Brian Commutes by Bike

Sloss Sunrise

2009-09-22T05:10:00.001-05:00

I never posted this back when I took this, so in honor of my blog not being totally dead, here it is. Just like the rainbow below, this is from a few weeks ago, and I just came across it when dumping stuff off my camera. It's totally dark on my rides in these days. I have my one blinky light, but I need to get a headlight for the front of my bike. I wear the blinky on my bag. I may get a second blinky for my seatpost as well. I had a big ole hoopty blast past me yesterday in the dark on first avenue and it made me really want to be more visable. Hasta proxima.

Rainbow

2009-09-07T05:07:00.000-05:00

I forgot about the big rainbow until I came accross the photo on my camera. It was a couple of weeks ago. I rode home in the rain and saw this rainbow. I was really wanting to get a picture, but was nervous about taking my camera out in the rain. Finally the rain eased up just as I crossed the railroad tracks, where I had a nice vantage for taking the shot.

Shoes

2009-09-02T15:54:00.000-05:00

Shoes on 7th Avenue.

Posts seem to be coming far and few between these days. I find myself posting in clumps. As of Monday, my bike is out of commission. I've been having some derailleur problems which are annoying but not too disruptive. More recently I've realized that I really need to get my bike a full tune up - wheels trued, breaks adjusted, derailleur problem fixed, etc.. Then Monday I had a flat downtown. After I fixed it and got to work, I saw a little bulge on the sidewall of my tire, and realized that my tire is shot. These tires have been great, but they seem to be a bit small for the rims, and they are a real pain in the ass to get on in off, so I decided it's time to move on to something else. It started to sound like I was going to have to spend a fair amount of money to get my bike up and running again. Which led me to the idea that maybe it's time for a new bike. Of course, this has led to the world of options that are available. I don't need or want another mountain bike. I don't do any real long distance or racing rides. I do want something that has a little get up and go. So, I'm thinking about getting my first fixed gear. With brakes. I've thought about trying to build my own, but now I'm at the point where I need a bike, so I'm looking at just plunking down on a cheap entry level bike. Or who knows, I'm pretty indecisive.

Frances

2009-08-17T15:48:00.000-05:00

Lucy and I recently purchased this 1975 Scotty Gaucho. We've been spending a lot of time renovating the inside. I suppose I can tie this into bike riding by saying that in all likelihood, we will end up taking the camper somewhere to go bike riding. In the meantime it's just our new baby.

A-Hole

2009-08-07T08:41:00.001-05:00

Some A- hole has stolen all the storm drain grates from around my neighborhood leaving A-Gaping-Hole everywhere they used to sit. This person deserves something horrible. When I leave the house it's still dark. If I didn't know these holes were there, it wouldn't be to hard to end up in one. The city has since come around and placed concrete slabs over them. If you are on a bike, and you hit one of these slabs, the end result would be about the same - face meets pavement.

What an A-Hole

Running late

2009-08-06T10:25:00.003-05:00

Running late has it's silver lining. I saw a beautiful sunrise while riding over the 21st street bridge. The photo is actually looking away from the sun. I liked the way the sun was lighting up the old smokestack as well as the tops of the inside of the train cars. I meant to work on it to bring those colors out some more. In the end, like so many other things, I just said screw it. It is what it is. I was really running behind, so I didn't have time to get my full run in. I just had a quick trot around downtown to have a look at where Charm is opening on 2nd avenue across from Urban Standard, where I will be displaying at artwalk (2421 2nd Avenue), and a quick investigation of the giant bees nest is at the Recycling center (it's gone).

Hasta pronto.

This is not an abandoned house

2009-08-05T15:14:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it's a been a month since I've posted. However, I am still riding and taking photos along the way. It's actually, unbelievably, been a glorious few weeks of weather for riding. Mostly highs in the 80s. Just the last few days have gotten back up into the 90s, and honestly, that's just not that bad. I've started a new schedule which might be why I've been slacking here (again). Usually my biking to work replaces my running or vice versa. For a while I would drive downtown and run then drive home, shower, and ride to work. That always seems really ridiculous. So, I signed up for a locker at the downtown YMCA for $11. Along with being able to store stuff there, they wash your running (or workout or whatever) clothes every day and put them in your locker. I usually throw in some undies and socks for good measure. It's a really good deal. Guaranteed clean running clothes (and undies) every day, I'm not driving back and forth to downtown, I'm getting a little extra riding in, my ride to Lucy's Coffee and Tea is only a mile from the Y and then a Mile from there to work, I get to turn my AC off at home a lot earlier and I'm showering at the Y so I figure I'm saving on hot water as well. It's really nice to putt putt the mile to Lucy's and then to work, arriving still fresh, rather than the 4 or so to Lucy's and then to work, which was just enough to leave me good and sweaty on a hot day.

Hasta la Proxima

Birmingham Police

2009-07-08T08:57:00.006-05:00

Here's a quick commuting to work story from this morning. I was traveling down 22nd street from downtown Birmingham to Southside at about 7:45 this morning, on my way to Lucy's Coffee & Tea. For those unfamiliar, 22nd street is a three lane one way street that is generally very busy during rush hours. I stopped at a red light and a giant Cadillac pulled up behind me, right behind me. After a few seconds he started honking his horn. I turned to look at him and he started making hand motions saying he wanted to make a right on red. I gave him a hand motion back showing him that I was going straight, and turned back around. He honked a few more times and then tried to go around me. At that point a Birmingham Police car pulled up and gave a "wew-wew." The officer in the passenger side leaned out the window and yelled at the guy in the Caddy "Hey, he has as much right to the road as you do, and he does NOT have to make a right on red." At that point I faced forward again, the light changed, and I went on my way. I turned a few seconds later to give the officer a "Hey thanks" but he had turned off.

As a disclaimer I need to say that I am all about sharing the street with cars and getting out of their way when possible. I don't deliberately try to slow cars down or get too high and mighty about my place on the road. I drive a car too. This particular stretch of 22nd street is what I call a "shit or get off the pot" stretch of road. You either jump in traffic and stick with it, or you are relegated to the sidewalk or another street. If I were to get off to the side of the road to let this guy make his right on red, then when traffic starts moving 40 MPH, I'm stuck on the sidewalk or the side of the road waiting for the light again. In other words it would have inconvenienced me more to get out of his way then it did him to wait 30 seconds behind me for the light. Were it the other way around, I would have gladly gotten out of his way. Not to mention it looked like it was about to rain and I wanted to get to Lucy's.

Thank You to the Birmingham Police.

Cape Cod Rail Trail

2009-07-07T16:21:00.003-05:00

Lucy and I spent last week on Cape Cod visiting my parents. We spent one day riding up the cape cod rail trail. We rented bikes from Orleans Cycle - very nice people. Our ride was from Orleans to Welfleet. The trail actually ends before Welfleet, but we continued on for 3 or 4 miles into Welfleet Center. As you can see from the picture of Lucy, the weather wasn't great. Three days before the 4th of July this parking lot should be jammed full. We were the only two people there so we swerved around the parking lot as much as possible. 'cause we could. On the way back we stopped at a great place called the Beachcomber. It's a bar / restaurant that sits, almost, right on the ocean. After a few beers we had some fun riding back. We wondered if people could tell who was returning from the Beachcomber by their riding style. The whole ride was about 25 miles round trip. Below are some pictures from Provincetown. It struck me a odd. Provincetown is a friendly town, with lots of bikes. and everywhere there are signs that say "no bikes." I don't know the history here, so I'll just leave it at that.

el perrito de guardia

2009-06-25T17:49:00.000-05:00

I pass this dog every day. I remember when he first appeared here a while back. I think they used to take him home at night, but now he is the full time guard dog. He has a little dog house and it looks like they take good care of him, but it must be some lonely nights by the railroad tracks. It was about 5:30 when I rolled up and decided to take his picture. As soon as I got up to the fence with my camera, a pickup rolled around the corner and pulled right up to me. A man got out and I explained that I ride past here twice a day and was just taking the dogs picture. He seemed to be cool with the idea, but said that people sometimes come by and throw rocks at the dog. How special. Apparently he didn't think I was one of these people. He gave the dog a few pats, explained with a laugh that it was the new guard dog, the dog returned a few licks, and he left. I left as well, figuring he probably was still watching what I was doing. I forgot to get the dogs name. I'll have to make a point of stopping and asking him. That way I can properly harass the dog by calling it's name as I ride past.

cut off at the pass

2009-06-23T09:05:00.000-05:00

I was treated to a somewhat extended break on my ride in today. There is a spot where the trains do a jog across 1st avenue south and then turn and follow along 1st avenue. This train stopped during the jog in such a way as to block the only other way out down 34th street. The only other option was to turn around and ride back out toward 41st. Since I was within 3 blocks of work I decided to wait it out. Nice morning to sit around and wait for the train. I saw a lot of cars whipping u-turns and roaring back down 1st ave. I wondered if I was driving and decided to follow suit, if I would get to work any faster than waiting on the train and then heading on. Probably not. These situations are always interesting. In a car people make the assumption that there MUST be a faster way to deal with this. Stress out, u-turns, dangerous speeding. On a bike - well I'm late for work, fuck it, nothing I can do, enjoy the sun before it gets to hot, get to work a bit late, stay a bit late, miss rush hour on the way home. It all works out.

Gear reviews

2009-06-11T18:35:00.012-05:00

Here's my first, possibly my last, gear review issue. These are some of the things I've collected since starting to commute on my bike.

