Dylan fetches at Valley Center
If you are interested or came here looking for the photos from the USBCHA Trial in Valley Center this past weekend you can find the photos here.
Not so much when it happened but after. After I got to the office and when I got home that night. Oh and the next day, but mostly that night.
Riding my bike onto the office on Monday morning I was cruising along Fountain Ave. up to the light at Normandie. The cars were in line waiting for the light to turn green and I was riding up the right. All was normal when ALL OF A SUDDEN this MONSTER SUV pulled out right in front of me. I had no where to go and all I could see was the HUGE fucking side-view mirror.
And down I went. Honestly the rest is a blur. I do remember the guy stopping and caring about what happened and being a true gentleman. That assuaged any anger I might have had. I felt fine, no clothes were torn and the only issue with my bike were the handle bar a little out of whack and easily corrected.
So I told the driver I was OK and please, PLEASE watch for us cyclists before making moves like that. Thinking back I should have told him to drive a reasonable sized vehicle, but probably best I didn’t.
So I loaded the saddle bags back on the bike and checked my parts and all seemed in order so I limped along onward the next few miles to the office. When I got in I sat down and decompressed and checked out my injuries. All I could tell was that I had nice ‘strawberries’ on my left shoulder and right hip. No torn clothing and all I could see on my bike was torn handlebar tape. Not bad at all.
As the day wore on I got sore. Shoulder and hip and surprisingly my right wrist. No swelling or discoloration so I must have thrown out that hand to break my fall. By the evening and bedtime my wrist was the most painful part. But again no swelling or discoloration so I wasn’t concerned it was anything serious.
I took a couple of Tylenol PMs for the pain and went to bed and I was fine for a few hours and got some sleep, but around 1 am I was wide awake and couldn’t get back to sleep and ended up taking the dogs for a 1:30 am walk around the neighborhood. Rather pleasant actually.
Two days later and the wrist is good, the strawberries are purple and somehow there was another bruise I missed until the next morning. My big toe on my right foot. Oh well such are the adventures of an LA bike commuter.
I plan on taking the rest of this week to recover and then it’s back on the bike. Wish me luck!
-bikeguy
Folks, that is a photograph of seven year old Kylie Bruehler. She is at a funeral service to bury her parents, both of whom were killed last week when a driver veered onto the shoulder and drove his pickup truck into them. (Tom Reel, San Antonio Express News)
I am posting this for 2 reasons:
Reason #1: This is an awesome photograph. It tells the story in a way, as a former photojournalist, we always strive. Poignant, strong and with all the elements. A short caption can fill in the few missing pieces.
Reason #2: As a bicyclist this story MUST be broadcast, told and repeated. I am not placing any blame because I wasn’t there, but it behooves all of us whether we are in a car or truck or on a bicycle to recognize that we all need to use care when on the roadways. That little girl might be yours, or your niece or someone you know.
Here’s to hoping the best for Kylie.
The top of Brown Mtn. is burned clean of live vegetation
I went on a mountain bike ride on my ‘regular’ route this morning. I haven’t been on my mountain bike much lately and this was the first time I have been on it since the Station Fire. I guess technically I wasn’t supposed to be up there, but there weren’t any gates and I had no intention of leaving the fire road/trail so I went on up.
The first mile or so was just as I remembered. No real signs of fire, but as I turned the corner after the corner where the El Prieto Trailhead dumps out, it seemed as if I had moved through some kind of portal onto another world. No seriously, it was otherworldly.
The first thing I noticed was how close the road was from corner to corner. I could see so much of the trail/road. Before there was enough brush to make the road feel isolated, you couldn’t see far and you really didn’t notice the road wrapping around itself. Not today. Everything felt compressed. I could see forever.
The second thing I noticed was the monochrome color. Not that monochrome is unusual for this ride, but it’s usually muted greens and browns. Today it was gray to black. No green. No brown. Just shades of gray.
Then there was the smell. Not overpowering, but omnipresent. The smell of burned vegetation.
Sign and Trailhead on Brown Mtn.
When I got to the top of Brown Mountain I was just astounded at how burned out it looked, in every direction. The other odd thing was the occasional area that was spared. It looked so out of place.
Another was the damage to the road from the all the heavy equipment the forest service had up there to fight the fire. Nothing serious, but it made some areas very sandy. Overall it was a fun and interesting and I look forward to future rides watching the forest come back. Hopefully the rain we are expecting net week won’t be too heavy. Otherwise this area is going to be a real, muddy mess and lots and lots of landslides.
Here’s hoping for several days of a nice steady, light rain. We would all appreciate it.
Redish scarring on brush next to the trail/fire road
-bikeguy
Today was one of those days that if I didn’t have 2 border collies that make me get out of the house I probably wouldn’t have. I wish I didn’t feel guilty about not doing anything, but I do even when I probably shouldn’t.
The weather was outstanding today and I basically wasted it in my LazyBoy watching F1, and football. At least I got most of the weekend details out of the way yesterday.
