I’ve missed posting here for a long time. Life got crazy but I kept bike riding. So much fun. I’ve kept a dumb blog here http://www.myspace.com/ballzzdeepstanhope and you can check out my mostly bike blog, bikin pics, and music I’ve been ‘working’ on. I dunno if you need to be my friend to read the blog but… everyone needs friends. I’ve been doing some great bike riding, I’ve moved further from Mo’town to Hacke(ttstown)nburgh. So its all Good. The bike commute to work would be man… really tough, 30 miles over two big rolling ridges so, i’ve been driving into Mendham or so and biking the last 5 miles into and outta Florham Park when I feel like it. I’ve tried a couple of brevets, and am in need of a theme for a Morristown bike ride… still. Have the cars been a bit kinder? I’ve seen some inspiring other bikers, more than usual I think. I’ve seen:
Lady cruising out of a turn past me walking goes “beep beep” at me, I’m surprised at the childish beep beep til I see a little kid on a child seat mounted behind her as she speeds by.
Old dude in his 70’s? cruising fast along waterloo rd. helmetless with white hair flowing backwards
Hep looking old dude cruising south street in mo’town with shopping bags and sporting a diy ‘one less car’ sleeveless shirt.
Businessman with a fold up bike riding some crosswalks in Mo’town
Looked out my home window and saw a strong looking dude riding a handcycle!
Group of teens watching one skilled unicycling kid roll down the sidwalk in Madison
Middle aged dude with Team Discovery jersey going really slow down Waterloo Rd. sitting bolt upright looking terrifed as a car passed him.
Patient confident lady in street clothes & helmet waiting to cross Main St. in H-town
Racer dude on Rt. 24, Mendham in kit & clear rain jacket power snotted near my car tire as I drove by.
Young chick riding fast & easy up a really really big long hill w/ headphones w/o a care in the world in the middle of nowhere as I took a break on the side of the road.
Middle aged chick riding a really big gear slow up a hill in a fleece in 80 degree weather. I wonder if she’ll stick with cycling. I passed her spinning saying ‘hi’ in a small gear.
Frenchtown NJ on Sunday had scores of cyclists everywhere! Notable was a group of tandem recumbents
Fully loaded (more than just a day trip) touring cyclist passed through Main St. H-town as Ann & I ate lunch on the sidewalk. He was going far away.
Out my living room window caught a dad teaching his kid to use hand signals while making a left turn.
Went out mt. biking and passed some kids pulling another kid in a radio flyer attached to their bikes, they were falling all over the place, when I got back they had it down.
My Morris Canal fanaticism (it’d make a great bikeway) is ongoing, there is a great newsletter here: http://www.canalsocietynj.org/ check out ‘on the level’ download if yr. into state parks and Waterloo Canal Day (bring your bike and ride Waterloo Rd.) on June 21, and surrounding canal related projects, its the right pdf to download.
Happy pedalin’
All The Best,
Dean
Morristown Pedal Pushers 
Wow, other commuters in the Morris County area! I am a n00b bike commuter, and ironically started during National Bike to Work Week (without realizing it was bike to work week).
My commute takes me from Denville (Indian Lake) to Morris Plains totaling a 12 mile round trip. For a fat biker like me, this is plenty. I’m sure I’m doing everything wrong (fat knobs, mtb bike, backpacking, etc…) but I am loving every second of it.
Check out my bike blog at metalcommuter.wordpress.com. Pretty boring site, more of a way of logging my progress.
So if you are ever going up 53 on your ride, I’m the sorta big dude with the yellow Specialized huffing up Mt. Tabor.
By: metaljaybird on June 9, 2008
at 3:50 pm
ok, I am totally ready to show up for a waterloo canal day, but I’m not sure I can get there; I don’t think I could ride from here and then ride around when I got there, because right now I just have a cruiser. Do you know if there is a way to close to there on transit?
I’ve seen that one less car guy too!
By: kendra on June 9, 2008
at 5:27 pm
I wish I could go hear the clip clop of mules pounding the towpath! I’ve got that long brevet to try, but if I dont feel 100% I’m not gonna try it so theres a chance I’ll go to canal day.
