Bureaucratic Killjoys

I'm taking a break from my usual topics to lament what appears to be the end of an iconic tourist destination - the Linesville Spillway, aka "Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish." For those unfamiliar with the Spillway, it is a place where an uncountable number of carp gather to feed on the bread so generously provided by the tourists.

When you arrive at the Spillway, you are first struck by the sheer number of carp gathered. It is truly astounding. Looking closer, you notice how many of the fish have their gaping mouths turned skyward awaiting another piece of bread. Eventually, you open your own bread bag and join in the fun. As each slice of bread floats to the water, you are surprised again and again with how quickly the fish can consume the bread. With each slice, you aim for a spot, which is likely to cause the greatest commotion. If you are lucky, someone may have even thrown in a loaf of Italian bread to see how long it would survive. Through it all, you are mesmerized.

Slowly, you begin to ponder what would happen to anyone unfortunate enough to fall into the water. You retell stories you've heard of small children who fell in, never to be seen again. None of these stories are true, of course, but they certainly add to the mystique.

Sadly, this is all about to end. It was recently announced that the State would be banning the use of bread for feeding the carp. Instead, you'll be able to toss pelletized fish food to the carp. Now I ask, where is the fun in that?

If you find yourself in northwest PA this summer, make sure you don't miss the chance to enjoy this wonderful place. I know I will be visiting this summer.

And in the civil disobedient spirit of Thoreau, I may just be in Linesville on January 1st, with a bag of stale baguettes, feeding the carp who are wise enough to swim past the pellets of fish food.

Bike Ride to Maine - Wrap Up

It's been a week since my ride to Maine and it's time to reflect on what went well and what didn't.

The Route
I used the Garmin MapSource software with the City Navigator maps to plan my route. You can instruct the software to calculate a route for a bicycle and it tries to choose appropriate roads. Even still, I had difficulty knowing whether the chosen roads were good ones for cycling. As it turns out, New Hampshire publishes some bicycle maps, which show roads suitable for bikes. These maps helped keep me off some busier roads. Apparently, Maine has similar maps, but they are not available online.

Navigation
I decided that I would use my Garmin 60 CSx GPS for navigation. With the City Navigator maps loaded, the GPS was able to calculate the route. This worked great. At times, I would stray from the chosen route and a new one would be quickly recalculated.

Mounted on the handlebar, I could see exactly where I was going and where I needed to go. If there was any criticism, the advance warning for turns was inadequate when traveling in the city. More than once I needed to make a left turn and it was too late to move over to make the turn.

Attire
Just before I departed, I decided to wear mountain bike shorts. I figured that having pockets when I stopped would be useful for carrying money, my GPS and other items I didn't want to leave with the bike. The shorts are very comfortable, but the chamois just wasn't up to the task. By about mile 50, I was wishing that I had worn other shorts. For the second day, I wore road shorts under the mountain shorts and that was just right.

Tools
I had some problems with my crankset or bottom bracket. In trying to diagnose the problem I tried tightening the chainring bolts. In order to do this, I needed two hex wrenches. With a single multi-tool, this was impossible. In the end, I lived with the squeaking bottom bracket and fixed it at home. For a long tour, I would probably take more tools.

Food
With the exception of lunch on the first day, I didn't eat too much during the ride - mostly Sharkies and Kind bars. In order to keep my food and cell phone handy, I purchased a Bento Box, which mounts on the top tube. This I liked a lot.

Bike
I used my commuter bike, a Soma Juice 29er mountain bike, for the trip. A number of people asked why I decided to ride the bike I did. All I can say is I love this bike. It has a nice ride and it handles well.

Bike Ride to Maine - Day 2

I've arrived safely at my destination and I'm getting ready to crack open a beer and relax on the porch.

Today's ride was much shorter than yesterday, only 52 miles, and there weren't as many hills. It was much windier, though.

About an hour into the ride, I started to notice a squeak when I was pedaling. It was driving me crazy and it continued to worsen. I stopped a few times to see if I could find the source, but it was no use.

When I arrived at the dock to catch the boat to the island, I ate a platter of fried seafood. I had thinking about that all day.

All in all, this was a good introduction to bicycle touring. I saw parts of New Hampshire and Maine that I had never seen before. I saw looks of amazement when I told people how far I was riding. Most of all, I accomplished something, which I had set out to do.

Now, back to that beer.

Bike Ride to Maine - Day 1

I successfully completed the first leg of my journey to Maine. With my fully loaded bike weighing in at 50 lbs, I traveled 89 miles in under six hours. Although, the bike accelerated like someone was holding on to the seatpost, it otherwise handled well.

The GPS I used for navigation did a great job getting me to my destination while keeping me off of the major roads.

Overall, the day went well, though I was really tired by the end. That hill at mile 84 certainly wasn't welcome. I'm looking foward to what tomorrow will bring. Hopefully, my legs (and butt) will be up to the challenge.

Mobile Blogging - Take 1

I'm about to hit the road on a two-day, 140-mile bicycle ride to
Maine. Before leaving, I wanted to try adding a blog post from my
phone. If this works, you may be able to read about my adventure
before I plant my butt in front of the computer again.