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    • LIhikers wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      And speaking of the Olympics, I have a nephew who will be running I'm the US Olympic marathon trials this coming Feb........ go Nate go.
      That is awesome! I hope he makes it. .................
      Me too! Of course then I'll have to go to Japan next summer instead of hiking :)
      Mountains will still be here when you get back. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • max.patch wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      Out riding the trails at Pocohontas SP
      what did elizabeth warren do to get a park named after her? :)
      That was the first thought that ran through my head too.
      With her I am sure it was one of her many "plans". But of course none of those plans say how it is going to be paid for. ;)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Astro ().

    • Astro wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      Out riding the trails at Pocohontas SP
      what did elizabeth warren do to get a park named after her? :)
      That was the first thought that ran through my head too.With her I am sure it was one of her many "plans". But of course none of those plans say have it is going to be paid for. ;)
      everything for everybody and it's all free!! (1)

      (1) small surcharge on the stinking rich,
      2,000 miler
    • I had a great ride! I rode 3 easy trails and 1 more advanced. I even got brave enough to ride over a few rock features, one flat log rail, and got both wheels off the ground several times. Weekdays are great at the park, very few people and no herds of super fast 20 something's to run me over.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • LIhikers wrote:

      My ride to and from work today was mostly in the dark. Dark when I left the house and dark when I left work. Some think I'm crazy for riding a heavily trafficked road in the dark. I may be but I hope to ride a couple of days a week until the first snow.
      Just make sure you are visible (lights and reflectors) and be safe. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      My ride to and from work today was mostly in the dark. Dark when I left the house and dark when I left work. Some think I'm crazy for riding a heavily trafficked road in the dark. I may be but I hope to ride a couple of days a week until the first snow.
      Just make sure you are visible (lights and reflectors) and be safe. :)
      I have. Plenty of lights and reflectors. Facing front is a white reflector and 2 white lights, 1 flashng and 1 steady and both bright. Facing back I have 3 red lights, 2 flashing and 1 steady in addition to a red reflector and red reflective tape covering the back half of my rear fender. Also visible from front and rear are reflectors built into the pedals. From the side there are reflective bands in the side wall of both tires and both wheels have a reflector mounted on the spokes. Also I wear a yellow vest with reflective stripes and ankle bands that are reflective....as the country song goes,...can ya see me now ?
    • LIhikers wrote:

      My ride to and from work today was mostly in the dark. Dark when I left the house and dark when I left work. Some think I'm crazy for riding a heavily trafficked road in the dark. I may be but I hope to ride a couple of days a week until the first snow.
      i'm probably the most vocal. and here's just another reason why.

      wtvr.com/2019/10/29/clair-carr…ontent=link&ICID=ref_fark

      woman driver feels the need to text a emoji while driving; 3 seconds later runs over and kills 3 people and an unborn baby.

      i used to ride my bike all over the place; now it's a mountain bike in the woods or a street bike on a rails to trail no motorized vehicles allowed paved bike path. no way in hell i'm riding on a road with cars any more.
      2,000 miler
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Max,
      Your reasoning makes perfect sense from a safety standpoint, I can't argue with you. There's lots of different ways a thoughtless person could do me harm so I'm willing to take a chance on the bicycle.
      i'm sure we all have a different place where we draw the line re risk vs reward.

      probably everyone here has hiked solo at some point -- and at some point we were all probably told how dangerous that was. i actually read somewhere that the smallest hiking group should be 3 people -- that way if someone gets hurt you have one person to go get help and another person to stay behind with the injured hiker. if i didn't hike solo i'd rarely hike.
      2,000 miler
    • I have hiked solo all the way from Dick's Creek Gap to Monson, ME (except the section from Pinkham Notch to Grafton Notch).

