About The Buang Biker

I’m just an average guy living and working in The Sprawl who likes to bicycle for fun and fitness.

45 posts

The Buang Biker™ at die Große Scheiße Creek

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Yes, I know. It’s been 3 long months since my last post. The road to recovery has been long. I’ve been out for rides, but nothing too fascinating or interesting. I’ve seen a thing or two like the memorial to a bicyclist who was run over by a car and killed. While riding on the Rail Trail! There will be a post on that in future. There was that trip in the heat last week that landed me in the hospital. That was a story. But over all nothing I could really be glib about. Until tonight.

While Henergy-on-Wheels™ was in a PICL (practice), yours truly rode the northern extension of the York County Heritage Rail Trail. It’s only an 8 mile trip, it is slightly more challenging than the rest of the Rail Trail that runs from the state line to the City of York.

At one end is the beautiful and big John C. Rudy Park. At the other end, Route 30. Woo!

What makes the Route 30 end so interesting is this cool refreshing cascade of water.

Or not.

As you may remember (and if you don’t you can always go back and reread my post), I learned the Hollow Creek Greenway should really be called Scheiße Creek Greenway. If that’s the case, then this is the BIG Scheiße Creek.

All the scheiße in the greater York metropolitan area flows through the plant in the background before cascading into the creek. The deer and the geese don’t seem to mind. However, I’m certainly glad the potable water plant is upstream from the cascade.

Until next time: pedal on!

The Bang Biker™ — Back in the Saddle

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The doctor released me from the splint yesterday and cleared me for light road riding and rail trail travails. I made it out for a ride tonight. Only 3 miles around the neighborhood with Joe, but it felt great. See the freed hand! The 3.03 miles! The super shirt that provides inspiration to ride and the Clark Kent glasses that conceals my Buang Biker identity on the road. Hard to ride when the groupies starting asking for my autograph. 😂

The Buang Biker™ Takes a Walk – How Odd

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Recovery from the Bosley Avenue wipe out has been an incredibly frustrating period. Over a month without being on the saddle has taken its toll. No more stamina. On the other hand, Netflix rocks!

Aside from not being able to ride,the splint makes it difficult and frustrating to do, well, just about everything. But especially typing. So lack of adventures and difficulty typing lead to a quiet blog.

The new splint certainly makes me feel like I have Spider-man’s wrist webbing devices on.

[Speaking of Spider-man, we must pause to remember the greatness of Steve Ditko who passed away on June 29, 2018. Aside from co-creating the web head, Mr. Ditko also created one of my favorite characters: The Question. Ye shall be missed.]

Still, I did get a chance recently to take a lunch time stroll which led to an Odd Towson investigation. Having seen from a distance a long white stick rising above a regular old telephone/electrical cable support post, I had to investigate.

My suspicion was and remains that it is an antenna of some sort. Though I’ll be darned if I can figure out exactly for what. Here’s a shot of it on the post in the alley between Pennsylvania and Allegheny Avenues just west of Bosley.  It’s easier to see when it isn’t cloudy, but it hasn’t been not cloudy long enough to get a better shot since I took the stroll.

The cable from the bottom of the antenna seems to lead to a large, non-descript box near the bottom of the post. No indication of what is in the box, but other cables lead into it as well. I’ve never seen anything similar anywhere else. Very odd.

As I continued my stroll, I started looking at all the support posts along my walk. How much weight can these posts support? Looking at this one it’s hard to imagine how it hasn’t collapsed under the strain!

Anyway, it’s a long slow slog to recovery. 🙁 Can’t wait to be back on the saddle. Meanwhile, I can live on vicariously through Henergy on Wheels™ and his new activity. But that’s a story for another time.

Pedal on!

Odd Towson

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Welcome to Odd Towson, the Buang Biker™ Zone’s newest feature.

These posts will highlight interesting finds during my travels in the greater Towson metropolitan area. The “oddities” may consist of objects or features that are easily overlooked, of historical interest, or just plain out of place in this day and age. We begin, appropriately enough, with a look at Towson’s Odd Fellows.

Their headquarters overlooks the heart of downtown Towson, just south of the traffic oval. At street level there’s little to catch one’s attention during a typical day’s hustle and bustle. But look up and you will see the heart in hand that vaguely reminds one of the crazed magic man in Indiana Jones II. The all-seeing eternally vigilant eye ever watches o’er Towson’s constant metamorphosis.

In reality, there’s nothing so sinister about the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Towson Lodge #79. The chain links represent friendship, love, and truth. The Heart in Hand is a symbol of charity. The Eye of Providence symbolizes God watching over humanity.

In the days before Big Government, private organizations took on some of the social netting the government now provides. More background on Odd Fellows can be found on their website.

In the case of the Towson Lodge, famous local war hero General Nathan Towson was asked to be a foundong member. However, like Free Masons, Odd Fellows and Catholicism don’t co-exist well.

The Buang Biker™ Wipes Out

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Unfortunately,  The Surfaris weren’t involved. It was the rough, ripped roads of Towson that brought me down.

