I'm contemplating trying another long-distance bike trek, sometime next spring. My thought is to fly down to somewhere in Florida, sometime mid-spring when it's still cool in New England, and work my way north -- thus the hotter southern climes will follow me back to Massachusetts, or something ( Read more... )

Today is gorgeous, in the mid-80's, and the first weekend I've had in a while where I didn't have something already planned. So, having updated and charged my iPod, filled my water bottles, and in theory prepared myself for extensive physical effort, I set out earlier this afternoon (12:30?) to ride my bike from North Andover to Salem (by way of ( Read more... )

This morning, for the first time since, oh, late October or so, I rode my bike to work. I'm a touch out of breath, true, but at the same time my sinuses and lungs feel clearer than they have in more than a week. My capillaries are all a-tingle with fresh blood flow. My legs are re-energized by exercise ( Read more... )

Instead of driving, I rode my bike over to my bank's ATM this afternoon. I wanted to check to see how much had gone into my checking with all those overtime hours (sadly, not as much as I might've liked -- damn higher taxes on overtime hours). Still, more than enough to pay off bills and have quite a bit to spare. So I stashed some in my savings ( Read more... )

There's something to be said for enduring a 70+ mile bicycle trek with a 40-pound pack on one's back, over all kinds of up-and-down terrain. By comparison, a 6-mile commute each way to work (even with steep hills at both ends) is cake.

And I've been shaving four or five minutes off my commute each way, too. : )

Having been a procrastinating lazy twit over much of last week -- what can I say, I was first recuperating and then fell into a rut -- I didn't get in to pick up my bike on Friday, was busy all day Saturday, and then discovered upon stopping by the bike shop Sunday that during the summer they weren't open then. So on lunch today, I swung by and ( Read more... )

A great many things have happened, most of them negative, since I posted yesterday.

( My no-good terrible horrific very bad day. )

( The first day. TONS of pictures, so very very dial-up unfriendly. )

Apparently, the hotel wifi network isn't up to the task of logging me into my Comcast email -- though it seems able to handle pretty much everything else net-related. Blah, oh well. Long day, which I will post about extensively when I find a better wifi spot tomorrow. I have to be up around 6:30 to make sure I get a shower before biking over to ( Read more... )

Or it will be as soon as I finish up various last minute chores, packing, organization, and upload of preliminary photos. *grin* ( Here's some backstory and some pics -- not dial-up friendly! )