Hill Slugs Ad Hoc, Sunday, February 1, 2015

28 January 2015


Saturday will be too cold and windy for anything.  Sunday will be a little bit warmer, with much less wind.

Tom H has suggested Pennypack Park for a wooded, paved, and plowed trail ride. We can get 20 miles out of it if we want to.  If we don't, we don't.


The temperature will still be below freezing at 10:00 a.m., so dress appropriately.


If you feed "8701-8899 Pine Rd, Philadelphia, PA" into your mapping software, you should see the Pine Road entrance to Pennypack Park.  Or try this link.

A Short Video about the PennEast Pipeline

25 January 2015

For the Fastboys

24 January 2015

PennEast Scoping Hearing Postponed

23 January 2015




Might the "unforeseen circumstances" have had something to do with the piles of angry letters pouring into FERC? (I've been reading them all.)


While the NJ portion of the pipeline is in Hunterdon County, the hearing was scheduled in Mercer County, at 6:00 p.m. on a weeknight, with less than two weeks notice. (People are hopping mad about that, in addition to being hopping mad about the pipeline itself.)


This is our biking turf, Slugs. This is farmland, preserved open space, parks, and some of NJ cleanest streams in danger. This is where we go to escape on weekends. Get writing!


Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE, Room 1A
Washington, DC 20426
Docket # PF15-1-000


(See this link for instructions to comment online.)


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC
Docket No. PF15-1-000
NOTICE OF POSTPONEMENT OF PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING FOR THE PENNEAST PIPELINE PROJECT
(January 23, 2015)


On January 13, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned PennEast Pipeline Project, Requests for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings. The notice solicited comments on the potential environmental impacts of the planned project and announced the time and location of five public scoping meetings being held for the environmental proceedings.


Due to unforeseen circumstances, Commission staff is postponing the scoping meeting planned for Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at the Kendall Hall, Performance Theater, College of New Jersey, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ 08628. Once a new venue is established and scheduled, the Commission will issue another notice advising of the new location and time.

PennEast: Comment Deadline Extended, Additional Hearings

21 January 2015


Here's an interactive map of the proposed route. Take a close look.





This just came through from FERC:






UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC Docket No. PF15-1-000

NOTICE OF EXTENSION OF COMMENT PERIOD AND
CLARIFICATION OF LOCATION OF PUBLIC SCOPING MEETINGS
FOR THE
PENNEAST PIPELINE PROJECT

(January 21, 2015)

On January 13, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Planned PennEast Pipeline Project, Requests for Comments on Environmental Issues,
and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings. The notice solicited comments on the potential
environmental impacts of the planned project and announced the time and location of five
public scoping meetings being held for the environmental proceeding. The close of the
public comment period in that notice is listed as February 12, 2015.

Due to a limited printing delay in the mailing of the notice, we are extending the
comment period. Please note that the scoping period will now close on February 27,
2015.

In addition to extending the scoping period, the Commission staff has provided
further clarification on its scoping meeting locations. The table below now lists the name
of the building or hall at each meeting location. Please note that signage will be placed
upon the entry of the meeting venues for your assistance.



January 27, 2015
6:00 PM Eastern Time
College of New Jersey
Kendall Hall, Performance Theater
2000 Pennington Road
Ewing, NJ 08628
January 28, 2015




6:00 PM Eastern Time
Bucks County Community College
Kevin and Sima Zlock Performing Arts
Center, Gateway Auditorium
275 Swamp Road
Newtown, PA 18940
February 10, 2015




6:00 PM Eastern Time
Northampton Community College
Main Campus, Kopecek Hall, Lipkin
Theater
3835 Green Pond Rd
Bethlehem, PA 18020
February 11, 2015




6:00 PM Eastern Time
Penn’s Peak
Main Concert Hall
325 Maury Road
Jim Thorpe, PA 18229
February 12, 2015




6:00 PM Eastern Time
Best Western Hotel & Conference Center
Empress Ballroom
77 E Market Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA

I Guess I Know What I'm Doing This Summer

20 January 2015


Hoo boy.

PennEast Pipeline Update

18 January 2015


Below is a message from the NJ Sierra Club about a public hearing at TCNJ on January 27, and about how you can comment online.  The docket number is PF15-1-000.


The proposed route is here.

The real battle begins! FERC recently announced the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Public Scoping Meetings on the PennEast Pipeline. It is critical for EVERYONE to attend these meetings and comment on this destructive pipeline! The first of 5 meetings is on January 27,at TheCollege of New Jersey - 2000 Pennington Road Ewing, NJ.

