Entries Tagged 'Road Biking NEPA' ↓

Best Pie Recipe…

We somehow got on the topic of pies on the long climb and return from Bald Mountain last week. Janet asked me what my favorite pie was. Without question or hesitation I listed, “a three-berry pie, or butterscotch, and that my all-time favorite is Lemon Sponge pie!”

Here is my great grandmother Nellie’s (actual) recipe notebook. My grandmother, (94) learned baking from her and guess that she probably tweaked Nellie’s recipe many years ago. It’s unusually good!

Nellie’s Lemon Sponge Pie…
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• ? cup or 2 heaping tablespoon’s Flour
• 1 Lemon; grated rind and juice
• 1 ½ cups of Whole Milk
• 3 eggs separated

• Cream butter and sugar, add flour. Beat egg yolks together with milk, then add Lemon juice and grated rind.

• Beat egg whites stiff and add to the above.

• Put ingredients into an unbaked pie shell. Bake in a glass pie dish @ 400 degrees for 15 mins. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 additional minutes.

***

A Prairie Home Companion favorite, The Wailin’ Jennys will be performing again at the Mauch Chunk Opera House this Saturday night. It’s been about a year since they played locally;8:30 pm in Jim Thorpe.

http://www.thewailinjennys.com/listen2.html

***

08/30/2008; This week’s ‘Saturday Morning Ride’…

Request ride will be this week. Please refer back to last week’s list of rides, and either email me, or review the list with your suggestion for this week’s ride.

Start time is 7:30am.

Last official ride for this season will be next week, Saturday September 6th. Ride will have a special stop. Don’t miss next week’s ride!

Your bike guys,

Lee, Rich & Tom

The Final Banshee ride for this season will be this Sunday, August 24th @ 10:00am.
Riders will have a choice of returns from Carbondale, Forest City, or the up and back to the Stillwater Dam. Ride to Stillwater Dam with return is 53 mi.

In addition to the Banshee ride, a festival celebrating alternative transportation and green thinking will be set up on Penn Avenue that same day. Bikes, Scooters, COLTS, Rail Trail council members, some local artists and music will fill the block of Penn Avenue between Mulberry and Linden from 2:00-6:00pm.

Banshee Ride
Begins in front of Banshee Bar & Restaurant
322 Penn Avenue Scranton
10:00am
30-53 miles

Here’s the festival music lineup…
2:00-3:00 Charles Havira and Friends
3:00-3:30- Records by D.J. Conor McGuigan
3:30-4:30- The Bog Swing Band
4:30-6:00 Records by DJ Conor McGuigan

Read this article about the festival and Banshee ride in the Scranton Times…

http://www.scrantontimes.com/articles/2008/08/21/lifestyles/sc_times_trib.20080821.c.pg1.tt21bikefest_s1.1891571_fea1.txt

***

You have just encountered the wind-down, the rapid deceleration of summer. It’s suddenly a time to adjust to a different routine that awaits as we cross over to fall.
Thoughts for me at this time are usually gearing up for next season;(2009 models already in stock), trying to get in the ride or two that I escaped from me earlier in the season, some mountain biking, catching up on projects, and hopefully taking some time off.

We’re also approaching the end of the ‘Saturday Morning Ride’ season. The last scheduled ride for the season will be Saturday September 6th.
I would certainly encourage you all to continue rides from downtown Wilkes-Barre as a year-round meeting point for a ride. The downtown is a great place to begin and end your ride. Take my word for it that your riding activity has been noticed. Wilkes-Barre thanks you!

That all being said, how about we, SMR rider’s start the buildup for the only 100K (62mi) event in our area!?

The Seasons Change Flaming Foliage Bike Ride will be held Saturday, October 11th in and around Hazleton. Riders will also have a choice of a 20K (12.4mi) and 50K (31mi.) route.

http://www.seasonschange.us/index.php/events/flaming-foliage-ride

Your bike guys will be attending. Try to support this local event!

Stage 20; (08/23/2008) This week’s SMR…

We’ve given you many new routes this year along with the classics from our area. Now it’s up to you to decide which routes you want to choose for the last two rides of this season.

Nanticoke Bike Ride Wilkes-barre, PA 26.37 mi.

