Every Trail (on Android), my eTrex Legend, and my New Bike

My New Favorite Online Mapping Tool, but first...

It's been a while since I've posted anything to this blog. I was focusing more on riding and less on blogging. Also, with the advent of FaceBook, this blog has become a little less relevant as a tool for sharing.

Every trail on my Droid

For the longest time, MapMyRide has been my favorite online ride mapping tool. It is still a great tool and I will probably still use it to some extent. However EveryTrail has a really nice mobile app that not only lets you map rides right from your smartphone, it also is integrated with your phone's camera. You can access the camera through the app and when you take a picture, it places it on the track point of your ride. It also allows uploading of your ride (and photos) to the Every Trail site directly from your phone. No PC needed!

I also noticed that it is relatively friendly on the battery, which is rare for a mapping tool.

eTrex Legend

Recently, over the past year, my Garmin eTrex Legend has been giving me a hard time. Any slight jolt would shut it down, which isn't very convenient when you have it mounted on your handle bars trying to track your ride. So all of last year I resorted to keeping it in my back pocket instead of mounting on my handle bars. While that worked, it was an unsatisfactory solution.

A solution that seems to work!

This weekend I googled "etrex legend shuts down", and I found a potential fix at GPSLodge.com. apparently the issue seems to be that the battery contacts lose contact when bumped. I'd like to add that this gets worse over time. The eTrex Legend/Vista shut down fix is rather simple. Buy simply adding pieces of a rubber band behind the metal contacts, it makes it a tighter fit and lesses the chance of the battery contacts losing contact. I tried this fix and then banged my Legend on my hardwood floor and it didn't shut off. Prior to this fix, anything stronger than a stiff breeze would cause it to power off.

So now I can ride with two GPS devices. My eTrex Legend on my handle bar, and my Droid with the EveryTrail app in my pocket. It's good to have redundant systems, especially since I haven'f gone on any very long ride using my phone to track the ride.

New Bike for the Winter...

Did I mention that I got a new bike? I have been hunting a used, CycloCross bike for under $500 that I could use as a winter beater. I don't want to take my good road bike out with all the salt and grit on the roads. It has been difficult to find a used Cross bike in that price range. It seems like CycloCross has been gaining popularity and the only Cross Bikes out there are for serious racers. I just wanted a road bike that could handle the elements.

Dawes Loghtening Cross from BikesDirect

I stumbled onto bikesdirect.com, they had a Brand New 2011 Dawes Lightening Cross bike for $399!!! (and free shipping!). That was right in my price range and brand new to boot. I bought it! For me, this is the perfect winter bike. It is solid, a bit heavy (28 lbs.), and can handle the crappy winter roads here in New England. I'm not going to set any speed records with it, but that isn't my goal for those times that I do get a ride in during the winter.

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M8R-ForgeHill

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Massachusetts

I'm Way Behind on my Bike Blogging

I'm Way Behind on my Bike Blogging...

...but I have been biking. Mayby this weekend I'll fire off a rapid number of updates.

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Hot Day in Coventry

Laps

For this lunch time ride I decided to keep it simple. I mapped out a 6 mile loop of all right turns and did it twice. It was hot out. I really didn't check the weather before heading out. It was sunny and in the middle of the day, so I expected it to be hot. I didn't realize until I got back that it was in the lower to mid 90's.

I kept well hydrated and kept moving so I didn't get Heat Exhaustion. I had thought it was odd that I burned through 1½ bottles of Gatorade during a short 12 mile ride. That and I noticed salt stains on my RoadId wristband.

Despite the heat I had a very enjoyable ride.

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PMC Route and Tower Hill

South to Tower Hill

It was a nice day and I thought it was about time I hit Tower Hill. So I headed due south. I climbed over Summer St and connected with the PMC route in Wrentham. I followed that until I got near RI. Then I took a shortcut past the reservoir.

Tower Hill

Tower Hill Road in Rhode Island is always a work out. There is a very steep grade at the very bottom. Then it is a rolling ascent to the top. It always feels good to get to the top.

Jason

On my way home I stopped at a friends house. I saw his Mountain Bike parked out from so I figured he was out and about. I pulled in and we chatted for about a half hour.

