Short Day

There are some vehicle/bicycle mileage comparisons on the Rantings blog.

Have not had any light problems since I ty-rapped the plug-in-question, so that must be the problem. A fairly easy fix.

[RANT] Saw a bicyclist in full kit run the left turn light at Baltimore & Lake Murray on Thursday morning around 6:30, about ten minutes before sunrise. He didn't even slow down, and a minivan had to serve a bit to avoid him! What a weenie! And, his blinkie was obscured by somethings he was carrying on his waist. Not good.

Today a couple of kids (wearing helmets, yay!) crossed against the red (about 6:15) on MY street! I don't blame them, I've done it myself when the rotten light won't change, but they didn't even try. The goofy intersection has only one crosswalk, they crossed on the side opposite from that. Kinda of tricky in the dark, and the field of vision isn't fabulous. They didn't have any kind of lighting. At least I've got the BIG LIGHT and the BIG YELLOW STROBE!
[/RANT]

Was roaming around the South Bay area of SanDiego last weekend (in a car!), and saw this amusing pair of signs.



I think I've been reading too many blogs. I'm gonna limit the daily peek to Fat Cyclist and The Bike Riding Donut Guy. And once a week for the rest of them.

I'm going to buy a bell for the Jamis. Steve the L showed me his bell, it's a called an IncrediBell. Very easy to use, adjustable lever (that's LEE-ver), and loud enough.

Loud enough untill I get my AIR HORNS!! hehehehh...

Sunny Sunday

TOTALLY did not feel like riding this morning. But, then I never do, now do I?

And yet, I did.

Did a Dam Ride.

Got a couple pictures of the alien goo near the corner of Water St. and Amaya Dr. in probably La Mesa. Just past the Pelligrino Realty complex, that the building with the one-way drive-through with giant metal teeth. But I digress... I heard something BIG in the bushes, so I stopped. Didn't see anything, but I admired the goo.


Remember you can click on the images to see the bigger ones on Flickr. Some of them look a lot better that way. Some of them don't!

I rode through Harry Griffen again, this time the dog gate was unlocked so I could slip out the back.

I rode down the back road into El Cajon, the Hillsmont gaggle of roads. Don't try this in your car, it is blocked to vehicles at the end! I rode up the hill into Hillside Park



and rode the path up the hill to the top of Fletcher Parkway. I then continued on the Dam Ride for a while.

There were a number of photo ops when I got off the bike path onto Prospect in Santee. First thing I noticed were some California Lottery cards.



Then there were a zillion more!



I looked over The Project to see how it is going. Looks like they got a good handle on the flood channel.



Looks like the birdies are enjoying the quiet weekend, too!



I continued down Prospect. The bridges of the 125 freeway made an interesting composition, I think.



I continued on the Dam Ride, untill I got to the turn-off (Father Junipero Serra Trail) for the Dam. Instead I went UP the Mission Gorge hill. Then I went DOWN the Mission Gorge hill. Then I went UP the Jackson Hill (No, not really, it's still under construction and blocked to traffic.)(So that would make it very quiet and peaceful, now wouldn't it. If I had gone that way...)

I suppose I wasn't feeling as lame as I thought...

So I guess it really wasn't the Dam Ride. I guess it was an Almost Dam Ride!

Ride Mileage: 25.18
First hour average speed: Nothing to talk about...

Weekly Mileage:

Schwinn -- 25.18
Jamis -- 41.88

Green car

I pulled up behind a pretty green car at a stoplight. The girl driver stuck her arm out the window and waved and waved. At me? I don't know. The light turned green. She kept on waving. At me? I don't know. The truck behind me honked at her. She turned the wave into a flip-off. At me? I'm pretty sure not. Then she zoomed off.

I Zip-tied the lighting unit cable connector together, just for the heck. I didn't have any light-losses. Maybe it's NOT the switch. I'm thinking about replacing the connectors with Cinch-Jones brand. Maybe not. It could be overkill.

By the way, I'm basically running a Starlight 78 Bicycle Lighting System.

You light up my...morning ride...

I'm having an intermitent "open", as we used to say in the 35th CES Interior Electric Shop, back in the day, in my lighting system. The strobe is working fine, it seems to be related to the headlight/power switch, which is a double-pole switch. One side powers the strobe, one side powers the headlight. I think. I will have dig up the circuit diagram. It IS a conveluted mass of wire, mostly the same color. Black.

And the cable plug is loose.

And the mounting straps are entering the stage of suckiness.

Very pretty sunrise this morning, kind of pinkish.

Useless without pics, as they say.

I got up this morning at 8, ate my bran flakes, and thought about going for a bike ride.

Even though it was rather sunny outside.

Then my wife turned on the tv, and I was so depressed watching "The Hour Of Power" that I decided to NOT go for a bike ride.

Then I watched a half-hour of Sunday Morning, had a bowel movement, and was so cheered that I decided to GO for that bike ride.

So I did.

Let us see, what all happened.

The light at the end my street refused to change, as usual, even though I said a curse word (or two) at it.

I felt pretty good going up The Parkway, hitting 16 mph on the flats at times (which I shouldn't have been doing, since I wasn't warmed up.)

I went into Harry Griffin the FRONT way, so as to sneak out the BACK way, over by the dog walk. Oh, no, not going to happen, the gate was chained SHUT! So I did a little dirt riding and went out another way that I remembered from when we wuz Geocaching one time. I read one guy's opinion that one could dirt ride on skinny tires. He did, he maintained, no problem. Well, I've got 27 1/4 tires on the Schwinn, not the skinniest tires around by far, and I've got to say it's not a whole lot of fun riding in loose sand.

