Cranford - Burton Latimer - Cranford

Barry led this. With Maureen, Gordon, Eddie and Ian and Carol. Just over 7 miles. Fine, but grey. Muddy fields. Lunch at the old café in Cranford.





We set off from the street named Top Dysons, which is opposite Cranford Village Hall, heading west, across a couple of fields, then turning left before the Grange, passing Hayfield Lodge and to the Cranford Road. We crossed this and took a footpath close to some houses. The path had a couple of sections where we were almost obliged to crawl, as vegetation was taking over. The path takes you to the A14, but by walking on the path almost alongside, and up to the roundabout we had simply to cross a couple of not-too-busy slip roads. We then walked back until we were opposite the original course of the path. Next obstacle was the A6 - patience required, but no problem. At this point we walked south towards the edge of Burton Latimer. We follwed the edge of a couple of fields, and turned briefly left then right, eventually joining Church St, which we followed to woodcock st and then into fields. (I think this is where new houses are being built.) The path took us east, down to the A6, which we had to cross again

We were now close to the wind turbines, and walked through the fields, pausing for a snack break at a footbridge. The path continued eastwards, coming out at the A510, at the Round House.





The Round House, Burton Latimer - Thrapston Rd A510, OS grid 9374





Here we turned north, then north-east, and east to skirt an old quarry/ dump before reaching the A14. Once over the road the path took us to the Cranford Road, into Cranford St John, past a disused railway, and the primary school, past the pub (closed on Mondays), and along a path which leads downhill, through fields (Hall grounds) to the church and dovecote, thento Cranford St Andrew, and the Old Forge Café.



shortly before the A14 crossingSt Andrews Churchthe dovecote

Thurleigh Circular walk

Led by Barry, with me, Gordon and Eddie. Mostly fine, variable temperature - some muddy fields! Grr!


Just over 9 miles.

Off we go - wagons roll - 'aroo ah???'

Thurleigh church

artefacts to be discovered by future alien cilivisations

More traces of lost cultures

Ready for a shower

No obstacle too great!

Some llamas at Thurleigh Farm park - on our way back!

Wordless Wednesday :: Spiraling Downward

Madison, Indiana ~ September 1994Copyright © 1994/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Talk to Me About 'Off Road'...

Almost every cyclist I'm friendly with loves to ride off road. And when I admit that I don't love it so much, the reaction is that of dismay. "What? But you like Rivendell! But you write about randonneuring! But you showed so much promise cycling on those scenic beach trails!" Well yes... And yet I prefer pavement.



Of course, everyone has their own ideas of what "off road" is. For some, anything that's not paved qualifies. For others, only the really treacherous, narrow trails are worthy of the label. I tend to use the former definition, but often get corrected ("Oh, well that's not off road; that's just dirt roads!") - which of course only makes me feel more of a sissy. I can handle fire trails if they are packed dirt with occasional pebbles and roots, but I draw the line at loose gravel that slips out from under my tires, and trails fraught with large rocks and ditches that I need to navigate around at speed. It feels unsafe, and when I feel unsafe no amount of romantic photos or assurances that "it'll be fine!" from ride companions can induce me to go on. Maybe it'll be fine for them, but I need to think for myself and my brain screams "don't do it; you'll perish!"



But maybe I exaggerate. When we were in Rockport last weekend, the Co-Habitant lured me onto some trails ("we'll walk our bikes to the water") and I ended up riding on 23mm tires over dirt and gravel. I've also found myself intentionally taking my bikes on unpaved parts of local trails lately, maybe to test the waters.



As August approaches, people are talking about the D2R2 (Deerfield Dirt-Road Randonnée) - a notoriously hilly, strenuous ride through Western Massachusetts and Vermont, held entirely on winding dirt roads. I considered trying to do the "easy" (40 mile) route, but based on the stories I hear even that might be out of my league. It would be good to read a ride report from someone whose comfort zone is similar to mine, to get an accurate idea of what it is really like.



But wait a minute, why would I even want to go to something like the D2R2 if I don't enjoy cycling off road? Maybe because I want to like it, or keep hoping that I'll like it if I just give it another chance. There is so much beauty that can't be seen from paved roads, and it's a shame to miss it. Now if only I could learn to climb and descend on loose gravel without panicking and getting off my bike immediately!

I'm Not in Kansas Anymore!

Tuesday, May 10th - - It never crossed my mind that I'd spend nearly six days in Kansas, much less enjoy most of it! Crossing over into southeastern Colorado the countryside looked much the same as it had in western Kansas. Fields were under cultivation to begin with but as I ventured further south and west there were more vast expanses of prairie.



