Work it Out

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 421.5

I'll come back and add links to some of these things later, as I'm posting this from my phone on break.

One of the benefits of working a physically demanding job is not needing to purchase a gym membership. That being said, I'm grateful that gyms exist because they're some of my most loyal customers:

Stationary bikes really aren't my thing, but I like the set up. I think riding that guy would count towards 30 Days of Biking, right?

Anyway, Thursdays tend to be some of my heaviest workloads. Technically every day is leg day, but especially Thursday:

Size is deceptive. The combined weight of all of that is more than 300 pounds of wet mop heads. Yesterday, I ended up having to make two such trips to Center City to pick everything up, which I didn't mind so much because it was once again freezing and windy outside. Silver linings...

After 20+ miles in less than ideal conditions, you probably think I'd go home. I think you know me better by now. I'd made plans to meet up with a friend to check out a "new" brewery that opened in the Eraserhood:

It's called Love City, and though they're not actually new, this location is. It's a refurbished/renovated factory, and they did a tremendous job with the space. As yesterday was the grand opening, it was predictably packed to the seams:

Service was actually quite quick though. We each got a quick flight in before moving on:

This is the third brewery to open in this area in less than a year. Neat stuff.

Today has been a little less crazy so far. So far. I have to make a late pickup this afternoon that's supposed to be quite large. Happy Friday!

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Comcastic. Sort of.

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 385.1

We're getting there...slowly but surely. You can always tell when the weather is a bit more tolerable by how many bikes fill the racks outside major businesses:

I had a fairly light delivery route Wednesday morning followed by a meeting at the Comcast Center (seen above), and other than a ride to the hockey arena I don't have much else to report about the early part of yesterday. Speaking of...

I got word of some relatively affordable tickets to the Flyers playoff game last night, so I bought one on a whim and took a ride to the deep south. Apparently I'm either the only person who rode my bike there, or I'm the only person who knew about this bike rack on the south side of the arena:

Comcast actually owns this building too, in case you weren't aware. I think I like parking on this side better. It's got protection from the rain:

Not that it will be of much use to me going forward, as this is likely the last time I'll get to see these guys play here while I'm living here. Anyway, this is why I opted to make the last minute splurge. Something about a sea of orange always gives me chills:

Unfortunately, the product on the ice was absolutely terrible. It's sad to think that this might be my last Flyers game as a Philadelphia resident. At least I got to sneak in a few more miles of riding as a result, I guess?

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If things go according to plan, I'll hit 400 miles for the month today! I'm not sure how, to be honest. I don't like to grumble about the weather too much, but it's been pretty lackluster for most of this month. I feel like it's actually caused my enthusiasm for this go around of 30 Days of Biking to sag a little. In any case, I hope you're all still encouraged by these little victories, and to get out and ride a bike. That's really what this is all about. And with that, it's on to day 19...

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Sky of Gray, and Day of Green

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 358.8

I was all over the place yesterday, just like the weather seems to be lately. I can't believe some of you were reporting snow in April. That's just crazy talk.

Anyway, I was up in the far north section of my territory for a drop off at Temple University. I happened to ride right past the Temple Community Garden. It's been a number of years since I stopped by, so I did, even if no one was there:

Community gardens like these are starting to become more common in Philly and other urban areas. This one's particularly neat to me because of the greenhouse/lab structure. It's got a recycled cork (or wood) siding, green roof, solar power, and rain buckets. Reminds me of my natural building days... Hopefully I'll get up this way on a nicer day later this Spring.

After finishing the route, I trekked my Wash Cycle over to Drexel Campus for their annual EarthFest featuring sustainably-minded local vendors and campus organizations. The turnout was modest for such a gray and windy April day:

I'm pretty sure the temperature dropped more than 10 degrees after I got there. By the end of the event, I was pretty cold. When I tell people I'm used to the elements, it comes with the caveat that I'm usually pedaling hundreds of pounds of laundry on a bike, which usually keeps me sufficiently warm. Standing still against the wind is an entirely different story. Regardless, I'm glad we went. It's always nice to spread the message of sustainability and green culture, even when you'd rather be indoors like this guy:

Full disclosure: I put him in there, so you could say this pic was staged, but no cats were harmed in the taking of this photo. I didn't expect him to stay long enough for the photo op, but he actually seemed pretty comfy. Maybe he does want to go for a ride?