In order to stop this pipeline we need to flood these meetings and flood FERC with comments about how unnecessary and dangerous the PennEast Pipeline is!

The PennEast project would install over 100 miles of 30 inch pipeline across the region to connect the fracked gas fields of the Marcellus Shale and New Jersey.  The pipeline would cut through Hunterdon and Mercer counties, entering New Jersey just south of Phillipsburg after crossing the Delaware River. The pipeline will cut through miles of preserved parks and farmland, which we have worked to protect!

The PennEast pipeline would cross underneath the Delaware River, a source of drinking water for millions and enjoyed by thousands for fishing, kayaking, and other recreational uses. The pipeline project will damage water quality, clear cut forests and impact residential communities. 

We do not need more fracked gas or this damaging infrastructure running through our sensitive areas and under our water supply!  Join us in telling FERC to reject this project and protect our open spaces and clean energy future. 

Join us at the meeting at TCNJ OR email or write to FERC now and let them know you oppose this project!

Here are instructions on how o submit comments:

(1)        You can file your comments electronically using the eComment feature located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to Documents and Filings.  This is an easy method for interested persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a project;

(2)  You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling feature located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to Documents and Filings.  With eFiling, you can provide comments in a variety of formats by attaching them as a file with your submission.  New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on “eRegister.”  You must select the type of filing you are making. If you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select “Comment on a Filing”; or 

(3)              You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the following address:

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

888 First Street NE, Room 1A

Washington, DC  20426

Please consider these points when preparing your comments:

This Project is NOT in the Public Interest

• The pipeline project will endanger families and the environment to transport fossil fuels and support the fracking industry.  
• The project does not preserve our natural resources; instead it will encourage significant negative impacts to important waterways, critical habitat, wetlands and forests.
• Production of gas in the Marcellus Shale is predicted to exceed use in the Mid-Atlantic region within two years.[1]  This line is being pushed by the drillers to move their supply, not based on public need.

The Project would have Significant Adverse Impacts on:

• Water Quality and Water Supply: the pipeline crosses through the Delaware River watershed which provide drinking water for millions in New Jersey and Pennsylvania 
• Channel Stability: increased erosion from clearings 
• Threatened and Endangered Species
• Drainage and Compaction of Soils  

Pipelines Are Under-regulated & Poorly Maintained

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA) only has 135 inspectors to oversee 2.6 million miles of pipeline. PHMSA or its state partners have inspected only one fifth of that pipeline system since 2006.[2]

In the past ten years, gas transmission lines average 117 incidents a year, according to PHMSA.  In the past twenty years there have been 41 deaths, 195 injuries, and $1.6 billion in property damage as a result.^[3] 

Clean Energy Alternatives

Instead of investing in long term infrastructure for more fossil fuels, we need to be investing in alternatives like solar, wind, demand response and energy efficiency that do not threaten the environment and our public health.  Researchers at Stanford have found NJ can run on 100%  renewable energy by 2050, creating green jobs while improving our environmental legacy.[4]

Mark your Calendar & SHARE these important meeting dates!

January 27, 2015 6:00 PM

College of New Jersey

2000 Pennington Road

Ewing, NJ 08628

January 28, 2015 6:00 PM

Bucks County Community College

275 Swamp Road             

Newtown, PA 18940

February 10, 2015 6:00

Northampton Community College

3835 Green Pond Rd

Bethlehem, PA 18020

February 11, 2015 6:00 PM Penn’s Peak

325 Maury Road

Jim Thorpe, PA 18229

February 12, 2015 6:00 PM

Best Western Hotel & Conference Center

77 E Market Street

Wilkes-Barre, PA

Ice and Mud

17 January 2015


"Tyler State Park, not Tyler Arboretum," Tom said.

"Whoops.  Philly girl."

We were on the D&R Canal towpath at Carnegie Lake on Washington Road.  The temperature was in the mid-20s.

We were joined by Chris (riding Animal), Snakehead Ed , Bagel Hill Barry, and (gasp!) Mighty Mike.  Tom suggested heading north.

There were more people on the towpath than I expected.  We saw runners, walkers, and other bikers who were not nearly as hardcore looking as we were.

I stopped often for pictures, and when I did, Ed would stop to move his chain back to the big ring. At home he'd messed with the front derailleur as much as he was able, and on the stand it was fine.  But out here the chain would not stay on the big ring.  When Chris questioned him, Ed answered, "Because it's a piece of shit."  This would be repeated throughout the ride.

The surface of the canal was frozen.

