keenly aware of my hoped-for sub-11 hour ride prospects quickly vaporizing. Ah well, no problem, at least that takes a little pressure off. I suspect I spent 30-40 minutes dealing with the tire situation. If you're deliberate, a flat can be fixed in under 10 minutes, but that wasn't me today.<br />
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I sped on towards the first control in Huntington, glad to be moving after feeling a little defeated so early in the ride. The woman at the store counter kindly signed my card for me. To my shock and amazement I had only made the control by 2 minutes! Holy smokes! This meant I'd need to really stay on it to reach the next control with any kind of buffer before it closes. As it happens, the most significant climb of the entire route lay between where I was in Huntington and the next control in Bristol, so I chugged down my chocolate milk, ate some cheese, and pressed on. Saturday was <a href="http://www.greenupvermont.org/">Green-Up Day</a> and I saw countless people with green bags collecting trash from the roadsides. I felt a little bad simply riding my bike and waving while others were giving up their morning for such a good purpose.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The crest of Rt 17 before descending to Bristol. The highest point of the ride</span></i></div>
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The Green Mountains are spectacular as you travel south towards the turn onto Rt. 17, with views of Camels Hump and the Appalachian Gap mixed with undulating farmland along the roadside. I reached Bristol and found I'd increased my control-closing buffer by about 20 minutes. That was a relief, but I didn't want to do this whole ride only to miss the finish time, so I pointedly made my stop brief and headed on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTA_K2VwVpasLHGShJD5RPkZh7vUT-pSEeAkZHGWYSt0GENBosyZ2B2GPQYhcPJzLMKDvOUkQWgaIUSjAY1-tzW2kLJrLz7k6JRRawgDlNSnApGcZadNRlWGPwYGd2UHdcTgAiB8eyi0/s1600/125VtLakeDunmore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTA_K2VwVpasLHGShJD5RPkZh7vUT-pSEeAkZHGWYSt0GENBosyZ2B2GPQYhcPJzLMKDvOUkQWgaIUSjAY1-tzW2kLJrLz7k6JRRawgDlNSnApGcZadNRlWGPwYGd2UHdcTgAiB8eyi0/s1600/125VtLakeDunmore.jpg" height="252" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lake Dunmore in the days of old</span></i></div>
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This year's route has been modified from the one used in previous years and I was excited to ride the new sections since they offered some nice back roads and pretty views of Lake Dunmore. Throughout the morning it threatened rain which never quite materialized, and by the time I reached the control in Brandon it was sunny and starting to feel warm for the first time all day.<br />
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Over the course of the day it became apparent that I really can't take in solid food when doing a ride like this. Whatever I eat has to be mushy or liquid, so the sandwiches I'd made the night before with their crusty <a href="http://www.redhenbaking.com/">Red Hen bread</a> were just too much effort to consume. It's soft foods for me from now on. I've always kind of known this, but somehow it just became more apparent on this ride. That said, I drip-fed myself from a bag of nuts throughout the day out of my bag.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Easy miles along the Otter Creek</span></i></div>
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Reaching Brandon was a relief since it meant that all my miles from now on were headed towards home, rather than away. The warm sun and a dearly hoped-for southerly breeze at my back promised the possibility of a swift return to Burlington. The first few miles out of Brandon are down right pastoral, as Rt. 73 follows the meandering and tranquil Otter Creek. The scenery, combined with flat roads and the tailwind gave me an emotional boost and a few minutes of fast miles.<br />
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Experience told me not to relax too much because this lovely road abruptly hits the steepest climb of the whole route like a brick wall. It's not endless, but it is steep. I didn't really mind because I knew to expect it, unlike <a href="http://eatbikenap.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-first-brevet.html">the first time I rode this course in 2012</a> and felt some level of betrayal after the lulling effect of those gentle miles along the river.<br />
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The route north travels through mile after mile of open rolling farmland. Rarely is it flat, but rarely are the hills overly hard. I churned away and negotiated a few rainstorms as the dark walls of grey slid in from the west. There was a steady rain as I left Middlebury, but the slice of hot pizza, a gatorade, and some more chocolate milks had me feeling fresh and good to continue.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">In Cornwall, I happily gave this small amiga a ride for a mile or so. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">We have <a href="http://lemonfairhoneyworks.wordpress.com/">friends who keep bees</a><u> </u>in the area, so I'd like to imagine this was one of theirs</span></i></div>
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While the physical discomforts of a long ride are sometimes a challenge, the hardest part for me is the mental loops of spending so many hours in the company of my own mind. Every turn on the cue sheet becomes a point of mental fixation, and then a minor celebration once reached. Long stretches with nothing but more miles to look forward to can be painful, <span style="text-align: center;">waiting and wishing for the odometer to somehow roll forward. Eventually it does. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Focused on getting home</span></i></div>