Timbuk2 medium messenger bag:

What can I say. This bag rocks. I got it 50% off at REI. It doesn't move at all on my back when I'm riding. It's big for what they call a medium. Today was my biggest haul yet. 3 half gallons of soy milk, my thermos, tube etc, plus all of my work & personal stuff:

I crammed it all in there, no problem. The soy milk was actually nice on such a hot day. I could feel the cold from it on my back the whole way. So you can haul lots of crap, plus it's built solid. It has the feel of something that will last a lifetime. Waterproof too. I can't wait to try out the 2 six packs of bottles plus ice like they show on their website.

Next up, my Eleven81 trunk bag: This guy serves pretty well for trucking around a relatively small amount of stuff. It has an expandable top and straps on to your rack with strong Velcro ties. The biggest advantage to this bag is not having stuff on your back. But for a short ride commuter like me the cons win out. It is kind of a pain to take it off and put it on at every stop. So you either risk it being stolen or hassle with taking it off and putting it on when you stop for coffee, the library, the grocery store, etc.. It just adds up to a lot of on and off. It also REALLY bounces your stuff around. I never felt good about my camera or hard drives being in there. It also does NOT have that built to last a lifetime feel (it already has a stress tear after less then a year) and it's not waterproof.

next, my viewpoint cheap shit blinky light: pictured here after being smashed open at Jones Vally Urban Farm. I hadn't noticed until I got home. I went back the next day, found the pieces, got a new battery, and it was blinking away again. You have to give big points to things that get smashed to shit and still work. Anyway, 5 settings (of which I use one), comes with a seat post attachment, retail price $4.99.

And last but totally not least, my new Michelin 1.4" city tires:

These replaced the 1.95" tires. The front was a worn out knobby off road tire, the rear was a relatively new 1.95" city tire. These tires are great. They make a huge difference on my commute. Noticeably faster. They hold the road really well in turns. Surprisingly so. I was nervous about riding on wet pavement at first, but that was totally unwarranted. They are really thick skinned. A layer of "Protek" under the tread is supposed to greatly reduce flats. So far, two weeks, no flats. I have them pumped up to 90psi, so they are a little unforgiving on the rough spots, but I suppose that is to be expected. I payed full price for these - $25 each. I have since seen them for as low as $17.50 on amazon. Added bonus of a reflective sidewall stripe.

Woodlawn United Methodist Church

2009-06-01T09:44:00.005-05:00

Terrible loss for Woodlawn today. I ride right by this church everyday. I'm not sure how old the church was, but it was old and beautiful. Just as tragic - it was an active church, and the loss of anything active and positive in Woodlawn is a bummer. My heart goes out to these folks. I wish I had taken a picture of the church before it burned. It makes me stop and think how many wonderful things we pass everyday, but never stop to appreciate them because we take for granted that they'll always be there.

Farmer's Market

2009-05-30T11:15:00.004-05:00

I rigged up my bike up with a milk crate for the farmer's market today. It worked out well, with just a bunch of zip ties holding it to my rack. One more tie held on my blinky light on the back. I laid a small towel in the bottom of the crate to help keep any veggies from getting bruised on the way home. The market was jammed and the weather was beautiful. I found that riding my bike to the market instead of driving left me feeling like I didn't need to rush around and grab my stuff and split, it seemed to take the hurry out of it. I hung around and had a breakfast burrito and a sweet tea from Franklin's, took some time to check out Lonnie Holley's awesome artwork, and bought a ton of veggies. I loaded my new grocery gitter with sweet potatoes, new potatoes, beets, green beans, squash, turnips, tomatoes, and a bag of blue grits. There was plenty of room in the basket, so everything fit comfortably, except the tomatoes. I stuck those in my bag to hopefully keep them from getting knocked around too much. It handled great on the way home, maybe a bit bouncy, but nothing got tossed around. That's probably because my rack is just a seat post rack, no supports down to the dropouts. Just a snip-snip after the market and my bike was back to my commuting bike.

Shimano replacement pins

2009-05-28T20:58:00.005-05:00

I learned (on the internet, how else) that when you push out a Shimano chain pin with a chain tool, you aren't supposed to use that same pin again. You should replace it with a new pin. After my multiple chain breaks I did some searching and found lots of people talking about this. I remember a guy at Bob's Bikes telling me about this last year as well. At the time I poo pooed the idea and I didn't have any problems again until last week. So, I went out last week and got myself 5 Shimano replacement pins for about a buck each and I keep them in my patch kit. I haven't had any chain problems though, so I think removing the link may have solved the problem. I still don't have full confidence back. I'm a little nervous standing up on big hills. I can't stop thinking that the chain may snap, and I'll be castrated, and then run over. Although, I did find myself hammering it out to beat a train across the tracks the other day. I didn't think of the chain until after the fact.

I'll be pretty excited if the chain thing is worked out, or even if the pins are needed, if they solve the problem. I was nervous that I was going to have to buy a new chain, and that made me nervous that it would lead to skipping, replacing the cassette, etc.. I'd rather spend a little money on finishing converting this (mountain) bike to a commuter bike. I would like to get some 1.4" city tires to replace the 1.95" that are on there now. I think that alone would make a huge difference. I'd also like to swap my rock shocks with the rigid forks on my mountain bike. I don't see any reason that wouldn't work, but I should probably talk to someone about it. Other than that I need a light for the front, overall tune up, and I can move on to my next bike project.

It is now summer in Alabama. Finally, after a rainy ass spring, the sun is out and it looks like it will be out for a while. It's getting hot, and sweaty, and yummy.

Confidence

2009-05-26T13:43:00.005-05:00

I went through a bout of what I call "bike confidence drain" back in the fall when I had a run of flat tires every couple of days. It got to the point where I had to factor in whether I had time to stop and change a tube on my way to work, and if I was running late, I would jump in the car for fear of that flat. So it hit me again this morning. Last week I had a run of chain breaks. After the one I wrote about, it then snapped on me on the way to work on Wednesday. I put it back together, and made it to lunch, then back to the office. But then it snapped again on the way home. At that point I dropped out what I believe to be the offending link, and it was fine on the way home. I'm pretty confident that the removing that link is going to solve by problem. However, when I was getting ready to leave the house today, and it was raining lightly, that bike confidence thing happened again. I suddenly had a picture of myself on the side of the rode in a downpour, chain tool in one hand, chain in the other, and I decided today was a good day to drive.

Choo Choo Graffiti

2009-05-21T18:37:00.002-05:00

Just some choo choo shots on my way home.

Have a lovely Memorial Day Weekend.

Granny Gear

2009-05-19T09:10:00.002-05:00

A tough couple of days to start off the week.

Monday: I awake with a crick in my neck. No biggie really, except that it would feel like someone sticking a fork in my neck when I would look over my left shoulder for traffic. That, and the fact that for some reason the am temperature is in the 40s, and there is a gusty wind the last couple of days, made things tough.

Tuesday: I get about half way to work and my chain snapped. I stood there for a second and thought "no need to look, chain tool is not in the bag today." After examining I noticed the chain did not actually break, but the pin just came out of one of the links. I pushed it back together. At the same time that I realized I could not get it apart, I saw I had not run the chain through my rear derailleur. After a short struggle I got the link apart again, ran the chain through my derailleur and snapped it back again. I figured I could granny gear it back to the house like this. I then noticed I had not run the chain through my front derailleur. I'm on a real streak here. At this point I had lost track of which link had come loose, and could not find it again. So, I just cranked the front derailleur all the way to the outer ring, which allowed me to leave the chain on the inner ring without feeding it through the derailleur. It got me home OK despite the grinding noises from the chain rubbing on the derailleur. The biggest lesson I learned here is that I need to clean my bike more often. I arrived home covered in chain grease/muck.

Group Ride

2009-05-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

There was a group ride for Bike to Work Day on Friday. A 6 mile put-put ride around UAB/downtown Birmingham. I'd guess about 30 people showed, which was more than I expected. Not surprising though, given what a beautiful morning it was. I already had a lot on my plate for Friday and I debated driving my bike over for the ride. After some thought, I decided that, on bike to work day, it was totally unacceptable to drive a bike somewhere that you could ride to. So by the end of the day I ended up logging about 30 miles. That's a lot for me. An average day is about 10 to 12 and a big day is usually about 20. One nice thing about group rides, is they are great confidence builders. Cars generally have more respect for a group than a single rider (especially when there are a couple of cops on bikes with the group). I always leave a group ride with a little more confidence about riding on the road and a bit more trust that cars see me as a vehicle.

Bike to Work Day - Friday May 15th

2009-05-14T13:40:00.004-05:00

My friend and yours, Nancy Tran, recently opened up Green Central Station in the Lakeview area. Selling environmentally friendly products in a general store atmosphere. She's got a little bit of everything; dog food, organic snacks, picnic supplies (for rent or to buy), refurbished bicycles (for rent or to buy), gardening essentials, candy, fabulous artwork, and cold drinks. Green Central Station is at 2717 7th avenue south ride on the 7th avenue bike path. In honor of Bike to Work Day she is offering free bottled water and cold drinks to any biker riders that stop in.

She'll let you use the bathroom too.

Mr. Chai's

2009-05-13T17:44:00.000-05:00

I popped into Chai's Oriental Food Store, affectionately known as Mr. Chai's, on may way home today to scoop up some goods for making veggie curry. This place is super on so many fronts. Sure Mr. Chai has giant bags of rice, any number of asian and indian spices and condiments, and fish that comes with a stern warning to only cook outside. Most notably is that it doesn't smell, look or feel like any other store in town. It's Mr. Chai's, period. The prices are really cheap, even on items that you can find in the big grocery stores. Especially the spices - really cheap compared to bigger stores. I scored some coconut milk, chili paste, mint chutney, curry powder and garam masala and headed out to hook up a big pot of curry for the Lost finale tonight.

