Errands Day

It was a nice day out, so after lazing around most of the morning, Kathleen and I went out to do some errands.   We took the city bikes down to Red Star for brunch, then over to the Whole Foods and did the shopping.  Then back to the house, no pics from that part (forgot my camera).   Then it was time to install Kathleen's gift on her new bike.   Road cyclists are pretty OCD, and the stem that was on the bike did not match the Ritchey Seatpost or headset, plus it had a natural aluminum front part so it really stood out on her otherwise all black & red bike.  So for Christmas I got her a Ritchey carbon fiber stem to match the rest of the bike's finishing kit.   Here it is on the bike, about the time we discovered that because it's a little taller, we would need a different set of spacers to make it all work.

So we hopped on the city bikes again, and in a desperate race against the sunset, we schlepped around the Inner Harbor to Race Pace in Federal Hill to get the appropriate spacers.   Here's Kathleen as we rolled through Little Italy on the way over.

We were successful at the shop, and made it back by sunset (stupid winter).   Then it was re-assemble the bike time, here is the finished product.

It's supposed to be reasonably nice tomorrow, so we are hoping to get a ride in.

Suprise! It's Spring

Well, after several weeks of sub freezing temperatures, a little snow, and generally winter-like conditions, today ended up being a beautiful day.  High 60's and sunny, so Kathleen and I went out for a ride.  We went up to Druid Lake park, did a lap around the lake, then back through Johns Hopkins and over to Lake Montebello.  The lake was hopping lots of people out using the Parcourse equipment, and other cyclists.   There were also a bunch of geese hanging out, I think that they are pretty much here for the winter.

 
On our way out of the park, Kathleen pointed out the wreath, all done in Baltimore Ravens colors.

We ended up doing 21 miles, and it was gorgeous, tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same, so hopefully I will get out again.   I need to get back in the swing, 2 months between rides is tooooo long.

Baltimore Marathon

Today was the Baltimore Running Festival, and Kathleen was doing the half marathon.   So I got up in a timely fashion (they weren't starting until 9:45AM), and rode down to spectate.   I waited at President Street and a few minutes later the runners appeared.  With the first group Kathleen appeared.

And that was the last time I saw here until she got home.   I rode over to Baltimore & Linwood to wait for her, and apparently totally missed her, she said she called out and everything.   This is right where the half marathon group meets the full marathon group, so there were a ton of people coming through.  I did however spot this couple in tutus.

After a while I realized I had missed her, so since I had no idea how much further ahead she was, I decided to head over to the finish area to scope it out.   Since the Boston Marathon, the police are much more paranoid, so I couldn't get super close, but I found a spot to watch for her at the finish.  I usually figure she is going about 9 minute miles, so I made a note of when I needed to be back and headed out to noodle around and kill time.

Right behind the stadium is this bit of graffitti on the skylight of a warehouse building, I am totally curious what MEAR! means.

I rode over to Carroll Park from there, and heard a very steam train sounding whistle from the direction of the B & O Railroad Museum.   So from my previous encounter with the steam trains I knew the line they run them on runs behind Carroll Park, so I kind of triangulated where it would be by the smoke and steam rising from behind the treeline.   I found a platform that must have been built for them, and sure enough, here comes the train.

Complete with nattily dressed conductor.

Here's the engine going by the platform, since they don't have a way to turn around, it runs backwards out, and forwards back to the museum.

And off they went.

I noodled around Carroll Park and the golf course for a little bit, then headed back to the stadium to catch Kathleen at the finish.  At 2:20 clock time I gave up, and headed home, the finish area was a total cluster to get into, to try and find her.   So I pedaled back to the house and got my act together, sold the old exhaust off the Subaru.  Kathleen turned up, she had a pretty terrible race, some sort of weird knee pain?   So we went and drowned our sorrows at the Red Star for lunch.

Out to the Airport

It was a beautiful day to day, hot for early October.   Kathleen did the Seagull century yesterday for her birthday, and we had a nice meal at the Fork and Wrench last night when she got back.   Today was homework for her, so I got off my duff and and went out for a ride.   I headed towards the Inner Harbor, when I got to President Street, suddenly there was no traffic (roads closed) and this was sitting there.

Asked the police officer what was going on, it turns out it was the reviewing stand for the Columbus Day parade.   Sure enough when I got over to Federal Hill, there was the parade queuing up.

I slogged it out to BWI, and headed around the bike path there.   It's pretty cool, you end up passing right under the landing pattern.

And at the same time very pleasant and peaceful.

After a lap of the airport it was time to head home.  On my way back I passed the Robnet warehouse, they are nuts and bolts provider, as one might guess from their building.

Then it was back to the house for a shower and some home maintenance tasks before dinner.

New bike for Kathleen

Kathleen got a new bike last night, it's a Scott Foil 20, which is a pretty smokin' race bike.   She has wanted one for a long time, and through a bit of luck in when I stopped by Race Pace for Sport Beans, she was able to get this one for a screamin' deal.  So here it is.

Pretty racy.   So this morning we got up early and went out for a ride.   It was a gorgeous morning, here is the sun rising over Lake Montebello.

And Kathleen obviously enjoying her new ride.

On the way home we ended up passing by City Hall, the fountains caught my eye initially, but it is a beautiful building.

Then it was off to work.

