Youghioheny River from the GAP Trail
I will say that it was not a life – changing experience, but more of an attitude – changing one. It was strenuous but fun and I met a great group of people who became friends instantly.
So, I guess I need a little time to let it digest, then I will write more about it here.
I’ve decided to join in with a group and do a ride of part of the Great Alleghany Passage route next week. It’s a four-day ride that starts out in Ohiopyle PA (near where WV meets MD at the southern side of PA) and goes out for two days, towards Pittsburgh, then turns around and comes back. We’ll get as far as Dravo’s Landing Campground, near the little towns of Buena Vista and Elizabeth.
The riding is light. Only 30 miles in a day on paths that are roughly the same as the Erie Canalway that I’m used to and have done 70 miles in a full day. It should be refreshing and leave plenty of time to explore towns and nearby sights before hitting the campground and settling in for the night.
The group of people I will be joining is an informal group formed on the internet known as Bikepacking US. There is no dues, no formal membership, just a bunch of people who enjoy cycling and camping. The group is in it’s infancy, and has only done a couple rides in the past, all on the GAP/C&O corridor.
The Great Alleghany Passage is a trail that goes from Pittsburgh to the Maryland border where it meets the C&O Canal Towpath which ends in Washington DC. Since most of it follows old railroad lines and a canal in the C&O section, the grade is fairly flat and avoids most of the mountains in the area. Several tunnels are kept operating as part of the trail. Continue Reading…
This is a followup to two earlier posts I made about bicycle taillights. Bike lighting is something I’ve been interested in because it’s become a fascinating area of the application of new technology to an old problem. That and I guess I’m obsessed with bright lights!
I received an email today from the developer of the LucidBrake Bike Tailight. They had found my post that mentioned their prototype and wanted to let me know that they have begun a Kickstarter project to get it up and running.
The light has evolved quite a bit since the video I showed in the post two years ago. It is now a octagonal PC board with the LEDs arranged in the corners. It is completely automatic, sensing motion and turning itself off when parked. It flashes while riding, but the big feature is that when it senses you coming to a stop, it flashes all the LEDS together brightly signalling a stop. It also has a different mode when it senses a sudden stop vs. a normal stop. Both should enhance a cyclists safety greatly. Continue Reading…
Last summer, I went on a ride with my friends the Recumbenteers. Rich has a camera that takes 3D photos and he often posts them online. He took this photo of me and put it on The Recumbenteers website.
To really appreciate the effect, you have to view it through a set of those 3D glasses, the kind with the red and blue lenses like what come in comic books or some movies. I didn’t have a set until recently, so I was missing out.
I saw some recently at the FIRST Robotics Championships in St. Louis, so I picked up a set. I have no idea what they were using them for, probably some promotional movie. But at least I can now enjoy Rich’s photos.