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With Vickie, biking up in the East Bay Hills. I'd kind of dismissed Tilden Park as being too boring and developed, but this was anything but. We started at Inspiration Point and biked the Nimitz Way, through the sometimes howling fog, through the whisps of cloud and bits of rainforest. Who knew there was so much open space in Berkeley?

Biking BTR

Feb. 4th, 2009 01:19 am

Baton Rouge Bike Calendar - January/February 2009

The Baton Rouge Bike Calendar (PDF) is super-cute this month! Also check out our growing wiki page about biking in Baton Rouge (thanks Moshe!). Furthermore, Andrew is putting together a bike polo team and alleycat races (details).

Los Angeles is for bicycles. Or maybe it's not for bicycles, but in a metropolis of thirteen million people, there's something for everyone. It's a rare night when there's only one bicycle-related event; two or three is more typical. There is Critical Mass at the traditional time, of course, but then because Los Angeles is an amalgamation of cities, there are littler Masses on other days in all the subcities of Los Angeles. There's a San Fernando Valley mass, there's a Northeast LA ride. There's one in Santa Monica, and in Pasadena, and in Long Beach. There is the Bicycle Kitchen, a bike workshop held at a co-op by Los Angeles City College where you can go and learn to wrench on your bike. There is the Bike Oven, too, which is in some guy's front yard. And so many rides! This month there is the Give Blood Ride, the Midnight Ridazz' UFO Ride (for those who'd like to embark on a 30-mile nocturnal trek following critical mass), the Food of the Boulevard ride, the Tour de Tacos ride ("We will ride to a variety of Taco joints and return to Division 9 Gallery to watch bike films."), the Downtown Art Ride, and so many more, all catalogued on the BikeBoom web calendar. In February is Bike Winter Los Angeles. Last night was the last friday of the month, the traditional Critical Mass date, and we took our bicycles on the subway from Pasadena to the city, emerged from the underground at Western/Wilshire and joined a huge throng of people for the parade through the streets.
We bicycled a long way today, some 35 miles over rolling hills, hills gentle enough, but challenging enough, too, for our unpracticed legs. I was in a sort of bliss, gliding through air, gliding along pavement, gliding through the farm lands on the farm roads, scooting along under my own power on a good bicycle. Canal Trail to Pittsford, County Road 64 to Mendon, to Bloomfield. Then the turning farm roads. Gauss Rd, Green Rd, Bishop Hill Rd. Gliding through the countryside is the best thing, along the seldom-travelled roads. It was hillier, but still reminded me of Skåne. You can't return to a time, and you can't really return to a place—they change—but you can return to a state of mind.

* * *

My advisor had a good little party—barbecue—at his vacation house in the country, which is on a hill, by a pond, and which he bought from Marshak when Marshak moved away. The upstairs is airy and open and centered on a hearth. A few other professors and their spouses and their kids were the other guests. The pond was swum in, and Adrian ever played the host, with ice cream and chocolate cake for the kids, who played American football in the grass below. I enjoy the timelessness of it all. We need more of this.

* * *

Now most of Ant Hill is gathered in the attic, where I type. It is the impromptu Ant Hill orchestra. Jimmy on electric guitar, Adam on the keyboard, Kevin on a mic and snare drum and advocating the loop pedal, Bree with her violin, Emma smiliing away from a couch and Luke running around putting everything in order. It is all a good thing, too. (I wish I played something, but I am too timid to pick anything up. Instead I type quietly in the dark.)

* * *

Yesterday Bree and I went to a film at the Dryden. Today we bicycled the Canal Trail into the country. All of this is pretty much the life for which Rochester is optimal.
Bicycled to Pittsford this morning and ate crepes. I don't know why I've never tried the canal trail before—it is wonderful. It was a beautiful day and plenty of boats were cruising the canal. I wonder whether you could hitchhike on canalboats? One boatload, locking through at lock number thirty-three, was cool to my queries about whether they "ever take passengers." I think they could have been convinced...
1. DS and I biked 45 miles yesterday (more impressively: half way to Pennsylvania), to his and DK's cabin at Springwater. The rolling hills of upstate NY are gentle enough, but I think my legs would have seceded had I ask them to pedal another hundred meters. Nonetheless, it's got me scheming about multi-day bicycle-based voyages out into the villages...

2. Burgers tonight were a particular success. Frightening quantities of garlic and black pepper were mixed into the beef prior to cooking. Disturbingly large, 1/3 lb patties were formed from it. Alarmingly hot coals were prepared. Savagely thick slices of cheese were added. Frank's Red Hot sauce was applied to the sizzling beef with reckless abandon. Deliciousness ensued.
Looking for an adventure?

How about Göteborg to Kathmandu by bicycle. Leave it to the Swedes...

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