Re: Megan Asked.

1

That last photo looks like the result of a horrible accident. Glad to know it's a feature and not a bug!


Posted by: M/tch M/lls | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:14 PM
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Wow. Only one bar (basically). How much does it weigh?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:14 PM
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Very nice.


Posted by: md 20/400 | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:15 PM
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Woo! It's cute, and good for you!


Posted by: Parenthetical | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:17 PM
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You need to do some serious tricking out of that bike, of course.

For example.

Which reminds me, I wonder if Tweety ever procured his dream bike.


Posted by: M/tch M/lls | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:21 PM
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I believe it claims to be 11 kg -- it's in the 'easy to lift, a hassle to carry a couple of blocks' range.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:22 PM
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Get something like Topeak's Alien. Toss it in your bag and you'll have most of the tools you'll need.


Posted by: md 20/400 | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:22 PM
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Everything I own is outdated. I should aspire to buy something new that isn't edible.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:23 PM
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Or at least exercise a bit.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:28 PM
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8: I guess you wouldn't be interested in the gingerbread bike I'm selling.


Posted by: Walt Someguy | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:28 PM
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Is it frosted?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:33 PM
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You need to get some hydraulics so that you can make that low-rider hop.

OT: Obama's "I'm a laid back, super-cool badass with swagger" media persona is starting to become a little bit of a shtick, isn't it? Thought provoked while watching him do his thing during this Allstar Game.


Posted by: Criminally Bulgur | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 7:35 PM
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Obama's "I'm a laid back, super-cool badass with swagger" media persona is starting to become a little bit of a shtick, isn't it?

Was it ever not?


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 8:04 PM
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It still works, even if it's self-consciously theatrical, I think -- he's not going for perfectly natural and unaffected, it's supposed to be apparent as schtick.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 8:43 PM
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Yay, LB's bike. Looks great. How are you finding the ride?


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 8:46 PM
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It rides like a regular bike -- maybe a little bumpier over bad pavement, but really not noticeable.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 8:51 PM
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Congrats!


Posted by: bitchphd | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 9:17 PM
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I endorse mcmc, although I landed on the Alien ][. As a bonus, with one of those you can wrap your hand around it and punch people in the face as needed.

I'm hurting my face grinning at people.

Yay! I actually like the looks quite a bit; I'm always big on well-designed.

max
['Now all you need is a dirt race track.']


Posted by: max | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 9:44 PM
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Oh she's SO CUTE! What's her name?


Posted by: Megan | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 11:18 PM
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"she"?


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 11:24 PM
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19: Looks like "Old Svc Expo(?)"


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 11:26 PM
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What is it with people and naming bikes, and assuming that other people with bikes have named theirs, and then giving them genders?


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-14-09 11:43 PM
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What is it with people and naming bikes ships, and assuming that other people with bikes ships have named theirs, and then giving them genders?

--you might as well ask.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 12:06 AM
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That custom is old and ingrained enough that I don't think there's much point in asking its current practitioners, though it would indeed be interesting to know about its origins! Presumably related to the cultural importance of ships to seafaring peoples, though I don't have any idea how widespread the practice is among seafarers.


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 12:09 AM
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Then perhaps the practice of naming and engendering bikes is a reflection of their cultural importance to bikefaring peoples. Like Megan.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 12:18 AM
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A tribute to the Mother Goddess lurking behind Christianity, in both cases. [/graves]


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 12:44 AM
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What is it with people and naming bikes ships, and assuming that other people with bikes ships have named theirs, and then giving them genders?

Ships are traditionally "she" because it's one of the last holdovers in modern English of grammatical gender. They were feminine in old English, as they are in Latin and Greek, though not German afaik. Other transport machines by analogy/extension.


Posted by: OFE | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:01 AM
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Yesterday at the bike shop I was shocked to find even low end bikes have disc brakes. I maintain the delusion that my 14-year old bike is not that old, but upgrading from cantilever to linear-pull brakes to find I'm still behind the curve has rudely shown me the truth.

