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Bike success/failure
Jul. 28th, 2003 10:41 amWe finally succeeded in the bike trip to Plum Island NWR, where "we" is ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cfox, 76trombones, and I, and "succeeded" means "took the commuter rail to Newburyport and rode around for a bit". I thought the warning at the entrance to Parker Island that bugs could be out and there were no refunds was cute, and the guy by the restrooms who warned us that the greenhead flies were out in force was just being friendly. In fact, if we stopped at all, a dozen or two flies immediately started attacking our legs. This handily thwarted cfox's plans for birdwatching, and my associated plans to play with camera stuff.
Riding back,cfox had proposed riding back parallel to the commuter rail line. Beverly, which was 20 miles off, sounded like a reasonable goal to me, and there were lots of opportunities to stop earlier, so the three of us headed south away from the Newburyport station. About a mile after the turn, I started to run into serious heat issues, and we stopped by the side of the road for a bit. When we got to Rowley, the next station, I waited there with 76trombones an hour for the next train; it was easier and safer than trying to bike further than I could. All in all, I think we only went about 20 miles in total. (cfox's 50 miles included some early-morning shopping and riding quite a bit further in.)
Along the way, I did some minor bike frobbing. It seems like my back tire has a slow leak. Speaking very bluntly, my ass failed to become one with the seat, and this was a source of discomfort the whole way. (I wonder if dorky shorts would have helped.) When I was almost home, I noticed that my rear derailleur was exactly a full position off -- it shifted very smoothly, but the highest gear on the shifter was actually the second-highest gear on the bike.
I'm not clear if I actually had fun. It was hot, and buggy, and I feel like I got worn out far sooner than I should have. On the train out,cfox was talking about more ambitious bike trips, which sounded fun, but not if I'm going to die in the process. :-) I should tweak my bike some more and try again...
cfox, 76trombones, and I, and "succeeded" means "took the commuter rail to Newburyport and rode around for a bit". I thought the warning at the entrance to Parker Island that bugs could be out and there were no refunds was cute, and the guy by the restrooms who warned us that the greenhead flies were out in force was just being friendly. In fact, if we stopped at all, a dozen or two flies immediately started attacking our legs. This handily thwarted cfox's plans for birdwatching, and my associated plans to play with camera stuff.Riding back,
cfox had proposed riding back parallel to the commuter rail line. Beverly, which was 20 miles off, sounded like a reasonable goal to me, and there were lots of opportunities to stop earlier, so the three of us headed south away from the Newburyport station. About a mile after the turn, I started to run into serious heat issues, and we stopped by the side of the road for a bit. When we got to Rowley, the next station, I waited there with 76trombones an hour for the next train; it was easier and safer than trying to bike further than I could. All in all, I think we only went about 20 miles in total. (cfox's 50 miles included some early-morning shopping and riding quite a bit further in.)Along the way, I did some minor bike frobbing. It seems like my back tire has a slow leak. Speaking very bluntly, my ass failed to become one with the seat, and this was a source of discomfort the whole way. (I wonder if dorky shorts would have helped.) When I was almost home, I noticed that my rear derailleur was exactly a full position off -- it shifted very smoothly, but the highest gear on the shifter was actually the second-highest gear on the bike.
I'm not clear if I actually had fun. It was hot, and buggy, and I feel like I got worn out far sooner than I should have. On the train out,
cfox was talking about more ambitious bike trips, which sounded fun, but not if I'm going to die in the process. :-) I should tweak my bike some more and try again...
