curbtender

Dry out there, Lime Ridge

djkashuba 

Dutch Flat, Ca. by djk762, on Flickr

Wildwood 

greg3rd48 

Yesterday I was free from all other obligations so I decided to go exploring in an area that I had yet to visit. I took a 6:30 train on the MetroNorth Commuter Line to Southeast Station which is around 50 miles north of NYC. I arrived there before 8AM and from there I just freewheeled it and rode north then east into NW Connecticut. My plan was to ride into Massachusetts and turn around at Great Barrington but I decided against it and turned around just before reaching the state line. I turned back to catch the 2:18 train from Wassaic, the northernmost station, back home. Two hours to relax on a comfortable train after riding through 82 miles of beautiful farmland, communities and a busy Route 22 at some points. A kinds older gentleman even invited me over to his house to refill the water bottles before the ride home which I did happily after being unable to find any open store in the tiny hamlet of Wassaic.


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr


Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr

gaucho777 

@DQRider, thank you for sharing the poignant and touching memories of your father. I am sorry for your loss. It is clear that you and your father developed a lasting bond that your will cherish and strengthen through your bond with your own son. No need to apologize for the lighting. All the photos in your post are perfect. The photo of your son gazing pensively into the sunset, with the sunset t-shirt and the fallen bike on the roadside, is so evocative. I am fortunate that both my parents and in-laws are all still alive, but I know I won't be able to say that for much longer. Your post inspires me to make the most of what time we have together.

malcala622

15 miles to Performance Bicycle for new cleats and lunch at Carl's Jr.

DQRider 

EPIC Photo! Thanks for posting it. You riders who live in these beautiful places need to realize how lucky you are and appreciate what you have. Of course, the best yardstick by which to measure is how many tourists your locale attracts. Hawaii... man. Good for you!

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DQRider 

Oh man, thanks for writing that. You are absolutely spot-on. Dad did it Right, all the way to the end.

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DQRider 

You're right, gaucho777. That is SO important. Dad and I were on the golf course in May, and he was gone by the end of July - it happened that fast. Thanks for the compliments on the photos. I'll post some more shortly...

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malcala622

30 mile round trip to Performance Bicycle for some new cleats and lunch.

DQRider 

So Dad's funeral was last Friday, the 10th. Here's a self portrait I took that morning, before I donned my black suit and we headed for the cemetery:







On Saturday, I rode down my favorite local trail to take my mind off my troubles. Still riding the 1984 Peugeot Canyon Express, making those tiny adjustments that yield the perfect ride, or reveal faults that you just can't live with or fix; making the bike a good candidate for sale. I installed a rack on the back to make the bike usable for local grocery runs and errands.



First I pedaled around the trails at Thompson Lake before bombing down Simon's Ravine:











Since I've photographed this trail so many times, with beautiful views of the river, I tried to feature the land-side this time, which is dominated by the railroad:














This can be a sort of guerrilla art gallery sometimes:






But of course I must give The River its due:





After stopping for refreshment at The Mississippi Pub, and staying perhaps a bit too long, I rode home in the dark. That is a Cateye Volt 1600 headlight on the Bullmoose handlebar, so I had plenty of illumination on the trail ahead. At one point, coming around a blind left-hand curve, that pool of light revealed a municipal trash-can thrown down across the trail, with its contents strewn everywhere. I steered to the right, aiming for a gap in the rubbish, but my front tire caught sand on the edge of the trail and then The Rocks... where I landed Hard.


When I regained consciousness, I realized that I hadn't brought my old-school flip phone with me. So I had to pull my right hand back into alignment - the wrist was broken - and ride three grueling miles to the trailhead. There, I laid bleeding on a bench and waited for somebody to come by and dial 9-1-1.


