Back out to the canyons on what was a bit colder than I expected morning. Temps at home were around 37, but out in the fields and back in the canyons there was frost. The wool worked and the wind breaker never came off. The only things that suffered were my feet, next time I will pack some extra socks.
The star of the show today is my new
GoPro® Helmet HERO™ Wide Camera
. In my quest to better capture the rider point of view on my cycling adventures, I opted into one of these little power packs. The angle of view is about 170 deg and grabs a far wider line of sight than the lenses I currently have for my other cameras. Out of the box impression is really good. I want to use it a bit more to form a better review later next week. The two biggest plus points are the wide-angle and waterproof for the rain. The only downside so far is the signal to noise ratio, using the camera for still captures there are a lot of throw aways while the camera is running on autopilot strapped to your helmet. So here are today's light grabs.
Looking back towards Point Mugu
Frigid and frosty in Wheeler Canyon, I was not really prepared for this and my feet are still a bit chilly..
I still am amazed at times how many miles of near empty back roads there are. It is particularly nice when they are freshly re-paved...
Island views for the ride home, crystal clear weather before the next storm
Have a fun and safe New Year, enjoy the weekend and get outside.
This morning was definitely a toodle.
Rambles are the rides we go on for some distance without a fully structured plan, they can be what ever you want them to be, but they are usually longish. This morning I was not feeling the ramble, but needed to get out of the house. Time for the toodle, 30 min or so around the neighborhood to get some air, grab some pics in the perfect morning light, and spin the legs a bit before the next round of rain hits. Started out with what was the beginning of my older 7 mile commute by bike here in town,
those were the days. Then the commute to LA, 1.75 hours each way, for a year and a half started, some things you do not ever miss.
Passing over the 101, I made my way out onto the pier. The original pier dates to 1872 and was used to offload and load steam ships before the roads out here were any good. The thing has been annihilated by winter storms and rebuilt many times over the years. Last year I made it out to the end when 18' swell was bashing through the boards, not long before the police came and chased me off. Today the police were our for reasons similar to mine:
At first I thought I might be out of luck for some reason and the pier was shut down. Turns out they were taking advantage of the light and grabbing some pictures too.
Heading back towards home along the point I stopped to take a look at the progress on the river mouth restoration,
This used to be the parking lot and MUP between the ocean and the County fairgrounds, The plan is to restore it to a more natural state and help the river back to what it may have once been. Pretty cool stuff, and it along with the sand coming down from the mountains will only help with the seasons surf.
Back into the rain again this morning.
I have been spending most of my time up in the Ventura River Valley the last few weeks as my coastal rides have been plagued with mud flows. This morning I decided to set my sites east and head back up into the Santa Clara river valley and start exploring some of the tributary canyons I have previously ridden past. The rain makes this a little more fun since there is water in the creeks and rivers. Today's particular target was Wheeler Canyon.
The rain through the night and into the morning was pretty heavy and hopes were high for some water in the creeks, lighter traffic in nice too.
Not raging rapids, but better than dry creek beds. The ride home was wet all the way with the clouds starting to break up as I worked through the foothills back into town.
I did not cover the amount of ground I had hoped for in the time window. I would like to blame it on tires, rain or 45 deg weather, but my legs are lagging a bit after the Holiday. I look forward to sharing some of the beauty and resources we have in this region. There is a long history in the river valley, with the native peoples, agricultural and ecological changes over time should give me plenty to learn about and share within the context of cycling exploration.
Get out and enjoy you home town, find something new to you this week.
Looking over last night's pics again and wanted to share one more.
36 Hours Later December 22 2010, 0 Comments
What a difference a little time can make in the weather, finally had a break in the rain, but it has started up again now that I am typing
Water still rising as the mountains drain out
Both inside and outside the jacket.
Fenders still doing their job, I really do enjoy the rain, but gear does make a difference. Collecting thoughts still on how things either work or fail.
Cow Mud December 17 2010, 0 Comments
Riding in the rain is fun when it is an event, we will see how I feel about it in a week - Happy Friday
Time for my third ride with the guys for the Southern California Rivendell Appreciation society, this time in the hills above Santa Monica, Ca. Once again I packed my Rivendell Roadeo, a "Road Bike", for this adventure. Yes, it is possible to get a 63cm road bike into a VW Golf with only removing the front wheel, but that is another post.