Closed Mondays.

Life in the Bike Lane

2009-05-12T08:58:00.000-05:00

There is often discussion about the dangers of the 7th avenue bike lane here in Birmingham. Usually it revolves around the bike lane being situated between the car lane and the parked cars. This puts us in danger of smashing into a car door, and with any luck, the driver when they open their door into the bike lane. I use this lane several times a day and I've managed to avoid this fate. Sometimes it's a bit too close for comfort, but it seems that unless someone is just sitting in their car and happens to all of a sudden jump out, it's pretty easy to avoid. Most people opening their car door either just pulled into the spot to park, or are entering their car, and hopefully you would see them doing that and be aware. I'm knocking on wood. The real danger is getting clipped/crushed by someone making a right turn into a parking lot. Drivers are used to swinging right turns into parking lots and driveways pretty freely without concern. This is mostly because unlike making a right turn onto a cross street, there is no traffic approaching from their left. They just need to make sure there is no one approaching from ahead making a left hand turn. That means they are looking forward and left before they turn, not checking their blind spot. Overall, I view this lane as my safety zone. It's the one place where I feel like my place on the road is respected, for the most part.

Rules of the Road

2009-05-10T08:40:00.002-05:00

I'm constantly changing how I feel about bicycles vs. cars and rules of the road. Bicycles are expected to follow the same basic set of rules that cars must follow. However, as we all know, most cars don't really follow these rules. There are some rules you can see cars breaking every time you head out on the road. Well, there are certain rules you will almost always see me breaking. Running red lights is one. By running red lights I don't mean blasting through intersections at full speed. I generally come to a full stop, meaning feet on the ground, at red lights. After that, if no one is coming, I'm going. Since I'm generally the only one commuting from my part of town, this isn't creating much of a nuisance. I've even done it directly in from of the police to see if they would care, they don't. At least not the ones that have seen me. I can also be seen alternating between being a road bicyclist and a sidewalk bicyclist. That's not really breaking any rules but it feels like cheating a bit. This is usually how I get to Lucy's in the am. I can go against traffic on 21st street on the sidewalk instead of going all the way around the block and having to deal with riding on 20th street and on university blvd. I also avoid a few additional intersections. It seems that if you live in a town like birmingham that just doesn't have that many bikes on the road, you cam leave a bit more of the rule obeying to common sense rather than just blindly following. I imagine in a city with thousands of bikers, or riding with a group, this wouldn't work well, but it works ok here.

Bike-o de Mayo

2009-05-05T08:40:00.008-05:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo.

I almost didn't ride to work this morning. I went for a run from Lucy's this morning and did something nasty to may back about half way through. I had to walk for a while and then was able to slowly jog the last mile or so. I decided that if it felt really bad before I started my ride to work I would drive. It didn't feel great starting out, but seemed to loosen up nicely on the ride. My guess is that it feels a whole lot better than it would have if I sat in my car and drove. I suppose if I had really damaged something in my back that wouldn't be the case, so I imagine I've pulled a little something.

I am a bike thief

2009-04-30T10:14:00.002-05:00

Well not really. The bike I was talking about yesterday, miraculously, was still there this morning. I walked around and told all the folks on that half of the Dr. Pepper showrooms that I was going to take it, and if anyone came looking for it, it'll be in our warehouse. It's fully functional although not in great shape. I rode it over, and after several laps in the warehouse, parked it safely inside. In the interest of full disclosure and keeping my conscience clear, I'm posting a picture of the bike. If it's yours, just let me know. If I believe you, you can have it back. After a month or so it will probably go under the knife.

Pink Bike

2009-04-29T09:08:00.002-05:00

I'm back on the road as of today. It's crazy how time and excuses build up and next thing you know it's been 4 months. I went to retrieve my bike lock from the bike rack that I used to lock my bike to. Back Up - we've moved the company I work for across the street, so I'll be parking my bike in a different spot. So, when I go to retrieve my lock I notice that someone has used it to dummy lock their bike, a pink girls bike that looks like it may have at one time been red, to the rack. Just sort of wrapped it around the frame. Pretty convincing actually. It took me a minute, and a try with the key, before I realized it was mine. I took it and then realized I was leaving this person vulnerable to the thieves in the area. I asked around and everyone seemed pretty sure that the bike hadn't moved in a couple of months and that it had been abandoned. So I took my lock and went on my way. I thought I should start off day 1 with a pic of some sort so here it is. This is a shot of the recently paved 43rd street railroad crossing. Not much to look at. However, before it was repaved, it was a tremendous nut buster 2 block stretch. It made me smile when I turned the corner and saw the fresh asphalt.

Bonnie

2009-04-20T11:51:00.004-05:00

This is the closest I've come to riding my bike since November. Here is the Grand Canyon through the ears of my trusty mule Bonnie.

What Tha?!

2008-11-13T18:09:00.000-06:00

Today, while riding down 7th Avenue I busted Alley Bulka, the notorious Wackee Nanny of Birmingham, with a giant sack of starbucks riding shotgun. For shame Alley, for shame......

Recycle America

2008-11-12T14:40:00.001-06:00

This is where your recycling ends up if you live in Birmingham. I used to have a theory that Birmingham had stopped recycling and they were just collecting our recyclables and dumping them in the landfill. I defended this theory by pointing out that Birmingham had gotten rid of the recyclable sorting trucks and had begun collecting with the classic garbage compacting trucks seen here. My thinking was that they were avoiding the negative publicity of ending a recycling program by continuing to pick up, even if they were just dumping them. As long as people got to separate their garbage, and as long as they saw it get picked up, they would assume the city was taking them to be recycled.Well, I was wrong, another conspiracy theory shot full of holes. I've actually seen the trucks lining up to enter Recycle America every Wednesday. Usually there are a lot more of them, lined up all the way down the street. This just happened to be the day my camera battery wasn't dead. Incidentally this is also the spot where, if you take a picture of the garbage trucks, the giant in the first truck leans out and says you don't have his permission to take his picture.

uhhghhh

2008-11-12T14:08:00.001-06:00

I must be close to some record on flat tires. It seems like once a week I'm getting a flat. It's effecting me to the point that it causes me to second guess getting on my bike at all. Mornings where I'm running late I find myself wondering if today is gonna be flat tire day and if I want to deal with the hassle. Since it's dark these days (and cold) when I'm riding home, I'm really not looking forward to the inevitable tire change in the dark and cold. I've received a bit of advice about avoiding flats. Such as, making sure your tires are properly inflated. I don't think it could make a whole lot of difference when you are picking up nails left and right. I've thought about trying to take the bigger, busy roads, hoping it might be better. My thinking is that with more traffic, it is less likely that there will be debris, ie nails, in the street. I've also thought about those Slime inner tubes that self seal when you get a flat. However, I have my doubts how they would perform against a three inch nail. Alternately, I figure at this rate I will pick up all the nails, and the problem will eventually go away.

Super Tuesday

2008-11-05T11:50:00.002-06:00

dia de los Muertos

2008-11-03T14:26:00.000-06:00

Here's a shot of my tall bike and my cruiser getting dressed up for day of the dead this year. I just gave the tall bike a quick spray with some festive colors , pimped 'em with some fringe and found some drunk esqueletos to ride them.

Road Kill

2008-10-29T16:21:00.004-05:00

I was trying to make good time on my way home from work yesterday. I heard the whistle of that 5:00 train that is forever trying to block my way home. I thought I would beat the train on 41st street, but it won. Since it was moving slow, I spun around real quick to try and beat it to the 43rd street crossing. As I turned down 1st avenue, I heard the distinct sound of my tire being impaled and then the dreaded slow hiss. I found a cozy spot just next to the recycling plant and began to unpack and disassemble. The first thing I noticed was the flattened cat, just noticeable in the background of the picture of my bike upside down. I hoped this was not some kind of omen, and kept working. The next thing I noticed was the ridiculous size of the nail that was embedded in my tire. It was buried all the way up to the head, so I didn't notice until I pulled it out, that it was roughly 3" long. I pressed on. After I got everything changed, and the tire inflated, I pulled the pump off and ripped the top of the presta valve off. I don't know what that part is called, but it is the little thing you screw down so that the air won't come out. With it came part of the little metal part that keeps the little screw down thing connected to the rest of the valve. I thought, or maybe said out loud, several things I don't remember. It wasn't actually leaking, or at least I couldn't hear it, so I screwed the cap on it, packed up and hit the road while there was still air in the tire. I made it to the 43rd street crossing, and yes, the friggin' train was stopped there blocking my route. I finally made it home, and by the end of the evening, all the air had leaked out of the tire. I couldn't bring myself to change it again, so I'm on four wheels today. Oh yeah, and I found a golf ball while I was changing the tube.

Be there or be square

2008-10-24T11:32:00.001-05:00

lip balm

2008-10-20T11:23:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how evasive lip balm can be. I have no idea how many tubes, pucks, and canisters of lip balm I've purchased in my life, but I'm pretty sure I've never made it to the bottom of one of them. I must have looked around the house for a half hour searching for one before I finally gave up. Where do they go? I thought about the alternatives I could apply before leaving the house today, as my lips were really chapped. I've used olive oil before, but it doesn't help for very long. I thought about buttering my lips, and I'm fairly confident it would have been an effective technique, but I just couldn't do it. So, poor me, off to brave the wind and new cold weather on my way to work, where I KNOW there is lip balm in my desk.

