Thursday, April 08, 2010

Cracking up

Ah, spring commuting in Anchorage.
Gravel everywhere, snowmelt coating
bike frames with muddy slop,
and the sound of studs clattering
on dry pavement.

Studded tires are slow and heavy,
and grinding hundred-dollar studs
against the pavement is annoying,
but I've learned to resist the
temptation to remove them early.

Because a path that looks like
this for several days ...


Can suddenly look like this ...


Then, of course, we have
those pesky little cracks that open up
in thin pavement of bike paths.
And by "little," I mean
freakin' huge.

Steer carefully, people.
And try to stay upright.

5 comments:

The Old Bag said...

Oh
my
god!

We made it through our grinding hundred-dollar studs against the pavement time of year, but I haven't seen cracks like THAT one, ever!

Tim said...

TOB, that one is the biggest I've ever seen. We always get a few fresh cracks, but that one is off the charts. I fired off a couple of e-mail with attached photos last night, hoping someone responsible for maintaining that trail will get it repaired before someone gets maimed riding down it in the dark.

61 Degrees North said...

Where is that crack? It looks like the ramp beside C Street heading south going down to Campbell Creek. Correct?

Tim said...

Sharp eye, 61. That's exactly where it is.

Anonymous said...

Man, what happened? Earthquake!