Stan’s Obligatory Blog

Today’s ride was down to Whittier Narrows and back. This was a good choice for today, since a lot of our regular routes go into areas that have a lot of smoke from the brush fires in the mountains this week.

We started off heading east through Arcadia and Monrovia. We took the upland route through Monrovia to get in a little hill. That was where Doug broke his chain. I’ve been cycling seriously since 1973, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a chain break. I’ve heard of it before, but this is the first time I’ve seen it happen. It’s not a flat tire, but it was unusual enough that I took a picture to put in the Flat Tire Gallery

After the chain repair, we continued on, passing through Duarte and getting on the San Gabriel River bike path. We took the path all the way over Santa Fe Dam and down the river. There were two places where the path was being rebuilt. The pavement was gone, and we had just dirt and loose sand to ride on. At the second spot, there were some trenches for the new construction, so we had no choice but to hoist the bikes up and carry them through.

When we got down to Whittier Narrows Dam, we took the cross path to get to Durfee Ave. That was where Gene got a flat. So we stopped at the corner of Rosemead and Durfee and he fixed his tire. For some reason, it smelled like a sewage treatment plant there. I’ve still got a stuffy nose from being sick this week, but it was still pretty rank. After putting in a spare tube, Gene started pumping up the tire. Then the valve stem snapped off. In 30+ years of cycling, I’ve seen this happen several times. So he had to put in his second spare tube. Since this was caused by something other than the initial puncture, I figured it constituted a ‘second flat’, so I took another picture.

After the tire repair, we took the Rio Hondo bike path back up to Lower Azusa Road. We got off the bike path there and went west a bit to El Monte Ave. This is the street with the biggest bike lane ever. We rode this all the way up to Duarte Road. Then we took a left and a right, ending up on Huntington Drive.

Huntington Drive took us back through San Marino. At Old Mill Road we took a right, taking that and El Molino Ave back up into Pasadena. Then we stopped for a snack at the Corner Bakery on Lake Ave.

The last part of the ride was across the Caltech campus and then home by way of San Pasqual and Altadena Drive.

49 miles.


cycling

Route map and photo locations

Today’s ride was to Mt Washington in Los Angeles. This is a little hill neighborhood just northeast of Downtown.

We started out heading up the hill into Altadena. Then we took Woodbury Road across to La Cañada and went up Chevy Chase and Descanso. Then it was down Hospital Hill to Montrose and then the long downhill on Verdugo Blvd.

Verdugo took us all the way down into Glassell Park and Eagle Rock Blvd. We took a right there and took Eagle Rock down the Cypress Park. There wasn’t a whole lot of interesting stuff to take pictures of along the way. And even where there was something, I was too slow in getting the camera out. So I missed a picture of the sign advertising the “Happy Dolling Doll Show”, among others.

When we got down almost to the L.A. River, we got on Figueroa St, which was newly repaved. That was nice. We took that north a bit and then turned up Mt Washington. The street got very narrow and winding, which was a nice change of pace from the big streets we’d been riding on. We climbed all the way up the hill, and at the top, we stopped by the gates of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship. We paused to meditate briefly before heading down the other side of the hill.

At the bottom of the hill, we headed north some more, back into South Pasadena. There we stopped at a little cafe and bakery. They had a sign advertising “Pastries Fresh Daily”, but then I noticed that they had a jar of Twinkies next to the biscotti. I asked them about this, and they said that they usually also had Ding Dongs, adding that they were actually pretty popular. Hmm. I had a bagel.

Leaving the cafe, we headed east across San Marino. Newton had ridden in from Covina, so we decided to follow him part way back. We took Colorado across Arcadia, and then went one block south to Santa Clara St, which is a nice quiet street that goes across Arcadia and Monrovia. That was where we saw the hot rod parked on the side of the road. We all agreed that it looked like it would probably be a fun car, but that you’d need to wear earplugs while driving it.

When we got to Duarte and the Nun Crossing sign it was time to turn around. Philippe and I turned around and retraced our route back to Pasadena, pausing only briefly to snap a picture of the AMME sign. Now that we’ve seen it, it seems obvious that there would be a group such as the “Worldwide Association of Mexicans Abroad”, but who knew it would be in a strip mall in Monrovia?.

The last bit of the ride was back through Sierra Madre. Then I was home.

52 miles.
cycling

I noticed this in my web server logs. I was linked from a French cycling site. They have a link to a picture of me sitting on the side of the road fixing a flat tire. Not knowing French, I used The Fish:

(As promised the week spent, we speak today about the tire). One can affirm without fear to be mistaken that the tire is an essential part of the bicycle. With proof this image: the tire is abolished by a puncture, therefore the bicycle is sagging unusable on the ground. Stan, Cathy, and Lucinda

A bit clumsy, but it’s understandable. The tire is an essential part of the bicycle. Dunno how they found that particular picture, but it’s still amusing.