      Also hiked the entire Ouachita Trail solo. I guess as usual I am doing it all wrong. ^^
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • A couple of weeks ago I bought myself a pair of cycling shoes.
      I'm still getting used to them as I've only worn them a few times, but so far so good.
      Up until now I've been riding in my hiking shoes but I figure the shoes made for bicycling are supposed to improve power transfer from your foot to the pedal so I thought I'd give them a try.
      The shoe I bought is the Shimano MT5, you can see them here, which is considered an off-road shoe. I got that model because they are fairly light weight, has a plastic mid-sole,is compatible with clipless pedals, and you can walk fairly comfortably in them.
      Buying, and getting used to, the shoes is the first step in going to a clipless pedal.
      I think I'll pick a pedal that has the clip on one side and is just regular on the other side so that I can get through intersections before having to worry about clipping in. In my commute I stop for a lot of traffic lights and leave my left foot in the toeclips I use now and put my right foot down. I envision doing the same with clipless pedals.
      Anybody here have any advice for use of clipless pedals?
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I have three days to do something this week. Thinking about either going down to Damascus and riding the Creeper on the mountain bike or a short backpacking trip. Or maybe both...........
      Sounds like a win-win-win situation regardless of which you end up doing. :thumbup:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I have three days to do something this week. Thinking about either going down to Damascus and riding the Creeper on the mountain bike or a short backpacking trip. Or maybe both...........
      when the boys were still at home we would get a room in abingdon and do the creeper one day and dayhike the grayson highlands the 2nd day. at night we'd hit the hotel pool. it's about a 5 hour drove for me not counting bathroom breaks, biscuit breaks, and plenty of coffee breaks for the driver. :)
      2,000 miler
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Anybody here ever ride the Erie Canal bikeway?
      Kathy and I are considering riding it next summer of our nephew doesn't make the Olympic team. 360 miles between Buffalo and Albany, NY. It parallels the canal, more or less. Any first hand info would be appreciated.
      No first hand info at this time...

      My dad (nearly 8o, has terrible balance and can barely walk) got a wild hair and really wants to bike from Syracuse to Albany next April(!?) then do the entire trail next summer.

      He had some bad bike wrecks the past few years so recently started riding a recumbent bike. He’s lost 20 lbs and absolutely loves riding his bike.

      Anyway, he called my sister and I and asked us to do the organized ride with him where they haul your gear and you sleep in a tent. OMG! There’s no way he can sleep on the ground! My sister told him to sleep on the floor in his bedroom first. He has come to his senses and now we’re considering Syracuse to Albany, cycling at our own pace and sleeping in hotels every night.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Anybody here ever ride the Erie Canal bikeway?
      Kathy and I are considering riding it next summer of our nephew doesn't make the Olympic team. 360 miles between Buffalo and Albany, NY. It parallels the canal, more or less. Any first hand info would be appreciated.
      with your experience on the C&O i think you're the resident expert on the canals. WE ask YOU the questions. :)
      2,000 miler
    • All I can offer....

      Years ago on a drive out west I camped one night along the Erie Canal path. That morning I walked a mile or two along it, it was pretty and flat, I enjoyed the history, I meant to get back someday hoping to bike some of it but I never did.

      That is all.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • IMScotty wrote:

      All I can offer....

      Years ago on a drive out west I camped one night along the Erie Canal path. That morning I walked a mile or two along it, it was pretty and flat, I enjoyed the history, I meant to get back someday hoping to bike some of it but I never did.

      That is all.
      Maybe you can hookup with LIHikers and knock a little of it out together. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • i stopped by rei yesterday to get some info about replacing my mountain bike which was stolen a couple months ago. riding a mountain bike is not my main hobby -- it's just something i do -- so i'm going to rely on the experts advice rather than researching every thing to death like i do hiking equipment.

      i told the guy what was stolen -- a 29 inch rei brand novarro which i bought about 5 years ago. told him best i could remember it was about an $800 bike which i got on sale for $500-$600.

      he told me there have some been changes in mountain biking since then. the rei brand is now called co-op and is manufactured by a different company. hydraulic brakes are now pretty much standard. and the biggest change is that 29 inchers are now not as popular -- the most popular size is 27.5 inches. looks like i can get a replacement bike for $600 plus or minus.

      i'll test ride one next trip.
      2,000 miler
    • I'm starting to feel like my bicycle commute is done for the winter season.
      Either it's to cold (below 30) or if it's warmer, there's rain.
      I'm thinking it's time to put my other bike on the trainer and take my commuter apart for a good cleaning and servicing.
      I want to replace the chain and brake pads
      I'm thinking I might get myself a work stand to hold the bike while I work on it.
    • Went to Pocohontas SP yesterday for mountain biking. Tons of riders. As I was taking a break at a trail intersection with a handful of others I saw something red and white moving down the trail towards us at a good clip. As they got closer we could see it was Santa Claus, well actually Ms. Claus.
      She whizzed right thru us smiling wearing only the typical Santa hat and a very short Santa coat unzipped to reveal substantial cleavage and short enough to show off white bikini underwear- I kid you not. We all stared after her and then at each other laughing in disbelief.
      I later ran into her near the parking lot at a popular resting spot and she had zipped up her coat but now pink and black stripped undies with a matching cat tail showing below her coat. She was probably in her late 60s or 70s. I apologise for no pictures but I was just too shocked both times to think of my phone.
      Cougar on the loose in Pocohontas!
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference