Sunday, April 8, 2012
Friday, August 5, 2011
What Kind of Person Enjoys Bicycle Camping?
I've fallen out of sync since my last trip and I didn't bicycle camp during May or July which is a shame because I want to adhere to a at-least-one-bike-camping-trip-per-month standard. So August it is! But, back to my point.
Well, just about anyone can enjoy bicycle camping. That question answers itself.
No, the point to this little essay is really a rhetorical question posed by other campers at the park. Most campers have RVs and trailers, or are at least tent campers who arrive by car. Bicycle campers are on the lowest rung of the campground social hierarchy and people will often look at you with that quizzical expression: what kind of person enjoys bicycle camping?
Well, just about anyone can enjoy bicycle camping. That question answers itself.
No, the point to this little essay is really a rhetorical question posed by other campers at the park. Most campers have RVs and trailers, or are at least tent campers who arrive by car. Bicycle campers are on the lowest rung of the campground social hierarchy and people will often look at you with that quizzical expression: what kind of person enjoys bicycle camping?
Monday, August 1, 2011
Groups hope to take over local state parks
Budget cuts target Palomar, San Pasqual for closure next year -
Sacramento — There is growing community interest in acquiring the keys to two parks in San Diego County that the governor plans to padlock next year.Organized groups have launched preliminary talks with state parks officials with hopes of saving Palomar Mountain and San Pasqual Battlefield parks if pending legislation passes to permit nonprofits to take over campgrounds, museums and forests. ...
“Palomar is just a very special place of paradise ... It’s a park that offers a lot of natural wonders for families,” said John Summers, a Los Angeles resident who grew up on the mountain and plans to retire there. ...
Monday, July 4, 2011
Toot toot!! Resume the Commute!!
Tomorrow I start commuting to work again. 15 miles each way. 30 miles round trip.
I've been off the bicycle for 6 weeks now; I've put on weight. I'm getting that out-of-breath feeling of pre-biking days; obviously my blood pressure is creeping back up. Stay off the bicycle long enough and I start reverting to the out-of-shape sack o' @##$% that I used to be. Sad. It doesn't take long, that's for sure.
Fixing the bicycle was easy. I re-positioned the left brake lever that had been knocked out of whack. I re-adjusted the brakes. I re-taped the left handlebar. I unbent the kinks in the rear fender stay. I think tonight I'll add a couple drops of oil to the chain. Tomorrow morning before I leave I'll pump up the tires.
For tomorrow's ride I intend to take it easy. No point in overdoing it and re-injuring myself. Already, though, I'm thinking of a camping trip at the beach. Maybe Carlsbad. We shall see...
For that matter inland parks like Kumeyaay or Sweetwater could be fun in this hot muggy weather. Not so much the sweaty ride but rather sleeping without the rain cover on the tent allowing me to enjoy the stars (without worrying about the bugs) while being cooled by a breeze. Heaven!
Happy 4th, everyone!!
I've been off the bicycle for 6 weeks now; I've put on weight. I'm getting that out-of-breath feeling of pre-biking days; obviously my blood pressure is creeping back up. Stay off the bicycle long enough and I start reverting to the out-of-shape sack o' @##$% that I used to be. Sad. It doesn't take long, that's for sure.
Fixing the bicycle was easy. I re-positioned the left brake lever that had been knocked out of whack. I re-adjusted the brakes. I re-taped the left handlebar. I unbent the kinks in the rear fender stay. I think tonight I'll add a couple drops of oil to the chain. Tomorrow morning before I leave I'll pump up the tires.
For tomorrow's ride I intend to take it easy. No point in overdoing it and re-injuring myself. Already, though, I'm thinking of a camping trip at the beach. Maybe Carlsbad. We shall see...
For that matter inland parks like Kumeyaay or Sweetwater could be fun in this hot muggy weather. Not so much the sweaty ride but rather sleeping without the rain cover on the tent allowing me to enjoy the stars (without worrying about the bugs) while being cooled by a breeze. Heaven!
Happy 4th, everyone!!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Courteous Mass/Critical Manners
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221662541207482
From the Facebook page:
"[Friday, August 12 · 7:30pm - 10:30pm] This is a bicycle protest to show San Diego that bikes can share the roads and have the same right to be on the road. This is NOT Critical Mass, this is NOT a race, we will ride in a group and stay together by communicating with each other. Be ready to signal when you turn, stop at red lights to regroup and be polite. If we do stop traffic please wave in gratitude that they are being patient, if close enough say "Thank You" Let's show SD that there are bikes out there that want respect and can dish it out. SD prove me right and let's see if we can out number Critical Mass by killing cars with kindness.
Leaving the Fountain at 8pm."
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| (c) Google. Somewhere in China... |
From the Facebook page:
"[Friday, August 12 · 7:30pm - 10:30pm] This is a bicycle protest to show San Diego that bikes can share the roads and have the same right to be on the road. This is NOT Critical Mass, this is NOT a race, we will ride in a group and stay together by communicating with each other. Be ready to signal when you turn, stop at red lights to regroup and be polite. If we do stop traffic please wave in gratitude that they are being patient, if close enough say "Thank You" Let's show SD that there are bikes out there that want respect and can dish it out. SD prove me right and let's see if we can out number Critical Mass by killing cars with kindness.
Leaving the Fountain at 8pm."
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
People, wear the helmet!
While I'm off the bike I don't have much to blog about. I can only clack at the keyboard while trying to think of things to say. Here's something that occurred to me: I clunked my head in Campo and in spite of knocking myself out I recovered quickly. Not one bone broken. No lasting effects (at least none I'm aware of; I still have a follow-up appointment with the neurologist).
So I was lucky. Lucky that the accident wasn't worse. And lucky that I was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
The helmet was split. It's trash now. I'm not going to enjoy throwing it in the recycle bin and maybe instead I'll keep it as a reminder to always wear a helmet when riding.
So I was lucky. Lucky that the accident wasn't worse. And lucky that I was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
The helmet was split. It's trash now. I'm not going to enjoy throwing it in the recycle bin and maybe instead I'll keep it as a reminder to always wear a helmet when riding.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
A Walk in the Park
Since I can't ride a bicycle for the time being we decided a casual stroll in Balboa Park would be in order. Gotta tell ya, not being able to ride the bike really sucks. Anyway...
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| Cabrillo Tower, one of the many landmarks of Balboa Park. You can also see it as you fly into San Diego. |
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