Trios, Quartets and Steel Plates...

Just a few interesting things I noticed during a quick ride this morning. First came the trio, their own little self-contained bike train. Dad in front, young son on a trail-a-bike behind, and attached to that, the youngest in a trailer. Perfect way for a family to spend some time together. As they passed an older gent, walking along the sidewalk, he turned to watch them go past and exclaimed, "well what do you think of that?" I passed them with a "good morning", and then at the next light they turned the corner with "have a good ride." Another half mile along I was still thinking about the trio, when I just noticed a quartet of riders headed the opposite direction, another family, this time on a bicycle built for four. I didn't get a photo of them, but have seen them around before, so will have to wait until next time.

A short distance later I came upon a new housing project being built. As usual there was a trench cut half way across the street, water main poc, or sewage connection with, typically, a steel plate covering the trench. As I rode over the trench and plate, I noticed something was missing - that jolt you get as you hit the edge of the plate, or the asphalt built up along the edge. I had to turn around for a photo, I don't think I have ever seen anything like it before. You know, usually the plate is simply laid on top of the roadway, covering the trench, and you have to bunny hop it to avoid a pinch flat. In this case, the contractor had fit the plate perfectly to the trench, and recessed it, so that there was a nice smooth transition. A little asphalt filler in the gap between plate and roadway, but level across. Not sure if this was some new regulation, or a little extra effort on someone's part, but it is appreciated. Slainte!