First Day Riding to Work! 5.14.16

I was pretty sure it was going to rain... the forecast all week was calling for it.

I woke up this morning, and the sun was beginning to come up.  I decided to check the weather, and it looked like the rain was forecasted to hold off until way later in the day... so, it was a bike day!

My new padded bicycle shorts came in yesterday, and man, are they great.  Made a huge difference!

The morning ride was simply glorious.  Just beautiful out.  I saw a big bunny on the bike path at one point.  I love seeing the wildlife!

The ride from my house into the city is pretty easy and simply beautiful.  It's when I leave the bike path that the challenging part comes.  This hill... this hill is my nemesis.  Little 3-speed bikes don't like steep hills.  I walked up half of this hill today.

I made it to work in just about an hour, which is pretty normal for me.

Bonus, trillium!

After work, it was starting to get windy and the clouds started to roll in, but I still made it home without rain.  It took about an hour coming home, as well.  A lot of that is actually from waiting for traffic - obviously, before 7-8 AM, the traffic is light, and at 3-4 PM, that's not the case.  I get off the main road as quickly as I can so that I can get back to what I like best - just me, Penelope, and a couple of cars that seem to know how to handle a bicyclist - and then the bike path ASAP.

I hope this is the first of many many commutes this summer!

A new season, some new rides

So... It's been a long time since I've posted.  Last summer, I injured my knee doing something entirely separate from biking, and was not able to bike after the last post here.  It was so sad.  The summer was glorious and practically begging for biking.  I felt hobbled.  I know that biking can be good for your knees, but I really needed to rest it.  It was hard, but I'm glad I did... Now I am back on Penelope, with no pain at all, and raring to go!

The first bike ride of the season was last Tuesday.  It was a beautiful afternoon, and I decided to go out for a jaunt after work.  It was a quick 6.5 mile ride, down to the bike path and back.  Penelope wanted to go further, but I knew it was probably a good idea to not go full force on my first ride.

Besides, I needed new padded bike shorts.  Yes, they are a thing, and YES, they are a great idea.

Bonus - wildflowers next to the bike path!

That first ride whet my whistle and I went out on Wedenesday after work, too - this was about a 5 mile ride, though I forgot to start logging, so I'm not entirely sure.  I had to hurry home for sometime with the kiddos, but I needed to get a little ride in.

I liked the silhouette here. 

Thursday was totally glorious weather, and I had the day off, but again, sans padded bike shorts, I decided to keep the ride short and sweet - about 4.5 miles, to look at the beach, and then back.

Yesterday, my padded bike shorts came in.

Today, I am not working until 8.

I woke up nice and early.

It isn't supposed to start raining until way after I am done work...

I am going to get on Penelope and just keep going!  Welcome, Spring!  Let's make this season a great one.

Gorgeous Saturday Commute

Finally, it was a nice day with no threatening thunderstorms, and nothing to do after work immediately.  Onwards, Penelope!

My ride to work was glorious.. it started a little chilly, I biked 11.1 miles at an average of 10.7mph. 

I stopped to look at a bunny that hopped in front of me and sat for a moment.  Very sweet.

The morning is just my favorite time.  There is no one else on the bike path, it isn't too hot, and it's just a great way to start the day.

It was nice to get a ride in for Midsommar - tomorrow's weather for actual Midsommar looks to be rainy with thunderstorms.  Not so nice.

Certainly today's ride made up for it.

The afternoon ride was not as nice.  It was a lot warmer, and I foolishly decided to take a different route home, down a much busier street.  It was crowded and a little scary - way too many cars on way too narrow a street.

On top of that, there was a wine festival at the waterfront.  If I had taken my normal route, I would have skipped the whole crowd.  I really dislike bike path traffic jams.  There's construction at the beginning of the bike path off the waterfront, and the path is really narrow and unpleasant.

This is why I prefer the morning for riding.

