Earlier today a thread came up on the webs about the challenges of mounting a Wald basket to a front wheel using a quick release. A few years ago I worked through this problem with a set of
Old Man Mountain rack mounts that I had sitting in the parts bin.
It has held up as well as one could hope for. The evidence remains of my first solution attempt with the slotted holes. For the record that attempt was a total failure.
Woke up early this morning to a few messages of concern for our safety with the impending tsunami. A quick check on the web revealed that Japan is devastated, but that we should be looking at a series of tidal waves in the 3 to 6 foot range. Luckily it will also be a very low tide as the series of waves moves through. Good news for us, but thoughts and prays going out to the hardship on the other side of the planet.
I did what any good American would do and loaded up for a ride along the coast as I had almost 2 hours to the start of the waves.
Starting off with a reminder about every meal, I feel the same way about every ride.
I had the time to head pretty far north and explore some options for avoiding at least part of the stretch along the 101. This tunnel while full of glass can shave off almost 1 mile of hwy riding.
I also found a dirt trail that may connect to La Conchita, but that is for another day.
Back on the ride home no signs of a Tsunami other than the rangers trying to clear the motor homes out of the parks
And then the waiting begins to try to shoot some tsunami video:
I am not sure I was able to actually capture anything visible as evidence, and then time ran out for me to get back home. I heard through the grape-vine that more water came through the harbor around 9:30 or so, but not nearly as dramatic as last year's chilean tsunami. I will review the footage I caught and post it up if worth while later today.
I have had my
Patagonia Men's Houdini® for a little over 6 months now and am confident that it lives up to the claims and great reviews on the web.
The Houdini is a super light weight, breathable, wind resistant shell with Patagonia's Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish. It will keep you dry in anything less than a solid rain. Here on the southern California coast we commonly get mist and heavy fog. The jacket performed flawlessly in this weather, keeping me from dusting off the heavier rain shells for my morning rides. weighing in on the kitchen scale at 125g confirms that my XL Houdini is indeed a flyweight. Whether on my back or on the bike the load is barely noticeable.
The chest pocket serves double duty as a stuff sack.
Stuffed size is a little bigger than my fist when fully compressed. The compact and cleanly packed size means that I keep the jacket with me. It literally lives in the frame bag on my Roadeo, and has been my bail out layer more than once this season. Our weather has been a bit unpredictable this year. Many mornings I leave when it is dry, only to have rain and mist set in later in the ride.
The strongest use of the jacket is as a windshell, complementing a solid layering system. I will wear it from the start if the temps ate below 45deg F. It wards off the initial chill why getting warmed up. The full zip is perfect for controlled ventilation if you find yourself getting hot midway up a climb. When the temps are below 40deg I can wear the jacket the whole ride without getting clammy inside. Often the morning temps will be much colder in the canyons, with swings as wide as 15 degrees lower than the higher ground.
There are only two things I would change. The hood is great when really cold, below 30, but is a wind catcher the rest of the time. I ball mine up and tie it off with the adjustment cord. A stuff pocket would be nicer. Also, the XL fits me a little big. While perfect for hiking or walking, it flaps a bit in the wind. This is not bad enough for me to exchange it, but if I buy a second it will be a large.
Added bonuses, online shipping is free since the price tag is over $75, this season offers orange and green for higher visibility and as always the Iron Clad guarantee ensures satisfaction. Mine was a gift from my wife last summer, and has become and integral part of my gear since then, and yes I like it enough that I think about buying a backup.
I started out heading up the coast, but decided it would be more fun to head back and further explore the hobo trails come nature trails and now hobo trails again.
Just a thread of the trail left at the start,
If the camera were not strapped on for this shot I probably would have dropped it, friendly guy, but startled me something fierce while on the slippery section of trail.
Spring is coming on strong around here
Shortcut home with time getting tight.
All this within a mile of home, play in your local parks. What you find may surprise you.
Sunday ride to the market, windy, cloudy, cold air coming back and the strawberries are gone.
But they are fantastic while they last.
Looking forward to a new week, ride your bike.
PhotoCycling March 05 2011, 0 Comments
Photography and Cycling, two of my favorite hobbies.
I have been taking photographs for a long time. I remember shopping with my dad during the early 80's in Miami on a trip to the Grand Prix to get what was the nicest camera he had bought in a long time, A Canon T70. This was the family's first venture into the world of 35mm. I think I was 10 or so at the time and allowed to take pictures as long as he was there and I had the strap around my neck. With that camera I was introduced to the fact that anybody could make decent photographs, not just snapshots and not just the guys getting pictures in the magazines. My first solid portrait (IMNSHO) happened to be a portrait of my dad on a trip to Colorado.
Since then I have run the full cycle of black and white dark rooms through digital as it has emerged over the last decade or so. Always trying to capture the moment, the feeling and the light.
In the last few of years it hit me that I spend way too much time on a bicycle to not be carrying a camera. The whole idea is to capture the beauty I see while out riding, to share the feeling of riding a bike while being outside. Along the way I gathered inspiration through blogs and photo sharing sites like Flickr. In some ways it was a new frontier. Not many people try to carry full-sized SLR cameras on their bikes, let alone try to shoot while riding. I had tried a few point and shoot cameras for their compact size, but was often disappointed in the results. I found
seriouscompacts.com on the web and realised I could get what I wanted out of a smaller camera, but my wallet would be sore afterwards. I almost bought a Panasonic DMC-LX3, but held out a bit and bought in to the emerging miro 4:3 technology. I could have near the full power and versatility of my Canon DSLR in half the package size. Without the size and weight many doors have opened while few have closed.
While reading over at the
the adventure monkey blog I first saw the term "PhotoCycling" used. I was awestruck, yes Eric's pictures are great, but that was the perfect word for what he, I and a now many others have been doing. Combining the passion of photography with our other passion of riding. I hope that my venture here at Ocean Air Cycles inspires you to get outside on your bike as well as capture the moments to spread the word.
I tip my hat to the inspiration I found at Eric's site as well as,
Gnat Likes,
ecovelo and
epicurean cyclist Thank you for sharing your photographs and stories.
Blessed March 04 2011, 0 Comments
Today I was reminded by my wife to get out and go for a ride for myself. This place is about a mile from home, sometimes I stop. Most of the time it is a bridge to and from the other rides. This is one of the many reasons my family works so hard to live here. The beauty of our immediate surroundings is a blessing.
Grabbing the coffee and heading out to enjoy a few minutes of the morning to myself, I made it to the bridge and decided it was a good day to just enjoy the view. With all of the challenges of every day life it is easy to lose track of how fortunate we may actually be. I have an incredible wife, a healthy 9 month old baby girl, extended family for support, food, shelter, and my own wits about me to keep things going. Things are good, I am always striving to make it better, but things are always good.
Happy Friday, Play outside and enjoy your family!
Dusted off the DSLR with 50mm lens for a ride on the Traut today. I thought it may be time to leave the fisheye at home for a week and focus on some different skills. Today brought clear skies with snow in the mountains, temps in the 50s, it doesn't get much nicer than this.
Spring wildflowers starting to pop.
Spotted a hawk with a fish for lunch.
It has held up as well as one could hope for. The evidence remains of my first solution attempt with the slotted holes. For the record that attempt was a total failure.