Donkey Diet update #4 - I don't want to talk about it

2008-10-02T10:16:00.000-05:00

up roughly a pound from last week. Of course that's after gorging myself on Mexican food last night. We'll call it 206. Although, I fidgeted with the scale for several minutes and justified that 205.75 was correct. But then a voice in my head exclaimed "Get a hold of yourself man!, yer dickering over a quarter of a pound." So I hung my head, slouched my shoulders, and declared "it shall be 206." Then, ignoring all the looks I was getting while standing on the scale and talking to myself in the men's room of the YMCA, I stepped down, and began a period of deep introspection.

company

2008-10-01T18:04:00.000-05:00

My bike spends a lot of lonely days out on the bike rack at the Dr. Pepper showrooms. There used to be another bike that would spend the day, but it hasn't been seen in a while and I could tell my bike was starting to get a little blue. So, I was glad to see it had some company today. I'm sure once all the other bikes see these folks hanging out, this rack will become THE rack to be at during business hours, and there will be no more lonely days for my bike. I could tell it was really coveting the baskets on this new bike. We had a talk, and it was decided, one day you can have baskets too, I promise.

Jumping choo choo

2008-09-30T17:45:00.000-05:00

I had to hop through the choo choo again today. Apparently this is a 5 something train that stops and dumps a load at Recycle America. I'm glad they are participating in the act of recycling, put they block my route home. I think that this train actually blocks three consecutive intersections while it's stopped, so it's a pretty long ride to get around it. It stops for close to 30 minutes as well, although I believe it's a bit different each time, but it's a long wait no matter what. Dependng on what cars actually stop in front of you, it can make hopping through hard or easy. Today luckily it was about as easy a climb over as it could be. I didn't realize how off balance I would be with the bike in one hand and climbing over with my other. Half way up I had to toss the bike onto my shoulder, which is really uncomfortable, and use both hands to pull myself up. Next time, I think it is probably better to just place the bike up on the walkway, and then climb up. I don't mind this whole climbing over the trains thing. It's kind of exhilirating and fun. But - a) it's against the law and b) probably not a really safe thing to do. So, my goal is to find a way around this train or start regularly hitting the crossing either before or after it gets there. I'm smarter than the choo choo.

and you think the stock marked burst.....

2008-09-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

I was running late today when I realized I had a flat. The first thing that occurred to me was that this is the first flat I've had on my front tire. The other four flats I've had were all on my rear tire. The second thing that occurred to me was that I was going to be really late for work. I looked at the clock and decided my best option was to take a mulligan and drive in to work. It's kind of strange driving to work when it's not in your normal routine. It seems like you have to spend so much more time reacting to elements that you don't feel connected to, because they're outside of your car. I don't usually ride my bike in the lane of traffic so I speed up or slow down as I see fit. Some times I just dope along, other times I feel like launching off a couple of bumps in the road. Driving a car you are just in line with everyone else. They break, so you break. You break, so they break. They break again, you give them the finger. They speed up, you slam on your breaks, they give you the finger.

September Critical Mass

2008-09-26T22:31:00.001-05:00

Critical Mass in Birmingham was 18 strong this month. We rode for roughly an hour Downtown > UAB > 5 Points > Highland Avenue > Bottle tree. A couple of people bailed along the way. Those who were remaining went to Bottletree to watch Pedal - a documentary about bike messengers.I split to go watch the presidential debate. Next month critical mass falls on Halloween so I'm hoping there will be a really big turn out for a super spooky ride in costume. Totally unrelated is the picture here of Sloss Furnace taken from 4th Avenue on my way home.

Brocycle > Critical Mass

2008-09-26T07:52:00.003-05:00

Another Birmingham bike blog. Looks like these guys have been around for a bit more than a year, check it out when you get a chance http://www.brocycle.com/. Also don't forget that tonight is the Critical Mass ride. Meet at Lynn Park at 6:00 followed by after party at Bottletree and after after party with pizza and beer for the Obama vs. McCain debate.

Donkey Diet update #3 (Like taking candy from a baby)

2008-09-25T10:45:00.006-05:00

I'm down another 3 pounds this week - 205. My fellow donkey diet participant remained the same, so I take home the prize. My plan was to post a photo of the poem I was given after the first week's win, but (as seen in yesterday's post) my camera is dead and I haven't charged it yet. So here is a scan of the poem instead. Actually I've never tried to do a color scan of anything before, so it's nice to know what it looks like. Now that this is up. I'm owed a poem AND a drawing for this week. When all is said and done I expect I will have quite a little collection of poems and artwork.

dead battery

2008-09-24T22:38:00.000-05:00

What a drag, camera battery dead again when I want to take a picture. I was sitting in traffic and the morning sun was casting my shadow across the "left turn only" arrow in the turning lane. It looked fantastic in the early morning sun. Then, not only did I get stuck for a ridiculous amount of time waiting for a train, but another train started coming the other direction behind me, so I ended up in a train sandwich with no camera. oh well, just a couple of photo ops down the turlet. I suppose I need to charge it more often.

altura de bicicleta

2008-09-21T16:48:00.003-05:00

I spoke to my mom this weekend. After reading my blog she asked "what's a tall bike?" Well, der, I thought to myself, it's a bike of somewhat larger than normal, or recommended, stature. After explaining what a tall bike was to my mom, I decided it was time to get moving on my project again. So, here's what I have after working on it this weekend. note: welding in sandals can give you a condition I now refer to as "hot foot." I plan to avoid this in the future. There's still a whole bunch of work to be done here, but the tall bike is ridable at this point. No breaks of any kind yet either, so it's not really a good idea to ride it yet. Here's what I have left: connect the two neck tubes. Install a hand break (the lever is already on the handle bars, I just need to go get a long cable) or preferably, find a coaster or fixed gear real wheel. Either lop off the two support tubes on the back, or use them to mount some sort of flourish. Weld the neck to the forks (they are just stuck together right now). Then take it all apart, sand blast it, paint it, re-assemble and ride. My original goal was to have it out for critical mass next week, but that doesn't look like it's gonna happen. Maybe October.

Big Daddy Patch

2008-09-19T18:27:00.000-05:00

well it's now obvious to me why you should not continue to ride after finding a nail embedded in your tire. After patching the obvious nail hole, I inflated the tube only to hear air pouring out from another spot. There were 6 0r 7 additional exit wounds directly across from entry wound. I was able to get them all covered with the super size patch in my kit, but I imagine this tube's days are numbered.

Donkey Diet update #2 Carne Asada!!!!!

2008-09-18T16:32:00.000-05:00

Week two, I dropped another 2, so did my competitor, so it's a tie. I'm at 208. Nobody owes nobody nothing this week. However we did adopt the skins game rule. Double down for next week. Loser owes the winner a poem AND a small drawing. Although, I still don't have a poem from my first win. I suppose if I really put my mind to this thing I could drop some pounds pretty quick. My dinners last week went like this: Thursday: Mexican food and margaritas Friday: chez fon fon grilled ham and cheese and fries Saturday: greek festival lamb kabobs and beers Sunday: mexican food and margaritas monday: veggie spaghetti with my honey bunny Tuesday: Music snop trivia night > tacos and beer Wednesday: Todd's birthday > Mexican food and margaritas I feel a little weird after going through that exercise. I obviously have a taco problem.

initiation

2008-09-17T21:00:00.002-05:00

I think of today as a hazing ritual all bike riders must go through at some point. I ran over a nail today after leaving the ABC store with a birthday present for Todd. It's amazing how denial immediately kicks in. There was the very distinct sound of air coming out of the tire. However, I kept thinking through all the things it could be other than a flat in progress. I stopped and saw a nail fully embedded in my tire, heard the air escaping, and decided to see how far I could get before it went flat. About 10 more feet. So I looked for the nicest patch of grass and started the process of changing the tube. Luckily a while back I started carrying a spare tube and a pump with me, so I was actually prepared. The only bummer was that my camera battery had died. It would have made a great photo. The tube, the tire with the nail sticking out of it, bike upside down, and Todd's bottle of Patron sitting in the middle of it all on this little patch of grass. Anyway the change went off without a hitch. It couldn't have been a nicer sunnier day and I kept thinking how lucky I was that it wasn't a crappy rainy day. One guy on a bike, Steve, stopped by to see if I needed anything. Customer of Lucy's. Just a bunch of good eggs there at Lucy's, I swear. Thanks for stopping.

Donkey Diet update #1

2008-09-11T21:33:00.000-05:00

The donkey diet has now turned into the donkey diet competition. A challenge has been brought before me. Who can lose the most weight by December 25 (two days before D-day). We are checking progress every Thursday. The loser for the week, not the one who lost the most weight but the loser of the contest for the week, must write the other a poem and post it on the winners blog. I won the first week, having lost 2 pounds as compared to their 1. So, you can look for their poem posted here in the coming days. At that point you will also know who the challenger is.

Banksy, Banksy, Banksy

2008-09-08T10:01:00.000-05:00

Now that all the dust and fuss has settled over Banksy hitting the gas station in East Birmingham, I thought I would take a moment here to post up one of the stencils I pass almost daily. This has been up for a pretty long time on 1st avenue south under the 24th street bridge. So here is one of our very own to make some fuss over. Best part is no one has covered it up or stolen it yet.

YAY!

