Tag: bicycling

Sunday Breakfast Club – Jim’s Cafe

Posted on May 6, 2012June 25, 2012 by Rich

37.6 miles total Another edition of the Sunday Breakfast Club. This time we picked out an unknown place called Jim’s Coney Island Cafe, located on Scottsdale Road between McKellips and Curry in north Tempe. I took the usual roll west on McKellips, assisted by a modest tailwind. Crossing the river bottom, a cyclist came up and passed me on the left, so I decided to pick up on his wheel. About 100 yards away from Alma School Rd., we saw the light yellow, and then red, so I began to coast. The other guy, though, simply stood up on

Sunday Breakfast Club – Butterfield’s

Posted on April 29, 2012May 8, 2012 by Rich

60.0 miles total After a round of golf at Orange Tree yesterday, my friend Terry pointed out a very popular breakfast place there on Shea Boulevard, so Jesse and I decided to give it a try. Once again, I used McKellips for my crossing west, and the Greenbelt north through Scottsdale. I’m starting to tire of the Greenbelt riding, due to pedestrian traffic, and due to the bump-bump-bump of a sidewalk seam every 8 feet, but in the early morning it is still a very nice ride. This time I crossed through Silverado golf course, too, which is quite beautiful

Sunday Breakfast Club – Randy’s

Posted on April 22, 2012May 8, 2012 by Rich

44.0 miles total Same route plan as last week, and this time I was successful in taking McKellips Road west out of Mesa. No reservation dogs! Still, I’m not going to recommend this as a great cycling route – the shoulder ranges from good to thin to cracked up to “no escape,” but the traffic is very light on Sunday mornings now that snowbird season is ending. I got on the Greenbelt right off McKellips in Scottsdale, and so had five miles of it heading north to Chaparral. There are lots of walkers there, so it’s slow and go, but

Sunday Breakfast Club

Posted on April 15, 2012April 30, 2012 by Rich

49.0 miles total Jesse and I have modified our Sunday riding plans to start meeting at various breakfast venues in Scottsdale and Tempe. This gives me a chance to explore the crossings between Mesa and Scottsdale, as well as the northbound options into Scottsdale. Today’s plan was to meet at the Breakfast Club on Scottsdale Road. From Country Club Road in Mesa, I took McKellips due west, but ran immediately into a Road Closed sign at the river. Backtracked, went north on Country Club to McDowell, and found two patrolmen barricading that way, too. I stopped to talk with

Fountain Hills 2012-2

Posted on April 1, 2012May 8, 2012 by Rich

58.0 miles What a great day to ride! Temperatures dropped from yesterday’s 90s to today’s 70s, coinciding perfectly with our 2nd meeting out in Fountain Hills. Today’s was the usual splendid roll out by Saguaro Lake, with a brief stop at the river below the lake for some photos. Particularly noteworthy were the ocotillo, fully decked out with leaves and flowers. Southwest winds assisted the climbing around the lake. The turn onto the Beeline faced me directly into them again, but at 10-15 mph, they were only a small factor, since the remaining 8-10 miles to Fountain Hills are a

Back to Fountain Hills

Posted on March 11, 2012May 8, 2012 by Rich

59.8 miles While I might normally not create a post for a simple local ride, my riding season this year has been sparse. I’m riding weekdays with friends and neighbors, good for about 60 miles per week, but that’s about it. Last week Jesse suggested we resurrect the Fountain Hills ride, so I jumped onto the trusty Surly and stretched it out one Sunday morning. Since last spring, I’d really forgotten that this is a tough ride. It seemed easier then. The hills out by the lake are moderately challenging. This winter and spring have been unusually dry – we

RA94: We Made It!

Posted on September 1, 2011March 16, 2014 by Rich

East Orland ME to Bar Harbor ME – 42.2 miles We wore our civvies to breakfast this morning, walking to a place called Duffy’s right across the highway from our motel. Real friendly service and good eats. But after yesterday’s run-in with the mega pancakes, I stuck to simple eggs-bacon-toast this morning. Jack had a great looking waffle with local berries. Oops – there I go about food again. We took US1 from the motel, but soon turned onto ME176 amd ME172. These were great routes that, while adding miles, gave us pretty low-traffic downhill runs next to Toddy Pond

RA93: Almost There

Posted on August 31, 2011May 1, 2012 by Rich

Camden ME to East Orland ME – 43.1 miles Once again, excellent stars last night, although somewhat blocked by trees. I took this photograph last night aimed straight up, with the underside of the leaves lit by the flicker of our fire. Roger took off early this morning, heading for Augusta, and we said our goodbyes. Using last night’s coals, I started up a small campfire again and Jack and I moved especially slowly packing up gear, enjoying the site, taking our time in the filtered morning sunshine. We finally rolled out onto US1 northward, looking for breakfast. Our AC

RA92: Coast of Maine

Posted on August 30, 2011May 1, 2012 by Rich

Brunswick ME to Camden ME – 66.7 miles Great stars last night with an interesting overlay of clouds. Then some pretty cirrus clouds to start the morning. The Thomas Point Beach campsite had been very quiet and isolated – a good spot. Jack and I selected Friendly’s for breakfast this morning. While we enjoyed some good food, the store’s manager greeted us, then asked with real interest about our bicycle travels, wanting to know details. Christine expressed a desire to try a bicycle tour like this, even describing a dream she has had about pedaling to California to reach the

RA91: Rolling

Posted on August 29, 2011May 1, 2012 by Rich

Raymond ME to Brunswick ME – 71.2 miles This morning I was very pleased to see blue skies. Winds were swift from the ?south or ?west but there appeared no sign of further rain, and the forecast from 2 days ago suggested that the winds would die down quickly today. Time to get on with our tour. There was still no power in Franks’s house in Raymond ME. I arose about 6:30AM and jumped into my daily riding routine, packing up my bedroll, pulling on cycling clothes, and preparing the panniers. Jack saw me and groaned. “You don’t even know