Homeless in Hiding

How far do you ride? and How long do you ride?

These two questions are frequently asked by people curious about my bike riding. I dunno is the answer to both, most of the time. Today I decided to keep track.

By accident, I ended up riding from 9:30-10:30 am. One hour. Plotting my course afterwards on Google Maps, I learned that I'd ridden a 10-mile figure-eight, and I walked for about .35 miles across a sandy wasteland that I'd never realized existed. Let's call it 10.5 miles. Not a very fast pace, but it did include the walk, the stoplights, stop signs, a turnaround at the end of a jetty, and a break to say "Here kitty, kitty."

I started off facing with the usual morning hazards, amplified because Monday is trash day - gutters full of containers, large trucks throwing bins over their heads, and the middle of the road full of distracted drivers. [Click any image to enlarge, and hit the back arrow for your browser to return]

I rode along the river for awhile, with little vehicular traffic, but sadly seeing many people "sleeping rough" in the bushes by the cycle path. Homelessness is a tragic aspect of life here in Southern California. The energetic ones were trudging along towards breakfast or the aluminum can recycling center; plenty were still sleeping at 10 am. I give them plenty of room and respect what little privacy they have, avoiding obvious picture-taking. Our city estimates that 30% of these folks are mentally ill, compounding the difficulty of resolving the issue.

At one point I saw a triangle of land I hadn't ever known existed. I decided to explore. Two minutes later I decided I had to explore "on foot" as the ground was too soft for my skinny tires. 

As I was strolling along (avoiding encampments) I ruminated on the debt we owe to those who have gone before us - the bridge and road builders of the world. People (dogs, horses, mules) can walk almost anywhere - even wade or swim if we have to - but vehicles are only able to go where someone else has gone before to break a trail. Even 4x4s and mountain bikes aren't good at going truly cross-country.

A bright yellow bush brightened my way. A perfect time to do the "I'm cycling" photo for the day.

I rode out to the coast to give you a look at the Pacific Ocean. There it is. Grey. Matching the sky.

Hello kitty! What are you doing out here? Having a walk too? It showed no fear but I was surprised it was out here all alone. Looked very healthy and not abandoned.

My westward progress was blocked by the Coast Guard, who warned me that trespassing was not advised. Nor could I muck around with their navigational aids (lights).

No problem, I turned around and rode back, this time noticing a total of 16 cats sharing the rocks and pathway with the human homeless... On the way back to my house I spotted three very cleverly disguised encampments. You won't see them from your car, and that's intentional.