Still, it was a great ride home.  The route I took was a little shorter - only 10 miles instead of 10.7(ish), and I averaged 10.2 mph.

A morning ride to the lake

Thursday morning, I was tired, so I didn't do my full ride to the causeway, but the sky was beautiful, and I wanted to see the lake.  I took a shorter, 6 mile round trip ride down to the beginning of the bike path, right where it overlooks the lake.

It was a lovely morning.  The afternoon forecast was for scattered thunderstorms, so I couldn't ride to work.  I was happy to get a ride in.

A Few Missed Rides

After the last ride I posted, there was some rainy weather and other circumstances that made it so that I couldn't ride for a few days.  But, I have gotten some good rides in!

First, on June 3, I took a fabulous ride to the bay in the morning.  The sunrise is migrating, so if I want to see it, I have to go to the bay instead of the causeway.. I don't like the ride as much, but the payoff is pretty nice.

 

It was steamy morning, and the sky was incredible.

All the way to the lake, and then back... the morning ride was about 4 miles.  A much shorter ride than to the causeway, if I just go to the boat access,

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On June 5th, I rode out to the causeway in the morning.  Though the sun is no longer rising over the causeway, it is still a beautiful ride.  I like getting in 7 1/2 miles before work.

And, I love being surrounded by the lake.

The Colchester bog that runs along the side of the path is also lovely.  I saw some wood ducks there a few weeks ago, though I was unable to get a picture of them.
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I did ride to work and back on June 6th. 

It took me just about exactly an hour to get to work.  The ride is so pretty, it just always sets me up for a great day at work.

I adore riding in the morning before the path gets busy.  This road in the afternoon is a bustle with cars.

 

I rode through the University Green again, and I think this will be my permanent route.  So much prettier.

For the ride home, I have been having some troubles with my Strava app.. I start it, and it has (more than once) cut out at some point during my ride.  It recorded my ride home as 2 miles less than my ride to work, and I know I took the same route, so that's just not possible.  I can't bend space.  Anyhow, the ride home was quite lovely as well!

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After that ride to work, we had a yard work day at the house on Sunday, and then several days of hard rain and thunderstorms... no rides for a bit.  But, on Wednesday I got a beautiful morning ride out to the causeway, dodging puddles on the way.

The sky was really pretty that morning, and well worth the ride.

I just love a good morning ride.

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Finally, yesterday morning, I rode to the bay again for my morning ride.  Just to the boating access - I was tired, and didn't get out in time to ride more.

I tend to get to the end of the driveway and decide which way to go, depending on how the sky looks in either direction.  Yesterday morning, the sky was pink.  Hard to capture in pictures...

... But simply glorious.

And this morning?  This morning, I decided to have a cup of coffee and update my blog, instead of going out for a ride.. I had thought about riding to work, but the afternoon forecast calls for thunderstorms, and I don't want to get caught in that.  Riding to work more will come, though!  The kids are out of school now, so my schedule is a little less rigid.  I look forward to more rides to come...

Oh, Deer! A Morning Ride to the Causeway

If I am going to be able to catch the sunrise, I'm going to have to get up earlier... the sun was already up by 5 AM, and the colors were beautiful.

I headed to the causeway, and saw a pair of deer on the way there!

Overall, it was just a gorgeous ride.  7.2 miles, 11.3 mph.  Glorious morning.

Don't know if I'll get a ride in tomorrow - the promised thunderstorms look to be arriving then.

Riding instead of Driving: Vocal lessons

My daughter has vocal lessons, and they are about 5 miles away.  Because it was a lovely afternoon, I suggested we ride.  She agreed.

Halfway there, she said that she couldn't possibly go home, too.  I told her there was no choice.

I may have bribed her with a creemee on the way home (that's soft-serve for all you non-Vermonters).

We saw a pileated woodpecker digging by the base of a tree trunk on the way home.  That was pretty cool.

It was another almost 10 miles for the day, and I didn't have to drive my car at all on my day off.  Lovely.