The weather was absolutely perfect with partly cloudy skies, 70 degree temps, low humidity and a steady breeze. Once again, a hard day to leave the mountains near home behind.
About 10 of us gathered at the Pete's on 14th and Montana to talk bike, meet faces previously only known through the web or catch up with old friends.
Around 10:30AM we headed across town to the west, up Westridge Road to the Fire roads along Wesridge, Temescal Canyon and then back along the top of Topanga Canyon down to the ocean and back along PCH to Santa Monica. Here is a map of the approximate route:
The climb up Westridge is pretty challenging, almost 2000 feet of gain in the first 8 miles, this spread the group out quite a bit.
There was a pitch at the end where I decided it was time to walk. At some point on the ride when you can walk faster than pedal you just have to take a break, still moving forward and up, but a break none the less. Regrouping at the trailhead, we all were able to take a much-needed breather. Once the group was back together we headed off onto the fire roads, while still climbing the grade was much more manageable. The views were incredible, Starting with classic Southern California canyons,
and then the ridgeline above the San Fernando Valley,
Even with the early season rains we have been having, the trails were in prime condition. Hardpack with a little loose gravel and rock. There were a few erosion rutted sections and washboard, but nothing you could not manage on a road bike.
This ride had plenty of breaks for rest and to let the stragglers catch up. As always on our group rides no one is left behind. This time it was Jon who had a knee going out, thought he could pull it off, but I think he had the longest day out of all of us. Next time I will make sure to have some vitamin I in the kit for the time it is needed more than a spare tube.
The transition from Mulholland to Temascal was a great time for the group shot under the NO STOPPING sign in the middle of wilderness
Now heading south back to the ocean it felt like the home stretch but there was still a fair amount of climbing left. Again, it was hard to believe the weather and the trail conditions for the beginning of December,
Temescal Canyon gave way to the east ridgeline above Topanga Canyon as we now had views of Santa Monica and the Ocean back in our sights.
At this point the day was running long, and there was one more hard climb still ahead. Almost half of the group took a bailout route down Topanga Canyon Rd to PCH and home. While narrow and loaded with cars it was paves and downhill the whole way. From our vantage a little further down the trail we were able to catch Esteban and John holding up their fair share of traffic. You can just make them out in the turn behind the while pickup truck.
The last climb was a bear and I decided to hike it again. The break right before this was a long one, and all the sitting did me no good right before a 15% grade. On the way up we kept crossing paths with a couple of future recruits on full squish mtn bikes. As most we ran across on the trails, they were shocked to see road bike in what they considered the trails. The final drop back down to the coast was incredible.
And then the dive back into the reality, multiple lanes of traffic, doors and all that goes with it after hours out in the hills,
Another fantastic ride in the bag with great company. My legs were fried. I split off from the remains of the group who were heading to Bay Cities Deli to get home. The drive down the coast was a treat unto itself, the display of color during and after the sunset. The range of color and level of contrast was one of the best I have ever seen,
Chilly Morning November 23 2010, 0 Comments
With the rain, impending Holiday, anniversary and getting the prototyping thing moving forward it has been a bit harder to squeeze in my mileage this week. Today was a beautiful day, but do not let the pictures fool you, it was about 38deg when I left the house.The sun just starting to come up, and the harvest moon getting ready to go down.
I was testing out my layering system for my Black Friday ride plans. We will be up in Atascadero visiting family, and while up there, try to squeeze in a variation of the Pozo loop that ends up being 50 or 60 miles. Part of squeezing this in usually involves leaving in the dark so am home by lunch. This year I was looking at the maps and want to detour out on the Rinconada trail and back down Hi Mountain Road. This may depend on the amount of rain that falls tonight, as the trails will need time to dry out a bit, and there may be a couple of water crossings that will have water in them now. really want to make this work, and it will potentially make for some great photos.
I LOVE living here.
Frigid and frosty in Wheeler Canyon, I was not really prepared for this and my feet are still a bit chilly..
I still am amazed at times how many miles of near empty back roads there are. It is particularly nice when they are freshly re-paved...
Island views for the ride home, crystal clear weather before the next storm
Have a fun and safe New Year, enjoy the weekend and get outside.
