49 posts tagged “bike”
With all the snow and ice and cold I've been biking in lately, fair-weather cycling seems a distant dream. And yet, the Trek Across Maine is just 16 weeks away!
I had such a good experience last year, I immediately signed up for this year's ride. I've been riding in all sorts of weather to train all winter, but now I have to get busy on the fund raising aspect. This is less fun, but more important as the purpose of the ride is to raise money for the American Lung Association of Maine. If you enjoy breathing, this is a cause you can support!
To help sponsor my ride this year, just click! (You can do it all securely online). I will be thinking of you in the next few months and your generousity will help drive my training, ride through the snow and eventually climb mountains. And your sponsorship will help the American Lung Association bring us healthy air.
A sincere thank you to all who donated last year, and to those who will this year.
In case I rambled on too much, THIS HERE IS THE LINK YOU WANT TO BE CLICKING :)
After surviving a colder and snowier than usual December, January 2008 is off to a mixed start. Last week began with piles of snow and then ice ruts from the two feet of snow that fell on New Year's Eve & Day. Friday was my coldest commute yet at 2 degrees F! Out of paranoia I actually over-layered and was too warm. By contrast it is 43 degrees F today (and, the streets are mostly melted clear).
I took the Christmas lights off the bike and stored them for next year. The days are getting a little longer, and we'll see how many days I can stay on the bike this winter. Last year the real snow didn't hit until Feb/March/April!
Got my bike all festooned for holiday travels:
These battery-powered L.E.D. lights are amazingly bright! I've had some good comments on them so far.
Puppy Update:
We decided to name our new puppy Trixie - she seems to be turning into quite the trickster so it suits her well. She had a lot to adapt to at once: a new family, cold weather, snow, walking on a leash, stairs, etc. The snow right now is over her head, but she forges ahead bravely. She is great with letting other people meet/pet her, and is getting more comfortable with other dogs as we socialize her. She is a food gobbler, which is something we were not used to. We got her a toy/dispenser that slows her down a bit and that has worked very well.
Bike Update:
I am still biking to work most days even as an early winter drops cold temperatures and snow on us. The coldest I've biked in so far is about 10 degrees F. When the roads are snowy/slushy it is a bit slower going, but I have an alternate route worked out that keeps me off the worst of the side streets.
Everything Else:
Between the puppy and getting ready for the holidays and shoveling snow it has been a busy month so far. Last night we went to the holiday program at Strawbery Banke which I highly recommend if you are ever in the Portsmouth area in December. Last week we had some guests in town and enjoyed walking around downtown Portland, going to the museums and eating good food.
Coming Soon:
Skiing! Christmas! Travel! Other things!
It is an unseasonably warm day (upper 50s F) and the sun is kind of shining, so I decided to do a quick lunchtime ride into the Old Port section of Portland. It's a pretty good ride - there is one downhill section where you pick up speed and end up coasting at 30 mph. Then I meandered down Commercial Street and sat for a while. It was nice to let the breeze and sun and random bits of cruise ship tourist conversations wash over me. Then a quick ride back up the hill and over the bay.