It's a crisp but beautiful day today, so here's hoping this Autumn spell is finally behind us. On to day 18...

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What do May Flowers Bring?

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 329.2

If you know the answer to the "Dad Joke" in the title, start paddling.

As I mentioned yesterday, the absolutely gorgeous day we were gifted with on Saturday had yielded to windy, cloudy conditions by Sunday morning. As the evening wore on, things ramped up into steady rain showers overnight, and I awoke to a downpour this morning. On the map, it looked very much like death:

Shortly thereafter, I received a flash flood warning on my phone, which wasn't surprising at all. I waited it out as long as I could, and once the downpour had once again slowed to a steady rain, I headed out. Pick your battles, I suppose. I dressed accordingly but still ended up a little soaked, and I saw several downed trees on my ride in (I didn't stop for pictures, for obvious reasons). Tough to see, but so much for all that bike cleaning I did yesterday:

I do believe it's the sum of the parts that make the whole, and leaving the previous layer of dirt would have added another layer on top of it and yadda yadda yadda, but it's still mildly frustrating. I only get so many maintenance days, after all...

At any rate, my laundry delivery route was fairly uneventful with the exception of another flat tire (I'm up to three in three weeks now after zero in three years). The skies eventually cleared enough for a relatively stress-free commute home, for those willing to puddle-jump:

Of course, when you consider that some parts of the northeast and midwest were pounded with snow today (it is April 16th, by the way), the clouds and wind we were left with here in Philly don't seem all that bad.

Whatever the case, I'm no stranger to weathering these sorts of storms. It's all part of the adventure. Kudos to all of you who got out on a rough Monday morning and did the thing. The rest of this week is all downhill according to the forecast.

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200, 300, 400, Forever

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 299.9

On day 15, I slept in. It doesn't happen often, but usually my body decides to take over when it really needs to. It was partially by design, as I didn't set an alarm or make any plans. Let's call it a maintenance day.

I did take one ride today, a short 5 mile round trip to Center City to buy groceries:

That little ride put me within 5 miles of breaking 200 miles for the week (which I'm not sure I've ever done), and 300 for the month, on what happens to be the 400th post on this blog (funny how these things all seem to happen together):

Upon seeing that when I got home, I half entertained going out later to push it over the top, but the weather was less than spectacular, so I opted to stick with my maintenance plan to do some adulting and give the bike some much-needed love (derailleur adjustment, chain lubrication, cleaning, etc). He's put in a lot of work this month.

However, on the way to the grocery store, I did make one very important stop. At 11th & Spruce, I saw a table set up near the Emily Fredricks Memorial. She was a cyclist who was tragically killed in a traffic incident back in November 2017:

I knew there was an event going on today, the 1st Annual ProfiteROLL Scavenger Hunt dedicated in her name. Its mission is to raise funds for the Emily Fredricks Memorial Fund in support of safe cycling advocacy, WomenBikePHL, as well as replacing bikes lost due to crashes. Knowing full well that I'd planned not to participate in today's hunt, I still felt it important to stop by and show my support.

I talked with her parents for a few minutes about what I do and how cycling impacts my life on a day to day basis, and I was glad I did. They are such kind souls and I could tell they really appreciate support of any kind. I made a donation (of course) and walked away with this t-shirt, which will make it into the regular rotation. Apologies for the wrinkles, as it was fresh out of my bookbag when I snapped these:

Kudos to everyone who did participate today, and keep up the support. I'm very lucky that I've been able to ride as many miles as I have and experience as many things as I have on a bicycle. Everyone should be so lucky, and that kind of luck shouldn't be taken away from anyone for any reason.

By the way, we're already halfway through 30 Days of Biking. Can you believe it?

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Miles of Meditation

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 294.9

Yesterday, I had a rare completely open Saturday, so I took full advantage to finally get some "time for me." The weather was also exceptionally gorgeous for the first time since I can remember, so what to do? Why, take a long bike ride, of course.

