Jim from Boston

Hi jmm

Thanks for your seasoned reply. I first heard that argument made by a favorite local subscriber, buzzman (whom I haven’t seen here lately). I might add, one more parking spot is available too. To “rub it in,” my corporation pays a tidy sum for annual parking and I get a cash rebate.

Regarding not being hit, in my worst thoughts about cagers, I imagine that they don’t want to hit me to avoid damages to their vehicle, or the hassle of stopping to deal with accident reports.

How to get the message out? I find threads about what to say to a driver futile, since these are brief, often emotion laden encounters, and often the cyclist makes a bad impression

I have in the past posted about giving “bicyclist curses,” and “bicyclist blessings”; about 5 blessings a day, and about 3 curses a week. See also the sign below, on my commute through Brookline.

Finally, guys, I will admit to the following quote about recruiting fellow cyclists to our commuter fraternity:

autonomy

I'll assume you're interested in non-straight, non-flat trails as well since you listed the town forests. There are some interesting loops you can find out there in state forests, e.g.
Harold Parker
Great Brook Farm
Middlesex Fells (fire roads)
Minuteman National Park (one of my favorites)
Reformatory Branch
Billerica Town Forest (stay away, IMHO, it's not very nice there)
Rock Meadow in Belmont has a number of flat trails and you could possibly even bike the Western Greenway - I was just out there this weekend, and this place has lots of flat, wide trails. Saw a number of bikers out there.

(ones I haven't been to but want to check out some day)
Ware River Rail Trail
Topsfield Linear Common
Methuen Rail Trail

Google Maps with the cycling layer is a good way to find places to explore (look for brown):
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6916.../data=!5m1!1e3

OpenCycle map (OpenStreet with the Cycling layer):
OpenStreetMap

NEMBA (read descriptions first, as it's MTB-oriented):
massachusetts | NEMBA

rumrunn6

THANKS for the tip! got a taste of the SNETT after parking at the Douglas State Forest. I went west into CT but then hit really big course gravel. someone passed me coming from further west. he didn't seem bothered but he appeared properly equipped with a different kind of bike that just a rigid hybrid like me. turned around and went back east a little past where I started but had to stop after a cpl hrs cuz I wanted to watch football. I think this is worth another visit. also very very pretty, it must have been an enjoyable drive as a train conductor, back in the day.

I'll add that the trail has a very varied surface incl soft sand, firm stone dust w a sprinkling of smaller gravel. a cpl times I was thinking a wider than 40 tire would be useful and maybe something that digs in less than what I have now. I was tempted to let some air out but I was doing ok so didn't. for me starting in Franklin would mean less driving in the car. but the Douglas park is so nice I think it's worth starting there again, at least one ore time to see if I can make it up to Franklin.

if you have a 29er with big fat high volume smooth to semi smooth (not knobby) tires, you will really enjoy this trail.

rumrunn6

thanks I'm going to spend more time with your reply later today. I'm developing some preferences for the bike which are actually leaning toward straight and flat and avoiding MTB trails. the Reformatory Branch trail is actually ideal but it's too short. thanks for your suggestions I will be back to review them.

forests are ok if there are forest "roads" to ride :-)

mr_bill

I try to follow a simple rule. May there be one less Massh*le: while driving, while pedaling or while stepping. Don't always succeed, but I do try.

-mr. bill

mr_bill

No pics (sorry) - but busy weekend (Sunday in the Park with George on Friday, 24 hours in a cabin in the woods on Saturday/Sunday), but did have time for 30k worth of errands on a beautiful Sunday - out to a non-car dependent mall and back with a couple of stops in between.

30k.

But what was most special - getting to see my sister ride and run in an olympic-distance charity triathlon in the Canary Islands - live - as in Facebook live. Sometimes technology can bring families together in remarkable ways.

Saw her finish the bicycle stage and transitioning to the run, at a few more k to go in the run, and at the finish.

In May, she starting training, so we rode together on her first "long" training ride at home - 30k.

30k.

So shy of the 45k she'd ride in the event.

During the summer her speed improved dramatically along with her distance. She did open water training in Lake Ontario in a wetsuit, getting used to cold water *and* waves. On the running, she struggled with knee injuries, but managed to cross train and get healthy.

What most surprised her, she got to really like the bicycle - just like her brothers. But the rolling hills of Rochester weren't going to match riding a volcano, so she's been fearing the 350 meters of climb *and* descent. Earlier this week she rode the course and found the grade comfortable and the descent even a bit fun.

Wish I could have seen more of her on the bike - but the few seconds I saw when she was riding - you know what's funny? I somehow positively knew it was her coming into the transition zone even off in the distance when she was just a hundred or so pixels. Same when she was running - I knew it was her even when she was just a blur.

-mr. bill

sherbornpeddler

Is it just me or are bright colors and clear sky higher contrast than any other time of the year? There is more motion this time of year with colors in the trees and leaves on the road. The leaves give close reference to motion compared to uniform, gray asphait so I get an illusion of speed that makes me feel good as if I'm in better shape than I really am. Maybe I'm just loading up on good vibe for the hibernation from pothole and slush. Whatever it is, I rode the same colorful 37 mile loop two days in a row.