Welp, the train to Netcong, Mt. Olive, or Hackettstwon would be perfect but theres no service West of Dover on the weekend. The bike ride from Dover would be no fun.
Look into the bus, not sure if they run weekends, they should let on bikes if they’ve got the rack or under the bus storage. If you can get a bus to the “Netcong – (Quick check)” stop you’d have a really nice 3 1/2 mile ride to Waterloo Village.
http://www.lakelandbus.com/BusSched.html Looks like they do weekends but not from Mo’town
Or this looks good: http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=BusSchedulesTo check out the ‘mcm-5’ bus, not sure about weekends.
By: Dean on June 10, 2008
at 8:39 am
metaljaybird,
I was driving up 53 (rare occasion that I leave Morristown during the week) about a week and a half ago towards Denville and probably saw you and a few other guys commuting by bike. You aren’t alone!
By: Mike on June 10, 2008
at 9:07 am
ok, it looks like they have canal days a quite often? I think I’m going to wait until the fall and it looks like the train will be running. Maybe October? I’m not sure how I am so busy that I have to wait until then, because it really seems to me like I’m not really doing anything at all.
I saw a guy today riding around the green with two fishing poles on attached to his bike somehow and a tackle box on his rear rack.
I got my name in the prestigious petsitters international e-news june edition, for my awesome gas saving tip. I think a lot of those other gas saving tips are bogus and I think I was robbed of winning the $10 credit in the petsitters international online store. 🙂
update: I see now that it was a drawing and that was probably fixed too
By: kendra on June 10, 2008
at 3:46 pm
Yeah, what better gas saving tip is there other than, ‘dont use gas’? 🙂
I dont remember the train running west of Dover on weekends ever.
Yeah, they have Waterloo open on those following weekends but the upcoming Canal Day is the big one. There are musicians, and a mule towing a ‘canal barge'(patio boat). Food & the old church I think will be open for tours.
The other weekends it’s open is fun too, just small scale.
By: Dean on June 11, 2008
at 8:28 am
Hey Mike,
I’m usually on 53 from 8:00 am till whenever I get to 202 and about 5:45 until I turn into my neighborhood.
Say hello next time you cruise past me.
By: metaljaybird on June 11, 2008
at 9:02 am
Sorry 7:30 am.
By: metaljaybird on June 11, 2008
at 9:02 am
I, too, have become a bicyclist voyeaur. There’s a guy who lives off Turtle Road with a decked out bike that has tassles on the handle bars and looks like one of those tricked out harleys you see in New Hope, (I hope “trickled out” is acceptable language. I’m old but think it’s what I mean) – another older gentleman on the traction line who has signs on his bike like “don’t laugh at least it’s paid for”, a woman who rides a commuter bike in a big straw hat in summer/fuzzy hat in winter (also see her with her dog walking) and who could miss Kendra – even in 110 degrees real feel. Next time I’ll stop and ask if you want to put the bike in the trunk and get a ride.
By: Beth on June 11, 2008
at 5:25 pm
p.s. I’m the one with the black dog who lunges at you as you pass on your bike. Never say never but don’t think you’ll catch me on one after I tried to take Patriots Path on the way out and 24 on the way home. How come I never noticed those hills before? (not to mention that narrow shoulder.)
By: Beth on June 11, 2008
at 5:27 pm
My moms dog who loved me dearly would chase me pedaling down the road to bite me! Ouch!
mmm. 24 is nasty. Gotta be swept, even then bleh. Theres a not so parallel route.
I use a light on that road, bonus for a bright shirt. Makes you feel better and seen sooner.
So…If folks go to Waterloo canal day its cool to ride bikes around too. Allamuchy State Park is mt. bike crazy and rail trailin smooth and rolling country roads are everywhere. This pic is taken near the present day Stanhope Post Office. Nothing is left of it just some stones in the ground and some signage. http://www.canalsocietynj.org/P2W.jpg
By: Dean on June 11, 2008
at 11:03 pm