I am going to lose friends for saying this but I never ride the Laurier Bike Lane. I hate it. I want to see actual, safe cycling infrastructure in Ottawa, not just narrow channels designed to keep us from impeding the progress of car traffic.Read more
Continue readingTag: cycling
A Puff of Absurdity: Saving Cyclists’ Lives
It seems like every year we have cycling deaths in our community. In the past, the local paper reporting has held a subtle anti-cycling stance, but this summer, some tragic accidents have been clearly cyclist error. People are calling for greate…
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Saving Cyclists’ Lives
It seems like every year we have cycling deaths in our community. In the past, the local paper reporting has held a subtle anti-cycling stance, but this summer, some tragic accidents have been clearly cyclist error. People are calling for greate…
Continue readingcmkl: Made it back home: a much tougher day
Rideau Lakes is done – Made it back home: a much tougher day
Continue readingcmkl: Long grey day and bike as drying rack
What do you do with a forecast that calls for temperatures in the mid teens and a 40 to 60 per cent chance of rain. And what if you are supposed to ride for six plus hours in it? I spent two hours agonizing over my clothing strategy before finally sett…
Continue readingcmkl: I hope I am up for this challenge
About 12 years ago, just a few years after I had discovered how much I liked riding bikes, I decided to ride the Challenge route of the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour. At the time I wanted to test my limits. After limping back to Ottawa, clinging to the wheel…
Continue readingcmkl: Ride of the Dammed: the organizers and support people deserve a medal
As bike rides go, my first Ride of the Dammed was pretty good. As an adventure it was spectacular. My team endured four flats, one tire-touching ditch crash and one hospitalization. And if it hadn’t been for the ride’s organizers and support team, we’…
Continue readingcmkl: What’s the connection between cycling and Parkinson’s
I confess. The first time I signed up for Lap the Gats I knew nothing about the condition except that a dear friend of my cousin Sue suffered from it. Ride the A-Loop four times for Charity? You had me at ‘Ride the A-Loop’. But why Parkin…
Continue readingcmkl: Half way there – raising money for Parkinson’s research in Ottawa in memory of Sharon Pickle
This is Sharon Pickle. She was a cook and an educator at Glebe Parent’s Daycare since forever. She fed my daughter for several of the first few years of her life. Sharon cooked many of our pickytarian’s healthiest meals. Half way to my fund…
Continue readingcmkl: Nyack donut pilgrimage
A 100km ride into the countryside west of Manhattan was the finale to a perfect week in New York City. And I couldn’t have done it without the Domestique. My family and I had the perfect convergence – a work gig was bringing Irene to New Yo…
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On That Time I Fell and Hurt My Head
I fell on ice a few days ago. My feet were swept clear out from under me, and apparently I injured my brain. At the hospital, they said it’s either a migraine or a concussion, and since I don’t have a history of migraines, and since I wiped out earlie…
Continue readingcmkl: Eleven extra watts
I began my 50th year today. I had no big plans. A nice dinner with my partner and our child. Some chores. A few ‘would be goods’ on the old house to-do list. And 20 minutes of terror on the bike trainer.
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Desires and Commodities
I’ve just been reading books and watching films lately. I’ll write again soon. But check out this passage from The Obsolescence of Man by Gunther Anders, first published in 1956:
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The mere fact that I had no car and therefore could be caught…
Continue readingA Grumpy Hobbit: Going Green – The Tiny Home Project – Minimum Requires For Going Off Grid
PLANNING FOR THE PLAN
Well not without a plan and money.
Going to a Tiny Home and living off grid is a little more complex than going camping for a weekend or even camping for week. It is basically "I’m going camping forever, but still want all the nice things we enjoy in our technological society"
So my plan is to build a initial, quick and inexpensive Tiny Home in early spring of 2016 or
Continue readingA Grumpy Hobbit: Going Green – The Tiny Home Project – Minimum Requires For Going Off Grid
PLANNING FOR THE PLAN Well not without a plan and money. Going to a Tiny Home and living off grid is a little more complex than going camping for a weekend or even camping for week. It is basically “I’m going camping forever, but still want all the nice things
Continue readingA Grumpy Hobbit: Going Green – The Tiny Home Project – Minimum Requires For Going Off Grid
PLANNING FOR THE PLAN
Well not without a plan and money.
Going to a Tiny Home and living off grid is a little more complex than going camping for a weekend or even camping for week. It is basically "I’m going camping forever, but still want all the nice things we enjoy in our technological society"
So my plan is to build a initial, quick and inexpensive Tiny Home in early spring of 2016 or
Continue readingcmkl: Lobster gloves – the sequel aka why the Cyclery is awesome
So the Cyclery sorted me out, replacing my gloves with a better pair. This is why they are great.
Continue readingA Grumpy Hobbit: Going Green – Rechargable Battery Packs
In my first article about Going Green – Transportation I touched on Electropeds/Electro-Peds and the battery requirements and costs. That was on November 22nd. The thing that was burning my butt was the cost, a 48volt, 1500 Watt – 20Ah battery pa…
Continue readingA Grumpy Hobbit: Going Green – Rechargable Battery Packs
In my first article about Going Green – Transportation I touched on Electropeds/Electro-Peds and the battery requirements and costs. That was on November 22nd. The thing that was burning my butt was the cost, a 48volt, 1500 Watt – 20Ah battery pack that uses Lithium-Manganese based chemistry was expensive ($850.00
Continue readingA Grumpy Hobbit: Going Green – Rechargable Battery Packs
In my first article about Going Green – Transportation I touched on Electropeds/Electro-Peds and the battery requirements and costs. That was on November 22nd. The thing that was burning my butt was the cost, a 48volt, 1500 Watt – 20Ah battery pa…
Continue reading