I've also just discovered (thanks Wikipedia!) that I have the wrong brake levers for my new brakes. *sigh*.


Posted by: W. Breeze | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:07 AM
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And presumably one names ships in order to, well, refer to them? Same reason you name horses?

In Russian, ships are referred to as masculine.


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 3:19 AM
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She hasn't got a name yet -- I'm not sure whether she's going to acquire one.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 5:14 AM
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And an hour fifteen minutes door to door this morning. Knock off another 20%, and I'm dominating the subway for convenience.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 7:34 AM
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B-b-b-b-but George Will says that LB cannot logically exist!


Posted by: pain perdu | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 7:40 AM
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31. Wait till it's snowing.


Posted by: OFE | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 7:41 AM
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33: That's the beautiful, wonderful thing about the subway -- it's still there, even if I'm not riding it most days.

I'm the world's greatest wimp about stuff like that -- imperfect weather and I'm back on mass transit.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 7:48 AM
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Woo LB!

I've been away - which bike did you get?


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:28 AM
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I always thought ships were female because they give berth.


Posted by: ocdadd | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:32 AM
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The Brompton -- when I saw the Brompton and a Dahon in the shop, the smaller folded package (and the bike store guy's assurances of greater durability and reliability) sold me. Pictures in the post.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:34 AM
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13: I think it's ebbed and flowed a bit between "revealing" his cool (which you don't want to overemphasize in a campaign, for fear of appearing lightweight), playing up his cool, and being all Presidential (not in the 30 goddamn dicks sense). Since inauguration, it's been a bit more calculated, I think, because less opportunity to be uncalculated.


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:37 AM
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I paid $89 for a 30-day Metro Card this morning. That's some bullshit right there. I really need to figure out how to have a sustainable bike commute.

Beautiful bike, LB, and I'm so glad you're enjoying it.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:52 AM
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39: Less than $3/day to meet your transportation needs in a world-class city? Dude, you need to count your blessings.


Posted by: pain perdu | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:54 AM
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39: If I manage to turn this biking thing into a habit (which I'm not sure of -- when the kids go back to school in the fall, it's going to get complicated leaving early enough), I'm going to be in a weird place with my MetroCard. I've got a work program that does a pre-tax deduction from my paycheck and sends me a monthly MetroCard. The problem is that if I'm not commuting with it, a ride-by-ride card would be cheaper. But it's a hassle to get in and out of the program -- if I cancel it, I can't sign up again until next year.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:57 AM
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39: For less than the cost of a venti mocha, you can help Bave Dee meet his transportation needs. Whiner. It costs $75 for a one-zone (i.e. no suburbs) bus pass here.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:57 AM
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Monthly Caltrain pass, zone 1 to zone 3, in excess of $150.


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:58 AM
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It was $76 when I moved here, and that was right after a fare increase, I think. Also, they're cutting back on subway service, so for my extra dollars I get trains that are more crowded and less frequent. All because suburban and outer-borough legislators blocked sensible road tolls on behalf of their SUV-driving constituents (paying to attention, of course, to their less-well-off, transit-riding constituents). It's some bullshit.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:02 AM
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42, 43: That's because you don't complain enough!


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:04 AM
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That is some bullshit.


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:04 AM
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44: I'm going to stick with whiner. We don't have a train that goes anywhere near my house and our bus service has gotten hammered. At rush hour, I usually see dozens of people who get left on the curb because they won't fit on the bus (or did before the end of the school year). Plus, the Port Authority apparently hates its riders. You have to exit through the front of the bus on the way home, regardless of the fact that the aisle contains more people than the seats.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:05 AM
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Hey, I complain a lot!


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:05 AM
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One of the things I genuinely love about where I live is that I get free public transportation with my University ID. Unfortunately, I've left the University, but the swipe system doesn't seem to know this yet.


