All about bicycles

Third ride this weekend was 30km lazy cruise around North Surrey. I had to go to the pharmacy for a small item and from there the random direction generator said NORTH young (old?) man!
Anyway, this weekend was 89kms across 3 rides, less than some of you do in a single ride...

First stop was in Bridgeview where the Patullo bridge replacement project is coming along...



First set of towers can be seen on the right...



Just around the corner is an ancient "dive bar" called The Turf...



OK OK!!! I refuse to dump... OK?
Yeesh... do I have to sign something?



Under the elevated SkyTrain tracks...



Don't see this kind of wide bike path often around these parts...



This area is... um... kind of... erm... sketchy let's say... There are a few nice buildings though...







Found a park with some Hip-hop music being blasted... not too bad... People had put up stands relating to a "Cannabis Substitution Project". Did not stop to ask any questions. Probably should have...





Tripped over my usual greenway and headed home...

 
Third ride this weekend was 30km lazy cruise around North Surrey. I had to go to the pharmacy for a small item and from there the random direction generator said NORTH young (old?) man!
Anyway, this weekend was 89kms across 3 rides, less than some of you do in a single ride...

First stop was in Bridgeview where the Patullo bridge replacement project is coming along...



First set of towers can be seen on the right...



Just around the corner is an ancient "dive bar" called The Turf...



OK OK!!! I refuse to dump... OK?
Yeesh... do I have to sign something?



Under the elevated SkyTrain tracks...



Don't see this kind of wide bike path often around these parts...



This area is... um... kind of... erm... sketchy let's say... There are a few nice buildings though...







Found a park with some Hip-hop music being blasted... not too bad... People had put up stands relating to a "Cannabis Substitution Project". Did not stop to ask any questions. Probably should have...





Tripped over my usual greenway and headed home...

Thanks for taking us along for the ride Dave! I actually got some exercise today, chainsaw work around the yard!! I like exercising via your posts better!!!
 
I should add that approximately 10 blocks from home I was stopped at a red light. I pressed the button to cross the road.
About 30 seconds later my light turned green.
As I started off I saw to my left a car doing 50kph or more heading into the intersection!
Had I blindly/foolishly not checked my 9 and 3 o'clock I would have been PLASTERED all over the road by an idiot running the red light!
My reaction was... um... er... NSFW indeed.
A nice young lady walking her dog heard what I said and I immediately apologized for my guttural language. Her response was "I don't blame you!"
Moral of the story of course is NEVER TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED.:mad:
 
I should add that approximately 10 blocks from home I was stopped at a red light. I pressed the button to cross the road.
About 30 seconds later my light turned green.
As I started off I saw to my left a car doing 50kph or more heading into the intersection!
Had I blindly/foolishly not checked my 9 and 3 o'clock I would have been PLASTERED all over the road by an idiot running the red light!
My reaction was... um... er... NSFW indeed.
A nice young lady walking her dog heard what I said and I immediately apologized for my guttural language. Her response was "I don't blame you!"
Moral of the story of course is NEVER TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED.:mad:

My pops-in-law always says treat other road users like they’re loonies (especially cyclists) ;)

Great share as always D
 
I should add that approximately 10 blocks from home I was stopped at a red light. I pressed the button to cross the road.
About 30 seconds later my light turned green.
As I started off I saw to my left a car doing 50kph or more heading into the intersection!
Had I blindly/foolishly not checked my 9 and 3 o'clock I would have been PLASTERED all over the road by an idiot running the red light!
My reaction was... um... er... NSFW indeed.
A nice young lady walking her dog heard what I said and I immediately apologized for my guttural language. Her response was "I don't blame you!"
Moral of the story of course is NEVER TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED.:mad:
Always take rocks with you Dave. ALWAYS take rocks!
 
Ride today was 47km on the flats again. Higher effort on my part resulted in another "fastest 40km" mostly on pavement.
Not a lot of stops for pics, but some...

Here's a loon... no, not me... the bird on the log!



Some haze off in the distance, but not too bad where I am...







A huge hothouse growing operation. Looks like tomato plants inside...



What the... ??? Seen at Mud Bay...



Had to stop for water at 37kms...



Fastest 40km came at 1hr 37.5mins...





 
Wow I feel better, thanks for the exercise! I really like that last shot of your bike, it is a bike ad waiting to happen. After looking at it for a bit though, it almost has that "miniaturization" quality. Not sure why, but looks like tiny diorama of the scene. Thanks for sharing!!!
Good eye mate, I like how that pic turned out too.
That said, look at the rear tire, brake disc etc. Looks a bit fuzzy no?
Then look at the pic of the hothouse. It is oddly fuzzed out on the right as well.
Just cleaned the lenses, and going to check the camera settings...
 
Good eye mate, I like how that pic turned out too.
That said, look at the rear tire, brake disc etc. Looks a bit fuzzy no?
Then look at the pic of the hothouse. It is oddly fuzzed out on the right as well.
Just cleaned the lenses, and going to check the camera settings...
Considering that it does not appear on the other pix in that spot, I would say unlikely it is lens smudge related. It is in about the same spot though, and I had seen on your rack pack, how fuzzy it was when i was looking at that pic. Anyway, digital anomalies are not uncommon. My neighbor (who has been out of town for the past 8 months helping her son deal with a nasty divorce) came over the day after she got home and tried to get me to help her with pix of UFO's she had on her phone. After she showed them to me, I tried to explain to her how digital camera algorithms work, but she was not having it! She claims these UFO's come around every night and hover over her and my house. I told her to get photos of them with a film camera and I will help her get the word out ;~)) Hope you can resolve your camera issue, what model phone are you shooting those with?
 
I have accomplished many things. I have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

But I have been bested by a Continental Crossking tubeless ready clincher tire (even though I use tubes) and my fancy new rim.

Bike shop mechanics who regularly change these things must have Wes-Montgomery-strength thumbs.
 
Yesterday I had my first good challenge in several months. A bike shop put on an adventure ride called "Hell of the Swamp" about 90 minutes north of me. A 61-mile loop of mostly rough stuff through the Withlacoochie State Forest and Green Swamp. This is a large and very isolated chunk of land west of Orlando and a key part of the state's ecology as it serves as headwaters for a few major rivers. Water also filters through the soil here into the Floridan Aquifer, which is our state's main freshwater source. As such, the state takes care to make sure it stays undeveloped.

You are very much on your own out there with virtually zero resources available, and you can get into great peril if you're not prepared. We don't have elevation, but we have mud, sand, waist-high grass, waist-deep water, thick forest, and bugs. And don't forget the heat; I registered a lovely 64 degrees in the shade of the forest at the start, but I recorded 93 degrees out in the open in the afternoon.


Some roads are innocent enough...

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Others devolve into sand. Or they just turn into forest. Somewhat unbelievably there were truck-worn tracks to follow for the vast majority of the route.

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Some paths have unavoidable ankle-deep puddles. Some turn into this...

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I think this pic of the bike post ride says a lot about the day. :D

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