Halloween has never been my favorite “event” of the year. I guess it’s because I just can’t do the creative costume thing.
I’m always impressed with people that do.
My office encourages people to dress up on Halloween. Last year there were many that did participate. This year there were even more.
A few coworkers
More coworkers
Would you buy health insurance from the man on the left?
Not only did people dress for the occasion, but there were also treats in the kitchen for everyone to enjoy. In addition to hot cider, cupcakes and chips/dip, these were interesting:
Yes, my coworkers really know how to lighten up and have fun!
I’ve been reading a lot about the route. It seems to suit the climbers well. To that end, it suits me too!
I don’t mind the sprint stages. They can be exciting in their own way – a mass of bodies going at full speed with as much power as they can for the right to be the first across the line. It can be a nail biter for sure.
Along with those sprint stages, there tends to be a breakaway that no doubt the peloton will let hang out there for the majority of the day until the very end when they get their act together and chase down the break. Ho Hum. Sorry guys, it’s so boring to watch a stage take shape that way.
When the Tour turns into the mountains I feel like we are now going to see some action. There are men being spit off the back with attacks coming from the breakaways and the peloton.
I also find myself in awe of these billy goats on two wheels. It’s an art form being able to climb like they can. Not to mention the hair-raising descents!
What fun! A team working in perfect harmony, working the perfect pace line, for the maximum amount of speed and least amount of time on the course. I’m thrilled! Poetry on wheels!
Now let’s just see about getting rid of the race radios in the coming years.
I planned a casual ride with a couple friends for later in the day Saturday so I could go to the Farmer’s Market with my husband first thing in the morning. We’ve been away a fair bit on the weekends, not to mention my husband’s work has their own farmer’s market every week and the prices are much better than any other around, so we haven’t attended the Saturday one in Deering Oaks Park since late spring.
We were in search of non-paturized apple cider. Most places will only sell the paturized type and we know we can buy this item at the market. We were successful in our quest and bought 3 gallons!
I always love going to the market in the park on Saturdays. It’s great to walk around to see all the wonderful products grown and sold locally.
Then it was home in time to head out for the ride. It was overcast but surprisingly warm. I am so used to 50-degrees being somewhat chilly but that was not the case Saturday. It was actually mild and I found myself very over dressed.
It must have been Homecoming Weekend for Portland High, with the Battle of the Bridge football game taking place Saturday because the Casco Bay Bridge was decorated with signs by the cheerleaders. (I know a little about this because my daughter cheered for a few years for PHS and they were in charge of the decorating.)
The ladies and I took our time on the ride and made sure we stopped to chat at Prout’s Neck:
From here it was off to Scratch Baking Company for coffee and a little snack. I always buy a coffee for me and a lemon pound cake for my husband. I can manage to fit it into my jersey pocket without crushing it.
Sunday
After some pretty heavy rain and wind Saturday night the sun poked through late morning Sunday. I was rather surprised. I thought it was going to rain most of the day and had prepared myself for some much needed cleaning and cooking.
I wanted to take advantage of such a spectacular day with a bike ride. I know we wouldn’t see many more days like this until spring. In fact the day reminded me a bit of spring and I was feeling a renewed sense of life, something I haven’t felt much of lately.
As it turns out there were a few people that were getting together for a ride. It was noon when I found out about it and they weren’t leaving until 2pm. That was enough notice to get a little cleaning done before heading out so I wouldn’t feel so guilty.
8 is not a bad turnout for an impromptu Sunday afternoon ride! With temperatures in the mid-60’s it was nice to be in shorts and short sleeves.
It’s now late enough in the season that the mid-week group rides have come to an end. It’s just too dark too early. So there will be more weekend rides throughout the fall. I’m looking forward to them. They typically consist of a good group of cyclists and involve a stop someplace for coffee. It’s a great social event.
He was here on official Masi business of course, visiting with bike shops in New England.
I quickly called the shop and spoke to my buddy, Jake. I asked him when he was expected to be there. “Now” was the sarcastic response. (Jake’s good for a little sarcasm. Perhaps that’s why I like him.)
I requested that someone take some pictures for the club’s blog. He tried to tell me that no one has a camera at the shop. Hey dude, if you haven’t noticed, this is the twenty first century and most people have cameras built into their phones! (Sarcasm, but this time from me.)
Alas, I didn’t really take that tone with Jake. He’s a good guy. I just suggested that perhaps someone might take a photo with a phone.
Not long after that conversation I received this photo in my email inbox:
I have no idea who actually emailed the photo to me but I can only assume it was Jake.
I was so excited about Tim being in town, and visiting the shop no less! Masi Guy rocks!
