It's a parade...

Come one, come all. Decorate your bikes, decorate yourselves. Claremont's Fourth of July parade always kicks-off with a mass bike ride along the parade route. Instead of sitting on the sideline, be a part of it this year. This is not an official "Bring Out Yer Bike" event, but it is a good excuse to ride.

Mad for M*A*S*H 2010 report...

Sunday morning our small group of riders hit the trail at Malibu Creek State Park bound for the M*A*S*H filming site. With riders ranging in age from 8 to 48, and of varied experience, we were not sure what to expect. But, since this was billed as a fun ride and time was not of the essence, no one really cared. Neither the one big hill, nor the rock garden trail could stop our youngest who gave an all-out effort to conquer the obstacles - some hike-a-bike, it is true, but even the best have to resort to that at times. The interpretive exhibits set up at the site were informative and we took some extra time atop "Radar's Hill" remembering familiar scenes from the show and trying to place them within the landscape. It was about this time that Corporal Radar O'Reilly showed up... no, wait, that was our best dressed winner. The return ride went a little more quickly - less climbing, more downhill, and we were rewarded with a barbeque to slake our hunger and thirst, and some squirt-gun action to cool down. Seemed like everyone enjoyed the day, and that after all, was the whole point. Until next time.

Monday's mural...

Of all the murals in Claremont this is the prize, the grand-daddy of them all. It is actually a series of nine panels painted along the interior courtyard wall of the Margaret Fowler Garden, Scripps College. The murals date to 1947, and were painted by Mexican muralist Ramos Martinez. More information here.

What makes this series of murals especially unique is the setting in which they are found, the Margaret Fowler Garden. Here the yellow Basso leans against a column almost completely entangled by a massive wisteria vine.

Suteki...

Today's classic bike photo is this little Suteki mixte. Suteki was/is a Japanese brand sold in this country through Sears. This little burgundy colored one spotted at the Velo needs a new saddle, but is otherwise in superb condition.

Bike move...

Saw this one on Bike Snob. Too good not to share here as well.

Kona Ute...

I had an opportunity to give this a short test ride at Coates this past Sunday. I have been giving a lot of thought lately to finding a cargo bike and I can think of many errands that could be run with one of these. It was pretty nice at the low speeds I was riding at, and of course the bag was empty. The real test would be how well it handles under load since that after all is what this bike is all about; it is a workhorse pure and simple, and hauling stuff would be it's one and only job.

Meanwhile...

Sid Heal, from our neighboring east County city of LaVerne is well along on his cross-country trip having completed the northward leg of the journey. It sounds like he is in eastern Washington, maybe Idaho by now (day 28 I think). The Sid Heal Tour de America II is not just your everyday cross country tour - through pledges, funds are being raised for Crisis Care Kits for global disaster areas. For more information and to follow his progress see the Sid Heal Tour de America II Facebook page.

Four miles and forty percent...

One of the more interesting statistics being wafted through the air at Monday evening's Sustainable Dialogue was the one suggesting that 40% of trips by car within the city of Claremont are of 4 miles or less. Four miles; forty percent. Good god my son was riding four miles at least when he was six years old, and you are telling me that a fully functioning adult is unable to see clear to doing that pittance of a distance to take themselves to the post office, barber, or even grocery. To be absolutely blunt that is just pitiful, not to mention inexcusable. I consider Claremont to be a progressive, forward thinking community, it is the city of "trees and PhD's" after all, where sense of community is strong, and a primary reason that I have refused to consider living elsewhere. 


I have heard rumor that the city is going to expand parking at the Wilderness Park; if you have been up there recently, especially on a weekend, you are already aware of how much parking is required as cars overflow onto every local street. So to accommodate all these cars we are presumably going to pave over a little more land, say goodbye to a little more habitat. And here I had always assumed that one of the purposes of a "wilderness park" should be to preserve habitat, hmmm. In contrast there is a noticeable deficiency of bike parking. Rumor has it that more will be added. So, since most people walking up in the canyons now are there for the exercise as it is, how about going for the full effect, riding, parking your bike, and then walking the loop. A little more workout, a little less habitat loss, win-win all around. 


Now to get back on topic, it is awesome that so many people are getting outdoors, combating modern society's nature deficit disorder by walking the ± five mile loop. I repeat 5 miles. If people can conquer five miles of hilly terrain, certainly they can do four miles of mostly flat terrain within town. The beauty of taking these short trips by foot or bike, of course, is that you meet your neighbors, strengthening ties and sense of community, while at the same time living a more healthy lifestyle. And now before I risk getting too preachy, if I have not reached that point already, I shall finish today by admonishing everyone to just give it a try.


And try this when you have a spare moment. Open Google Earth, find Claremont, draw a 2 or 4 mile long line. Save the image and open in a program that will allow you to draw a circle. It is pretty interesting to see just how much falls within a two and four mile radius of home.