However, within a few hours, the view changed dramatically. Mountain peaks touched with a dusting of snow could be seen off in the distance. It wasn't long before they loomed much larger and closer. With the change in view came a dramatic change in daytime temperature – from a high in the upper 90s to a high in the mid 50s. Thank goodness that, unlike the air conditioner, the heater in the van works!





West of Walsenburg, Colorado on U.S. Highway 160/285.

My destination for the night was the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, near Alamosa. I had visited there once before, way back in May of 1979.





This time, Mother Nature was definitely not cooperating with me. The further west I traveled, the cloudier it got. Once at The Dunes, the sun would occasionally peek out from behind the clouds, but even then the lighting wasn't that great. This is the view from my campsite. The base of The Dunes is about a mile and a half distant.





The image above and those following have been modified. I was going to say “enhanced” but that is entirely dependent upon who is viewing the images. Since you aren't going to see the originals, suffice to say that I think these are an improvement over the originals, considering the lighting conditions at the time.





Human figures add a little perspective on the size of these dunes. They (The Dunes) truly are magnificent.



And from what I remember from back in 1979, they are extremely difficult to walk on. I did go out to the base of The Dunes but simply did not have the energy or stamina to go any further. Besides, it was getting late in the evening, a strong wind was blowing, and it was cold!





The quality of light was pitiful, and it was nearly gone, but the views were still awesome even though they can't truly be captured by the camera.

Waffles, Strawberries, Chocolates and Cream

Sigh. I can’t let go of Brussels for now...

Belgian Street Food: Yummy strawberries and bananas, dipped in three chocolate choices: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.

Vendors on every corner of the street in Brussels selling yummy waffles... plump strawberries dipped in chocolate—dark, milk, white, choose whatever you want... and even though I don’t really particularly love eating them as I can’t stand too much sweets, I am happy to say that I am content witnessing other people gobble them up with gusto, as well as breathing in to that ‘waffle-ing’ aroma wafting in the air. Mmmm.... !

Ooohh, yummylicious waffles! Have a feast, they come in different varieties.

Here is moi, while waiting for our table for lunch. I stole this foto from my paparazzi friend in facebook hehe.

Brussels just smells so yummy, but that goes to any Belgian city I think. When you step into the Centrum, the dominant and lingering syrupy odour of waffles instinctively whisks you away to gastronomy land and the next thing you know you are loading a chunk of calorific waffle into your mouth. Haha that quick! The yummy things are that desirable and contagious. Makes you want to eat the whole country or bring it home with you.

Unfortunately I am on a diet =(

Photos of Bochere Rand

Getting to the top of the popular posts ladder on jjobrienclimbing has never been easy.

I can't do it.

The 4 girls from Urban Climb Gym dubbed Urban Girls clipped that anchor and never lowered off.




A couple of years later jjobrien lined up Bochere Rand for a follow up post.





















Follow Bochere on Facebook.

...If you want daily updates, at dawn, on the first thing that comes into her head.


































Climbers, you know I'm a sucker for a flamingredhead




jj

The Pashley Princess: a Retrospective from a Former Owner

While we are still in hibernation season, I wanted to write a retrospective review of the Pashley Princess I used to own. My existing review of this bike was written after only a month of ownership and leaves a great deal out. I hope to make this review more representative of my overall experience, while providing the sort of information that might be helpful to those shopping for a new bike.



I owned a Pashley Princess Sovereign from June until August . A lugged steel bicycle made in England, the Princess is a thing of beauty and quality. It was my first "nice" adult bicycle, and the first bicycle I've ever ridden for transportation. As such, it saw me through a period of almost continuous transformation as a cyclist - defined by changes in skill level, confidence, knowledgeability, and preferences. For that reason, I will arrange this review chronologically - from the start of ownership to the end.





The Decision to Purchase

My Pashley was not an impulse buy. I did a lot of research, test rode a number of bikes, and took my time deciding. Among the other bicycles I test rode at the timewere Gazelle, Batavus and Velorbis. During those test rides, I remember that I did not feel comfortable with my ability to control the Dutch bikes (Gazelle andBatavus) in comparison to the Pashley. I did not understand why at the time, but now I think I do: Dutch bikes have a light front end, which can take some getting used to. The Pashley's handling felt natural from the start. As for Velorbis, I remember thinking that it was similar to the Pashley, but not quite as nice, and so it was out of the running. I also admit that my deep attachment to England - where I spent a good part of my twenties - influenced me as well. I liked the idea of having an English bicycle.





First Impressions

I purchased the Pashley Princess Sovereign in June from Harris Cyclery (not a sponsor at that time), together with my husband's Pashley Roadster Sovereign. I chose the 20" (medium) bike in "regency green," and immediately made a number of modifications to it, including the installation of a 7-speed coaster brake hub, netted dress guards and Brooks leather washer grips, as well as extra lights to supplement Pashley's lighting system. All lady's Pashleys have 26" wheels. Detailed specs can be found in my earlier review.





