October 2025

I struggle with October. The weather is nearly perfect for laying in a hammock. Alas, I don’t have one and wouldn’t want to have to deal with one (storing, cleaning, hanging, etc.). So I mostly just ride. My legs are starting to feel the effects of over 8,300 miles of riding in 2025. My body seems to be hanging on by a thread of a tendon, I suppose. My right arm is still barking at me despite my attempts to strengthen it. My back is a disaster area. What I wouldn’t give for the recuperative powers of my youth.

Riding

This month’s event ride was The Great Pumpkin Ride. I’ve done this about a dozen times. It’s hard to beat Virginia countryside in the fall. I did this year’s ride on Big Nellie. All went well except for the fact that my rear wheel started falling off, proving there really is a first time for everything.

I followed that 63-mile day with a 51-mile ride to see the foliage in Rock Creek Park. Otherwise it was a run of the mill month of riding reaching 901 miles. I’m at 8,692 miles so far this year. Will I make it to 10,000 miles again? Stay tuned.

I also started doing 2- to 3-mile walks with my trekking poles. My back holds up and the poling action seems to be helping my shoulder.

Reading

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman. Yet another Thursday Murder Club mystery. Osman writes them; I read them. No complaints. Breezy, clever, and funny. A good way to pass the time between baseball playoff games and bike rides.

Watching

Baseball. I’ve seen most of the playoff games including Shohei Ohtani’s game for the ages against the Brewers. I’ve seen a couple of 10-RBI games, one by Fred Lynn and the other by Anthony Rendon. And I’ve seen plenty of 10-strikeout games. Seeing someone do both was a bit mind boggling. The 2025 World Series is one for the ages.

The Comeback: Red Sox 2004 – A three-hour documentary about the 2004 Red Sox post season with commentary from (among others) Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Affleck’s memories matched mine to a T. After the Sox won the 2004 World Series, I stopped watching baseball for a couple of years. Nothing could match the Comeback. (Until the 2019 Nats pulled some magic of their own.)

From Rails to Trails – An in interesting historical account of how rail trails became a thing. There are a few good ones within 200 miles of home but my local area has three non-rail trails – Mount Vernon, the C&O Canal Towpath, and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail (and it’s northern extensions along the Anacostia tributaries). The documentary didn’t mention my favorite: the Great Allegheny. If you haven’t ridden it, you really should.