Journey To DARK REGIONS Bike Ride Wilkes-Barre, PA 40.70 mi.

Boat Launch Rt 92 And Return Bike Ride Wilkes-barre, PA 29.35 mi.

Official Coopers Ride Bike Ride Pittston, PA 44.92 mi.

Rt 29 To Chase/Dallas 8th Street Bike Ride Wilkes-Barre, PA 35.13 mi.

Oberdorfer,Nail, Bodle, LEWIS, 8th, Bunker Hill Bike Ride Wilkes-barre, PA 31.01 mi.

Oberdorfer,nail,bodle,schoolhouse, Coon, Green Bike Ride Wilkes-barre, PA 30.79 mi.

Wyoming, Chase Nanticoke Bike Ride Wilkes-barre, PA 34.25 mi.

Oberdorfer,Nail, Bodle, Schoolhouse, 8th, Bunker Hill Bike Ride Plains, PA 28.73 mi.

Duryea Coxton Loop Bike Ride Wilkes-barre, PA 37.52 mi.

Maq-a-naw-qua Loop Bike Ride Wilkes-barre, PA 38.18 mi.

Saturday Morning Ride Coxton Loop Bike Ride Plains, PA 34.99 mi.

Coxton With Extra Loop Bike Ride Plains, PA 49.66 mi.

Lance Armstrong Foundation Ride 5-10-08 Bike Ride Wilkes-Barre, PA 29.52 mi.

5-3-08 Atown Bike To Boat Launch Rt 92 Bike Ride Wilkes-barre, PA 29.35 mi.

Hartman - White Oak â?? Mizdall Rd Ride

I would like to thank Scott S. for being our Cartographer for the SMR routes on www.mapmyride.com. He’s done a great job of mapping out our rides this year. It’s time consuming but very appreciated. Great job Scott!

A tradition continues this Sunday, July 27th… Join the group of cyclists who will celebrate the conclusion of the 95th Tour de France with a 40+ mile ride through some of the most scenic local roads. Hope you can make it!

When? This Sunday, July 27th

Luzerne/Lackawanna Jaunt; start time is 10:30am New Course through Milwaukee,Falls, and surrounds…

Where? Cooper’s Seafood Waterfront 300 Kennedy Blvd. Pittston 44.92 miles

Here’s a copy of the course. You can print out a cue sheet of the ride from this Webpage…

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/pa/pittston/1186093394

***

Stage 16; Saturday 07/26/2008, 7:30 am Start…

This Week’s Directions for the SMR…

We’re headed for a cruise up along the river on Rt. 92 this week. The main group will go as far as the the boat launch with return. Option to hit hills or ride up to Falls too. 29.35 miles.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/pa/wilkes-barre/394033178

Sorry about not posting today. I know some of you look forward to the rant.

Nice ride up along Coxton today. A small group split and continued their ride on some beutiful roads to add extra mileage.

Speaking of Coxton, did you know?…

• Charles Lindbergh made an emergency landing at the Coxton Rail Yards in 1928.

• Legend also has it that a man named Campbell escaped capture and torture from Native Indians by leaping off the ledge to his death. We ride past past Campbell’s Ledge on our Coxton loop. Campbell’s Ledge is near the confluence of the Lackawanna and Susquehanna rivers.

The Revolution has Begun…
Locally, people are beginning to look to bicycles and public buses as an alternative form of transportation. To make this a reality, better consideration has to be given to our local transportation infrastructure. Safe streets and paths designed with commuting in mind, along with racks for bikes on our buses are just a few things that would decrease short-distance trips in a car. So, next time you consider making a short trip into work, or the market, or to visit a friend, ask yourself, ” Couldn’t I be doing this on my bike?”

Congratulations to our 2008 Cycling Graduates!
Ryan Duddy, Andrew Judge, Eric Thatcher, Oliver Williams, and Jason Young.

Digi-folk Paradists; The Flight of the Conchords…
HBO’ s outrageously funny The Flight of the Conchords has been a nearly 10 year odd-yssey that has taken the pair of Kiwi songsters from Wellington, NZ to Australia, to London and the BBC, and finally to America.
The storyline is simple, just a couple of blokes trying to make it in New York. The episodes are funny, the music is solid, and the lyrics are quite clever. Along the way the Conchords manage to spoof many genres and musicians like Prince, Marvin Gaye, Pet Shop Boys, Marc Bolen, with one episode and song about a pretty freaky David Bowie.

