Brett Favre Traded to Jets, I Ride with Mixed Emotions

That's my signpost photographed on a cracked mirrored coffee table, in case you were wondering.

The camera was acting weird this morning, probably because it's a Packers fan. But it lives in New York, so it will get to see its favorite quarterback play on TV every week.

The 4.1 photo is a bit yawn-inducing. But you should see some of the alternates:
Then again, the sunrise was spectacular, and a lot more crisp than this picture would indicate:


Just 5.41 miles this morning.

Rode to Work

11.65 miles this morning.

Check back this evening or tomorrow morning for an update and photos.Weather permitting, I will be riding home, as well.

UPDATE:

I commuted to work, both ways, via the bike. 24.03 miles round trip. Plus I saved 4 bucks on train fare.

Here's my 4.1 mile photo:

Nothing too interesting. However, I was rewarded again with an amazing sunrise on the Brooklyn Bridge. That's the Manhattan Bridge in the distance.

Friday Sunrise

Rode to work on this, the 27th birthday of my sister, Alicia, and the 25th anniversary of my first alcoholic beverage (2 Screwdrivers, Galilee, Israel).

11.65 miles door to door.

The 4.1 mile photo was a bit boring. Couldn't help it, based on where I was:

The highlight of the ride, as you get a taste of above, was the spectacular sunrise behind the Manhattan Bridge, as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge:

Sunrise and Moonset (Day 19)

The moon was full Friday night, but makes a cameo in today's post. I know this is blurry, but I like it anyway.


And I was fortunate enough to catch this phenomenal light show, just prior to sunrise:


And here we are at 4.1 miles:


A basic 5.21 miles this morning. Starting off the week small, but with a couple of nice photos.

"A Screaming Comes Across the Sky"

I deliberately set a slow pace, and did the old "ride for 2.5 miles, then turn around" trick today. Aiming to keep myself at just about 5 miles (I finished 5.11). With a huge heat index looming, and the generally big mileage weekend ahead, I wanted to take it easy.

And I rode through areas I rarely ride, the sleepy sections of Bath Beach and Dyker Heights. The photo above is on one of the many bridges traversing the BQE (aka The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway), not "The 278" as they'd refer to it in Southern California (as in, "I took the 110 to the 10 to the 405").

A bit earlier I snapped this shot, to which the title of this post refers:


The quotation is the first line in one of the great American novels of the 20th century (and one of the greatest opening lines in literary history, in my opinion), Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow. I love the geometry of the photo as the sunrise highlights the vapor trail of a high-flying jet.

And your 4.1-mile photo today is from the corner of 5th Avenue and 80th Street in Bay Ridge:


Have a great weekend!

What's Up, Dock?

First of all, a thanks to Jill, who reassured me that my daily bike blogbursts are, in fact, interesting, at least to her. So I approached my ride this morning with a much better attitude. A little extra rest helped, too. I rode 7.37 miles.

Now, I had a little help this morning with the post, several of the Poly Prep Country Day School Bunny Rabbits send their regards....


I was a little ahead of where I was last week when I caught the Carnival Victory passing under the Verrazano Bridge:
And then at 4.1 miles, I got a little bit more of the cruise ship on one side:


and the tower at Fort Hamilton High School on the other:


And I'll leave you with a beautiful sunrise, as seen from the 69th Street Pier in Brooklyn:

Yawn

If I'm bored with this, I can only imagine, dear readers, what you all must be thinking. I'll try and come up with something to spice it up a bit. 5.33 miles today. Here's the 4.1 mile photo, sunrise out over the Dyker Golf Course:

Day 13 and a Little Personal History

Less than 12 hours from yesterday's ride, I was not only out and about, but rode a little more. 7.18 miles, to be exact. I'm tired, but I feel good. There's something energizing about riding at dawn and seeing the first light illuminating Manhattan:


And here's today's 4.1 mile picture:


And now for a little digression.

Last Friday, I shared with my Weight Watchers meeting what I was doing on the bike and my leader, Maggie, gave me nine "Bravo" stickers to honor the first nine days of the current journey. I've placed them on the bike for some additional inspiration.


I got the bike for my birthday in 2002, a gift from my Mom, and I started doing longer rides that fall, including the New York Century Bike Tour (I did the 35-mile route) and the Tour de Bronx. I remember people being skeptical that I could do the ride. At the time I remember being puzzled as to why.

Of course, in hindsight, this was why:


That's the best/worst "before" picture I have. In July 2003, I recall going out for a morning bike ride, dropping the kids off at their summer camp program, and heading to the subway.

I stopped and grabbed a bite for the train. I was hungry from my ride and I wanted to try this new thing they called a "McGriddle" at McDonald's (460 calories, 21 grams of fat). So much for that exercise.

That night, Melanie brought home a Weight Watchers scale, because she had ended one meeting series and needed to take it to another location. Melanie became an employee of the company after losing 65 pounds.

I stepped on the scale, expecting to see a hefty 220. I wasn't sure when I last had weighed myself, probably the doctor's office.

I couldn't believe the number that popped up. 235.6 pounds.

Impossible.

I told Melanie that the scale must be broken. She stepped on and said "Nope, it's working fine."

I started Weight Watchers on line that night, started going to meetings in August, and by March of 2004, was at my new goal weight of 179 pounds.

Of course, the journey was a bit more difficult than that, and it continues to be.

I'm currently hovering about five pounds over my goal weight after sliding back to about 200 over the winter.

The bicycle has always been a key to my weight loss success, and I am looking forward to being back at that magical 179.

Oh, Thank Heaven 7.11 7.17 on 7/11

Day 9 in the great 41st birthday riding challenge and I am looking forward to the weekend, when I can ride later in the day and give y'all a little bit more variety.

I did get a nice sunrise this morning. Here's the view from the pier in Bay Ridge, looking north at lower Manhattan:


And another sunrise shot:


I rode 7.17 palindromic miles today. Here's a lame shot from 4.1 miles: