Happy Trails

It's been a few days since I've posted. I'll explain why in a bit. Meanwhile...

One day, I'm going to complete the D&L trail. I know it's something that could be completed in less than a day, but since I don't live close by, I'm going to have to piecemeal it together.

Last weekend, I knocked out another small section with my Dad (thanks for letting me borrow your bike while mine was being fixed yet again). The section between Slatington & Palmerton is a nice, gentle, mostly flat ride that takes less than an hour round trip. I did the upper part of it back in April plus a few small detours.

Anywho, not much to report on this section really, other than the Slatington Airport:

I swear I've never once seen a plane take off or land from this airport in all the years I lived there. It's gotta be a front.

There's also this ancient water tower that sits unused, unrestored and yet, is still standing for some reason:

Biggest thing I noticed: no graffiti either.

It's always nice to get outside the city and onto a trail for a change. It's always nice to experience different things, especially since my schedule has gotten crazily busy the last few weeks, which brings me back to the beginning of this post.

I love writing this blog, sharing my experiences and of course, living them. However, without going into too much detail, my personal and professional life has gotten very complicated recently, and over the next month or so, I'm probably not going to be blogging much, if at all. At least, not while I'm working on sorting this stuff out. Even writing a short post that takes up 10 minutes seems daunting at times with so much on my plate.

It's nothing serious, and I know this blog is nothing serious either, but as I've built a somewhat loyal following, I felt I owed it to you - the readers - to let you know what's going on. The biggest thing I have to take care of is finding a new place to live in Philly. So, if you can help with that, let me know. If not, I'll see you on the other side.

I'll be back to normal before I know it, so stick around. Thanks for reading as always, and happy trails!

Movin' Awn Up...

As I've mentioned before, this city is rapidly changing, and I see it every day right in front of my face. Case in point, last Friday morning I was riding up to the laundromat when I noticed the newly-adorned facade (it wasn't entirely a surprise, as I saw the guys measuring for it the day before):

Because "Illuminati Coin Wash" would have been too obvious.

From a strictly graphic design standpoint, I hate the color scheme. We all know what black and blue together implies. But, it's an improvement nonetheless. Of course, the place looks way better than it did back in April, before we opened to the general public.

Big picture-wise, I remember driving through this neighborhood when I first started volunteering at SHI back in January 2014. It looks nothing like that today (sorry, no pictures to prove it, but trust me). Gone are many of the vacant buildings that marred the landscape, and in their place are a garden (behind the laundromat) and an open triangular lot that seems ripe for development into a small park. We've also created half a dozen new jobs (gotta start small, right?). It gives credence to this mosaic half-wall just up the street:

It's not a Great Wall, but it's decent.

It reads "Ridge on the Rise" in the middle of the sun. At least in the area around the laundromat, it's true. There's still a lot of work to be done...

Rustcycles: Pennsylvania & Spring Garden

It's been a while since I featured one of these.

I'm surprised they haven't removed this one with the Pope visiting next weekend. It's most definitely within the "Black Zone." I guess there's still time...

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Pedal to the Mettle

Let me tell you a little about Angel.

Angel is my Fuji 4130 (not this exact model, but close enough), a limited edition folding bike produced as part of a Marlboro Miles promotion back in the 90's. My Mom found her on Craigslist and she's been mine for a little over a year and a half. I won't go in to the story about her name. Mayhaps another day...

Anywho, I absolutely love the convenience factor that comes along with a bike that can fold and fit in my back seat. However, the design leaves much to be desired at times... This video shows a lot - even though it's not as difficult to fold as that guy makes it look. It also shows the pedals, one of which I broke on my way to work today:

You didn't really want an easy commute to work, right?

The heads of the screws attaching the bottom plate snapped off completely. This happened from the repeated stress of regular use and laying the bike down (I don't have a kickstand) on the non-drive side. Oddly enough, I've already fixed this pedal twice. The first time, it felt "squishy," so I replaced the original screws with new ones. The second time, the "squish" started to come back, so I tightened them. Yesterday, it started to feel "squishy" yet again, and today this happened before I could fix it. The result:

Wanna hang out?

