Rustcycles: Fairmount & Uber

I spotted this guy outside one of my favorite coffee shops on Tuesday:

It's kind of surprising to see this, because this is an area of Fairmount Avenue that's pretty well-off. Other than the wheel that's been potato chipped, the frame is actually in really good shape, and I have half a mind to come back here with some bolt cutters to snag it...

The coffee shop in question is Mugshots, who I absolutely love because of their commitment to local and organic food, plus they serve my favorite coffee: Counter Culture. Highly recommend.

Miles of Maintenance

I don't know who said it, but "Ya gotta maintain."

I was cleaning and maintaining my bike yesterday, and I paused for a half-second when I wiped around the sticker that you see in the picture above. I got it at the Bicycle Coalition Gala a couple weeks ago, and it reminded me of many of the rides I've taken this year.

I've only recently found out about the Circuit Trails, maybe within the last 2 months (chalk that up to my occasional obliviousness to my surroundings), but after I looked them up, I realized that I've been on the vast majority of the trails that have been completed in Philadelphia without even knowing it.

I bring this up because I always seek adventures, and sometimes they find me, but this week and this month, I'm focusing a lot on maintenance instead. Being out there and getting active is great, don't get me wrong, but trying to do too much is dangerous. I reached a similar point last year when I crashed my bike (which I know was the universe trying to tell me something), so before it gets to that point again, I'm attempting to learn from my mistake. I'm on day 4 of 12 consecutive work days, and in total it will be 17 of 18, so it's time to pay attention again.

Everything needs a tune up once in a while, myself and my bike included, hence why I haven't been riding or writing much. BUT, something as simple as pumping up the tires this week made my commutes feel so much easier, and spending a week cooking almost every meal at home has given me a jump in my step. Believe it or not, I've been dragging lately, and it's because I wasn't maintaining myself. Happy bike, happy self, happy life, or something like that, right?

Anywho, keep on riding, but make sure to tune up every now and then.

Life's a Beach

Better late than never on this one...I started writing this what seems like forever ago, and I refuse to let the drafts continue to build up.

Anywho, I'm still in limbo in many respects of my life, but every now and then I'm reminded that I have things pretty good for the most part.  The last few weekends were some such reminders.

If you've read this blog or seen any of my pictures, you know that I'm a sucker for the beach.  Three weekends ago, I was fortunate enough to spend a long weekend house sitting for a friend who lives down the Jersey Shore.  The weather wasn't as cooperative as I would have liked, but that just enabled me to rest and relax a little more (which was sorely needed).  By Tuesday, the rain finally cleared enough for me to ride on the Ocean City boardwalk:

I make a big deal out of this because it's sometimes tough to do this in the Summer, with pedestrians filling up the whole width for the most part.  On off season (and overcast) days, it's a different story.  At only 2.5 miles long, it was a very nice ride, albeit short.  Something about the sea air is so invigorating and relaxing even while exercising:

I didn't keep track of time, but I know it didn't take that long.  So, still with plenty of energy in the tank, I decided to explore a little of the town.  Gotta say, compared to the boardwalk, OCNJ's neighborhood is pretty dull.  At least there are bike lanes:

I'm not gonna poo poo it too much.  I was, after all, on vacation at the shore, and for what it's worth, it was better than not taking a ride at all.  One of my former roommates from Maryland used to live here, and I could see why he liked it, because there are some absolutely gorgeous houses in the neighborhood.  Though it's not really my thing, I've had worse rides.  And incredibly enough, this was the first time my "new" bike has laid rubber in New Jersey, only the 3rd state in which we've rode, despite nearly 2,000 miles of riding.  Weird, eh?

That night, I drove up to Philly for the baseball match, the tickets courtesy of another generous friend.  Rather than paying $18 for parking (seriously you guys), I parked my car near my house and rode to the ballpark:

That evening ride was beautiful too...and we won!  Any excuse to ride a bike, of course, I will use.  Believe it or not, I had enough energy to head back to Jersey afterward for one more night.

