Silent Action Ride No. 1: Sunday May 9th

Well I waited at (Bike shop previously employed at) until 9:30 to see if you'd show up. Perhaps you were persuaded by the 25+ mph winds out of the WNW to enjoy breakfast a little longer, maybe read the paper, do the crossword.
I rode back over the bridge to my studio in Kittery to dump off the Bailey bag before heading directly into the wind along Rte. 103 in Eliot. I figured this way I could take the brunt of abuse all in one lump, and then enjoy the reward of a tail wind for the return trip. When I tell people I really dig riding the fixie over dirt roads, and they think that's nuts, I reply that the dirt roads are often better groomed than the paved roads around here. See Route 103 through Eliot to illustrate this point.
And what a wind it was! Tucked down behind my flat 15 deg. bars, trying to push through. I made my way into Rollinsford and didn't intend to stop until I spotted my friend Peter in front of Black Bean Cafe with a cup of coffee. So I pulled in the reins and stopped to chat and drink a cup. While there I also ran into (previous employer) customer Terrance Parker with his daughter in for some breakfast, and SeacoastAreaBicycleRoutes member Sophia.
Coffee gone, I got back on the road headed for South Berwick and Vaughn Woods Rd. My plan worked quite well, with that same hard wind I'd fought on the way out, now on my side pushing me home at a good clip, spinning the cranks as fast as I could manage, ascending grades at over 17 mph.
All things considered it was a great day for a ride with the lilacs in bloom everywhere, the blue sky with soft white clouds floating on the current, the fields and countryside bright green with life. Sorry you missed it.
Portsmouth, Kittery, Eliot, Rollinsford, South Berwick. Total miles: 33.
Check the route details at Map My Ride.

68 Miles Into The Darkness...

I was slackin' this morning, not sure if I was going to ride or not. But it is beautiful East Coast fall outside right now and too soon it will be followed with slush covered ice. So around noon I suited up, filled the water bottles and rolled out for North Berwick. There are three Berwicks and North Berwick is the furthest north of the three. It seemed like an exotic destination because nobody ever has an excuse to go to North Berwick. I haven't been there in the two years I've lived here. I've actually only been there once, on a bike ride about 8 years ago. Prior to departure I had looked up espresso joints in North Berwick. They have a Dunken Donuts. But there is also Carpe Diem coffee roasters on Rte. 9 just north of North B. So I headed there to see if they actually served coffee, or just roasted. There is a reception room where there is coffee, hot water for tea, and other stuff you can buy. The people there were really nice. But the coffee was 'eh. A blend of two S. American coffees, and French roasted Sumatra. Its' a strange choice of beans to blend. But I couldn't really tell the result as the brew was too weak and tasted as if it were made that morning. They do roast some good coffee. My guess is the coffee station in the reception room is sort of an after thought.
Coffee down, and onward. I had passed the ET Eastern Trail bike route on Tuesday's ride. So this time around, I headed out on it, further north. My instincts were telling me to turn around and start back south. But the road kept calling and I was powerless to ignore it. I was within 10 miles of Sanford before I started making my round about way back south bound.
This whole time I had a map I copied out of the Maine Gazetteer that I referenced frequently. In fact I lost this map out of my jersey pocket. But I thought I'd heard it fly out of the pocket. So I back tracked a mile searching the side of the road until I spotted it. Good thing I did! I was in uncharted territory. I would have had to try to head left from the sun's trajectory to make it home.
The Gazetteer marked Cranberry Rd as continuing as dirt south of Rte. 9. So for some unexplainable reason, I decided that was my route. I'd already done about 3 miles of dirt and gravel roads form Bell Marsh and Emery's Bride (road construction). Looking across 9, I saw what looked like a drive way behind a trailer, that ended in a pile of tree trunks. I took a left, and a quick right. And there, by the entrance to a school, was what looked like a wide single track through the woods, Cranberry Road. I got in about 1/2 mile before the first pond taking up the width of the "road" for 5 meters. The rest of the way until the final 1/4 mile was swamped with deep puddles. I was forced to portage most of that way. Turns out this section of Cranberry Rd. doesn't show as connecting on Google Maps. Pretty wild.
Finally back on pavement, another New England road without a name. I guessed and went right which actually worked out. Now I was finally getting close to South Berwick.
By that point the sun was sitting pretty low. I got a little panic. No lights, 30 miles to go. I put the hammer down and started cruising south bound. By the time I was leaving Eliot, it was just about dark. The moon lit up the dark sections of road. It was pretty sketchy.
I counted 24 grave yards on this ride, not counting repeats. I counted 6 fake or plastic graveyards in Halloween decorating fashion. I think it's odd in an area where every house that's a hundred years or older, has a small very real graveyard on the property, the styrofoam graves in the front yard are still a popular way to show one's holiday spirit. The mockery of death, an odd means to try and quell the fear people have about the part of the life cycle which is death. This one here was in North Berwick. It was actually painted plywood, obviously the work of a crafty holiday decorator, replete with names of the imaginary deceased and birth/death dates. Perhaps the real 150+ year old graveyard across the street made for a good model.
Check out this video, you'll get a brief sense of the ride.

