June 2 ride reports

[Duck on Wheels]

Just a short ride today. It's too darn hot out there! But I was up early enough to ride my bike to spin class (silly innit, riding indoors when the sun is shining outside). It's about 2 miles each way. Add 1 hour of spin class (hill repeats today, up to my 95% on the hrm, even after lying to it about my age [it can't see the grey hairs, so I pretend I'm my daughter]) and 30 minutes of core work for warmups. All in all that's a pretty good workout. The best, though, was getting up all the hills between home and the gym in my middle chain ring. On the way back I even did the biggest one in my next highest middle gear (if that makes any sense to anybody, middle ring in front, next highest gear in back). I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere. All those spin classes must be beginning to build some muscle

Better hurry up and get showered now, tho. Moving guy coming in a couple hours to give me an estimate.

[Lifesgreat]

OK, mine isn't a ride because I have the LRRH ride tomorrow, but I did venture on an open water swim in Utah Lake (home of 100 (one hundred)MILLION carp, by some estimates). The water was about 60 degrees and choppyish. I and about 15 others practiced for an upcoming tri. I tried not to think about the water that was going into my mouth. I pray my immune system is as strong as I think it is. . . I was also thankful I had my wetsuit on. It takes a lot of confidence for someone of my physical stature to wear a neoprene wetsuit with the word "ORCA" printed on it (that is the wetsuit brand)

Later today I am off to Logan with AuntieK and three others. We will meet up with other TEs while we are there!

Life is good.

[Brandi]

It is 82 right now and it is only 10:30! This is very warm for here. I am going to wait it out and do a late day ride instead. Usually it will cool off some by night fall.

[DirtDiva]

I've barely even been outside today. Let's call it a rest day, shall we?

[Fredwina]

I work a schedule called 980. You work 9 hour days, and get every other friday off.we had a meeting of our bike club last night, and I won a an FSA Kwing handlebar(s?) . onme of our members is starting a mail order bike shop, and was giving a presentation (in size 44cm ). This morning, my brain still wanted to wake up at 5am, though. Darn! I took a little break from my 'climb every montian" routine and did some research for my club my club. wound up with 40 miles in about 2:40. Mainly thru industrial parks, but made to park aling the Santa Ana River. Had a problem with my Hutchinson Flat-o-matics (I sense a pair of Specialized Mondo's in my Cannondale's future) It's already 87 degress F at 11:12

[DrBee]

I rode today for the first time in 2 weeks minus 1 day! After changing my tire (rear) for the first time ever yesterday after waiting for 2 weeks for a new tube it felt so good to be back on my bike.

I came home early from work (a normal thing for me on Fridays), I chowed down a Luna bar, changed my clothes, put on sunscreen, and off I went. I was promptly met with high humidity (that's the norm here), mid 80's (cool for this time of year), and 15-20 mph N winds. The N wind was unusual for here - it's usually from the south. At least the wind was relatively cool. I only rode 10 miles. My legs could've gone longer, but I needed to get back to clean up to get my haircut. I didn't think the salon would appreciate me showing up sweaty. I popped a few sport beans (first time tasting them) - yummmmm. They're like little power pellets - or at least that's what I told myself to get through the wind tunnel known as Bishop Rd. I need an anemometer to test the winds on that road. It goes due N/S and seems to enhance the wind. It was like a giant gust for over a mile. Ugh!

Looking forward to tomorrow AM. Off to get my haircut.

[Brandy]

Another beautiful day in coastal Orange County. I parked my truck at the beach and planned to ride the path because dh was on call for court and I needed to be able to make it back to the truck to race home if needed. I headed south to Newport Beach, passing both the Newport and Balboa piers. I turned around at the end of the path and headed north to the end of Bolsa Chica State Beach. I took a little rest here and realized that one of the little people stole my last Luna Bar from my backpack. Drats! Thankful that I added some powdered Gatorade to my water bottle to mask the taste of tap water, I headed south again on the path. I reached my car and realized I had another 45 minutes before I had to fetch Avery from school, entertained the thought of riding a little longer (I had done 26 miles) and then decided to go use the time to drive Newport Coast Drive before I ride it. I really need to do some hill training before the Cool Breeze Century in August and I'm planning to use this as one of my training hills once I get back from camping later this month.

[Nanci]

(Also called the Green Swamp Trail- birthplace of the Withlacoochee River).

This is what we saw:

Cottonmouth on the side of the trail.

Alligator and about eight babies. Mom submerged, and left the bullhead-catching-and-eating-babies at the surface. The babies would croak or call or bark- I can't describe it- if they thought we were getting too close. I was afraid mom was going to run out at any moment, but she only peeked her eyes out a couple times.

TONS of gopher torts in all sizes, at home and out grazing.

Tons of squirrels.

Rabbit.

A pond with a four foot gator, baby gator, cooter turtle, small snake, big cottonmouth, and a fish who kept swimming so shallow its back was sticking out.

Raccoon momma and baby.

River otter, crossing trail.

Star Wars bird scene: We're riding through tall pines, and birds keep lifting off from the trees and flying down the trail ahead of us- vultures, white egrets, a big stork, more vultures, more egrets, a black-crowned night heron, more vultures, more egrets...I've never seen anything like it!!!

Hawk.

Cardinals.

Red-Headed Woodpecker.

Tons of small songbirds.

Passion Flowers.

Lantana in red, orange and pink.

Trumpet Flowers.

Some ten-foot tall thing with a spiky base, skinny stalk, and white bell-like flowers.

Cactus, flowering.

Blue and white Morning Glories.

I have so many pictures, plus movies of the baby gators. I hope I can hear them squeaking!

[Nanci]

Check out the perfect little bee-thing!

[Nanci]

Six baby alligators.

[Geonz]

Just the commute today and got wet doing that. Stopped at the bike shop on the way home with that third wheel in the back with its broken spoke, and sweetness, one of the guys whose name I forget pretty much dropped everything and started fixing it right there, whcih made me glad I'd cut out of work early so I wasn't at the "oh, gosh, we have to finish this before the end of the day" part of their day. Fritz says "could I see your helmet?" and disappears with it... and when I look around the corner he is attaching... darn it, I remembered to bring my camera back home but not the wire to put stuff from the camera to the computer, so you can't *see* the pig snout and big PINK EARS. They found it cleaning out the warehouse - it is from 1998, "back in the days when there was humor," and... they thought it suited me :-)
Several people burst out laughing and one car almost rode up the curb on my way home. Of course, that happens on any given day It's one of those effects of cycle-induced clinical euphoria... and yea, you gotta love your LBS, especially when they love you back!

[caligurl]

nanci... you saw those cute lil gators on your ride!?

that flower is GORGEOUS!

[DrBee]

Check out the perfect little bee-thing!

That is my favorite flower! I had one when I lived in Louisiana. If I move back, I'm planning to get another one. Great pics!

[ladyfish]

I got a nice 15 mile ride in today. Had to be somewhere, so I couldn't go further. Rode out to a lake that is near my house and toured around part of it before I needed to turn around to get home in time to shower and get back out the door.

The good news is my Road mini morph pump showed up in the mail! I really like it! It is a great little pump. Now I have to decide how to mount it!!!