On the final day of my stay (coincidentally the last day of Summer), I ventured down to Cape May. Still a bit gray, but still decent enough for riding:

Seeing the lighthouse off in the distance, I decided I wanted to ride there. Not through the water, of course.  3ish miles later, I was there:

I had seen on the map that there were some trails in the state park surrounding the lighthouse, so it seemed natural to find them and explore, right?  Alas, I was greeted with this:

Bah!  It was just as well.  I was starting to get hungry at this point anyway.  I rode to this plant-based cafe I found called Bella Vida.  I love a tempeh reuben every now and then:

I also really liked these safe cycling advocacy signs I saw outside the cafe:

I guess I should have taken a wider shot for better context, but basically these are placed on the left side of a two-way street, against the flow of traffic.  My roommate has heard me and heard stories of me yelling at cyclists for this sin.  If we had more of these, I might not be yelling so much.  Wishful thinking at this point, but one day...

After 3 hours or so of riding and lunch-ing, the skies finally cleared completely, so it was the perfect time to let the muscles relax on the beach!

And to wind out the trip, a ride to my absolute favorite food spot in South Jersey, the Good Earth Organic Eatery.  It always comes back to food, right?  It's macrobiotic, yo!

This time around, I was floored.  It wasn't so much because of the food, which was excellent, but rather what the head chef said to me.  He noticed that I posted a few pics on Instagram that included the cafe.  He thanked me for the kind words, and made it a point to let me know that he checked out this very blog that you're reading.  Now, I don't do this to gain followers specifically, but it's always nice to hear that someone gets curious enough to check it out.  His genuine nature (that shows through his food, too) is just one of the many reasons I keep going back there.  What a great way to end my stay!

But, I wasn't quite done with my 2016 beach-ing.  You see, a few weeks back, my Mom and I wanted to spend a Mother/Son weekend together at the beach that didn't materialize due to an impending Labor Day hurricane.  She re-scheduled for two weekends ago, and though I had to work, I came down on the Saturday.  First stop (since it was night, not the best time for the beach) was this fantastic brewery:

That picture is from Crooked Hammock in Lewes, DE (near Rehoboth), which is where we found ourselves.  I only stayed for a beer, because it was getting late and I was pretty damn tired by this point.  But again, the sea air can be invigorating, and I was up early the next day to soak it all in, literally.  I'm glad Moms rescheduled the trip instead of canceling, because September beach weather can be absolutely incredible:

And not to stray too far from my vices, I rode to yet another microbrewery just before lunch time, Revelation:

But it always comes back to food, right?  So why not eat at ANOTHER brewery for lunch?

I've been to Dogfish so many times at this point, they practically know me by name.  Who knew Southern Delaware was such a hotbed for microbreweries?  Actually, I did.  But anyway, the bike went back to the car at this point and I headed back to the beach for a few more hours.  The date said September 25, but I view this as my official final day of Summer.  Sad to see it go, but I look forward to some great Autumn rides and (of course) another fantastic Summer next year.

I'm not quite sure how to wrap this up, other than to say thank you to everyone for always reading and riding along.  I owe a lot to a lot of people, and I'm never quite sure I do enough to give it back, so just in case, thank you one more time.  Happy Autumn, happy cycling, happy Tuesday.  Life's not a bitch; it's a beach.

Gala Monster

As a frequent cyclist and advocate for cycling in Philadelphia, it may surprise you that until recently, I was not a member of the biggest cycling advocacy group in the city, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.  After recently attending a happy hour, I was convinced to join by my friends Jeffrey and Ruth Ann.  I met them through working at the Strengthening Health Institute, the non-profit macrobiotic center in Philly.  Funny how everything connects, right?

Anyway, the final push for me to become a Coalition member was because they invited me (and my roommate) to the Coalition's annual Gala & Awards Dinner, which was this Thursday.  I figured if I was going to attend their biggest fundraiser, I should probably be a member:

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to these things, insisting on riding a bike to everything bike-related.  The weather was downright awful, but I persisted, and did it in a suit.  Not the best decision, but I survived:

After drying off a bit, it was time to enjoy the experience.  During the hors d'oeuvres and cocktail hour, there was a silent auction with plenty of items I couldn't afford that made me want to drool:

Among many others.  That touring bike was starting at $750.  Woof.

