Last Day Of The Year

It's no surprise, I didn't ride today. I DID go outside and do SOMETHING, but I didn't ride.
I got the oil changed in the vehicle.

I finalized the bike logs for the year, too.



So, you ask, what are the stats from 2007?

Jamis -- 1,940 miles.
Schwinn -- 751 miles.

Total: 2,691 miles.

This compares favorably with last year's mileage, being an increase of 14 miles.

If only I had ridden 9 miles today, it would have been a nice, even, 2,700 miles...

I note the odometer reading today on my gasoline powered vehicle. It is 3,833 miles.

Now, mind you, it had 500 miles on it when I bought it, so the means I've driven it 3,333 miles since I purchased it in late 2005. That's an average of 1,666.5 (boy, THAT took a while!) miles per year. Which means I've ridden a LOT more than I've driven! I guess that's something.

Happy New Year!

Don't forget to take the poll!

CAN This Be Sunday?

Well, let us get the can thing out of the way. I picked up twenty cans, three rocks, and one quarter.

Is it just me, or is this can-thing getting out of control?

Take the Can Poll, down there near the bottom of the page.

Secondly, there seem to be an extraordinary number of interesting links on Fark this morning.

Thirdly, I'm reading Cycling’s Greatest Misadventures this weekend. It's an uneven collection of non-fiction (except one) stories, but I'd recommend it. Some are funny, some are sad. Some are inspiring, in a misadventure sort of way!

Nextly, today's ride pretty much followed Friday's ride, in which I was fairly non-specific in describing the route. It's was 42 degrees Fahrenheit when I took off at 7:45 this morning. It was chillier in "The Box", and even chillier in Santee. I was following a fellow on Prospect when he suddenly made a double u-turn. There was something shiny on the road! I made a double-u also, to see what it was. He informed that it was a 1/4 inch ratchet with a 3/32 inch socket. Coolness! We rode along for a bit discussing tools we had found while riding.

There were a ton of dog walkers at the lake this morning. I saw the lady who carries the dog in the basket, but the dog was running today. I rested at the turn-around, ate a granola bar, and took off my saggy leg warmers, as it was warming up a little bit.

I left the lake at the incredibly steep path that leads up to Baltimore Drive. I passed a lady walking a collie and a Alsatian. I told here they were good-looking dogs. She said, "And well-behaved, too." I replied, "I consider any dog that doesn't bark at me is well-behaved."

The mileage for the week is up to 75.6 miles. So that's it for THIS week, but sadly, not for this year, as it appears there is one more day to go. So the year summary will have wait on the off-chance I MIGHT go for a ride tomorrow.

I might be jinxing it, but I plan to go on what used to be an annual ritual, the New Year's Day Fifty Mile Ride.

What A Week!

Did the Dam Ride this morning, sort of, mostly wandering around in a vague approximation of it, actually. And a very SLOW approximation at that, let me tell you!

It was 38.8° Fahrenheit at around 7:30 or 8 when I left. The tube I replaced hadn't gone flat, so I took that as a sign. A sign of WHAT, I know not.

A bunch (a flight?) of airplanes were taking off from Gillespie Field. I tried to take a dramatic shot of at least ONE of them, this is the best one:



Actually, the other two exposures had no plane in them. I guess it's harder than it looks to take a dramatic picture.

The Weather Underground station in Glorious Santee shows the thermometer didn't get up to 40° (Fahrenheit) until 8:30, so that explains why when I changed from the heavy -duty gloves to the gloves liners under bike gloves after using the camera my hands started to hurt a little.

I rode up Mission Gorge Road instead of taking the Father Serra Bike Path. I didn't see any other cyclists until one surprised/passed me going up the Jackson Drive Hill o'Death with a cheery "Good Morning!" as I'm laboring in granny granny gear.

I rode around the lake, annoying no one for a change. I ate an Albertson's Chewy Granola (Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip) at the end of the perimeter road as I felt a little shaky, didn't hit the sign as I wasn't doing a lap, and headed on home.

Collecting cans all the way, I managed to get 15 cans! Some dripping wet w/beer, two (sodas) were full and sealed! That's a thing, I would think if one paid good money for a drink, one would finish it, drain it dry!

Yet again, my path diverges with the rest of humanity...

Today's cans:



So far this week I have managed to put 49.90 miles on the cyclometer.

How many more days in the year are there? How many days in December?
Tempus fugit! The wages of sloth of evident in mileage for the year!

Oh, you may be wondering, what is with the "What A Week" entry title. Well, what with the overwhelming self-induced despair of the Xmas holiday, nearly terminal gas pains, very nearly terminal ennui, and a surprising telephone call, the week has been an emotional roller coaster!

Day After Xmas

Not only is it the Day After, but it is also Garbage Day!

It is also Boxing Day, in some parts of the world.

Rode on a shopping errand of mercy to the smoke shop, turned it into a jaunt around the San Carlos neighborhood. Picked up five aluminum (British -- aluminium) cans and a pine cone.

