Capital City Cycling

Continuing with my recent trend of biking in as many different locales as possible, I happened to be on another brief jaunt to PA which took me through Harrisburg. For those of you who are unaware, Harrisburg is the PA state capital:

It was a crisp, cold 32˚F when I arrived around 7:30AM, which actually made for some gorgeous riding conditions due to the relative lack of wind over the Susquehanna River:

Of course, I had no real destination in mind, so once I rode across the river, I returned and looked for something "neat" to ride towards. I saw a baseball stadium off in the distance where the Harrisburg Senators play, so that seemed like a good place to venture to:

It actually sits on an island, and the bridge to get there has a pretty neat history as you can read on this historical marker:

And speaking of history, apparently the architectural achievements in its construction were the first of their kind. It's been designated as such:

And finally, one last view of the Susquehanna before I headed back to my car:

As is the case with just about all of these brief adventures, I truly wish I had more time to explore more. The positive in that is, it leaves me feeling like I need to return. It was an absolutely beautiful morning to be on a bike, no matter how quickly the time passed.

As I sit here typing this, I have just returned from a quick morning ride that takes my consecutive days of riding streak to 598. I have no huge plans for my 600th day (it's a Monday), but it's on the horizon and I still can't believe I've kept it up this long. This week may be the end of this streak, but I will keep you posted for sure. Enjoy your weekend!

Motor City Cycling

On Halloween, I found myself in Detroit for a quick day trip (more on that later). When going on an adventure, no matter how brief, you know the drill:

That view is actually of Windsor, ON, Canada from across the Detroit River. I briefly entertained the idea of crossing the bridge on a bike, but going through the COVID/customs procedure just to say I did it didn't seem worth the time (especially because I also had some time constraints). Nonetheless, it was a beautiful mid-Autumn morning to bike around a different city, especially the waterfront:

I happened upon a group of cyclists enjoying a Sunday morning ride:

I would have joined if I were properly dressed, and also if I didn't have the aforementioned time constraints. Anyway, the Detroit riverfront is quite beautiful, but the city is still showing many signs of post-industrial fallout and the recovery process is still very much ongoing, as you can see briefly here:

Still, as I said above, the riverfront does offer some beautiful views of the downtown area and the Detroit River:

Oh, and of course, there's a bike share. Good to know in case I visit again some day and I don't have the ability to bring my own bike:

As for why I was in Detroit in the first place, well you see, the Philadelphia Eagles were in town to play the Lions, and even with a 3 hour drive as part of the experience, I didn't want to miss another opportunity to see my favourite American football team for the first time in three years:

Ford Field is a beautiful stadium. It's a shame the Lions have been such a bad team for such a long time. It really puts things in perspective as a long-suffering Philly sports fan. At least I've been able to enjoy occasional moments of glory.

Anyway, this day capped off a pretty impressive month that saw me ride a bike in four different states (with the aid of a car, yes, but still). November hasn't been quite as rewarding thus far, but my consecutive streak of riding is now approaching 600 days. I'll keep you posted...