Cycling
Boston vs the OC As many of you have noticed I've gotten a little into cycling thanks to zsquirrelboy over the past few years. Cycling in Boston was incredibly popular if demanding (the skill most of the commuting cyclist show on those crazy narrow streets is absolutely amazing and more then a little intimidating). Boston cyclist seem to be the very definition of aggressive urban bike commuters. After one or two terrifying encounters I realized I did not have the skillz to match the level demanded by the city. So I stuck mostly to the Minuteman Bikepath on the weekends in good weather. Didn't cover very many miles but firmly established good memories of tootling down the bikepath with zsquirrelboy and occasionally ectophylla. I was on the bike often enough to feel justified in spending a little money to get a nice cycle-cross bike, Redline Sport, who is a absolute dream to ride (add needs a name btw if you want to leave a comment!).
It turns out that cycling is also incredibly popular here in the OC, though it appears to be a different bred of cyclist. Gone are the urban hippsters with their fixies expertly standing on their bikes at a red light in heavy traffic. Instead, cyclist here are generally clanned in spandex, hunched over their handle bars going 20+ mph. Let's call them sport roadies. Between the year-round summer and high disposable income levels, cycling seems to be one of the more popular sports in the area. Most of the major roads in the OC have generous bike lanes but the prospect of riding with traffic has never deterred the sport roadie I've noticed.
I still feel, and look, like a stuffed sausage in my spandex shorts. But then I'm really not interested in barreling through town at 25+ mph. I'm much more interested in the quieter bike paths. Not only are there no red lights to watch out for and no large metal contraptions zooming past at 35+ mph ready to crush you but there is generally more wildlife and more friendly people exchanging greetings. There are an amazing 3 bike paths 15+ miles long within 10 miles of my apartment according to Franko's Map of Orange County (btw have I mentioned how much I love a good map!). All the bike paths follow an open waterway, attracting what little wildlife there is in this mecca of shopping malls. I've only really explored one so far but plan to venture further soon.
Cycling to freedom Venturing out on my own has never been my strong suit. For all that I'm forever scaring archonsengine to death with wild plans to solo say... the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, I've always been sort of scared of going someplace new alone. At first it was because I knew I didn't have the needed skills to take care of myself but that's no longer the case. I'm a certified WFR, Lifeguard and have taught campcraft for goodness sake! Now I recognize that I'm just plain scared to go alone for no particular reason.
Not really a problem in concept except I want to do something, preferably something big. Big trips (3 wks canoe touring or hiking the AT or cycling cross country) are completely different from short little day or weekend trips. There's a different feel and mindset you experience that I find horribly addictive. It has sadly been over 3 years since my last big trip and, damn it, I miss it! Various things point to a solo trip as probably being the way to go but that means venturing out, alone, to unknown places.
This (and a pesky thing known as 1st year grad school) has lead to an entire year of reading Adventure Cyclist and staring at maps trying to work up the nerve to bike beyond campus. It seems to have worked! In May I finally got up the nerve to not only get on that fabled bike path but get lost in the process. Quals reared their ugly head and completely ate June and most of July. However I'm very pleased to report that these past two weeks I've put on almost 50 miles cycling up and down the San Diego Creek bike path in the mornings before work. I'm planning on following the path up to the mountains next weekend which would be about a 30 mile trip, longest I've ever ridden.
I'm not sure if this 3-days a week cycling plus a weekend trip will end up enduring but I will try. Partially this recent cycling bout has been tired to my weight loss efforts (I'm at the point where I need to start some serious cardio if I want to keep loosing weight without starving myself). Partially it's been the maps and stories planting the idea of cycling cross country in my head. Partially it's that Big Trip calling, again. Partially it's me getting on the bike to prove that, damn it, I can get out there and go somewhere new all by my self.
It turns out that cycling is also incredibly popular here in the OC, though it appears to be a different bred of cyclist. Gone are the urban hippsters with their fixies expertly standing on their bikes at a red light in heavy traffic. Instead, cyclist here are generally clanned in spandex, hunched over their handle bars going 20+ mph. Let's call them sport roadies. Between the year-round summer and high disposable income levels, cycling seems to be one of the more popular sports in the area. Most of the major roads in the OC have generous bike lanes but the prospect of riding with traffic has never deterred the sport roadie I've noticed.
I still feel, and look, like a stuffed sausage in my spandex shorts. But then I'm really not interested in barreling through town at 25+ mph. I'm much more interested in the quieter bike paths. Not only are there no red lights to watch out for and no large metal contraptions zooming past at 35+ mph ready to crush you but there is generally more wildlife and more friendly people exchanging greetings. There are an amazing 3 bike paths 15+ miles long within 10 miles of my apartment according to Franko's Map of Orange County (btw have I mentioned how much I love a good map!). All the bike paths follow an open waterway, attracting what little wildlife there is in this mecca of shopping malls. I've only really explored one so far but plan to venture further soon.
Cycling to freedom Venturing out on my own has never been my strong suit. For all that I'm forever scaring archonsengine to death with wild plans to solo say... the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, I've always been sort of scared of going someplace new alone. At first it was because I knew I didn't have the needed skills to take care of myself but that's no longer the case. I'm a certified WFR, Lifeguard and have taught campcraft for goodness sake! Now I recognize that I'm just plain scared to go alone for no particular reason.
Not really a problem in concept except I want to do something, preferably something big. Big trips (3 wks canoe touring or hiking the AT or cycling cross country) are completely different from short little day or weekend trips. There's a different feel and mindset you experience that I find horribly addictive. It has sadly been over 3 years since my last big trip and, damn it, I miss it! Various things point to a solo trip as probably being the way to go but that means venturing out, alone, to unknown places.
This (and a pesky thing known as 1st year grad school) has lead to an entire year of reading Adventure Cyclist and staring at maps trying to work up the nerve to bike beyond campus. It seems to have worked! In May I finally got up the nerve to not only get on that fabled bike path but get lost in the process. Quals reared their ugly head and completely ate June and most of July. However I'm very pleased to report that these past two weeks I've put on almost 50 miles cycling up and down the San Diego Creek bike path in the mornings before work. I'm planning on following the path up to the mountains next weekend which would be about a 30 mile trip, longest I've ever ridden.
I'm not sure if this 3-days a week cycling plus a weekend trip will end up enduring but I will try. Partially this recent cycling bout has been tired to my weight loss efforts (I'm at the point where I need to start some serious cardio if I want to keep loosing weight without starving myself). Partially it's been the maps and stories planting the idea of cycling cross country in my head. Partially it's that Big Trip calling, again. Partially it's me getting on the bike to prove that, damn it, I can get out there and go somewhere new all by my self.