2008-09-02T02:54:00.000-05:00

Okay, alright, okay, okay. I haven't written anything for a bit. There's good reason for that. I haven't been on my bike for about two weeks, until today. Looking back over the last two weeks it's seems like there are a lot of good excuses, but in the end they are just excuses. So I'll just say YAY for being back on my bike. One important update is that we have booked a trip to the Grand Canyon for December 26th through the 31st. As part of our adventure, we are taking a mule trip down to the bottom of the Canyon, spending the night and riding out the next day. We are super excited and I think it's going to be an outstanding trip. So why is this an important update? They won't let you get on the mule if you weigh over 200 lbs, fully dressed, in winter gear. Apparently they weigh you before you get on the mule, so there is no sucking in your stomach and sneaking past. Problem is, I weigh about 210 right now with nothing on. I figure I need to get to about 190 or less to be safe with several layers on, plus boots. So - Ta Da - today starts the "donkey diet." Not sure what this is going to entail, other than losing 20 pounds. It seems like good fodder for some funny posts. Maybe I'll make myself some list of rules and post them here. Post script - I hate diets, especially ones that restrict you to or from certain categories of food, or food that tastes good.

Bare Hands Gallery

2008-08-16T12:15:00.004-05:00

Today I'm taking a half day of volunteer duty at Bare Hands Gallery. Being as it's Saturday, and less trafficky, I rode straight down 1st Avenue North. It's pretty much a straight shot from my house to Bare Hands. Don't forget to visit http://www.barehandsgallery.org/ and for the love of god don't forget that November 2nd is Dia de los Muertos numero seis, featuring Flaco Jimenez. Craig Legg is having the first Day of the Dead workshop today making paper mache masks in preparation for the big day. There are workshops going on every saturday from now through October so come down and get involved.

Peanut Crib

2008-08-15T11:58:00.000-05:00

I did end up having things in order so I was able to ride to work on Thursday. Today I rolled on over to the Peanut Depot, aka The Peanut Crib. A stop on Morris ave for freshly roasted cajun peanuts has become a fairly regular stop for me. It's a whole lot easier to make the stop by bike instead of with a car. Except for getting my timbers shivered on the cobblestones of Morris Avenue. I'm not sure how long this place has been here, but definitely a long time. I like all the old men that come in with a dollar bill in their hand to get a "dollar bag." I usually stock up with a 2 pounder to "share" with the office. What that really means is, I sit it out in a public area, then commence to eating the whole thing myself.

Mon, Wed, Fri

2008-08-13T20:58:00.008-05:00

Tuesday was a day off from riding 'cause of all the rain. My general rule of thumb has become not to ride if it's raining when I'm ready to leave. If it's not, I'm on two wheels. It was time to filler up, so $60 later I was at Lucy's for my coffee. Looks like tomorrow I'm driving as well because my Argon is empty again (I think I left the valve open a bit), so I'm off to Airgas in the am. They don't open until 8:00. I might try make it there and back in time to still ride to work, we'll see. Anyway, I felt like taking a different route home today. I zig zagged my way over to 43rd and headed down the dirt road next to the railroad tracks. It's definitely not the fast or easy way home, but it's definitely an interesting diversion from the same old streets. There are several sets of tracks, most with paths in between, and I've explored where I end up depending on which track I ride between. This time the road ended where the two sets of tracks I was riding between come together in a V. Cool thing is, it was right next to a whole bunch of abandoned buildings. I stopped and explored briefly, but I could clearly hear someone clunking around inside one of the buildings. Great stuff. Old abandoned delivery trucks, rusted equipment, and junk galore. It definitely looked like someone or some people had made this their semi permanent hangout. I snapped a few photos and then decided to head on. I definitely have it marked for further exploration some day. I had to carry my bike the last 100 feet or so down the tracks, but it looked like one track over I could have ridden all the way through. Maybe next time.

The Terminal

2008-08-13T20:41:00.002-05:00

Big thanks to Andre for plastering my blog, and incidentally, my artwork on the Terminal. If you haven't checked out the Terminal, make sure you do: http://bhamterminal.com/. It's a great way to keep in touch with what's going on in Birmingham. Also a great place to watch the Parliament house demo if you missed it. Not as big a loss to Birmingham as the The Train Terminal, but still enough to make me scratch my head and say "why'd they do that for?" Thanks again Andre.

Tall Bikes

2008-08-11T21:06:00.004-05:00

I'm just back from New Orleans and find myself really eager to get back on the tall bike project that got shoved aside a few months ago. New orleans has a way of inspiring people. Last time I started a tall bike project I decided I didn't just want a tall bike, but something totally original. So I ended up staggering the frames so that the neck tube of the top one was about half way down the top tube of the bottom frame. I got it all working, and then got bored with modifying the handle bars and never finished. Since it was my first project I was really eager to get it put together, so I didn't paint the frames or worry too much about aesthetics. I just wanted to get it rolling. So, when we were down in NO we saw a few tall bikes rolling around and it inspired me to get back on track with finishing this and then making just a regular old tall bike. Here's the problem. I had two frames sitting around waiting to be tall biked. When I got bored with the weird bike project I borrowed a chop saw from my buddy Johnny, chopped the frames into 2 inch pieces, and welded them into a sort of Buddhist design thing. So I'm back on the hunt for some bicycle frames. If anyone has any, I promise to make a bicycle of sorts out of them instead of chopping them up, I promise.

hop on

2008-08-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

I saw this at the bike through lane at the bank. I snapped a picture while I was in line and pondered a bit what it actually was supposed to mean. I probably over thought this a bit. But since the car in front of me was obviously opening up some sort of retirement account, I had some time to kill. Since there isn't actually a bike through lane at the bank, it isn't promoting a bike through lane. While the lack of a designated bike lane doesn't create any real issues for biking through to make deposits, you do have to suck on the exhaust from the car that is usually in front of you. Not that I expect banks to start putting in bike lanes. I suppose the sign is intended to mean "hop on" doing business with Regions Bank. But they don't actually say anything about why. I guess they would argue that their egregious fees are slightly less reprehensible than their competitors, although most likely still quite high. I also guess they put the green bike in there to infer that "we're green" so obviously you should bank here. Whatever it means, it's a bike on a poster, so it gets points there. Groovy lookin' bike too, and better than a Hummer on a poster.

Brian rides bikes

2008-08-06T16:59:00.002-05:00

Now what are the chances that there would be another blog out there about riding a bike written by a guy named Brian, spelled properly with an i not a y? Pretty good I imagine since there is one: http://brianridesbikes.blogspot.com/ He's been doing his for a couple of years it looks like. So I emailed this guy (Brian) and told him I had started something similar to his and half expected him to respond with something like "hey slack ass go come up with your own idea." But he was totally cool and gave my blog some props on his blog, so here go some props back to him and a link to his blog. It looks mighty cool and he updates regularly so make sure you check it out when you get a chance. It looks like he's planning some radical bike trip adventure to New Orleans, so some of y'all in New Orleans might could offer him a beer or something on his ride through.

abandoned building

2008-08-05T20:48:00.000-05:00

In my book (blog) there's not much more fun than exploring abandoned buildings and places. These pics are from that I assume is an abandoned metal fabrication shop. It's right on the corner of 43rd street and Powell avenue. I can ride right up into it, but quickly dismounted 'cause I was clearly in danger of getting a flat tire. There are some ancient metal working machines and welders, all of which look like they are deteriorated well beyond the point where they could be restored. Someone has been cleaning the place out and intentionally leaving these behind, so they must have some plans for them. I also noticed in the very corner it looks like someone is using the place to do some work. I got the feeling that the clock was ticking on someone calling the cops on me, so I took a few quick photos and split. There was all kinds of great scrap steel on the ground. Lots of old wood too. I may have to make a run back there to ask someone if I could gather some of it up for a project. Who I might ask I have no idea. I always feel like there is a fine line as to whether it's stealing or not to just take scrap metal. I suppose if they are planning on selling it as scrap then it would be stealing. If they were just gonna throw it in a dumpster then I guess it would be fine. If it walks like garbage and quacks like garbage, then I call it garbage. Whatever that means.

A new start

2008-08-04T19:19:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe it's August. After only riding three days last week, I feel I really need to make it a full week on the bike. Mostly due to the fact that my car is sitting outside on empty, so next time I drive it means $67.14 less in my pocket. My tire is fixed from last week, I've got my week of clothes and food stuffs stashed at work. I have my new pump and a spare tube on board, so I'm feelin' pretty on top of things. It was a pretty uneventful day back and forth accept the fact that I got stopped by an unusually long train on my way home. There is always the option of turning back and taking Crestwood Blvd when I get stuck like that. However, I've come to enjoy the forced downtime of watching the train roll past. All the graffiti, and all the little instructions on the cars like "oil doors here", "no pressure release device", "close valves completely." It's also interesting noting how old some of the cars are, how some are newer, company names, chemical names, srap cars, tanker cars, cattle cars, boxcars. I've taken notice that all the boxcar doors always have little metal zip tie locks on them. I keep hoping that one will pass that's open with a bunch of hobos in it. You know, doing hobo shit. Playing banjos, eating pork and beans, sharpening their knives all with a little campfire in the middle.

Blow Out

2008-08-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

3 flats in two months. About a mile and a half into my ride to work I heard that dismal hiss that can only mean I'm gonna be a walkin' soon. It happened just as I was bump bumpin' over the railroad tracks on 43rd street. As soon as I realized I was hearing it, and after I did the ridiculous look around to see if there was another place it could be coming from, it turned into a full on shooosh and my front tire went completely flat. It immediately occurred to me that I had stashed a tube at work, and had a patch kit and pump at home, but at the moment I was pretty much out of luck. Luckily - a cell phone call got me a ride home from Shawnie and I drove on into work. Lesson learned. I made a trip to Bob's bikes at lunch. The same girl was behind the counter that told me to buy two spare tubes and keep one with me at all times. I offered my story before she could notice I was back for my second tube so soon. I bought a little carry with you kind of pump as well.

