Digital Pigeon

It’s a shame. There was such promise to this but neglect and local ignorance continue to be a major problem. Being a shared roadway with motor traffic (restricted to west bound one way) you never know what you’ll meet on the trail. Often they speed and run against the one way order. The road bed is a wreck. Broken glass, concrete, stones and other litter are all over as well as the guard rail side falling into the river and a retaining wall side crumpling in. Dumping of household garbage has always been a problem and piles still abound because when you’ve loaded up the pick up to litter are you going to let a no dumping sign get in the way? People who live on part of this road own large, savage dogs and are the reason I now carry mace. The only plus and the reason it exists in the mind of cyclists is that it circumvents the need to tackle a CAT4 climb if you are leaving to the west or returning from there. Today I rode my cycle to the shop for a much needed tune up. Not wanting to be overly gross as well as make good time I elected to take the river road. Always disappointing but useful. View Larger

It’s a shame. There was such promise to this but neglect and local ignorance continue to be a major problem.
Being a shared roadway with motor traffic (restricted to west bound one way) you never know what you’ll meet on the trail. Often they speed and run against the one way order.
The road bed is a wreck. Broken glass, concrete, stones and other litter are all over as well as the guard rail side falling into the river and a retaining wall side crumpling in.
Dumping of household garbage has always been a problem and piles still abound because when you’ve loaded up the pick up to litter are you going to let a no dumping sign get in the way?
People who live on part of this road own large, savage dogs and are the reason I now carry mace.
The only plus and the reason it exists in the mind of cyclists is that it circumvents the need to tackle a CAT4 climb if you are leaving to the west or returning from there.
Today I rode my cycle to the shop for a much needed tune up. Not wanting to be overly gross as well as make good time I elected to take the river road.
Always disappointing but useful.

# waverly tioga chemung river road river road bike path velo bici bike bicycle cycle shame unkept bad carantouan green trail BSA

Posted 1 day ago

Knowing Your Job

I know that New York does a really great thing by keeping a set of interstate bike routes all marked up. If you write the DOT on the topic you can even be sent free maps of the routes with elevations and everything!

But I think it’s time for more. I’d like to see NYS do more to encourage it’s employees and especially at the county and local level to get into recreational cycling.

I see a lot of Chemung County every time I ride. I know exactly how the roads are and where the drainage problems are at. I know where litter problems are and where every loose dog is at. I see people and farms and really get to know the place with my bicycle. I cross cities and deal with traffic and lane closures.

If your job deals with the management of a place, such as a city or a county or a village or hamlet in NY try getting out there on a bicycle and away from the desk. Try running the roads and appreciating all that work you put in hauling fresh asphalt. Believe me, when you repave I have a blast. Go for group rides and solve problems thinking and talking as you ride.  See and meet the people you serve.

# bicycle bici velo ride cycle bike nys ny new york county city village hamlet civil dot

Posted 1 week ago 2 notes
 So It’s Mayday here again and another year with labor being as far from the mind as possible.   With the land rush here in the natural gas rich parts of the north east it seems it would be on everyone’s minds.  Personal experience has shown me over and over that industry has no interest in playing fair.  Today in Pennsylvania men and women from Mexico, Hati, Dominican Republic and even Mongolia will get abused by the gas industry as the local population continues to cut its own throat and bleed for the promise of riches from the earth.  Insane hours, unsafe work conditions and waste of precious natural resources go into the development and maintenance of natural gas extraction.   I was a skilled technician and when I stood up to it I was asked to leave. I rode my bicycle to work every day and stayed healthy, I came in early, I stayed late, I tolerated being undervalued and accepted a diminished title and salary in relation to my duties and when I asked for my fair promotion was viewed as a trouble maker and dismissed.   There is a pervasive laziness in labor, the sort of sloth that will walk past litter in their own front yard without picking it up.   News flash: the litter bugs aren’t going to come back and no one else is either. We have to do it ourselves, even if we didn’t make the mess.   You don’t need to join a union, or pay dues, or go on strike, to “organize” you just need to talk and communicate and stick together realistically to effect the change you desire.   I rode every day to work on my bicycle, and then there were two and then there were three of us. The roads are less than ideal and traffic was always iffy. Demonstrations of courage and possibilities can be inspirational and good things come to those who go out there and get them.  So get going…

 So It’s Mayday here again and another year with labor being as far from the mind as possible. 

 With the land rush here in the natural gas rich parts of the north east it seems it would be on everyone’s minds.

 Personal experience has shown me over and over that industry has no interest in playing fair.  Today in Pennsylvania men and women from Mexico, Hati, Dominican Republic and even Mongolia will get abused by the gas industry as the local population continues to cut its own throat and bleed for the promise of riches from the earth.

 Insane hours, unsafe work conditions and waste of precious natural resources go into the development and maintenance of natural gas extraction.

  I was a skilled technician and when I stood up to it I was asked to leave. I rode my bicycle to work every day and stayed healthy, I came in early, I stayed late, I tolerated being undervalued and accepted a diminished title and salary in relation to my duties and when I asked for my fair promotion was viewed as a trouble maker and dismissed.

