A Morning at the Cannon

A friend flew in from Edmonton and wanted to meet up so I recommended the Cannon.  He's quite a coffee connoisseur and gave their pour-over-style the thumbs up.  I wish I had taken a shot of our breakfast sandwiches - they were pretty decadent as well.

I got the GoPro rolling for the ride home and went a bit out of my way to have some fun.  Not too many days like this left.

If I was trying to make time I would have headed south right away, instead I headed east to the Red Hill expressway and it's parallel gravel path.

At times, the highway isn't very far away (immediately to my left in the photo below).

Then back into traffic once I hit Queenston, and from there, Highway #8 and home.  This fellow came close and his mirror even closer!

Whereas this bus driver left his rightful lane in order to give me space.  Thanks HSR!

The new bike lanes on Highway #8 are nice. Let's see if they keep them plowed in the winter.

Overall observations. It's now officially cold on the hands in the morning and not much better by noon.  The Kenda Small-Block 8's needed a bit more pressure today but should (as always) prove excellent once the weather really turns.  My brake hoods are beginning to feel like they stretch me out a bit too far so I might need to look for an alternative, shallow, handlebar that can get them in a bit closer.

I'm also beginning to think that I should look into a 58" frame. Wondering if the 60" is too much for me. Perhaps that's part of the issue.

The Music in My Head

A quick errand is fun and simple but regardless of whether its a long ride or minutes there's often a tune recycling through my head.

The launch bay as amateurishly recorded via GoPro.

Last of the lovely days? We'll see.

Destination achieved.

Here are two clues.  See if you can guess the tune and/or the artist without doing a web search.

#1 - I'm a 60's, 70's and 80's sort of guy. Not too much use for 90's music.
#2 - "Woke up in my clothes again this morning. Don't know exactly where I am."

Before the Rain Comes

Riding south to Smithville again today.

This is a nice stretch along Church Road.

Backroad Bliss

Mornings in the country are always nice on a day like this; clear, cool, dry, breezy but not windy. I cannot imagine conditions being much better.

Action shot: here I come.

Shaky.

I didn't leave the cottage especially early this morning but no one else was up when I left and that makes it all the more serene.
It feels too long since I have saddled up for a leisure ride but soon as I am on the gravel I wonder why I've left it so long.
These roads are normally very quiet so it was a first for me to pass a road cyclist (looked like he was training) on a paved section and someone out for a run.  The city "lifestyle" is clearly making its way into this farming community.

Trans Canada Trail runs through here. Might have to properly check that out someday.

Ah, yes. This is what I was looking for!

Small Methodist church outside Balderson. I think it's defunct though.

Bridge near Fallbrook. I thought it crossed the Fall River but I'll need to double-check.

I love the city and all its variety but I also love the tranquility of the country.  It's interesting to me that the further I physically bicycle into the middle of nowhere the further my desire is for the city - but when I am back at home I love it too. Which would I choose if I had to? Not sure.
Rounded out my ride with a stop at Balderson Cheese for a coffee. Wonderful way to spend time here at the cottage.

This pic is actually outside Coutts Coffee in Perth. It was a better shot than the Balderson stop.

Photos all courtesy of my friends GoPro. Still don't quite have the knack of it but its a really fun tool to bring along.

Up the Mountain

The last three Monday night ultimate (frisbee) games have been at Redeemer College in Ancaster, but its a very enjoyable ride.
First I climb the escarpment. In local vernacular we refer to the escarpment as the mountain.
Once on top I cut through a wonderful community full of a variety of older and thoughtfully constructed homes.  I normally object to oversized houses and everything they represent but these are an exception. I should have taken some pics!
Next through the abandoned psychiatric complex.

I think you would agree that it's a bit eerie.  It conjures up images of several horror movies!

Then a stop at Olive & Kiwi's for a coffee. This place is kind of hidden away but worth a side-trip if you find yourself on the West Mountain.

Still trying to figure out the GoPro but this photo was a fun accident.

"Stand aside please. Professional photographer coming through!"

Coffee by My Dog Joe. 

Cheers!

For the Beauty of Winona*

In among the pear tree's today. Too often I won't take the time to stop, enjoy and perhaps snap a photo. Today I did.

Across the field is the original E.D. Smith jam factory.  These days they mostly make their Garden Cocktail in this facility. Always smells really good when I pass by.

I look angry (or something) in this one, but I'm not used to how the GoPro takes pictures yet.

*Winona is the name of the village where I live.