Commute Day

Today was a commute day, I am getting soft :)   So I left this morning under leaden skies, and sure enough, about half way to work it started raining.  I toughed it out and rode in, I had taken the Gwynns Falls Trail so most of it has tree cover.   Did my work thing, then at 6:00PM blew on out of there for home.   I stopped on the side of the trail for a beauty shot, it really turned into a gorgeous day.

Continuing down, when I hit Wilkens, the road was closed.   So I did what I normally do, which is to assume that they can't possibly mean me, and continued past the barriers.   This is what is on the other side.   Looks like some pretty serious bridge work.

And from the other side without the solar flare :).

A little further and it was time to walk the bike.

But it's not all bad, it appears that they have built a brand new bike/people bridge that just opened.

Armed with this exciting news, I meandered on down the road, here is the blockage from the other side.

Then it was back down the trail towards home.   I liked this shadow going through Federal Hill, so I am sharing it with you.

On my way through the Inner Harbor, I stopped and ordered a sandwich from Fleet Street Market (Kathleen has class late tonight), and headed home for dinner.

Fall, maybe.

It was a very fall-like day today.  Temps in the mid 70's and low humidity and gorgeous sunshine.  Of course next week it's supposed to be back in the 80's.   At any rate, this morning Kathleen & I went to the Farmers Market on the city bikes, then back to the house, then down to Red Star for breakfast, then back to the house.  At that point, Kathleen headed out to her studio to do homework for school, and I took the city bike all the way around the Inner Harbor to Pet Valu in Federal Hill to get food for the cat.   So I racked up about 12 miles on the city bike before 1PM including schlepping some shopping stuff.
Then I went out on the road bike for the first time in a long time, too long in fact, I have been doing lots of running around on the city bike in the interim, but it's not the same.  I decided that I would pay for my laziness by doing something strenuous, not a wimpy round the Inner Harbor and out to Fort McHenry flat ride.   So I headed up to Lake Montebello, then did a lap there while I decided what to do next.   I decided it would be up Harford Road, I either have never done this, or it was long enough ago that I don't remember it.   So up I went, a little ways up Harford there was a little park, and in the middle this monument.

The inscription says Chris Columbus (no I am not making that up).   A little further up Harford was this groovy street art in the middle of an intersection.

And just up the block these awesome bike racks.

But then it was time to leave Harford Road, I turned onto Putty Mill Road and spotted this.   I have never seen anything like it, somebody cut about 5' or more out of that van.   By it's position on the driveway, I suspect it hasn't run for a while, but still not something you see every day.

After that I followed Putty Mill into Towson, then suffered through Ruxton and back down Falls Road into town for almost 31 miles.   Jumped through the shower then rode the city bike down to the Fleet Street Market and picked up sandwiches for dinner, so added another 1.5 or so to the day.

A quickie

For Labor Day I basically achieved nothing.   I got up late, and while Kathleen and her mother went out and did stuff, I sat around on my butt.  But finally I got my act together and went out for a ride.   Being a genius, I managed to go out at the scorching part of the afternoon, so in 11.5 miles I about sweated a whole me off.   But it was sunny and nice, the park looked especially nice in the afternoon sun.

After that it was mostly industrial areas until I got back.   Not so scenic but still felt good to get out.

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.

A nice afternoon

Kathleen and I went out for a brief ride this afternoon, a quick spin up to Druid Lake and back.  It was a gorgeous day, not particularly humid, and fluffy clouds all over the sky.

We came back around the Clipper Mill on the other side of Druid Lake Park, and I spotted this windmill.

Just around the corner in the complex was this as well, it's suspended by the old mill crane arrangement.

Then it was back to the house to get cleaned up.   It was dinner and a movie night for us, we have both been super busy, so it was good to get out and enjoy ourselves for the evening, I shot this with the phone at dinner at Tapas Teatro.

Awesome dinner, and very appropo as the Vuelta A Espana starts today (I think).  It's right next door to the Charles Theater so we went to see In A World which was hysterical.

Monday Morning Murals

In an effort to get back into some sort of regular riding pattern, I got up reasonably early and went out for a ride this morning.   Just a quick buzz around Highlandtown (the other side of the park) and back.   At the Creative Alliance at the Patterson I spotted this mural.

And right across the street from there, this one.

A little further into Highlandtown this mural was quite the sight.

Then it was back to the house to get ready for work.

Catching Up

It's been a crazy month, lots of work stuff going on.   I spent two weekends in Newport, Rhode Island for the Folk then Jazz Festivals there.   Gorgeous location, we were at Fort Adams State Park.   Our stage was the Fort (Main) Stage, and we had a ton of great acts across the stage each weekend.   So this was the view from the stage.

And this was the audience's view of our stage, we are right in the crook of the fort there.

But last weekend Kathleen and I got out for a ride out to North Point State Park, nothing too exciting but I did get a good shot of Kathleen as we rode out of the park.

Today Kathleen was off at Luray doing the bike leg of the Triathlon there as part of a relay team.  I went out for a spin this afternoon.   It must have been a special occasion, there was a block party around the corner on Chester.

I went around the Inner Harbor to Federal Hill and out to Fort McHenry.  Coming back I cut through Locust Point, and spotted a couple of fire trucks, but none of the activity you would expect if there was a fire.

But it wasn't a fire, it was another block party.  It really was a great day for it, today was very late September like, mild temps and low humidity.

Coming back I passed back through the Inner Harbor, and they are getting ready for the Grand Prix that is coming up Labor Day weekend.

Then it was back to the house to get cleaned up, Kathleen got home and we had some lounging around time and mexican food.