One year old today!!!
It has been birthday week really, but today it is official. Weather is a bit nuts with heavy winds so the ride was a little short, getting sandbalsted wast reducing the fun factor.
Have fun and play outside!
This morning's adventure started with what promised to be a casual grocery ride. It seemed like a great way to test out the real world load capacity on the new saddle bag. Weather was perfect with no clouds and light breezes. First stop was for the pound of coffee, that was about as easy as it gets, stuff it in the hobo bag up front, and then on to the next store for some heavy lifting.
Not too bad fitting the gallon of milk, root beer, cereal and a bunch of other stuff in there. I did not even need to deploy the extra flap to keep it all secure. One of the secrets I have learned with these kind of loads in a saddle bag is placing the gallon of milk right over the center of the bagman or rack support. It is usually regretful to have it off to one side. Next stop Trader Joe's for some more liquids (read weight)
Adding the 1/2 gallon of OJ and two quarts of yogurt was no big deal after a bit of rearranging the load. I was pretty proud of myself, the lock even went easily in to the lock pocket with the bulging load. Then I looked down and noticed the dead flat rear tire. This is when a heavily loaded saddle bag really is a drag.
luckily I was prepared and set to work. Unloading the bag, taking advantage of the quikchainger, everything is going as well as you could hope. It was even simple to find the offending chunk of glass the size of a pencil eraser. I put a little air in the new tube and the fun begins. The threaded chuck on the Lezyne pump unscrewed the valve core upon removal.
Ok, not that big of a deal, I thread it back in as tight as I can get it by hand, air the tube back up and all appears good for the moment. I get the tube in place, air the tire up a bit, align the bead and decide it would be good to check if I can get the hose off safely. Again the core came out and I am starting over. Working through each widget on my multi tool, I discover that one of the slots on the chain breaker actually can be used as am improvised valve stem wrench. This time I topped it up as best as I could and detached the hose from the pump, not the stem, and zip tied the hose to a spoke. The air pressure in the tube kept the valve closed and the hose was the world's largest dust cap for the ride home. The last seven miles home were as uneventful as the first 2/3, just a great day to be outside.
This is about the most weight that I would want to carry on the Roadeo The frame bag was bulging with 3 bottles of root beer and two cans of coconut water. The saddle bag held firm and steady with a couple of gallons of liquid and other stuff. The rear tire could have used a little more air to feel secure, but I was happy to make it home without pinch flatting. Even with the minor challenges it still was way more fun than driving the car.
Now it is time to head down the garage, check the field repair, patch the dead tube and tighten some valve cores.
Happy Friday!! Go play outside!
I was able to take the whole morning for myself yesteray and ride a long mixed terrain loop. I headed out along the Ventura River trail to Sulphur Mountain Road. The whole loop is about 50 miles long, about 1/4 of that is dirt. Lots of climbing and lots of incredible descents. Here is a quick map of the ride:
Almost 50 miles and 4000 feet of climbing.
The weather was incredible, temperature in the 60's the whole time, clear and sunny with just a little coastal haze. The first 8 miles along the paved river trail is a nice way to get the legs warmed up for the climbing to come. Crossing the Hwy 33 onto Sulphur Mtn Rd, it is another 10 miles or so of perfect dirt ranch road.
The grass is already starting to turn brown for the summer, but there is plenty of color left in the trees and wild flowers.
There is no traffic on the road save for the occasional rancher and some cows. THis day was no exception. I saw plenty of birds, cows, squirels, rabbits and a couple of snakes, but only 3 other people. With a couple of level sections and a short drop here and there it is primarily straight up for the whole 8 miles. The road twists and turns affording views of the coast.
On days without our coastal haze, and seasonal fog you can get clear views of the ocean and Chanel Islands. Looking out the other direction is the Ojai valley and the coastal ranges beyond.
After mile 10 things get a little steeper and hotter, usually by this point I am wishing I had left the house a bit earlier to beat the heat. This time I was caught by Jim on his bike and we were able to chat as we spun our way up. It really helped pass the time and the last bit of dirt a gravel passed in no time. Jim turned back to ride down the dirt, I pressed on to the east for a different ride. The road turns to single lane paved fo ra couple of more miles with some welcome tree cover in the afternoon heat.
Then, after 12 miles of climbing I reached my real goal for the day. Five minutes of perfect twisty back road descending. This is my favorite gravity ride in the entire region.