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Inagural Biking at Work

Coventry, RI

I just recently started a contract position in Coventry, RI. It is essentially in the middle of RI. It also feels like the middle of nowhere. It is too far to bike commute to (45+ miles each way), so I have to figure out another way to get some mid week riding in (Outside of the PHAT Tuesday Rides). One option is to park in Cranston (or West Warwick) and take the Washington Secondary Bike Trail in.

-or-

I could just bring my bike to work and ride it at lunchtime.

Someday I might try the "Drive-park-bike" combination commute. However I figured I would try the lunchtime ride first. I mapped out a number of < 15 miles rides that I figured I could squeeze in during lunch.

So that's what I did this past Monday. This area is hilly. I rode north, then west out to Rt. 102, which apparently is 300-400 ft. higher than my starting point. Coming back I went down a 12% grade. that was fun, but not something I want to do every day. In the future I will ride the other routes that do not have that steep grade.

It felt good to get a ride in during lunch.

NBW Arrows

I noticed some NBW Route markers painted on the rod along this ride. I did some quick investigation and determined that they were for the NBW Club's "Tom & Pat's Half Century" Ride, which stars in Coventry, RI. I more or less did the 19 mile option.

RoadID

Since I was in the middle of unfamiliar territory, essentially alone, I made sure to update my RoadID information with my new work address and my manager's contact information.

If you do not have a RoadID, I highly recommend you get one.

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Last Saturday...

An Afternoon to myself

My wife had a friend visiting and they took the girls to the Outlets to go shopping. That gave me the opportunity to go out for a long ride.

North to Holliston (then flying blind...)

I started out by heading north and west through Medway until I got to 126, then I kept on going north. When I got to where 126 met 16, I went straight. Now normally I like to preview a route on a map so I can get an idea of where I am going. I know the road on the other side of Rt 16 went somewhere, but I had no idea where. Sometimes you just have to go.

So this blind journey took me through some back roads and eventually through some more residential neighborhoods. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I was going north and west. I also saw that the house numbers were decreasing so I knew I wasn't going down a dead end.

To my surprise I wound up coming out right nest to the Out Post Farm in Holliston, MA.

I once again knew where I was. From there I headed east (ultimately to Dover) trying to stick to back roads and trying out new back roads. I cut through the Industrial park in Holliston (Lowland St. & Jeffrey Ave.). Not very scenic, but zero traffic on a Saturday afternoon. I was looking for a road that ran parallel to 16 and cut over to Hollis St. in Sherborn. I found it :-)

After reaching Dover center I headed back south through Medfield and Norfolk. I passed by a lot of nice houses.

My goal was to hit 40 miles. I did 38. Close enough.

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Tuesday Morning - Last Day of Unemployment

Nice Weather

It was a perfect morning for a ride. I debated on whether or not to go because I was planning on joining up with the Phat Tuesday ride later that evening. However there was a chance of thunderstorms in the evening.

I decided that the weather was too nice to NOT ride, so I went out for a 20 mile ride in the morning. It was a sweet ride :-)

Phat Thunder

It's a good thing I got that ride in. There were severe thunderstorm warnings for right when the training ride was supposed to happen. We're talking about hail, 70 mph gusts, and other fun stuff. I think about 10 people showed up. Then the winds came, then it rained. I knew more was on the way. The ride was cancelled. Simply unsafe even if it did stop raining

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A Quick 16

Squeezing in a Quickie

In between a lunchtime First Communion celebration for my neighbor and an extravagant birthday party for a 4-year old in the late afternoon evening, I managed to squeeze in a ~16 mile ride.

I'm glad I didn't go longer because my wife said we had to be at the birthday party by 4:00 and I heard "we have to leave by 4:00". Oops! Oh well...

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Tax Day Ride

Benchmark

Today I had a short window for a ride, so I decided to do a variation of my old benchmark ride around Franklin. Only 15-16 miles.

Kept it in the small ring. This time of year it is more about the miles and less about how fast you go.

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Monday Ride: Norfolk & Wrentham

Sunny and Chilly

It was sunny and chilly. Somewhere around 60°. I wore my long cycling pants, no shorts today, although I did wear a short sleeve shirt. It was a nice ride and it was good to get out.

