Strumelia's Blog: February 2009

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Back on the road

Now with a third early Spring short ride under my belt, I feel like I'm 'back on the road' after an incredibly messy winter, bicycle-wise.
Today I had to go to the bank (about a mile from home) and needed a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery. So I combined those errands with an extra 10 mile road ride to get my exercise in. No back road riding until I'm sure there are no more ice patches still lurking to get me in the shadows.
It was around 30F but nice and sunny- a totally delightful outing. Naturally I had to fuel up first with a quick latte and croissant at Ralph's. On the way home I strapped the fresh loaf of bread to the top of my saddlebag with my handy bungee cord.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Bridge Trolls

Today was about 30F and sunny, and we rode our bikes 12 miles on a nice route with easy rolling hills (boy am i out of shape) and over a back road with a closed/condemned bridge going over RR tracks...This photo was from when the bridge was still open to traffic. It's been closed since 2007, but horseback riders (obviously) go over it all the time, so a couple of lightweight bikers should be ok. Since the road is blocked there, the highway dept has not been maintaining or cleaning the road for over a year now, and that section has become a mini-wilderness, with trees down, rocks, leaves, ice, and horsepoop everywhere. Sort of fun to pick our way through the Wild Frontier section of road. We crossed paths with two friendly teenage boys on their bikes going the other way, and we cautioned each other about ice up ahead.

Someone long ago dumped a pair of 3 foot tall plastic xmas lawn figures there in the woods near the bridge. A santa and a snowman. People keep standing them up one at each road block on either side of the little closed bridge, like sentries, surreal plastic bridge trolls. When they fall over in the wind sand roll into the woods again someone always puts them back at their posts.