Tosa According to Nick

As part of a large Earth Day push, the Milwaukee County Transit System scheduling information is now fully integrated with Google Transit.  For those that don't know, Google Transit is an interface into Google Maps that will provide you with routes and times for how to get to two points in a mass transit area.  For those who don't ride the bus very often and are confused by the myriad routes and schedules, this is a God send and makes trip planning a cinch.  Of course, for me it simply reinforces the reason why I drive my car to work every day.  The car trip that currently takes me less than 20 minutes would take about an hour according to Google Transit.  That's 40 minutes each way that I'd rather have for other purposes.

You can find out more from this article at OnMilwaukee.  This comes on the heels of the announcement that Google Street View is available in Milwaukee as well.  Via Dean.

Warm weather is upon us, which means a few things.  First, it means that I'm on my bike every other day doing training rides for my first triathlon of the year in June (and running on the other days).  Second, it means that the Underwood Parkway Literary Society is having its regular meetings again.  The society seems to consist mostly of an ad hoc gathering of men who sit in their cars on Underwood Parkway between Swan Blvd. and Watertown Plank Rd. to "read".  I ride on that section pretty regularly as part of my Oak Leaf Trail route, and see it all the time.

Now who knows... maybe they're just there to enjoy the warm weather and catch up on the Wall Street Journal.  Of course, I haven't seen any other literary societies crop up on other stretches of parkway like Menomonee River or Honey Creek (where I also ride frequently).  Of course, there is also a reason why Underwood Parkway has earned the moniker "Underwear Parkway".

Honestly guys... in today's day and age... aren't there bars where you can go for that?

So along with the recent news that I've joined Facebook, you can also follow me on Twitter.  One of the things that I kept hearing at Deeper in .NET a couple weeks ago was, "So what's your Twitter name?" and "Aren't you on Twitter yet?".  I heard it from so many people, that I finally decided to give it a try.  And if you're on Twitter and I should know about, feel free to drop your Twitter name in the comment thread so I can add you too.  Some of my blogs also feature my latest Twitter updates in the sidebar.

The steeple at First Congregational Church in Wauwatosa.  It's a Tosa landmark, and was rebuilt several years ago.  I was over there a while ago and took some pictures, while messing around with the different settings trying to understand how to take good low light shots.  Here are some of them:

Other than that, my camera has been fairly dormant lately.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Today was the first good day when I could get my bike off the trainer and out on the road.  Unfortunately the parkways around Wauwatosa are so horrendous, that it makes me want to put my bike right back on the trainer.  Menomonee River Parkway and Underwood Parkway are worse than last year, with even bigger and deeper potholes.  In fact, they're so bad, I don't think they ought to be legally considered part of the Oak Leaf Trail any more.  It's dangerous for anyone with a standard road bike to go on those streets.  You end up weaving in and out and around potholes so often, that you're out in the middle of traffic constantly.  And if you miss one, you could very well end up crashing.

But enough of my little road rant.  There were other things that I saw today that bug me, which I'll share here since I have no place better to share them.

Bikers Without Helmets:  How stupid can you be?  Honestly.  I don't think there should be a law, but that doesn't mean you're not a complete and total idiot for not wearing one.  They cost $30 and can save your life.  Get one, period.

Bikers With iPods:  Also not smart.  You need to be able to hear traffic and also pedestrians.

Bikers Without Helmets and With iPods:  Call this number now.

Pedestrians on Bike Trails with Dogs on Long Leashes:  Look... I love dogs.  I owned one for many, many years.  But those extending leashes are a killer, especially if the person walking the dog is wearing an iPod so they can't hear me calling out "On Your Left".  Your dog is running everywhere attached to a clothes line.  This won't end well.  If you're on a mixed use trail, you need to pay attention and keep your pooch under control.

Bikers Not Speaking Out:  When you come up on someone, call out "On Your Left".  Don't just blow by.  Come on folks, common courtesy.

And if you are a biker, take this moment in the spring to make sure you have an emergency pack with you in case you need help.  This should include everything you might reasonably need in the case of a break down.  You might not be able to fix your problem, but you should have the supplies with you so that someone else can help you.  Every time I've had a breakdown, I've always had at least one person stop and ask if they can help.  So what should your carry?  At a bare minimum, this is what I keep with me in a micro saddle bag:

• 1 Spare Tube
• Tire Levers (1 if you're good, otherwise 2 or 3)
• 1 Patch Kit (in case your spare gets a flat)
• CO2 Inflator
• Bike Multi-tool
• Cell Phone (the ultimate multi-tool)

Happy biking everyone!