Rear Derailleur

My rear derailleur works much better after getting it back from the bike shop. They adjusted it and fixed the hanger which was bent. However it is still making some clicking noises. When it was working perfectly, it was dead silent. So any little noise is noticed. I'll have to keep an ear on it.

Today

Today it is even chiller. It might not break 60° today (it was 33° this morning). I plan on meeting Scott from The Grace Bicycles Velo Club

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Out of Work, Sunny in the 80's, Time to Ride :-)

Contract Ended

My contract ended rather abruptly last Friday. Since then I have stained my deck, contact recruiters, and taken care of a number of other "to-do's". One item was: Clean Bike Chain!

So I cleaned the bike chain on Tuesday, and on Wednesday the forecast was going to be sunny and in the 80's. It was. I went for a ride :-)

I decided to head east and north toward Dover. I wanted to see if Rt. 109 between Millis and Medfield had opened up yet. It had been closed due to flooding. That part of 109 crosses the Charles River is what is known as the Charles River Wildlife Storage Area. This is a big marsh that, due to all the rain, became a temporary lake.

Flood 109

Rt 109 was finally opened. I stopped and took some pictures.

Dover

I headed up Center St. from Medfield to Dover. It was a nice ride. Then when I got to Dover Center I turned right and headed south. I didn't realize heading south from Dover Center also meant heading "up".

Rear Derailleur

My rear derailleur was acting up. If I was in the small ring up front and any of the smaller 4 rings in the back, it would skip. And If I stood for extra power, it would skip even worse. Time to take it to the shop.

Need to be back!

Ok, so I am heading back from Dover and I realize it might be tight getting back home before noon. Noon is important because that is when the school van drops off my youngest from Pre-school. So I decide to just take 109 straight back home, foregoing the scenic route. Rt 109 may be busy, but it also has really wide shoulders. So I push it getting home. I make sure not to be in the "big ring" too much as it is too early in the season to stress out my knee. I didn't what to risk incurring the Patellar Tendinitis that has happened to my when I pushed too hard in past "Early Seasons".

I make it home by 11:40 AM, down some yogurt (for protien), shower, and wait for the van :-)

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First Warm, Spring Ride

Rusty Legs, Squeaky Chain, and Brand New Bike Pants

Saturday was the first real warm weekend day we've had this year. I was able to get in an 18 mile ride before our visitors showed up for Easter. I needed to preemptively burn some calories for the feasting we were about to do.

This being only my second ride of the season, my legs were a little rusty. However at this point of the year, it is all about logging miles and staying in the small ring.

I should have cleaned the chain before I headed out. It was squeaking. I should have taken better care of my bike this past winter. Usually I give it a good cleaning over the winter. I didn't this year.

My rear derailleur was also acting up. It had started doing this last fall, but I never took it to the shop. The winter is the best time to take it in but I never did.

Last fall, while at my local bike shop, I was walking out when out of the corner of my eye I saw a pair of Cannondale Chrono 8 Panel Bib Shorts hanging on the clearance rack, for half price. They were in my size! I grabbed them and headed back to the cash register. Saturday was the first opportunity I've had to wear them.

For a cyclist, nothing says comfort like a brand new pair of cycling shorts :-)

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October Ride - PHAT Revisited

Getting Them in While I Can

With the weather getting cooler and (more importantly) the days getting shorter, I am limited to the weekends for my bike rides. With two kids (7 & 4) that usually means 1 ride over the weekend.

It is 50°+ and it is overcast. The rain has mostly past, so I layer up and head out.

South to PHAT Route

I head south and connect with the PHAT Tuesday route that i have become very familiar with. It looks much different when taken at a leisurely pace. There is a lot of nice scenery that I normally miss because I am usually focusing on the riders in front of me.

Yet Another Flat Tire!

I've gotten my second flat tire since getting my new rear wheel this past August (3rd one this year). 3 flat tires in a year after going 2-3 years without getting a flat. I am going to have to do a thorough inspection of that rear wheel.