Without a lot of time to figure something out, the best I could do was to continue on and try to ride gingerly, keeping my left foot on the pedal at all times so it wouldn't go flying off. That lasted about 5 blocks:

It's almost like I planned this photo.

I also injured myself in the process. Minor, but still, it sucks:

Also available with sock tan.

Needless to say, the rides to and from work was not pleasant, but I did manage to avoid further injury. After I get a new pedal assembly (whenever that will be), I think it's time to invest in a kickstand. Could prevent a lot of future problems from happening at all. For now, duct tape or a dreaded IndeGo rental will have to do.

Angel is turning out to be quite the Satanic mistress at times...

Clear the Lane

The Bicycle Coalition recently reported that some new signs have been popping up around Philly:

Well, they're not new in design, but new in the sense that they're appearing in more places. A step in the right direction for sure, but look closely at the picture above. There is a complete sidewalk separating this sign from Girard Avenue, which also has a row of parked cars next to the sidewalk. Who the hell is going to see this sign?

In any case, I'm glad to see these go up, especially when I'm on a narrow street in South Philly with residual trolley tracks. I'd much rather ride in the center of the lane than have to tight rope down the small space between the tracks and the parked cars, risking getting doored or running into a fast-acting pedestrian. I actually exploited this law on South 11th Street the other day, much to the angst of a New Jersey VW driver. Get over it.

These signs are supposed to convey a much clearer message than the usual "Share the Road" signs we're used to seeing around here, and I agree:

Side note, you can see this same sign in the top picture, so we're doubly covered here, sort of. Hey, at least they're trying, I guess...

Revengeance

The beautiful scene you see above was taken Monday morning at Ocean City, Maryland. As Labor Day is widely known as the unofficial end of Summer, and with absolutely gorgeous weather in the forecast, it only made sense to soak up the sun one last time. I took my bike with me of course, but unlike last month, I decided it was in my best interest to take a few days off for a change. However, I did stumble upon something cycling-related, as I always seem to...

As I've mentioned before, even though we live in the digital age, I still absolutely LOVE print journalism. I picked up The Dispatch, one of the free local papers and stumbled upon an amazing story (amazing to me, that is) that was buried in the middle pages, and it just so happens to be cycling-related. I apologize for my lackluster photography on this one, but you can read the article here. If not, scroll past the pic for a brief synopsis:

If you didn't read it, you should, because there's something adorable about small-town journalism that us city-dwelling folk don't often get to read. I can't quite describe it.

The gist of the story is: cyclist was hit-and-run by a drunk driver and the cyclist was ejected from his bike. A passing motorist (or following, I'm not really sure) followed the drunk driver until they crashed into another car. That's when police arrived, and eventually the drunk driver was charged with DUI and leaving the scene of an accident (no mention of charges for the 2nd crash that I read).

Well that's pretty incredible, and the guy is lucky he didn't kill anyone. Considering this staggering map of hit-and-runs in Philadelphia that was recently released, it's amazing there aren't more fatalities. Also, there are plenty more that I'm sure aren't reported or registered (my crash isn't listed there, for example). In any case, it's good to see justice served, even if it's only a small fraction of the time.

This didn't mar my experience at the beach in any way. Just thought I'd share. As always, be safe out there. It's a rough world...

Graffiti Design

Awhile back, I wrote about this wall on Cecil B. Moore & Germantown Aves with an evolving "mural," if you want to call it that. I happened by it today for the first time in a few weeks, and lo and behold, it's changed again.

Oh, and if you're offended by profanity, tough shit. ;)

So this is kinda neat. I like that there's a chance I might see something different every time I ride past here. Also, one of my favorite profundities has been spared (for now):

Think about it...