Flash Flood

2008-07-29T23:34:00.004-05:00

Today I left work as thunderstorms were brewing. I looked at the little blip on the radar and decided that if I got caught in it, I would enjoy the rain on a 97 degree day. I made the strategic error of taking 1st avenue south instead of my normal route. About 1/4 of a mile in the faucet came on full blast,as did the wind. The rain was so heavy and the wind so hard, I could hardly see where I was going. My handlebars were shimmying in the wind and in no time 1st avenue was like a river and I was riding in 2 inches of water. I hit the first set of railroad tracks and my front tire slid. I got it corrected and looked over my shoulder to see 4 cars in line, waiting to run me over when I fall. I think it was hailing at one point. Either that or the rain was blowing so hard it felt like hail. I ducked up under an old loading dock to wait some of it out. Once I got up there fire engines were racing up and down 1st avenue, and there was the smell of burning plastic in the air. After 15 minutes or so it looked like the worst had past, so I waited for a point when there were no cars, and rolled back down onto the road. Almost immediately it was the same story. Shit blowing everywhere, rain blasting, wind howling, and cars on my ass. I made it to Mazer's on the corner of 41st and 1st avenue and ducked up under the side of their building. 41st and 1st avenue were both completely flooded at this point. Maybe a foot deep in some places. There was a train stopped on the tracks north of 1st ave, so cars that were headed north on 41st were stuck in what was a quickly deepening lagoon. There was a tractor trailer either stuck in each direction on 41st, or just stopped with no where to go. A 55 gallon steel drum came floating down 41st, made a right on 1st avenue and continued out of site down 1st avenue. There were some really massive cracks of thunder, so I decided leaning up against the metal siding was a bad idea, and I headed into Mazer's. I sat and watched the Mayhem for another 25 minutes or so. The guys at the recycling place across the street were plowing the water away from the entrance with back hoes and sending waves of water down the street and into the stuck cars. Finally the rain seemed to slow and the thunder took a break so I headed out. I had to ride through water deep enough so my feet were totally submerged on the down stroke. The water was moving fast enough where I thought there was a pretty good chance it was gonna take me for a swim. I made it across 41st, and although the rain was a lot lighter, the road was still a river. When I got to my normal turn, there was train stopped on the tracks, an even bigger river roaring through, a car stuck between the flood and the stopped train, and traffic being diverted from Crestwood blvd into the flood here, leaving them nowhere to go. I sat and watched for a few minutes and saw that the train was starting to creep along. I weaved through the water, past mr. stuck car, past the crossing barrier and waited on top of the drainage ditch for the train to finish crossing. The drainage ditch is usually about six feet to the bottom and nothing but stagnant muck at the bottom. It was roaring through and lapping at the top of the street. I decided I would take a few pictures. As I reached for my camera I saw a small tsunami coming down the creek and got out of the way in time to miss the wave crossing the road. I decided that this was how people die in flash floods, and the urgency to get on with my ride took on a different tone. Never did get a picture of that. Much of the same on the way home. Stalled cars, flooded roads, power lines and tree branches down. It took me a total of about an hour to make it home. No power at the house when I got there. and Lucy was pissed. I give today an A+ I hope it rains again tomorrow.

Thor

2008-07-28T18:27:00.002-05:00

No riding today. Lucy needed me to run some errands and pick up some things for the shop this morning, so I needed the car. Luckily, my now much neglected car wouldn't start, so I had the pleasure of driving Thor, our little red pick up. I took the opportunity to lug a bunch of stuff back and forth to work. Among the stuff being lugged is our first movie from Blockbuster online, Raise the Red Lantern. So we got that going for us.

Birmingham Critical Mass

2008-07-25T12:21:00.000-05:00

The Birmingham Critical Mass ride was tonight starting from Lynn park. About 19 people showed up and we zig zagged around downtown, up to 5 points, around Highland Ave, and up into Forest Park. It's a great event and I hope it starts to grow. For anyone who doesn't know about it, you can check it out by googling critical mass. There are a bunch of different sites, I'm not sure there is actually an "official" one. The Birmingham ride has a facebook page (critical mass Birmingham) so you can check that out to, I posted some pictures from the ride there. I almost didn't make to the ride, due to a blow out on Richard Arrington Blvd at Lunch time. I didn't have an extra tube or patch kit or anything so it took a bunch of running around to get it fixed I was particularly filthy from changing the tire, but I got it done and made it. On the way to the ride I passed Dee and her mom sitting outside Our Place having margaritas, so I stopped and had a beer with them before heading to Lynn park. The whole ride lasted an hour or so. The group started dwindling almost from the start until there were just four of us left. There was talk of going to the Bottletree or Little Savannah for beer, which sounded good, but I had to split. I really like the idea of this thing growing into a much bigger group and invading some bar at the end of the ride. We'll see.

Thief

2008-07-24T12:12:00.001-05:00

It turns out that my Obama stuff wasn't stolen after all. A certain person took it to keep it from being rained on. They decided to torture me for the evening by not telling me about it until the next day. OK, you got me. Nice one. Sorry for the foul language yesterday. However, thieves do suck. Especially the one that managed to steal the Jones Valley Urban Farm tractor. You can take the language from yesterday and direct it at that person or persons, and throw in a few more lines about going to hell etc.., just for good measure. Sorry about the tractor guys, that really sucks.

Scooters and thieves

2008-07-23T20:17:00.003-05:00

I received my Barack Obama support pack in the mail today. It has a yard sign and some buttons and stickers and stuff. It's worth noting that I'm not usually the support pack buyin' type. However, I find myself really excited about Barack Obama, and equally embarrassed and ashamed of the last eight years. It wasn't possible for me to haul all this crap home on my bike, so I asked my friend Shawnie if I could leave it on her scooter at work so she could bring it home later. An hour later when she returned it had been stolen. Not that it was a terribly bright idea to just leave it on her scooter, but it was tucked into the pocket under the handle bars. Plus I figured - who is gonna steal some buttons, stickers, and a yard sign? What are you going to do with this stuff? Sell it on the corner? Pawn it? Would you really display it in your yard? How meaningful, to display a stolen sign on behalf of our candidate. I suppose someone may have just decided to take it and destroy it. At least the money went where it was supposed to go. I'll just leave it as - Fuck You, Fuck You, Fuck You and as Frank Zappa would say "yer an asshole, yer an asshole." and... Todd got his scooter today. After work I pedaled out to 1st avenue north and waited for him to ride by. I waited for like an hour. I sort of know how it feels to be a prostitute on 1st avenue north now. At least the part before you get in the car. A LOT of people stare at you when you are just standing in the street with sunglasses on. Todd finally came by like lighning bolt, the proud new owner of a martini olive green (coicidence?) hog.

99 degrees

2008-07-21T21:07:00.002-05:00

They said it was going to 99 degrees today. Bring it I say. I really would take blazing heat over cold any day. I was really hoping to get a picture of a digital thermometer sign saying it was 100. I like to sweat and I don't mind stinking, to a certain point. My shoes in the office are actually starting to stink quite bad. I think they are ruined. I was thinking of sending out an email asking for everyone to just let me know if the shoes stink. How do you word something like that? Plus, asking someone if your shoes stink is really like making a confession about your shoes stinking. It's sort of like asking someone to smell your finger. You won't get an honest answer. well, I realized I don't think I know where any of those things are, the digital thermometer signs, at least not on my route. Instead I ended up with a picture of a steak knife I found. Not quite treasure, but surely not trash either. It does make one wonder why a steak knife is lying in the middle of 5th avenue. Not that there would be some great story behind it, but everything has a story. It could have been some meals on wheels disaster. It could have been a premeditated murder, with a last minute change of heart, ending with a knife tossed out the window.

short cut the long way

2008-07-19T20:49:00.002-05:00

The man in this photo is randy brown. ex-birminghamian, rabid map enthusiast, and one of only a very few known people who know the lyrics to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Randy was in town this weekend. After I rode to the farmers market, we rendezvoused and rode back to the house. After a few rounds of pull the dirty sack (conjures a strange image, I know) we got stuck at the same railroad crossing that I get stuck at 2 or 3 times each week. I explained how I thought maybe the gravel road next to the tracks might possibly finally come out at SMI. So down the road we went. It probably took 3 times as long as riding on the road due to the intermittent patches of sand. At times it was easier to ride in the tracks themselves, which isn't real easy. But, in the end, lo and behold the "road" does come out at SMI. So I now have a way around the trains, I cannot be stopped.

Sunrise

2008-07-18T20:26:00.002-05:00

I left my bike at work on Thursday night. We were going out for drinks and dinner and I could cram the bike into Lucy's car without taking the back wheel off. I decided it would be too much of a pain in the ass, so I just locked it up and figured I would just ride in with Lucy in the am. Much safer than going out for drinks and dinner and then trying to navigate home in the dark. So before light I rode in with Lucy, picked up the bike and headed to Lucy's for coffee. I wasn't under any time constraints so I meandered around and took my time. It's hard to believe it's July, it's just not very hot out yet. With my thermos full, I turned back to work for a super early day with hopes of getting done with my work as early as I was starting. This dream was later crushed, but I did get some pictures of the sun rising up.

Trophy Shop

2008-07-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

I rode past the trophy shop near the corner of 7th and 22nd. It was earlier than usual and the sun was blasting through the window and reflecting off all of the trophies. It was also casting weird shadows against the back wall. I couldn't quite capture it through the window. But now I know it's there and may give it another shot.