Mission Complete: First FIxie Group Ride

How could somebody be late to their own event? It was strategic. I figured if I was 15 minutes late, not only would that give some time for other straggling riders to show up, but when they arrived a little late, they would be spared the humiliation of being late because I hadn't arrived yet! The only thing is, nobody else beside Josh Pierce showed up. Never mind that, though. We had a blast. Josh showed me the sneaky way to get from Papa Wheelies over to Pease, including some nice wide abandoned roads perfect for sprint workouts. We headed over the abandoned bridge and out to Dover. We tagged Dover and bounced over to Rollinsford. A stop in Black Bean Cafe for good coffee and some food, bathroom, more water. Then a fast descent followed by the inevitable climb up to Rte. 4. S. Berwick tag and then down Underhill Rd to Eliot, Kittery, over the Memorial Bridge and back to Papa Wheelies. A sweet, quick ride. All you sad suckers missed out. There's always next time. Write in preferred days/times to join in the next ride...

Golf Courses and Graveyards, 59 Miles of New Hampshire

I had been reluctant to delve into mileage rides in NH because from Portsmouth, it all just seems like a bunghole of freeways and fast 4 lane roads. I know there are some sweet two laner 35mph'ers out there somewhere. So I consulted the maps, donned 5 layers of protection against the 41 deg. damp air out there, and headed for Exeter via the Great Bay.
Things started out just fine until I was riding on Rte. 33. I usually don't prefer to ride on busy roads like Rte. 33. Today I was despising it. Things got better as I found my way around the south side of Pease Air Base and the great abandoned bridge over the north end of Great Bay. Then back to the suck for a ways on Rte. 4 until finally hooking a lefty at Durham Point Rd. That road was beautiful.
Before I could ride victorious into Exeter, I was sick of riding on 33/108. I stopped at Sweet Dreams Bakery for a sandwich, espresso, and directions. Good food, very nice people. They helped me figure out an alternate route dodging Exeter all together in favor of turning back towards Portsmouth.
I passed at least 5 golf courses and 15 graveyards on this ride. This route had some nice sections along Durham Point Rd., the bridge closed to cars, and Bunker Hill Rd back to Portsmouth. I think if there were a way to dodge Rte. 33, 108, 4, it would be a sweet ride.
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It's On: Group Ride Thursday October 22nd

I've set a date. I came up with this day because Josh Pierce can ride that day. So there's two of us. We'll go for at least 50 miles with an caffeine/carb stop somewhere. Ride is limited to fixed gears only cause any freewheeling flounders can join any old group ride, OK??. Helmets and front brakes STRONGLY recommended. Some money for a coffee, food to eat en route, at least two pints of water, warm riding gear and flat repair stuff also strongly recommended. I'm thinking we'll be in for partly sunny under 50 degrees f. But I'll update as we get closer. Check back here for a route as well. Or will it be a surprise? I'm not sure yet!
We're meeting at Papa Wheelies at 653 Islington in Portsmouth. Why? Cause us two Joshes work there, that's why. Plus there's food, coffee, and any bike related stuff anybody might need right there. No "oh, I have to go ride to the bike shop for a tube. Can you guys wait here?" funny business. Got it? Cool. Please comment to RSVP.

60 Miles and 6 Hours in the Saddle

View Larger MapI was feeling a bit under the weather yesterday and today. But with the autumn weather so sweet right now, I had to go. This loop described from my place in Kittery Point is about 45 miles. I took 4 hours to do it. Long, slow miles. That's what the doc ordered. I timed it just right to get home for a few bites, change riding clothes, and head to Portsmouth Critical Mass. With the addition of those miles/hours, I was 6 hours in the saddle for about 60 miles with 4 stops in there to eat. I feel pretty good still. Think I might add on 30 more tomorrow... If you want to check out this ride, CLICK HERE to see the larger map plus directions. You can print those and get rolling...