Sun Gets In Your Eyes

The worst part of my current commute is the fact that my long ride down Mt. Vernon Highway is almost directly into the setting sun. Of course it's not my eyes I'm worried about, it's all the people driving behind me. So what do I do? Of course high visibility gear is normal, but I also run my rear blinkie with the hopes that it will attract a little extra attention. Most importantly I check my mirror often, this $5 device has saved my life at least once. I would call that a bargain.

Snow Globe

I rode home in the snow on Wednesday and guess what, it was a blast. I can't think of the last time I had so much fun on my commute.

2 Months and No Posts; What's Going On

In a word nothing. More accurately I should say nothing noteworthy. I still riding around Atlanta, still commuting by bike, and still being a grouch. The ride to my new job isn't too bad, there's a limited number of ways to get from here to there and everyone of them is busy morning and night.

I meant to post last week when we had that cold snap but work and life hot in the way. More regular postings to follow.

I'm Gonna Shoot You (censored version)

So on my way home from the park today someone threatened to shoot me. He also said many other things to me not suitable for family reading. I decided not to engage himm but it was still pretty stressful. What kind of crazy world do we live in?

You don't have to spend a fortune

I've seen quite a few people complain about the high cost of cycling as a hobby. Sure if you want the latest carbon frames, you're going to pay for it. But a bike for commuting can be had quite cheap. Witness the old gray mare.



Bike $35 used.
Fenders free discarded by friend when he upgraded
Panniers $40 on ebay
Handlebars $9.99 Nashbar





So we're looking at a total cost of $85 for this bike. My best estimation is that I have something like 5,000 miles on this one so that's roughly 1.7 cents per mile. I would call that a bargain.

Cochran Shoals and Colunns Drive

Photos from yesterday's quick ride with the digital Holga.

The Cochran Shoals trail is crushed stone but nice and wide.

Who is that mysterious cyclist

Columns Drive remember it's not a bike lane it's a paved shoulder.

A sign of the times: house and Lexus for sale

Today's road treasure.

I Meet the Cobb County Bike Patrol

Imagine my surprise to learn the Cobb County now has a bike patrol for the Cumberland Galleria area. This makes perfect sense because this area probably has the highest density of mixed use development in Cobb County. So I ran into these officers today riding home from Borders (still no bike rack) and guess what, they were having a great time. In fact one them pulled behind me and made the wooo-wooo siren sound while laughing.

Yeah life is better on a bike.

Ride Review: Rottenwood Creek Multi-Use Trail

The Rottenwood Creek multi-use trail runs from the corner of Interstate North Parkway and Cumberland Boulevard to the Chattahoochee Palisades West Parking lot near Hwy 41 and Paces Mill Road. I rode it today and took some pictures.

The parking lot at Palisades West.

It runs right under I-75

There's lots of dog doo so you have to be on the look out.

Rottenwood Creek looks pristine here.

But don't let that fool you.

Hey here's a hill.

Evidently there's a dispute between the feds and Cobb County about who is responsible for trash pickup.

Under I-285

With graffiti

The parking lot at Cumberland Blvd & Interstate North.


So how was the ride? Short. It's actually not a bad way to skip riding on Cumberland Blvd and 41 in Cobb County as it dumps you right by the river. They seem to have built it as cheaply as possible, instead of the smooth concrete it's made of the rough stuff you see in the dog doo picture. But if you want to practice climbing a hill on a mup I'll doubt you'll find a better opportunity in Atlanta. One word of advice, unlike the Palisades West parking lot, there's no charge to park at Cumberland & Interstate North.

I Get a GA DOT "Motorist" Survey

So I got this survey from the Georgia Department of Transportation. They want to know what I think of the quality of our roads, the DOT's performance in managing traffic flow and congestion, assuring highway safety, and what I think about possible DOT priorities. You're probably not surprised to find bicycles weren't mentioned once. At least they had a question about building more sidewalks. Of course they had three different questions about adding more lanes to existing roads, which we all know is only a temporary fix.

Today's Rides

Well I'm unemployed so I decided to take a ride on the local MUP. It's officially called the Rottenwood Creek Multiuse Trail. What it should be called is practice your dog doo dodging skills. I've never see so much crap in such a small area and I've been to Congress.

After returning home my wife called and asked me to go to Macy's and pickup some things for her. So back on the bike and off to the mall. There was a bike rack right outside Macy's but it was one of those old fasioned wheel benders. Then on the way home I decided to swing by Borders where I saw many books I wanted but since I'm still unemployed I thought I had better wait.

Carfree?

My wife and I are having a difference of opinion about whether or not our family could go car free. Since we don't live in-town, I realize it would be difficult but with flex-car now in Atlanta I think it could be done.

What do you do with an unemployed commuter

I've just passed one month of unemployment. So there's been no commuting but I have been doing the usual errands by bike. In fact I just back from publix where I decided I really need an xtracycle. Filling the panniers just isn't working anymore.

Fewer Bikes More Riding

Due to the fact that I'm currently unemployed, I've sold all but one of my bikes. In the end I choose to hold on to the commuter/tourer/do everything bike. It doesn't do anything particularly well but if I'm only going to have one bike, this is it. It began life as an early 90's rigid mountain bike, then it acquired slicks, fenders, racks, lights, and trekking bars.

It's not that I didn't love my other bikes but the mountain bike was rarely ridden, the hybrid was never ridden, and the Centurion went to a good home. The other part about being unemployed is that I have plenty of time to ride. So now the miles are adding up.

Putting Thinngs in Perspective

Here's an update on Sheldon Brown's health problems. It reminds me that my silly little ankle is just a minor annoyance.

I've got to admit it's getting better

I did a short very flat ride yester day in the 100+ degree heat. And I loved it. I still can't climb but at least I'm going in the right direction.

New Ankle Therapy

Give me a couple of new anti-inflamtories and wrap up my ankle so it looks like it comes from the Valley of the Kings. We'll see how this works.

Why You No Post?

Here's the deal. I've been off the bike since my last post. Riding along one day I felt an incredible pain in my ankle. Three doctor's visits have resulted in three different diagnosis quite frankly I think they have no clue. Oh, and I still can't ride. It's really getting old.

New Job Means New Route

I start a new job on Monday, so I'm currently searching for the best route from Vinings to Lenox Square.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

I never thought I would miss riding in the rain so much, but I literally can't remember the last time we had a good soaking. We went to screen on the green last Thursday and I was thrilled to see dozens of bikes filling the racks at Piedmont Park. It gives me hope for the future.

More MARTA Woes

You may have heard that MARTA's 190 million dollar Breeze card system decided to flip-out yesterday. Yeah, I hate the whole Breeze card system and I hate using the same gates for entrance and exit. Come July you will need to tap your Breeze card to exit a station, MARTA claims this is to better track ridership, to quote the Mighty Thor, I say nay. I believe that tap in/tap out is the first step to variable fare pricing. Right now you can ride from the Airport to Dunwoody for the same cost as a trip from Five Points to Arts Center. With tap in/tap out the gates could be programed to charge more for longer rides. In a city that needs to do everything in its power to increase transit usage this would be a monumentally stupid idea.