Bike racks and skills clinic

Today, finally, with all the legwork, approvals, estimates, research, etc... the boss approved the funds for the purchase of a bike rack for our office. Powder-coated orange and with our logo! I can't wait to see it when it's installed.

I headed out after work to the Wheel Mill for Karen Brooks' women's bike clinic. On the way past PNC Park (I took this route to avoid the militant "Walk Your Bike!" stance at Point State park for the Regatta) and noticed that the Pirates have installed the racks they promised me. I tweeted my joy and gratitude over them.

I was Karen's only pupil, so I got much attention.  She had me doing obstacles, bike/body separation,  curbs, bunny hops (I'm not very good at those) and I had an amazing breakthrough when she taught me how to "steer with your chin". Wow, I was able to corner so much more tightly and remain balanced when I employed this simple technique. An awesome hour. Well worth riding in sweltering heat in a questionable neighborhood.

Bike-friendly and Not-so-bike-friendly

Wanting to patronize bike friendly businesses, I stopped at Mitchell's at the Waterfront. I locked up at the water cooler and went in for a bite and a drink. I decided to stay in the bar as my attire probably didn't meet a dress code standard. My bartender was awesome, friendly and said all the right things... like 'atta girl' when I ordered a whiskey and 'you earned it' when he brought the mussels and bread with butter.
*drool* buuutterrr...

He noted my helmet asked where I rode from. He must ask that a great deal. He asked if I'd seen the water station outside and I said "Why yes, we love it! It's wonderful!"
He proceeded to tell me a story... frequently, the water isn't ready until after 10AM when the staff rolls in. One morning a grumpy cyclist was out at the cooler asking where the water was.





Front view:



Rear view:
http://youtu.be/qZ5ERXNo18Y?t=8m1s

PittsburghLand and Serenity on a Bike

I set out early and was on my way for a day without any agenda. I was just riding aimlessly.

A domestic goose has taken up with the Canada geese.

Bathrooms still closed at the Millvale trailhead. Booo.

Stopped for air at BikePGH!

In Lawrenceville, I stopped at LaGourmandine. I love that place. I got a raspberry tart and an apricot croissant to snack on throughout the day.

Rode up through Allegheny Cemetery and admired the shark headstone again.

 I thought it would be a good idea to find out where the WheelMill is because I want to take the Fundamentals of City Cycling class with Karen Brooks sometime soon.

Dodged potholes and other interesting things in the road.

I stumbled on the Cheryls at Friendship and Negley!

I found Serenity on my bike.

In addition to Serenity, I also eventually found The WheelMill after getting lost in East Liberty a few times. Not really a big deal, this is how I learn routes, getting slightly off track and re-orienting myself.

Am I going the right way?

Had lunch at Amazing Cafe: miso soup and a clean-green juice

I headed out to the Waterfront, used the facilities and got some cold Mitchell's water. On the way back, I ran into Marko who was meeting Yale to ride around aimlessly too! Wow, 3 people aimlessly wandering meet up and wander aimlessly together!

Marko clued me into a Tag-O-Rama tag and we all claimed a group tag!

Yale threw out some ideas of places to ride to and when he mentioned RandyLand, I got excited, I'd heard about it, but hadn't yet trekked over there. Yale took us on a tour of the North Side Millionaire's Row and the place of the Immaculate Reception.

Then, we hit RandyLand. Wow.

I need to return and deposit one of my negative thoughts

He also took us by a new Little Free Library and the owner just happened to pull up as we were admiring it. Excellent guy.

I was promised to Hubby for dinner and they were kind enough to keep me company on my way there, I offered to treat them both to dinner, Marko had to depart (but not before trying to entice my spouse into a life of cycling), but Yale took me up on the offer and the three of us had an Indian buffet dinner in Oakland. Yale noted how many bikes were locked up outside the restaurant.  We had no room to lock up and were forced to hitch our steeds across the street. It's a cyclist hotspot.
Hubby departed in the car and then the skies opened up on the way back to base, which Yale escorted me back to. I had to don the raincape.

A great day, 55.3 miles.

Soldier Ride and Critical Mass in the South Hills

I passed by the Duquesne Incline's parking lot on my morning ride to see preparations for this year's Soldier Ride.

