Today on the San Gabriel River Trail

Geez, i need to do these "long" rides more than once every three months. Seventy-seven is just enough to lay me low for the rest of the day. Was a time, though. Was a time when seventy was the upper end of a medium length ride. I laid down to take an hour siesta and then had both legs and one foot seize up when i tried to mobilize once again for the evening chores. Well, at least i can walk again now - or i think i can, as i sit here and jab at the keyboard. Anyway, still on recovery mode, which is thankfully a step above survival mode. Other than that it was a nice day on the SGRT. Headwinds and tailwinds at the usual spots, so no surprises there. The running of power lines and the finishing touches on the towers continues; helicopter blades beat the air while delivering steel and cable to workers on high, yet there were no delays on the bike path. A lot of folks riding, and hordes, absolute hordes of bikes parked down at the beach yet still, tons of cars as well.

Enjoy your weekend, and don't forget to bring out your bikes when you do so.

And yes, i have reached a stage in this life that, i believe, qualifies me to use phrases like "there was a time when".

smiley faces on cable spools. it was a smiley face type day for a ride.

a message for all at Whittier Narrows. i think at one point there were many of these youth-derived art projects on display, but now only a few remain.

darn, i was hoping this had come out better. saw two turtles on the way down to the coast, one heading back up. they were big, and slow (not those fast ones from Finding Nemo, but then maybe they did not have the current with them). this one was pointing upriver, and his flipper movement suggested he wanted to go that direction. after watching him for a while, i realized his movements against the river current were not enough, and he was actually moving the other direction - back toward the coast. nothing i could do to help.

part way in to a big slice of Sweet Jill's Crumb Cake. not convinced it gave me any energy for the ride back, but it sure was good. i have been going to that Seal Beach bakery for more than twenty years now, in fact it was one of the first places i discovered down there.

finally. finally, i stopped into Kings Bikes (you know the vintage 70's Bottecchia, which is still for sale, came out of the Kings shop and still has stickers saying so). Kings is a Scott, and Jamis dealership, and being in a beach city, there are plenty of Electra cruisers as well. there was a nice collection of older, used bikes for sale, including a bunch of Colango's and Schwinn's. also the little display case shown above - not a whole lot there, but interesting none-the-less.

i told you this place will save you on a hot day. it did me, today.

the two with their backsides to me were having a little row, playing a little nip and bite game, while the third one just ignored them, and a guy on the far side of the corral yelled at them to knock it off.

alright, so i am headed down the path in the mid-morning, the sun is shining bright, and i am moving with some decent speed, and am a cyclist after all. can you blame me for seeing this as Rancho Pantani. and anyway, doesn't Pantano (Spanish) = Pantani (Italian)? no, oh well.