Of course Jake didn’t get it. He said something like, “You don’t even ride a Masi.” That didn’t matter, I assured him. I read his blog enough to know he is a blogger celebrity and that’s good enough for me!
I’m a bit late on this posting. I meant to write earlier about our return trip from Bar Harbor.
We tried not to linger too long in Bar Harbor before hitting the road the day after the Cadillac Challenge Century Ride. By the time we packed up, checked out, gassed up, it was 10:30 before we were on the road.
The day started out just as spectacularly clear and sunny as the previous days. We planned to make our way down the coast back to Portland, with a few stops along the way.
Bucksport
Since we were in no hurry to rush back to Portland and it was such a pretty day, we decided to take advantage of the time we had to stop at the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory.
Going up 420 feet is not something that someone scared of heights would find enjoyable. I couldn’t really use that as an excuse not to go. Even though it wasn’t peak foliage I was determined to go to the top to see the view the observation deck provided. If it hadn’t been enclosed I know I wouldn’t have gone up. I would have sent my husband up on his own.
The views did not disappoint.
I love structural objects – bridges, buildings, and manufacturing plants. These show the beauty of the bridge:
And a nice photo of the two of us:
Camden
Our goal on the way home was to stop in Camden for lunch. We went there for our second date and haven’t been back since. That was 7 years ago. We were over due.
Just like the two days before, the clouds rolled in and it turned rather chilly. Luckily we found a hot lunch and some great mulled cider at Cappy’s Chowder House then grabbed some dessert from the Camden Deli, where we had lunch 7 years ago.
We walked to the park to eat our dessert and watch the goings-on at the waterfront:
On the way back to the car we discovered these on the side of a brick building:
Friday night my women’s ride group combined with the SMCC women’s ride group for a nice dinner at Rivalries.
The evening started with a drink, or two, while Stephanie Chase talked about how women can improve their cycling.
Unfortunately Stephanie’s time was limited as we needed to move from the cozy little spot in the corner to a table in the noisy part of the upstairs area. With almost 20 women at the table there was no way Stephanie could continue giving advice to the ladies.
It was still a great evening and fun to get together. A great way to end a terrific season.
A few of us gathered for a nice autumn ride this morning. There were 8 of us that started out: Kris, Jim, Russ, Steph, Shannon, Rick, Meg and I.
Steph went her own way soon after the start to ride recovery after yesterday’s cyclocross efforts.
The 7 of us rode the CCCP Thursday night route. After the second regroup, the majority of us were in the mood to stop for coffee. Meg went on her own along the route because she wanted to get back early.
So there were 6 of us that stopped for coffee at The Fog Cutter, a little drive-thru coffee spot close to Dutton Hill.
After the coffee I was ready to go home myself so I bailed on the group. I was sick of chasing and just wanted to enjoy my ride home, going at my own pace.
That ended up being the best part of my ride. (Sorry if I’m offending anyone that rode with me today.) It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the company of friends, but I just rode my bike, keeping my cadence high and my heart rate low. The sun also finally broke through and the wind was at my back.
I even decided to stop for a couple photos of the exquisite day:
It was my second real ride on the new bike and I was enjoying the feeling of it. I really like this bike. It’s so stable feeling, quiet, and seems to just float along the road. I’m super impressed with Aegis and now I know why people like these frames so much.
This is a great time of year to ride in Maine. Sure you might need an extra layer, sometimes two, but it’s so clear and the folliage is outstanding. If you are prepared and wear the right clothing you can have a very enjoyable ride.
I’ll see how next weekend shapes up from a weather standpoint and try to get out for another casual ride.
We took many more photos that you can check out on our Flickr page. We didn’t shoot any video this time so we could cheer on the racers.
One of those racers included our friend’s son who raced the kids race:
His little sister did a great job cheering him on and ringing a cowbell:
I think that’s a wrap on our cyclocross races. There are many more that are taking place throughout the fall but for us, they are a little too far away. If there is a ‘cross race in your area, I highly recommend you get out there to support your local racers. And don’t forget your cowbell!
At a LBS, I recently saw a water bottle that I had to add to my collection.
It’s new and called Gel-Bot. It’s a handy way to consume your gels and water with one container, without having to deal with the mess of opening up a gel packet on a ride.
It’s also good if you buy gels in bulk, too. I recently bought Honey Stinger chocolate gel in 12-ounce tubes and this bottle will work well for this product since the bottles are a bit bigger than I’d like to carry in my pocket.
Here’s a video on how fill the bottle and gel container:
I haven’t had the opportunity to use my new water/gel bottle yet, but once I do, I’ll let you know how it well works and whether or not I like it.
"To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity. Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement. No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy. Might as well be playing Tiddly-Winks." - Scott Martin
A few coworkers
More coworkers
Would you buy health insurance from the man on the left?
