Apr
03
2008
Posted to http://www.straypoetry.com
I put a small changing slideshow on the left, that will show various photos from my work on a rotating basis. I just added like 3 or 4 photos to it for now, but I will be updating it as time goes on.
I rode down the hill again this morning; it is just over 3 miles one-way, and though it is down hill in the mornings, (most of the way) the way back is nearly all steep uphill. Which I would rather were the other way round. As it would be much better to climb the hill in the morning when I am quite rested, and then after a long day I would breeze down the hill, and home.
Our new house sits on a hill also, and though it is on the other side of warren, ( and about 7 miles from here) the hill is not as steep, or as long, so I don’t expect the ride to be as rigorous on the way back home. Though it will take about twice as long to get here in the mornings.
I am at work now getting ready to start the day, and wow, it looks great out there!!
-Ezra Hilyer - www.straypoetry.com
Mar
18
2008
Last night; I had a good plan. This morning I woke up with the same plan… But at the last moment I wimped out.
You see, I had planned to ride my cycle into work, but when I saw the slight ice on the ground, and the frost clinging to the trees, my resolve paled a bit. When I was offered a quick ride down the hill in a nice heated van…. Well that was the straw that broke the camels back… I am ashamed…
-Ezra
Mar
08
2008
Posted to http://www.straypoetry.com -Ezra Hilyer
Yesterday morning I got up @ 5:30am, and looked out the window… little or no snow, and it was in the mid 30s, so I suited up, and took my first ride of the year. (and by the looks of it the last for at-least a week) It was a bit cold coming down the hill before light, but it was brisk and refreshing. I hadn’t ridden into work with my bike since early December, and I really have missed it.
Come Summer; I will ride in, and back most days. The house that we have on the hill is not too terrible to ride back up. It is about 2.5 miles of 4% to 5% grade, after 4 miles of relative flat riding (some short grades)
I figure I should be able to cover that ground quite quickly. The road is not in the best of shape, so if I do end up getting a new Allez or other road-cycle I will probably not take it to work, but take my commuting bike instead. (unless the city fixes the holes in the road)
As I write this, I am looking out the window, and wishing the snow away.
-Ezra Hilyer - http://www.straypoetry.com
Feb
14
2008
Today is such a pretty day out (but cold, temps in the 20s) that it makes me want to bundle up and hit the road with my bicycle. I know that it would be bitter cold, and that would not be what scares me off, but it is the fact that by the time that I get off work, it is far too dark to ride. I am looking forward to the longer days of summer!
Ami and I are going to take a trip to State College Pa. this weekend to visit some friends, and while I am down there, I am going to look for a Specialized dealer, so i can go drool over a new Specialized Allez…. Ya, that’s gonna be my next toy!
Jan
30
2008
It is really cold and blustery day outside, I am thinking of warmer days, and hoping that the spring comes soon so I can ride again! I really love to get on my bycycle and just go.
I have long wished to move to Portland Oregon, and enjoy it year-round, but life has always gotten in my way.. (as it always does) I just feel that i am more alive when I am pedalling for all I am worth.
My commuting/mountain bike is down for a full overhaul right now, and I have been on the specialized website looking at some road bikes (the Allez) is the one i am going for. I think that this summer I will look into getting one, I really want to devote my mountain bike to just that (mountain biking) and since the road from our new house is pretty good, I will not feel uncomfortable riding the Allez to work.
That way Jason and I, and Dan will hopefully get some trail riding in this year!!! Whohooo!!!!!
Jan
10
2008
I have some serious work to do on my Specialized Commuting bike, I have taken it down to the shed out back and if I have time tonight, I will strip it down to the bare frame, and begin to get it back in shape. I have to replace all of the brake cables, and after stupidly riding it in the surf on Kitty-hawk NC, the front shocks are rusty.
I expect to also replace the rear derailleur, since it has gotten bent one time too many, and now it skips a few gears now and then. When I am pumping up a large hill, those gears would sure come in handy!
The new house that Ami and I bought is about 6 miles from work, and mostly it’s a downhill ride to work, but coming back is not steep uphill, just a gentile rise. So I expect that commuting with my bike won’t be a problem once we move in.
Fuel prices are always on the rise, and the costs of simply owning a car are high, so cycling only helps. I enjoy the other benefits more, however; the exercise is good, but what I like the most, is the break from the day while I ride, it is invigorating, and I look forward to it. Also, I am isolated from normal distractions of the day, and that helps, since no one can call me on the cell, and I don’t have to think, I can just feel the wind in my face.
-Ezra Hilyer
Jul
29
2007
Without a car at the moment, I am cycling to work and back everyday. It is about 20 miles from Ludlow, to Warren, and I have been making that trip on my Specialized bike nearly every day, in less than three weeks I feel better fit than I have in a few years. And though I expect that we will have another car on the road soon; I don’t plan to give my obsessive riding up. Not until the blowing snow forces me to re-consider will I relent and give it up for the season.
There is something liberating to be free (for a time) from the tyranny of high prices at the pumps. True, I can’t carry a whole lot on my back, and strapped to the bike, but hey, how much stuff do I really need to carry everyday? I take my pack, with computer and some writing materials in it, but little else. Sometimes my camera; often a rain jacket and a change of clothes.
Northwestern PA is not the best place to rely year-round on cycling for transportation, but in warmer climes, the only weather to defeat is rain. Unpleasant though it is; riding in the rain is made tolerable with a lightweight parka, or poncho. I did it just a few days ago, I rode nearly the full 20 miles in rain. Sometimes only a sprinkle, but more often it was brisk rain. Most of the trouble I had was the drops covering my glasses, which made me stop every 3 or 4 miles to clean.
I would do it again, no problem there. Perhaps I would wish to add fenders to my bike to keep the tires from throwing muddy wet on my clothes, but beyond that, I wouldn’t change anything.
A little rain never hurt anyone.
-Ezra Hilyer