the new bridge- another view.

 

Found another picture of the new bridge at Willowdale Forest / Route 1.  This is great because it adds not only a super fun water crossing to the trails, but links the larger Willowdale to a fun little section of singletrack, and also makes it almost all woods right to Rt. 1, rather than riding down the paved road a good ways before crossing the highway to get back on the trails.  Doesn't sound like a big deal sitting at home, but enhances the experience when you're on the trail.  Thanks to R.E.I. (Reading, presumably) for funding the project (there's a sign that says so).

Andy Takes Over: UPDATED with links

Some new little changes that I hope you like.  Found a link to Andy Hampsten's Olive Oil Co. that you may have read about in the Riv Reader.  They now sell smaller containers of the stuff so you don't have to invest hundreds to try it.

I could go on and on about Andy but I think I'll hold off after a little more.  If you want the full scoop, google his name and I'm sure it's easy to find.

From my point of view, though, AH was my favorite rider from what some would call the LeMond era.  He seemed, at least to me, to always come in fourth (I didn't yet understand what it meant that he had won the Giro) and I liked him better than GL because he seemed more bookish and.... something.

Anyway, he's got his own bike co. with his brother Steve, this olive oil thing with his new wife, and had a special edition Rapha jersey out a few years back for the anniversary of his win on the Gavia.

boardwalk/willowdale

A new boardwalk has been built to replace the old washed out one near Rt. 1 in Willowdale State Forest.  (the beaver dam area) Seems much more robust than what was there before.

Thanks to whomever got in that water this spring to put this in!

Pictures to follow on the App later.

Random Bike News

Sea Otter going on right now.  Natalie from Sweetpea Bikes had her baby girl.  Indy Fab is moving in May, according to www.Bikerumor.com.  You really should read all the stories on www.ibiscycles.com- it's their 30th anniversary in the bike business, so Scot Nicol is (trying to) writing 30 stories about the co.'s history.  Worth your time.  Frontier Airlines no longer charges a fee to bring a bike onto the plane (boxed up, of course).

Un-Tech

Had a surprisingly nice ride yesterday, just putting some mellow songs on the iPod, riding the smoothest dirt road/trail loop I could think of at GC, and was surprised when it turned out to be just under 5 miles.

Of course, being obsessed with #s, I had to ride a little further to make it an even 5.

This is interesting, after having done the Salem Woods loop, at less than 3 mi. and having it feel like doing battle by bike.  Riding next to the lakes and chilling out was just what the doctor ordered.

Pink Drop Bar Single Speed and Beautiful View

Sabrina Jonnier's Rocky Mountain.  Pretty!

Found this while looking for a new icon for the MBB app.  Love it.

Time of Wonder

We've been reading Lucy the McCloskey (sp?) book of the same title for the last few nights (signed it out of the library) and it's wonderful, but it also reminded me of a story.

A few years ago, before I met Kathy, and of course before Lucy came along, I rode my bike on some of these same Maine islands that he describes in the books.  I can't keep their names straight, but we went on a sort of island ferry (just a smallish boat, really- not a ferry) and they would drop us off on these small, nearly abandoned islands, and pick us up in a couple hours, going on to another island if we wanted.

So, I had my mountain bike of the time (a GT avalanche, I believe) and we rode mostly dirt roads, which was interesting, but on one of these islands, there was a wonderful trail, not overgrown, but rich with leafy growth and fallen trees over the trail.  You know the kind I'm talking about?  A real adventure kind of trail, but still used enough that there wasn't any "this way?  that way?" guessing games about it (as I remember).

Seemed par for the course back then (I grew up an only child with one parent, so while I was still single, there were lots of adventure sort of vacations), but as I look back, it seems like a pretty cool ride story to me.  Lashing down my bike to the top of a boat and getting dropped off on an island.  Cool.

The postscript to this story is that I believe this was all a part of a trip with Mom to Acadia National Park, where I would later go with my new wife on our honeymoon, since some friends' parents had a cabin in Bar Harbor that they let us use for a week as a wedding present.  Isn't it funny how life all fits together?

And now I read to my daughter about it...

Today is the greatest day I've ever known

...Not really, but I do want to say that it's 2pm, I'm still at school waiting to be picked up (but my work day is over) and this is the best part of the whole weekend (well, maybe a little later tonight).  The whole thing in front of me (like, oh, say- the snow melting?!)

We may be going to Portland Maine this weekend.  Outside magazine once called it the best outdoor city in the east.  I know this because I've been trying to find things to do while I watch Lucy up there.  Bradbury Mountain sounds awesome, but I'm not quite sure a five year old is up for walking trails or checking for hawks!

I have to do taxes, both mine and my mom's, at some point this weekend.  Mom, if you're reading this, I need to know if you have any more W2s!  Wish I could dream about what to do with our refund, but let's just say that the money's already accounted for.

Well my phone just rang... my ride's here.  Hello, weekend!!!

The April Snow

Don't even get me started on this snowy April Fools Day.  Oh, well- I've already got myself started.  This weekend is supposed to be warm, so let's all just try to sleepwalk through this day and go for a ride this weekend.

Consider this your last chance to do bike maintenance that you'll not do the rest of the year.  Clean chain?  New chain?  Lube your cables?  You know once the days get nice, you won't take the time to do this.

How about taking a close look at your rims (if you have rim brakes) and trueing them as best you can?  That could pay off for the whole summer's worth of braking....

This is only parenthetical, this snow.