Biked 29 miles today!!!

[peacebird]

So this wednesday I will take my first half-commute ride.... Biking home from work in Charlottesville to Batesville - about 25 miles one way. I am hoping to get up to biking one way at least two - if not 3 days a week. I will drive in with the bike in the car, leave the car at the office and bike home!

The trip home is all trending upwards to the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. Wish me luck!

on edit: This is the farthest I have ridden in two years!!!

[bvar22]

1. Good Luck!

Coincidentally, I did 29 miles today too. :hi:

[peacebuzzard]

2. You and happyslug are in the same region,...

Do you bike winters also???

[happyslug]

3. She is three states South of me.

The Appalachians Mountains are similar up and down the range, but peacebird is far enough South to not deal with Snow and Ice laying on the ground for weeks at a time.

My point is peacebird is not in my area, she is far enough South to come under a different Set of weather than Western Pennsylvania.

As to Winter biking even I quit when the Snow get over six inches or the ice is over 1/2 inch and in my area that can happen every winter for about 1-2 months (Through most winters are less severe, and once clear I can resume biking). Peacebird is enough South to get rain all winter long except for 1-3 days of snow on the ground.

One more comment, peacebird is on the Eastern slope of the Appalachian Mountains, I am on the Western Slope. It is rare for an Atlantic Strom to dump Snow in my area, but you can have several of Atlantic Storms hit the Eastern Slope (Most of the storms that dump snow in my area come up the Ohio River or western slope of the Mountains). For example in 1990 the first Atlantic Storm of the year dropped three feet on Bedford County Pennsylvania, three INCHES in Johnstown where I bike, and nothing but Rain in Pittsburgh. That was one of the worse storm's IN MY AREA. Bedford is 40 miles from where I live but the other side of the Eastern Continental Divide. Thus the Mountains tend to stop the weather on the other side of the Mountain from me, leaving me only having to dress for cold weather as opposed to deep snow (thus peacebird gets more snow than I do).

My point is the situation is different enough for peacebird NOT to bike during the Winter do to MORE Snow storms through I will have snow on the ground for a longer period of time (but much less snow).

[peacebuzzard]

4. Virginia?

and you are Pennsylvania, I think.....I know you do the winters biking....whooo, that takes a tough one..

[happyslug]

5. Peacebird user profile is disabled.

But she uses the term Blueridge. That is a term used in Virgina, the Carolinas and Georgia for the Appalachian Mountains, we in Pennsylvania generally use the term the "Alleghenies" (In NY and MD Spelled Allegany, In Pennsylvania "Allegheny"). Thus peacebird's used of the term "Blueridge" implies she is much further south than I am.

Peacebird also uses the terms "Charlottesville to Batesville", two cities in Virginia, thus I suspect she lives in Virginia. At one time I had my profile disabled, but then I realized that if someone wanted to track me they could get information on the user profile by just reading some of my posts, thus I opened the profile in case someone wanted to see where I lived if that was a factor in what I was writing on without having to do that work or ask me in whatever thread the information would be a factor in (For example this thread, my comments on the Appalachian Mountains will be different from peacebird because we live near two different sections of that mountain Chain. My Section is actually LOWER than peacebird's being the best way through the Appalachian Mountains south of the Mohawk Valley of New York.

While they are a lot of "Gaps" in the Appalachian Mountains (and almost all of these gaps are in use or have been in use as roads through the Mountains), historically the three big Gaps have been the Mohawk Valley of NY (The Erie Canal, the New York Turnpike), Southern Pa western Md (Pennsylvania Turnpike, the old Pennsylvania Railroad and the old B&O Railroad) and then the Atlanta Georgia Area (Roughly today's I-20, which is less a "Gap" then just south of the end of the Appalachian Mountain chain). The PA And NY Turnpike Gaps are the major Gaps for these two Gaps connected the Great Lakes and the Ohio River to the East Coasts. Thus these two gaps get a lot more traffic than roads South of Cumberland MD (And I-80 which is right between the Pa Turnpike and the New York Turnpike gets less traffic than either turnpike for it is NOT as nice as road as either do to the Mountains). You do not get any roads through the Appalachians as busy as the PA Turnpike till you get to i-20 South of Atlanta GA. Other than these three Gaps the Appalachian Mountains are enough of a block to restrict the flow of people over the mountains. That I am in a major Traffic Corridor and peacebird is not is another difference between where I live and where peacebird lives.

[peacebuzzard]

6. And the one time I went mountain biking was in the Smoky Mts.

between roughly Knoxville and Asheville, so I guess that is the very southern end of the same mountain chain you 2 ride. What a glorious wonderful experience that was. Wish I could do it more!!
It was a rush I will never forget, and want to do again! I enjoy reading about the experiences you 2 are having with the adventures and long to do it again one day.....

[peacebird]

7. HI! I am in Virginia - just southwest of Cville.

I biked home from work (25 miles) and then back in to work the next day (20 miles - took a shortcut...)

The ride was gorgeous once we got to Dudley Mountain road, which is way out in the country. The Charlottesville section is ok - mostly driving through neighborhoods and then riding across the campus at UVA but once out of the city the ride turns gorgeous! Loads of views of the mountains, cows, even some guinnea hens running across the road. Then there was a great blue heron standing in the middle of the dirt road 1/2 a mile from home! He took flight straight down the road and settled infront of us again and again, before he finally veered left and into the little river!


I guess I didn't know my profile was disabled.... I had written some stuff in it when I joined eons ago.... I will go correct that now!

:hi:

[peacebird]

8. i will bike until the temps drop below 40....

I just put on more layers! But below 40 and I just can't keep my feet warm. The cold comes up through my clips and makes my toes numb... even with neoprene booties.

What about you?