Archive for October, 2011

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Scary Coincidences in Santa Cruz

Posted October 31, 2011 By Frank

We’ve planned this trip for weeks. The three of us will drive 400 miles to visit our older son at college in Santa Cruz. That’s a painful 7 hours in the car, but I’ll stay through Wednesday for a conference in Palo Alto, so the effort will be worth it.

It was a gorgeous day for a wedding on the beach

The fold-ups come along, too. They win out over the bigger bikes because I can put 2 in the trunk and not be looking at bikes in my rear view mirror for the endless drive up here. They’ll be perfect for the around-town riding we’ve got planned, too.

Our hotel is near the pier, about a mile from downtown — the bikes turn this into a joyride, especially when we combine West Cliff Drive into the route. Pedaling along the sidewalk/bikepath, we could see the setup for the Coldwater Classic surfing competition, but no actual surfers in the water — the seas were just flat.

Creatures of habit, or we know a lot of great places to eat in town. My appetite wants to start things off at Zachary’s on Pacific Avenue — good hearty fare served by tattooed waiters and waitresses, it reminds me of my old hippie days. We came back again Sunday for a late breakfast with the boys; I wanted more of the homemade oatmeal-molasses toast — I could make a meal out of it.

The bikes have a place at our table

The boys appreciate us being around when they’re shopping for Halloween costumes, but then we’re encouraged not to over-stay our visit — they have a big party planned for Saturday night. That gives me the idea for a nice dinner for two.

It’s quite a coincidence that as we’re on the way to finding zombie make-up that I pull up Yelp and right as we walk by it and there it is at the top of the list: Oswald’s, but there’s more shopping to do as we make our way back to the car. Santa Cruz is starting to look like it’s made for Halloween; what I see as vintage clothing stores are transformed for this weekend into scary apparel outlets.

The stores are so crowded with costume seekers that I hover near the entrance — that’s where I overhear one young woman inquiring, “Do you have any shells, sea shells?” And she holds her hands together as if in prayer, so that even as I’m casually eavesdropping I know exactly what she’s asking for. Then it’s over; the boys checkout and we drop them back at the house while we head to the hotel for a glass of wine in the room.

We’ve decided to walk to dinner; the 1-mile sashay will feel good and it’ll help to give me an appetite. We know we’ll be seeing some ghoulish sights as we pass through downtown; the thought unsettles my wife, so I assure her I’ll protect her from Santa Cruz’s worst fiends.

Dinner is excellent — nice and light with a great vibe, definitely not college grub. It’s over too soon though and we’re back on the streets walking our way to the Dream Inn. Santa Cruz has a spirited homeless population; there are lots of swarthy characters out at all hours, so it’s hard to tell who’s in costume and who isn’t, but as one couple approaches I feel a sense of recognition. No, not their faces… is she? Not naked from the waist up, but quite skimpily clad. As she passes I can’t believe my eyes — she must be feeling a chill because all she’s wearing for a ‘top’ is a pair of seashells.

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Silver Santa Cruz

Posted October 30, 2011 By Frank

"Share the Road" is ambiguous; this is not

It’s nice to be back in Santa Cruz, rated Silver by the League of American Bicyclists.

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Saving the Whales with a Bike and a Bus

Posted October 28, 2011 By Frank

Our ride, the 10:17am #1

Just a month ago OCTA hosted an Urban Cycling Workshop; I went to make a few new friends and brush up on my skills. That’s where I met Wes Parsel.

Wes does OCTA’s Marketing for vanpools and bicycles. He stood out of the crowd that day of the training — he had 2 flat tires that blazing, red-hot day!

Afterwards, we exchanged the customary Facebook friendings and I thought that would be the end of it, but once I had a friend inside OCTA I started thinking of combining the bike with a bus trip — I just didn’t know where I wanted to go. Frequent followers will remember my AMTRAK/bike trips, especially my visit to my mother in San Diego. I felt I could duplicate this experience on the bus.

One problem with planning a bus trip is, the damn bus goes everywhere — who needs to take a bike? Disneyland or the Bowers Museum? The bus would take me to the doorstep. My second idea was a coastal route. Am I the only cyclist who’s knees knock at the thought of riding Coast Hwy through Laguna Beach? I doubt it. This might work, if I can find a suitable destination. Then I hit on whale watching out of Dana Point Harbor. Cycling and ‘Save the Whales’ go together nicely and once I spotted half-price Tuesdays, I felt like the plan was coming together.

