Things You Notice When Riding A Bike

 
 
It's interesting how your perspective changes when you're moving at a slower pace and not surrounded by walls of metal and glass inside a motorized contraption.  You notice things that you might not have otherwise had time to see.  You have time to think about what's around you.  You begin to wonder what's wrong with people.  Are they completely insane or merely oblivious?

I went for a ride today that included a stop on the way home at the local large chain grocery-shopping outlet.  I needed to get some coffee beans and razor blades, since there's a fine line between that sexy three-day growth and the crazy grayish-bearded slob who's too lazy to shave ... and I haven't yet purchased one of those new-fangled stubble trimmers. 

As I pedaled through the parking lot, the scenery appeared to move in slower-than-normal motion.  First, I noticed the guy in his huge pickup truck, who seemed unable to manage backing out of his parking space and then turning into the lane ... opting to simply turn from within his space, nearly backing over the smaller car next to him, which I'm certain he couldn't see from his vantage point of 32 feet in the air.  I suppose he thought the wheelbase of his enormous commercial grade hauling machine (which, of course, was hauling nothing but him) was a bit too long to back up and THEN turn ... but the lanes are pretty wide at this large chain grocery-shopping outlet (LCGSO from here forward) and he really did have plenty of room, even with his tires that were designed for off-roading in Nepal.  I wondered if perhaps he just plain couldn't see anything behind or next to him.  I wondered why people choose such a vehicle for driving around in the city, when it's impossible to properly park it.  I wondered why he didn't do as others with such vehicles and just park further out and use two spaces so it would be easier to get in and out.

Then I saw a woman in a SUV ... no wait ... there were two ... no, it was two women and one man in SUV's, a teenager in an old Honda, an elderly man in a huge boat of a 70's-era car, and a dude in a service company van ... all driving through the parking lot with their cellular talking devices held to their ear.  I thought to myself, "Isn't that illegal in California?"  Then I thought, "Hasn't it been illegal for several years now?"  I guess the cost of keeping up with the latest Pirate Speaking Device (a.k.a. Aye-Phone) prohibits the simultaneous ownership of a Pirate Earring (a.k.a. Bluetooth earpiece).  Or perhaps, being the adventurous pirate types they are, it's the thrill of doing something not only illegal, but proven to be dangerous, that appeals to them.  I then wondered how many people driving through the parking lot were texting instead of talking, since I wouldn't necessarily be able to see them doing so if the phone was in their lap.  Maybe that explains the younger fellow who was inexplicably weaving in the lane.  I had initially thought he was just learning to drive ... but now I have my doubts.

As I reached the entrance of the LCGSO, I then noticed that everyone coming in and out of said LCGSO had a look of frustration on their face.  No one smiled ... no one said hello.  Just marching to and from their vehicles where bad driving and pirate adventures await.  But then ... there was a guy who smiled and said "Good Morning ... beautiful day!".  He then put his newly-purchased bag of grocery items in the basket on his bicycle and rode away.  Hmmm.  And then another person, an older lady in a motorized wheelchair, also smiled and said "Hello".  Very interesting.

I wondered ... why is it that only the man on a bicycle and woman in a wheelchair appeared friendly and happy, while so many others with huge vehicles of convenience and high-tech pirate adventure devices appeared so distant, self-absorbed, and frustrated?  After all, we were all doing the same thing ... shopping at the local LCGSO ... sharing the same parking lot ... in the same beautiful beach town ... on the same beautiful sunny Southern California day.  Well, actually, there was one other person who smiled and said hello.  He was the security guard at the entrance to the bank in the same shopping center as the LCGSO.  But he doesn't quite count, since he wasn't shopping at the LCGSO ... and it's his job to smile and greet bank customers ... and to pummel any would-be robber-types ... who wouldn't smile to have that job?

Very Interesting, indeed ... maybe they thought I was the crazy one ... would anyone in their right mind ride a bicycle to the LCGSO, smiling and saying hello to complete strangers?  Maybe it was just the helmet ... and my too-lazy-to-shave grayish bearded face.  Gotta go check out those stubble trimmers now ...

Until next time, smile at someone and say hello ... and have a beautiful day!
 

I'm back ... with a mystery ...

  
  
Yes, it's been a very ... VERY long time.  Indeed.  I didn't get hit by a speeding mountain biker ... nor did I accidentally ride into the ocean and drown.  I simply lost far too many time battles with everyday life and neglected to make time for writing.  One thing leads to another, and the next thing you know, over a year passes by.  I have been encouraged, however, to return to this here blogular postification and ... um ... postify.  So here I is ... am ... are.

And we begin with a mystery ... not of the who-dunnit murder variety ... not of the why-does-my-shopping-cart-always-have-one-wheel-that-skips variety ... not even of the classic why-does-everything-have-to-be-so-complicated variety.  No, this is truly mind-boggling.

I prepared for my ride today by putting shoes on, grabbing my sunglasses and helmet, and going out to the garage to top off the air in my tires.  I top them off once a week for good measure ... big fat 2" tires only need minor air maintenance, which helps me to prevent any unnecessary overuse injury from pumping everyday.  I start with the front tire, which only needs a few PSI's (not to be confused with CSI's, which is en-TIRE-ly different).  PSI's is a technical term that means Pounds per Square Inch, which seems very odd to me, since tires aren't actually square at all ... they wouldn't roll very well if they were.  The European-type people use a different term, called BAR.  This makes more sense to me, as the BAR number could be an indication of the number of drinks you'll want after pumping your tires to that pressure ... that's assuming, of course, that you're filling your tires in order to ride to the BAR.

