Stan’s Obligatory Blog

9/5/2005

Bonelli Park

Filed under: — stan @ 6:22 pm

Today I went down to the park to meet Gene for a ride. When we got there, Newton, Matt, and Philippe were getting ready for a ride. We had originally thought we would ride out to Upland to Dr. Bob’s Ice Cream, but I’d called and found out that they don’t open until 11:00, so they would still be closed when we got there. So we decided to just tag along on Newton’s ride.

We rode out through Arcadia and Monrovia to the Santa Fe Dam bike path. Then we went up to the ranger station at the mouth of San Gabriel Canyon. Having read The Control of Nature, I want to know whose bright idea it was to build houses right at the mouth of the canyon.

Continuing on through Glendora and San Dimas, we passed Daily Donuts. That’s part of the Lord’s Prayer, isn’t it?

When we got to Bonelli Park, we passed a church group out riding. I snapped a picture of the guy on the recumbent.

Later on, Matt got a flat when we were passing by Brackett Field in La Verne. This is Matt’s second appearance in the Flat Tire Gallery. He patched the tube, but when we started riding it went flat again almost immediately. We all decided that this didn’t constitute a ’second flat’, so I didn’t take another picture. Gene had two spare tubes, so he gave one to Matt, and we were soon back on the road.

Continuing on, we passed the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, and then headed up the hill through the trailer park there. Then we took Via Verde across Picnic Valley and over the 57 freeway. After that, the road had a nice downhill where I hit 40 mph, which is easily the fastest I’ve ridden in 25 years. When I was younger, I regarded those “Watch Downhill Speed” signs as a challenge, but now I’m a bit more cautious.

Coming down out of the hills, we rode home through Covina and Baldwin Park

52 miles.
cycling

9/4/2005

Toluca Lake

Filed under: — stan @ 7:11 pm

Today’s ride was the ‘Toluca Lake Inverse’ route. It was actually kind of chilly this morning, and I actually had to put a Hoover blanket under my jersey to keep warm.

We started out going south to San Marino, and then west through South Pasadena and Eagle Rock to get to the L.A. River. Then we got on the bike path going north along the river. For some unknown reason, we always end up going really fast on this stretch of the ride, and today was no exception.

We rode the bike path north all the way to Riverside Drive. Then, after regrouping, we took Zoo Drive and Forest Lawn Drive west into Burbank. We turned on Barham Blvd there, passing by Warner Bros, and then we stopped for a snack at Priscilla’s in Toluca Lake.

I had my usual bagel and orange juice there, and then we were treated to the sight of Brian struggling to stuff ice cubes into his water pack. For some reason, they didn’t seem to want to go in, and they kept slipping away.

On the way back, we went through the equestrian neighborhood and then past the Bette Davis Picnic Area.

From there, we took Sonora into Glendale and then onto Glenoaks Blvd. We took Glenoaks all the way up to where it turns into Ethel St, and then up to Mountain. Then we crossed the Verdugo Wash and got on Verdugo Blvd for the trip up the hill.

After the long gradual climb up Verdugo, we took the right turn and went up Hospital Hill. At the top, we stopped for a few minutes to regroup, and then headed down the hill into La Cañada. That was where Tommy got a flat, making his second appearance in the Flat Tire Gallery.

The last part of the ride was across Pasadena back to the park. When we got there, I had 45 miles, so Tommy and I rode out to Sierra Madre and back just to pad it out a bit.

50 miles
cycling

8/28/2005

Sunday bike ride

Filed under: — stan @ 8:38 pm

Today’s bike ride was one of Gene’s “Il Fornaio” rides. We’ve done this one before, and odds are we’ll do it again.

We went south and a bit east through Arcadia, and then got on the Rio Hondo bike path. We took that down past the 60 freeway. Then we went north on Hill Ave, passing by hospital where Curly Howard died, and then north into San Gabriel.

We passed the mission and then rode north through San Marino and Pasadena. I took a quick loop around my office to check out the computer room air conditioners.

Then we rode into Old Town for our snack stop at Il Fornaio. When we got there, some guy with a tie told us we had to walk our bikes down the alley to the restaurant. Then a security guard outside the restaurant told us we couldn’t lean our bikes against the wall. That was kind of annoying, and we may be looking for a new snack stop place in the future.

