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Where Did You Ride or Walk Today?

Old 01-23-14, 02:21 AM
  #101  
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We're hoping to get some snowshoeing in one of these years.
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Old 01-23-14, 02:24 AM
  #102  
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Today's walk was home from my medical clinic ... a little shorter than my usual walk home.
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Old 01-23-14, 08:44 AM
  #103  
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Originally Posted by Machka
We're hoping to get some snowshoeing in one of these years.
No you're not..... :-)
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Old 01-23-14, 11:39 AM
  #104  
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Another cold snap with temperatures down in the minus 20C range earlier in the week. Still, I have reaffirmed that the streetcar on a parallel street a few blocks over from my usual one, is significantly faster, so I get off the subway one stop earlier than before, and take that alternate streetcar across town, then walk the 700m down the cross street to my office. Today it was only -10C, so practically tropical.

Bonus: and I get the good coffee - see post # 35.

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Old 01-23-14, 10:41 PM
  #105  
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-21 C (-6F) here today. I opted for the bus. I made a trip earlier this week at -4F, but today the wind was over 20mph....

However, tomorrow we'll see a ride to 10F in the morning.... so... back on the winter beater.
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Old 01-23-14, 11:01 PM
  #106  
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It was freezing today, 32-30. Walked to the bus, then from the bus to the luncheon. After the luncheon, I walked to the transit center. That was farther than walking to the nearest bus stop, but I had a little time so walking and then hanging out inside a building seemed better. I caught the bus and took it as far as the grocery store. It was either walk home from the grocery store or go home and then ride my bike back to the grocery. The distance was about 1.25 miles and the time was a wash either tactic. Doing the groceries before getting home kept my focus better.

Walking home I found a place where a couple of cars had crashed into each other. I took one of the bits of body that were on the road and took it home because I need a sample of ABS plastic for a talk I'm doing next week.

It was nice and warmer in my apartment when I got home.
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Old 01-23-14, 11:33 PM
  #107  
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Today's adventure involved riding to work, then to the pet supply store to pick up a large bag of cat food and some canned "treat" food.

It was only an adventure because it was about -4F on the way out and -2F coming home, and because the city has decided that they are not going to plow side streets.
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Old 01-24-14, 12:03 AM
  #108  
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I needed beer, so I pedaled down to the liquor store and got a dozen bottles of Kokanee. Not a long ride by any means, but it was still nice.
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Old 01-24-14, 07:46 AM
  #109  
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Originally Posted by lenA
No you're not..... :-)
We both have snowshoes ... here in Australia. We just haven't had a chance to use them yet. We tried one weekend last winter (June), but it rained instead of snowing that particular weekend.
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Old 01-24-14, 07:52 AM
  #110  
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Errand walk at lunch, and the usual walk home after work.


The photos of my commute route, including the bridge, start on this page and go on to the next page ...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...etail/?page=14
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...etail/?page=15








Last edited by Machka; 01-25-14 at 05:15 AM.
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Old 01-24-14, 08:00 AM
  #111  
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Originally Posted by Machka
Errand walk at lunch, and the usual walk home after work.


The photos of my commute route, including the bridge, start on this page and go on to the next page ...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...etail/?page=14
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...etail/?page=15
It's a drawbridge?!!!?

But seriously, that is a beautiful route. Those who drive across are missing an awful lot.
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Old 01-24-14, 12:40 PM
  #112  
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Rode to the bus stop to go to work.
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Old 01-24-14, 06:20 PM
  #113  
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Originally Posted by Roody
It's a drawbridge?!!!?

But seriously, that is a beautiful route. Those who drive across are missing an awful lot.
No, it's not a drawbridge ... it's high enough for large ships to go underneath. But they stop all traffic (motorised, bicycle, pedestrian, etc.) whenever a ship is about to go under because of a bad accident a number of years ago.