The bicycle's saddle height traveled steadily upward over the course of my ownership. When I first began cycling as an adult, I was extremely nervous about it and felt that I needed to be able to have my feet almost flat on the ground while remaining in the saddle. Over time this nervousness went away as I began to pick up bicycle handling skills. The 20" frame accommodated me throughout this process.





As far as ride quality, initially I was quite pleased with it. What I liked the most about the Pashley Princess was its stability and feeling of "solidness." It made me feel very, very safe - which in turn "empowered" me to try vehicular cycling. Pretty soon, I - a clumsy novice - was cycling for transportation daily in Boston traffic. What I didn't like so much about the ride almost from the start, but could not immediately express, was how much I struggled to pick up speed and go up hills on this bike. But at the time I thought that this was normal for classic upright transportation bicycles, and did not see it as a problem.





One thing that caused some frustration in the beginning, but was entirely my fault and not the bike's, was the question of how to transport my laptop. I did not trust the idea of clip-on panniers, and the front basket did not feel entirely stable with a huge bag in it. So, for the first few months of owning this bike, I carried a messenger bag. But eventually I stabilised the front basket by securing it with a myriad of zip ties and began to transport my laptop bag inside it - which was fine. However, had I just bought a clip-on pannier, such as the FastriderI now own, it would have been even better.





Discovery of Limitations

The first inkling that my Pashley may not be the right bike for me, came after I acquired and refurbished a vintage Raleigh Roadster. Despite being larger and clunkier, the old Raleigh DL-1 was considerably faster to accelerate and easier to ride up hill than the newPashley. I was stunned by the discovery of these differences, and my interest in frame geometry and ride quality was launched largely as a result.





With the arrival of Winter -, my qualms about the Pashley's handling were temporarily forgotten, because as a winter bike it was truly fantastic. Since I ride slower in the winter anyhow and stick to shorter distances, acceleration and climbing long hills no longer played an important role in day to day transportation cycling, and I was once again happy with the bike. But as soon as the snow began to subside, the frustration began anew.





The more skilled and confident I became as a cyclist, the farther I started to travel, and the more torn I began to feel about the Pashley Princess. It was such a sweet, well-made, picturesque and iconic bicycle - How could I even think of giving it up? But beyond gentle trails and neighborhood streets, I felt limited on it.





Experimentation and Modifications

In Spring , I began to experiment with the Pashley's positioning and components in order to address my complaints: I lowered the handlebars, raised the saddle, replaced the sluggish Marathon Plus tires with the faster Delta Cruisers, and even removed the front wicker basket in hopes of reducing wind resistance. Each of these changes indeed made a difference, and to my delight the bike now handled similarly to the vintage Raleigh.





I alsoinstalled a set of Wald rear folding baskets, which improved my quality of life immensely.





The Decision to Sell

At this point, I was once again happy with the Pashley Princess and had decided to keep it after all. I rode it for most of the summer without complaints.But then, something unexpected happened.By some bizarre stroke of luck I came across a 1990s Gazelle, which I was able to acquire for less than the cost of a Brooks saddle. The second-hand Gazelle handled similarly to my vintage Raleigh, but it was newer and I felt more comfortable using it for transportation. Once I had the Gazelle and found myself riding it all the time, I could not financially justify keeping the Pashley. I decided to sell it and did so swiftly to avoid further agonising over the decision. It was a beautiful bicycle, and I basically learned transportation cycling while riding it. But I do not regret my choice.



In Conclusion

I would describe the Pashley Princess as an elegant and well-made bicycle that is perhaps best suited for those who prefer to cycle slowly and do not live in a hilly area. But ride quality is highly subjective, and so I would recommend reading as many reviews of this bicycle as you can to get a sense of how others feel about it. After all, Katie Doncaster toured across Europe on hers and found it to be well suited for the trip. It is also worth noting, that the Princess model should not be compared to the men's Roadster model, as the latter has 28" wheels and possibly different frame geometry (it looked like it, but we didn't measure when we had both bicycles). While I decided to sell my Princess, my husband continues to ride his Roadster [edited to add: and has now posted a 2-year review].

The Devils Claw Seed Pod

This is a green seed pod from the devils caw flower. You can see the 'claw' as it clings to part of the stem and the other end has the dried flower on it. Later it will turn a dryed brown color and have little seed in it. These big seed pods work great in dryed flower arrangements.

Sometimes Good Things Don't Come To Those Who Wait

(My neighborhood post office early this morning.)

Tomorrow may be Emancipation Day, but today-I proclaim April 15- Procrastination Day.

How Big?

This photo give a perspective on just how big Teakettle Rock is compared to a man and his dog. Actually Lee and Tuffee.