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This and that
A bunch of random bike-related stuff today. I rode through Catonsville again this morning, and tried out one of my route modifications I mentioned in my previous post, for avoiding the Mellor Ave. / Bloomsbury Ave. intersection. Coming down Mellor, I detoured right onto Montemar Ave., and followed that around to Bloomsbury. I then turned…
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Catonsville Route Tweak, Revisited
Unexpectedly summer-like weather for the ride in this morning. It wasn’t hot, but the humidity was out in full force, and I worked up a good sweat. A front is supposed to sweep through today and drop the temperatures. I brought a rain jacket because there’s a 50% chance of showers later, but now I’m…
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Improving Conditions
Conditions in Patapsco State Park continue to improve after last week’s monsoon. All of the mudslides have been cleared off the Grist Mill Trail, so I can now get through on my road bike without having to stop and walk through any mud. It’s still quite muddy, particularly on the River Rd. entrance on the…
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Sneezy
Wow, my hay fever is really kicking in. My allergies used to be worst during the first half of June. That seems to have changed over the past few years. They’re now OK in June and bad in September. I guess I’m getting less sensitive to grass and more sensitive to ragweed. Today I rode…
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Muddy Adventure
I’ll say one thing about the weather this year: There’s never been a dull day. An earthquake, followed by a hurricane, followed by what was likely a hundred-year storm this past Wednesday, courtesy of another tropical system. Massive flooding kept me off my bike Wednesday and Thursday (yesterday). The flooding didn’t start until around noon…
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Troptember
Once again we find ourselves in the month of September. September is one of those months that’s neither here nor there. It doesn’t really feel like summer any more, but it’s not autumn yet either. It’s still humid and muggy all the time, and I work up a good sweat every time I ride my…
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First Day of Classes
So today, I rode the upper Grist Mill Trail through Patapsco State Park, took River Rd. to Ellicott City, then rode up Oella Ave. and into Catonsville via the No. 9 Trolley Trail. No issues at all until I went to turn from Bloomsbury Ave. onto Asylum La. to cut through Spring Grove. Asylum was…
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Outfitting for Winter
Labor Day is less than a week away, summer is mostly behind us, and thoughts are turning towards the coming fall and winter. To avoid the rush, I’m getting my shopping done early for the cold-weather biking season. After a bit too much excitement with icy roads last winter, I took the plunge a few…
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That time of year
So, in the past week, central Maryland has weathered an earthquake and a hurricane. Now we get to weather the first week of fall classes at UMBC, which is always exciting, and almost never in a good way. We’ll see what this year has in store for us. Took my first post-Irene bike ride to…
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Humps
A few weeks ago, Westchester Ave., which runs between Ellicott City, MD, through the town of Oella, and ends in Catonsville, was re-paved. As recently as a month or so ago, I remember riding my bike up it and being kind of surprised that they hadn’t added speed humps, as they seem to be ubiquitous…