After that, we went north around the Rose Bowl and up to Altadena Drive, and then took the long downhill back to the park. When we got there, there was a lowrider car show going on the parking lot, so we marveled a bit at the cars.

Newton had ridden to the park from his house in West Covina, so I rode with him a bit more out to Arcadia and back. By then it was pretty hot, and it really felt like time to stop.

48 miles.
cycling

8/14/2005

40 miles for a bagel

Filed under: — stan @ 8:40 pm

Today’s ride was out to San Dimas to the bagel place there. The day was overcast and cool, which was kind of a nice change from the heat we’ve been having recently.

We rode out the usual route on Arrow Highway and then went down Barranca to Cypress and out to Lone Hill. We stopped for a snack at the Bagelry there. Then we took Gladstone Foothill back to Duarte. In Azusa I saw what looked very much like a little Stonehenge next to the Sav-On there.

Continuing on through Duarte, we passed the ‘nun crossing‘ sign that I found last week. I noticed that there is a church across the street, so perhaps that’s why the sign is there.

In Arcadia, Steve, Newton and Spencer continued on Foothill for no apparent reason. I followed the route slip and turned up Highland Oaks. Liz decided that she didn’t feel like doing the climb up to Grand View, so she turned off at Orange Grove. So I continued on up the hill. I took a little detour up Santa Anita to see if the sign on the Chantry Flats road said when it would be open again. Then I rode across Sierra Madre on Grand View Ave.

Back in Pasadena, I turned off on New York Dr and took that up into Altadena. I took Mendocino across all the way to Fair Oaks, and then went north a bit and took Mariposa back. At Lake and Mariposa, I passed the ‘Websters Universe’. Webster’s Liquor, Gifts, Pharmacy, Toys, and Office Supplies. All in a line of five adjacent stores.

Across the street from there was the Underground Arts Society, which has nice artists’ receptions at the beginning of each month.

From there, I took my usual back-street route home.

51 miles.
cycling

8/9/2005

Last day as the accidental bachelor

Filed under: — stan @ 10:18 pm

A quick wrap-up of the last few days of my accidental-bachelorhood:

Sunday night, I had dinner with my uncle (if you look at the picture, he’s standing second from the right) and his family. We went to NBC Seafood in Monterey Park for a Chinese feast. It was fun. When we were leaving the restaurant, the Moon and Venus were up in the sky and very close together. So I propped my camera up on a pole and took a picture.

There is a church down the street that has a banner up advertising the “Gospel of the Simpsons”. It sounds funny, although not quite funny enough to get me to actually go to a church. But I think it may be significant that this is the same church that staked out their Rose Parade viewing area in front of the local gay bar last New Year’s Day.

And since today was my last family-less day, I went for another bike ride after work. I wore my Mark II homemade jersey to test it out. On the way home from work I remembered something I’d forgotten to do before I left, so I rode back to the office by the long, scenic way. Then I rode down through San Marino, passing Lacy Park. The little hill in the picture is the scarp of the Raymond Fault where it passes through San Marino.

After that, I rode across South Pasadena and then up to the Rose Bowl. I went around the Bowl twice, and then did the usual route home up by JPL. It was a pleasant ride.

26 miles today. The grand total for the week, including riding to work, is 269 miles. That’s pretty good. Back in my racing days there were weeks where I did 450 miles, but my average in those days was around 300. So it was a fun week, but I’m still looking forward to having a family again.

8/8/2005

More adventures of the accidental bachelor

Filed under: — stan @ 12:47 pm

Years ago when I was a bike racer and dinosaurs roamed the earth I had a big wardrobe of bike clothes. Wild prints with bright colors, Egyptian temples, airplanes and all manner of things. They were all homemade by my mother, who liked to sew as a hobby. Now, nearly 30 years later, I only have a few of the old things left. Most wore out over the years.

So I decided to try a project for this week while the family is gone. I was going to learn to sew. Bike clothes are expensive. Also, I’d hate to be yet another bike rider wearing some team’s jersey that I have no connection with. Also, I want something that’s unique. So it’s time for a new adventure.

I’m not a total stranger to sewing. Back in 1991 when we first got Cosmo, I made a couple of dog beds for her. I made them myself because the one we bought at Petsmart didn’t fit right in the box I’d made, so I made two pillows and covers to fit exactly.

