Memories of touring Prince Edward Island

Ah, home again. I have wonderful memories of my trip to Prince Edward Island floating in my head, and there are also images from Hopewell Cape in New Brunswick and Acadia National Park in Maine.

You can share those images by looking in my Wandering along the edge photo gallery at http://denise.smugmug.com/Travel/114285.

Here are a few photos to whet your appetite:

Flowers that have gone to seed can still be very beautiful.

Ah, it's time to head out from Charlottetown. My bike is calling me!

A beach along the north coast of PEI, in the Greenwich section of Prince Edward Island National Park.

Daylight?

Home again from vacation, and the shorter days are really jumping out at me. It's not like the early disappearance of sunlight is a surprise - after all it is the first day of fall. But I think that the contrast with Atlantic Time (from my vacation in PEI) plus facing the fact that my bicycle commuting days are over for the season really struck me today.

I'm sure I'll get used to it. The days are going to continue getting shorter though, and I'd prefer that they not do that. It's funny, whenever I think of moving out of the northeast, I think west. But I won't get rid of this lack of daylight problem unless I move someplace like Hawaii!

Come on Denise, you'll get used to the change in seasons. You always do.

Wandering along the edge

Looking for me? Surprised that there are no new blog entries? I'm headed to Prince Edward Island with my bicycle for a tour around the island, and while I won't be posting new blog entries here while I'm on the road, click to my tour journal.

A short but delightful ride

My goal for this last weekend before an eleven-day biking vacation was to do some biking but also to get some rest. In keeping with that goal, I headed up to Maine to ride in the southwest corner of the state.

I had a sunny start to my ride, but the clouds managed to roll in. I was lucky though. I rode through some sprinkles, but as I got closer to where my car was waiting, the road was absolutely soaked. (And yes, I did need to clean my bike when I got home. Somehow wet roads mean that all of the dirt comes flying off the road and sticks to the bike...)

I started my ride in Kittery Point, and rode along the coast as far as the Yorks, wandering down side roads to visit beaches and Nubble Light. It was a very enjoyable ride, short but sweet.

There are some fabulous wood carvings outside of the Kittery Trading Post - I just love this critter with his paw protruding from the tree trunk!

Somehow it wasn't possible to get both the flower and the bee in focus. Almost though, and I can't believe that I managed to capture this very busy bee.

An across-the-water view of Nubble Light

3003 miles!

I made it! A few weeks ago I looked at the miles I had covered on my 2-wheeled transportation so far this year, and I set a goal of riding 3000 miles before I headed off to Prince Edward Island to wander around the island on my bike. It was a bit of a stretch, and it not only required some higher mileage than normal weeks, it also was dependent on decent weather. With the weather forecast at the beginning of this week it was very possible that the mileage would be just beyond my reach. But - the weather wizard cooperated by providing rideable weather from Wednesday afternoon on, and my mileage for the year so far at the end of today's ride is 3003 miles.

You're right, it was a somewhat silly goal - but it feels really good to have those miles under my wheels!

Last bike commute of the season

Today was my last commute to work by bike of the season - by the time I get back from my PEI adventure on September 21st there won't be enough daylight to support a full day's work plus riding my bike in both directions. I'll have to rework my exercise schedule to go back to riding only on the weekend; guess it will be time to start going back to the gym!

Today was a fabulous day for riding though, sunny, and very reasonable temperatures. The bell captain at the Marriott came out to greet me and told me to bring my bike in to the hotel entryway instead of locking it up outside; he promised to watch it for me.

I think my bike must have known it was her last commuting day of the season - although I can't understand why she would be upset since she will be my transportation on Prince Edward Island. When I parked my bike in the closet at the office for the day, the chain was exactly where it belonged - sitting on the chain rings and cluster. When I went to get my bike to head home, the chain was off. Now tell me, do my bikes have the kind of power where they can remove a chain on their own?

Bailey is in charge...

...really! After all he is the "person" who decides what direction to walk, isn't he?

Oh, you haven't met Bailey yet? He is the dachshund who lives with my parents; actually I think he runs the house.

I wonder if this somewhat wacky dog can tell time. My folks live on a big hill where the part below the house is much steeper than the part above the house. The daily morning "walking the dog" activity heads up the hill from the house, and often the afternoon walk heads down the hill where Mom & Bailey meet Dad on his way home from work and get a ride back up the hill. Not a bad deal... Well today in the mid-afternoon Bailey insisted on walking down the hill even though Mom really wanted to head up the hill. Do you think he can tell time? Do you think he thought he was meeting his ride back up the hill? Whatever he was thinking (do dogs really think?), apparently he was guite happy to prance down the hill and back up again.

Yes, that's me hiding behind our crazy Bailey - a self-portrait of the two of us...

You can find more pictures of Bailey here.

Bicycle conversations

The weather wizard finally decided on a dry and sunny day so it was a bicycle commute to work today. As I walked in to the Marriott (heading for the health club and my very welcome shower) I stopped to talk to one of the hotel managers who is often in the lobby in the morning. This morning he told me that I didn't need to lock my bike to a light post outside, that I could wheel it into the entryway and he would keep an eye on it. Now I really don't mind locking it up, but what a nice offer!

Then as I walked by the hotel restaurant I said hello to a guest who was walking out. He said hello, then asked if I commute to work by bike and asked how far. With those questions I was sure I was talking to another cyclist. He turned out to be from the Washington DC area, and he commutes to work year-round. I'm only a summer (and around the edges) commuter since riding in the dark with the crazy drivers around here scares me, plus I can't handle the really cold (and wet) weather. He pointed out that Washington has more of a southern climate, and that you can get used to riding in the dark, with good lights, of course. I think I'll stick to my daylight commute, although I'm sure I'm going to miss riding in to work when I get back from my tour of PEI.