Where Have I Been?

Not on my bike, that's for sure. I've been selling and repairing cars. Brakes on one, suspension on another, wheel alignment, tires, heater valve on a third, shipping the fourth off to SFO, etc.

Honestly I am getting tired of this. But I have to keep them going - it's the curse of the DIY handyman.

Not to mention some baking along the way.

And I fell out of a tree. Yes, why is a 60+ bike rider climbing a tree? To get a look at a full moon. It looks great, don't you think? I thought so, as I limped home, bleeding.

Today the bruises are gone, the scars are fading, the cars are gone, the memories are fading - and I'm back on the bike. Riding on the grass so I won't get hurt if I fall down ...

Remembering my wife's admonition that Mustang Convertibles are overdone in my blog, and newer cars are too boring, I grabbed a photo of this Porsche 914 that's been lurking in the shadows of a huge tree for many months.

And I played around with the camera a bit, getting some sharp shadows in the evening sunlight.

Finally as I was making my way back through the construction zone, I discovered the cutest, smallest backhoe I have ever seen. You could use it to put a 1-gal potted plant into your garden.

The repairs I performed in the last episode seem to have been successful. No more creaking of the cranks when I am pounding along up a steep hill. I love a quiet bike and a quiet ride.

Purple and Green Again

A few weeks ago I went for a ride on my sister-in-law's purple and green Bianchi bicycle. I mentioned that its color scheme matched my very old cycling shoes.

Well, apparently from that very same "color scheme era" comes my touring kayak. This morning I dug it out of the hedge where it has been residing for the last 4-5 years, and went for a paddle in the harbor.

Here's how the harbor looks like on a very gray morning (a Marine Layer described in an earlier blog).

Even with some fading from years of sun exposure this color combination is highly visible on the water. I think that's a good thing, considering the size of the boats I was cruising around in my kayak this morning.

It's also a good thing because at 18 feet 6 inches, this boat is 3 feet longer than my car and sticks out from both ends when I'm driving around town.

 So far today I have not ridden my bike, but I wouldn't rule it out.

PS - I did not ride today except to confirm the effect of cleaning and retightening my cranks. It had been a LONG time since these arms were removed from the spindle, and lately I've heard a bit of groaning when slogging up a steep hill.

The paint may be a bit scarred, but it is almost 40 years old. The Phil spindle seems ok - I just cleaned the dirt out around the lock ring and tightened things up.

I noticed the lettering in the brazed-on cable guide says Campagnolo. How about that?

If you didn't know, it takes a special puller to get the crank arms off. This is a TA tool for the TA cranks. A Campy, Sugino, Shimano, etc. puller won't work. But a Campy peanut butter wrench will turn the crank bolts just fine.

Early on a Gray Day

For some reason I can't explain, I leapt out of bed at 6:20, dressed, and grabbed my bike. I took the downhill route and joined the early morning commuters. 

Some walk, some cycle, some drive. A few use mass transit - trolley or bus. 

I spotted an ever-so-long Escalade limo hogging 3 1/2 hotel parking slots. It's not the best vehicle for the daily commute to work...

Tiring of the traffic, I shifted over to the River Trail and while working my way eastward, pondered its successes and failures ...

Success - concrete ribbon now (mostly) running on both sides of the river for cyclists and pedestrians.

Failure - we can no longer see the river, what fun is that on a "riverside" path?

Success - wildlife habitat provided in the midst of the city

Failure - concrete so rough and uneven it's  difficult and in places unsafe to ride.

Failure - multiple sets of ludicrous signs and totally unrealistic expectations for users. 

Is it reasonable to screech to a halt, make 90° turn on sidewalk and proceed 100 yards, then repeat the same on other side? 

I think not. Have they never heard of a crosswalk? People-power is lazy (energy-conserving) by default. We all jaywalk - in addition to myself I saw 3 others doing the same. 

Failure - sudden end to western end of the path. No warning, no advice, no detour. All choices end up in mud or dirt, and under-ground, under-freeway, under-trolley, homeless lairs. 

Luckily it was dry this morning. 

I'm not a mountain-biker, nor do I mind riding in the dirt occasionally. But this is ridiculous. 

Failure - multiple nanny signs telling us what not to do. Nothing saying to enjoy this path. Why say "don't take shortcuts!" 20 times instead of running the path where all the shortcuts are taken? Sigh.