However, I can confirm that if that signal goes red a moment or two after a pedestrian goes by, so that the pedestrian does not know it has gone red, the pedestrian will not make it off the bridge before the ship comes. The pedestrian will be left walking all alone.
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Old 01-24-14, 07:16 PM
  #114  
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Originally Posted by Fargo Wolf
I needed beer, so I pedaled down to the liquor store and got a dozen bottles of Kokanee. Not a long ride by any means, but it was still nice.
Ha ha... a beer run was all you did today? What a great life!
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Old 01-27-14, 05:31 AM
  #115  
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Saturday - The Australia Day long weekend started with a solo 50.39 km ride ... Rowan was at work. It was chilly out there on Saturday (not at all like today!!) and the wind was very gusty. It seemed like it was coming from all directions at once. I took my bottle out to have a drink at one point, and while riding one-handed for a moment, was suddenly blown halfway across the road.

In addition to cycling, I also stopped at the outdoor exercise equipment to do an upper body workout.

Photos from Saturday's ride ...







Cycling Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...7638372068525/
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Old 01-28-14, 03:42 PM
  #116  
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Well, today was an adventure. I rode to a job interview. I didn't ride all of the way though. Temperatures were freezing, so I took the bus as far as I could and then rode the last 3+ miles on my bike.

The interview was set up just yesterday afternoon, so I didn't have much time to prepare. I ended up using both of my panniers and my backpack held my laptop. I put the interview clothes in one pannier and used the other for riding clothes. It was freezing cold, and the water bottle that I left on the bike when I got on the bus was frozen with a solid bead of water coming out of the spout and going down the outside. It was snowing when I got off the bus. I thought that if the employer had any questions about wether I could get to work on a bike, I'd use today's ride as case in point.

The ride wasn't that long, but by the time I arrived at the jobsite, I couldn't feel anything with my fingers. I poked my head inside and saw what looked like a generous sized bathroom. I had taken the bus before the one I needed, so I could spend some time warming up at a Waffle House just around the corner. I was glad for the bathroom at the jobsite, because the alternative would have been changing at Waffle House.

The interview went well. They are in a hurry to get a crew together, and I'm supplied by a headhunter. So it was more relaxed than usual. And it looks like I'll get a spot if temporary.

For the ride back, I debated just riding home directly, but chickened out, so I rode to the bus stop 3 miles away. The job site is very car-centric that way, miles away from any kind of public transport, but right by the freeway which is flanked by automobile dealers on both sides. But that also allowed me to check out an apartment complex near the bus stop for possible habitation.

I hopped on the bus and rode it back to the transit center. Apparently I had just missed my connections and decided to try riding the rest of the way home, about 10 miles. It went okay. I was slow because of the cold, and I've never had to deal with drinking from a frozen water bottle before. It wasn't solid, but the spout was clogged and there was about 1/4" of solid ice around the inside of the bottle so I couldn't squeeze it. After swapping out the top with the bottle I had carried inside the bus, I was able to suck some of the water out if I tried hard.

The manager was positive towards bikes, though I never asked him where the parking was, that's a discussion for another day.
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I don't care if you are on a unicycle, as long as you're not using a motor to get places you get props from me. We're here to support each other. Share ideas, and motivate one another to actually keep doing it.
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Old 01-28-14, 03:52 PM
  #117  
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Originally Posted by Artkansas
Well, today was an adventure. I rode to a job interview. I didn't ride all of the way though. Temperatures were freezing, so I took the bus as far as I could and then rode the last 3+ miles on my bike.

The interview was set up just yesterday afternoon, so I didn't have much time to prepare. I ended up using both of my panniers and my backpack held my laptop. I put the interview clothes in one pannier and used the other for riding clothes. It was freezing cold, and the water bottle that I left on the bike when I got on the bus was frozen with a solid bead of water coming out of the spout and going down the outside. It was snowing when I got off the bus. I thought that if the employer had any questions about wether I could get to work on a bike, I'd use today's ride as case in point.

The ride wasn't that long, but by the time I arrived at the jobsite, I couldn't feel anything with my fingers. I poked my head inside and saw what looked like a generous sized bathroom. I had taken the bus before the one I needed, so I could spend some time warming up at a Waffle House just around the corner. I was glad for the bathroom at the jobsite, because the alternative would have been changing at Waffle House.

The interview went well. They are in a hurry to get a crew together, and I'm supplied by a headhunter. So it was more relaxed than usual. And it looks like I'll get a spot if temporary.

For the ride back, I debated just riding home directly, but chickened out, so I rode to the bus stop 3 miles away. The job site is very car-centric that way, miles away from any kind of public transport, but right by the freeway which is flanked by automobile dealers on both sides. But that also allowed me to check out an apartment complex near the bus stop for possible habitation.