CRW Two State Tango

I saw a good number of riders as I was biking through Plainville coming from the other direction. Enough to make me think it was a club ride. I checked. sure enough, the Cambridge River Wheelmen were doing their "Two State Tango (Revised)" today. If I had known I would have done that ride. I have ridden the outer part of that route a lot, but never with that club.

I have a lot of bike blogging to catch up on. Stay Tuned...

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Broken Spoke @ Bike Shop

Bicycles Plus

I dropped off my rear wheel, Shimano WH-R540, at Bicyles Plus+ after work yesterday. They didn't have the spoke in stock so they are going to order it. It should definitely be ready by the PMC Weekend. It would be a bonus if it was ready by this weekend.

At least I got in almost 300 miles of training over my 2 weeks of vacation. Also thankful that the spoke chose to break at the end of my vacation and not at the beginning (or during the PMC for that matter...)

I plan to write a big blog post about my trip to Alabama sometime soon.

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Fairhope Alabama

Fairhope, Alabama (Baldwin County)

Me at White Ave. Pier, originally uploaded by Martinator.

This is where I started all my rides from. That is Mobile Bay in the background.

Monday, July 6, 2009: County 3 to Weeks Bay and Back

Day 1

I decided to go for a short ride to make sure I put my bike together correctly. The short ride became 29 miles.

IMG00510.jpg, originally uploaded by Martinator.

On my way back from Weeks Bay Point, I met up with a rider named Lin (short for Marlin). He was down from Tuscaloosa with his family getting some riding time in.

You would't believe how many time I've run into this rider during my first week here. We plan on riding together next weekend :-)

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 6, 2009	27.92	1:34:18	17.8	County 3 to Weeks Bay and Back

Tuesday, July 7, 2009: Short County 13 Loop

For some reason I only got in a short ride on the second day. I think I was futzing around too much in the morning and the only way I could get a ride in was if it was a short one. So a short ride it was :-)

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 7, 2009	13.47	0:49:31	16.3	Short County 13 Loop

Wednesday, July 8, 2009: County 3 - Figure 8

This is my third vacation down here where I had my bike so I was getting pretty familiar with the roads. Once you are a mile from the shoreline, it is a giant, discontinuous grid of farmland. So I mix it up a little with a figure 8 route.

Marlin Sighting #2

As I pass by the Marriot at Point clear, I see this guy crossing the street. It's Marlin. He is taking a Real Estate Continuous Ed course and he is heading out to his car. What a coincidence. I stop, we talk. I tell him about a bike shop I know of up in Daphne.

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 8, 2009	22.47	1:23:05	16.2	County 3 - Figure 8

Thursday, July 9, 2009: County 24 - Scenic 98 loop

Typical Shoulder, originally uploaded by Martinator.

This is about as wide as the shoulders get here. Unless of course you are riding along the 4 lane portion of US Route 98.

Guy on a Tri Bike, originally uploaded by Martinator.

I'm headed back to the house on Scenic 98 when this guy on a Tri-bike (Triathlon bike) passes me. Now, where I come from, people on tri-bikes are serious riders, but apparently there is a high ratio of road bikers here who ride Tri-bikes. This guy also has killer calves that come from lots of riding.

Anyway, I see if I can reel him in. I do. It was rather easy. So I am riding his wheel on this relatively flat road and he is moving along at just under 18 mph. BTW, that is not fast given the conditions. He is riding rather erratically also.

So with only two miles to go before I get back I pass him and just go. I'm probably cranking along at 23 mph and leave him in the dust. After a short while he is nowhere in sight. I get back to my starting point and he (eventually) rolls up to me and says "You sure dusted me back there". I didn't mean to, he was just going too slow, but I'm polite so I don't say this out loud. I come to learn that his name is Jackie, and he is from Daphne and is just getting into biking after a 3 year hiatus.

Ah, that explains a lot...

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 9, 2009	23.49	1:22:20	17.1	County 24 - Scenic 98 loop

Friday, July 10, 2009: Battles Point

I head a little west, a little south, and come back to Scenic 98 through an area called "Battles Point". Then I head to the bike shop in Daphne where...

Marlin Sighting #3

I'm sitting in my car (mini van) on the phone in front of the bike shop when I see Marlin walk past my vehicle into the bike shop. This time I ask for his business card so we can get together for a ride.

