Fredwina gets a Perm and loses her identity!
Now, Most of you thinking a perm is something you get at the Hair Salon, right?
Randonuerrs USA (RUSA) has a class of rides called permanents. They're like Brevets, only except you can do them at any time. The gang from BikeJournal.com got me in to trying to go for the R-12 medal(one brevet a month for a year). I signed up for the coastal cruise , which goes from Old Town to Laguna Beach. I needed to do at least 200K to qualify, and this was 230K .
I work up early , and drove down to San Diego. I made a brief side trip to 6th Street next to Balboa park to see if the apartment building that my Mom and Dad lived in during the Korean conflict was still there. it wasn't. I found that Gas Station that was the start of the Control. I had to drive a mile to park my car at the Trolley station. I then rode back, bought something from the Shell, and started out.
If you've done the Orange County Wheelmen's Amtrak Century, you've seen the route. I went by Mission Bay, and the UCSD campus, and got to do down Torrey Pines road (whee!). I was passed by all the fast roadies and triathletes doing the Swami's Ride. I was in Oceanside in no time. So far so good.
I stopped at the gate for Camp Pendleton and showed the Marine my ID. The next 6 miles were thruough the base. after that , I rode on the closed 101 higway through San Onofre State Beach. I stopped at a Bagel Shop in San Celemente and had lunch.
The only real problem I had was in Dana Point. the cue sheet had and error in it. I figured it out, but then I had to a climb on Pacfic Coast Highway(PCH), a Busy highway. and this section did not have any bike lanes! I had some rollers on this section
I got to the bike shop in Laguna beach that was the turn around point and discovered that I had lost my ID! . I looked there, but no deal, I also stopped by the bagel shop, but they didn't have it. I should have thought and seen if the Marines had a lost and found, but I decided to take the alternative to going through the base : Riding on the shoulder of Interstate 5. I had a small voice telling me to do this going north. But what's done is done. There was a traffic jam, so for a brief period, I was the fastest vehicle on the freeway!. I got off in Oceanside, and got stuck in a traffic jam on coast highway. I found the side streets and got going again. I was going to take pics on the way back, but I was more concered with my loss.
The ride is really easy back until Torrey Pines at mile 130. It's about a mile and half of 8% grade. I actually made it up without having to stop! I then took it easy on the downhill back to the car. Unforntaly, the space bar that I had been using for my lights broke. Thankfully, the STI cable caught it before it fell to the street(Yeah Shimano!):)
Yesterday, I had a sinus infection, so I didn't beyond calling the DMV and requested a duplicate ID.
