The 40-Minute Weather Wheel

I try to keep an eye on the weather forecast during the Winter months, as it seems to change a lot from day to day. It's not uncommon for the local weather guys and girls to disagree on what's coming later in the week, and there may not be a consensus until the day before a planned event. And by "event", I mean "tomorrow's ride".

The forecast for today was supposed to be partly-to-mostly cloudy in the morning, followed by thickening cloud cover in the early afternoon, developing into light occasional rain showers later in the day ... windy all day long with strong gusts at times ... and chilly (for us, anyway). That worked for me. I figured I could go out for a nice long-ish ride in the morning and be home long before any showers started. I'm not exactly fond of strong wind, but I can handle it, so no big deal ... and I can just dress a little warmer when it's chilly ... but windy AND rainy AND chilly isn't my idea of good riding weather. Riding into a cold headwind with blowing cold rain? Nope.

Okay ... so this morning appeared to be as predicted. Mostly cloudy with the sun poking through here and there, and a little chilly. I got dressed and got out the door. As I rode down to the Harbor, I definitely felt the wind pushing back at me, which was nice in a way, because the direction meant I'd have a tailwind on the ride home ... but it made the 50-degree air temperature feel more like the mid-30's, and my fingers were getting very cold. No matter, though ... I always warm up as I ride on. I noticed some darker clouds beginning to roll in, but didn't think too much about it because there was also some blue sky showing:

Dark low clouds AND blue sky over the Harbor

As I began to leave the Harbor and head down past the beach to the trail, I started to feel a few drops of rain. My head told me it wasn't actually going to rain ... because how could ALL of the weather people be wrong? Well ... they were wrong. The few drops quickly became actual rain. Cold ... windy ... and now RAIN. I turned into  a small covered area at Doheny Beach to see if it would pass before I continued on. It did pass ... rather quickly, and treated me to some interesting sky images.

Doheny Beach sky

When the rain stopped, I decided I wasn't having a lot of fun ... and since I was now cold and wet, it might be a good idea to head home. I rode back past the beach and up the hills toward the house, stopping to look at the sky again. It was quite a sight, almost like two completely different skies split down the middle over the Harbor. To the left, it was dark, thick, gloomy clouds. To the right, bright blue, sunny, clear sky.

View to the left ... dark clouds

View to the right ... bright, sunny, clear blue

As I continued toward home, the clouds went away, and the sky became completely clear and sunny.

This all took place in a 40-minute time period. It was cloudy when I started ... then turned dark and started to rain ... and then became completely clear and sunny. How strange this Winter weather can be!

Had I thought there was any chance of rain, I could have prepared better and put on some rain-worthy clothing ... and I would have then continued on with the ride. But three weather people AND the weather dot com folks ALL said no rain until late afternoon. Their collective score for today: FAIL.

As I write this post, an hour after getting home, the weather wheel has turned again ... the sky has gone from sunny, blue, and clear to dark and cloudy, and it is starting to rain. I guess it can't be sunny and warm EVERY day ... even in Southern California!

Here's to a better tomorrow ... hope your Winter weather hasn't hindered your riding! More reviews in the works!

California Winter and the Wind Tunnel From Hell

Well, since I've posted so much about how nice the weather has been here, it seems only fitting that we finally received some California-style winter. Sunday brought us some light misty cold rain off and on through the day and evening, followed by a very cold (for SoCal) night and Monday morning. It was cold and windy, but not too much for a ride ... and the misty rain was gone, so I dressed warmer than usual and headed out.

The blue skies were nowhere to be seen, instead coated with varying shades of gray. The warm air was also missing, replaced with a chilling wind. Nevertheless, I pressed on ... seeing images like this:

Remember when this was pretty blue sky just a couple of days ago?

I rode past the beach to the entrance of the bike path that leads inland, wanting to check up on the path closure status. When I got there, I found the underpass flooded. You see, when we get rain here, no matter how small the amount, it all runs downhill from the mountains through the creeks and water channels to the ocean. Since the path entrance is at an underpass at the mouth of the water channel, it gets deep ... and floods the path at that lowest point.

This water is about hub deep ... and I was wearing sandals with wool socks.

