The signage on the Tobacco Trail is very nicely done. Probably not anything new to those of you who live here in Durham, but interesting (and a nice photo I wanted to share) nonetheless.
Above: Dunhill Road intersection on the American Tobacco Trail in Durham.
Then we have bike lanes. You know, the marked lanes on the side of larger roads that are designated specifically for bikes. Probably the one I use most frequently is the lane on South Roxboro Road. Also, I ride in the bike lane on the MLK parkway every once in a while. These bike lanes are nice, especially now that they have widened the road (near Archdale). I have also ridden on the bike lanes in RTP (nice on the weekends) and a few bike lanes in northern Durham as part of my 50 mile ride.
Above: Signs for “designated bicycle routes” and “designated bicycle lanes”. (via, with explanations)
I think it goes without saying (well, maybe not) that I really appreciate bike lanes. They get bikes out of traffic and give them a place to ride. On group rides especially, when we are riding (maybe 15 riders) on a large road, it would be a big hassle for both cars and bikes were there not bike lanes available.
Last time I took my bike in for maintenance, the tech recommended that I cover up the many scratches on my bike with nail polish. I thought “nail polish?”, but once I got home I thought about it and it made sense that it would work. The nail polish gives the scratches a protective coating, prevents the paint from peeling, and prevents further erosion of the frame.
Above: Today, I got a chance to clean off the bike and coat the scratches.
However, I guess that not everyone thinks that using nail polish is the best solution. Here’s what this guy had to say:
Nail polish? Let’s get this right… rail riding the roofbars of moving SUVs, before trecking miles through the frozen Arctic wastes… then they go home and use their nail files to remove the rust, nail varnish to treat the scratches, and lipstick to cover unsightly marks on their seat covers? You guys are sooooo macho.
(That was sarcastic, if you couldn’t tell.) I read a few online message board discussions that dealt with this topic, and people presented several different solutions. Still, I think that using nail polish is one of the best (and easiest, and cheapest) fixes. I used clear top-coat nail polish, but I guess if you had colored nail polish you could use that instead. It would make the scratches less noticeable (you can still see the scratches on my bike, even though they are coated).
Exploring
on December 20th, 2006
These photos were taken on the same trip to the North Carolina mountains that I wrote about in this post. To get to the planned start of our ride on Railroad Grade Road, my brother and I had to ride all the way down the mountain, as we were staying near the top. Some parts were pretty steep, but it was a fun ride.
Above: Getting ready to coast down one of the hills.
On the way down, we found a trail that went off into the woods. We had some extra time, so we rode it for a little while. It was a pretty neat trail, and I’m glad we decided to follow it. It didn’t get too far away from the main road, but it sort of followed the main road from a distance. The whole area was really scenic, and this was a trail that most people wouldn’t notice as they are coasting down the steep hills.
Above: Exploring an off-road trail we found near Fleetwood Falls. (my old bike– it looks so small!)