Today was my last day of work, we are headed on vacation next week (tomorrow afternoon) and I simply could not get out of the office at a reasonable time. I decided to take my actual commute home and noticed that Northbound traffic on I-95 was pretty heavy so I diverted to the Route 1 Bypass bridge. Instead of crawling over the I-95 bridge, I had to park in the road and wait for the Route 1 Bypass bridge to come back down. I actually put the kickstand down, shut the bike off, and walked around (taking photos of course). The tall ships are in the harbor, a fact that escaped me since I haven't taken my normal commute in almost two weeks. After the bridge finally came back down and traffic could flow, I scurried under the far end of the bridge to see if I could get a shot of some of the ships (there's more to the Southeast or left of the bridge). It's a little dark, but you can make out the two directly in front of me and one more obscured by the windscreen. I wish I'd known about the tall ships sooner, we'd have made a special trip down to the harbor to check them out.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Aug 06 - Field of dreams
This long field paralleled the dirt road for a little bit. There were two or three entrances to it along the way, but they were blocked off. I found one that was open, it was most likely open due to a recent mowing. About a hundred feet behind the strom was a very large fox who decided I wasn't anything he wanted to mess with. By the time I got off the bike, he was gone. He looked like a larger version of my dog. This dirt road continued on for about a 1/2 mile. I kept riding on back roads until I found another long dirt road that was cool, but just not as interesting as this one. The most interesting part was that it ran along the back side of a nudist colony. There were no nudists out, it sets way back, I just happened to notice the location on the GPS. To tell you the truth, I'd not be too interested in any nudists even if they happened into the road. With the bugs as bad as they are, I wouldn't want to see their effect on unprotected skin. My short summer is coming to a close here, tomorrow night is the last night before our vacation next week (Saturday to following Sunday). I can't imagine the weather will hold and be nearly as awesome as it has this past week. When we get back, I imagine it is back to the grind of 'normal' commutes.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Aug 05 - A Knight's Rest
Though I heard the temps soared into the high 80's during the day, by the time I got out of work, it was absolutely beautiful out. I set out for the 'lesser' roads this evening and had simply the best time. I love this photo. The only thing missing is Shrek in the background and donkey beside my bike trying to schmooze it (and perhaps a busty serving wench or two). I parked the bike inside the castle gate and walked around. It was a great stop.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Aug 04 - Moment of rest
I went all over the place this evening. After getting stuck in traffic heading out 101 (they are repaving in the evenings and people must be getting antsy 30 minutes before they start), I vowed to take 43 North to Route 4 then onto Route 202. I got sidetracked on 107 which was a great little jaunt and got back on track taking 202 out towards Rochester, but following 9 back into Dover. Most of the ride was under the cover of trees, with only a few fields. This cemetery is in Barrington on Route 9, only about a mile from the 125 Junction (Calef's Corner). I tried to capture some of the colors in the sky, but the darker Strom kept mucking with the exposure. I wound up blowing out the skies and then tweaking them with a splash of color in Lightroom. I realize I appear to be hung up on "Bike Shots" lately, I have been riding pretty much every day since March, it's that the weather has finally changed and riding has become more of a 'Zen' thing now. I find myself spending hours on the bike each day just riding around on my way to work and back. By the time I arrive home, I vaguely remember that I am even employed. It is amazing how truly short our summers are. Next week we go on vacation and then after that we start getting the kids ready to go back to school.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Aug 03 - Just another V-Strom Sunset
I got out of work a little late (the week before a vacation, I never get out when I'd like to) and took a shortened commute home (shortened as it was only 47 miles versus the 100 that I'd wanted to do). It was a reversal of my route into work. There is this stretch on Route 9 in NH, just across the Dover line where the road bisects some ponds (which were absolutely packed with people, though it is hard to tell from this shot). I was actually heading the other direction & did a U-Turn to face into the sunset (the little boys walking up on the right were absolutely flabbergasted at a 'biker man' so close) for this shot. One of the benefits of summer is that I am using the stock windshield which means less fly-encrusted obstruction from a shot like this. I did try to pick up some of the clouds behind me in the left hand side view mirror, it kind of worked. I'm also keeping an eye in my mirrors as I am not supposed to be stopped on this section of road (the speed limit is 50 and facing into the sun, I am but a little speck on a cellphone-distracted drivers field of view).
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Aug 02 - Roaming hands
Smooching after we've cleaned up from dinner. My wife had Guard Duty this weekend, so I didn't get to see her during the days (though I found a way to keep busy on the bike ;-) I'm pretty wiped. I woke up early again to go on a motorcycle breakfast with some other friends. I came home in time to make a dump run, I had to bring the utility trailer filled with bags full of grass clippings that had been soaking up water from all the rain the past few weeks. After finishing mowing the lawn, I moved a pile of dirt & loamed and seeded the area that held said pile.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Jul 31 - Union Train Station
I had a great commute in this morning. I went North my 'usual' way, had a short adventure down a dirt road that I'd wondered about this past week. Turns out it gets wet and rough pretty fast, I got to cross a small puddle then a much larger puddle ... twice! (I just finished rinsing off what mud was left after all the rain this evening). I went up by Mousam Lake & took 109 into NH (Sanbornville). I crossed over the Spaulding and continued on 125/153 into Union and saw that they were working on the old train depot. I spun around and grabbed a photo. There is an old snow plow to the right of this that was obstructed by the worker's trucks. In fact, I need to head back up there to capture that plow better (technically I did get a photo, but it sucks, but there is enough detail for me to realize I need a better shot). In all, I took about 2 1/2 hours to put on 100.1 miles into work (I live 17 miles away). Based on early Weather.com predictions, I thought I would be traveling home via Manchester/Concord again, putting on another 100+ miles but that isn't happening. I am sitting here typing this up in a wet shirt as my jacket leaked through for the third time this week.
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