Sometimes there were frozen ripples:

Mighty Mike's tire slowly went flat. When it's this cold, we don't bother to change mountain bike tires unless we have to.  If it's a slow leak, pump it up and keep on going.  There's enough time for a picture:

It's been cold all week, and we've had some high winds too.  I called out that I was stopping so that I could take a picture of branches blown onto the ice.

Ed, behind me, calculated that he'd go around me.  Unfortunately, where I chose to pull over was bordered by a long stretch of ice, which Ed figured he'd ride over rather than hit me. This didn't go according to plan.  He skidded, my rear wheel stopping his slide.

He stood up.  "Ow ow ow," he said.

"Did I break you?"

"I broke me," he answered.

I took my pictures while he dusted himself off.

"You need Chris to teach you how to respect ice," I told him.  After that I noticed that he was riding over ice every chance he got.  I, like all the others except Chris, chose to go around each of them.

Farther along, a half-frozen lock:

A sheet of ice foam floated at the end:

In Kingston, the towpath is a tunnel under the crossroad.  Tom and Chris were ahead of me when I emerged.  Tom was stopped as Chris attempted to get over a large tree blocking the path.  Back in my mountain biking days, I used to watch from the sidelines as Chris would do this sort of thing.  More often than not he'd clear the obstacle.  He didn't this time, and I watched the slow-motion fall, feeling every slip and slam, saying "Ow ow ow" as he came to rest inches away from impaling his back on a thick branch of the tree trunk.

He dusted himself off, lifted his bike over the log, and pedaled on. This is why he has Animal on his handlebars.

When we reached Rocky Hill, Mike pumped up his tire a third time.  Tom decided to turn around. Mike went with him.  The rest of us decided to go on to the next intersection, at Six Mile Run.

Ed, wanting some smooth pavement to ease his bruises, suggested we take Canal Road back to Kingston.

"Are you broken?" I asked again. "Do I need to make an incident report?"  He assured me that he was fine.  "Just bruised," he said.

On our way we passed several groups of road bikers.  And here I thought we were exemplary of Rule #5.

At Rocky Hill, Chris led us on the less well-groomed trail across the canal from the official towpath. "There are some car-sized mud holes out there," Ed said.

"Um," I said, worrying about my back.

"They'll be filled with ice," Ed assured me.  Those I could go around.

I detoured around the first one, Ed behind me.  "I told ya," he said.  "Car sized."  He was next to me when I was going around the next one.  He pedaled straight across it.  Impressive. Back in the day I'd have been cajoled into doing that too, but now I risk back surgery if I fall the wrong way.  I'll go around.

The sun had softened the mud.  Despite the below-freezing air, we were going to return muddy.

We got back onto the towpath in Kingston.

Here's another frozen lock:

Carnegie Lake near Harrison Street:

On the lake, east of Washington Road, the lake was filled with ice skaters.  All that's needed is some snow on the ground and presto!  Norman Rockwell.

I watched a lone figure skater as she set up for a spin.  I watched her do a corkscrew, watched her feet travel on the ice, remembering how tough it is to spin in one spot.  I used to do that, I thought. I turned back to my pedals.  Now I do this.

For a wussy, flat towpath ride, our bikes were filthy. 

Compared to Chris, who didn't detour from soft ground, I was sterile.  His cable was caked in so much dirt that he could no longer shift:

Ed was proud of the grass in his derailleur. He wanted a picture.

"No incident report!" he said.  We tried to figure out how far we'd gone.  He guessed something in the high 20s.  I was betting on something closer to 10.

Ed emailed me later to say he'd mapped the route to 24 miles, which is what I got, too, more or less. "Are you broken?" I asked again.  Again he assured me he was unharmed past needing a little ice and ibuprofen. All the same, I think I need to go write this up on the ride sheet and send it in.  Sorry, Ed.  Rules is rules.

Hill Slugs Ad Hoc, Saturday, 17 January 2015

UPDATE
16 January 2015


OK, forget Tyler Arboretum. We're going to ride much closer to home, on the D&R Canal, starting at the entrance off of Washington Road by Carnegie Lake in Princeton, at 10:00 a.m. We'll ride until we don't feel like riding anymore.










15 January 2015




Ugh.  If NOAA's forecast is to be believed, the temperature will be in the low 20s during ride time. 


If the Slugs assemble, it'll be on a flat trail somewhere.  Tom H and I are thinking about going to Tyler Arboretum, where he has a 9-mile loop in mind (we can always do it twice).  If you're interested, let me know.




Stay tuned. I'll have a definite decision by tomorrow.

