Sunday, September 1, 2013

Night ride around the racetrack

It's Grand Prix weekend here in Baltimore, and Kathleen is off in NY meeting her mom, so I took the opportunity to get out for a ride.   It was hot and muggy here today, and it didn't get much less hot and muggy at 10:30 when I left.  I headed down to the Inner Harbor and kind of noodled around the outside of the course, most of the bike path that leads over to Federal Hill has bleachers on it.  Here I had to cut around on the Promenade, busy even at night, there are lots of bars and restaurants in the two pavillions.


Eventually I crossed over Pratt (the front straight), a this point, they had the barriers open to let cars across from Federal Hill to Downtown.   I noticed that the security wasn't really paying attention, so I took off down Pratt towards the first turn at Light Street.


Here is the exit of the first turn, the Light Street Pavillion is on the left, and my pedestrian bridge is just ahead.  But it was all for naught, there was a Baltimore Police officer in the street just around the corner, and he gave me the toss :(.


So I rode over to Federal Hill and caught this view of the Inner Harbor, another use your imagination panorama going on here.



Then I rode over to the stadium complex, they are using the parking lots as paddocks for the race teams.  I crossed over the track at Eutaw, and since nobody seemed to care, I got back out on course, this is the lead up to turn 9, the camera wasn't to thrilled with my stability, hence the blur.


This is the entrance to turn 10.


Then I was busted again at the turn that leads back onto Pratt Street, they sent me a little ways down Pratt to here, and I exited again, so I managed to ride about 1/3 of the track.  Weird riding around on streets that are normally packed with cars and there was nobody there.


Then it was back to the house for a shower.

No comments:

Post a Comment