Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Yuck!

Work has been so busy I've not got to work on the Bleriot since I brought it home and waxed it. Grrr. I did get a chance to upload and caption the rest of the first batch of photos. They can be seen here. Don't say I didn't warn you, bike build photography can be addictive, you'll want your own project if you look too hard.

Felt really slow today cycling to work. Didn't check the odometer to see if I really was or not. Like I care.

Got to see R.T. Rybeck near work today. There is an old rail spur that has been without ties or rails for years. It will stretch from the U of Minnesota, across 35W and into Roseville somewhere. This was just the ribbon cutting ceremony. My company by agreement provided parking for the dignitaries. And the press, and several city employees to stand in as, well, stand arounds with shovels? Ask Ray, he knows what I'm talking about. If only it was available when I commuted from Lino Lakes. Still it is cool and Minneapolis rocks for at least trying.

A pal that works near me and also cycles bunches came to the ceremony with me. His name is Pete and I don't think he has a blog. We chatted about how we rarely use trails, and take our chances with traffic. The problem with trails is it always seems to reinforce the bike as a toy that doesn't belong on the roadway. We talked about how we should be involved with the cycling advocacy group, but that we might go insane trying to reason with the non-cyclist that tend to prefer such trails for grannies and mommies and their strollers. Which is why I don't use them in part. Still at least we're trying.

2 comments:

Eclectchick said...

"Work has been so busy I've not got to work on the Bleriot since I brought it home and waxed it."

One of the few perks of having a brainless job is that this kind of thing never happens to me. However, sometimes my life force is sucked out of me by said job, causing me to lose the will to do a damn thing once I arrive home.

Bill Connell said...

I hadn't heard of that trail project, but it sounds like a good one. I'm waiting for St. Paul to begin work on the Ayd Mill road trail - it was supposed to be this summer, but i think it's been postponed to next year, though supposedly it's funded and scheduled.

I'll use a good portion of this trail in my daily commute when it's done. I'm not generally an separate bike trail user, but it's because most of the trails are shared with walkers and skaters, so it's a hassle to go fast. The Mpls Greenway is a good example of a good bike path for commuting use. I'm hoping Ayd Mill is the same sort of thing.

I think it is worth getting involved in bike planning issues. I'd like to do more, but it's hard to get to weeknight meetings. I've found that there is a sympathetic ear in the planning department, it's mostly a matter of letting them know that it's a priority because they usually aren't themselves cyclists.