Since I was without my river-fording knee-high boots, I decided to turn around and take a different route. There's a short detour that leads further south along the beach and connects to a separated bike path running between Pacific Coast Highway and the Amtrak train tracks, leading almost all the way to San Clemente. The path itself runs only for about 2 miles, but with the detour and beach sections leading to it, it turns out to be about a 6 mile round trip from the starting point at Doheny Beach. Being that it was cold and windy, I thought that would make for a nice little ride, combined with the 3 or 4 miles that gets me from my house to Doheny and back.

After a leisurely cruise by the  beach/RV area, I connected with the bike path and began the ride south.

It's cold. It's dark and cloudy. There are no motorized vehicles. And I'm wearing sunglasses.

It was relatively peaceful along the way, but a rather dull and non-scenic ride. It did seem nice and smooth, though, and with a nice relatively new path surface, the pedaling seemed light and easy. After the 2-mile stretch, I reached the end of the separated path. You can continue along PCH in a bike lane to San Clemente, but I decided to turn around and head back. Did I mention it was cold?

Turn around here or join PCH traffic to San Clemente

As I began to ride back toward Dana Point, I suddenly remembered why I don't ride this route more often, and realized why the pedaling seemed light and easy on the outbound portion. The return trip was what I can only describe as "The Wind Tunnel From Hell". It seems the combination of the rock cliffs on one side, houses and ocean on the other, and the path itself bound with tall-ish concrete barriers on both sides creates a super funnel for the wind that seems to always head south along this path. Needless to say, I was not excited to be riding into the worst headwind ever ... and did I mention it was really cold? I suddenly felt the familiar bite of winter on my fingers and face, my lips were becoming numb, and the fact that I had no handkerchief or tissue for my nose was beginning to concern me. Was I somehow transported back to the Midwestern winter?

With a lower gear and a determined heart, I pedaled the 2 miles back to the beach/RV area and snapped a photo with my frozen hands to document the evil path for you:

Remind me to remember this next time I decide to ride here, okay?

In the direction the photo is taken, the ride is fine ... but the return trip will feel twice as long and require several times the effort. Somehow I managed the "Wind Tunnel From Hell" ... and the cold ... and got back to Doheny Beach, then back through the hills and home. It took most of the day to recover from the chill. And for us here in Southern California, that's a traumatic experience. Do not worry ... I will survive.

I know ... for most of you out there, winter means snow, ice, and temperatures below freezing for at least 2-3 months. I used to live in a place like that. I think California has softened me, because what I'm describing above as frigid cold would likely feel downright balmy for many of you this time of year, and would have to me when I used to live in the upper Midwest. Times have certainly changed ...

I can't complain, though, given the amazing weather we've had for the month leading up to this cold snap. Last year brought us some horrible storms, and as a result, we were in the midst of repairs for most of last January. So a little cold and some very light rain is just fine with me. I'll just have to remember to save the "Wind Tunnel From Hell" for a warmer day ...

Hope your winter is progressing quickly into the coming Spring and that you can at least get out for some kind of ride, despite the weather!

Stick Bugs and Doorways

Friday morning, I took the dogs out as usual, and came back home. Upon arriving at the door, I found a surprise guest:

Stick bug of some kind ... hung out at our front door for 3 days!

He's approximately 6 inches long ... and if he wasn't sitting on the porch step, I would never have seen him! It's amazing to me how many unique creatures are living all around me that I've never seen before. I watched him for a little while, but then had to get on with the day's task list, starting with breakfast preparation for the dogs, and coffee and breakfast for myself and my better and more attractive half (BAMAH?) ... followed by BAMAH lunch prep ... then getting myself organized for the day ahead.

Of course I wanted to get a good ride in before settling in to work, since the weekend often substitutes a long walk around the town with BAMAH, along with grocery and other shopping runs. It seemed to take forever to get to it, though. Before I knew it, half the day was gone, and I was still working on getting out for that ride.

