Easter Ride

Sunday afternoon, I took my bike out for medium-length ride through Manayunk, Wissahickon Valley, and Chestnut Hill. It was the nicest weather yet for a bike ride and plenty of people were on the recreational trail. I started and finished the ride along the Schuylkill River, the best way to get out of and back in to town. In between, I tacked a very random route especially around Wissahickon Valley where I actually crossed my path a few times. Like last week, I escaped the city for only the briefest period. After reaching Springfield township, weather, a finicky brake and time combined to impel to start riding back.

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The routes was a nice mix of the new and the old. I discovered a road with a clear if not particularly appealing view of Manayank and the Schuylkill Valley, as well as new entrance to Wissahickon Valley. Finding myself in Roxborough, I couldn't resist a coast down Valley Avenue. One of my favorite downhill rides, on this perfect grade my accelerates my bike to thrilling but not frightening speed and maintains that pace without a need to pedal or brake for a good distance. My first time down the rode was ice smooth, but it has gotten progressively rougher over the years.

Manayunk

Valley Avenue

Henry Avenue Viaduct

Moreland Avenue Houses

Ivy Hill Cemetary

Trip Statistics
Length: 35.6 miles (identical to last week!)
Ride Time: 3 hours 11 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 36 minutes
Avg. Speed: 11.2 MPH
Avg. Cadence: 56 RPM
Total Ascent: 1950 ft.
Max Elev.: 435 ft.

Elevation Profile

Urban Ride

Last Sunday, I completed what I consider to be my first serious ride of the year. With my initial outing ending in a flat tire, my second sticking to well-trodden routes, and neither exceeding twenty miles, I was ready for a more satisfying ride. Ironically, except for one very small clip, I didn't leave the city limits. In a very urban ride, I basically completed to big loops around North Philadelphia which combined to outline a a notch cutting in to its very center.

The day started a little chilly so I waited until after lunch to depart. I rode east to the Delaware River, hoping to catch the cherry trees in Blossom, but they were past their prime. I followed the river upstream as far as Penn Treaty Park. Cutting north through Kensington, I connected with Lehigh Avenue, a major east-west artery through town. This I rode west, into a strong wind, for four miles until it ended at Ridge Avenue.

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Putting my back to the wind, I rode northeast into Hunting Park. Continuing the same general direction, I soon discovered a short recreational trail that parallels Tacony Creek, a trail that basically led me into Cheltenham Township. Knowing the wind would be against me for most of the ride back, I decided this would be a good point to turn around, though I did amble around some neighborhoods before beginning it in earnest. It wasn't too long after I passed through the campus of LaSalle University that I was back in very familiar territory, East Falls. Heavy rains from the day before had swollen the Schuylkill River to the brink and turned it very light brown. I stopped for several pictures of the peculiar occurrence on the final stretch in to town.

Felton Theater

Tacony Creek Trail

The best tree on the ride

Chelten Ave at Wissahickon

Trip Statistics
Length: 35.6 miles
Ride Time: 3 hours 27 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 56 minutes
Avg. Speed: 10.3 MPH
Avg. Cadence: 51 RPM
Total Ascent: 1900 ft.
Max Elev.: 270 ft.

Elevation Profile

Tuolumne Meadows

Per calorie of effort expanded, I'm hard pressed to think of a more rewarding hike than the Dog Lake/Lembert Dome in the Tuolumne Meadows section of Yosemite National. In essence, I stitched two distinct destinations into a single hike; first to a small lodgepole-rimmed lake in backwoods, then to the top of a massive granite dome poking above the surrounding forest. The hike took four hours to cover eight miles; though looking back it seemed like a fraction of that.

I vaguely had this hike in mind when I started the day, but it was secondary to my earlier activity, touring Bodie SHS. Then, with the mountains cloaked steel grey rain clouds that were cold just to look at putting me in no hurry to enter the park, I diverted for a closer inspection of Mono Lake. When I finally did start up the mountains, it did rain for much of my drive to the visitor center, but it wasn't a hard rain and I had gear sufficient for the elements. After parking at the trailhead and dutifully 'bear-proofing' my car to the best of my ability, the rain abated. It would not resume until I was off the trail.

I dispensed with the most majority of the climbing--about 500 feet--in the first mile of the hike. Starting late in the day and still unsure of the weather, I set a rather quick pace, but slowed immensely upon reaching Dog Lake. Maybe twice as long as it is wide, the lake meets the trail at its narrowest point, its outlet, though this late it he year little, if any, water escaped via marshy route. Anchoring the opposite shore, the gray peaks of the easternmost mountains rose above the expansive forest. The trail technically ended here, but not to my surprise, previous hikers wore a trail the looped around the lake. It is hard to imagine anyone coming this far and not wanting to continue their walk. I actually did two laps. (The second in a vain attempt to recover a pair of lost sunglasses.)