Here's some info I found on last year's ride: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/06/28/vets-take-solider-ride-with-wounded-warrior-project/

 Critical Mass Ride

I set out after work to attend my first CM ride. I had time to grab a bite at Conflict Kitchen. My choice was rather ironic as we were about to be verbally accosted.

 A group of 9 in total. We rode the foreboding hills of the South. Hills, Hills and more damned Hills. Aggressive drivers shouting obscenities at us reared their ugly heads too.

Some video of unkind drivers (12:12)
http://youtu.be/28MjRrwpAiM?t=12m12s

The hills, wow. They whooped my ass.  The downhill was awesome though.

Fastest speed recorded, ever.

 I managed to shave a whole 23 seconds off my 18th Street climb. I also did much better on Polish Hill.

Over the hill(s)

Started the day with some Juneberry picking at the convention center and a ride through the Point where Regatta preparations are being made with the Sandsculpture:




Picked up lunch at Sree's and saw the Party Pedaler roll by:

Front view

Rear view

Later, after work, I opted for the Phat Tuesday Thick Bikes ride. Again, I was the oldest and most out-of-shape attendee.

Waiting...

Here's a few shots of the few times that the group was behind me, the majority of the time they were ahead which caused me to haul ass a bit faster than I normally would on my own. The kids gave me a workout again. I was curious enough about Adam's Laser Cats jersey that I googled it and found that it's a SNL skit. That's a show I rarely stay up to watch anymore because, well... I'm old. I should watch a bit of Laser Cats on YouTube, I would probably enjoy it.

Half the group took the roads through the Waterfront

Being old, I have a curfew and had to turn around and ditch the group after the Waterfront.

I picked some raspberries on the way back.

Hmm, riding with a younger, fitter crowd earned me a nice Personal Best!

Hobbled and the crutch of cycling.

I'd been off the bike for several days traveling by car to see family. Seeing some of them debilitated by age and infirm, seeing them in pain and learning that half the family refused to show up to the event due due to minor squabbles in our dysfunctional family saddened me. It was good to see relatives I'd not seen in years and speak with them despite these issues.

I like to do two things as a passenger in a car. Sleep and read.

In the book I'm currently reading, a line jumped out at me as if the page's corner had been folded and the sentence highlighted:

"This hobble of being alive is rather serious, don’t you think so?"

I tallied my life's worries and regrets. For all the time I spend tormented by them, they were surprisingly commonplace in the grand scheme of Humanity's misery. I took note of the form my crutches took to combat the Hobble. Today the crutch takes the form of getting lost on the bike. I can temporarily erase a nagging negative thought or physical annoyance. It was physically and mentally relaxing and I found strength in it. It was my fourth day without a ride to bring me any serenity and long overdue.

Whiskey, wings and a belly full of mulberries

Last week, Marko reminded me on the Phat Tuesday ride while we were riding along the Eliza Furnace trail that there were lots of mulberry bushes. I hadn't picked wild mulberries since I was a kid tromping around the swamp that is known as Heinz Wildlife Refuge. This was the neighborhood kids' refuge too, it was a place adults wouldn't follow kids. It was ours. So many memories…. But I digress.

I had plenty of time this morning and rode out on the EFT and became ravenous. Seeing that the berry bushes were ripe, triggered by Marko's berry conversation and Vannevar's blogpost about #foragneuring, I stopped and had breakfast.
Free, organic mulberries! Life is good.

In the evening, I was free to ride after work. I headed over to the South Side and was pleased to find they've repaired the crumbling sections of the walkway at Station Square where cyclists are known to wipe out.

I dined at OTB where I succumbed to whiskey and seitan wings again. It's the only thing I've ever ordered there. Why can't I try something different?

Along the South Side trail I noted many more mulberry bushes. A cyclist coming in the opposite direction stopped in front of one as I approached and acted as if he was waiting for me to pass before he would start picking berries. I said "Go for it, they're delicious." He just smiled and reached for the branches.

Further down the trail, I too stopped and had a few berries of my own.

Made it out to the Waterfront, used the facilities at Barnes and Noble and reversed and snacked yet again.

 32 miles and I made it home just before a nasty line of thunderstorms made it's way through.