Burnstown Gravel Ride

This was an inspiring ride.  I wish I had bothered to take more pictures but when I get in the moment I don't want to interrupt things.

This was my route.  Google says 61.9km and 3 hours 39 minutes.  But after a few wrong turns I ended up with a cool 80.5km ride in 3 hours 31 minutes.

It's backwoods all the way.  Beautiful riding & just what I was looking for.  There are no sustained gravel stretches like this where I live (the Burnstown route is a 5 hour drive north). Below is my folks cottage - ready for liftoff.

These are the kinds of roads I have been looking for.  This is an example of one in good condition.  Most were impassible for cars because of the large ruts but were perfect for my purposes.  In fact, I believe I counted 6 cars on this route, and that's not a whole lot.

I got a lot of looks.  Helmets are an unusual sight around these parts - never mind spandex.
Let's just say "this was good training for the Hilly Billy" and leave it there.

 

Accidental close-up or giant mosquito?  Don't stop for long or you may end up with West-Nile Virus.

Burnstown may be nothing more than a whistle-stop but Neat is a great place for a reward.

I could say so much more but lets keep this simple.  Here's my summary:

• A route so fun that I am considering turning it into a race/tour.
• I will learn to take more photos.
• Seeing as this was half the distance of the Hilly Billy, I must learn about proper nutrition quickly. Otherwise I won't survive the Hilly Billy.
• Most dogs that chase you are just out for a good time. Some aren't though.
• Just because you're the only person on miles of road doesn't mean the locals will give you a wide berth as they pass.
• My wife is awesome.
• Good geometry is worth the time to figure out and a good saddle is worth the money.
• I'll be doing that again.

My Music @ Work

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
~ Berthold Auerbach

My everyday life is not so bad that I need to escape it, but I truly enjoy the places that music takes me so I engage it as often as I can. Music doesn't just help pass the time, it helps me reflect, brings memories back to life and can make most chores more enjoyable.

I have always wrestled with the tension between using headphones on my commute vs. the potential dangers it invites.  On the one hand I get my music while on the other it minimizes a critical commuting-sense.

Using one earbud instead of two isn't a bad option but I may have found an even better one.

I put my iPad in one of those thin nylon bags with the rope-y shoulder straps and turned it up as loud as possible.  The sound easily penetrated the thin fabric of the bag much better than it would have my normal commuting pack. On quiet streets this worked really well but on major roadways the music was easily drowned out.

It then occurred to me that I could get improved volume by putting my Jawbone Jambox into my bento-bag.  The Jambox speaker connects to the iPad via bluetooth, and I speculated that having the sound originate in front of me would result in better overall quality. 

While neither of these is a perfect solution to the earbud issue, I think I am on the right track. 

What about you?  Do you also like to ride with music?  How do you do it?
 

Riding in Ottawa - it's not 1983 anymore

I always felt secure on my bicycle while growing up in a quiet west-end community of Ottawa.  I no longer live in Ottawa but my parents do, and on my last visit I rented a Salsa Beargrease and toured about the city.
Some reactions were positive, others not so much.  Since I don't have any photos for this post I shall keep it brief.

The Negative: I got stared down by a guy driving a ParaTranspo Bus, I got honked at twice (not the just-a-friendly-toot-to-remind-you-that-there's-a-car-here kind, but the GET OFF THE ROAD kind), and there were at least two times that a car seemed to pass me intentionally close.

These kinds of things don't seem to happen in Hamilton.  I wonder why?  I wonder which is a more realistic expectation for a vehicular cyclist?

The Positive:  People all over were staring at me (the good kind, I think.  Remember, I was on a big, fat-tired bicycle), I heard "that is the coolest bike I have ever seen" from three different teenaged boys on school trips, I had two city workers approach me grinning ear to ear eager to have their questions answered about the bike, I had a truck pull up alongside me (while in motion) and the fellows in it (also grinning widely) give me the repeated thumbs-up.

I have to say, I felt special riding this thing. It was a real ego-boost. In other words, since I didn't actually get hit by a car, the positives well outweighed the negatives.  I'll do it again one day but for now I will put this "thread" to rest. Cheers.

Walking the Bear - my day with the Salsa Beargrease

Having rented such a wonderful bicycle for the day, I set out to fully enjoy it.  That meant some trail riding, but mostly it meant retracing the routes I commonly took growing up in Ottawa.

Although the paths of my youth would look much different covered in a foot of snow, and some 30 years later, they absolutely succeeded in resurrecting a lot of good memories.