Frozen Lakes and Waterfalls

11 January 2015

Tom took us to Duke Farms this morning for a short ride that was more about taking pictures and doubling back than it was about exercise.  Jim, Joe, and Barry were also willing to brave the sub-freezing morning air.

As is my habit, I didn't do any reading about the history or the landscape before the ride.  As we stopped at the top of a bridge on one of the wide, paved paths through the estate, I wondered if there was some Olmstead influence.  Turns out there was: one of his associates planned the place (see the landscape link).

We began at the ride from the parking lot off of Duke's Parkway West.  A crossing guard stopped nonexistent traffic to guide us to the estate's entrance on the other side of the road.

I lost count of the number of frozen lakes that we passed.  I think we stopped for all of the man-made waterfalls.

There are a few little hills.

I wore my new pair of lobster claw gloves today.  It made for some fumbling lack of dexterity, and in shoving my camera back into my pocket, I inadvertently switched the exposure to fish-eye.  I like how it came out; it looks how I feel at the end of a long ride.

This was a short ride, though:

Fish-eye is fun.

This is the foundation of the estate's mansion that never got built.  Maybe this counts as a folly.

Whatever this was, it's a sculpture garden now:

We found ourselves back at the entrance sooner than we'd expected, so we crossed the road and, after a few false starts, wound around a meadow.

We hadn't planned to ride on any of the trails anyway, bikes not being permitted, but I had to stop for this picture, seeing as how both Tom and I were on the same ride and all:

Views from the meadow:

A Little of Everything Ride

one more annoying Piggy thing

3 January 2014

I'd typed "RIDE CANCELED" and was ready to hit "save" when I changed my mind.  Surely I could get the group back to Pennington before the rain started.  My reputation as a tough cyclist would be at stake were I to call it quits with only a 50% chance of getting wet.

At 9:00 a.m. I set out to Pennington on Miss Piggy, having installed her new saddle days before. Something didn't feel quite right, as if my weight were being pushed backwards, as if I were sitting on a tiny bar stool.  I must not have leveled the saddle, having been so concerned with getting the height and setback correct down to the millimeter.  No worries; I carry a hex wrench in case any saddles, seat posts, or stems need adjustment. I didn't expect to see anyone in Pennington.  I could tweak the saddle in the parking lot before heading out for a short ride on my own.

As I approached the bottom of the little hill on Lawrenceville-Pennington Road, I saw a red tail light making its way up the hill.  From this distance I couldn't tell what kind of bike the light was attached to.  It took my catching up to it to see the familiar maroon Mercien, fenders, steel, lugs, chrome, and bags.  Plain Jim would be jealous, again, that he missed this bike, again.

Ron A and I rode the rest of the way to Pennington together.  Waiting for us were Bagel Hill Barry and John K, as well as Russell (this week's New Guy, who, like so many other New Guys, will be with the Fastboys come spring).  Then Snakehead Ed pulled in.  Any thoughts of a mellow route that would stick close to home vanished.  With Ed and Russell both chasing the dream of a 50-mph descent, I felt compelled to deliver at least one downhill that would hold them until warmer weather. Maybe we'd go to Lambertville after all.

I had to fix my saddle first.  It took some digging to find my wrench.  I leveled the saddle and tightened the bolt that holds the saddle to the seatpost, then pocketed the wrench for easy access.  I had a bad feeling that I'd need it again.

And I did, as soon as we got across the street.  This time I leaned into it as hard as I could.  Much better.

We were still in Pennington when I asked Russell if he'd heard of Poor Farm.  He hadn't.  I didn't say anything else.  Given what he'd told me about his climbing experience and ambitions when I first met him last weekend, I didn't figure I'd need to coach him.  All I said, as we turned onto Woosamonsa and began to climb, was "Watch.  They're gonna curse me.  RIGHT TURN!"

Pure assholery on my part, sending people up Poor Farm on the second day in January.  I usually save that for early spring.  It shaves off  a few miles en route to Lambertville, though.

I could have given Ed and Russell the big descent on Harbourton-Woodsville Road, but the last time I was up here the pavement was so uneven that there was no joy in it.  That and the cold air made me choose a right turn as I crested the hill.  We took Linvale instead.

At the top I checked the radar. The same mass of nastiness that had been hanging to the west was still there.  It didn't look as if it had moved any.  I figured we'd be OK to get to Rojo's.  We went left on Mountain and left on Rocktown.

That's when the snow started.  At the intersection with Route 31 I turned us around.  We retraced our path back to Mountain.  My saddle had slipped again; I could feel it forcing me backwards.  I didn't want to stop to fix it.  Instead I stood up to loosen my bunched-up leggings every now and then.

