Springtime on the River...

"O what a bursting out there was, 

And what a blossoming.

When we had all the summer-time

And she had all the spring."

Plenty of mustard around, but that is not what all that yellow is in this case

According to the calendar, Spring began about three weeks ago, but somehow it does not seem official until Spring Break has arrived. However you choose to mark the occasion, nature will do so in her own terms, as she sees fit. The San Gabriel River Trail (SGRT) was alive today with signs of Spring - riders of all kinds, solo like myself, trios in pace line rotations, big groups of fixed gear riders, and many families. Wildflowers are in bloom everywhere, bees are buzzing, and some of the dry stretches of river have water in them again.

Yeah, water in the river again

Whether it is one agency, or multiple one, who have been involved with the infrastructure improvements, things are looking good. You may already know of the repaved section in the Whittier Narrows; further down in Long Beach, construction is still ongoing and the path is still closed (a short stretch at El Dorado Park has been reopened, but is still in need of striping). The rest node with exercise course at Madrid Middle School in El Monte is nearing completion, some bone jarring transitions (you will pleasantly notice them when you realize you no longer have to bunny hop the uplifted asphalt) are very welcome, and the new traffic signal at the rider/pedestrian crossing below the Santa Fe Dam is almost ready to make things safer for kids and families to cross Arrow Highway.

brought his tall bike out to test the freshly paved, and smooth

portion of path adjacent to El Dorado Park

many riders, including this big group of fixes took to the channel bed to get around the construction

used to be a hellish bump here

Madrid Middle School rest node with fitness equipment

new traffic control below the dam

If only I had ridden as well as the day was beautiful - I was far too drained for a sixty mile ride than I should have been. Anyone who guesses the name of the poem and the author of those first four lines at the top of the post, wins - something.

SGRT People in B&W (mostly)...

For all the little bit of area it takes up in the grand scheme of things, the San Gabriel River Trail along its roughly 40 mile length from mountains to sea, is quite a microcosm of society. On my last ride from Duarte to Burrito Jr. in Seal Beach, and back, I tried to take photos of everyone I rode past, whether they were walking, jogging, riding or just standing. But I didn't want to take a typical framed portrait; I wanted to leave things a little more to chance. So, I held the camera in my right hand while it rested on the top of the handlebars and snapped away, not using a viewfinder or screen, trying to time it just right as I rode by. Plenty of pics came out with no one in them, other times I got a bit of rear wheel, or the smallest bit of someone's face as they rode into the picture frame. Since my hand was always in contact with the bars, every bit of rough, uneven pavement is recorded in the photos. Some are crisp, some fuzzy, some downright blurred. In fact were you to see them all and were you familiar with the route, you could probably predict exactly which section of trail I was on at the time. Of course most of them came out at odd angles. Here are the best of the bunch:

Yet Another Psycho-list Ride...

to close out the weekend. I understand there have been some larger Psycho-list pelotons, but today's twenty-five or so riders was the largest I have seen since I started riding with the group. This meant there were more competitors at the various KOM spots along the route. Today's route was an out and back along the foothills to the upper San Gabriel River Trail (SGRT), down to the Whittier Narrows Dam, and then back the way we came. If you know the route, you will know there are no prolonged climbs, just some short, sometimes steep, sprinters' hills. Cursed Jorge, on his single speed, was just too powerful and kept me from claiming top spot at any of the top of any of the speed bumps. I think I managed second or third on most of those hills; not bad I suppose for the extra years I have on 'em. Some fast people kept it interesting the whole day. 

bunch of psycho-lists obstructing my view of the mountains

We made it over to the Santa Fe Dam with an average speed of over 19 mph which, considering some stretches of soft pedaling to allow regrouping, was pretty good. While a few riders turned off at this point, the rest of us rode on down river along the SGRT with Greg drilling it out front all the way into the Narrows. Construction on the path is still ongoing along there, but the asphalt is laid, nice and smooth and, being the weekend, it was unobstructed - no detour necessary. Turning around we found the headwind, not like a couple days ago, but enough to get the legs burning. With Greg and, I think Jorge, causing mayhem at the front again, I took a more relaxed position at the back, where the youngest rider in the group (14) was beginning to tire. Props to his dad though, for getting him out. My own 14 year old was probably still asleep at that point. Next time I secretly set the alarm in his room. The finishing miles melted beneath our wheels, and after a last regroup at the bottom of GMR there was one final split. Thing about the Psycho-lists, once they smell the finish (maybe lunch cooking at the Euro Cafe) it's every man for himself. A trio got a bit of a gap in the homestretch. I couldn't let that happen unchallenged, so I tucked in, powered up one final time, and managed to bridge up. Being able to find a nice reserve of energy at the end of a ride is something to be stoked about. Yahoo, now beer me.

nice and smooth, new asphalt. painting still needs to be done,

but the end of construction may be in sight

beautiful day for a ride

i like the colorful new signs along the SGRT, but "Emerald Necklace?" Boston's "Emerald Necklace" has been around for 100 years or so. i think a more unique name would have been better.

The Neighborhood Biking Dad...

a non-typical day in the life of. Let me start by stating that, as the neighborhood biking dad, it is not unusual for kids (friends of my son) to show up with a flat or other minor problem needing resolution. The type of things that are quickly and easily solved. I'm happy to be able to help out. There are some oddities as well; once I had a kid bring his bike by for some air. Then, I noticed something else odd about the cranks, they weren't aligned with each other, and I asked him what happened. Apparently one had come loose, and he got a handyman, who was doing some work at their house, to tighten it on. How he forced that thing on, I just don't know, but those cranks will never turn circles again. 