Several times I thought I should stop and take a picture or try to video sailing along a winding road but that great feeling and illusion of speed felt too good to stop. It would be cool if I could record the sound of on coming, colorful fellow cyclists and capture the passing sound of high pressure tires on smooth asphalt.

Fun, fast and deposited in my memory bank for winter.

rumrunn6

I too struggle with the conflict of wanting to enjoy the moment but also trying to capture it. my family sometimes make fun of ourselves, saying "we don't live life, we re-live it" Kudos to you for enjoying the moment & living in the present

Jim from Boston

As usual, nicely written, @sbp. I tried to find a quote of mine somewhere on this Metro Boston thread, that posting ride descriptions for me is like canning summer fruit, to enjoy in the winter.

jimmuller 

Yeah, nicely said.

I often think we should stop and take some pics but then I think, no, we are riding to enjoy the now rather than just to capture it for the then. Stopping means, well, stopping.

Ah, if you did that over in the C&V forum you'd have more than a few BF members telling you you were doing it wrong. Really.

jimmuller 

"Within reason"? A year or more ago a BF member posted that Massachusetts law says bikes have to obey the same traffic laws as motorists "within reason". I'm pretty sure it was in this forum because it was specifically about Mass. law.

I'm curious about that phrase "within reason". The RMV has a PDF of the driving regs online and sometime within the last few months I looked through the references to bikes. I don't recall seeing that anywhere. Of course reason applies to everything, but I wonder if there is a legal justification for that phrase.

No, AFAIK I'm not in trouble for being unreasonable, except unreasonably curious which might get me into trouble.

sherbornpeddler

I'd plead double jeopardy based on stopping and anything over 100 psi tires? Or clips pedals?....forget I asked that.

jimmuller 

"Get a car!" I heard that phrase this morning.

I was approaching Arlington Center from the south on Pleasant St beside a line of traffic moving slow. The traffic lights ahead were red. I needed to turn left onto Mass Ave so when the car behind me backed off and gave me space I signaled left, pulled over into the cars, then further over into the left-turn-only lane. About that time the straight-through light turned green and the line of traffic I'd just traversed continued slowly but uninterruptedly into the intersection while I waited for the left-turn green arrow. That's standard procedure for Arlington Center.

As the car behind me pulled even with me I heard "Get a car!" from the driver, a woman with a rather shop-worn appearance and a cigarette sticking out the driver's window.

Huh? Uh, ma'am, would you really rather I be driving a car now? I didn't hold you up at all. Not one iota of time. If I'd been in a car you would have been stuck behind me and like everyone else unable to pass me until our paths went different ways. You would have been a few seconds further back down the road, and if the timing were right my presence might have caused you to miss this or some previous traffic light. Are you sure you'd prefer me in a car??

"Ride on the sidewalk."

Yesterday evening I head "Ride on the sidewalk." I was in a line of cars coming down Winter St toward Waverley Square. We were stuck waiting for the Trapelo Rd traffic light. I say stuck because the driver in front of me had pulled so far to the right that I couldn't squeeze between his car and the curb. I could have gotten off and ridden down the sidewalk or walked the 100yds or so to the light but I wasn't going to make that light cycle anyway so I was content to wait by the curb until traffic moved again. The backup at that light can often extend up the hill for a quarter mile so we were pretty close to the light. When the light changed the traffic started up even more slowly than usual while some idiot at the bottom of the hill made a U-turn across all four lanes. The driver immediately behind me and to my left waited about three seconds then leaned on his horn. It was VERY LOUD to me right in front of his car and not shielded by a steel cage. It startled me. I turned around and wave my arms at him, shouted "What's your problem?" He mumbled something back I couldn't catch.

Eventually the traffic moved, we went down the hill, I pulled up beside the island at the bottom as the light had turned red again, and he took the unobstructed mini-ramp to turn right onto Trapelo. As with this morning's commute, I had affected his trajectory not one bit. Zippo, zilch, not one iota. But as he rounded the turn of the ramp he said out his open window "Ride on the sidewalk."

Huh? Like that would have gotten us through the intersection faster? And about your horn, you really think it made any difference to that idiot 100yds away probably with his windows rolled up? You had to subject me to that blast instead? Or maybe it never occurred to you that I'm stuck in the same traffic you are in?

What goes on inside these heads, I wonder?

autonomy

Not much, that's the problem. People like this are just too stupid to think about anything for longer than 2 seconds. They are concerned with themselves only and getting to their destination 5 seconds earlier at any cost, even if it requires making very risky maneuvers. I make it a point to keep my distance from such people, regardless of whether I'm a cyclist, pedestrian, or driver at the moment.

Add to this: a friend of mine actually STANDING on the sidewalk at an intersection with his bike, doing nothing and waiting for the pedestrian walk signal, as some lady, driving by, yelled out "F you, buddy" for no reason whatsoever.

rumrunn6

approx what city/state did this happen? just curious

autonomy

Western parts of Cambridge near Fresh Pond Parkway...

