Last Ride of 2011

I chose Friday for the potential quietness on the road and was rewarded with light traffic with the bonus of riding with Cathy and Craig. Matt and Bill were in close pursuit. The last ride of 2011.

Last Rides of the Year

After a week of no riding, Saturday, Monday and Wednesday have been exceptional. Three rides to the shed. Plenty of sun. Saturday was windy. Monday plenty of traffic with everyone off for holiday. Wednesday blissfully quiet. The big news on Wednesday's ride was a helicopter and emergency vehicles attending to a bicyclist down on Highway 39 at mile marker 21.25 around 10:52 am.

Pre-Winter

Cloudy with a chance of chicken soup. Yesterday was sun and bright sky however strong winds kept me inside. Today a 20% chance of rain was not going to stop me on my one day to really ride. The winter solstice is fast approaching the shortest day of the year, we are "half way through the dark."

Toy Ride 2011

San Dimas, California (December 5, 2011) – The Southern California Velo Cycling Club (SC Velo) and Incycle Bicycle Stores sponsored Christmas Toy Ride was held on December 4, 2011.

Toys that were collected at the 4 Incycle Bicycle stores since the weekend after Thanksgiving were taken to the San Dimas Sheriff’s station so that they can be distributed to needy families. 

A large and varied assortment of toys donated by cyclists from all over the region were delivered to the Sherriff’s station on Sunday morning.  In addition to the toys, an SC Velo member donated 4 bikes and  Incycle Bicycle stores, working with their local Specialized Bikes representative, donated 20 bikes to bring the total to 24 donated bikes that will brighten many local children’s Christmases.

All of the toys and bikes will be delivered to children of needy families by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas station. 

 

Bill's Ride 12/06/2011

Other than the cold - it was 38 degrees when I woke this morning - it was a nice day for a ride.  I waited for the temperature to get into the 50's before I set out.  The ride was uneventful, saw a few cars, some skate boarders, and about 6 other riders.  As usual of late, it was nice going up, but pretty chilly coming down.  I did take a couple of pictures of "Nessie" surfacing in San Gabriel Dam #1.

Tranquility 12/2/2011

Perfect day for a ride. Warm weather. Light winds. Tranquil Road. Left late enough in the morning to enjoy the full warmth of the sun. Late enough that the pummeling of Santa Ana winds one day prior roared at 50-97 mph fizzled into mere wisps of their ferocious selves. Late enough to see a large group of skate boarders done for the day. Late enough to enjoy the good will of those skate boarders who swept the road. Yes the road was pristine clean from bottom of Monroe to Coyote Corner (~ mile marker 10.78). Clear of tumble weeds, leaves, sticks, dirt and rocks. Thank you! Cleaner than many residential roads littered with palm fronds, leaves, seed pods, my own street included.

Tranquility. The number of vehicles on the road, I counted on one hand. While the outside world was tranquil the heart pumped, the lungs burst, the legs churned, and the eyes popped. Perfect ride. Solo.

The story of the day was of Ian and Kevin. Ian took the twists at 10.20 the reverse camber curve a bit too fast. He was one lucky dude as the car skidded into the berm. Lucky he was not an over the side statistic. Hope to see you two on bicycles next time. If not, remember the first run go slow and learn what's on the road. The most important thing is "Keep the cyclists alive".

Santa Ana Winds

The Santa Ana winds have kicked up dust in the air. Lots of trees on the ground. Power lines down. No electricity from 2 am to 8 am.