A ride through the falling leaves AND a reward fund

I blogged a few days ago about the assault on my friend Peter while riding his bike. There have been some newspaper articles and tv news spots about it (which Peter has handled with laudable grace) and a lot of chat on cycling message boards and email lists. On the SIR list people have started making pledges ranging from $50 to $1000 to create a reward for information leading to a conviction of the shooter. Details are being arranged and the vehicle for collecting pledges and advertising the reward is still being worked out. Once they are I will publicize it here in my blog so if you want to be involved stay tuned - at last count pledges totaled over $2100.

Cycling today on the other side of the Atlantic was superb! A chilly but bright morning lived up to the weather forecasters' predictions so we layered up and headed out. Robin has been uncharacteristically unmotivated to do any road riding so I have enjoyed the position of getting us out the door and deciding on the route. Today we headed south through North Camp and Aldershot and then southeast through the villages of Tongham, Seale, and Puttenham. Winding sun dappled lanes were the order of the day featuring crunchy orange and golden leaves under the wheels and more blowing down from the trees providing a soft (and dry!) autumn shower. Past Puttenham Common we turned west through Sands and Runfold then north again back through Tongham, Ash, Ash Vale, and Frimley to return to the Lodge and lunch. Lovely!

Bonfire Night

Bonfire Night is fast approaching here in the UK. Actually, it seems to be more of a Bonfire Month as fireworks have been going off regularly for over 2 weeks. One might reasonably ask "what the heck is Bonfire Night?" and as I am a reasonable person (its my blog - I can make any claim I want!) I did indeed ask the question. It is a commemoration of the Gunpowder Plot which was foiled on November 5, 1605. In a nutshell the plot was to blow up parliament with the King (James I) present in hopes of ending repression of the Catholic faith. If you want more detail see: http://www.bonefire.org/guy/index.php

Guy Fawkes was a member of the plot and was caught red-handed in the cellar with the gunpowder. That's when the REAL fun starts British style. After "due process" Guy, and some of his co-conspirators were found guilty of treason and sentenced with the ever-popular "hanged, quartered, and drawn" treatment. Do your own research on this if you like - it is gruesome.

Bonfire Night (which much like many holidays and commemorations in the US is basically an excuse to party and blow stuff up) traditionally consists of parading through the streets with an effigy of Guy Fawkes followed by throwing the effigy on a huge bonfire. Entertainment for the whole family - including traditional bonfire foods!

On Saturday night Robin and I decided to head to nearby Farnham for their celebration so we could experience the spectacle in person. Of course it wasn't on the actual night and Farnham went with the fireworks show rather than the bonfire but that seems to be a popular substitute. We gathered with several hundred (thousands?) others near the town centre. Big wax torches were available for sale along with various neon glowy things. The torches were impressive - about an inch and a half thick and 18 inches long - they put out a good flame. With loads of people carrying them the heat and light were amazing. Following a pipe band (bag pipes that is) we paraded through town and up to Farnham Castle. Going up the hill was really cool cause you could see a wall of people and torches both ahead and behind. We hadn't bought tickets for the fireworks so we turned around and headed back into town. Now if there'd been a good old fashioned effigy burning on the agenda I would have been all over it but didn't feel like shelling out for a fireworks show. Still hoping that between now and the 5th I'll get to witness the "real McCoy". My part in the spectacle was along the lines of honoring the revolutionary spirit and throwing off the bonds of repression. Vive la revolution!

Hate Crimes Against Cyclists

I was going to blog today about being bored and grumpy because I didn't allow proper time for my twisted ankle to heal up and I've been resting and elevating it for the 3rd day. As I logged on to my pc however I found out that my good buddy, Peter McKay, was SHOT with bb's while commuting home from work on his bicycle. Peter was injured but appears to be okay. You can read Peter's account here: http://www.petermckay.blogspot.com/

I am so very sad, angry, disgusted, upset, and frightened by this crime. I guess it is a good thing that I cannot understand the mind that would view this action as acceptable (and perhaps even FUN???). It will not keep me off my bike but it will add a new dimension to the cascade of emotions I experience when cycling, especially when motorists act agressively towards me.

I've had several British cyclists comment about how bad it is to cycle in England - the drivers are dangerous and don't cooperate with cyclists. It may be their perception when compared to the superb treatment of cyclists in France but I do set them straight - compared to the US, cyclists here in England have it made. And my experience is cycling on the West Coast which is recognized as much more cyclist friendly than the rest of the nation.

I am thankful my pal Peter is going to be okay and my thoughts are with him and his family. Peter has served as my stoker on the tandem a couple of times and we have a date for Dec 1 so fingers crossed this will not hold him down for long. To all the other cyclists out there - keep on pedaling, be safe, be legal, be seen, and don't let the turkeys get you down. In the words of Rodney King "Can we all get along?" "We're all stuck here for a while. Let's try and work it out."

Ever heard of the Seattle Tower?

When we had Ken, Barbara, and Shaun over for dinner recently I presented them with some of the stylish new SIR lightweight wool socks. As I pointed out the inclusion on the top of the foot of the Space Needle they were a bit confused. They then told me they recognized the building but they know it as the Seattle Tower. Now how the heck did that come to be? Those of us in the Seattle area have never known it as anything other than the Space Needle. What other internationally recognized landmarks are operating under aliases away from their homelands - inquiring minds want to know?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:VolunteerParkNeedle.jpg

Back to the Bat Cave

Today we resumed our interrupted walk to find the collapsed Greywell Tunnel on the Basingstoke Canal. The canal was built starting in 1787 as a means of transporting goods from the Northeast Hampshire area into London. It entailed 29 locks and a 1200 yard long tunnel to raise the water 245 feet. The arrival of railway was the death of the canal as a commercial enterprise but, thanks to enthusiastic (and mostly volunteer) collaboration most of the canal has been retained and/or reinstated to allow for public enjoyment. Read more about the canal here: http://www.basingstoke-canal.co.uk/index.html

Odiham Castle along the Basingstoke Canal. Also known as King John's Castle (early 13th century). Currently work underway to arrest decay.






Greywell Tunnel collapsed in 1932 and over time became completely blocked. It is now an important winter habitat for hibernating bats. More about the tunnel here:
http://www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk/tunnel.html

Greywell Tunnel








We got there without incident this time (after spraining my ankle last time). It was a clear sunny day with lots of birds and fish in the canal. We couldn't see far in to the tunnel but it was interesting just to see where it was. We could hear a couple of guys inside the tunnel doing some work but couldn't see them. Couldn't see any bats either, dang.
Robin above Greywell Tunnel and looking along the canal towards Odiham.

Homeward bound - but when?

On this trip to England we were originally scheduled to return home October 26. We were fairly sure that would be extended which it was - to November 16. Now that date is uncertain as Robin's boss has asked him to stay just a few more days to see out the end of a second short test. Not sure of a date yet and I am still without a ticket at all. Oh well, I am learning to be slightly more sanguine about having little to no control over the schedule of my own life. In any case we're here for around about 3 more weeks. The summer clothes I had packed in mid-August are languishing in the closet of despair while the 2 items of warmth are on rotation between body and laundry. I'd really like to experience some late spring/early summer weather on one of these jaunts - maybe next year?

New source for SIR blue wool jersey!

On a recent walk we found a new, direct, source for the hard-to-obtain SIR blue wool jerseys. You may have to try several before you find the right fit - and wait for the blue to spread and mature throughout the wool...