Bicycle riding

[JVShocker]

When wife told me there was snow on the ground this morning as I lie in bed, I immediately

[JVShocker]

Down here in The Woodlands TX right now. It’s a nice place, but I don’t know where a person is supposed to ride a bike around here. I have yet to see a bike path and the few riders I see are on the shoulder of the highway. I’ll pass on that.

BTW, JV, did you slip up and post a picture of yourself? Credit to you for riding when it’s 36 degrees. I’ll never do it, but good for you!

wife took the pic.

[revenge_of_shocka_khan]

Down here in The Woodlands TX right now. It’s a nice place, but I don’t know where a person is supposed to ride a bike around here. I have yet to see a bike path and the few riders I see are on the shoulder of the highway. I’ll pass on that.

BTW, JV, did you slip up and post a picture of yourself? Credit to you for riding when it’s 36 degrees. I’ll never do it, but good for you!

Here's a list.......I was a little surprised when I read that because I know there are places to ride a bike in the Woodlands, it is different from Wichita. Down here, we use the bayous and lakes for our bake trails, up there you all use old abandoned railroads. One note of caution (and not a bother to you in the Woodlands, at least as far as I know) some of the enterprising criminal minds discovered that a four-wheeler is a great tool to use to rob people.....I was told that there were a number of robberies on the White Oak Bayou trail, which absolutely would not surprise me, given the neighborhood and accessibility to 4-wheels. I used to ride the White Oak Bayou trail from end-to-end. Don't know if the cops started patrolling after this happened, but they can't be everywhere.
https://thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/...-The-Woodlands

[revenge_of_shocka_khan]

Oh....I forgot to say, I know you're there to golf. Have fun golfing - there are a lot of good courses around there. If you have time, you might want to check out the Jimmy Buffet resort on nearby Lake Conroe.

[MadDog]

So Shaka, I think the Woodlands map might be a little deceiving. Most of those lines are just streets and they don’t really lead to anywhere. The few actual paths are maybe slightly larger than narrow sidewalks... not really large enough to support bicycle and foot traffic. Most of the sub neighborhoods are not connected without getting on the highway for a short stint. Maybe I’m just spoiled with the Wichita paths.

Have also ridden the bayou paths near downtown Houston. They’re more standard paths with lots of walkers, dogs, babies, and cyclists. Also way too many idiot cyclists that don’t see any problem riding three abreast at 23mph in that environment. As I recall you could go have a longer ride but it would involve riding busy streets without bike lanes in the downtown area to connect between paths.

Golf is good in the Woodlands though. My buddy here belongs to the Woodlands CC’s so I’ve been able to play several very nice courses.

[revenge_of_shocka_khan]

So Shaka, I think the Woodlands map might be a little deceiving. Most of those lines are just streets and they don’t really lead to anywhere. The few actual paths are maybe slightly larger than narrow sidewalks... not really large enough to support bicycle and foot traffic. Most of the sub neighborhoods are not connected without getting on the highway for a short stint. Maybe I’m just spoiled with the Wichita paths.

Have also ridden the bayou paths near downtown Houston. They’re more standard paths with lots of walkers, dogs, babies, and cyclists. Also way too many idiot cyclists that don’t see any problem riding three abreast at 23mph in that environment. As I recall you could go have a longer ride but it would involve riding busy streets without bike lanes in the downtown area to connect between paths.

Golf is good in the Woodlands though. My buddy here belongs to the Woodlands CC’s so I’ve been able to play several very nice courses.

I lived downtown, and my friend at my favorite LBS was giving me a report exactly like what you are describing in paragraph 2. It's probably the pandemic. He rides through the neighborhood.

And yes, I was able to ride about 30 if I rode the White Oak Bayou trail from end to end.

I'm not recommending you drive all over the city to get a ride in, but my girlfriend lives in the Memorial area, and her neighbors go to Terry Hershey Park. I heard it is not that bad right now, but yes, the pandemic has brought out a lot of people onto those trails. We should build sidewalks in residential areas down here (but we don't for the most part - except in areas like where I live now) so people flock to those trails.

Terry Hershey connects to other trails and you can get in about a 42 mile ride if you go end-to-end there. You go through George Bush Park and end up in Katy. That's where the shooting range is (rather strange to be riding your bicycle and hearing the guns go off) and where I took the pictues with the trail covered in water earlier this year.

It's pretty cold here right now (it's actually 32 and raining out toward Del Rio) , I'm curious about what the hurricane will do to the weather. Where we both are, it will pull in the air over us and normally it gets about 5 or 6 degrees warmer because of that effect. I'm hoping that it will start getting a little warmer by tomorrow, it looks like rain today, so I'm taking the day off, but I will be out tomorrow and bundled up.

Enjoy the rest of your trip and I hope you get some great golfing in. IIRC, there are a couple of TPC courses out there where you are and given what you've said, I would think you might have access to them.

[MoValley John]

Terry Hershey connects to other trails and you can get in about a 42 mile ride if you go end-to-end there. You go through George Bush Park and end up in Katy. That's where the shooting range is (rather strange to be riding your bicycle and hearing the guns go off) and where I took the pictues with the trail covered in water earlier this year.

The Big Papio Trail in Omaha literally runs along the back fence of the trap/skeet range at Seymour Smith Park in Omaha. Being down range, its loud. That said, everyone I ride with also shoots so we rather like it.