Here's another "cool" story, crossing Lake St. in Arlington via the Minuteman during the evening rush hour:
Lots of pedestrians & cyclists on the path at the time, obviously. As always, standstill traffic on Lake St. Cars moved east towards Mass Ave., opening a space of maybe 3 car lengths. As a driver was yielding to a number of pedestrians stepping one after the other into the crosswalk, a guy in a truck behind laid on the horn and started yelling "f'ing come on, this isn't a traffic light!". The yellow "State Law: yield to pedestrians" sign was right there in the middle of the crosswalk. Mind you, the most that guy could move forward was 3 car lengths or so. I might understand if this was a constant stream of cyclists just jumping out into the crosswalk, but these were pedestrians.

But let's not get too off-topic

sherbornpeddler

DOn't you hate it when a knucklehead driver yells as they accelerate past? One time a guy stopped and actually insisted I bike on the right side of the white stripe; which varied between 0 and 20" that he perceived to be a bike lane. Some of this is bell curve human behavior stuff and some of it is the painful, slow process of learning to get along together. I've not been yelled at or had a car horn blast while biking in Europe. I've had toots and taps to alert or request but not jarred by an offensive noise weapon. I've been yelled at as a pedestrian walking out into traffic but I was guilty and appreciated the alert more than I disliked the expletive. I see more cyclists and think we are getting better.

I'd like my town to declare itself a bicycle friendly community and educate cyclists and motor vehicle drivers.
I also dream of a camera radar that snaps pics of offensive vehicles and triggers a

Ghazmh

Another rain soaked Saturday ride. 48.3 miles of grime and muck covered legs-bliss. I somehow managed to squeeze in 3 25 mile pre sunrise rides before work this week. I'm struggling to recall the last time I rode with dark sunglasses and felt the sunshine. I'd love to say I'll be riding something other than my rain bike tomorrow too.

Cheers

anx

Definitely Fall is here, but that didnt seem to stop all the dog walkers, fisherman and even LARPers from being out today!

Too many people for my liking but with limited light during the week I may be have to get used to it relegating by Fat Bikding to only weekends for a while. There definitely was some great scenery, just need to find a way to protect my throat from those cold temps!

rholland1951

I've been away and off the bike for the last two weeks on a bike-free vacation that would elicit no sympathy were I to describe it; got to ride 10 jet-lagged miles this afternoon before the Pats game, cool (mid-50s), clear, and blustery. Took nearly the whole outbound leg to get warmed up, that combined with the headwind led to a slow-motion ride out to Lexington. The pace picked up a bit on the return. I took the LHT on this one, appreciating its stability in the gusts.


rod

sherbornpeddler

Stability in gusts was an issue but not as much as expected. Planning to meet up with friends at a CRW ride from Hopkinton we decided to reschedule due to concern about yesterday's rain and today's gusts. At the last minute I decided to check it out anyway.

There wasn't as much sand, branches and leaf debris as I expected. There was only one sideway gust that was a little disconcerting, otherwise the wind was either for or ag'in us and came in third place in my attention rating. The hills won and second place went to the colorful foliage and small road scenery through Milford, Upton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Millville, Mendon, Grafton and back to Hopkinton.

I was going to bail out of the 50 miler but a couple of CRW stalwarts cheerfully piloted and pulled me through Grafton and Hopkinton back to the start. CRW is a nice, diverse club and do a good job.

mr_bill

Far away from home, but mounted a camera on the Seoul Bike (think Hubway). Had to register on a website, link a "T-money" card to the account, give a credit card, but a week's worth of bike share is 3,000 won (about 3 dollars). Since I registered with English preference, the bike menus (and audio cues) were in English!

BUT, the bike needs a far longer seat post. Still, for 10K to 20K, great way to get around the city. First ride was just 10K along the Han River (think Charles, but HUGE).

Headed across the Banpo bridge, famous for the evening "rainbow" fountain.


A bit of a bike traffic jam heading up the "hill" on the bridge:


Then on a weekday afternoon, quiet: (Note, the lower bridge floods during rainy season. The upper bridge is a near perpetual motor traffic jam.)


Crossing back across the Hangang bridge - note that the bikepath is separate from the sidewalk, but on the right side of the guardrail. (Imagine the BU Bridge, Harvard Bridge, Longfellow Bridge, where bikes are put on the other side of the guardrail, taking away plan b):



Along the Han River. The Han River is much much bigger than the Charles, and everything you see is flooded during the rainy season, but just imagine:


Soldiers relaxing in the shade under the Dongjak Bridge:


About to check-in the bike to the station:


-mr. bill

rumrunn6

awesome

anx

Where are all their helmets?

rholland1951

Took the Rawland on a sunset ride up the Minuteman to Lexington Center and back. Encountered a guy on wheeled cross-country ski trainers, conjuring Winter; I reckon he'll get his wish soon enough.


Arlington's Great Meadows is post-verdant, already in autumnal rags and tatters.


Peepers Pond is recharged, a mudflat no longer.




rod