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From Dog Lake, I hiked another mile to the junction of the trail to the to the top of Lembert Dome. What started on fairly typical, if steep, path soon opened on the barren face of the dome itself. It didn't take me too long to reach the true summit, but I found better views further along at the front edge of the dome. With no obstructions in front of me the Tuolumne meadows fanned out like ancient Greece must have to the gods from Mount Olympus. The same lack of obstructions also allow the West Wind to pummel me with its full force. Seeking reprieve from the Zephyr, I started the two-mile unremarkable but pleasant hike back the trailhead.

Dog Lake

Dog Lake Trail

Climbing Lembert Dome

Mono Pass

Tuolumne Meadows

Trip Statistics
Length: 7.8 miles
Time: 3 hours 51 minute
Elev. Change: 850 ft.
Max Elev.: 9,463 ft.

Elevation Profile

Mostly Fairmount

Yesterday was an I deal biking day. Sadly, I put too much stock in a faulty weather report that stated scattered showers with a high in the mid-50s and planned my day accordingly. By the time I realized I'd been duped, it was too late to head out. The same weather report indicated today would be sunny and approaching 70°. It wasn't that nice, but it was still fair weather for an early year bike ride.

Plus, I had the whole day free, though I didn't actually leave until 3:30 PM. I stopped by the bike shop to to up a replacement spare tube—having utilized my last spare following my ill-fated March ride. I rode west again over the platypus bridge in to Upenn Territory. Rather than continue that direction, I turned north and eventually entered Fairmount Park, where I rode the next 12 miles.

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Last weekend I was in DC for the peak Cherry Blossom season. We have a few Cherry Blossoms too. I rode around trying to find the best ones. It still might be a few days early. Usually, I blow through Fairmount Park to get further-flung areas where the more interesting scenes or at least new ones. I was nice to turn down a couple park lanes I passed on so many earlier occasions.

I thought it a rather short ride, but it turned out to be sixteen miles, two shy of my inaugural run. This one was a bit easier in that there were only a few hills to climb.

Statistics
Length: 16.1 miles
Total Time: 1 hours 57 minutes
Avg. Speed: 10.9 MPH
Cumulative Ascent: 500 ft.

The Schuylkill from a new angle

Scullers on the Schuylkill

Nine Miles

Though taken nine miles apart, these two pictures are connected. It took me months to see it, but the location where I took the first is visible in the second and vice versa. It took both on the second day of my Sierra Nevadas trip last September. I wanted to take a long day hike in Lassen Volcanic National Park, ideally to the highest peak in the park, Lassen Peak; however that trail was closed so I opted for the second choice Brokeoff Mountain.

On my way to the park early Saturday morning, I pulled off to the side of the highway to take the first picture. I thought the mountain might be Brokeoff, but that hunch wasn't a big consideration in taking the picture. Primarily, I just wanted a great shot to remind me of the scenic ride. Three and a half hours later I was at the top of that mountain taking pictures of the magnificent views left and right.

Recently while going through my pictures, I verified that that mountain is brokeoff. I also noticed that in the middle right can you make the out highway where I take the first picture that day.

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Cherry Blossom Festival

While the primary reason for a recent excursion to Washington DC was to take my aunt Char out for her birthday, it just so happened that the trip coincided with the city's Cherry Blossom Festival. I left work a little early on Friday afternoon to take the cheap bus to DC. In Philadelphia, it was cold, dreary and not at all spring-like, signs that didn't improve as I moved south. I resigned to being a week or two too early. My uncle, who picked me up at Union Station, informed me that quite the opposite was true, I had arrived pretty darn-near the peak day. The clouds broke briefly as he looped around the Tidal Basin, a honey of detour especially in rush hour/festival traffic. A closer inspection would come the next morning. Friday night we went to dinner a fantastic restaurant in Virginia, Rustico, where I had some inside connections that yielded royal treatment.

Saturday morning, I returned to Cherry Blossom Ground Zero, this time with my aunt. She parked in a garage near the White House and we walked across the National Mall. The first vibrant cluster appeared at the corner of Independence and 15th Street, right in front of the Washington Monument. A few steps letter we were on the sidewalk that encircles the Tidal Basin. Turning right, we started to make the two-plus mile circuit around the basin in a counter clockwise direction. It was early and not too crowded, but the skies were unfortunately overcast.

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The trees arch over the walkway and droop toward the water. Some branches are low enough to cause a tall person—one taller than me—to duck. It would be a very bad place to ride a bike. About twenty minutes in the tidal basin loop, we came to the 1912 plantings, the original gifts from the Japanese and hence the oldest trees in the collection. A little later on we cut through the relatively new Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, my first visit there. Back along the Tidal Basin, we had exchanged views of the Jefferson Memorial for the Washington Monument. By the time we reached the former the crowds had started to congeal, but on the plus-side, soon the Sun came out from behind the clouds. In doing so, it brightened the trees all around the basin, all the more so prominent against the still steel-gray sky. The Sun arrived not a moment too soon for we were quickly back at the starting point. Leaving the Basin we retraced our steps to the car. In all, we walked 4.7 miles in two hours and twenty minutes.

Washington Monument

Jefferson Memorial

Cherry Blossoms

1912 Plantings

Tidal Basin

Yoshino Cherry Trees