Here Singing Foux de Fa Fa, The 4th most popular folk parody duo in New Zealand, Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, The Flight of the Conchords…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUVagbFcSUU

SMR Stage 7: 05/24/2008; Two Ride Options This Week…

This the last week for an 8:00am Start. Beginning Saturday May 31st, SMR rides will begin at 7:30am.

Here are the directions for this week’s SMR…

The Saturday Morning Ride is headed south this week. Join us as both courses wind their way down the W. Kirmar Parkway to Vandermark St.

The shorter ride will continue through Newport, and into Nanticoke. We’ll cross the river, head north on Rt.11, and return to the city.
Shorter Ride; 26.37 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/pa/wilkes-barre/430129424

The longer option will continue down lower Middle Rd. through Glen Lyon, Glen Lea, Mocanaqua, cross river @ Shickshinny, and return to city on Rt. 11
Long Ride; 38.18 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/pa/wilkes-barre/954538117819

Mark your calendar for a special night of Bluegrass music at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe next Saturday May 24th. The Punch Brothers will perform featuring Chris Thile, formally of Nickel Creek, along with a group of extraordinary accompanying musicians. Show starts at 8:30pm.

Will the reader please to cast his eye over the following lines, and see if he can discover anything harmful in them?
Conductor, when you receive a fare,
Punch in the presence of the passenjare!
A blue trip slip for an eight-cent fare,
A buff trip slip for a six-cent fare,
A pink trip slip for a three-cent fare,
Punch in the presence of the passenjare!

-Excerpt from a Mark Twain short story “Punch, Brothers, Punch”

Interesting Giro d’Italia Tidbits…

My favorite Grand Tour is the Giro d’ Italia which runs this year from May 10th until June 1st. So far we’ve see an American leader in Christian Vande Velde, a spill which has sidelined Christian’s team mate, David Zabriskie, and the last minute inclusion of a stacked Astana squadra.

The beautiful Italian countryside, the mountain passes which can challenge rider’s with wintry conditions, and the Tifosi make the Giro an awesome event . (Tifosi is a word somewhat exclusive to the Italians loosely translated as a fanatical sports supportor, or super-fan).

Here are some things to know if you intend to join the Giro’s Tifosi…

• The Maglia Rosa, or pink leader’s jersey is pink because Italy’s main sporting newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, the originator of the Giro, prints its newspaper on pink paper stock.

• In 1924, Giro organizer’s allowed a woman, Alfonsia Morini Strada, to compete which caused a sensation in Italy. Alfonsia completed that year’s Giro defeating two men. Ironically, Strada, Alfonsia’s last name, means Road in Italian.

• American Andy Hampsten won the Giro in blizzard conditions in 1988. (Andy’s 1988 signed 7-11 jersey will be on display @ A-Town after the ride).

• The greatest Giro winner’s are Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi, & of course Eddy Merckx. In his day, (1926-1929) Alfredo Binda was so daunting that the Giro organizers asked that he not compete in the 1930 edition of the great race. Binda was paid the same amount as the eventual winner’s first place winnings to sit the race out.

SMR Stage 6: 05/17/2008 Coxton River Loop w/return…

We’ll first head North along the river to West Pittston, cross the Susquehanna to Pittston. The group then turn left off Rt.11, and complete the Coxton-Ransom loop. The ride will return via Susquehanna Ave. and back to the city via the Wyoming Valley Levee-Trail System.
We need to keep it moving on this route, a flat 34.99 miles. There will be longer options for those interested.
Here are the directions for this week’s SMR…
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/pa/plains/707810876631
Start time; 8:00am sharp!

SMR Stage 5: 05/10/2007 Lance Armstrong Foundation Ride; We Challenge the Bull…
The legs are getting stronger. Our intensity builds.

Join us this Saturday May 10th as we join the LIVESTRONG Army with a ride to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer.
Donations to the Lance Armstrong Foundation are appreciated but not required. All participants are encouraged to wear something yellow.
LIVESTRONG wristbands will be given out as long as supplies last.

The SMR this week will cruise some of our favorite roads to Nanticoke, then cross the Susquehanna to challenge the Bull!

