The Downhill Tuck

Being on a bike is freedom. Sure I could see some of the same scenery from my car window, but on a bike all the senses are engaged, the world is experienced. I love to bike, most of all the downhill tuck. Hugging the core of my bike as close as possible minimizing wind resistance, racing down a hill till the wind pushes all moisture out of the eyes as tear drops straight back to the ears. This never fails to make me smile big enough to get bugs in my teeth.

Long Island, Orient Point

Sunday we rode the ferry out to Shelter Island. It was scenic, the traffic was low, and the people were very friendly.
On our way back to Sag Harbor we jumped in the ocean to cool off.







Sunday night we decided to stay at the Silver Sands Motel, right on the beach, beautiful and relaxing. The next morning we road out to Orient point. On our way we stopped at a deli to buy lunch. For some reason I have been craving Turkey sandwiches this year. Since Trin is more coordinated on the bike, and pretty much on anything, he carried our lunch, in a spectacular display of one-handed riding, out to the beach at the end of Orient Point.

It was very hot again so we stopped at Goldsmith Inlet for a quick swim. The water felt great so we swam to the other side. As we approached the far shore, ouch, ouCH, OUCH! We swam up on shore and got out, then looked back to see a bunch of little jellyfish. We were glad to be out of the water, but now we needed to swim back. We waited for a break in the line of Jellyfish, jumped in and swam back as fast as we could.

We ended our long weekend sitting on lawn chairs on the beach, listening to the waves lap the shore, enjoying the breeze.

The Officers Flashlight

We parked at Hither Hills state park and biked out to the Montauk Light house today, winding around all the roads on the north side of the fork. The weather was perfect.

Since the campgrounds were full we decided to stay in our car overnight. Around 10Pm a security guard came by, shined his light on Trin, and then came over to my side and told us we couldn't park there overnight. We went further down the road and found a church with a huge parking lot. We parked in the far corner and set our alarm for 6AM wanting to be out of there before anyone arrived for church the next morning. Around 4:30AM a police officer came around. He pointed his flashlight on Trin, then came over to my side to let us know we had to leave. He was very nice, and I wasn't sure how to answer the question "where are you staying?" so I told the truth, "here." He smiled and told us about a park just down the road that would be private and we wouldn't be bothered there. We ended up just driving to Sag Harbor to start our biking early.

Later at the beach a little girl was merrily running down a ramp, but stopped short when she saw Trin. She cowered to the side till her mom came to get her. Now our joke is that Trin is scary! Both officers came over to talk to me after taking one look at him, and a little girl cowers at the sight of him!! LOL! Now does this look like a scary face?

Biking NYC

Since I had to be in New York City for business this week, why not take advantage of the bike routes!

We rode from SkyTown down around Battery Park, then up to Central Park.
The Central Park loop was especially fun. The road was closed to vehicles and pedestrians stayed on the side of the road. This left it wide open for the bikes! We could race around the park, and there were plenty of other bikers to give us incentives to push harder.

Three and a half weeks after the mishap on Mt. Washburn I can finally breathe without pain and get through most of our rides with very little pain. Most importantly I feel like I'm getting my confidence back.

Michigan, Kal-Haven Rail Trail

Our last stop on the Pennsylvania to Yellowstone, Wyoming road trip.

We hopped on a rail trail this morning intending to put in maybe 50 miles. Around mile 10 we asked each other how much further we wanted to go. We were enjoying the trail and had thoroughly enjoyed our trip, but we were ready to go home. On mile 11 we looked at each other and said, "lets just go home" We turned around and headed back for the car, then drove straight home. We got in around 2AM. I'm a bit anal about having the house spotless before leaving for vacation, but what a wonderful feeling to walk in to a clean house after a long trip! This worked out perfectly giving us Sunday to relax and do laundry before going back to work.

The Dark Wisconsin Tunnel

The rail trail we choose today boasted 3 old train tunnels. Just before entering the first one we passed a big sign advertising flashlights, ice cream, and soda. A home owner along the trail was taking full advantage of his location. We smiled and rode on. Just a little way into the first tunnel there was a turn. From there for half a mile there was no light whatsoever, not even a speck at the end of the tunnel. A distant drone slowly became louder and a small light appeared to be getting closer. Trin said, "A ghost train!" We decided to turn around and did our best not to run. We went back to the small ice cream stand and paid $5 for a flashlight. The "train" turned out to be a park truck doing maintenance on the trail.

The tunnel was damp and eerie. The only sound was that of dripping water and our bike tires on the old rail mound. This was the kind of darkness that makes every horror movie ever seen flash back into memory. This 3/4 mi tunnel was quite an experience.Before leaving Wisconsin we stopped at "The house on the rock" a house built around a pinnacle rock

It features an infinity room. The room narrows as it looms further over the valley below. The windows angle outward, giving a good view of the forest floor below. A number of people walked to the end with feet spread far apart and hands reaching out on either side as if they were going to suddenly fall out of the room.

The Greenway, Minnesota

Of all the cities we have biked in, we vote Minnesota to be the best!! At times we felt like the city could be miles away.

Normally on our rides I'm the one that will take inspiration from a slow car or another rider going by to speed up and pass, or race them. Trin is always saying, "Oh, no here we go." Today as we stopped for a red light a road bike (we are on our mountain bikes) pulled up beside us and gave us a superior look. When the light turned green he took off with Trin right behind. I laughed, "Oh no I've rubbed off on him!!" We paced him for a few miles till the road biker turned off the greenway. Next time we stopped, nothing had to be said I just gave Trin a look and we both started laughing.

Thank you to Olga for giving me the wonderful bike map of the Twin Cities last time you visited PA!

Best quote of the day: "uhh, uhh, uhh, (a kind of gut/guttural sound) Come on dude!" On part of the commuter bike trail we came across a small "traffic jam" the inline skaters behind us felt a little angst at our sudden stop. We jumped off the trail giving them more time to stop before hitting the jam. We have now taken to saying this to each other whenever we see someone getting frustrated.