Success of the Green &  Failure to keep out invasive species - this lush green vine is the happy descendant of grapes planted over 200 years ago by Father Serra as the Spanish settled in San Diego.  I've enjoyed grapes here multiple times, but it's too early in the year for a snack.  

(The site of the old Presidio looms over us, as the morning traffic rushes by)

I took the long straight flat path westward to a hot shower and breakfast. 

Summer, Afternoon, Solo

Dinner time. My wife is traveling. I'm on my own tonight.

I'm not hungry yet, but it's time to start thinking about the meal..

No, it's time to take a ride and think about the meal, isn't it? So off I go. 

The sewer crews have moved out of the streets and into the alleys. Same noise, dust and debris, just a bit less inconvenience EXCEPT for those accustomed to parking in their garages. And bike riders, of course. 

So far they have not torn up my weather-mirror alley. You can see that it's dark and grey towards the water and partly cloudy looking (eastward) in the mirror. It's been a nice warm day anyway. 

I like to look at details as I ride and imagine their history and evolution. Here I see a double gate driveway into the back yard. Then a reinforcing diagonal piece on the gate. Then a step, with a water pipe safety handle. Finally some gray paint. It's not the slickest work but perhaps it represents the average homeowner's level of skill and effort. 

Likewise this paint job. Not perfect but certainly bright! Without sunglasses this is blinding. 

 I'll finish with a sad little car which apparently had dreams of bigger and better things ahead ... Dreams that are destined to remain unfulfilled. 

A Geo Metro Convertible with roll hoop and mis-matching wheels. 

What a Beautiful Day

I started today's ride by changing my mind twice about the route. Instead of going North and downhill, I went West and uphill. When I got to he top of the hill, I went South and down. I must be crazy. But here's what you find when you follow your nose and avoid traffic:

A gorgeous street, with well-kept homes, shade trees and no barking dogs. I should move there - but no houses for sale. 

Then I began to get distracted by cars. A "Landie"

A glowing green Porsche aptly named as GRN FLSH. Does that refer to the sun going down into the sea? Or the Porsche scooting past you on the road?

Next I slid through a gap in the hedge and found myself a Sears Textur-Coated Jeep. A very nasty piece of work, this one. Judging by the diamond-plate panels on the sills and rear corners, it has a bit of rust. 

Moving along the waterfront, I spied a man, sitting in a sidecar, reading a magazine, watching a girl catching a fish (halibut; not a keeper).

I talked to some people in a Corvair Greenbriar Van, and told them that my (former) Corvair Rampside Pickup is currently for sale. Only $10k on Craigslist. 

Then I went to the edge of the bay and gazed at the water for awhile...

Finally rode home, uphill, into the wind, squinting as sunlight was glinting off my shiny watch and bike.

Minor Breakdown

This morning I started off at 7 am. Things went well for the first few miles - it was quiet on the road, in the skies, and on my bike.

Then the road told me that ominous times lay ahead. That it was going to violated as he roads in my neighborhood have been - ditches, giant holes, digging, scraping and re-piping. Look at the lines - you don't have to be a palm-reader to see the future ...

On a more positive aesthetic note, I spotted a particularly colorful planting at one house along my route. Green, red, grey, purple, pink, yellow-green. And beige stucco on the walls. 

I rode for quite a while, then after a stand-up session on an extremely steep stretch, I suddenly found I couldn't shift my front derailleur. The cable had popped out of its guide. Maybe due to frame flex? Fatigue? Old age (the bike, not me)?

This had never happened to me before. Although it meant the loss of the large chainring,  it was no big deal. Home I rode to set things right. 

Summer and It's Harder to Ride

Why? Because my wife is home from school for the summer and that changes our schedule, limits my freedom, reduces my frivolity, etc.

But we are still riding most days. Yesterday it was a tandem ride. I tend NOT to take as many photos when riding it, as the bike requires far more concentration than my single. 

But I could not resist the temptation to catch this Mustang Convertible owner in the act of polishing his shiny white car. Notice his street is torn up - new sewer project there too.

After a few miles of cruising we came home, changed clothes, and went to our respective obligations. 

She went to a senior housing renovation discussion, and I ended up spotting a blue whale on a whale watching voyage.