I went looking for that OTHER way down into El Cajon, the street that's blocked off to cars. After several false starts (and several little hills to climb back up!), I finally found it and descended into the box. The rest of the ride followed The Dam Ride. Except I didn't go around the Lake. I figured there were too many dog walkers.

On Prospect, in Santee, some guy making a left turn came within a foot of hitting me. This was in the tiny little section where it narrows down to one lane for a few feet.



Not too many people at the Dam Bike Path, of which I cannot remember the name. My average speed for the first hour I noted at 13.4 mph. I didn't feel too bad, either.

Light at bottom of Jackson Drive hill wouldn't change, so I "ran" it.

Jackson Drive seems to be closed to through traffic because of some water pipe repair for some time. The DOWN lane seems to be open, at least on the weekend, but the UP lane has a detour. I, in the great tradition, rode the sidewalk all the way up. In granny gear, but not the BIG cog. The next one down. I don't remember what it is, YOU go look it up!

Near the top a runner was in the bike lane, while I was on the sidewalk. Ironic?

Made it the rest of way with no incidents.

Weekly Mileage:

Jamis -- 32 miles
Schwinn -- 22.39
Total-- 54.39

Warm enough

As I mentioned in the other blog, I didn't ride because it was sunny and warm this morning, and I slept in late, also.

Yes.

I ran across a couple of interesting websites today:

MachineHead Software has a page describing the invasion of the Alien Traffic Cones. Several other interesting pages, including jokes, outrages by the local government against bicyclists, and useful bicycle-related software (some which is free, some seems to be demo-ware).

Bicycle Habitat sells stuff, but there is a lot of information on bike repair, riding, humour (rather odd humour!), and an L. Ron Hubbard quote.

Kooky Links

I bet the Bike Riding Donut Guy doesn't have these links in HIS blog!

From Fark.com: In case you ever wondered, yes, a cat will sit still long enough for you to tape a strip of bacon to it (SFW) Fark discussion thread is possibly NSFW, however.

Steve Bedair's Wood Chipper

And in an e-mail from my brother: Jet Powered Beer Cooler

An article I ran across (from 2005, you may have seen it already) in which Paul Rogen claims that All the Great Cyclists are Fifty Nine, calls Merckx fat, and invites him to race.

I wonder how it turned out?

By the time I'm 59 I won't know it, as I can't remember how old I am right now!

I did not ride today, but I did watch (parts) it on TV. Saw Hincapie win the USA Cycling Professional National Championships, and Chris Baldwin crash in the time trial. Whooo!

Weekly Mileage:

Jamis -- 44.82
Schwinn -- 0

Finally got a decent picture of the pump.



Decided to ride to work, even though I was invited to an after-work party. After work I put on my bike shorts under my work clothes and rode DOWNHILL to Santee-ish, thenb back UPHILL to the party location.

I found that being all sweaty does not deter ladies from hugging.

I decided, after a couple of hours, that I had better start heading home before it got dark. I headed DOWNHILL to El Cajon. When the bike lane disappeared (On Cuyamaca) I turned on the BIG HEADLIGHT and STROBE. I climbed out of the box on Fletcher Parkway. Traffic was fairly light and with the help of the STROBE I didn't have any trouble with traffic. It wasn't too hot, and it took about 45 minutes to get back home.

Somewhat Cooler

Finally it has coolden down a bit. Now it's only warm, and it's pleasant at night. I wonder how long it will last.

The ever-generous Mr. M. has donated a Topeak Twinhead Upgrade kit to the cause, that is, the fixing-up of the Schwinn 1100 pump I acquired. It works pretty great! I might even leave my other Schwinn pump at work, and keep this one for home. The pressue gauge is MUCH easier to read, being somewhat closer to my bifocals than on the Schwinn 1400.

I would have a photo, but I yet to master the intricacies of the flash, I fear.

Yesterday I sent an e-mail to the principal OTHER local middle school, asking that they remind the students that jaywalking can be dangerous, and that looking both ways before crossing the street is a good idea. I almost nailed a couple of kids who weren't paying ANY attention whatsoever to the task at hand.

Who turned on the heat?

Man alive, it's mighty warm out there! It wasn't too bad this morning, I left the house around 7:30 and noodled around the area for a while. You can check the route, if you like.

I took a look in the window of the new bicycle shop kitty-korner from Performance on La Mesa Blvd. It's called Big Ring Cyclery. They sell Bianchi, among other brands, and I shall tell you a secret, celeste green is my favorite color. It look like they have some water bottle cages in celeste green, wouldn't that clash with Jamis Coda blue?

I felt kinda tired, but standing up to climb the hills was ok. But the legs felt weak sitting down. Maybe it's the heat, I don't know.

Lot's of dog walkers out today, and no one responded to my "Good morning"s.

Oh, and I forgot to take the pump, again!

Weekly Mileage:

Schwinn -- 15.51
Jamis -- 51.04
TOTAL -- 66.55

Pumped

Or rather, not. Ha ha!

I scored this pump from a room-cleaning. All I have to do is find a head for it. I think. I think it looks funny strapped on the front of the Jamis.



I rode the Jamis to work four days out of five this week. I've got about 50 miles on the trip-o-meter.

I can't think of one eventful thing that happened all week. Huh.