The Joy of Commuting

Perhaps I haven't mentioned this here before, but I'm not the biggest fan of Daylight Saving Time. It throws me out of whack for a few weeks a year, among many other annoyances. And since I moved and started a new job with an earlier schedule, it's made commuting via bicycle a much more dangerous, arduous task.

It's not supposed to be like this. For those of you who know me, I'm at my best mentally and physically when I'm doing nearly everything on a bike. I've basically been forced to cut out commuting from that equation for the last couple months due to morning darkness on an un-lit section of the Scioto Trail that comprises about 1/4 of my ride to and from work. Of course, it doesn't look so bad during the day:

But at 6:15AM, even with a proper bike light, the tree cover on a moonless morning severely impairs your field of vision. This particular stretch of trail is also flanked by the Scioto River and one of its tributaries, with a rather steep drop on either side. Certainly not the place you'd accidentally want to run over a wayward squirrel, tree branch, or other obstruction. I did the ride a couple times in late September and even I was pretty terrified.

So, you can imagine how happy I was that Daylight Saving Time came to an end last weekend, and I'd be given some "extra" daylight to utilize in the morning. Unfortunately more heavy rains forecast for Monday and Tuesday mornings delayed my return to bicycle commuting until today. Better late than never, I rolled out bright and early at 5:45AM:

Pro tip: it's very important to select a coffee mug that fits in your bottle cage. Anyway, it was still dusk, so the lights were still in order:

Maybe it was because I'd waited more than a month between bike commutes, maybe it was the light Fall chill in the air, or maybe it was the smell of the leaves; whatever it was, today just seemed extra gorgeous, as seen first from the apex of the trail bridge over the Scioto River:

And once again on the return ride this afternoon:

My girlfriend actually told me today smelled good, and then asked if I thought that was weird. It's totally not weird if I agreed, right? I don't know what else to say except it felt good, like everything was returning to normal. I mean, gotta feel good about putting in 8 miles before 7AM, right?

So good riddance, Daylight Saving Time. I won't miss you. I also won't miss out on getting in as many of these commutes as I can before the shortest days of the year coming up in a few weeks, if you can believe it...

Roll Fall

Autumn is one of my two favorite times of year to ride (Spring being the other), but unfortunately both of those seasons seem to have been truncated this year. This has made opportunities to enjoy pleasant temperatures and gorgeous foliage on a ride at an extreme premium. Thankfully, a rather nasty rain system moved out just in time for one such opportunity on Friday afternoon, which just so happened to be the date of the last Roll: Bicycles Pub Ride of 2018.

I usually take "My Therapist" on any rides that will be longer than 10 miles, but I decided to take my trusty old "The Bike With No Name" out to enjoy the beauty of the season for a few hours. I also knew I'd be kicking up plenty of leaves and mud, and I don't mind if the older bike gets a little dirty:

Beautiful, right? That was taken up near the house, nearly 11 miles from the start point. It took me about an hour to ride there, and I was running late, so unfortunately I didn't stop for any other pictures, but the ride featured much more of the same. My reward for hauling ass was that the ride organizers gave early arrivals some nifty spoke cards to decorate our bikes:

Probably owing to the cooler temperatures and earlier darkness, the crowd was noticeably smaller this time around, but still of good size. I think we ended up with about 30 by the time we got ready to roll out:

In addition to the actual ride and meeting up with new and old friends, my favorite part of these rides is experiencing new (to me) neighborhoods and businesses. Our first stop was The Olde Oak in Olde Town East, a place I'd never been, in a neighborhood I've barely seen:

As you'd expect, it features an extensive selection of craft beer on draft, many of which are local. I opted for Batch 300 from Land Grant, one of my favorite Columbus breweries:

They also have a decently-sized food menu, and a shoe shine if that's your thing:

No shoes were harmed in the writing of this blog post. After a short break, we headed northward to a brewery I have previously visited (but not since I moved here), Wolf's Ridge Brewing in Downtown:

I would put them among my top 5 Columbus breweries for beer, but I've never been here without almost having a panic attack because of how crowded it tends to get:

I guess this should be expected. They've won a shit ton of beer awards, and for good reason:

Because of the crowd, our group got a little split up on the inside, but we did get back together and headed back towards the Olentangy Trail together toward our next stop. As you probably noticed, it was long past dark by this time. We had a tube casualty due to reduced vision (even with adequate lighting, it's still impossible to see every obstacle), so we all pulled over to help out with the fix, even if it was just for moral support:

