What a difference...

... 10 or 12 degrees can make!

When I went out on my ride Thursday morning, the radio said it was 54 degrees out. This morning they were saying it was 42. So I was curious how different it might be out on the trail today.

Well, first thing I noticed was that I was glad I'd put on a bit more clothing! Thursday I was fine in just my Earth Wind and Rider long sleeve wool jersey, but today I was glad to have a thin Ibex long sleeve wool tee shirt under my Ibex jersey, AND a light windbreaker over that! And honestly, for the first half hour or so, I wouldn't have minded something to keep my ears warmer! Ah well, I warmed up soon enough.

The other major difference was the frogs. On the outbound leg of my ride, there were only a few spring peepers gamely chirruping away, sounding a bit forlorn.  By the time I was headed back home, the chorus had grown in both size and enthusiasm, but it was still a faint shadow of the sounds of Thursday. And most interesting... NO wood frogs singing at all!  Apparently they need warmer temperatures than the peepers to feel like singing.

One very happy discovery though... and a surprise... as I was just about back home, I saw a bird flitting into the underbrush... and it didn't look like any I'd seen of late. Curiosity caused me to stop and turn around, and I'm glad it did, because when I peered into the foliage, I saw a Northern Oriole! I haven't seen one of those in a very long time... such a pretty bird, and sadly not all that common any more, it seems.

All in all, it was a beautiful morning, even if it was a bit chilly at first.  Fewer folks were out to enjoy it, but I'm glad I got out there to enjoy it!

Sure looks... feels... and SOUNDS... like...

SPRING!!!!!!!

Yes, I went out for a bike ride this morning... a short one, but a good one, and all of my senses were picking up signs of spring! Traces of fresh color at the tips of branches and in the underbrush, warm sunlight on my face, and frogs, both spring peepers and wood frogs, singing at the top of their lungs!

This is the earliest I recall ever hearing them, and it was quite a pleasant surprise. The W&OD Trail I was riding has a number of stream crossings and little wetland areas, and a couple of those were just alive with frog song today. We'd had a fair amount of rain yesterday, so the streams were swollen and there was a lot of standing water in the woods and brush, which I'm sure had a lot to do with the liveliness of the frogs. Birds were also in abundance, from chickadees and titmice to crows and red-shouldered hawks.

Needless to say, the trail was busier than it's been in a while, at least for a weekday morning. A lot of cyclists, runners and walkers were out and about. Before you know it, it will be absolutely crowded out there, especially on weekends, but for now it was just fun to enjoy the weather with like-minded folk.

Appropriately, today was the first day of "meteorological spring" here. Of course, having lived in this area a long time, I know that March, and even April, can sometimes bring some chilly, even wintry spells. But given the very mild winter we've had so far, I can't help but think today was truly the beginning of spring, even if we do have a few cold spells left.

More pictures from this morning can be seen here:

W&OD Trail, March 1, 2012

What ever happened to that VO Mixte?

The Velo Orange Mixte, as of 2/26/12

Some of you out there may be wondering what ever became of the Velo Orange Mixte Project... the frameset I bought for my girlfriend for Christmas 2010. Well, it's been a longer process than either of us imagined, and there are still some things to be added and/or worked out (such as this mysterious noise it's now making... argh!)... but the bike has been on the road for some time now, and I've added bits and pieces over time to make it "just right".  For now, here's a quick photo of how it's decked out right now, as a teaser.  I'll write more about it soon, and hopefully get better photos up as well.

A Short Ride With an Old Friend

I find it hard these days to squeeze in bike rides, what with now being a bike shop owner and all that comes with that. But some mornings I do manage to get out on a bike for at least a little while, and today was one of those days.

The "old friend" of the title is actually my old Trek road bike, which I bought new back in 1980, from our friends over at College Park Bicycles. If you'd told me those thirty-some years ago that I would one day own a bike shop, I would have said you were crazy. Yet here I am, and I now find myself at trade shows comparing notes with the very fellow who sold me this Trek, Larry Black, founder and still owner of the College Park store, as well as Mt. Airy Bicycles, both over in Maryland. I grew up not that far from College Park, and Larry's shop, when it opened in the late 70s, was one of my frequent haunts back then.