I'm typing this slowly, with a cast on my right arm, a week after this little misadventure. Cuts, contusions, and concussion were added to my "distal radius fracture" in the medical report by the nice doctor at Saint Joseph's hospital. I won't be riding or wrenching on bicycles for a while. This is a time for contemplation. I turn 55 years old tomorrow, yet I find myself in the same sort of predicament I was in twenty-some years ago. Dad must be frowning on me, from his vantage point up in the heavens. I'm sure there's a lesson in this somewhere...


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jimmuller 

@DQRider, so sorry to read about your mishap. May the perpetrator be cast into irons. Heal quickly. The sooner you can show us more great photos the better.

DQRider 

Thanks Jim. Only trouble is: my Leica was between the rocks and my bruised ribs. The nice bamboo hand-hold I bought for it worked to save the camera body; but because the lens is mated to it, any precise calibration is now lost. I think it actually added to my injuries, since I wear it on a diagonal strap across my chest, and that is where the most painful bruises are.

Look, please never mind... I need to keep a broad perspective here and realize that these injuries are the result of my lack of vigilance and self-control. The fact that I was grieving does not alter the laws of physics. Riding through a dark tunnel illuminated by a single bright beam of light is fine if you are only cruising. But if you are trying to exorcise personal demons by veloci-therapy, at the very least you should be wearing some kind of helmet.

Oh crap, did I really just type that? I must be delirious. Concussion will do that to a guy.

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Ballenxj

WOW DQ! Sorry to hear about your Father and the crash. I hope both you and your Leica are on the mend.

Johno59

​​​​​​Ribs, cameras, head wounds, concussion - who cares!? IS THE BIKE OK? OMG I HOPE YOU HAVEN'T. .. . I can't bare to even think about it.

DQRider 

Sorry if this has caused you any distress . But I cannot lift the garage door yet to inspect the damage. However, the fact that I was able to ride the bike three miles to the trailhead tells me that the bike is certainly salvageable. Yes, it's definitely a keeper. Once I mend I will most certainly build it into the bike I always knew it could be.

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Johno59

"But I cannot lift the garage door yet to inspect the damage."
WHAT!
PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!!
Get someone else to check it out.
We're all dying here .
I can't breath.

natterberry 

DQRider 

Hmmmm... Location: Cambridge UK It's "breathe", isn't it?

Look, I consider myself an "Anglophile" - loving all things British because I've watched a few seasons of "Monty Python" and "Top Gear", and every time I fly anywhere I feel like James Bond (TSA be damned).

The bike is fine, and if it's not, I will make it so. I'm kind of handy that way... But thanks for levering me out of this self-pity gumption trap (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) . I hope we can meet someday...

I owe you a pint, mate!

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jimmuller 

I managed to get out on the Masi this morning for a quick 37.5 miles spin. Finally we are having weather with temperature plus dew point that doesn't add up to something over 160degF. Lots of bikes out.

natterberry 

ButchA

Just got home from a nice 29.5 mile ride out to Capital One's big business complex, West Creek Pkwy (2 laps) horseshoe shaped roadway, etc... and eventually back home. 1 hr and 57 min for a nice easy 15 mph speed. Man, I tell you... There were some crazy people inside the quiet business road of West Creek Pkwy - some dudes had those time-trial aerodynamic style bikes and were zooming along at like 40-45 mph! No matter what chainring you were one, those guys would blow by you like you were standing still!


Here is Hockett Rd & Tuckahoe Creek Pkwy (which leads into Capital One huge area, and also down into West Creek Pkwy).




Here is a shot of Virginia Farm Bureau's big building by the twin duck ponds inside West Creek Pkwy. I stopped to sip by other water bottle (thank God I brought two of them!).




Lastly, here is the route from Map My Ride...

Johno59

After all your recent trials and tribulations, do your magic on the bike and it will be your Dad Bike.

Bianchi84

Short ride today on the local Greenway in Concord, NC. on the Cannondale today. It just rained last night so Rocky River was on the Muddy side. Threw in a picture of the bike.

plonz 

Spectacular day here in Western Mass so took the Tempo out for 40 miles through some gorgeous hill country. Stopped for a glamour shot in Whately, Massachusetts.