It isn't the riding that I sometimes lack the motivation for. I always enjoy it, and I can always feel how nice it will be outside on the bike. Where my motivation gets lazy is just getting out the door. Some days it takes longer to actually get out the door than my entire ride. I have these stupid conversations with myself that go something like this:

"Okay ... I think it's time to get out for my ride. What's the weather like? It looks sunny, but the computer says it's only 50 degrees right now. Isn't it supposed to get warm today, though? Yep, the forecast says 70's. But should I dress warm now, since it's chilly or will I be too hot once I get riding? Maybe I can wear a second layer to take off if I get hot. What shoes should I wear today? I really want to wear sandals, but I have a feeling  my toes will get cold. Geez, what a baby ... I can just put thicker socks on. Should I take the camera or just go? Didn't you make a deal with yourself to ALWAYS take the camera so you don't miss great photos? Oh, yeah ... guess I should take it. Will I need the tripod, though, in case there's a video I can capture? Hmm ... nah, there will be a rock or something to set it on. Should I bring coffee or water?" 

See how it gets? I know ... worse than a teenage girl (no offense to teenage girls everywhere). In the end, I get just frustrated enough to throw my hands up, grab whatever is in front of me, and run out the door before I change my mind about something.

Granted, most days are not like that ... I've set up my bikes and clothing selection such that I can pretty much ride in whatever I'm wearing, so all I have to do is grab a helmet and sunglasses, put the camera bag on the bike, and go. And for the most part, that's what I do, leaving the chain cleaning and tire pumping for after the ride to be ready for the next one. Actually these days, the tires only seem to need air once every ten days or so. Big fat Schwalbe tires and tubes are great in that way. Their claim of better air retention in their tubes is really true. But that's another post ...

As for Friday, once I got out the door, it turned out to be a great day ... sunny and warm, but not hot yet ... and clear blue skies ... with nice blue ocean water and good waves to watch. For all the effort that went into leaving the house, I was rewarded with views like this:

The water and sky have been bluer than usual lately ... with nice fun waves

As the water hits the beach, the competing waves create some interesting swirls

I always love how the sun reflects on the water ... difficult to capture, though

Funqapillar loves the beach!

I guess in the end, there will always be those days when it's tough to get out the door. Fortunately, it always seems that when I push myself out on those days, there will be something to see that makes it all worthwhile ... like the reflection of the sun on the ocean that's beyond words, or thinking about how a creature like a stick bug came to be. That's the most rewarding part of riding a bike to me ... the time I spend riding clears my head of the day-to-day clutter, and fills it with new images and memories that serve to inspire me when I get back to the office and begin my work. It can be difficult to be creative all the time, even when my work demands it ... but an hour or so out in the sun and nature works wonders to restore my imagination!

More soon ... get out there and find something new to see!

  

  

Big Waves and Hunqapillar Love

Given yesterday's mechanical issues with the Hunqapillar, I began the morning with some careful chain cleaning and lubrication. I mentioned in yesterday's post that the chain was relatively new and couldn't really be completely fouled yet. This had something to do with some of Sheldon Brown's sage advice that a new chain is coated with factory lube, which in his opinion is as good as it gets ... and one should be good to go for quite a while with just that. Well ... I would have to say now that, although his advice is generally stellar, in this case I think he's wrong. With not a huge number of miles on it with the factory lube, my chain was thick and rather stiff, and that factory lube seemed like some kind of gel coating that magnetically adhered any kind of dirt that touched it. I've been pretty good about wiping it clean, but this time it looked like I hadn't touched it in months. So I cleaned it thoroughly and applied some more appropriate lube for my conditions here. The chain felt immediately more flexible, looked nice and shiny, and shifted through the cogs and chainrings like butter. Much better.

Having spent a bit of time on maintenance, I lost some of my ride time ... but I felt it was important to get down to the harbor today, as the morning weather people all offered warnings of high surf advisories, which means there might be some good photos to be taken. So I grabbed my camera and headed out.

