Riding Acadia National Park's Carriage Roads

A perfect blend of loop roads, gradual inclines and descents, over and under beautiful old stone bridges, beside ponds. Safe, alluring, and teasing also. Do I have time to circle one more gravel path?

Making family memories. Bike dates. Pedaling into the park from Bar Harbor.

Taking pictures over my shoulder.

Everyone has big smiles.

Our GoPro loving son captures a descent.

Later, I ride solo on paved park roads, stop for expansive ocean views...

...admire an unusual dwelling, then return on public road to town.

There is so much more to do in the region, of course, other than cycling. We stayed in Bar Harbor, a very walkable city. Twice, we hoofed it to the "bar"—the "bar" that named Bar Harbor—where low tide reveals a half mile long sandy causeway, which now leads to a national park island.

A great place to visit tide pools.

I can't help but notice a bikey window display.

Acadia National Park in Maine deserves a week of exploration. There are numerous hiking trails, light houses, more carriage roads to pedal, test your lungs and legs on a ride up Cadillac Mountain, endless possibilities for a future vacation.

Burlington Streets Challenge - The Little Things

Another installment in the series to ride every public road within Burlington's city limits in 2015.

My rides around town are often punctuated with chipmunks and squirrels darting across the road. However, I am also treated to sweet cottontail sightings - this particular one along a bike path. There is a proliferation of wild bunnies this year. Perhaps next year we'll see more foxes, and thus less of the former animals, which seems to be a cycle here in Burlington.

I've noticed that people often attach personal messages to public signage.

One neighborhood has a private beach house and sandy beach.

Meandering along streets in the evening then scooting back to camp, anticipating a spectacular sunset, is often a special highlight.

Heading north on the bike path to meet up with a friend, I stopped to inspect a new sign, then was struck by the increase in bike signage. One year Cycle The City displayed their new logo, just last year the Bike Path Rehabilitation sign appeared, and now Bike Rentals are offered at popular North Beach. If there is anything that exemplifies the uptick in our cycling population, this is it.

My maps to date, Completed streets marked with red marker. North End of Burlington at left; Central and South
End at right. Due to elongated city limits, maps are divided but do not correctly align.
Burlington hugs the Lake Champlain shoreline, north to south.

Along with the little things I've discovered, I have a new buddy who's happy to tool around the north end of Burlington with me. She rides a leisurely pace, loves looking at houses, is as delighted as I am to explore most anything because she's new to Burlington and absolutely loved my idea of riding all city streets - and didn't look at me like I was attempting something weird. In fact, she loved the idea. She also recently bought a house that's convenient to our summer camp on the lake, plus she rides a blazing yellow cruiser bicycle. It's funny and fortuitous, our initial connection being friends who live in Colorado, who recommended we hook up because we both love the outdoors.

Completed Streets (I'm logging and quantifying street names because the city did not offer a total list. Part of the fun is wondering how many names I'll end up with.)

92. Prospect Parkway
93. Highland Terrace
94. Riverside Avenue
95. Hildred Drive
96. Hillside Terrace
97. Colchester Avenue
98. St. Mary Street
99. Walnut Street
100. Rose Street
101. Park Street
102. Pitkin Street
103. Blodgett Street
104. Drew Street
105. Strong Street
106. St. Paul Street
107. South Union Street
108. North Union Street
109. Beaumont Street
110. Lake Street
111. Leddy Park Road
112. Northgate Road
113. Woods Street
114. Intervale Avenue
115. Hickok Place
116. Isham Street
117. Saratoga Avenue
118. Village Green
119. Brandywine Street
120. Bennington Court
121. Hale Court
122. Revere Court
123. Rivermount Terrace
124. Morrill Drive
125. Van Patten Parkway
126. Billings Court
127. Rockland Street
128. Temple Street
129. Brook Drive
130. Convent Square
131. Berry Street
132. Green Acres Drive
133. Staniford Road
134. Grey Meadow Drive
135. Oakcrest Drive
136. Woodridge Drive
137. Institute Road

A Neighborhood Trail in Two Seasons

While scouting possible routes last March to my workplace I discovered a trail tucked away between a private school and a neighboring street. Invisible, really, to all but those who regularly walk or someone like me who are continually seeking faster and or safer bike routes from one place to another. The trail was covered in snow, but excitement, level ground, and chunky tires made the passage fairly easy. However, I didn't return until winter's grip finally loosened and Spring breathed life into the land.

Indeed, I was pleased that it's a cut-through used year round, providing ample shade and a little wilderness in a South Burlington neighborhood. I picture children riding back and forth, weaving around trees, yelling and having fun all summer long—all within the safe confines of a block-long forest.

Early Morning on the Charles River Trail

On a business trip in Massachusetts, I squeezed in an early morning ride along the Charles River Trail. At 5 am there was birdsong, families of geese, and the sounds of river water tumbling on its course towards Boston—all highly unexpected in this congested region.

I began my journey in Waltham, about two miles from my hotel, and pedaled as far as Watertown, approximately 5 miles before turning back.

At first, navigating was tough. The trail frequently switches sides of the river. But I began to look out for signed posts and faded blue painted bird-tracks on the asphalt, guiding path users at river crossings.

There were also interesting bridges and ramps, numerous overlooks, and a mixture of gravel and pavement, which held my interest. I couldn't wait to see what was around the bend.

It was a humid start to another scorching day, but sometimes you gotta suck it up and just ride.

And with scenery like this, well, it made a perfect start to my workday.