I hopped on the bus and rode it back to the transit center. Apparently I had just missed my connections and decided to try riding the rest of the way home, about 10 miles. It went okay. I was slow because of the cold, and I've never had to deal with drinking from a frozen water bottle before. It wasn't solid, but the spout was clogged and there was about 1/4" of solid ice around the inside of the bottle so I couldn't squeeze it. After swapping out the top with the bottle I had carried inside the bus, I was able to suck some of the water out if I tried hard.

The manager was positive towards bikes, though I never asked him where the parking was, that's a discussion for another day.
Congratulations on the trip and on the likely job. If you did it on your coldest day in ten years, you should be good to go!
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Old 01-28-14, 07:46 PM
  #118  
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Originally Posted by Artkansas
And it looks like I'll get a spot if temporary.
Glad to hear this!!
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Old 01-29-14, 07:01 AM
  #119  
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Good effort Artkansas!! I hope the job works out for you.

As for the frozen water bottle ... when I've cycled in the depths of winter, I found that putting my bottle in a sock helped. Buy a nice clean pair of socks and stick your bottles in them. The sock delayed the freezing process. If the top froze, I just removed it and drank out of the bottle every now and then. And if it was really cold, I just drank before I left on the ride, and left the bottles at home.

BTW - the sock also works in summer. Soak it in water and it will help keep your bottle cool.
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Old 01-29-14, 07:11 AM
  #120  
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I've been walking home from work again this week, and it has been a bit of an adventure.

Day 1 (yesterday) ... a ship went under the bridge. As you may have noticed from the signs I've posted in pictures, all traffic, including pedestrian traffic, is supposed to stop and wait for the ship to go under the bridge. But I've discovered that pedestrians cannot make it across in time. This time the ship was docked when I started across and the light was green for me ... but I was just over halfway across when it went under. So there I was, all alone on the bridge ... no cars, no cyclists, no other pedestrians.

It was just a small one ... from the Antarctic Division.

Day 2 ... something was up with the traffic on the bridge. It was moving very, very slowly. There may have been a pile up on the other side. But just as I walked onto the bridge, there was almost a pile up among the cars on the on-ramp right beside me. Lots of screeching brakes, the smell of burning rubber, one car turned slightly sideways as he left most of his tires on the road stopping. All right at my elbow!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a little less eventful.
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Old 01-29-14, 08:05 AM
  #121  
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Originally Posted by Machka
As for the frozen water bottle ... when I've cycled in the depths of winter, I found that putting my bottle in a sock helped. Buy a nice clean pair of socks and stick your bottles in them. The sock delayed the freezing process. If the top froze, I just removed it and drank out of the bottle every now and then. And if it was really cold, I just drank before I left on the ride, and left the bottles at home.

BTW - the sock also works in summer. Soak it in water and it will help keep your bottle cool.
Thanks Machka. I do have a couple of insulated water bottles acquired at various National Bike Summits. So with a little planning they should work. I can remember to not leave my water bottle on the bike when hoisting it onto the bus, as well.

But your sock idea is very good, especially in summer, like the old desert canteens.
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I don't care if you are on a unicycle, as long as you're not using a motor to get places you get props from me. We're here to support each other. Share ideas, and motivate one another to actually keep doing it.
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Old 01-29-14, 02:01 PM
  #122  
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Originally Posted by Machka
Day 2 ... something was up with the traffic on the bridge. It was moving very, very slowly.
Chris Christie wasn't visiting Australia, was he?
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Old 01-29-14, 10:36 PM
  #123  
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There are so many wonderful uses for socks! This winter, I repurposed one pair to make wrist gaiters, and another (really nice wool pair with worn out feet) to make a face mask/vapor barrier for the cold. The trial run of the face mask was yesterday's commuting, at -9F in and -3F out, and it worked much better than other options I've tried.
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Old 01-30-14, 05:27 AM
  #124  
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Just a 2 km walk at lunch today ... up to the library, down to the tourist information centre, and around the waterfront.


Plus a short recreational ride in the evening.
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Old 01-30-14, 03:51 PM
  #125  
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Just a few blocks down the street from work to buy a piston ring compressor.
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