US Bicycle Route System - Biggest in the world!

Read the New York Times article below:

Highway Group Approves Basic Plan for a Network of Bicycling Routes

By HILARY HOWARD

Published: November 23, 2008

A blueprint for what could become the largest official bicycle route network in the world — in the end, it would span more than 50,000 miles in all 50 states — was approved last month by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

The project, under the leadership of the association’s task force on national bicycle routes, has been under development for four years. A primary member of the task force, the Adventure Cycling Association (the largest membership cycling group in North America), provided mapping and staffing support. The next step for the plan, which identifies corridors that connect urban, rural and suburban areas, is for individual states to decide exactly where routes should be placed within those corridors (www.adventurecycling.org/usbrs).

Now who wants to go on a bike tour?

H-plus son rims are blowing up!!

LITERALLY!



If you are going to be doing a lot of skidding, spinning, hopping, grinding, etc. maybe you should get back to basics.

Around 18,000 marriages left up in the air!

Eight years ago, CA voted 61% to define marriage as being for heterosexual couples only. The California Supreme Court overturned that measure, Proposition 22, on May 15th of this year legalizing same-sex marriage. However, proposition 8 was passed yesterday banning same-sex marriage...again. With roughly 18,000 same-sex marriages in the last 4 1/2 months left up in the air, the equal-rights movement has taken a major blow. One word...pitiful.

Read more here.

Coming to an alley cat near you...

Brooklyn Machine Works knows what sells bikes. Very clean build, but raise the saddle Pharrell.

seen on prolly (new site)

What has two thumbs and loves brothels?

Not this guy.

So, the lesson learned here is: Don't rob brothels in Washington, DC. But if you need to, and we all need to sometimes, hang onto your machete during the sting.

Ogunquit, ME

A couple weekends ago Kate and I went to Ogunquit, ME for two nights. It was a couples weekend including Kate's parents, and her father's employee and wife. Kate and her family have been going to Ogunquit for years but this was my first time, so I was anxious to check it out (There is something about coastal/fishing towns that I am just drawn to). The last time I was in Maine was on a backpacking trip on the 100-mile wilderness section of the AT; the time before that was for away games at University of Southern Maine when I was playing soccer for ECSU. So I never made it to the coast (I somewhat recall owning a Kennebunkport t-shirt when I was younger but I don't remember going). Since this was an off-season visit there was a lot less people milling around which added to the experience. Kate and I brought our bikes up and we took a nice morning ride the first morning there to get some breakfast.

My first impression of Ogunquit was "just what I expected". Quaint, gorgeous, flat terrain, great ocean smell everywhere, fishermen (in this case lobstermen), and nautical everything. Obviously I loved it.

This is a photo from our hotel, The Dunes on the Waterfront


The next two photos are from the Marginal Way



These last two are from our boat trip out to an island with a light house (please click to enlarge the last photo)



It was a great trip and we already plan on going back next year! Hopefully we can stay longer than just two nights, but I will take what I can get.

By happy...do you mean gay?

Yes I do because it is now legal for gay couples to get married in the state of Connecticut! The ruling officially goes into effect on Oct. 28th, and there will be no appeal. Oh...and Jodi Rell opposes the ruling (obviously), apparently she never listened to Pinkerton because "everyone's a little queer".

"The lawsuit was brought in 2004 after eight same-sex couples were denied marriage licenses and sued, saying their constitutional rights to equal protection and due process were violated."
[Read more]

I view this as a cause to celebrate for three reasons. First, I always believed gay couples should be allowed to get married and receive the same rights as straight people. The same straight people who could give two shits about the sanctity of marriage, getting divorced and re-married like it's going out of style. Second, I am a CT resident, born and raised, and I am proud to live in the third state to offer same-sex marriages. Hopefully this paves the way for more states to follow suit. Third, there are several wonderful people in my family that this affected for years. I can only imagine the happiness they are experiencing right now.