Wes Parsel and Stuart Sharpe on the bus with their folding bikes

I didn’t want to do this alone — I’d never ridden the bus here in Orange County, even though I was a bus driver in college in Massachusetts; I guess I had succumbed to the LA mindset: Drive a car, only the unwashed ride the bus. This myth was due for a shake-up. I emailed Wes, did it sound like a good idea for a story? Most buses have a rack for two bikes on the front, but what if they’re full? You’re gonna be waiting for the next bus. Your fold-up bike, on the other hand, goes right on the bus with you. OCTA had a couple of fold-ups to promote this approach, so with a little back and forth we came up with a plan.

I used to live in Manhattan and when friends from out of town would visit we’d often be planning a trip to one of the many art museums, all of which were on the other side of Central Park. My strategy: always start with a cab — save your feet for the museum and then walk home through the park. It was a tried and true approach and it seemed applicable to this Dana Point junket — we would take the bus from Marguerite and Coast Hwy to Dana Point Harbor and bike our way back. Yes, there was still the wobbly knee syndrome, but the way north through Laguna takes advantage of a quieter road a block in from PCH — we could much more comfortably ride north than south.

I’ll jump right to the bottom line — the day was a huge success! Wes brought a friend, Stuart Sharpe, and two Dahon fold-up bikes; me, I have a Dahon, too, but I rode the Brompton just to be different. The weather cooperated; it was much warmer than originally forecast, but with just enough cloud cover to keep us cool on the ride back. My inaugural ride on the bus? It was on time and much quicker to Dana Point than the schedule predicted — we had time for a slice of pizza before the boat departed.

The one detail I hadn’t researched: could we bring the bikes on the boat? I brought a lock just in case, but these fold-ups attract so much attention, I didn’t want to leave them ashore. I needn’t have worried, fold-up bikes are popular with boat lovers, too. The bikes went aboard and seemingly everyone on board wanted to talk about them.

Taking the bikes on the boat was easy, too.

When I got home my wife wanted to know just one simple thing: Would I do it again? Absolutely! The whale watching delivered in spades. We saw Blue whales and Humpbacks and Fin whales, too. There were so many dolphins on our way to the whales I had many opportunities for a good photo.


We saw Blue, Humpback and Fin whales

The bike ride home — well what can you say about cycling Coast Hwy? All that traffic zipping by contributes quite the pucker factor, but this afternoon we encountered nothing but considerate drivers. Many moved to the other lane to give us a wide berth, but there’s more to this ride than the traffic. At one point Stuart says he feels like he’s in the Tour de France, the uphill part is what he means. It’s like riding a 15-mile roller coaster as we pedaled our way into downtown Laguna where a beer and a bowl of pasta waited.

A bike ride builds great friendships. Wes, Frank and Stuart stop at the Shake Shack in Crystal Cove as the adventure draws to a close

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Pre-Thanksgiving Ride Announced

Posted October 25, 2011 By Frank

bikeNewportBeach announced a Pre-Thanksgiving Family Fun Ride from the Newport Pier to the Honda Center starting at 8am on Wednesday November 23rd.

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The Straggler Rides Santiago Canyon

Posted October 24, 2011 By Frank

We pause for refreshments at Cooks Corner

Once a month Elliot Gordon sends out the word — meet at his place in Irvine and this month, we’ll ride Santiago Canyon.

I’ve known Elliot about 8 years now, but I lost track of him when he retired about a year ago. We re-connected earlier this year; I didn’t even know he was the one organizing these rides. Today I was coming along with fellow bikeNewportBeach.org advocates Dan Murphy and Matt O’Toole. We recently did this same ride, but a much longer version during the OC Gran Fondo. Today’s route would be 64 miles, not 90, door to door; the shorter distance and the earlier ascent into the Canyon combined to give me a much better time — I wasn’t wiped out at the start of the climb like I was in the Fondo.