That's another cool thing about these rides (and most every ride I've been on). They hold ardently to a "no rider left behind" policy. After a brief 10-15 minute delay, she was patched up and ready to roll on. We eventually arrived at our third stop, Endeavor Brewing in Grandview Heights, safe and sound:

Most of the riders continued on with the ride to its completion, but I decided to turn my pedals towards home at this point for a few reasons. The last stop was in the opposite direction by about 2 miles, and unlike the last ride, I didn't have my car parked near the end point, so I'd have to ride all the way home regardless. A light rain was also moving into the area, and even though I'd packed rain gear, avoiding having to wear it is always preferable. I arrived home before the worst of it, but I still picked up a good bit of moisture along the way:

The old boy did well in his return to "distance" riding, and with 25 more miles under his belt, he's now well over 6,000 in his short but eventful life. I dried him off a bit before turning in for the evening:

And here's what it looked like on a map:

With that, Roll's Pub Rides have wrapped up for the year. I'm glad I got to sneak in two before the dead of Winter. I'm told there will be some smaller rides in the cold months, so we'll see where this goes...

Recycle, Replenish, Respect

Life has been pretty hectic around these parts lately, and mostly for all the right reasons. A trip home to visit family and celebrate a marriage, concerts, hockey games, and visits from friends on top of my usual day-to-day routine has left little time for leisure in the last few weeks. I ended up unintentionally taking a week off from riding.

In some cases, errands had also been temporarily thrown by the wayside. I attempted to get back on track last Sunday by finally biking two weeks' worth of recycling to the center near our neighborhood:

That much recycling required two trips. You may ask, "Why didn't you just load it in your car and do it in one trip?" You know me better than that by now. Even though it may take a little longer at times, I'll always prefer bike transportation if it's at all viable.

That particular trip took even longer because I decided to do some maintenance in between trips, as I noticed my bike wasn't pedaling nearly as easily as it should have been. For one, the tires really needed air:

Since the last time I pulled this bike out (which again, had only been inside for a week or so), temperatures had taken a serious dive, and that can have some serious effects on tire pressure even with indoor bike storage. Colder temperatures can lower pressure, and lower pressure can add rolling resistance, so that was a no-brainer to fix. I also lubricated my chain and some other moving parts.

The second trip went much smoother as a result. For good measure, I did the same things on my girlfriend's and daughter's bikes (and they may not even know it) after I returned home. This small little event was a good reminder to myself to keep up with regular maintenance even if I'm not using my bike as often as I used to.

On a related note, I made an unofficial pledge to myself that day to make it a point to get back into a regular riding routine, even if just to drop off more recycling. Even the shortest of rides every day makes me feel more complete:

This pledge yielded dividends a couple days later, when I "stumbled" upon a new microbrewery that opened 5 minutes' riding distance from our house. Yet another thing that makes me feel whole:

It's called Somewhere in Particular, formerly known as Nowhere in Particular due to the owner/operator's habit of nomadic brewing (if that's actually a thing). Amazing beer and a small yet tasty food menu to boot. Also known as another place for me to blow my money without traveling far. ANYwho...

I've kept good on my pledge, riding almost daily save for the last couple days, when we were greeted with torrential downpours and gale force winds. They're gone now, and I'm getting ready to head out for this month's installment of the Roll: Pub Ride (the last of the year).

Cheers and have a lovely weekend, everyone. Remember as we head towards Winter to give your bike some love too.

An Alternative Alternative

I'm a supporter of pretty much any sort of so-called "alternative" transportation; alternative meaning commuting using any method other than driving alone. It's not that I hate cars, but in many cases I've found them to be more inconvenient than any of the other options available (bike, train, etc). Plus, there's inherently something neat about doing things the "non-traditional" way.

Unfortunately, Columbus is the largest city in the US without any form of passenger rail transportation, so that's recently left my options a little more limited than they were in Philly. There have been some significant improvements in other areas of alternative transportation here, including these nifty little scooters my girlfriend and I tried out last night:

Actually, these sorts of things didn't exist (yet) back in Philly. They're a service of Lime, who's been making strides in the dockless bike share world over the last few years (we also have Bird, but I have yet to try them out). Due to mis-use and general human idiocy, these electric scooters have been the source of some controversy since their introduction a few months ago, but if used properly, they can be pretty awesome in situations like we had last night.

