thu 6/14 43m
This was a day of roughly three rides.
In the morning I took a friend who's been off the bike for a few years out on the local city trails. We rode Station Square to South Side Works round trip, about six miles on the clock. He did real well.
Then I rode out to Keystone Metals - Sandcastle - Waterfront. I suspect this section of the trail will be renamed though common usage. Back in the day, you'd "ride through Sandcastle" which really meant you'd hack your way through Keystone Metals and Sandcastle. But now the trail is open and salvation is assured, so passing though there is no longer a defining or a significant element - I think common usage will become, I rode to the Waterfront or I rode to CostCo or I rode to the Pump House.
I hope somebody delivers a pithy informal name for that destination, like I rode to the Jail Trail (which is called the Eliza Furnace Trail on an official document somewhere). Maybe it'll be: I rode the Kennywood Trail. Anyway, along this ride I met Sara P, president of the Steel Valley Trail council who gave me the newest, hot-off-the-presses map of the Steel Valley trail identifying some public restrooms and approved trail parking areas that I didn't know about.
Reversed to the North Hills and set up my devices at Brighton Heights Java n/Creme House on California Avenue. It's one of my favorite coffee shops, great staff, cool Jamaican vibe, two nice living-room type seating areas and strong wifi. Did a bit of geek work for a few hours. Enjoyed a cocoanut chai latte which was incredible.
Departed in time for the Flock Ride from Oakland. Along the way, I encoutered the PAcMen graffiti shown above on the Jail Trail, between the Hot Metal Bridge and the Swinburne Street trailhead. There was also one of these folks on the bridge at the bottom of Schenley Park along the Junction Hollow Trail.
This month's Flock Ride was designated as a Pride Ride in conjunction with Pittsburgh's Pride Week, which I thought was a really good thing. There were probably 100 cyclists there, probably 60 folks I've seen at Flocks before and new faces, too. The Bike Kit of the Day (BKOTD) award goes to the gentleman in purple glitter booty pants and a high-viz bike flag:
The Flock ride was very nice. I always like riding through the Armstrong Tunnel, it's just something I don't get to do very often. The ride stopped for a Mini-Occupy Market Square. A group of (maybe nine) roller-bladers came into the Square, ordinarily they'd have owned the place at 7.30 pm on a Friday night, but with 100 bicyclists there they just didn't stand out that much.
The Flock ride continued out to Lawrenceville and ended at Butler and 44th Street. There was an afterparty at Cattivo's but I didn't stay. I crossed the 40th Street Bridge and rode home along the north shore of the Allegheny. I passed around the baseball stadium during the 7th inning stretch and was pleased to get there before that traffic snafu got started.
A very nice day of riding, 43 miles.
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