Posted by: Criminally Bulgur | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:12 AM
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It was $76 when I moved here, and that was right after a fare increase, I think. Also, they're cutting back on subway service, so for my extra dollars I get trains that are more crowded and less frequent.

You get trains? That sounds great.


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:14 AM
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49: I also get free public transportation with my ID. But the systems itself still sucks to the extent that I think somebody should actually pay me to use it.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:14 AM
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Agreed that Port Authority bus service truly sucks.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:15 AM
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52: I'm fairly certain we are talking about a different Port Authority. I'm speaking of the local service, not the one in NYC.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:16 AM
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Cool bike, even though it's not a Bike Friday. Next purchase: rain gear. Go hardcore, baby.

It turns out that there are lots of used Dahons for sale around here—Craigslist has about a half dozen. $150-$200. Cheap than a couple months of riding the bus.

I am pleased to learn from the link in 32 that G. Will hates my city, but I recommend not starting your day by reading an Yggy comment thread. Several genuinely awful people frequent that site.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:19 AM
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I note that it says "old" on the pavement under your new bike. What are they trying to say here?


Posted by: adamhenne | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:19 AM
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Oh, I was thinking of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. And come to think of it, the buses I was thinking of are run by New Jersey Transit; they leave from the Port Authority bus terminal.

Jesus: What do you recommend for rain gear? I've been thinking of getting a rain cape -- they look so practical. But I've never seen anyone using one.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:21 AM
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Why wait for rain to wear a cape? They go with anything.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:23 AM
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But I've never seen anyone using one.

Are you a leader or a follower, Bave?


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:25 AM
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56: I have a jacket and pants from Burley, which apparently doesn't make rain gear anymore. Those capes look good, especially ventilation-wise; I like my suit, but even with all its vents, it makes me sweat, defeating its purpose.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:31 AM
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Yeah LB! That's great.

I will tell you what I tell everyone, the best shape I've been in my life was when I had a 13mi (round trip) daily bike commute. It isn't that hard to do, but it adds up.

Yesterday at the bike shop I was shocked to find even low end bikes have disc brakes.

This is a pet peeve of mine. At the low end v-brakes are so much cheaper and lighter why not spend the money on something else?


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:33 AM
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But I've never seen anyone using one.

Here. If I had one like that, I'd want the hat to go with it.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:33 AM
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Are you a leader or a follower, Bave?

Follower, obvs.

I am currently looking for a rain cape online, having received Jesus's blessing.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:47 AM
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62: I'd go for a cape in a bold color with a simple, but memorable logo. Maybe a lightening bold, heavily stylized animal silhouette, or a 'BD'.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:50 AM
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Rain capes are unnecessary. If it's raining, cycle in a swimming costume. Keep your clothes (plus a towel) in a waterproof pannier; change on arrival.
(But it's cold outside!)
Goose grease.


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:54 AM
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I always enjoy it when I see somebody who gives worse advice that I do.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:54 AM
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Swimsuits are unnecessary. If the swimming pool is wet, swim in a raincoat.


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 9:55 AM
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Raincoats aren't big enough to swim in. Plus the water leaks out the arm holes.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 10:01 AM
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Speak for yourself. And rubber bands work for the sleeves.


Posted by: OPINIONATED TOM THUMB | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 10:15 AM
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Goose grease.

Having to prepare for a bike commute as for a Channel swim would dampen most people's enthusiasm for bike commuting, I'm guessing.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 10:21 AM
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Does goose grease smell like cooked goose? If so, I could see that as being a plus.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 10:25 AM
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Obviously a wetsuit is far more practical than goose fat. And then people will just think you're training for a triathlon, rather than a total lunatic.


Posted by: asilon | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 11:07 AM
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And everyone looks good in a wetsuit. Looking good whilst greased up is a trickier one to pull off.


Posted by: asilon | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 11:09 AM
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Good news if you take your bike to Berlin, LB.