I learned much from my previous Canyon ride. Still the Straggler, the rest of the group patiently waits for me at the top of each hill, and today there were many. I doubt any of my lessons-learned from last time amounted to much, but here’s what I did different this time:

  • Bring two water bottles, because it can get warm in the back-country. I had two all along the Erie Canal, so I was a little freaked last time in the Canyon with only one.
  • Comfy shoes: Note to self, you’re a size 46, not 45, in a riding shoe. My feet were killing me during the Gran Fondo, but not yesterday.
  • I packed half a peanut butter sandwich; just enough to keep me going, a couple of power bars, too.

It’s a big ride, but Elliot knows all the off-road bike paths, so we’re riding safely away from cars about 50% of the route. Click on the map for a detailed look at the route in Google Earth.

CdM to Santiago Canyon. Click to open in Google Earth.

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No Coffee Needed

Posted October 21, 2011 By Frank

From CdM to Quail Hill via Shady Canyon

I learned on the Erie Canal ride — I don’t need a morning cup of coffee if I’m gonna hit the pedals for a big ride, so although I was meeting a friend for coffee at Peets, neither one of us actually sampled the wares.

My plan? I would do an exercise ride up MacArthur to San Joaquin Hills Drive to Newport Coast, then down the backside into Shady Canyon with a victory lap, up and down and up again, on Quail Hill and back.

Lots of hills and great back-country views, too; it was a great way to start my day.

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Riding After Dark

Posted October 20, 2011 By Frank

“I’m jealous,” she spoke loud enough to get my attention — this from the blonde in the convertible next to me.

We’re both stopped, not going anywhere for awhile.

As I glance her way, I take my time to consider a reply. To her I must look shy, at least tongue-tied, so she continues, “I wish I was on my bike.”

“I’ve looked forward to this ride all day,” I finally blurt out — which makes sense since it’s just after sunset and getting dark fast.

We’re riding the Balboa Island ferry on a blustery Tuesday evening and we’re the only ones on board. I like riding the ferry for exactly this reason — it’s a great place to strike up a casual conversation with a fellow traveler — and that happens when you’re moving at human speeds on a bike, or in a convertible.

I want to keep this conversation going, “I’m on my way to Lido Island.”

She wants to know, “How far are you riding?”

“Not far, just from Corona del Mar. There’s a Boy Scout meeting I’m headed to; I’ve been going for over 8 years.”

TMI? If so, she doesn’t seem to care, “Yeah, I don’t get on my bike often enough, because of work.”

“What’s your favorite ride?” Now it’s her turn to reflect. I’m thinking of my favorite ride which I’ll share next. Any way to slow this ferry?

For her it’s rides to Laguna, “But you’ve got to go early,” she quickly adds. For me, I like to ride a little later, so it’s rides to Sunset Beach along the boardwalk. I can tell she likes the sounds of that. She smiles and wishes me a good ride. It already is.

These evening rides to Scouts are special even if I don’t get to make new friends along the way. It’s a ride in the twilight going, pitch black on the return. The breeze off the water is brisk and the whole experience reminds me of nighttime rides in college when I’d be on my way to meet friends — it’s exhilarating.

The boardwalk is mostly deserted after dark, so it’s a rare treat to whistle along enjoying the exercise with time to sort out my thoughts. There’s just one drawback — and not because of tonight’s encounter — but it’s hard to settle down and go to sleep after such a stimulating ride.

The spell is broken soon enough; my headlight blinks out. I’d been having trouble getting it fully charged; this will be its last ride. There’s no moonlight tonight, so now I’m really riding in the dark, but I’m only 2 miles from home. As I enter an intersection I can turn the light back on and get 10 seconds more light, enough for anyone approaching to see me.

It’s only 7 months old, this light. Tomorrow I’ll get a promise from the San Diego manufacturer for a replacement. I ship off the malfunctioning light and hope the new one arrives soon — I’d like to duplicate this experience, this nighttime ride along the peninsula, again soon.

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The Box

Posted October 17, 2011 By Frank

Here in the quaint village of Corona del Mar local merchants have proposed a redesign of the roadway entry when traveling from the west. The plan looks beautiful and a Committee is meeting each month to share their plans with the public.

At the first of these meetings I raised the issue of enhancing bike lanes in this same approach from the west. To my delight, at the next session there was an extension of the bike lane from Avocado to MacArthur. Thanks for listening.

Now may I ask for a bit more?

City Manager Dave Kiff once told me: “Everyone in Newport Beach thinks they’re a traffic engineer.” In that spirit, I propose adding the Bike Box.

