I Made It!

September 14, 2005 @ 4:19 pm

Ham Radio VanSo I finally made it up Mt. Greylock on Saturday, and what did I find at the top?

A gorgeous view of three states.

A weekend motorcycle gang.

Lots of people who thought I was crazy.

An amateur radio operator with a van full of equipment (similar to the one at right), who was decidedly evasive. I asked him, "what are you up to?" and he said, "I do weird things with radios, just like you do weird things with bicycles."

Teenagers who read about how "Mt. Greylock was beneath an ocean 300 million years ago" and declared it "bullshit." Take that, science!

Replies: 12 Comments

NB you are my bicycling hero. Except that "lots" does not have an apostrophe since you are indicating a plural--e.g. multiple lots--instead of a possessive-- e.g. Lot's wife. I know, I know, call me a schoolmarm. Apostrophes are a pet peeve.

Dog N. Ponyshow said on September 14, 2005 @ 5:23 pm

What do you do with bicycles?

Allison said on September 15, 2005 @ 12:04 am

I ride up mountains on them. (I was on my bicycle at the time.) I guess that's not such a weird thing to do with a bicycle, he just didn't want to tell me what he was up to. No good, I'm sure.

Nick Baker said on September 15, 2005 @ 2:45 pm

Dog N. Ponyshow, I don't know what you're talking about. I certainly didn't correct the typo after reading your post. ;)

Nick Baker said on September 15, 2005 @ 2:51 pm

which three states? i assume vermont and massachusetts, but is the third state connecticut or new york? perhaps you were actually looking at FOUR states and just didn't know it. they are not marked as clearly in real life as on the map. and, btw, i'm seriously impressed with the goal-setting and goal-achieving. way to go, mr. baker!

jammies said on September 15, 2005 @ 5:09 pm

btw, did you wear spandex shorts?

jammies said on September 15, 2005 @ 5:41 pm

Thanks jammies, that means a lot to me. The third state was New York, just a few miles to the West. I looked for giant letters like on my map but couldn't make them out. I guess the trees were in the way. Now that I've achieved this goal I feel like I should set another. Maybe a century ride before the snow closes in on me...

Nick Baker said on September 15, 2005 @ 5:45 pm

No spandex, just an old pair of running shorts. Spandex is the Rubicon of cycling commitment, and I'm not ready to cross it just yet.

Nick Baker said on September 15, 2005 @ 5:47 pm

so are you still using that 3speed bike? if so, i'm impressedX3 -- wow!! i'm doing a century ride on oct2nd. if i can do it, you can do it!

eliz said on September 15, 2005 @ 7:25 pm

Don't worry Nick. You'll wear spandex when you're good and ready. And, for the record, you did not use a single out of place apostrophe in your post - because there weren't any.

Allison said on September 15, 2005 @ 7:45 pm

I'm on a mountain bike now (18 gears!), though I still ride around town on my 3 speed. It's got a much lower gear ratio which makes it good for climing hills or dirt tracks or what have you, and it's not made from twenty pounds of steel like my old bike, which is also a bonus. But it will never match the style of my fendered old bike.

Nick Baker said on September 16, 2005 @ 4:12 pm

wow. you're a two-bike family just like me (as of tomorrow)! next you'll have to get a road bike. and then a touring bike, too, so you can hook up bags 'n stuff for those weeklong bike trips. plus, you'll want to get a fixed gear b/c they're cool. and probably think about a cyclocross since they're handy in some cases.

eliz said on September 16, 2005 @ 5:28 pm