The tires were covered in dust by the time I had reached the top. After the ride down they were cleaned back to black more than half way out to the edges. With the best fun past, I continued east on the Hwy 150 towards Santa Paula. There was a bit of climbing to the summit. Then Downhill all the way in to Santa Paula. This was a refreshing leg of the ride after all of the climbing. Also, I had only ridden this leg westbound in the past. Going down these 6 or so miles was a little more pleasant than the usual slog up.
As I neared Santa Paula I could feel the Spring winds starting to come up and realised the folly of my route planning. All year-long our predominant winds are out of the west off of the ocean. In the spring and fall though it can come up into the 20 mph or greater rang and really change the ride. The next 18 miles were straight into the wind. My legs were fried 5 miles in. The wind was a steady 15 mph with gusts well above 30 mph as I worked my way along the foothills back towards home.
The only consolation was the miles of fresh, silky smooth, black top. This stretch of road is primarily agricultural and has been beat to a pulp over the years. The new pavement was a pleasant surprise, but could not make up for the wind. My legs were starting to cramp and I new I should have packed a backup electrolyte powder. I pushed on knowing I was almost home. The ride back into town was perfect. The wind was still there, but coming straight off the ocean it was 10 degrees cooler.
A little sun burned and a lot tired it was a great way to take a break, get outside and get ready for the next big push. I need to make the time to do this more often.
Happy Saturday - Play Outside!!!
This morning was in the low 40's, I had to look around a bit to find the fleece gloves.
Although cold it is gorgeous out, the rain should be here the next two days and then more of this. Hopefully the rains will slow the transition from green to tan.
Midweek sprint for veggies!
They cut the mustard and are getting ready for tha next crop, it is going to be a dusty commute until they get it in.
All bags full and back home in under an hour, not too bad, now its time to cook!
The weather is already turning warmer and green is giving way to tan in some spots. The mornings are still chilly, but the lunch breaks are all shorts and t-shirts
The Roadeo for repair is close enough to perfect to grab these shots.
And there was even a little country road excitement. I missed the first part of the show, but watching them turning it over with the propane tank dangling was enough, I did not stick around.
Great day to be out and spin the legs to get some fresh air.
First Mother's Day in the house, and starting a tradition of morning rides to mommy's favorite breakfast spot.
The longest ride yet for the munchikin, and she held up great, cocoa at breakfast probably helped.
Happy mother's Day to all of you out there, and all that have moved on, you are in out thoughts and prayers today.
Play outside and have some fun!
The long and light pole cam 1.0 was upgraded to a wingnut for the jam nut today. This makes the removal of the GoPro attachment much quicker.
While at the hardware store I also picked up some thicker all thread to make a short and stout model capable of slinging the GF1. It went together well enough, but I will be shopping for a lighter ball head mount.
These are pretty good for prototyping, the all thread needs something to cover the edges though, I am thinking thin tubing?
It has been birthday week really, but today it is official. Weather is a bit nuts with heavy winds so the ride was a little short, getting sandbalsted wast reducing the fun factor.
Have fun and play outside!
This morning's adventure started with what promised to be a casual grocery ride. It seemed like a great way to test out the real world load capacity on the new saddle bag. Weather was perfect with no clouds and light breezes. First stop was for the pound of coffee, that was about as easy as it gets, stuff it in the hobo bag up front, and then on to the next store for some heavy lifting.
Not too bad fitting the gallon of milk, root beer, cereal and a bunch of other stuff in there. I did not even need to deploy the extra flap to keep it all secure. One of the secrets I have learned with these kind of loads in a saddle bag is placing the gallon of milk right over the center of the bagman or rack support. It is usually regretful to have it off to one side. Next stop Trader Joe's for some more liquids (read weight)
Adding the 1/2 gallon of OJ and two quarts of yogurt was no big deal after a bit of rearranging the load. I was pretty proud of myself, the lock even went easily in to the lock pocket with the bulging load. Then I looked down and noticed the dead flat rear tire. This is when a heavily loaded saddle bag really is a drag.
luckily I was prepared and set to work. Unloading the bag, taking advantage of the quikchainger, everything is going as well as you could hope. It was even simple to find the offending chunk of glass the size of a pencil eraser. I put a little air in the new tube and the fun begins. The threaded chuck on the Lezyne pump unscrewed the valve core upon removal.