Earlier in the week, I'd entertained the idea of bikepacking to a state park for the nite, but those plans ultimately fell through. I settled for a ride up the Schuylkill River with a planned stop or two along the way. I had two goals in mind: relaxation (yes, this is what I do to relax, you know this) and breaking in a new pair of shoes:

Those aren't cycling shoes. They're Merrell Trail Glove trail running shoes, which I like for when my biking adventures turn into hiking adventures on the fly as they sometimes do. 

The Schuylkill River Trail was packed on the southern end due to the aforementioned nice weather. Usually this is somewhat annoying, but I was out for relaxation, and the first true Spring day it's always nice to see so many people out enjoying the scenery. I mean, look at all the blossoms in bloom:

Once I got out of the area around Boathouse Row, Kelly Drive was actually closed off for a rowing tournament, so I took to the road for several miles. There wasn't much in the way of congestion after that, and before I knew it, I was at one of my intended stops, the Trek Bicycle Shop in Manayunk. I still have an unused gift card and was hoping to pick up a bag to mount to my top tube. They didn't have much in their selection as they just completed construction inside, so I moved on.

I rode all the way out to Bridgeport before I stopped again. I'd gotten word of a new microbrewery opening in the area, so I went exploring. It wasn't open yet, but the 10 minute detour wasn't all that bad, even if it did involve going up a 90-foot hill. Eventually I ended up at my second intended destination, Conshohocken Brewing's Bridgeport Brewpub:

I chose to go here as opposed to the original location on the SRT, which was swamped due to their anniversary celebration. The Brewpub does feature an outdoor seating area and beer garden, but I opted to spend a few minutes away from the sun. Considering I'd be on the bike for about 4 hours, I'd say I made the wise choice:

After a quick bite and a quick flight, I was back on my way to Philly. I did pause briefly near the original Conshohocken Brewery for a quick pic because I thought it looked neat:

I also stopped in for a water break. The place was still swamped, and I was once again glad I chose to ride a little bit further. I took a small detour on the ride home, opting to ride the less-congested MLK Drive for a bit. They close it on the weekends all Summer, in case you weren't aware, and riding with a full road at your disposal is always enjoyable.

As I got closer to the city, the wind really started to pick up (it's funny how that always happens near the end of a long ride), but I toughed through it to get home in under 4 hours (not including stops):

47 meditative miles and a day well spent. Mother Nature's not looking as kind today, so the timing is perfect for a maintenance day, both personally and for the bikes. I also have household chores to tend to and a hockey game to watch. Go Flyers.

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The Boys on the Docks

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 245.4

After a delayed and much anticipated arrival, Spring has finally arrived, sort of. Temps rose into the 80's yesterday, which actually made it feel more like Summer at times. I had some mostly full carts to pull on the Wash Cycle yesterday to boot, so sweat was aplenty. Felt GOOD:

I love how that thing looks next to a loading dock that's clearly designed for much larger vehicles. Seems out of place, but it actually works quite well for ergonomic reasons. I frequent loading docks on a daily basis, and I still get my fair share of odd looks from those who aren't used to seeing me every day. I guess this does look bizarre if you've never seen it before:

I don't mind confused looks as long as they don't run me over. Ha.

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I mentioned yesterday that street work has started due to the nicer temperatures. It's a curse and a blessing, and in a week or so when they finish Girard Avenue (near my plant), I'll be forever thankful. This stretch of road has been a mess for years:

You can see the concrete patches indicating the road had been torn up several times and patched, which created all kinds of fun potholes. I don't recommend riding on Girard regularly, but for my route, I sometimes have to. A little further west, the paving is already done:

So yeah. Even though Philly streets are horrible for the most part, I'm happy that at least a few that I frequent are getting a face lift. Now if only they'd install more bike infrastructure...but that's another post for another day. Focus on the positives, or something.

I'm planning to take a somewhat lengthy ride today. Not sure where I'm going to go yet, but Mother Nature appears to be giving us all a golden opportunity to get out and enjoy, so I'm going to take full advantage. Enjoy your Saturday everyone.

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