I vacuumed up the mounds of dog hair off the floor from 2 shedding beasts and got my grocery shopping done. Though I wonder if I would have even got that done if I didn’t have to go to the office to pick up my wallet. I had left it there on Friday.
I redid my bike rack so my commuter bike didn’t sit in the middle of the floor since it was too much a pain in the ass to put it up. I also added slime to my mountain bike tubeless tires in prep of a ride today, but I wasn’t motivated enough to actually ride. At least I know I will get my mileage in commuting to worI k this week. I even took clothes in yesterday when I went in to get my wallet so I could ride 5 days if I feel up to it. My new route is much better on my lungs than the old one, but I do worry about getting hit like I did a couple of weeks ago. That was scary.
I rode my Cervelo to the office to show it off and see what difference the lighter ride makes, but I definitely do not like the backpack over the saddle bags on my Bianchi. It made my back hurt. There certainly is a performance hit with the extra weight, but I prefer the bags and the much more robust tires on the streets I have to commute over.
Well, at least I got a post up . . .
-bikeguy
. . . Is that I again get to commute by bicycle. The distance is right at 11.5 miles one-way and mostly downhill into the office which means an easier ride in which leads less sweat, etc. I rode a couple for a couple of days each week until a week ago. That week I rode 3 of 5 days. It would have been 4 of 5, but I was so out of breath the last couple of miles on that last day I had to stop several times to recover before I go on.
Needless to say it was disturbing and it took almost 2 times as long on this leg than any leg before. After talking with a friend who has way more experience road riding in the area, I concluded that what was happening was a combination of car exhaust and general air quality. I had never experienced anything like it so it was quite scary.
So after a a week or so of time off the bike, which was ok since there have been nearby fires and super high temps, I am ready to saddle-up once again. This time I need to find a route that includes fewer cars, trucks and other smog producing toxins.
Wish me luck!
-bikeguy
throw it, throw it, throw the ball, the ball, the ball . . .
Well hardly ever here in Southern California, but on the blog. Already a couple of posts and now, finally, almost 40 new dog park photos. A couple of them are even pretty good. Check ‘em out!
-the bike-guy
A Dog's Perspective
A great article on how dogs view the world compared to us humans. I recommend.
-the bikeguy
Even after living in the LA area for so many years a ‘star’ encounter can be surprising and exciting. Not jump up and down and scream for an autograph or stare crazily. But that ‘wow cool!’ feeling you get when recognition kicks in and you think about the randomness of the thing.
I now work in an area where it should be probably be expected to run into people I recognize from movies and television. There are dozens of studios, stages and production facilities all around us. I had noticed this one place that shares the block with us that has a cool little courtyard and parking attendant. The driveway is rather blind and a person coming out needs to be careful of people, like me, walking up the sidewalk.
As I walk up a Prius pulls out and nearly ‘got’ me. It wasn’t really all that close, but the type of thing that annoys you as a pedestrian. The driver reaction was a polite “I’m sorry” wave which would have been fine if it was a anybody. But when it’s Peter Gibbons from Office Space or Captain Nixon from Band of Brothers, one of my favorite actors Ron Livingston. While he is probably isn’t considered an A-List actor, he has always been a favorite of mine. Most recently he has been staring in a sci-fi drama on ABC called Defying Gravity which, while I love it, has already been canceled.
It lasted a split second and recognition was quick and immediately. Even at that he was up the road before I could even register. But it did make my afternoon.
Thanks Peter!
-bikeguy
It’s amazing what reducing a commute can do for your state of mind. You really don’t know what a long commute does to you until you are no longer doing it. Even when I am driving home at rush hour now the drive is 30 minutes at worst. An amazing feat considering a good chunk of the drive is over surface streets.
I have so much more energy when I get home. Now if the heat will break and the smoke clears a bit I can get some real exercise. Including commuting to the office on my bike. I can’t wait.
The reduced commute is a big part of my new energy, probably even the biggest. But some must come from the environment as well. I loved the energy at the previous office, especially when I started, but with all the changes and turnover the spirit in the room had changed. I truly believe the latest changes are for the best, but it was time for me to move on.
The environment at the new place is similar but different. I love the inherent contradiction in that statement , but it’s true.
The CEO and owner at the former workplace is extremely energetic and always cheerful and upbeat and that same energy, to one degree or another ran through the company. Even as numbers tanked and turnover spiked he kept a positive attitude and did his best to share that attitude. The dress and schedules were fairly casual and laid back. But for me the lack of consistent work was worrying since just a year earlier the same thing happened and I got laid off.
The new place is also very casual and laid back, but without the intense, almost frenetic energy. The energy here is more focused and cerebral. Thoughtful and considered. Frankly this more closely matches my personality. Neither is any better than the other, they are just different. Both are excellent places to work and I would recommend either and both.
But damn the commute is SO much better . . .
- bike-guy