There was considerable traffic on the way to the Ocean Institute where I thought the coolest photos would be. As I approached the beach and tide pool area, I understood why. It seems my idea of watching the waves and snapping photos was not a unique one ... there were lots of people already there, many camped out in folding chairs:

People, dogs, cameras ... wave watchers, all

I was actually one of the late arrivals, barely getting a good place to park the Hunqapillar and take some pics. Several people rode bikes there, every kind imaginable, including the racy-looking fellow below with his Lynskey Titanium steed and full matched team kit (whatever you do, don't call it an "outfit"). He complained that he hadn't brought his good camera, although I'm not sure where he'd put it while riding ... couldn't see any bags or racks on that very nice bike, and his jersey pockets were already stuffed with stuff. I, on the other hand, had my camera, tool kit, picnic blanket, and coffee ... and had room to spare in my saddle bag. Of course, he did seem to get up that hill on the way out a TINY bit faster than me ... and by "tiny", I mean that he was likely home, showered, eating lunch, and watching soap operas before I actually crested the hill. But at least I had my photos ...

Mountain bikes, cruisers, city bikes ... even titanium race machines!

The object of everyone's attention was the ocean, which was kicking up some pretty heavy swells and waves. The photos below are misleading, because there's no real point of reference to show how big the waves are ... but you'll notice there's no one surfing today, in contrast to the previous posts, where there was always someone on a board.

Normally you'd see some huge rocks where those waves are crashing

Just as I snapped this, the water swelled up around the rock in the distance, which is about  20 feet high

These waves are actually 12-15 feet high, or so the Ocean Institute people told me

Pictures can't talk, but the sound of the water hitting these rocks was AWESOME!

Since I didn't have a lot of time (I do actually work, you know), I headed back home ... but on the way, I grabbed a shot from above the harbor. The arrow in the photo below shows where I was when I took the photos above ... and to the left is a wave crashing over the break wall. Compare the size of that wave to the people standing to the right to get an idea how big the waves are today. Click on the image (or any of them) to get a larger view.

See those tiny people? Compare them to the waves for size ...

That's it for today ... more riding and stuff next week, if not sooner. Hope your new year is off to a great start!!
 

Great Day in Dana Point!

I mentioned in the last post how nice the weather has been ... well, it just keeps coming. Today was almost 80 degrees at the peak, sunny, and absolutely beautiful. So I grabbed the camera and an insulated Kleen Kanteen full of Stumptown coffee, hopped on the Funqapillar, and headed down to the Dana Point Harbor for a great ride and some nice pics.

Beautiful view at the Ocean Institute with Seagull Fly-By greeting

Surfers were diggin' the higher-than-usual waves

Whoa, dude ... is that a huge rock under the wave ahead of you?

I never learned to surf, myself ... but this sure looks fun

SUP'ers were out in force in the Harbor

The Brig Pilgrim Pirate Ship ... ready to set sail ... take a ride when you visit!

Gotta love the complex sail rigging ...

The Harbor water was absolutely stunning today ... bluer than blue

After a ride around the Harbor, I headed on down the road to Doheny Beach for a slightly different view of the ocean and its visitors of the day:

Another stunning view of blue water, birds, and hazy fog-clouded mountains

Smaller waves here, but the surfers were still enjoying them

More SUP'ers ... I just HAVE to try that sometime ... looks like fun!

I love my copper bell ... hidden in the reflection is me in shorts ... in January!

Lots of people out enjoying the sun today, riding bikes to lunch at the beach

After enjoying some of that Stumptown Coffee (the "Hairbender" blend, with a little vanilla added), I rode back into town, up through the hills in Heritage Park, where I generally get quite tired, since it's fairly steep and always at the end of my ride. Funny today, though, I was about 2/3 of the way up the set of hills when I realized I wasn't breathing as hard as usual, and actually kind of enjoying the climb. Maybe it was the weather ... maybe I'm just getting better at it. In any case, when I finished the set of hills, I decided to continue on to visit one of the many scenic harbor overlooks for a few more photos. I stopped by the Blue Lantern Inn and snapped these:

The story of Dana Point

The Harbor from above ... lots of boats, blue sky, and blue water

When I got home, our smaller dog, Libby, gave me this look:

No, I'm not going to smile ... YOU smile ... and where have you been? I'm hungry!

Non-plussed hungry dogs aside, the day was inspiring. So much so, that I made this little video for you, to document a beautiful day in Dana Point (of course, the blogger video interface has made it into a low-res, grainy-looking thing ... but I was in a hurry and didn't do the YouTube thing ... sorry, but you get the idea) :

Hope the weather's nice where you are ... and that this new year brings you much happiness!!