I've been talking with my girlfriend lately about owning more than one bike, and what it's like to switch from one to another, and if there's much adjustment involved on the part of the rider. Maybe it's because I own so many bikes, and have ridden so many more over the years, but I find I can hop on most bikes and feel more or less at home pretty quickly... assuming it's set up to basically fit me, that is.

That being said, having owned this Trek as long as I had, I have to admit it's the bike that feels most like "home" to me. It doesn't matter how long it's been since I've ridden it, as soon as I throw a leg over and push off, it's like I've been riding it all my life. And I guess if you do the math, I have been riding this bike for most of my adult life, since I bought it at the end of my first year of college!

Snowy night

Caboose on W&OD Trail, Vienna, VA

So far it's not been a very wintry winter here in the DC area. On the one hand, as a bicycle shop owner, that's a good thing, as it's kept business livelier than it's been in years when we've had a serious winter. On the other hand, I LIKE SNOW!

Well, last night we got some. Nothing like two years ago, when we had the famous Snowmageddon (DC loves hyperbole), but enough to look and feel like winter, finally. I went for a walk around the town, and took some pictures and just enjoyed the snow. Very pretty night, and I think I got a few good pictures. I was very glad to have the "fast" fixed focal length lens that I bought when my "kit" lens got damaged... it's really nice in low light situations. It also helps that downtown Vienna really has a remarkable amount of ambient light from streetlights!

This morning it seems to be devolving into freezing rain, which is a lot less appealing than snow, so I'm glad I got out for a short walk last night.

More pictures can be seen at: Snowfall in Vienna, 1/20 - 1/21/2012

Morning Ride

Well, I got out for a short ride this morning, and it was lovely. Gorgeous blue skies, no wind to speak of... chilly, in the mid-30s, but with the promise of a wamer day ahead of us. And that certainly has come true - we're having a glorious, warm, sunny afternoon here in Northern Virginia! A real contrast to Tuesday, when it barely climbed past freezing. Yeah, I know you folks in the midwest or Rocky Mountain states are thinking "Ha! That's not winter!"... and you're right. But this is the mid-Atlantic, where we're spoiled by often having mild days mid-winter, like today.

Out there on the trail this morning, it was not very busy, despite the sunny day and forecast.  I guess it was still too chilly and folks were planning to wait til it warmed up. Honestly, that's one thing I really like about riding in winter... you get the trails largely to yourself! The only folks I saw were on foot, aside from a few riders who looked like they were on their way to work.  I was out on a Tour Easy recumbent, so it was a nice, comfortable ride. I'm more typically a "wedgie" (upright bike) rider, but this morning I was in the mood for the 'bent. A fun ride, and every time I ride the Tour Easy I'm reminded why it's been such a classic, enduring design. Since sometime in the 70s, the basic design has remained the same, and it's a smooth riding, comfortable, and fun.

One other thing I tried today was a new piece of headgear I'd never tried... it's called a "Buff", and it's meant to be a multi-use item... a neck gaiter, ear warmer, or hat, depending on exactly how you arrange it. One ride isn't really much of a test, but so far I like it, and can see where it might come in handy in "borderline" weather. The ability to re-arrange it as needed could be a nice feature.

Took a few pictures while I was out too... too pretty a day to pass it up. I am mostly drawn to natural subjects in my photos, but sometimes something man-made will really catch my eye. Today it was this combination of an electical line tower and a pair of jet contrails, against the blue sky that drew my attention. Kinda striking, no?

Strange combination of messages

I was driving down the road the other day, when I noticed what I think is a strange combination of "messages" on the back of the vehicle in front of me. The first thing that caught my eye was the bumper sticker, shown below:

 Now, that's not the first time I've seen or heard that sentiment expressed, so it wasn't particularly surprising.  But then I noticed the license plate...  Virginia, like many states, has special plates that allow you to voice your support for a particular cause or organization or whatever, and some portion of the fee paid goes toward that cause. Right next to the bumper sticker, there was a "Friend of the Chesapeake" license plate, a combination that struck me as just a little odd, given that the general impression one gets of the "Drill" folks is not one friendly to an environmental cause. 

Obviously, nothing is ever as simplistic as it seems, and there are many shadings and subtleties of stance on both environmental causes and energy policy.  But this is a somewhat unexpected mix of messages, no?