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 10, 2009	19.93	1:11:58	16.6	Battles Point

Saturday, July 11, 2009: Silver Hill - Weeks Bay Loop

It's Saturday, time for a longer ride. I've heard about a group ride that leaves from the Fairhope Pier @ 7:00 am on Saturday Morning that does 60 or so miles. I get there and I see cars with racks, but no bikers. I later learn that the group meets at 6:30 during the summer, but nobody updated the website.

A solo ride it is then. So I head in a straight line due east toward the town of Silver Hill. Guess what... It's on a hill. I then head south, then west, then south again as I approach the Fish River. I then head over to Weeks Bay Point and ten head back.

Fishermen at Weeks Bay Point, originally uploaded by Martinator.

Weeks Bay Point is full of fishermen on a Saturday.

Marlin Sighting #4

As I head back I run into Marlin again. He turns around and we ride together back toward Fairhope. He shows me this cool little loop that takes you on a bluff overlooking the bay. We part ways and promise to make plans to ride together next Saturday.

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 11, 2009	46.38	2:49:39	16.4	Silver Hill - Weeks Bay Loop

Sunday, July 12, 2009: Rest Day

Legs needed a rest.

Monday, July 13, 2009: 20 Mile Loop

I called this ride my "20 mile Loop" because I am running out of names for these rides. Over the course of this ride my handlebar tape breaks down.

Stupid Handlebar Tape, originally uploaded by Martinator.

My handlebar tape is falling apart. I'll have to get it replaced when I get back home.

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 13, 2009	19.97	1:16:08	15.7	20 Mile Loop

Tuesday, July 14, 2009: Fish River

I'm running out of new roads to ride on. So I explore the roads further inland. I bike along the Fish River.

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 14, 2009	28.34	1:43:37	16.4	Fish River

Wednesday, July 15, 2009: Rest Day (Gulf Shores)

Beach Day :-)

Thursday, July 16, 2009: Weeks Bay out and Back

After a day of rest I decide to do an "Out-and-back" ride to Weeks Bay Point. I push it (but not too hard). I want to see how fast I can go. 17.4 mph over ~27 miles on essentially flat roads. That's good, right?

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 16, 2009	26.77	1:32:13	17.4	Weeks Bay out and Back

Friday, July 17, 2009: Daphne

I bike north to Daphne along Scenic 98. Now that road is hilly. Funny how a road less than a quarter mile from the water can be so hilly. Or maybe I've been getting used to the flats.

The roads up around Daphne are a lot more congested and less biker friendly because of that. That's just the way it is.

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 17, 2009	26.64	1:38:36	16.2	Daphne

Saturday, July 18, 2009: Weeks Bay Bridge - Fish River - Silver Hill - Broken Spoke

Over the course of the week I have been emailing back and forth with Marlin. We decided to meet up n Fairhope and ride together. One problem though...

Marlin Slept in...

He slept through his alarm, which he told me was in another part of the house. Funny how we kept running into each other but couldn't successfully plan to meet :-)

I decide to do a counter clockwise loop taking me south along Scenic 98, east out to Fish River, then north to Daphne. Then back west towards the only Sonic in the area. I though it would be cool to ride into a Sonic and order something from my bike.

Not many turns, originally uploaded by Martinator.

The roads in this region are pretty straight.

Me and Corn, originally uploaded by Martinator.

Once up on the plateau, everything looked like this.

Me and the historic Marlow Ferry , originally uploaded by Martinator.

I stopped along the Fish River and learned something about the Battle of Mobile Bay: http://www.battleofmobilebay.com/

North winds

During the latter part of this ride I was headed due north directly into a headwind. It felt like I was pedaling through molasses. It was one of the few times I wasn't in the big ring this whole vacation.

Broken Spoke, originally uploaded by Martinator.

Broken spoke = end of today's. Ride. 37.1 miles in, only 2.77 miles away from the Sonic I was headed towards. Hope I can get it fixed before the PMC.

Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 18, 2009	40.08	2:49:34	14.2	Weeks Bay Bridge - Fish River - Silver Hill - Broken Spoke

July 19, 2009: Packing up the Bike

Packed for the Trip Home, originally uploaded by Martinator.