Note how the Box connects to the bike lane and, during a red light, gives the cyclist room to make a left turn safely.

What’s the idea behind the Bike Box? It safely assists bicyclists in making left turns. According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO):

A bike box is a designated area at the head of a traffic lane at a signalized intersection that provides bicyclists with a safe and visible way to get ahead of queuing traffic during the red signal phase.

Where to place these Boxes?

  • Eastbound Coast Hwy at Avocado
  • Eastbound Coast Hwy at MacArthur
  • Westbound Coast Hwy at Avocado

Don’t like blue? Too much green?
Boxes come in all colors, some in outline only.

Not inclined to accommodate cyclists?

Remember, everyone who rides their bike means less traffic and more parking for motorists. And don’t discount the economic impact: cyclists have more disposable income because they’re not buying $4 gas. They’re hungrier and will stop to eat, and not those petite California-cuisine portions either; we’re talking lots of calories.

Found in many bicycle friendly cities

Photos courtesy of NACTO.

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Re-Evaluating the American Dream

Posted October 14, 2011 By Frank

by Robert Penn

I’m reading Robert Penn’s It’s All About the Bike: The Pursuit Of Happiness On Two Wheels. It chronicles the author’s desire to build a custom bike, a dream bike made of steel and fitted with the best of custom accessories. Not a materialistic pursuit, more of a Zen quest for a bike that will outlast the carbon fiber bikes you see in every bike store; his will become an heirloom.

Penn’s out to build a bike for every day riding; one that can double as a touring bike, too. This is the appeal for me, after my Erie Canal bike ride I’m thinking of the perfect bike, too; one that I can ride off into the sunset with. Which is another way of saying that my aluminum hybrid bike, although it was a satisfactory touring bike, any more of a load would’ve rendered it much less satisfactory — I need a steel bike for my next tour.

The Zen spin keeps bubbling up as Penn visits the craftsmen who will supply the key components of this dream bike. There’s a reverence here, a great respect for these sometimes narrowly focused manufacturers of bicycle accessories. For example, Penn narrates the story of Englishman James Moore, the first cyclist to use a taken-for-granted feature today to win the inaugural Paris-Rouen race; his doping scandal: ball bearings.

What’s given me pause, and had me rifling backwards through the pages was his visit to Vanilla Bicycles‘ Sacha White, a renowned Portland frame-builder. Like other committed craftsmen detailed in Penn’s ode to the pursuit of happiness, White is more than just a businessman, more than a capitalist; he’s equal parts philosopher and urban planning critic:

Fifty percent of the kids at my children’s school cycle there each day. If you live and work and shop locally, then you have a strong community. The big house in the suburbs with a fence around it, then driving ten miles to school and twenty miles to work every day — this destroys communities. I think there’s a whole generation re-evaluating the notion of the American Dream. Cycling is becoming socially acceptable again. We’re trying to assist that by building good bicycles for transportation, bicycles that are truly useful and not just toys.

I can’t read this paragraph without reflecting on the influence here locally that the Irvine Company has had on Orange County; we will be enslaved to the automobile until the end of time.

A critic might wonder, can White afford these counter-cultural opinions?

Turns out that Vanilla Bicycles has a 5 year waiting list for new bikes; they won’t even take a deposit or put you in line for a bike. Instead Vanilla will point you to other quality frame builders you should know about.

It’s easy to imagine other entrepreneurs who would be tempted to raise venture capital and grow their enterprises; yes, quality might suffer, but a fortune would be gained and isn’t that the American Dream, too? It’s refreshing to see such an emphasis on quality and staying small, but it makes me want to have a Vanilla bike all the more.

Filed in Book review

San Juan’s Alley Cat Rides

Posted October 11, 2011 By Frank

Julio Vallejo Gonzales

What’s an alley cat ride? Meet Julio Vallejo Gonzales; he knows. He’s a bicycle advocate in San Juan, Puerto Rico who organizes local bike rides, like the alley cat ride.

He’s also organized a slow-bike competition, which sounds like a lot of fun. I’d say that I’d be good at that, but I’m not so sure…

We chat about cycling on the island and cars, too. How many cars are there on Puerto Rico? The number is astounding! “Where do they put them?” How bike friendly is San Juan and is it more or less friendly outside the city? Julio has all the answers.

Play
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