So far I've only 23 miles for the week, which is kinda weak.

The rear tire on the Jamis was soft AGAIN this day, so I pumped it up AGAIN! When I got back from the trip I STRIPPED off the wheel, yanked off the tube, filled (partially) a bucket of water, and search for the leak.

There were TWO leaks, so, since this tube had AT LEAST six patches, into the trash it goes.

Stuck the old long-stem (which I hate) spare in. It only has three patches on it.

Rather sunny out, but it was a little chilly for me. I guess my blood is getting thin, in my middle age.

I see Ira over on his Bicyle Musings says he will have just over 5,000 miles this year. Yikes! I'll have 2,700 (or so) miles this year. My all time high was 4,081 miles in 1998, probably training for Tour de Tucson in which I had invested so much moola!

Xmas

Meandering around the town this morning in the mildly chilly but sunny-ness of Xmas, I managed to put around ten miles on the odometer AND pick up seven cans!

Not too many vehicles about, although I saw several walkers, and three cyclists zooming about.

Now ME, I even rode a mile on the sidewalk so as to snag a can.

Mighty Chilly

Went for a little Dam Ride this morning. It was 40.something degrees Fahrenheit when I took off at around six thirty. It felt brisk, but not too bad.

The rear tire was a bit soft, so I wavered between taking the Jamis or the Schwinn. Decided to chance it, pump up the tire, and take the Jamis.

I picked up one of the cans I saw in the median yesterday. I picked up three cans and three rocks today.

Saw this Christmas display over in Fletcher Hills.



It's the California state bear!

Picked up a coin behind the bowling alley.



Oddly enough, it seems to be a token from the game place inside.

It looks like the cement plant in Santee near the Cuyamaca/Prospect bike path is defunct, most of the junk in their yard is gone.

You may remember there was a lot of work going on in the Dam Area the last couple months, the results seem to be that one can see the dam from the bike path now.



Going through The Gorge I observed frost on the fence posts.



It was pretty chilly. My fingers hurt and my nose, also! I remarked on this to one of the two pedestrians I passed. The Weather Underground indicates that it was around 35 degrees Fahrenheit at the time I passed through.

My fingers didn't stop hurting till I had climbed about three-quarters of the way up the Jackson Drive Hill. The sun was very bright, such a contrast from The Gorge.

The Jamis tire didn't go flat, or even get soft.

All told I got a little over 70 miles for the week. Not bad for not driving two days!

Found Money

Actually woke up this morning, at 7:30, and suited up for a little ride. It was forty degrees outside, but sunny, so I put on the saggy arm and leg warmers.

Not too many people out, saw a couple guys on bikes in Fletcher Hills and El Cajon. I went down past the airport, then came back to San Carlos via Mast and Fanita. So I got to climb the hill TWICE.

Picked up 13 cans along the way, plus a ten dollar bill on Navajo Road. W00t!

Worked out to about one can per miles, so I end up with 53 miles or so for the week, so far.

Last Day

It's the last working day of the year, so I drove so as to be able to haul home all the loot I get at work. Plus, I was going to a party after. Plus, it was chilly! And the streets were DAMP from the drizzle last night!

The Big Swede gave me these socks. He hopes they will help me avoid further confrontations.



He apologized for them not being pink. I said they will get pink soon enough in the warsh!

Yes, I talk like that!

Shot In The Dark

I, in my innocence, thought that I would be safe in the dark , with the BIG HEADLIGHT and the BIG YELLOW STROBE. And yet, one cannot discount the cager who, either through innocence, confusion, or assitude, violates basic traffic laws.

Like, red means "stop", green means "go".

This moraning (that's not a typo), I had the green left turn arrow, so I takes off, and an oncoming stopped cager takes off and nearly hits me! $%#*###!^$#@#@##@@@!@!

Oh, well, I guess it's a dangerous world out there, and one just has to deal with it.

Wish I had had a rock handy...

Picked up four cans this morning, missed three more I will attempt to get going home.

And it's NOT going to rain this afternoon!

UPDATE: Did not get the three more cans, and it didn't rain!

Chillier

Mr. Outside Thermometer informed me that it was 39.4 (Fahrenheit) when I took off this morning. The 40 degree barrier has been broken!

I added the red silk balaclava adds a bit a panache, don't you think?



I tried to take a picture showing the magnificent headlight beam, but it turned out BLACK! No pic for YOU!

The Christmas lights are out in force.

These are a little jiggly, but I think it adds to the appeal.



These are fairly stunning, I say!



You can get a sense of how the world looks through my eyes, and why I try to avoid driving at night!

Managed 45 miles this week, even though I missed day due to rain.

No one called me any names today, but Steve the Big Swede reports that on a ride to Crest and back this moring he was called "Fag" twice on the Crest grade, once by a guy in an official Heineken beer delivery truck. So does that make Heineken the beer of heines? Anuii? Work with me here!

