The sleeping CAT below was still swingin' around yesterday after 5 pm, so for the first time in over two years I rode Scott King>Wake Road>Green Level Church etc. etc. home to Cary. Wasn't bad: heavy rain with lots of traffic. Time difference was negligible. All quiet this morning.
When the equipment ain't workin' I ride. Progress. Going to be a helluva messy fun when it's raining.
Clearing work started on the ATT north of Scott King just before the 4th. This clearing work now extends all the way to Massey Chapel. The trail is nasty rough, single track. Fine for an MTB, but tough slow going on my cyclocommuter. This morning I tossed my hands up and took Scott King to Fayetteville to 751 and headed north, using the nice bike lane (which runs up to Stagecoach, where it ends abrubtly). This will be my route for a while, both ways. Scott King will be closed east of the ATT to Grandale from July 16th to July 20th, so the nice big sign says at Herndon Rd. Seems that the construction crews will be busy for while with this ATT section, so the section south of Scott King will be useable. Though they've placed a big pine across the trail, which is an inconvenient obstacle--already chewed up by chainrings . . .
Poor call. I decided to give the ATT section north of Scott King a go this morning. "How bad could it be?" duh. After coming to a complete stop in mud and determining that a slow, sideways fall would be soft but muddy--I just went down on my right side and then walked almost more than I rode. Still, I lost only about 10 minutes, and my breakfast eggs didn't break.
Scott King now closed next week, not this week. And the bybass (751) round ATT work from Scott King to Massey Chapel ain't bad.
Got my new summer commuter shoes recently and have worn them twice. They are the "Ragster II Cycling Sandals" from Nashbar ( http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_169948_-1___202525 ) They don't come with cleats, but I picked those up at the local Clean Machine in Carrboro. So far, they've been great for letting the toes enjoy the rush of the air and they are comfortable, too. CAVEAT: I've worn these for only 1.5 commutes so far, with a total time of "feet in shoe" of about 6.25 hours, with the longest stint being about 2.5 hours. Pedals are from Performance and they are the "Campus pedals" that have clipless clips on one side and plain on the other. Ray
Thanks for the sandal tip, Ray. I'll be looking at something different for my feet; my Keen commuter sandals are probably long overdue for being replaced after two years of daily use. I had hoped that they'd last longer. Work on Phase E of the ATT continues, with the latest indication being that asphalt may be put down from Massey Chapel south to the Chatham line before the end of the year. I have no clue about the mythical bridge.
ATT riders: Maybe this is old news, but construction has started to build a bridge that will carry the ATT over I-40 near "Streets of Southpoint" mall. It probably won't be completed till Autumn of 2013, but don't quote me on that. I ride the bus with one of the engineers with the private engineering firm that designed the bridge and he's told me some about the design. It's definitely going to be a unique bridge around here! Ray
The rain IS KILLING ME . . . I don't have enough clearance between fender and tire in the rear, and the mud jamming up brings me to a stop on the ATT from Chatham line to Scott King. I almost made it, though, this morning. Before I had to put feet down and walk/push I met a runner slogging south the other way, almost ran into him 'cause I had my head down chugging. Exchanged "good morning"s. And then just missed a collision with another cyclocommuter at 751 and Massey Chapel (~6:15). He was turning left onto 751, I was going straight (north). I shoulda yelled something, but I did slow enough, and he saw me in time. He said, "whao, sorry." and i said, "whoa, morning."
Yay, crushed stone is going down on the Chatham line to Scott King ATT. Looks like the same is true north of Scott King, though I think there's still a lot of work being done on trail north of the Fayetteville rd. overpass--rode it Monday morning, and it's a rough ride. But anyway, the crushed stone *should* make riding easier in the rain. Hope the rain holds off until that section is finished--perhaps today . . A good ride to work. Busses out. Nasty humid.
Lookin' good (Pics taken Friday p.m., 8.31) And this morning's ride was great! no mud . . . Southward from Scott King Northward
Two commutes in a row with morning temp of 60 degrees or cooler. Schweet! While the air feels GREAT, sixty degrees is my threshold for runny nose syndrome. Warm moist air from the lungs hitting cool-ish air and, voila, time for a Kleenex! Ray
Yeah, beayootiful riding weather. ATT update: Expecting to ride the ATT south from Scott King yesterday afternoon, I turned right onto it to see work being done. Rather than cause a rukus, I turned around, deciding to keep riding the roadway home to Cary. As I turned, one of the workers said, "Sir, you can ride the trail. It's yours; I'm just working on it." Wow, cool--remembering my experience with the other contractor who worked on the ATT in the Wake and Chatham sections 3 years ago, this was an unexpected conversation. I learned that with some little more testing/inspections, paving might actually start on the section south of Scott King within the next several days. I thanked the guy, saying the trail looks great! weee
ATT south: The pavement laying machines were queued up along the side of Scott King. Still a lot of work to be done north of the Fayetteville Rd. bridge. Pleasant ride in this morning. Dark but pleasant.
Fuuuuudge. It's Scott King that's getting paved. Tho' the Trail south to the Chatham line and north to the Fayetteville Rd. bridge looks pretty ready to get some tarmac.
Well, it seems to me that ATT construction has turned its focus to the sections between 54 (i.e., the bridge) and north of Massey Chapel. Which is good. Tarmac has been down north of Scott King to about 1/2 mile south of the Fayetteville Road bridge, and the dirt trail surface north is hard packed. Yesterday evening barriers were put up at trail head entrances--I am assuming to try to keep non-authorized, gas-powered vehicles off the trail and maybe to keep other users off until these trail sections are completely finished. But it's my transportation route, and I will continue to use by going around (or over) barriers. I'm on these sections between 5:45-6:15am and after 5:00pm, so the construction equipment is idle (mostly) then. Just sayin. Nice ride in this morning. No chilly (and wet) north wind to push against.
In Raleigh, I found one section of Poole Road that I ride has been milled. Thankfully, that section is just a couple hundred feet long! It's a bit rough right now, but I'm sure it will be silky smooth once the new asphalt has been laid down and rolled out. Just hope they don't wait too long to get the new asphalt in place.