Posted by: togolosh | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 11:39 AM
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OT: It looks like I'm going to Maine with a friend for about a week at the end of August. Some kind of folk festival in Bangor, then a few days of puttering around. Any suggestions? I'd like to do a nice day hike, I guess, and maybe a bit of sea kayaking. I don't know what else there is to do there if you don't own a sailboat.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 12:45 PM
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74: Hide the blueberry?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 12:59 PM
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Meth?


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:06 PM
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OT: McMegan is writing an surprising volume of material I agree with (or at least don't find utterly wrongheaded) these days. She has even posted some heretical thoughts in favor of government regulation, for which she was roundly condemned in the comments by some of her libertarian readership. This just tickled me pink.


Posted by: pain perdu | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:07 PM
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74: Lots of car-free gravel roads suitable for biking in nearby Acadia National Park.

Also, lobster.


Posted by: pain perdu | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:09 PM
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74: Isn't there some sort of terrifying coffee-flavored brandy that Maine alcoholics drink? You could look for some of that.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:09 PM
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in nearby Acadia National Park.

Even better, Fundy national park. If you're going to have a car and the time, Bave, do think about driving into Canada. The bay itself is worth a look, and much of NS and New Brunswick coast are beautiful in a way the Maine coast doesn't quite reach. If you're already in Bangor, it's all pretty close.


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:14 PM
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Canada's not a bad idea. We have no particular commitment to Maine except for this folk festival thing, I think. And I'd guess New Brunswick would be less crowded than the area around Bar Harbor, right?

I will eat lobster; my traveling companion is a vegetarian.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:21 PM
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Canada's not a bad idea.

Just remember that the new re-entry laws are in effect. I am pretty sure they are anyway.


Posted by: CJB | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:26 PM
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Lobster is better on the outer coast they say, too (but who are they, anyway?)

New Brunswick should be less crowded, yes. Fundy park has a walking area which will be quite crowded. Other parts less so. Seeing the 11ft tide come in near sackville is classic but there are closer spots.

If you've the time and inclination, from Bangor you're about 400mi from Prince Edward Island ( beautiful and quite touristy in bits but not everywhere), 600mi from Cape Breton Highlands Nat. Park (stunning and quite rugged). The latter might be a bit far, but it's really quite something . If you're that far around, the southern coast of NS is worth a wander about, and you could make a bit of a loop.


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:34 PM
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82 is a good point. I forget what has already changed exactly or when, but check before you go


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:35 PM
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Re-entry laws meaning you have to have a passport, right?

I don't think we want to do a huge drive; Fundy is probably the outer limit. How annoying is Bar Harbor? Would things be better more Downeast?


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 1:56 PM
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79: terrifying coffee-flavored brandy that Maine alcoholics drink

This could be describing Moxie, although Moxie is not actually alcoholic.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:01 PM
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85: I think you need a passport now, but they kept shifting the date ...

The driving along there is very pretty, but I guesstimated distances because I thought it might be a bit far. I've been through Bar Harbor when it was absolutely dead (winter) nicely `alive', and also when it was obnoxiously crowded. I suspect at end of August it will tend towards the latter, but you might check with someone local(ish). East should be better. I don't remember Acadia being very crowded at all, but I think I was there in June and Feb.


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:01 PM
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86: I'm stumped by 79 also. I've never heard of a coffee flavored brandy. The closest thing I can think of is Kahlua, which is obviously not very close at all.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:08 PM
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85:Would things be better more Downeast?

My sister lives wayyyy Downeast, in Machias. Its actually pretty depressing out there, but the one thing to do that is cool is to get on a charter boat and go see the puffins.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:12 PM
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Kaffeegeist.


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:15 PM
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90: That's 30 Euros for 1/2 a liter of 80 proof. Pretty pricey for feeding alcoholism.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:19 PM
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"It's caramel-flavored, sells for five bucks a pint and comes in plastic gallon jugs. It's Maine's favorite drug."