We were out with friends and wanted to go to a place that was about a mile from where we were. The bus would only get us so far, and due to our timing, hiring a car share service would have been too expensive to justify the supposed convenience. We instead chose to rent scooters for about $1/each (it's an app-based system, so you don't have to actually feed it a dollar). As you can see, there's really not all that much to these things:

They're quite easy to access and use. You use the app to find one near you, then scan the QR code on the handlebars to unlock it. There's a brake on the left handlebar and a throttle on the right:

So, pretty simple, right? I can't complain one bit about the functionality. However, our choice of route unfortunately took us down a couple brick streets in the German Village, which were a bit shell-shocking due to the hard, thin tires and light weight of the scooter itself. There's also no cargo area, so you're left to carry everything in your hands (not advisable) or in your backpack if you have one. Still, they made short work of a 1-mile trip:

Apparently they have a 20-mile range on a full battery, so in theory, I could take one to work, but that's not necessarily practical. For getting around downtown without using a car, spending a lot of money, OR breaking a sweat, it's a pretty solid idea. I'll definitely use these again.

Now about that train system...

Pedaling for Pints

After several months' hiatus, my girlfriend and I finally stretched our cycling legs again last night and joined in on Roll Bicycles' monthly pub ride. I mean, we've gone on a lot of small rides over the Summer and early Fall, but nothing lengthy since about July. We finally had a free Friday, so last night was a perfect opportunity to get back in the Saddle, with great weather to boot.

The Roll rides usually feature 3 or 4 stops at pubs and breweries throughout the Central Columbus area and run about 20 miles (a great way to learn the territory in my new city, don'tcha know). Knowing that, I decided not to try to kill my girlfriend and instead opted to drive our bikes to the end point. We parked near Hoof Hearted Brewery & Kitchen, and rode from there to the start on the Scioto Mile:

It was about 1.5 miles between the two, much shorter than the 8.5-9 miles it would have been to ride there from home. Interestingly enough, the last pub ride we did met up at the same place. I'm sensing a theme here. Kinda reminds me of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where a ton of Philly bike rides start and/or finish. ANYwho...

We had about 30 in our group when we rolled out around 6:45PM on the Scioto Trail:

We then headed south and began a mini tour through some of the oldest areas in Columbus, first being the German Village:

And then to our first stop, the relatively new Eight & Sand Tavern (not to be confused with Eight & Sand Brewing) in the Hungarian Village:

From there, we headed back north and west to BrewDog's location in Franklinton, another old Columbus neighborhood:

I'm not quite sure why BrewDog chose Columbus as its destination in the US, but they're a pretty neat operation from Scotland that's mostly crowdfunded, and their beer is pretty awesome too.

At this point, we were near halfway. We headed back on the Scioto trail and then picked up the Olentangy Trail, which recently had an encounter with a semi truck (Sorry no pics here but seriously read that article - I still can't believe it actually happened). It was the subject of many a good ribbing throughout the ride, and here's hoping it never happens again.

After a few more miles on trail, we popped up into Clintonville and began climbing some hills. The reward for going uphill is of course that you eventually get to go downhill, which we did by riding the road down Walhalla Ravine. This is the second time I've been on this road since I moved here, and I just read that it's apparently Columbus' most haunted street. I thought it was incredibly fun and not scary whatsoever. I can't wait to go back.

A short stretch later, we arrived at our third stop and one of my favorite Columbus breweries, Lineage:

From there, it was a short ride to the last stop. This stretch of the ride was short in mileage but fun moments were plentiful, as we pedaled past OSU campus housing to some cheers and jeers. My girlfriend said she heard the terms "bikelists" and "cyclers" coined by random students - I'm definitely going to start using those in conversation.

We never did end up at our intended end point because their kitchen had closed, and by that time I'm sure you can imagine we were all starving. My girlfriend and I opted to head up to Seventh Son Brewing just up the street for a quick snack before heading home. Including our extra trip from the car to the starting point, we logged nearly 22 miles. Not too shabby, right?

And of course along the way, we met yet more wonderful cyclists who I'm sure we will see again, provided we can keep coming to these on a regular basis. As long as the schedule works out, I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday evening.

Enjoy your Saturday, everyone!

Bike to School

Before I moved to Columbus, my girlfriend told me she was excited for me to explore the surrounding area, as I am wont to do pretty much everywhere I go. I was/am pretty excited about it too, and in addition to the exploration, I'm always excited to have others along for the ride, even if it is just around the corner.