Lighting Problems

I found when I went to turn on the the bike light this morning that a wire had broken. Fortunately, I had gotten such a late start that I didn't really NEED the headlight, so I just turned on the front Vistalite and the Big Yellow Strobe in the rear.

When I got home I went up to Autozone and purchased a trailer light connector and wired it in.

Voila!



Problems solved! The old connector is still used for the charger, the new connector provides 12 volts to the headlight.

Also solved the front Vistalite problem. It WAS mounted on the loop of one of the unused basket mounts (Yes, the basket is STILL mounted backwards!). Every time I hit a bump the loop would rotate backwards, until the Vistalite was pointing to the sky, or even to the rear! The solution was obvious, so it's only taken me several months to figure it out...



I was looking at those bright blue/white driving lights at Autozone. Hmmmmmm.

Wednesday

It was 40.3 degrees Fahrenheit this morning when I took off.

Riding home this afternoon, a car approaching yelled out, "Something, something, you fag." I GUESS the car was talking to me...but apparently the car was not able to accurately assess ones sexual predilection on the fly, so perhaps the car will have better luck next time. And I'm sure there WILL be a next time...

Rain Rain

It rained last Friday. Didn't ride.
It rained last Saturday. Didn't ride.
It rained Sunday. Didn't ride.
It didn't rain Monday. Rode to work
It rained this morning. Didn't ride.

Took a sunset picture of the crane, to complement the sunrise pic I took the other day.



Is it huge enough?

Also took a pic of a papa truck and the baby truck at the grocery store.



Came upon a bicyclist this morning who was waiting for a stop light to turn. I could not EVEN see his pathetic little blinky light until I pulled up next to him! I think he SERIOUSLY needs to change his battery!

It may be my imagination, but I've noticed a lot more bicyclists out in the early morning commute.

It was about 40 degrees (Fahrenheit) yesterday when I started out, I wonder what it will be tomorrow.

Looks Like Rain

Ominous clouds are gathering.

Looks like rain tomorrow!

The forecast says--Chance of rain: 100%

They're pretty sure of themselves!

My battery box, made from a 5x8 inch card file box, is totally falling apart. I'd like to use a smaller box and lay the battery on its side, but the question is: can a gell cell sit on its side and not explode when it's recharging? I don't know, and I can't find an answer on teh intarwebs. Maybe I should suggest it as a science project to one of the kids...

No problems riding today, and picked up five aluminum cans along the way.

Guess I'll be driving tomorrow!

Ran across this guy, Bill Cotton, who went for a little bike ride for his 74th birthday. I am totally impressed. I looked around his site, he certainly has quite a few interests! The quintessential active Senior Citizen. I doff my hat to you, sir!

Wednesday In The Dark

Took some pics on the way to work.

The Moon and Venus looked real pretty this morning. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a tripod...



I-8 morning rush. Camera shake enhances this one, I think.



The crane on Fletcher Parkway in the morning.



A little Debbie reported yesterday that the topic of conversation in the cafeteria yesterday was--MY LEGS! Apparently someone was nearly overcome by the sight of my fabulous muscle definition. Yikes!

Just for comparison poiporses, we compare the "campus" pedals with the ones mounted. We see they are a little wider, and hence might work better when I forget to wear the proper shoes.



I've been wearing these gloves for a bit over a year, I think they are worn out. Fortunately, I bought TWO pair, so these go in the trash and the "new" ones will go on my hands starting tomorrow.

Warming Up

It was 48 degrees (Fahrenheit) this morning when I took off. I managed to find the missing leg warmers in the pile of bicycle-related paraphernalia hiding in the garage, so my legs were protected from the bitter cold.

A motorcycle pulled up next to me at the left turn red light, turned out it was someone from work. I got to work before them, I don't know how that worked!

The sky is strikingly pretty in the morning, and in the evening, too. I really should pack the camera along.

No problems with car-people while bicycling, but driving to the grocery store after work I was stuck behind an SUV going 25 mph in a 45. Then they turned into the grocery store without signaling. Typical, just typical!

While backing out of the parking space I nearly hit someone trying to sneak by. I didn't note if they had their lights on (it was quite twilight), but totally did not see them. One would think they could have waited a bit...

Chilly Today

Reading all the other cycling blogs, I guess I should be happy that our weather is so fine in Southern California.

No snow, no ice, not a lot of rain.

But it WAS chilly this morning!

The indoor/outdoor therm-o-meter read 44 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside.

Cold enough to put on the saggy arm warmers. Cold enough to wish I could find the saggy leg warmers!

Not cold enough to make my nose hurt, though.

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Regarding the pedal thing the other day, I'm pretty sure I have some of those two-sided pedals, from way back when, during my VERY brief flirtation with the SPD, in the big box of bicycle stuff. I did not care for SPDs, and am much more comfortable with clips (but not cleats!). Good enough for my level of riding, says I.

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I am encouraged to see that Susan is home from surgery. I wish her (and her family) all the best!

Outa Here

No riding this weekend, oiled the chain this morning, 46.7 miles for the week, later!