The Next BABBLE Ride

[Myles/rattrappress]

I think it's about time for us to start kicking around ideas for our
next official BABBLE group ride. When do we want to do this? Who wants
to head this up and where do we want to ride? I think the only
requirement should be that the start location be easily accessed by
train.

[Chandra]

i would like the start location to be accessible by public transportation, good idea!

i am not good at organizing these things.
who knows? may be I will try to put one together for Irving after I see how you guys do it.

--
Peace :)
-Chandra...


“It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.”
-- Mark Twain

[Steve A]

Something like the Katy Trail works in that regard. What is there south of the TRE that would work that someone like Reed might be able to make?

 

Downtown Dallas & Oak Cliff also make wonderful Saturday rides.

On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 11:03 AM, Myles/rattrappress <rattra...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Myles/rattrappress]

How crowded does the Katy Trail get on weekends? Are the crowds bad
enough that it would be difficult to keep our group together, and what
are the neighborhood streets like in the area?

On Nov 24, 12:33 pm, Steve A <steve.a.dfw...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Something like the Katy Trail works in that regard. What is there south of
> the TRE that would work that someone like Reed might be able to make?
>
> Downtown Dallas & Oak Cliff also make wonderful Saturday rides.
>

> On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 11:03 AM, Myles/rattrappress <rattrappr...@gmail.com

[Chip Seal]

Don't make plans with me in mind, I am going to miss the next BABBLE
ride most likely.

--
If someone takes a shower with his clothes on, people think he's
crazy. But if the guy showers naked, everyone can see he's nuts!

[Doohickie]

Still, I like the thought of riding the train to the gathering. I
very rarely ride my bike to a group ride.

As for the Katy Trail- I've never been on it, but don't the crowds
thin out this time of year?

On Nov 26, 12:18 pm, Chip Seal <chps...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Don't make plans with me in mind, I am going to miss the next BABBLE
> ride most likely.
>

[Steve A]

It might be a challenge. It's busier than the FW Trinity Trail, at
least the one time I rode on it during bike school.

-Steve A

On Nov 26, 2009, at 12:01 PM, "Myles/rattrappress" <rattra...@gmail.com

[Steve A]

If I might toss out a suggestion. Interlochen neighborhood at night.
It'd have to be between now and Christmas. Other great light locales?
Especially ones within a reasonable ride of a TRE station?

This one might be more of a family ride. It seems MUCH more fun to
look at lights in a group of bikes than stuck in a traffic jam. Babble
does eggnog...

-Steve A

[Davis, Charlie D - (TEXAS)]

This one sounds fun.

[Chandra]

Depending on the season, it can be moderately crowded, but still manageable.
I know a good route from Irving to the KT Trail and back.

[Paul]

fixed dallas posted a dallas rt they r going to ride tomorrow. i can't bcs i've got to work, but maybe it'll give y'all some ideas. someone mentioned dallas, anyway.
http://ow.ly/G2Ow

[Paul]

paul being twister in this case...i need to remember to sign w/ that

[Steve A]

It'd be a good ride for cruisers and battery bike light decorations.

-Steve A

On Nov 26, 2009, at 6:24 PM, "Davis, Charlie D - (TEXAS)" <CDD...@tcco.com

> <winmail.dat>

[Doohickie]

That reminds me... I have a set of battery powered LED lights to put
on my bike. ;-)

[Chandra]

woohoo...ligts are always fun!

On Thu, Nov 26, 2009 at 9:37 PM, Doohickie <dooh...@charter.net> wrote:

That reminds me... I have a set of battery powered LED lights to put
on my bike.  ;-)

[Chandra MP]

Sounds like a great fun ride.

[Doohickie]

If we are going to try to ride to Interlochen to see the Christmas
lights, here is what I've found:

The Hurst Bell TRE station is 5.5 miles from Interlochen:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=3232+Bell+Spur+Dr.,+Hurst+76053&daddr=W+Randol+Mill+Rd+%26+Westwood+Dr,+Arlington,+Tarrant,+Texas+76012&hl=en&geocode=FdKR9AEdy4c1-inVNfk1lX5OhjHtbYPLFKrkiw%3BFZu78wEd47M1-inJJp7OUXxOhjGPcBTw_9PFVw&gl=us&mra=ls&sll=32.77789,-97.14576&sspn=0.069566,0.110378&ie=UTF8&ll=32.777749,-97.153301&spn=0.069567,0.110378&t=h&z=13

The actual Interlochen route is about 3.5 miles for the basic loop.
Then it would be 5.5 back to the station. A total of less than 15
miles which sounds very do-able for most of us.

If we did it on a Saturday, there would be plenty of time to catch the
TRE:

http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/newsateb.html

We could, perhaps, meet up at the station, ride toward Interlochen and
stop to eat somewhere along the way, then proceed to the the lights
after dinner.

The trains to Dallas and Forth Worth leave Hurst Bell at 10:59 and
10:56, respectively. I don't think we'd be nearly that late, so that
would leave plenty of time.

The biggest downside is that several of us would have long rides after
dark, including the ride to the TRE from Interlochen. On the other
hand, maybe if someone drove to Interlochen we could load up a vehicle
or two with bikes and carry them back to the station.

Does anyone want to attempt this? It might be a little ambitious....

[Steve A]

I imagine there's somewhere NORTH of the Trinity that would work. I have driven Greenbelt Road and concluded it would not be a route of choice for me because it has poor sightlines and is narrow. It's rideable, don't get me wrong, but I think a group would feel like sitting ducks, though there are a couple of side alternates that might make it not as bad as I imagine. Collins and Ray Orr are my normal routes of choice across the Trinity and both are a long detour to go to Interlochen from Bell Station. I will do a bit of research and toss out some alternate suggestions, but the idea of a lazy night light ride sounds like a very good concept - we just have to find the right destination. It needs to be a reasonable distance from a TRE Station. People can either do a longer ride to the station or park and take their bikes on the train depending on their inclination and - important this time of year - the weather.

                  -Steve A

[Steve A]

Check out the link. One that jumps out would be the Highland Park lights. Get off the TRE at AA Station and then we'd ride the Katy Trail most of the way. Night in Dallas. It sounds better than Interlochen and it'd also give people a taste of the Katy Trail I imagine it would not be crowded at night...

 

http://www.town-mall.net/community/dfwchristmaslights.html

 

          -Steve A

[Paul]

The traffic that I've seen in the Interlochen neighborhood when it begins to hit its peak is barely controlled chaos. I don't know anything about the Katy trail but if Interlochen is true to form it might be good to carry a compressed air signal horn, just in case.