We’ll ride up Plymouth’s Bull Run and traverse along the top of the Valley to Luzerne where we will return to the city through Kingston. Longer, harder options for those looking for more…

Here are the directions for this week’s SMR…
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/pa/wilkes-barre/182428949325

8:00am Sharp Start Time!

***

Speaking of Bull Run-

The Agritubel Professional Cycling Team’s primary sponsor, Agritubel, is a manufacturer of stockades or runs for livestock. Agritubel’s Website is one of the freakiest sites you’ll find.Alongside products for the farming community are pictures and an icon of the cycling squad.
http://www.agritubel.com/en/maj-e/c2a1i818b1/agritubel.htm

I guess the handlebars on the Agritubel team’s time trail bikes are real cowhorns!

***

Wilkes-Barre Great 100 Newspaper Clipping, Circa 1970’s…

37 years ago , June 20th 1971 to be exact, Wyoming Valley hosted its first 100 mile ride. The event was called the Gibbons Great 100 and it began from Kirby Park. The course was epic as it traversed several of the routes that we commonly use today, (Moconauqua, Coxton) and was considered one of the best biking challenges in the East for its time.
The start location of the event changed a couple of times and finally fizzled in the mid-nineties. In the future, I’ll have more on this and maybe interview a couple of people still around from the early days of this Great event!

Thank you, Tom W. for a copy of the clipping!-tj

Thank you for making the 2nd Annual Bike Social a success!

Hello and welcome to another year of the Saturday Morning Ride.
Saturday April 5th will be the start of the 5th addition of the SMR.
Rides until further notice will leave from the adjacent parking lots near Around Town Bicycles promptly @ 8:00am.

The season is long. We will ride a total of 24 weeks this year, which roughly equates to 6 months of riding together.
First week will be the Prologue, a light ride that will wind its’ way along the Susquehanna to West Pittston and back for a little more than 20 miles. The ride is easy and fun. I hope that you can attend.

From there, the rides will be progressive. The rides will be numbered as Stages; Stage 1,2,3 & so on. By next week, we should have up on a web a page where you will be able to review and download a copy of the upcoming rides.
We’ll pick up a little distance, speed, and difficulty each week until ultimately we do a couple of the classic climbs in the area like Alden Mtn. or Montage. Those rides are difficult; 40 miles+, but with this format and some riding on your own you should be able to do it!

It has been rewarding to see so many riders abilities improve over the course of a season.

For the rider’s that are new to this ride format, our hope is that you will learn to ride safely and effectively while riding alone, or in a group. There is a big difference riding in a group. You are not immune from Here are some points to get you started…
1) Do not overlap another riders wheel. (The leading riders sudden movement can take a following rider down instantly). Bikers call this ‘half-wheeling’.
2) Keep your bike in a straight line as far to the right side of the roadway as possible.
3) No more than 2 riders side-by-side. (Single file is always best, especially if your skills aren’t there yet to ride in a tight formation).
4) Come to ride. (For the first 6 weeks, the rides will leave at 8:00am. Then, we’ll move to 7:30am. Prepare the night before and get your pre-ride ritual established so that when you arrive you are set to have an enjoyable ride).
5) Road bikes work best for this ride. (If you are recommending the SMR to a friend or considering to come out and join us, a mtn. or hybrid bike may be to slow and strenuous considering the pace and distance of these rides. We try to maintain a 13-14 MPH pace.
To the more experienced, please consider helping our new riders as they learn the ‘Rules of the Road’ and pass along tips you have found helpful to improving your cycling.

Welcome to a new season!

Your Bike Guys,

Rich Adams & Tom Jones

You are invited to join us on Friday night, April 4th for the 2nd Annual Bike Social from 6:00-9:00pm. Last year’s kickoff was so much fun.

Come out to see what’s happening in your local biking community for 2008!

Special musical appearance by Major Taylor,-aka Charles Havira & Friends!

Then, get ready for the 5th season of the Saturday Morning Ride. The first ride leaves the downtown @ 8:00am on Saturday April 5th.

Already in the planning stages will be a LAF-Lance Armstrong Foundation ride on Saturday May 10th.

Hope to see you all soon,

Your bike guys,

Rich Adams and Tom Jones