Anyway, yesterday started out with more such maintenance to kids bikes - the son of mine, invited a couple friends from the neighborhood to ride to Seal Beach with us, and so they brought their bikes by the garage for some pre-ride maintenance. Before this story goes much further, lets just shorten it up and say that, kids are tough on bikes, and don't give a whole lot of thought to maintenance. Both bikes needed air. One bike, a bmx, was also having front brake problems - the caliper would not budge, and though it still needs more work, I did manage to loosen it a little, enough to ride. Next came a lower model mtb, the kind you would expect a typical, still growing kid to own. The boys had already put air into the rear tire of this one, but as I examined it, I noticed that the wheel would not spin. This tends to happen when the tire is not set into the rim and is bulging out, about to explode. I caught it in time with no harm done. Next I noticed the rear derailleur (you see it below) - the cage is bent outward, and at the time it was not secured tightly to the frame. On short notice, there was nothing to be done about the bend, but tightening up the bolt helped with the alignment a little, enough that it could be ridden, and shifted, albeit noisily. Very noisily. 

With this done, I was satisfied that we could make the 17 mile round trip run between Cerritos (where we park) and Seal Beach. I had never ridden with either kid before, and though they are both a year younger than my own son, they are both active in sports, I figured they wouldn't have too much problem tackling this flat route with a long stopover for lunch. Well, half way down the bike path, the rear wheel on the mtb goes flat. Not only does the neighborhood biking dad fail to have a schroeder valve adaptor, but he also forgets a wrench with which to remove the offending rear wheel (no quick release on this bike). Even though we flag down a rider with an adaptable pump, the tube won't hold air, and we can't get the wheel off to patch it anyway. Yes, I know I could have patched it without taking the wheel off, and why I didn't think of this at the time, I just don't know. Anyway, three continued on down the bike path, while two of us returned to the car. As if the kid didn't feel miserable enough as it was for not being able to finish the ride, and having to ride back on a flat, while riding in the dirt alongside the paved path his front tire washed out in a soft patch, and he toppled over. Nothing bad, but another morale buster. Then he got a piece of tumbleweed lodged in his rear wheel. Then a broken branch, same place. With effort and no complaints we made it back, and drove the rest of the way to Seal Beach.

You always hope that a young rider won't be turned off cycling due to a bad day, and that is exactly what we had. Fortunately, a good lunch began to turn things around. This was followed by a run in the sands, and crawling through the crevices and caves between the boulders lining the mouth of the river - the gaps between them are amazingly big, allowing kids to squirm around between them. When we got back home, I told the kid to leave his bike so I could patch up the tube, and pick it up later. Job done, he had a smile, I got a high-five, and he was able to ride off. Later in the evening we saw him zipping around the area, all travails from earlier in the day forgotten. I think he will be ready to successfully complete the ride next time.

warm sun, soothing sound of waves, tunes on the ipod,

it's siesta time, where river meets the sea

more fishermen and bikes

Shooting on the Fly...

I got off to a late start today, 11:30 late. So late that if it usually gets to be that time, and I haven't left the house yet, I write off the day. But this day I was determined to get a long ride in no matter what. Anyway, the easiest way to suffer through 70 or more miles, in the least amount of time, tends to mean I go to the San Gabriel River Trail (SGRT). Pick it up in Duarte, and 70 miles, and 4 hours later, you have completed a non-stop round trip to Seal Beach and back. I have never really been bothered too much by long solo rides - it's all under my own terms, gives me time to think - but more and more lately, not having anyone to share the workload with, honestly leaves me exhausted by the end of the trip. Today, since I wasn't beholden to anyone else, to keep pace, or set pace, I decided I would keep the little point-and-shoot out, and work some on shooting on the fly, taking pics while riding. It's not really that difficult (I have read that Mr. Beanz shoots video one handed while descending GMR after all), but there are some challenges to work with. Trying to zoom in or out as you are racing towards a group of riders, who are racing towards you, is one such challenge. Then there is not being able to see the view screen, you know, with sunglasses on it is just black, and you are almost shooing blind. Sometimes you get your shot, and sometimes you don't. Here are a few from today.

different preferences

a large flock of geese, and an even larger flock of seagulls

geese apparently prefer grass, gulls, sand and water

viewing the horsies

nothing like a big sombrero for some afternoon shade

Biking, and Fishing the San Gabriel River...

Just a random shot from the day. I have read there are largemouth bass,

warmouth, and brown trout to be had,

or you could just relax, read the paper,

and watch the riders pass by.

Memorial Day weekend Ride...

along the San Gabriel River Trail

This approaching weekend, area cyclists will take to the Los Angeles River Trail

Today is the last day to register online (click image at right for info)

Getting artsy on the bike path...

Sometimes taking photos of people riding their bikes gets a bit old. Well, not really, but sometimes I look for other things while riding around. Such was the case today. These pics are from the San Gabriel River Trail, in the gap between the northbound and southbound 605 freeway. Before they built the rest area, just up the path a ways, riders always used to stop under the 605 during the hot days of summer due to all the shade provided by the overpasses. I used as well but, because I was stopping for the shade, I don't think I ever stopped dead center like today, and never really paid attention to the repetitive pattern of the piers supporting the spans. Of course during the summer the river is normally dry, while today it was flowing bank to bank and the added reflection off the water mirrored the air gap above.