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Riding in 2013 – Another warm winter so far
So it’s 2013, and I’m still riding. A lot has changed with my riding routine this year. For starters, I’m no longer recording ride stats in a spreadsheet. I am using RunKeeper instead, and it’s been a great time saver. I still plan to keep track of mileage for each of my bikes separately, though,…
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Rain and Routes
Today was another one of those mornings where the weather radar failed me. Usually, weather radar is a valuable ride-planning tool. Today, although rain was predicted for most of the day, things looked fairly dry for my morning ride. As soon as I got on the road, though, the rain picked up, and it rained…
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New Month, New Routes
I rode 16 times in May 2012. We’re now into June. After an exceptionally warm winter and early spring, June has started off with a spell of cool weather. I’ve actually ridden with long sleeves on two mornings this week, which is almost unheard of in June. It’s not ideal weather for enjoying our newly-replastered…
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Bike Commuting from UMBC to West Catonsville
Once every year or so, I have occasion to bike commute from UMBC to the western part of Catonsville, MD, during afternoon rush hour. I’m still trying to find a route I like, that doesn’t require dealing with really heavy traffic. The first time I did this, I took this route: Exit UMBC via Hilltop…
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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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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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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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Catonsville Route Tweak
Today was my last day at the office, and my last bike commute, until November 15. Lest I go into serious withdrawal, I’m going to try to work a couple of recreational rides in over the next couple of weeks. Come the 15th, my afternoon rides will be in the dark again, so I’ll need…
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Rite of Passage
School has started, both at UMBC and in the surrounding counties. That means more traffic to deal with, particularly during my morning rides. The first week is always the worst, after which things start to improve as people fall into a routine. I’m not crazy about this time of year, but it does have one…
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Final Summer Fling
It’s the last week of summer vacation for Howard and Baltimore counties, with students returning to school on Monday 8/30. That means this is the last week I get to enjoy relatively light traffic on my morning rides, before the roads get clogged with buses and other school traffic. This week I’m enjoying a few…