Two days in a row

I managed to get up and ride again this morning, and even combined it with work stuff.   I got up early-ish, and rode over to the Baltimore Museum of Industry where we were providing audio for the Inventor of the Year Award luncheon.   Met the guys there, got them going on a plan, then headed out to get some miles in before going home.   For a change of pace I rode up Charles Street, this is the original Washington Mounument in the Mount Vernon neighborhood looming ahead.

A little further along up Charles I spotted this mural across from the Charles Theater.

From there I made a big loop out of it through Charles Village and across to the Alemeda and back to the house to get on with my day.

Back to the AM

I am trying to get back in the habit of riding in the morning, it has been pretty difficult lately to do with work, but this morning I got my butt out of bed and got out for a ride.   A pretty flat spin around the Inner Harbor, here is the scene at the bottom of Chester Street.

Then around the Inner Harbor and over into Federal Hill where the bridge that they have been rebuilding is finally at least partially reopened. A little ways further up Fort Avenue from the bridge there was this in the middle of the road, no idea what it's for/from, but I thought it was pretty cool.

Then back home for another busy work day.

Komen Global Race for the Cure

It has been crazy busy with work the past few weeks, hence the lack of posts here.  But today was different, I provide the audio support for the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure in Washington DC, and since this year's site was stretched all over the mall due to construction, I took the mountain bike down to get around.  I really enjoy this event, it's a good cause and the participants all seem to have a great time.  The start line site was at the Washington Monument Grounds, here is the crude paste up panorama I did from the top of the hill that the monument sits on.  For reference that stretches about 1 city block from the stage (on the right of the picture) to the start line (on the left), or about 750' or so.

Here is the view from just beyond the walkers start line, that postage stamp sized object at the center is the stage.

This is Suzy running the show, she was my lead engineer for this site, and has been doing this for the past 3 years for me.

Once they got the runners started I headed over to the finish line at 4th & Independence Ave, where the announcers were waiting for the runners to start coming in, the fastest male did a 15:22 5K, the fastest female was about 2 minutes behind. The folks in the little booth to the left acknowledge the runners/walkers and groups coming in.

That was moving right along, so I headed over to the entertainment stage just past the finish and around the corner in the middle of the block on 3rd street where Colbie Dee was entertaining the participants, and they had the awards presentations from here as well.

Everything went really well, despite the utter deluge of rain the night before, thanks to plastic and tarps. When everything there was wrapping up I racked the bike on the car, and headed over to the Washington Hilton & Towers to visit my guys who were doing the Bark Ball for the Washington Humane Society. Not nearly as exciting, but still a good cause.

I met up with my client there, and we discussed some other upcoming projects before heading home to get a nap in.

Ahhhhhh

What a nice day out today, Kathleen is off getting ready for the Columbia Triathalon tomorrow, so I took the opportunity to install a new chain on my bike, and go out for a ride. It really couldn't have been nicer out, I rolled through Patterson Park where the fountain was looking glorious in the midday sun.

Over by the Pagoda, there was a wedding going on.

On the lower level of the park they were getting ready for the Bike Jam tomorrow, they use the lower loop (you can see it on my map) as the course.

Then I rolled out in the general direction of Dundalk, swinging through the Johns Hopkins Bayview complex, it looks like they are making some room for more new construction, it seems like the bulk of this campus has been built since we moved here.

Then an easy, breezy loop through Dundalk, and back to the house to get on with the day.

Ride to Work Day

Today was Ride To Work Day all across the country, so I decided there was no reason why I shouldn't do it to.  I convinced Brian Callaghan, who I work with, that he should join me so a little before 8:00AM I headed out of the garage and up to his house up off the Alameda. We headed towards the shop, here is Brian following me up the hills in Druid Lake Park.

A little further along, I spotted the remains of a tree, it says do not remove in spray paint on it.

We passed the Druid Hill Conservatory, looking resplendent in the morning sun.

The last little bit of the ride is the bomb down Gwynns Falls Parkway, here is Brian showing the speed.

Then a busy day at work, lots of stuff going on due to it being spring and all. 6:00PM rolled around and we headed back out towards the Inner Harbor and my house.  A nice ride down the Gwynns Falls Trail, then over to the Inner Harbor where there was a guest in port.  It's the John W Brown, one of the last remaining Liberty Ships tied up on the pier.

Also new (to me) is this statue of the late William Donald Schaefer, former Mayor of Baltimore, and Governor of Maryland, not to mention quite the character.

Then it was time to head off, Brian is leading the way on the newly redone bike path around the Inner Harbor. I have to say so far I am utterly dissapointed in this, it went from being very obviously a bike path to looking very much like the sidewalk, and it had to have cost a boatload of money.

Oh well, we successfully navigated that part, and headed to my house. Brian got some water before continuing on to the his house, so in the end we both did the same loop, but in different orders.

Gorgeous Sunday

Today was another gorgeous day, Kathleen went out to volunteer at the Pagoda in Patterson Park, so I was left to my own devices.  I opted to go out for a ride around the neighborhood.  I started by swinging by the park to say hello to Kathleen and company, they were hard at work weeding the flower beds for the spring.

Then I noodled around the Patterson Park neighborhood which I hadn't been through before. I saw this nice little park that somebody built.

A little further along this mural on the side of a rowhouse.

Then this mural near a church.

Then I headed up Guilford on the new bike path they are building, passing by this row of brightly painted rowhouses in the Charles Village area.

Eventually I ended up at Lake Montebello, where I put in a furious one lap chase to catch the Maglia Rosa, that this gal was wearing for her ride today.

I headed back to the house to get it together as my brother Eric was coming down to visit on a break from a business trip to NYC. We opted to go take in an O's game at Camden Yards.

Good times even though the O's lost. We headed over to the homestead (it's the first time he has been out here since we moved to Baltimore) then went down for a walk around the neighborhood and dinner at the Red Star.

Big Truck Day

Today was Big Truck Day at the Baltimore Museum of Industry in Federal Hill, I had seen the sign (one of those programmable highway signs don't you know) while over at Race Pace yesterday.   Kathleen went out and ran 13 miles this morning, so after she got back I got up and we went out for a ride to check it out.  We rode through the Inner Harbor, still a total train wreck as far as the bike path goes, but getting closer to completion.  I am not going to say better, because the area right at the pavillion is now done is brick similar to the rest of the pavillion, so I fear that people won't realize they are standing in/walking in to the bike path.  At any rate, we finally made it over to Federal Hill and big truck day was truly underway.

They had fire and police vehicles, a trash truck, the pothole all in one fixer truck, and a bunch of construction equipment as well.  Lots of families enjoying a gorgeous day on the harbor, and kids getting to check out the trucks.

It was requested to keep the ride fairly flat (no mean feat in Baltimore) so we went up the Gwynns Falls Trail to Leon Day Park, then up somewhat of a brutal hill to make a loop, then back down to where Baltimore crosses the trail again, heading back towards town. We came back into Carroll Park and the coed touch football league was in action.

Then we headed home for some lunch and errands, then catching up on the goings on in the Giro (don't tell me, we are still a day behind the race on the DVR).