Fantastic food by Feast Your Eyes Catering, beer from Lagunitas, wine from Moore Brothers, and company from hundreds of cycling-friendly people, I can't even describe how much fun I had just being a part of the experience.  And of course, ever the self-promoter, I did some light marketing work for Wash Cycle while I was there too.  When in Rome, right?

Of course, it was an awards dinner as well, and Jeffrey was one of the presenters:

He said he was nervous.  Not sure why, but he did well regardless.  My apologies for the crappy phone camera pic.

I can't thank he and Ruth Ann enough for the invite.  I love being part of this organization and the cycling movement in Philly, and events like these remind me why we do what we do.  It's a family.  Really.

The Bare Necessity

My favorite day of the year has come and gone, but not soon to be forgotten. Some scenes from the Philly Naked Bike Ride on Saturday:

In addition to the Wildfire paint, some (myself included) chose to go the more "traditional" route, if there is such a thing:

And this is my message, sort of in the same vein as the guy above:

These jerks showed up at the starting point to yell at us for being friends with gay people. They also said that because we were friends with them, we have sex with chickens, we're more likely to get into traffic accidents, and all other manner of gibberish. Haters gonna hate, I guess. Anyway...

This guy was a total badass. I don't know how he didn't fall with the crowded nature of the ride. Starting off, it actually didn't look that full:

But as we rounded the Eakins Oval, I could see this was bigger than last year's crowd:

And hey, I ran into some friends! Blues musician Shakey Lyman among them:

Seriously floored by the turnout each time. It's so crazy, even the street performers stop to take pics of us:

And then there's this woman, total badass on a unicycle:

Wow. I think she made it a pretty good distance. I was back and forth, trying to see who else I could see along the way, so I lost track of her.

 We covered a lot of the major landmarks in greater center city, and I think this year's route was longer than last year's. 12 miles in total:

Yet another fantastic day of positivity that pictures cannot begin to describe. Until next year, cycle on, you crazy riders.

Will Bike for Beer. And Bread.

Last weekend, I had originally planned to go to the beach for the majority of said weekend until Hermine blew away most of those plans. See what I did there?

Rather than skulk away a free Sunday, I decided to seize the opportunity to "explore" one of the few neighborhoods I haven't explored in the City of Brotherly Love, Mt. Airy:

You've all seen trolley tracks before. Nothing to see here.

By explore, I mean I rode my bike 13 miles up the hill(s) and stopped at a local brewpub, as is typical of my adventures on this blog:

Because "Dirt Bread & Brewery" doesn't sound all that appetizing

Interestingly enough, the Drumpf was my favorite beer. I find their choice of beer names interesting, considering the drivel just across the street:

I'm referring, of course, to the American flag flying backwards...

Yech. Anywho, the town itself is quaint. I say the town because it's yet another one of those areas of the city that doesn't feel like it's part of the city (looking at you, Manayunk). In any case, I'll go back some day to see what else is going on. Chestnut Hill is right up the road too, and I haven't been there yet...

So back to the brewpub, those who know me know that I love beer, veg(etari)an food, and local/sustainable businesses, and any time I can find all three in the same place, I'll make the journey. No exception here. Earth Bread and Brewery sources locally almost exclusively, and with a small menu, there's little room for error. I don't normally do baked food, but this spicy veggie pizza was pretty bomb:

All killer, no filler

And, they didn't even use any of that strange fake cheese - all real ingredients. I didn't feel the least bit guilty about staying for 2 hours and finishing the whole thing myself, and I felt more than capable of biking home. This place alone would definitely be worth a ride out again.

As for Monday, I did end up going to the beach, and it was awesome. This week, I've been taking it kinda easy on the bike since my challenge ended, but I haven't missed a day. Next up: Philly Naked Bike Ride 2016 on Saturday! See (all of) me there.

Cat Nap

#31daysofbiking Mileage Counter: 523.3

So hey, I did it again! Alas, a month of consecutive biking has left me spent, so I'm taking a cue from Sebastian for a few days. See you on the road, and thanks for riding along with me (again)!