Right-handed gloves and Airlocks

Sun Nov.20, 2016 5m
Tues Nov.22, 2016 4m
Fri Nov.25, 2016 3m
Sat Nov.26, 14m
Nov. mtd:348 ytd:2767

Sunday I had hopes of riding my ECR in the snow. Where I live, there was about 2" of snow on the ground. When I got out to the Montour Trail, there was about a half-inch of snow on the grass and the trail had no snow. The trail was a bit wet and soft, so I took a short ride on that.

The ride was short because: I brought out two right-hand gloves. Sigh. This is what shakedown rides are for, I suppose - identifying the gaps and getting the silly glitches out of the way. My left hand was plenty cold by the time five miles had gone by.

Tuesday I rode 4 miles around Shadyside, running errands.

Friday I rode 3 miles, to the I Made It Market to check out the offerings of Apothecary Muse where were excellent. Saw this document from SupportiveBureaucracy (tagline: be the paperwork you wish to see in the world)

Saturday I spent some time marshalling an intersection for the Dirty Dozen bike event in Pittsburgh. Originally I thought: hey, I'll ride my bike to my assignment. After driving to the top, I thought: no way I'd ride my bike up here. What an impressive thing to observe.

After my DirtyDozen duty I had about three hours, so I drove to the Montour Trail to check out the new thermal hatch on the National Tunnel. Backstory: for years the National Tunnel accumulated thick ice, stalagmites and stalactites during freezing temperatures, from the water leaking into the tunnel. Last year, the Montour Trail closed the tunnel with plywood and: No ice! This is significant because, the ice reduces the service life of the tunnel.

This year, the Montour Trail is conducting an experiment: can they put a double-doorway, like an airlock, at either end of the tunnel and still prevent ice buildup? All the benefits, none of the inconvenience! So they've got sensors measuring internal temperatures.

I really appreciate their approach to problem-solving. If the tunnel can remain open year-round, that's a tremendous thing. It makes me wonder about the Big Savage Tunnel.