Just a couple blocks west on Cecil B. Moore, there's a warehouse on the right with some intricate graffiti of varying motifs, one of which is still in progress:

Interesting. Very clearly this is coordinated, and nicely done, I might add. I still can't figure out if this is part of a neighborhood beautification project or some renegade effort to deter the often-annoying "standard" gang tags, but either way, I like it. It makes me enjoy riding through this corridor every so often.

Americatown

On my way home one July afternoon, I happened upon these over-hanging American flag banners in Chinatown:

I wasn't sure if they were put up for the 4th of July, but as of today, they were still there. Maybe Philly Chinatown is simply an overwhelming source of American Patriotism...or maybe they're just lazy? Somehow I doubt the rest of the city will be flying Chinese flags any time soon though. :P

A Brief Aside

George Washington's River Farm in Alexandria, VA, a place I visited for a wedding 2 months ago

"Every front has a back."

This is one of the seven laws of the infinite universe as outlined by George Ohsawa, the founder of modern-day macrobiotics. You might ask, "Steve, why the hell are you quoting macrobiotic philosophy on your bicycling blog?" Glad you asked. It's been proving very true in my recent interactions, two in particular.

* * * *

The other night, I was at the bar with my roommate, sitting outside and enjoying some beers on an absolutely beautiful Summer night. I wrote a while back that sometimes I still enjoy a smoke every now and then, and for some reason, I felt like having one that night. I asked a guy on the corner who was smoking if I could bum one. He said sure, but he would have to go inside to get his pack.

On his way out, he stopped at the door as one of the servers asked him "Are you talking to those rich people who always ask if the fish is wild caught?" He said "I guess." The server couldn't see me, but I could hear her, and I knew her voice. I know she was trying to insult me, but I couldn't help but be a little flattered. Me? Rich? If you only knew...I guess I do put on a good front. :)

* * * *

On Friday, I returned to TV-13 for the first time since last October. I saw some of the guys I worked with last year, again for the first time since then. One of them remarked, "So, I see you've been keeping up with your traveling these days." I was a little confused. Other than Canada, I haven't left Philadelphia for more than a day or two at a time.

Then I figured it out. I post all of these pictures and blog posts all the time, most of which occur while cycling around the city, whether people realize it or not. Most of my other adventures are day trips to places that are not very far away. However, the city is many worlds among itself, and leaving the city is a whole different world. The picture above was from a friend's wedding in July, no more than a 3 hour drive from Philly. I could have driven back the same day. To the untrained eye, it probably seems like I travel an awful lot, but in real life, I stay pretty close to home.

* * * *

A long time ago, my "uncle" Bill (he was a close friend of the family, but we loved him like an uncle) told me that if I wanted to live large, I should just go ahead and do it, regardless of whether or not I thought I could afford it. I'd say I'm doing a decent job, or at least all outward appearances would indicate so. The man certainly lived large himself, and had a zest for life that even I can't come close to matching, but what he said carries tremendous weight in my day-to-day outlook on life.

The point of these stories is to illustrate that there is always another side to what you see. I work several jobs and live paycheck to paycheck, sometimes just barely making ends meet. Because of this, I don't go on nearly as many adventures as I'd like to. I don't have as much as people think or do as much as some think I do, and you probably didn't know that. I mean, how would you unless I told you?

When I sit back and take a deep breath, I know that I do have enough, and I do do quite a lot. I said doo doo. Haha. Anyway, everyone loves to have that "pat yourself on the back" feeling every once in a while, and this past week I experienced it twice. That's not why I do what I do, but it's a nice side effect. Most importantly, I have a good time doing it.

So, whatever you're doing, as long as you're enjoying yourself, that's really all that matters. If you truly want to live the life you want to live, you will. Or, as Andrew W.K. put it, "We do what we like, and we like what we do."

Me? I'm about to ride my bike to a New Belgium beer tasting, which is just fantastic, because I've wanted them to come to PA for about 5 years. I like all of that. All I have left to say is, thank you to everyone who is part of this fantastic human experience, big or small, and I hope you'll do something you enjoy today.