ANYWAY ... the front tire got it's necessary PSI/BAR inflationary requirement.  When I then move to the rear tire, I find it to be mysteriously void of air.  FLAT, you might say.  I inspected the outside of the tire for some kind of puncture-related object and found nothing.  I removed the wheel, took of the tire and tube, looked inside the tire for a bit of something that might have gotten lodged inside.  Again ... nothing.  I looked the tube over for a puncture ... nothing.  I filled it with air and put it under water ... no bubbles.  It appeared to be fine and holding air.  I inspected the rim for any sharp edges or frayed rim strip ... nada.  And yet, just five minutes ago the tube was completely flat.  It's a mystery. 

Normally, I like the challenge of solving a mystery like this ... but today I just wanted to go for a ride, since I've been so busy lately that riding has been severely limited.  So, to be safe, I put a new tube in, remounted the tire, filled it with fresh air from my PSI/BAR manufacturing device, put the wheel back on, and went for a ride.  During the ride, the mystery continued to haunt me, as there seemed no good reason for this.  But then I saw a hummingbird when I stopped to look at the ocean, and all was good again.  I'm chalking this one up to simply being an old tube.  I've had these tubes and tires on the bike for over a year and a half with no flats, so perhaps it was just time to replace it. 

So there you have it ... today's mystery.  Anyone have an answer? 

I'll make an effort to write more ... with pretty pictures and stuff, too.  There's a new bike in the works.  It has a woolly mammoth on the headbadge ... and the name reminds me of an Elvis song.  More soon ...

Cross-Training

   
I love riding to the harbor, especially at this time of year.  It's beginning to fill with activity, since Summer is on its way ... but it's still not yet crowded, so one can enjoy the beauty and happenings without worry of obstacles like traffic and people ... not that there's anything wrong with either.

The only thing I DON'T like about riding to the harbor is that, as I mentioned in a previous post, the return ride is always ... ALWAYS an uphill ride.  Hills are okay, but there are two main roads back home, and both of them are fairly steep ... like THIS one:

The photo doesn't do justice, even with the tall ship views from the bottom and top for perspective, but suffice it to say this hill is about an 18% grade and runs for over a quarter mile.  It's almost as though every ride becomes a "training" ride because of hills like this one.  Now don't go assuming I think there's something wrong with training ... I have great admiration for those who do it.  For me, however, the word "training" conjures up images of something that isn't as much FUN and RELAXING as it is WORK ... and cycling isn't something I want to view as WORK.  I already do enough of that.  But since Summer is on its way ... and that often means getting in shape for beach outings and BBQ events ... I felt it was time today to begin a different kind of training regimen.

People often speak of "cross-training", using different forms of exercise to work (there's that word again) different muscle groups or to work the same groups in different ways.  You might think that means doing something WITHOUT your bike ... but that's not always true.  Today, I have developed a cross-training event that uses the bicycle throughout the entire process.  Truth be told, it happened by accident, when I really needed a different route home from the harbor.  Instead of taking one of the two road routes, I decided to enter the local park across from the harbor area.  I've never gone that way before because I've seen the posted signs asking for "no bicycling" on the park sidewalks ... however, I see many people doing it every day, so I thought I'd be bold and give it a whirl.  Geography dictates that going home WILL involve going uphill, so I knew there would be some kind of hill action ... but at least it was off the road and through some new territory.  What I found was a veritable plethora of cross-training possibilities.  Here's how it works:

Upon entering the park, one immediately encounters the first uphill path, followed by another, and another ... and then a series of "switchback" paths that lead ... you guessed it ... uphill through the park.  Here's a look:

And here's a graphic depiction of the switchbacks:

Once again, a photo cannot do this justice ... it's a very long, winding path up through that pretty green grass.

Now ... here's where the cross-training fun begins.  If trying to pedal up these paths becomes difficult, one can simply walk the bike ... and walking uphill with a bike works different leg and foot muscles, as well as working the riding muscles in different ways.  This can be especially effective if done near the end of what has already been a good long ride, when your legs are "pre-fatigued".  You can also skip the switchback paths altogether and push your bike uphill through the grass ... cyclocross style ... for a more invigorating workout.  If you want to add some strength training to your day, there are three sets of concrete stairs ... one VERY long (#1 in the photo), one medium long (#2), and one normal (#3).  You could carry your bike up them for added intensity and upper body work.  Here's a look:

I did not opt for the added stair workout today ... as holding the camera in one hand and the bike in the other presented a problem that could not be easily resolved at the moment.  Next time ...

I was a bit disappointed that I was obviously not the first cyclist to think of this cross-training plan.  I noticed several others performing the same workout:

Workout or not, I couldn't help but stop and enjoy the amazing scenery this particular park has to offer:

And the best view is the one at the top of all the switchbacks ... looking down over the climb just made with superhuman strength:

It really is a LONG way down to the bottom ... you'll just have to take my word for it!  Now get out of your computer chair and go explore some new territory of your own!!