Ok, not that big of a deal, I thread it back in as tight as I can get it by hand, air the tube back up and all appears good for the moment. I get the tube in place, air the tire up a bit, align the bead and decide it would be good to check if I can get the hose off safely. Again the core came out and I am starting over. Working through each widget on my multi tool, I discover that one of the slots on the chain breaker actually can be used as am improvised valve stem wrench. This time I topped it up as best as I could and detached the hose from the pump, not the stem, and zip tied the hose to a spoke. The air pressure in the tube kept the valve closed and the hose was the world's largest dust cap for the ride home. The last seven miles home were as uneventful as the first 2/3, just a great day to be outside.
This is about the most weight that I would want to carry on the Roadeo The frame bag was bulging with 3 bottles of root beer and two cans of coconut water. The saddle bag held firm and steady with a couple of gallons of liquid and other stuff. The rear tire could have used a little more air to feel secure, but I was happy to make it home without pinch flatting. Even with the minor challenges it still was way more fun than driving the car.
The grass is already starting to turn brown for the summer, but there is plenty of color left in the trees and wild flowers.
There is no traffic on the road save for the occasional rancher and some cows. THis day was no exception. I saw plenty of birds, cows, squirels, rabbits and a couple of snakes, but only 3 other people. With a couple of level sections and a short drop here and there it is primarily straight up for the whole 8 miles. The road twists and turns affording views of the coast.
On days without our coastal haze, and seasonal fog you can get clear views of the ocean and Chanel Islands. Looking out the other direction is the Ojai valley and the coastal ranges beyond.
After mile 10 things get a little steeper and hotter, usually by this point I am wishing I had left the house a bit earlier to beat the heat. This time I was caught by Jim on his bike and we were able to chat as we spun our way up. It really helped pass the time and the last bit of dirt a gravel passed in no time. Jim turned back to ride down the dirt, I pressed on to the east for a different ride. The road turns to single lane paved fo ra couple of more miles with some welcome tree cover in the afternoon heat.
Then, after 12 miles of climbing I reached my real goal for the day. Five minutes of perfect twisty back road descending. This is my favorite gravity ride in the entire region.
The tires were covered in dust by the time I had reached the top. After the ride down they were cleaned back to black more than half way out to the edges. With the best fun past, I continued east on the Hwy 150 towards Santa Paula. There was a bit of climbing to the summit. Then Downhill all the way in to Santa Paula. This was a refreshing leg of the ride after all of the climbing. Also, I had only ridden this leg westbound in the past. Going down these 6 or so miles was a little more pleasant than the usual slog up. 
As I neared Santa Paula I could feel the Spring winds starting to come up and realised the folly of my route planning. All year-long our predominant winds are out of the west off of the ocean. In the spring and fall though it can come up into the 20 mph or greater rang and really change the ride. The next 18 miles were straight into the wind. My legs were fried 5 miles in. The wind was a steady 15 mph with gusts well above 30 mph as I worked my way along the foothills back towards home. 
The only consolation was the miles of fresh, silky smooth, black top. This stretch of road is primarily agricultural and has been beat to a pulp over the years. The new pavement was a pleasant surprise, but could not make up for the wind. My legs were starting to cramp and I new I should have packed a backup electrolyte powder. I pushed on knowing I was almost home. The ride back into town was perfect. The wind was still there, but coming straight off the ocean it was 10 degrees cooler.
A little sun burned and a lot tired it was a great way to take a break, get outside and get ready for the next big push. I need to make the time to do this more often.
Happy Saturday - Play Outside!!!
Although cold it is gorgeous out, the rain should be here the next two days and then more of this. Hopefully the rains will slow the transition from green to tan.
They cut the mustard and are getting ready for tha next crop, it is going to be a dusty commute until they get it in.
All bags full and back home in under an hour, not too bad, now its time to cook!
The Roadeo for repair is close enough to perfect to grab these shots.
And there was even a little country road excitement. I missed the first part of the show, but watching them turning it over with the propane tank dangling was enough, I did not stick around.
Great day to be out and spin the legs to get some fresh air.
While at the hardware store I also picked up some thicker all thread to make a short and stout model capable of slinging the GF1. It went together well enough, but I will be shopping for a lighter ball head mount.
These are pretty good for prototyping, the all thread needs something to cover the edges though, I am thinking thin tubing?
Not much sleep, but was able to get some work done and put my favorite toy back together.
Happy friday, and DO NOT forget mother's day, Have fun and play outside!!