At one point my hand looked like James T. Kirk’s in J.J. Abram’s first
Star Trek movie after an allergic reaction to McCoy’s injection.

The Joe ended up looking a lot worse. Wheels flopped like frisbees. Race Pace Bicycles of Towson trued the wheels in a day. It’ll take the Buang Biker a bit longer to recuperate.

Hopefully, I’ll be back in the saddle when this heatwave ends, because the Buang Biker loves to ride at 40 Fahrenheit. However, he withers at 40 centigrade.

Pedal on!

The Buang Biker™ Celebrates Father’s Day at York College

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So, the Buang Biker™ and Henergy on Wheels™ actually got a little Father’s Day ride in before chilling out and laughing our helmets off watching the Fast and Furious spoof Superfast! I haven’t appreciated such brain candy since grad school and Xena: Warrior Princess. And it was heavenly hearing Henegry’s great guffaws. ?‍??‍♂️

 

The Buang Biker™: Up Hollow’s Creek Without a Paddle

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The Buang Biker was out and about this evening, trying out a new trail. And I learned it’s dirty little secret.

It’s the Hollow Creek Greenway. Hm, more like Scheiße Creek Greenway.

This 1.5 mile trail starts just past Nixon Park off Valley Rd. It goes from the parking lot, curves around private residences before crossing Valley Rd.

Then it travels gently, sometimes more gently than other times, upward for the mile and a half. It’s slightly loose gravel. Not great for the hybrid tires on my Tern Joe. But I coped.

Thing is, it smelled a little ripe. I just attributed it to the fetid humid conditions prevailing at the time. And I thought it a little odd that there were a few sanitary sewer covers along the trail. Then a mile in I learned the secret.

The Springfield Township waste water treatment facility sits along the trail. And while taking my picture, the facility took a dump. Huge rush of water came out of a strategically cloaked pipe under the building.

Clever.

The rest of the ride up was less ripe. The ride back was nicely downhill.

It’s good walking trail. Not enough trail for biking unless it’s for little kids.

And remember: always wear your helmet!

The Buang Biker™ Chills at Spruce Street Harbor Park

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Some of you may be wondering what happened to the Buang Biker. Nothing bad, I assure you. It’s just that BBer and family spent four PHAAAAAN-tastic! (said in my best imitation of a British accent and as spoken by a waitress at The Giraffe in Islington, London many years ago) days in Philadelphia. This trip culminated in a wonderful night at the amazing Spruce Street Harbor Park .

It was a bit surreal as I was both tourist and tour-guide. The wall along the promenade of the park in front of the Hilton was covered in love-locks, which I explained to other tourists was an expression of love. They thought it was a cool idea. Mrs. BB looked bemused at the sight of tourist-turned-tour-guide explaining this to what was beginning to feel like an endless line of tourists. I quickly hurried away lest more people stop and keep me from making it to the park. In retrospect, I think I should have worn my Phillies hat and used it for holding tips. 

Anyway,  after returning home we ended up with a week of rain. Great for getting things done around the house, but horrible for biking. But wait! I hear you say: What’s a little rain to someone who bikes in 20F (-7C) temps? Well, yes, I do. However, that’s dry and visible weather. Expecting to survive a ride in the greater Baltimore/York Metro area in the rain and fog (even with bright blinking lights) is like stepping off a mountain into thin air without a parachute and expecting to not get hurt. Ain’t gonna happen. I don’t trust drivers that much.

After all, I’m the Buang Biker™, not the Gago Guy on a Bike™. ?

Cheers!

The Buang Biker™ and the Grapes on the Path

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The Buang Biker took yet another lunchtime ride through hill and dale in the delightful wilds of West Towson. So many cool things to see. Old houses with nice gardens. Or in this case, a huge trellis with purple flowers. Sorry. It’s hard to see in this picture. Just above the white fence. I’d move closer, but it’s likely I’d be talking to the PoPo, as my son Henergy on Wheels™ would say, if I looked too suspicious. However, next time I’m out I’ll have to check for grapes. Perhaps a good review of the great landscaping would get me invited over after fermentation.?

STILL MORE Power to the People!

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The Buang Biker is pointing to Three Mile Island across the river from York Haven. For those with a sense of history, TMI was the site of the worst nuclear meltdown in history.  Until the Russians had to one-up us with Chernobyl.  Believe it or not, 2 of TMI’s 4 reactors are still used to generate electricity.

Speaking of nuclear power, please remind me to rant on about the inefficiency of using nuclear reactions to boil water for electricity instead of more directly. Gr. What is this, the 21st century?????

The Buang Biker™ Cruising Historic Towson Woods

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After 25 years, the Buang Biker made it back to this bridge nestled on the grounds of Towson University. Last time he was there, there wasn’t a fence. Or anything else for that matter.  Now there is Johnny Unitas Stadium just a short field away. Go Tigers!

 

The bridge is also near to the Sheppard Pratt’s campus.  Sheppard Pratt is a premier mental health institution in Maryland. Thankfully, the Buang Biker was just passing through even though it sounds like he should stay awhile….