Sunburn

2008-07-14T18:59:00.000-05:00

Despite horrible sunburn from the tubing trip on Sunday, I managed to force myself to ride my bike. I'm glad, it's a much better way to start the day than driving to work. Especially on Mondays. I got caught by a train, again, on my way home. It's a part of my day of come to enjoy. It's great to just sit there and watch the train rumble by. Actually today the train was stopped and there were only a few cars to one side, so I thought about going around. In the end I sat there for a few minutes and then heard the sssssssssssssssssssssssssssss of the air coming out of the brakes. Then the very slow creaking, and finally the train pulling away. Always a good opportunity to grab a photo or a couple.

Brian Dean Woodwork

2008-07-11T18:48:00.001-05:00

I finally saw Brian's van outside his shop on 41st street today, so I popped in for a howdy do. Good to see Brian. He was working on a super looking entertainment center. It is narrower then your normal entertainment center to accommodate a flat screen TV. Genius I say. So we get to chatting it about going fishing or canoeing and tubing and decide that this weekend would be just a great weekend to hit the river. He has to get Ariel and I have to head home, so we leave it as "you call me or I'll call you or something" and I get back on my bike. Ya see this is the thing that's great about riding your bike. Chances are I never would have stopped if I was driving. By the time I would have noticed his van, I probably would have been half way down the street. and now we have tubin' plans. I should have taken a picture of his shop for today. I'll get one later and post it up (done).

PBR

2008-07-09T17:53:00.001-05:00

Lucy sent me a text message asking if I want to meet at the Bottletree for a PBR after work. Does a bear shit in the woods?

$67.14

2008-07-08T17:44:00.001-05:00

Although Lucy would not necessarily agree, it's been 36 days since I've gotten gas. Ironically, I'm not riding my bike today. I have to visit the dentist to have my crown finished. I figured I would work in a haircut, dog food run, and fill up the old gas tank all in one fell swoop. Well, the 67 goddamn 14 goddamn cents sealed my commitment to driving as little as possible. I stopped at the first click too. I didn't even top it off. It's funny, I never used to pay attention to the price of gas. Sometimes I would pick where I filled up based on how many people were there. More often then not the place I chose, based on less people, would be the more expensive place. I always figure the time and hassle was worth the few extra pennies. So, I've got the car parked waiting for an important mission.

Monday

2008-07-07T18:38:00.000-05:00

Just Monday. Nothing exciting here. but I do keep passing this colorful growth on the side of this old building, so that's the picture. I've noticed this other person riding their bike to work right down 5th avenue. I've seen her before. She just moseys along right in the middle of the lane with all the traffic. I was thinking about whether or not that makes me a wimp for taking the non-traffic route. No, I think I enjoy my ride a lot more because I'm taking the back roads. It takes a bit longer, not much though, and it is a whole lot less stressful. So there it is.

goose attack

2008-07-03T09:07:00.001-05:00

Lucy's is closed today, so that shortens my morning ride a bit. Instead of stopping there, I'm headed to Crestwood Coffee. They filled my thermos for $2.13, which I thought was very reasonable. There is obviously less traffic on the road, so I braved the big intersection on 5th avenue. As I crossed 41st street I hear this flappety flap sound off to my right. I kind of ignore it, but it gets louder. Then all of a sudden there is this giant goose with a red head, barely flight worthy, "flying" right past my face. The thing was listing to one side and flapping more with one wing than the other. It was moving so slow I couldn't believe it was staying airborne. As this happened I let out a shriek and "Holy shit!" It must have been pretty comical to anyone at the intersection. Thankfully I didn't totally freak and wreck the bike. Man, I bet someone about wet themselves when they saw that. good times.

oh Snap! Pssssssss

2008-07-02T08:45:00.003-05:00

Tuesday, hump day for this Short week. My bike is making creaking noises and occasionally the chain is slipping just a little bit. Just enough to be annoying. On my way to Lucy's at lunch I'm wondering what it is and changing gears to see if I can diagnose it. On my way back it is happening more and it's getting much more annoying. I'm convinced it is a bottom bracket thing. At least it sounds like it and I'm not sure the chain is skipping, it could be something else. I'm supposing that after this bike sat for so damn long, the bearings probably need to be repacked if not replaced. So, confident that I have accurately diagnosed my malfunction I continue on my way back to work. At a red light I decide the oncoming cars are far enough away that I can just scoot through the intersection. I stand up to give it a good quick start - SNAP! The chain breaks and leaves me spinning my pedals in the air, with cars coming 40 mph at me. I kick with one foot fast enough to get me through before pissing anyone off, and glide down the last hill to my office at the Dr. Pepper Building. I park, lock, pull the chain off, and head inside to have some laughs with the office. Polly is nice enough to offer me a ride to Bob's Bikes. I decide I should know something about my derailleurs and stuff in case I need a new chain, and when I go out to look, I've got a friggin' flat tire as well. Well, the guys at Bob's sold me a tube and tire (the tires was pretty shot, dry rotted with cracks in it - plus it's a big knobby tire and I was wanting to get a more roady tire) and hooked me up with a few chain links at no charge. I got everything fixed on up, thanks to Bob's Bikes, Polly, and a very understanding boss. Headed home with the bike riding great again, and found a long 7/16 socket on 55th street on the way home.

Graffiti by the tracks

2008-07-01T21:55:00.004-05:00

I've been exploring some double track dirt road/paths by the railroad tracks between 43rd street and 50th street. I spotted it/them the other day and thought it would be cool as hell if I could ride on a dirt road for that section of my ride every day. The first time I went down one section and got caught in a railroad track fork and had to double back after a half mile or so. Today I went down the other side. I didn't feel like getting caught again so I just bumbled around a bit before turning back. This is the google satellite shot: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35212&ie=UTF8&ll=33.531947,-86.765385&spn=0.001815,0.003304&t=h&z=18&iwloc=addr I'm pretty sure from the satellite that I could make it to 50th street. Maybe a slight chance of making it all the way to 55th street. An adventure lies ahead. The photos here are of some graffiti that I respect mostly because I know there is no possible way to see it without walking (riding) down the tracks. I also scored some good scrap pieces for an upcoming project. oh, and clover had scrambled eggs and big sky toast for dinner 'cause I forgot dog food, again.

The big question

2008-07-01T08:25:00.000-05:00

What to do when you come across a mountain of treasure so great it cannot be carried? Curl up and die next to it? Run away before the "owner" returns? Come back under cover of darkness? Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr, the treasure mocks me.............

Argon

2008-06-29T19:26:00.006-05:00

no riding to work on monday, I have to drop off an argon cylinder at airgas downtown and they don't open until 8:30. The argon may be addressed in another blog someday, until then see the notes in various posts about picking up nuts, bolts and odd pieces of metal. Tomorrow I may ride to the gym early, but then again I might sleep in. ear-regardless Lucy and I were talking today about the price of gas and whether it may actually have a positive end result. We suppose that if the price continues to rise, more people will make changes in their lifestyle. The tendency for people to want to live in urban areas, closer to work, is one. This would mean less cars on the road, less fuel consumed blah blah. Another could be using alternatives to driving, one of which is biking. One side affect of biking is burning calories, so people might be skinnier. This could reverse the trend of the USA being one of the fattest countries in the world, and currently striving for first place. That's it. $7 gas will lead to a skinny population, crystal clear enviornment, and more tax money for school 'cause there will be less wear and tear on the roads. Better standard of living for everyone because we won't need to pay for insurance on cars ever again. Drive throughs will provide no benefit, as people choose to walk in over drive through. Starbucks will go belly up. slam dunk, closed book, easy peasy. that's the way it will be. unless we have to exchange our tanks of argon mix.

The Route

2008-06-26T15:38:00.003-05:00

I've finally settled into what I think is going to be my regular route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2024871 It is about 4.6 miles which is about half a mile longer than the shortest possible route. It avoids most of the nasty railraod tracks and also the suicide intersection on 3th avenue and 47th street.

Ah, tuesday treasure

2008-06-24T19:24:00.000-05:00

one mans trash is another mans doorstop. I actually need a doorstop at my office, maybe that's why it caught my eye.

False starts and misfires

2008-06-23T19:42:00.004-05:00

I was a mile from the house before I remembered my thermos. I decided to go back, as mondays without coffee spell trouble. I was having to take Lucy's car in to get the driver side window fixed, so I stopped at tire engineers and checked to make sure they can do the work. they can. I get my coffee at Lucy's, kiss the wife goodbye, and head up the street to get her car to take to the shop. Once I get there I realize I don't have the key, misfire #2, I head back to get the key. Back at the car I diswheel my bike, pile it in the trunk and head to tire engineers. I drop the car, rewheel my bike, and head to work. When I arrive at Lucy's at lunch I get a call from the shop saying they can't start the car because they don't have the little clicker lock-the-car thing on lucy's key chain. Misfire #3. I drop it on the "way back to work" and continue my day. It looked like it was going to piss on the way home, but I made it home still dry.

choo choos and soy milk

2008-06-20T21:04:00.003-05:00

I left the house a little early this morning. I had to stop at the pig to get Lucy tomato chutney and horseradish for the shop. I also needed to get me some soy milk for cereal. I decided to go the 1st ave. north route and got stuck behind a choo choo, first at 43rd street, and then at 41st street trying to get around it. Cars were backed up at both crossings, so it looked like it had been there a while. It was one of those giant container hauling double decker jobs, so there was no way I was cutting through, even though it looked like it was planning on going anywhere anytime soon. I had to go around via the 35th street overpass. The overpass is a drag 'cause it's busy, it's a big hill, and it ain't got no shoulder. On the other hand I had never ridden my bike over it, so it's something new. I made it to the pig and scored chutney and horseradish, but they were renovating, and no soy milk to be found. On to Lucy's. Lucy is also out of soy milk. What, a soy milk shortage? I arrive at work to find our scary, seriously scary, refridgerator stocked with 5 different kinds of milk products and or soy milk varieties. Each and all are expired, severely, except one. The unexpired had only a couple of sips, so I left it for it's owner and ate my cereal dry with a cup of coffee. The photo here is actually from yesterday. I rode to the gym early in the am and snapped this on my way back. It's a wall of a building that I've been wanting to stop and take a picture of for a while.