All packed up and ready to go home.

I managed to get almost 300 miles of riding in while down on vacation here. It was a good way to train for the Pan Mass Challenge.

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Date	Distance	Moving Time	Average	Route
July 6, 2009	27.92	1:34:18	17.8	County 3 to Weeks Bay and Back
July 7, 2009	13.47	0:49:31	16.3	Short County 13 Loop
July 8, 2009	22.47	1:23:05	16.2	County 3 - Figure 8
July 9, 2009	23.49	1:22:20	17.1	County 24 - Scenic 98 loop
July 10, 2009	19.93	1:11:58	16.6	Battles Point
July 11, 2009	46.38	2:49:39	16.4	Silver Hill - Weeks Bay Loop
July 13, 2009	19.97	1:16:08	15.7	20 Mile Loop
July 14, 2009	28.34	1:43:37	16.4	Fish River
July 16, 2009	26.77	1:32:13	17.4	Weeks Bay out and Back
July 17, 2009	26.64	1:38:36	16.2	Daphne
July 18, 2009	40.08	2:49:34	14.2	Weeks Bay Bridge - Fish River - Silver Hill - Broken Spoke
Total	295.46	18:10:59	16.2

First Ride in July

25 miles

I rode 25 miles on Saturday. I saw somebody jogging who was wearing a NerveWire t-shirt. It turns out it was the wife of a former coworker. I found this out by posting what I saw on Facebook. Weird where technology is taking us.

'Bama Bound

After the ride I packed up my bike in the bike case for my trip to Fairhope Alabama. Hot and flat. At least I don't have to pack any winter layers that I was still using on occasion this past June in Massachusetts.

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40 Miles in the Warwick (NY) Valley

In NJ

I'm visiting my parents in NJ. I mapped out some ride options and brought my bike. I decided to do the ~40 mile option.

Mile 2: Flat Tire

2 miles into my ride I get a flat tire. Blech... My rear tire is pretty worn dome and there is a big old hole in it. So I pullout a crispy $1 bill and line the interior of the tire with it for reinforcement. Then I install the new tube and off I go.

Big Descent

My mother live on top of a mountain that is probably the second highest point in NJ. Most of my ride will be in the valley. I descend on Barret Road: 1.5 miles from an elevation of ~1,275" to 450". Towards the beginning of my descent I notice there is a lot of play in my rear brakes. I had forgotten to close my rear brakes after changing my rear tire. Oops. I descend without incident checking my speed the whole way.

Rolling Hills in the Warwick Valley

The valley isn't flat. There are flat parts by the black dirt onion/turf farms, but not where I was riding. Refer to the elevation profile at the bottom. Even though I have done 40 mile rides before, this one tires me out. Heat + sun + hills. I stop and rest two times. Uncharacteristic of me for a ride of this length.

Deer

I saw a lot of deer along my ride. I even had a baby deer running alongside me at one point.

Distant Hills, originally uploaded by Martinator.

See those mountains on the horizon, that's my start and end point.

Brady Road

I chose Brady Road for my climb back up the mountain because I figured it has the most reasonable grade. I had also ridden up this road on my mountain bike when I lived here in the early 90's so I was familiar with the climb. Of course that was on a mountain bike with really low gearing.

It wasn't a busy road so I was able to criss-cross it in a zig-zag pattern to take some of the bite out of the 10% grade.

Summary

39.69 miles, 14.2 mph average; 3,807" of climbing. Warwick Valley Ride on Motionbased.com

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An Early 47 on Saturday

Longer Days...

The sun is rising a lot earlier at this time of year. Or so they are telling me. The weekends fill up with kids demands and an ever growing "to do" list around the house. Plus with all that rain the grass is growing like crazy! So the best way for me to get a long ride in on the weekend is to get up real early. This Saturday I got up at 5:00 am and headed out around 5:40 AM. I mapped out a 47 mile route and was looking to be home around 9:00 am.

the weather had been calling for fog, overcast, and slight chance of rain. Well it was foggy, but it was also very sticky. It was around 60° and humid. It was right at the dew point.

Morning Fog, originally uploaded by Martinator.

The fog wasn't so bad to deal with. It was the "Misting" the constantly hit my sunglasses during the first 15 miles that made visibility poor.