[MadDog]

Shaka, I’ve been spending the nights at my daughters place in the Woodlands and my days at my sons place in downtown Houston. He just had his first child a week ago Sunday so we went to see our first granddaughter, and oh yeah, help put up a set of barn doors which turned into a nightmare. We were pretty close to the bayou trails on Allen Parkway, but no time to ride this trip.

Talked to one of the Woodlands neighbors this morning who has an e-bike. He said his rides are just on the neighborhood streets and back and forth across the highway. Said his route is 6.7 miles which appears to me to be pretty typical of the way riding in this area works. A shame there is not a good set of paths up here.

I’ve golfed at a couple of the TPC courses here. One is the TPC Woodlands where I think they used to play the Houston Open, and the other was the Gary Player designed Woodlands course. Unfortunately no golf this trip (even though I had my clubs with me). Barn door installation pretty much took up the whole trip. Back to frigid Kansas in the morning.

[revenge_of_shocka_khan]

Shaka, I’ve been spending the nights at my daughters place in the Woodlands and my days at my sons place in downtown Houston. He just had his first child a week ago Sunday so we went to see our first granddaughter, and oh yeah, help put up a set of barn doors which turned into a nightmare. We were pretty close to the bayou trails on Allen Parkway, but no time to ride this trip.

Talked to one of the Woodlands neighbors this morning who has an e-bike. He said his rides are just on the neighborhood streets and back and forth across the highway. Said his route is 6.7 miles which appears to me to be pretty typical of the way riding in this area works. A shame there is not a good set of paths up here.

I’ve golfed at a couple of the TPC courses here. One is the TPC Woodlands where I think they used to play the Houston Open, and the other was the Gary Player designed Woodlands course. Unfortunately no golf this trip (even though I had my clubs with me). Barn door installation pretty much took up the whole trip. Back to frigid Kansas in the morning.

Glad you got some family time in. My daughter lives in Pearland and teaches special needs kids (which means she went back to work pretty much at the end of August). I can't really be around her because of the pandemic, so my hat's off to you.

I might do a window visit when I take my next trip there (soon). I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel, it's been interesting. Ordered appliances about two months ago.....they should get in to the distributor this week. Ordered a new washer/dryer as well, those took two weeks to get here (and are sitting in my garage), so go figure.

Allen Parkway trails are good on a mountain bike. For your information, I worked at AIG for about 15 years as an IT Auditor and I lived just off Waugh (which changes into Heights Boulevard around I-10, which was the area I lived in), so I am very familiar with the trails and have rode them. One of the problems (at least the last time I rode it) is that it has become a pet friendly hangout and the people don't really like cyclists around when they are walking their pets. I got a lot of stink eye and snide remarks from that crowd and I figured out it wouldn't be a good idea to spend much time there. That was probably 5-10 years ago, I don't know what it is like now. If you have a mountain bike and like a challenge, try the Ho Chi Minh mountain bike trails in Memorial Park. They are expert rated, so you need to be pretty salty on a mountain bike.

As far as the barn door goes, I am absolutely not a handy man, I wish I was, my hat's off to him. My son-in-law is pretty handy, though. He build himself a smoker out of the oilfield pipe scraps he picked up where he works, for instance. He also built a nursery for his children, too. He can do just about anything with his hands.

You guys just missed this front. It was really, really cold here yesterday. Not only that, it started raining about 7 p.m. Our high was in the mid 40's and was the lowest high temperature for October since 1925. I'm waiting for today - it's supposed to be about 70, I'm going to bundle up if I need to.

Have a safe trip back to Wichita.

[revenge_of_shocka_khan]

I bought a New Balance undergarment that keeps the heat in (on clearance at the running store in Houston). Went out last night, low to mid 50's and rode 22 miles (with this garment and a riding jacket). I actually broke a pretty good sweat. I will need a better pair of gloves and thermal socks, but if the wind isn't blowing, I should be good down to the mid 40's.

I averaged a tick over 15, but it wasn't bitterly cold. To me, anything below 40 is bitterly cold, but your mileage may vary.

[revenge_of_shocka_khan]

Mid 50s again tonight when I went out to ride. Got a little over 18 in. Right at 40 for the week. Averaged over 15 again. I'm thinking it is because the wind settles at night.

[JVShocker]

Bicycled last night. 14 miles in the cold and dark. Finally. After 3 days off, nothing like putting on all the winter weather gear and then asking the body for a hard workout. I am sore this AM. Just getting home last night was a chore. Thankfully, the weather is setting up nicely, even if the time change isn't. Gonna be OK. I'm taking the road bike to work. Take an hour or so each afternoon to hit the bike path downtown next week (daily, barring rain). And then a relaxing ride in the evening if I want. Next weekend they're already forecasting 71 degrees. Fingers crossed.

[MoValley John]

Heading north for the annual duck hunt. Will get my bike back from the LBS on Wednesday when I return.

Quick quack!

[JVShocker]

26 miles today. Wife in tow (literally). The entire 13 miles trip BACK was into the wind. Don't care, weather was sunny and warm 68 degrees. Shorts and jersey. Probably close to 100 people and pets along the redbud trail heading east to Andover.

[revenge_of_shocka_khan]

I'm back in H-town.....took my cross bike with me this time (the gash on my elbow has just healed as of this week). I'm going to try to get out this afternoon.

I'm gonna' be here until they get done remodeling my kitchen or when I get my new appliances.