I have one homemade jersey from 1978 that’s still in good condition and fits correctly, so started there. I went to Jo-Ann Fabric and picked out a bright knit print. It has little planets and arrows that say “Planet Fun” on it. I got a big sheet of paper and laid it out on the floor to make a pattern to copy the basic design. I cut out a pattern and then cut the four main pieces.

I sewed the front and back pieces together and tried it on. It was too small. Crap. Fortunately, I’d anticipated some false starts. So I adjusted the pattern and re-cut the pieces. This time it fit properly. I sewed the sleeves on and then I put the collar and sleeve cuffs on. I made a mental note to sew the sleeve cuffs on first next time, since it was hard to do with the sleeve already attached. I put the zipper in the collar, which turned out to be much harder than it seemed like it should have been. I made another mental note to not sew the sides of the body together first next time. Then I made the pockets for the back. I put some elastic in and attached them to the back of the jersey. At this point I realized again that assembling the front and back parts first was a mistake. But in the end, I had a functional and comfortable, if not perfectly aesthetic, bike jersey. I wore it for the ride to Carbon Canyon last Saturday as my ‘proof of concept’.

So yesterday I set out to make another. I used the same fabric, since I really like the print. I made so many mistakes the first time, I wanted to make one with that fabric that is better-looking. So now my Mark II is almost finished. It came out much nicer than the first one. So I’ll probably be visiting more fabric stores in the future, especially when fall comes and it gets colder.

8/7/2005

Glendale hills

Filed under: — stan @ 10:58 pm

Route map and photo locations

Today’s ride was the hilly Glendale route that Gene came up with a few months ago. It’s a nice ride, but I’m still tired from yesterday’s ride, so the prospect of more hills was not as exciting as it usually is.

We started out going straight up Altadena Drive, which is a pretty good hill in itself. At the top, we came down Windsor Rd across the arroyo from JPL, and then we headed up into La Cañada. We passed the old fire station house and I noticed that there were little flame sculptures along the wall, so I got a picture.

At the top of the hill, we rode through the section where the road is closed due to a small landslide last winter. Then we went down the other side into Glendale.

From there, we went into the hill areas of Glendale on the south face of the Verdugo Hills. This area looks and feels just like the Hollywood Hills, but the roads are better. I guess Glendale has more money than Los Angeles for street repair. It was on one of these little roads back in a canyon where Tommy got a flat and became the latest entry in the Flat Tire Gallery.

Coming down out of the hills, we rode a bit along the base of the hills, and then down to Glenoaks Blvd. We took Glenoaks back to Paradise Bakery, where we stopped for a snack.

While we were sitting there, we noticed that Steve and Tommy were missing. They had been with us at the last turn, which was just a couple of miles back. We were just about to go look for them when they rode up and said that Tommy had had a second flat. Of course I was mortified that I’d missed being there to take a picture.

After the stop, we headed back across Glendale and up Chevy Chase. Then we turned off on Linda Vista and rode up over the hill. We stopped briefly at the top, since there was a bit of shade there. Then we rode down the hill to the Rose Bowl. At the Bowl, we took Washington and Lincoln back to Orange Grove, and then back to the park.

42 miles
cycling

8/6/2005

Carbon Canyon

Filed under: — stan @ 4:14 pm

Route map and links to the photos

Back in my racing days at Claremont, Carbon Canyon was one of my favorite rides. From Claremont, it was a 42 mile loop with a nice hill on the Chino side of the canyon. So for old times’ sake, I wanted to do it again. I made up a route from Pasadena and Gene and I went and did it today.

We started out going east and south through Temple City and Azusa, and then went south through Covina. We passed by the spot where I got a flat tire last Sunday. Then we turned on Grand Ave to head south through Diamond Bar to Chino Hills. Now it turns out that Chino Hills is called that for a reason. Who knew? There were three big hills we had to go over to get to Carbon Canyon. At Valley Blvd they were doing construction, so it was bit of a challenge to get through. When we crossed the line into Chino Hills, I thought we were on Mars. Or at least the place where JPL tests its Mars Rovers. It was quite bleak-looking. We stopped at a park for some water, since it was already hot, and I’d finished all the water I started with.