Thank you, Charles River Trail!

Burlington Streets Challenge - Appreciating Old Houses & Classy Single Story Homes

Another installment in the series to ride every public road within Burlington's city limits in 2015.

I am captivated by this home in the newer  part of Burlington. I love the windows, the roof line, older bungalow appearance, wooden bridge, trellis, porch—you name it, this property is immaculately well kept. 

As with most of my outings I focus on observing houses. At the turn of the 20th century, Burlington's downtown core and main arteries were filled with brick multi-story homes and office buildings. Victorian style was also popular. Some are meticulously maintained today, while others have been retrofitted into apartments. In the early 1900s a few Craftsman style homes popped up—a personal favorite—and I'm pleased to discover there are more of these gems than I had originally thought! Because they do not lend themselves to being carved up to serve the rental population, these dwellings are preserved for single family occupancy.

As I continue with the challenge, several observations have become clear:

• Though the city is only 10 miles North to South and 1.5 miles at its widest, I rely heavily on bike paths for travel. It is an effort to strictly use roads and thus completing the challenge will be harder than I anticipated. But, that's why it's called a challenge.
• I've discovered errors in the bike map (documentation device): from missing roads altogether, to misspelling street names. There is ample map space to include more street names yet they were left out.
• There is no rationale behind whether a roadway is listed as "road", "street", "avenue", "lane", "terrace". "court", or "parkway". Go figure.
• I'm tickled to locate hidden links between streets: well-trodden pathways between neighborhoods, gravel-lined public rights-of-way, and sidewalks. Remembering where these are located will make future family rides a lot more fun.
• I notice and appreciate single story homes as much as their counterparts. (More on that subject below.)
• When I put my mind to it, I can complete several roads in one outing. For example, in one hour I can often ride 15 streets; my best foray to date topped at 23!

Perched on a busy location, this wooden structure was once a neighborhood store, then home to Burlington College, and now a portion is utilized by Cookies for Good, an arm of  Committee on Temporary Shelter who plans to renovate the building for more occupancy.

Set on one of the largest open tracts within the city limits, this large structure was an orphanage run by the Catholic Diocese, which sold the property recently to  expanding Burlington College. With large debts the college is forced to sell a large parcel to a developer, which is currently under scrutiny by city government and concerned citizens. I, and
many others, often travel on a lovely dirt trail across the grounds to link with the waterfront trail.

A brick Victorian home on busy North Avenue has undergone several changes over the years. Originally it was a private home, then rented to businesses (I went to a doctor's office in this building years ago), and now it's rental housing. As with many older homes, because our housing market is tight, renting is a lucrative business. Multistory rental properties must have exterior escape routes, as displayed on the left side of this Victorian.

A colorful and lovely home in the Old North End. To the right is a free-standing pop-up library, aptly named Lovely Lorelei's Little Lending Library.

As much as I love Burlington's style of older houses, this challenge has opened my eyes to the merits of one-story homes. There was a time when I thought all one-story homes were ugly—I grew up in a cookie cutter ranch house—but with the increasing difficulties of maintaining our own multi-story house (think clipping overhanging branches, cleaning gutters, windows, etc., which require an extension ladder) I've discovered numerous attractive Burlington housing options. If we stay in the city over the long haul and want to transition into a smaller, easier to maintain home, it's nice to know I won't have to trade simplicity for character.

An example of a one-story home with large eaves, a style that's practical if you don't have gutters. With simple landscaping, this home could be quite attractive.

This home exudes character: front porch, pretty windows, garage.

I've noticed that Burlington's street names are fairly generic. Some derive from early regional farms and a few are called after early citizens, but most are ubiquitous. It's not surprising, considering that developers often provide road names. And then there is "Burlington" (whose naming origins are in dispute,) is about as common a name as one can get; there are 21 U.S. villages, towns, or cities with this place name.

Completed Streets

22. Pearl Street
23. Northshore Drive
24. Simms Street
25. Edsen Street
26. Wing Street
27. Dewey Drive 
28. Battery Street
29. North Street
30. Bright Street
31. Decatur Street
32. Cloarec Street
33. Spring Street
34. LaFountain Street
35. Front Street
36. Sherman Street
37. Peru Street
38. Grant Street
39. Loomis Street
40. Barley Street
41. Curtis Avenue
42. Appletree Point Lane
43. Staniford Farms
44. Holt Street
45. Fairmont Street
46. South Street
47. University Road
48. Chestnut Street
49. Crescent Terrace
50. Woodcrest Lane
51. Mountain View Court
52. Crescent Road
53. Pleasant Avenue
54. Starr Farm Road
55. Farrington Parkway
56. Gosse Court
57. Ethan Allen Parkway
58. Willow Street
59. Wildwood Drive
60. Fern Street
61. Ivy Lane
62. Dodds Court
63. Stanbury Road
64. Edinberough Drive
65. Muirfield Road
66. Westminster Drive
67. Nottingham Lane
68. Appletree Point Road
69. Alexis Drive
70. Sterling Place
71. Crescent Beach Drive
72. Surf Road
73. Ridgewood Road
74. Shore Road
75. Holly Lane
76. Glenwood Road
77. Laurel Court
78. Heineberg Road
79. Marshall Drive
80. Arlington Court
81. Moore Drive
82. Moore Court
83. Cumberland Road
84. Ethan Allen Homestead Road
85. Oak Street
86. Manhattan Drive
87. Luck Street
88. St. Louis Street
89. Germaine Street
90. Colonial Square
91. Wilson Street