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At 6:38 I rolled into Dunkin' Donuts, bought myself a drink, and carefully clutched the receipt, which was my final control check-in. Over the course of the day I'd pushed the control times out far enough to have a comfortable window to successfully finish the ride.<br />
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My visions of bettering my previous times were left with a couple of metal bits on the roadside somewhere outside of Richmond.dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-41535083042226219012014-04-22T23:45:00.000-04:002014-05-05T13:34:00.911-04:00Populaire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Soon after heading out on Poor Farm Road, one of the brief dirt sections</i></span></div>
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Saturday Nancy and I rode our first brevet event together, and it was a real pleasure. It was that kind of fun that is in spite of the conditions, not because of them.<br />
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The first ride of the brevet season here in Vermont was a <a href="http://nerandonneurs.org/">119k Populaire</a> out of Burlington. The forecast all week was improving, promising temperatures in the 50's and a small chance of rain early in the day.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Steve giving us the low down for the ride, just before we left the Old Spokes Home</span></i></div>
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In fact, it never got out of the 40's and was in the upper 30's for portions of the day and the rain only stopped when it briefly changed to hail for a bit. Well, it actually did clear up for the last 15 miles or so, but it never did warm up.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greg. This was the last ride on his Surly. At the end of the ride he rolled the bike into the Old Spokes Home for a planned exchange for a new bike</span></i></div>
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I get unaccountably excited leading up to a brevet. It's just a bike ride in one sense, but on the other it is a really fun and tangible challenge, and that challenge requires a lot of really small details be all sorted out in order to insure a reasonable expectation of success.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Nancy on her new Tom Matchak bike. She seems quite happy with it. </span></i></div>
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We had the pleasure of spending the day riding with our friend <a href="http://yakbicycle.blogspot.com/">Greg</a>. Often the opportunities for socializing at the beginning and end of the rides are marginal. Everyone is tense and busy in the minutes before heading out, and rarely do folks happen to end close enough at the finish to cross paths. Doing the whole ride with Greg was a nice chance to chat and experience a ride together. We also rode for a while with our friend Joe, who was doing his first brevet, and he had ridden to the beginning of the ride from South Hero and was on track to ride home at the end. And here we were all feeling bad for ourselves for doing such a long ride!<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Rolling up towards Jericho</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our first stop</span></i></div>
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<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Our second stop in Underhill. Serious foot warming was needed</span></i><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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Knowing I was doing this with Nancy, I consciously chose not to sweat the performance aspect of the event. Adding the pressure of the control times and such might make an otherwise fun day an exercise in stress, so we just rode it comfortably and let what happened happen when it did. It felt good to not sweat it, and its probably just as well because the cold was a serious factor that required some extended warming stops and a bit of General Store foot-warming creativity. By the time we reached Underhill, Nancy's feet were totally wet and heading toward potential frostbite, if they weren't there already. Luckily, the store in town sold both thick hunter's socks and chemical foot warmer packets. Those, combined with plastic bags over the fresh socks were just what we needed to continue the ride. Besides chilly fingers and bouts of cold after our stops we were generally okay for the rest of the ride, but never actually really warm. It was a lesson in preparing for a slightly greater range of conditions. Greg and I agreed: plan for rain and 10 degrees colder than the forecast is predicting.<br />
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The route took us towards Richmond and then up through Jericho onwards Underhill and then out to Cambridge. It was lovely country, especially as we approached Cambridge on Pleasant Valley Road. Almost the whole ride was new territory for me, so it was great just to take in the views.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sweet sign seen at Brown & Jenkins coffee shop in Cambridge</span></i></div>
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The return doubled back on much of the route out, but diverted to Richmond village its self and then looped over East Hill Road back towards our destination at the <a href="http://www.oldspokeshome.com/">Old Spokes Home</a> in Burlington.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">My view</span></i></div>