We took Rileyville into Hopewell. The snow having stayed at the top of the mountain, we all agreed that coffee was in order.  There's a Rojo's at the Brick Farm Market, where I'd never been, so, at Ed's urging, that's where we went.  As we parked our bikes, the snow caught up with us.

Before going inside, I pulled out my wrench again.  I tightened the bolt as much as I could.  Barry took over and leaned into it as well.  If this wouldn't fix it, something would require a mechanic.

I used two of my deck of Rojo's $5 gift cards to pay for the Slugs who were at the counter with me. We took our time inside, and the snow stopped.

It had stuck to the brick walkway, though, and the streets were wet.  I chose the most direct, least hilly route through Hopewell to the golf course.  Now we were dealing with sleet, which, unless you keep your head down, smarts.  Now I know the sound of sleet on carbon.

On Mount Rose I hit a bump and heard the sickening crunch of carbon against carbon as my saddle popped upwards again.  One more time with the wrench. The sleet turned to rain.

One more adjustment before the last stretch on Pennington-Rocky Hill Road.  The sleet was big enough now that Ed was calling it hail.  He offered me a ride to Hart's from Pennington.  I accepted, as the sleet-hail turned to an honest, steady rain in the parking lot.  Poor Ron A had 17 miles go go to get home.  He wasn't fazed, though, having fenders and rain gear and thick tires and lights all around.

Walking into Hart's, I felt ashamed.  "I can't even change a frigging saddle," I whined.  Pete (a young and worthy wrench) set me at ease by letting me know that this particular Synapse seat post is a bitch. At first we thought the saddle rails were bent, but it turns out that the saddle had slightly slipped from the bolt on one side.  The whole thing was crooked now.  He dismantled everything and brought out a digital torque wrench and some pink, gritty paste, neither of which I have at home.  He made it look easy, but it still took the better part of ten minutes to level and position the saddle.  The bolt required more torque than I could give it with the tools I have.

I thought about the number of times I'd swapped saddles on Kermit without problems.  Three, four? I looked at Miss Piggy and said, "I'm beginning to really dislike this frame."  Pete smiled and said, "You have a triple with mountain bike gearing."  Ed said, "Get a compact."

It's more than that, though (although the trouble I've had with the drivetrain is plenty on its own). Getting the rear wheel back on after a tube change almost always results in a dropped chain, the force of seating the wheel into the dropouts being enough to shake the chain loose no matter which ring it's in.  I had to wail on the seat post to change its height for the new saddle. And now this.

On the other hand, my goofy gearing got me up Poor Farm on the second day in January, and I wasn't even last.

*****

I would be remiss in my blogging if I didn't report the exchange between Ed and me after Ed lent me a spare pair of unwashed lobster-claw gloves on his Wednesday below-freezing road ride:

Me:  Thanks for these gloves.  They're great!

Ed:  Just don't lick them.

Me:  Ha!

Ed:  Damn!  I should know better than to say this stuff to a prolific blogger.

Me:  Ha!  I probably wouldn't have remembered it if you hadn't just said that.

(And I probably would have forgotten entirely had Ed not insisted I carry the gloves with me today, just in case.)

Friday Ride to Rojo's

1 January 2015

In addition to Saturday's ride (see the previous post), I'm leading an unofficial ride tomorrow morning.  Santa gave me a pile of $5 Rojo's gift cards.  They're only good in Princeton and Lambertville, so we'll go to at least one of those, where I will treat people in $5 increments.

The ride will start at 9:00 a.m. from my house.  Contact me if you need directions.  We'll go about 45 miles at the typical Slug pace.

Hill Slugs Ad Hoc, Saturday, 3 January

UPDATE

3 January 2015, 7:00 a.m.

There's a 50% chance of rain from 10:00 to 12:00, after which we're sure to get wet.  The ride is still on, but we'll keep it short and close to the start. If there's rain before 9:30, the ride is canceled.

UPDATE 

2 January 2015, 10:30 p.m.

The forecast has taken a turn for the worse. Check in here tomorrow around 7:15 a.m. to find out if the ride is still on.

1 January 2015

As of mid-day today, Saturday's forecast puts the rain in the afternoon.  Let's meet at the Hopewell Administration Building on Main Street, across from Ingleside, in Pennington, at 9:30 a.m.  The route  and distance will depend on the weather. I'll aim for something in the 40 mile neighborhood. Extra-milers can meet me at my house at 9:00 a.m.