Starting from the far east, the route traces back to itself counter-clockwise.  Turns out the route that took me four hours (including a couple of rests) was only 27km long - but it sure felt a lot longer than that.  I would equate the workout to doing 60km, full-out, on the road.

Are these streets half clean or half dirty?

I think you need to be an optimist if you choose to commute by bicycle.

After a few days of heavy snowfall I was finally able to safely get onto the streets of Hamilton by bicycle.  Here's what the bike lanes looked like.

They sort of disappear for a bit, then reappear a little further on.

Yet Another "Day of Rest"

There's no denying I love a snow day.  They really don't happen very often.  Can't get to work by car, bicycle or bus.

It bothers me that I haven't managed to get on my bike in days, and this didn't help.  Makes me feel like a fair-weather cyclist.  However, I plan to get in the home-shop and do some wrenching, and it's certainly a good day for that.

I haven't done any bike-centric posts recently,  but hopefully I'll get back to that as well.

A Weekend Retreat (without a bike)

Whisked away to the (even snowier) north this weekend for a retreat of sorts, and as always, on the lookout for signs of the year-round-cyclist. I can't prevent my thoughts from dwelling on the recurring fantasy of carving through the icing sugar forests whenever I am in an environment like this. 

I am sentenced to live vicariously through other's BLOGS - which although I appreciate very much - I hope only serve to satiate my yearning until I join the ranks of the fat-tire revolution.

An Ottawa dealership maintains that they cannot keep Pugsleys and Mukluks in stock because of the demand but I have yet to see any evidence of that this winter.

I did find this lonely and abandoned fellow outside the dining hall but given the condition of his rear brake lever I chose not to disturb his winter's sleep.

I certainly have no right to complain when I have this as my fall-back plan though.

Good cycling, everyone.

James Street North is Gentrifying

Stopped out front of Mixed Media today because I was on James North.  The whole street is really changing.  There are now several bakeries and coffee shops, and a few furniture stores with truly different and interesting items.  James Street is very enjoyable by foot with a coffee in hand!

The white poster up top caught my eye because it mentions bicycles.

I can see that whatever it is is $8 at the door but the poster is certainly wanting!  What the heck is it advertising? Maybe its bicycles made out of ivory.  A frame building class perhaps? Now wouldn't that be something (Illegal!).  We'd have carbon, titanium, steel, aluminum, bamboo and now ivory.

Save the narwhal! Ban ivory bicycles!

Haunted House for Sale

Always looked like something out of the movie "Coraline" to me.  But frankly, I think its a cool looking place too.  32 acres backing onto the Niagara Escarpment, and from there a million dollar view of Lake Ontario.  I'd love to buy this land and build a cabin off the grid but unless the price is lowered by several hundred thousand...

I am quite sure the large home and property are abandoned but I still didn't have the nerve to walk any further up the road.  It just felt like trespassing.  Maybe next time.

Ridge Road is a great ride.  There are lots of homes and properties that tell similar stories and I often stop in front of them and wonder.

If you are interested give Remax agent, Barbara Beers a call :)

Things I Like: Magazines

The reason I like magazines is because you get such a diversity of information.  Plus there are always pictures - nice and glossy.

I like books too, very much in fact.  I have found it difficult to find good books on cycling.  Yes, there are several, but I find that there are also a lot that appear as though they would be good and are not.  I'll do a top 5 and bottom 5 of my personal recommendation on that before too long. But I digress.

Magazines are better around water, like at the beach or in a canoe, or maybe camping.  If books get wet and dirty they can be tough to read, whereas magazines seem more resilient.  Magazines sit open whereas books "snap" shut all the time.

As far as the discipline of cycling goes, I have two examples below.  Nothing groundbreaking here, I'm sure you've all heard of these two.

I like Urban Velo because it has a significant part in each issue dedicated to the regular "joe" answering the question why he/she enjoys cycling in the city.  It is also available online for free.  You don't actually have to subscribe, although I'm sure they'd like you to.

They have very interesting articles even though some diverge into hipster-type stuff that's a little to contemporary of a scene for me.

Pretty sure that Bicycle Times is well established now.  There's usually one or two articles that I'm not interested in but I will devour the rest, every time.

Neither of these has much, if anything, to say about carbon fiber, and none of the issues are ever "buyers guides" (those are so useless in my opinion).

I also enjoy Momentum from time to time but it seems to cater more to women and the chic movement.

Finally, there is a magazine out of Toronto that looks very intriguing but I'm at a loss to find it in my bookmarks right now. 

If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.  Particularly if they are available online.

~ Wilson