Cleaning My Glasses

It was getting silly. I could clear my glasses with my shirt because it too was getting wet. Not "wet" wet, just wet enough to be useless for cleaning glasses. I stopped off at Cole's Tavern and found some garbage in the parking lot. As luck would have it there was a napkin. I used it to clean off my glasses. Great! Now I could see again! That lasted for a couple of more miles until the "Misting" got them all covered with "wet" again.

Rhode Island

The "Misting" had stopped by the time I hit Rhode Island. I stopped at the Cumberland Farms and reloaded my bottles and cleaned off my glasses. It was beginning to threaten sunshine...

Douglas Turnpike

I have never been on this road before. It is a nice, straight, rolling climb back into Massachusetts through a very rural wooded area. I didn't take it all the way to Douglas, MA. Instead I had mapped out a shortcut back through Uxbridge, MA. There was only one problem though...

End of the Road, originally uploaded by Martinator.

Hathaway Lane ended abruptly as I can upon the cul-de-sac. When I had mapped this out on MapMyRide.com, the Google map there indicated that Hathaway Lane went all the way through. It was only half right. As you can see, there is a dirt road beginning right at the end of the cul-de-sac. I tried to ride down it, but after 10", I got off. It was too wet, soft, and muddy. I had the "track" I plotted downloaded onto my Garmin eTrex Legend GPS. I has also plotted out the waypoints for each turn. My Garmin was telling me that it was only ~1/10th of a mile to the next turn, which I was gambling on being back onto a paved road. The roads around here were unknown to me and I didn't want to re-route. So off into the woods I went.

Into the Woods I Go...

The "dirt" road I was walking on resembled an old fire road through the woods. It was still drivable if you had a Jeep, or a tractor (The road abutted farmland). Lots of mud, puddles, and mosquitos. Thankfully it was a short walk. The funny thing was that when I got to the other side, this "road" actually had a road sign (yes, it was still called Hathaway Lane).

"Old" Hathaway Lane, originally uploaded by Martinator.

Sorry for the blurry picture. There was a lot of condensation on my BlackBerry. The light at the end of the road turned out to me my next waypoint and it was back onto pavement :-) I probably shortened the lifespan of my cleats a bit, but what is one going to do?

Back on Pavement

It was good to get back on pavement on Chockalog St. I banged as much dirt out of my cleats as I could and got back on the bike. I'll have to remember to re-map this ride when I do it again.

PHAT Encounter in Uxbridge

As I was pedaling up Henry St. in Uxbridge when I saw a rider coming down. I hardly ever see other riders on this road. Soon behind this first rider I saw another coming down. This time I noticed her was wearing a "PHAT Tuesday" jersey. It turns out it was Kevin Robbins. this was confirmed in the thread attached to my FaceBook Status.

Home by 9:07 AM

I got home just as breakfast was hitting the table :-)

47.1 miles by 9:07 in the morning. 14.6 mph average. Not bad I guess given that there was 3,074" of climbing

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Home to Monster - Is it really Mid-June?

Mid-June? Really?

Mid-June? Really? Somebody tell the weather that. It was 50° and cloudy when I left at ~5:45 AM this morning. I almost didn't wear my shell, but I'm glad I did. I was only a few items and a half a layer short of full winter gear. Ridiculous!

Stats

~25 miles @ 15.7 mph.

The Shower at Work

It is great having a shower at work

It is not great when you are done with your shower and you realize you left your towel at your desk.

I had to get creative in order to dry off.

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Monster to Home - Dead Leatherman

Perfect Weather

It was cool, dry and sunny. Temps right around 70°.

I drove in to work with the intention of riding home (and back in the next morning). That's exactly what I did.

An uneventful ride except for the dead Leatherman I found:

Dead Leatherman, originally uploaded by Martinator.

I found this on the side of the road in Framingham, MA. It was intriguing enough to stop and check it out. It looks like it was tossed from a car window. It is pretty much trashed. I left it where I found it. If you want it, go here and check in the grass right where Crest Rd. bears right.

Look around here for it:

View Larger Map

Stats

~25 miles @ 16.0 mph

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Pan Mass Challenge

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