In Another State

I saw quite a few exercise fanatics this morning, as I rode through Liberty Station shortly after 7 am. I'd guess women outnumbered men 5 to 1. Why? Men still indoors? Gone to work? Unwilling to get out in the chilly air? Who knows?

To get to my riding destination, I had to cross the major "going-to-work" road. Luckily it was quiet when I got there, and I could zip across 3 lanes into the left turn lane. The light was green as I approached - I love that! You can just see the marine layer hovering in the background.

Heading eastward, it looks ominously dark as the sun is fighting its way through the cloud layers. The old palms stand guard over me, and we all watch the jumbo jet lift off. [Click any image to enlarge]

Spinning around in the other direction, the camera lens opens up to show acres of grass where the parade field of the Naval Training Center used to be, and you see the enormous flag flying over the courtyard.

For some reason I really like riding on (in?) the grass, even when it's damp with dew. So I rode across the lawns until my bike was all wet and then across the pathways to the wilderness zone.

This is an area where either the budget ran out, or the conservationists won a small battle. Native plants, decrepit military remnants, and dog walkers rule this place. Several of them (dog walkers) glared at me as I ambled through the underbrush, pushing my bike.

The low angle of sunlight really strikes the pearl topcoat. The frame tubes and tires almost seem lit from within.

[Blog time is instantaneous, but in real time I rode home, had breakfast and began writing this up]

Now that I am writing up today's ride, I realize I have forgotten my car photo. Groan. Wait a moment, I'll go back out (no cheating allowed).  

[More real time passes, tick, tick, tick as I ride another mile to get a photo]

OK, I got a shot of that Cadillac mentioned yesterday. With little dew on its flanks and the brightening sunshine, it looks great. And about a mile long. Look at that front fender line! It's surely one of the most ostentatious vehicles of our time. And no surprise that it has Texas license plates. An old-timer told me once about the advantage of such a long hood and out-stretched bumpers:

"Son, when you scrape someone's car in the parking lot, you don't even feel it. It's as if the whole thing happened in another state."