Update: I asked a woman in my office who reads French, and this is her translation:

“(as promised last week, today we’ll talk about the tire)
One can say that the tire is a key piece for the bike. This picture proves it: a puncture puts the tire out of order, so the bike is lying on the ground, useless.”

Route map and photo locations

Today’s ride was the ‘Greek Theater’ route through Griffith Park, but today we did it in the opposite way. We rode through the park from north to south so as to do the uphill part on the rough part of the road.

We started out going through Eagle Rock and Highland Park. On Figueroa St. we saw what may have been a bit of a student film. There was a guy with a camera filming a car pulling away from the curb. I snapped a picture of him.

When we got to the railroad crossing, there was a train coming. As the train came across the road, it blew its horn. I have a duck call that’s louder than that train horn. I’ve read that the train horns are toned down due to complaints from people in South Pasadena, but I don’t know how the horn is supposed to warn people that a train is coming if it’s not loud enough to hear.

When we got down by the L.A. River we had to take a short detour, but we made it back onto the proper bridge to cross the river and get on Riverside Drive. And that was where I noticed that my tire was going flat. I was hoping it would hold out long enough to make it to the park, but that didn’t happen. I had to stop and fix it, and this makes my fourth appearance in the Flat Tire Gallery.

After the tire repair, we continued on, entering Griffith Park. We rode through the park and up Crystal Springs Road, past the golf course. Then we turned and went up the road to Mt. Hollywood. This road through the park has been closed to cars for years, and it’s not been maintained well. It’s got lots of holes and bumps and is generally not that good to ride on. But there are no cars. So it is Good. We headed up the hill. It’s actually a pretty nice climb. You’d never guess that you’re in the middle of the Los Angeles megalopolis when you’re riding up that road.

After we crested the hill, we started down the Hollywood side of the hill. There was a little sign on the side of the road warning us of filming ahead, and of possible delays. When we got there, we saw the camera trucks and dressing room trucks, but I guess they weren’t working on Sunday morning. We also saw a sign that I guess was a prop for the movie. It said something about a ferry, and we know that there aren’t any ferries anywhere near Griffith Park.

Coming down the hill, we went through the short tunnel, and then down the hill past the Greek Theater. Then we took Hillhurst down to Sunset, turning left and taking Sunset all the way into Downtown. That was where we passed the art-project van parked on the side of the road.

When we got downtown, we stopped for a snack at Philippe’s, which is just north of Downtown, on the edge of Chinatown.

After the snack stop, we continued north on Main Street, passing by the corn field in the old rail yard. Then we took a short detour to see the winery. Most people are surprised to learn that there is a winery in the industrial district right outside downtown Los Angeles.

Crossing the river again, we continued on Main Street, passing S&M Liquor. Of course this was a photo opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. After that, we got on Mission Road, which later merged into Huntington Drive. We took Huntington all the way back to San Marino. Then we turned left on Sierra Madre Blvd to get back to Pasadena.

44 miles
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Today’s ride was a new route out to Glendora and back, with a stop for a bagel in Arcadia. I took a few pictures on the ride, but for some odd reason, they didn’t come out. The camera did something weird, and the pictures all looked like pointillist paintings. When I discovered this, I took a few test shots around the house, and they all came out fine. I don’t know what happened.

Anway, the ride was very pleasant. We went east through Arcadia by a new route, which was nice. Then we went south a bit and then back up to the Santa Fe Dam bike path and on to Sierra Madre Ave in Glendora.

When we turned south in Glendora, we stopped for a minute to regroup. I noticed a real estate sign, so I picked up a flyer. It was a nice house, but nothing spectacular, but they were asking $1.1 million for it. I’m so glad we bought our house back in ’95. If we were trying to buy a house now… Yikes.

From Glendora, we went south to Covina and then back through West Covina and Baldwin Park. It was a basically flat route, and we went pretty fast. When we got to the snack stop at Goldstein’s Bagels in Arcadia, we were all marveling that our average speed was somthing like 17.3 mph, which is fast for our group. Normal is about 16, which includes stopping for red lights and such. When we were moving, we were going pretty fast. And it was fun.

The last part of the ride was back up Orange Grove and Sierra Madre Blvd back to the park. The ride came in at 40 miles even, and I decided that that was enough for today.

40 miles.
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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

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
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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

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

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.