Finally, we got to Carbon Canyon Road. The hill was nice, just like I remembered it. We rode up to the crest. At the top, we stopped for a minute to marvel at one apparently paranoid homeowner’s sign and take in the view.

When we started down, I saw what looked very much like a rattlesnake on the side of the road. I’d never seen a rattlesnake outside of the reptile house at the L.A. Zoo, so I doubled back to take a picture. It wasn’t moving, but it wasn’t obviously run over, so it may have been alive. I don’t know, and I didn’t poke it with a stick to find out.

Continuing down the canyon, we passed The Party House. Then we crossed the county line into The O.C. Coming back out into civilization in Brea, we saw two girls on horseback and oil wells.

After a quick ride through Brea, we turned on to Brea Canyon Road to start back. We stopped at an oil company and looked at the historical marker where Gaspar de Portolà camped in 1769. We also saw some oil derricks up on the canyon walls. We continued on through the canyon.

We climbed up out of the canyon and back into West Covina. We stopped again at another park to refill our water bottles with tepid water from a fountain. Then we got on Amar Road.

At Amar and Hacienda, we stopped at The Donut Hole. This is the big drive-through (or ride through) donut shop. I got one chocolate-frosted raised donut in honor of the occasion. Then we stopped at a 7-11 so Gene could get a drink and we could put ice in our water bottles.

Heading north from there, we stopped off in Baldwin Park we saw a Metrolink track inspection truck, and also the archway with the somewhat controversial writing on it.

Then, we continued on up to Lower Azusa Road and over the El Monte Ave and its nice big bike lane.

We stopped one more time in Arcadia to get water at the high school. Then we rode the last bit back home. It was a very nice ride.

75 miles
cycling

8/5/2005

More adventures of the accidental bachelor

Filed under: — stan @ 8:20 pm

While most men in my position would playing poker or watching football, I went for another bike ride after work today. Vikki and Matt at my office are both triathlon enthusiasts, and they told me about an informal practice time trial on Friday evenings at the Rose Bowl.

When I first got down to the Rose Bowl, there was a nice big thunderhead over the mountains. It was pretty impressive, so I took a picture of it. Then I rode around a bit and did some sightseeing. There was some filming going on underneath the Colorado St. bridge. The thing that caught my eye was the big fan. I guess they were filming something that was supposed to be happening on a windy day.

Heading back to the Rose Bowl, I found Matt, and we rode around for a bit. I was telling him that I felt a lot of resistance to doing the time trial, and I finally realized that I was just feeling embarassed about how slow I was going to be. And even if I wasn’t slow, there is basically no chance that I could go as fast as I did back in my racing days. So no matter what, I was going to be disappointed. Such are the trials of aging former athletes.

So we finally did it. We did four laps around the Rose Bowl, which my bike computer said was 12.3 miles. It took me 37 minutes to do this, which works out to 19.95 miles per hour. On the face of it, that seems pathetic. I once did a 10 mile time trial in 23:19, which is 25.73 miles per hour. At that pace, this would have taken me only 28:41. But that was in 1978. Oh well. Anyway, once I got over feeling sheepish about the whole thing, it was actually pretty fun.

39 miles
cycling

8/4/2005

More adventures of the reluctant bachelor

Filed under: — stan @ 10:17 pm

Route map and photo locations

I went for another ride today after work. This time I went west to the Rose Bowl. There is a big semi-organized group ride there every Tuesday and Thursday. It’s sort of a practice race, and it’s quite the sort of thing I would have done back in my racing days. But I’m no longer young, strong, and fearless, so I’m not interested in doing it any more. When we first moved to Pasadena in 1995, I did it a few times just to see what it felt like to be riding fast in a racing pack again, but after some guy who didn’t know what he was doing knocked me down and sent me to the hospital, I decided not to do it again.

I rode down to the Rose Bowl on Orange Grove, passing the Pasadena Fish Market. “U Buy, We Fry”. When I got there, I did one lap around the Bowl. Then I went up the little hill to Linda Vista and took that up to the bridge over the freeway below JPL. Then I took Woodbury Rd. back across Pasadena. That was where I passed the “Apartments for Rent” sign. Nothing says “home” like concertina wire.

16 miles
cycling

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