After 3+ months here, I've explored quite a bit and I've pretty much figured out my immediate surroundings. I (we) have my routes to the grocery store, post office, work, and so on. On one of those routes, there was a path that my girlfriend and I thought led to an athletic club off in the distance, and nothing more. So, we never bothered to ride it.

One day, we had to go to the kid's school for some sort of event, and knowing that it's really not all that far from the house, of course I decided to see if there was a bike-able route. Via main roads, there is not, but there's an old saying that "Sometimes what you're looking for is right under your nose." I prefer to say "It's right there in front of you where you never would have seen it." I didn't end up biking to the school for said event, but I did eventually take that previously untraveled path and it happened to lead right to the school. Who knew?

So naturally, eventually someone (it may have been the child) suggested riding bikes to school instead of taking the bus or a car. Even though she's still pretty young, I was all for it. After a few practice runs over the last couple weeks, she and her Mom took the first ride to school this morning, and I showed up after school for "pickup":

For now, one of us adults will be accompanying her until she's fully ready to go it alone, but this is still pretty awesome stuff! Apparently they're going to install a bike rack at the school for good measure (They should have one already. Baby steps, I suppose).

When I had moved, my girlfriend had mentioned that she really wanted her to start riding a bike again. She already knew how, but it had been some time since she had done it and she needed a boost to remember (It's like riding a bike, you could say). Now, we've not only helped her remember how to ride a bike, but by biking to school, she's done something that neither one of us ever have. Excuse me while I live vicariously... I don't know about you, but if I were her classmates, I'd be pretty jealous that my friend got to ride a bike to school. Just me?

Basically, keep exploring. You never know what you might find, or whose life it might change (including yours).

Dare to Bare

96 days after vacating the City of Brotherly Love (not that I'm counting, or anything), I made a rather expected return for my very favorite day of the year. I'm referring of course to the Philly Naked Bike Ride. If you're new here, it's an annual celebration of positive body image, fuel consumption consciousness, and cycling advocacy. And yes, some of us are naked:

This year happened to be my fourth year participating, and of course every year is just a little bit different (even if the starting location has stayed the same for the last three). By equal parts accident and design, I kept up my tradition by using a fourth different bike:

"My Therapist" was also celebrating her first birthday this weekend, and after the completion of the ride, had also officially broken the 500 mile mark. Happy birthday, beautiful. What a celebration, right?

The weather, as you can probably see above, wasn't so beautiful in comparison to some of the past rides, but from what I saw, that didn't lower the turnout or deter people very much from getting into the spirit. New this year, my girlfriend decided to join me!

I mean, why wouldn't she? She's seen how much fun I've had in the last few years, and I dare say she had more fun than I did (we always remember our first time). She even came up with our body paint slogans. I usually come up with some sort of clever pun, but she's used this phrase before and it seemed quite appropriate. One thing's for certain, we both found out that we have excellent body painting "handwriting." So much so that several bystanders asked for our help with their messages.

Due to the weather being misty, I mostly kept my phone in my bike bag. I also didn't bring my camera along for the ride for the same reason, so my pictures from this year's installment are at a premium (a quick Google search can show you more, if you dare). I pulled it out from hiding at a few choice spots so you can get a sense of the size of the crowd, seen here on Broad Street:

There may have been a similar amount of nudity here on February 4th. Who knows for sure? At any rate, we hit most of the usual spots, including Rittenhouse Square, The Art Museum, and South Street:

And we finished at the newly redesigned Love Park just across from City Hall:

By this time, the rain had started to pick up, so what is normally a casual post-ride hangout (pun intended) was a little truncated as people scrambled to put their clothes back on for warmth. Still, everyone I saw enjoyed themselves, and one couple took advantage of the special occasion by getting married on the spot (no photos, sorry).

I happened upon a few old friends during the course of events, plus some new friends I'd never met, like this lady who took a picture of us and then selfie bombed us:

Photo credit: Dan Fernando

I didn't catch her name, but what's in a name anyway?

I feel like the cold quickened our pace this year, but we certainly weren't short-changed in the mileage department. 10 miles is typical:

Another PNBR in the books, and I already can't wait for next year. Neither can my girlfriend. Ha! Special thanks to the organizers for always providing a great experience from start to finish, my friend Dan Hoyles for hosting us this weekend, and all the participants and bystanders who appreciate what we're really all about. Until the next one...