Bike Through

2008-06-19T21:25:00.000-05:00

I had my first bike-through experience at the bank today. I rode over to make a deposit before heading home, and the bank lobby wa already closed. The drive through was open until 5:00 so I hopped in line. I snapped a picture of the car in front of me, which I think made them a bit uneasy. The teller smiled and treated me like any other vehicle. I guess I'm not the first biker they've had at the drive through.

Hoppin' trains

2008-06-19T18:14:00.003-05:00

I got stuck at a railroad crossing today, kind of in the middle of the hood. I had biked myself into a spot where it was gonna be a real pain in the ass to ride all the way around, so I just waited. The train didn't budge an inch in 5 minutes. I'm a bit nervous about going under trains or in between cars. With a bike it was a definite no. There was no way I was going to sit in between and try some one handed Tarzan move to get my bike through. After stranding around admiring the graffiti on the cars and watching the tad poles in the water of the little muck pond, a shady lookin' guy approached, and was walking like he wasn't gonna let the train get in his way. I called out "you going over or under?" "Over" he said, "you want some help with the bike? I'll go over and you hand it to me." Despite his lack of teeth and that sinking feeling that this guy might make a break for it with my bike, I was now overwhelmed with camaraderie. We followed through with his plan, me being careful not to fully let go of the bike until I was well on my way through. I made some small talk about keeping fingers out of the cracks. I think it helps to discuss things like losing fingers in train couplings. What are the odds that you talk about it, and then it actually happens? Mighty slim I say. Anyhow, once on the other side I thanked him and asked him if I could take a picture of him with my bike in front of the train. I explained it was for a "story" I was doing. I said "story" suspecting that this guy wasn't altogether down with blogs. "What's this gonna be in?" he said. "Just on the internet" I replied. He looked thoroughly disgusted, said "no way, man." and walked on. I imagine he assumed there was something totally reprehensible that could be done with his photo, just because it was on the web. I gave him another thanks for the help, and headed on my way and scored a few big bolts outside the old Piggly wiggly.

Trudy Down

2008-06-18T21:35:00.002-05:00

When I got home tonight Trudy, my 15 year old dog, was dead in the back yard. She was super duper. She had a full life. Despite her laziness and thorough lack of enthusiasum, she managed to kill the neighborhood rooster, the neighbor's cat, countless squirels, birds and snakes. She chased flamingos at the zoo, dug up our neighbor's tutle eggs, ruined many a rug and was once run over by a truck. She's been picked up by the cops more than once, and one time I had to claim her from a mountain brook home after she killed their pet rabbit. Despite her busy schedule she always found time to lay around and do nothing. Now she's chasing rabbits and disemboweling cats in the big poppy field in the sky. Bye Trudy

Back in the Saddle

2008-06-18T19:12:00.003-05:00

Didn't ride Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. I had to pick people up from the airport and the train station on Thrsday, city stages over the weekend, and I was exhausted on Monday. On Tuesday I had to have a crown done and I didn't feel like riding to the dentist. So today, Wednesday, back to it. If I ride the rest of the week I'll get in three days which is the most I've ever done in a week. Next week I can shoot for more. I'm still searching for the perfect route. It seems like it will be a combination of routes and will end up being longer than any of the commonly driven routes, but not too much longer. Maybe an extra mile all together. This gets me around the treacherous railroad tracks and also avoids the big nasty intersections. No treasure today, or photos.

Treasure

2008-06-11T18:40:00.000-05:00

took the 5th avenue route again today and arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr mate - I uncovered some treasure. Shining on the pavement in front of me was a budweiser select bottle opener. some poor soul had lost this and now it was mine. MINE! I scanned the pavement all the way to lucy's after that for more loot - but nothing. More threat of thunderstorms on my way home. Lightning sounded like it must have been directly over head and booming so loud it shook me. I thought I would dart into the bottletree and have a beer to wait out the storm (and possibly show off my new sweet budweiser select bottle opener) but when I passed by it was only sprinkling so I pushed on. I rode up third avenue and discovered that the intersection of 4th avenue and 5th avenue, where crestwood boulevard starts, is not one to approach on bike from 4th avenue. 4th becomes 3 lanes just before the intersection with the right most lane becoming a turn only lane. This means you straddle the middle and right hand lane as you approach the intersection. At the intersection you merge with cars coming from the right end up stuck between the middle and right lanes on a really busy stretch: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35212&layer=c&ie=UTF8&ll=33.526241,-86.764832&spn=0.001816,0.003304&t=h&z=18&lci=lmc:panoramio 5th ave good, 4th ave bad.

Thunderstorms

2008-06-10T18:58:00.005-05:00

chance of thunderstorms today. took a different route into work. I had to stop at work before going to lucy's for coffee cause my thermos was still at work from Monday. Deliveries ran later than I planned and I never made it back to the office. I took the busier 5th avenue route. It is straighter and requires a little more aggressive riding so i think it's a little faster: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1978755 I had to finish up making some packet deliveries for city stages at lunch. dark clouds were overhead the whole time but I finished without a drop. Except my bike lock. dropped it somewhere downtown. got rained on a bit coming back from lucy's at lunch. it was mostly just refreshing after riding all over downtown. I saw it had already poured where i was riding so i suppose i was lucky. got rained on some more coming back home. the railroad tracks on first avenue are definitely more trecherous when wet.

Cruisers

2008-06-08T20:12:00.004-05:00

This weekend I decided to get two old cruiser bikes up and running. It seemed a great idea to get them on their feet and outfitted with baskets to make it easier to haul shit back and forth to work. Some new tubes, a rebuilt bottom bracket, a rebuilt hub, a couple of pedals cannibalized from a tall bike project, and a few angle grinder cuts to make a seat post fit, and they were good to roll. After a little tour around the neighborhood I realized there was no way I was going to ride these things to work, but they are ready for other fun. Much like my ride-to-work bike, these bike were also donated by a friend (Lance) for a tall bike project. I suppose it was again under false pretenses, but after seeing them I couldn't put the chop chop to them. Instead they have a new life. They may get sent to New Orleans with Randy to live out their remaining years as bar bikes.

Tomorrow looks to be my drive to work day. I decided I was still going to drive to work one day every week or two for now. That way I have my car occasionally to run errands and such. Specifically, tomorrow I have to help a friend deliver some things for City Stages next weekend so it will be a good day to have a trunk and not be all sweaty when I show up. I'll most likely ride my bike to Lucy's for a run and coffee in the am and then car it to work.

Friday

2008-06-06T16:49:00.001-05:00

Day three of biking. I need some different clothes. It's a battle between sweat and stink and trying to look presentable at work. Threw in the towel today and just wore a t-shirt all day. I need to work out the clothes thing or my office is going to quickly begin to look like a locker room. That is the only real battle. The heat isn't so bad and it isn't terribly strenuous but the sweat sooaked clothing is a drag at work. I also need to explore more routes. Overall I'm calling this a partial success so far. I've taken a few photos, found a squeezy baseball for Blue, found a book about some high school wrestler who discovers Jesus and a cool piece of steel pipe. On the down side I almost ran into my first car door in the 7th avenue bike lane, knew that was coming. Next week poses a couple of challenges city stages and friends coming into town.

1st post - sweaty and a bit disjunctive

2008-06-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

First post in what may be a lot, or very few. Back at the beginning of the year I decided I would begin riding my bike to work for a number of reasons. I've always run for exercise and it started to feel weird that I drive to some destination to then run. Something about that has always felt silly - driving for 40 minutes round trip to run for 45. I also enjoy shooting photos of things I see around me day to day in Birmingham and I though riding my bike would give me a new angle for that. Of course gas prices, getting fat blah blah blah all played a part. Living only a few miles from work has always made me feel like I could or should be riding rather than driving. The last was a gift from a friend of mine. He had a nice old Trek mountain bike hanging about and said I could have it. Somewhat under false pretenses I took it to be part of a welding/sculpture/bicycle project. I then decided it was too nice a bike to chop up. So there it was gleaming in front of me, the final piece of my little puzzle. Back in February I made my first attempt at this. I rode three days in a row, the last in the rain. I came down with the flu and laid out of work for a week. Then in April I attempted to start it up again. I rode once, came up with a bunch of excuses and blew it off again. Now, in June, and 93 degrees, I'm determined to get this going. Here's my route today (and Yesterday): http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1962425 I headed out today just after calling Shawnie to come pick up an item for work that was too large to carry on my bike. I stopped again about a mile down the road to ask her to pick up my helmet that I had left behind. I was thinking more about what new route I could try instead of what has become my standard route. I use the term standard rather loosely as this is only my 5th day to ride my bike to work in 5 months. However, it's the second day in a row, so it's a streak. I'm considering changing my route after blasting through a basketball game on Division Avenue on my way home last night. I heard the ball BANG against the backboard as I exited the game. I thought "better the backboard then me" and decided not to turn around to look. In addition, the railroad tracks tend to be pretty treacherous on 1st avenue, especially the ones that run diagonal across the road. Really the best, most efficient, route would be just to take the straighter & busier roads. I think I need a few more days to acclimate before I take that on.