  There is a pervasive laziness in labor, the sort of sloth that will walk past litter in their own front yard without picking it up.

  News flash: the litter bugs aren’t going to come back and no one else is either. We have to do it ourselves, even if we didn’t make the mess.

  You don’t need to join a union, or pay dues, or go on strike, to “organize” you just need to talk and communicate and stick together realistically to effect the change you desire.

  I rode every day to work on my bicycle, and then there were two and then there were three of us. The roads are less than ideal and traffic was always iffy.

Demonstrations of courage and possibilities can be inspirational and good things come to those who go out there and get them. 

So get going…

# mayday bicycle velo bike cycle work labor labour rights workers rights union natural gas pennsylvania health safety organize

Reblogged 2 weeks ago from oireachtasretort 4 notes

Cycling and the Long Rides

Sometimes I take “long” rides. I think they are all just rides but I will concede that some are longer and harder than others.

Motorists often pass and a few do so with some consideration, however, I’m willing to admit that we must all look pretty much the same to them and they really have no idea if we’re in mile one or mile fifty.

As I was rolling north a few days ago and my lower back was aching I was thinking about Star Trek to take my mind off the problems. It made me think of myself as the ship and how an engineering detail should be sent to the lower back to get a status update on the stresses involved causing the warning.

I thought about it a little more and in reality that must be happening at some level in the body when we’re busy thinking and working on our own problems the body has a list of sub routines to manage as well. 

It got me to Star Trek with Mr Scott and Kirk’s exchanges through the series and movies. From “I need all the power you can muster mister” to “the captain told me to have these transporters on line and I’m not about to let him down.”

image

Kirk: Keep her together till I get back….

Scott: I always do…


 If you like, this interaction starts with the fresh actors of Star Trek the Motion Picture and it basically continues as they age to Generations. Like a long ride you start fresh and it taxes you to keep going the longer you are at it.

Of course stuff happens out there and as Mr. Scott pointed out in Star Trek III, “I didn’t expect to taker her into combat you know…”

But eventually we all end up at the end no matter how far or what the weather was or how many CAT3 hills were climbed… “It was fun…”

 It was a 66 mile ride, in 25+ MPH winds for me with only one CAT3 hill in the middle of the thing. I think it would have been a little nicer minus the wind but the season is young!

# bicycle cycle bici velo star trek scotty kirk bike shatner sulu doohan takei

Posted 4 weeks ago 5 notes

Calling all Bicyclists to the Ride Rail & Bicycle Event April 28 in Hadley NY

The 9th annual Maple in April Festival will feature the Saratoga & North Creek Railway and bicycles on Sunday, April 28th in Hadley, NY. There are two options for this event:
The Long Ride for the experienced cyclists (37 miles) and the In-Between Ride for those looking for a moderate ride to start off their bicycle season (17 miles) with the hub of the event at the Hadley/Luzerne Train Station,4113 Rockwell Street, Hadley NY.
The In-Between ride begins at the Hadley/Luzerne Train Station at 10:55a.m.You with your bicycle will board the train to ride to the Thurman Station; disembarking at 11:27a.m.to pedal back to the Hadley/Luzerne Train Station where you?ll receive your swag bag; a total of 17 miles. If you?d like to extend the train ride, board the train at Saratoga Train Station ride to the Thurman Station, pedal back to Hadley (17 miles), receive your swag bag and enjoy the festival for a while before boarding again at 5:09 p.m. for your ride back to your car at the Saratoga Station.
Bike Saratoga NY
The Long Ride entails boarding at the Saratoga Station with your bicycle at 10a.m. You?ll ride the Saratoga & North Creek Railway to Thurman Station then pedal your bicycle back to Hadley/Luzerne Station where you?ll receive your swag bag and fill-up your water bottle before pedaling back to the Saratoga Station, 26 Station Lane; a total of 37 miles.
The cost for the Ride Rail & Bicycle Event is $20. To reserve your prepaid train ticket voucher send a $20 check along with your registration form to: Hadley Business Association, P.O. Box 141, Hadley, NY 12835-0141. Registration form onlinewww.HadleyBusinessAssociation.net contact Sandi at 518-696-4153 with questions.

# bicycle bike bici velo adk adirondack saratoga warren train maple hadley ride cycle spring mountains event

Posted 1 month ago 3 notes

Summer Kit

Made my first ride in the summer kit today. Needed the home brew embrocation this morning and fought a savage head wind but well worth it.

Went to go and check a bike trail in the neighboring city, Ride the Ride as is purported.

Other sights of springs aside from the extra pale legs?

Spring peepers are at it…

Prison Labour crews are at it…

The sun broke out full about 1130 and I was mid ride and feeling like hill climbing. Now I’m back and waffles and beer are looking like a read option for dinner this evening!

# bicycle bike cycle velo bici ride peepers spring

Posted 1 month ago 5 notes