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We've only just started to be on our bikes, so the 75 mile ride felt kinda tiring at the end, but we eventually rolled into town and enjoyed the satisfaction of having come through a somewhat tough day. I suspect if we'd known what the weather held in store we might have skipped the ride altogether, but I'm glad we kept to our plan and did the ride. I loved sharing the experience with Nance and it was fun to spend time with Greg.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The skies lighted up at the end portion of the ride</span></i></div>
dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-13534692515502201152014-01-01T19:35:00.000-05:002014-01-01T19:37:37.654-05:00New Years Ramble<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today I took a walk around what we affectionately call "the loop" in the mid-day light of New Years Day. This walk is only steps from our door and carries us through an impressive cascade of forested terrain along the Pine Brook. One moment you are at the brook's edge, the next you are 80 feet above it on a high bank looking down. Nancy discovered this route a few years ago while walking my parents old dogs Harley and Motion. It's been a go-to ever since, in all seasons.<br />
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Today's walk was not particularly notable other then the fact that it just felt good to be out there moving around and taking in the scenery. In order to stretch the walk out I took a few side paths that take one to other access points to the central walk. It's clear that many people use these paths on a regular basis, which makes me happy. It's so beautiful and its great that people are getting out there to enjoy it. Most of the land is not posted, so it's open for any one to use.<br />
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It feels good to move my body.<br />
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<br />dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764824355436553169.post-33720888624279060722013-11-27T20:05:00.000-05:002013-12-01T20:09:06.442-05:00Waxed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been experimenting with making my own wax mixture for waxing un-waxed canvas. Professionally waxed fabrics are made with trade secret formulas and have properties that would require a chemist's analysis to really begin to understand.<br />
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From what I've read, paraffin is the chief ingredient. There are also references to beeswax and linseed oil, so I've played around with all three with a ratio of four parts beeswax/paraffin and one part linseed oil. So far it seems like its a basically functional recipe, but there is still something happening in the commercial products that I don't understand. There is somehow more of an oiled, less waxy quality to professionally manufactured material. (An aside: Did you know early on sailors treated their sails with linseed oil, which turned them yellow? They then started using the sail material for rain gear, hence the ubiquitousness of yellow rain jackets.)<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A shop apron I made recently</span></i></div>
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With my concoction I heat it up to liquid form and then paint the wax onto the untreated canvas. It goes on pretty easily but then hardens up unevenly and quickly, so I then put the whole thing in the oven at about 200 and that makes it saturate and even-out through the material. It's ready to go after that.<br />
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This is well and good, and offers a modicum of repellency to the fabric, but it's not quite the highly water resistant result I'm hoping for. I've wondered if perhaps petroleum jelly might be worth adding to the mix; it's sticky yet pliable and quite hard to remove.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A pair of canvas Converse sneakers, waxed</span></i></div>
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The nice thing about being able to wax material myself is that I'm not limited in what I can make bags out of; I love the look feel and texture of waxed cotton and enjoy the potential of being able to wax whatever I like.<br />
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An appealing aspect of this experiment is that we collect wax from our beehives and have accumulated a reasonable supply over the years. It feel good to have this a somewhat locally produced product. Makes me wonder where linseeds grow, and are linseeds from a tree? a shrub?<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The waxed parts for a handlebar bag in process</span></i></div>
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I recently made myself a handlebar bag from home-waxed canvas and it worked pretty well in the few rain and snow showers that its been through. It's not waterproof, but I get the impression that it is resistant; that water stays at the outer surface, even if the moisture is not exactly beading on the outside.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Applying the melted wax</span></i></div>
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This is an ongoing experiment and I'm encouraged with what I've come up with so far. If anyone has experimented with their own waxing process or has any insights or suggestions, I'm curious to hear what you know.<br />
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<i>Update:</i><br />
I got ahold of some petroleum jelly and rubbed it into a piece of canvas. It seems so like the commercial stuff--quite repellant and saturated without being really waxy at all, but also not too oily. It'll definitely be what I'll try with whatever the next project is.<br />
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<br />dcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03993605656392392942noreply@blogger.com5