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:22 PM
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91: The Maine version is cheaper because they mix up in a bathtub and sell it in old maple-syrup tins.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:23 PM
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92: Thanks. I learned something new today. That said, I'll stick to beer, bourbon and wine. And usually not all in the same night.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:28 PM
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So you basically make White Russians out of it? Sounds fantastic.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:28 PM
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Sounds vile.


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:30 PM
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Sounds fantastic.
Sounds vile

Bave will just have to give is a first hand report when he gets back.


Posted by: CJB | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:32 PM
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"Sounds vile."

Yes. It does.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:33 PM
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97: I'll liveblog it.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:37 PM
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Soup's right: get thee to Canada. And if you're in New Brunswick, you might as well go to Shediac.

Also, in Maine, Katahdin, but that's a bit of a drive in another direction.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:42 PM
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My experience is that Bar Harbor itself can be a bit crowded around that time and some of the drives , but after you walk a short distance in on any of the trails you're as alone as you could reasonably expect for a day hike (a lot of people drive to the top of Cadillac Mtn for instance, few walk any distance down any of the trails). So I'd go there for one day anyway.

My other recommendation is nearby Deer Isle which is slightly west (horrors), but not real crowded (nor is really any of the stuff around Penobscot Bay by my standards). But in particular from Stonington you can catch the ferry to Isle Au Haut which is the really uncrowded part of Acadia National Park. I believe there are kayaking trips available that go there (or other nearby islands and parts of the mainland).

For minimizing the driving I would say head somewhere in that vicinity with a trip over to Bar Harbor/Acadia. It really is quite beautiful (and yes in a less grandiose way than parts of the semi-nearby Canadian coast), but very, very nice. Other than Amerika being EVIL and all.



Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 2:59 PM
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That is sensible and nicely specific advice, JP. Thanks.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 3:07 PM
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My aunt lives in Bar Harbor. If you stick to the super touristy stuff, it will be busy. But the advice that as soon as you get into a trail more than 1/2 mile it'll be much less crowded is quite correct, and I really believe that Mount Desert island is one of the most gorgeous spots in the world (for sure, the experience can be had at the other islands nearby, but it is convenient). Also, don't forget that there's a fair bit of island besides Bar Harbor, and that it often gets less crowded when you leave the town.

Bangor itself - find Stephen King's house (I've been by but can't remember exactly where it is). All the area around it, in my mind, is rather lovely and picturesque and one can have a really nice time just hanging out in the country.

Basically, I just second all of JP's advice - I've had a great time doing those things. Also, if you're at all into birds or whales, a pelagic tour from Bar Harbor is also completely awesome. Puffins and humpbacks (and many more).


Posted by: Parenthetical | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 6:37 PM
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Thanks, Parenthetical. That's reassuring about the crowds.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 7:33 PM
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Transport in NYC is pretty damn cheap. A partial compensation for the insane rents. $89 a month is a lot cheaper than most places in Europe, and the system is pretty good if you ignore the esthetics.

On Mt. Desert Island - the crowds thin out dramatically once you get more than fifteen minutes away from any trailhead. But don't go if you have a serious fear of heights. Also, the campground there is quite nice and cheap, or was a decade ago.


Posted by: teraz kurwa my | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:09 PM
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My last post seems to have gone west.

You don't need to carry a Brompton when it's folded - you can roll it along using the two tiny wheels seen on the bottom right of the last picture.

However these are very inadequate and find every crack/uneven surface available. You can replace them with skateboard wheels and then it rolls along like a dream. Highly recommended.


Posted by: Herr Torquewrench | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:19 PM
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Forgot to mention - no need to push down the saddle pillar - once you've got skateboard wheels you can push/pull it along using the saddle to 'steer' it.


Posted by: Herr Torquewrench | Link to this comment | 07-15-09 8:22 PM
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And then people will just think you're training for a triathlon, rather than a total lunatic.

That's not really an either/or there.


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 07-16-09 4:26 AM
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