MD4+5

Friday was a quiet day free from bikes. We walked, had coffee, went to see the film American Sniper, and walked through the aquarium.

I liked American Sniper. A lot. I cannot say for certain if it was a great film because I tend to love every project Clint Eastwood touches. I really need to see the film again and watch it from a reviewer perspective rather than from a fan's. Regardless, I do think this is another war movie anyone who never served should see, especially young people (if they can pull themselves away from their iPhones and sense of entitlement for a couple hours).

Even though we knew Chris Kyle's fate going in, I have never exited a quieter theater. Ever. Dead silence. Nobody said a single word.

We walked a few blocks to the aquarium in a somber mood, but for me that faded quickly as we entered the facility. We really love the aquarium, which I guess is why we are members. We are not rich by any means, and we only contribute the minimum, but if feels good to be a small part of something great.

We talked to a volunteer docent and asked about all the dead sunfish we saw a couple days ago. She told us it was not uncommon to see dead sunfish wash up. The seals and sea lions like to play with them and unfortunately they are not built to be Frisbees for marine mammals. The good news, she told us, is that a female lays so many eggs that juvenile fish are fairly plentiful.

We ate at a place called the Green Artichoke. I can't really recommend it.

Today we rode north on the bike trail. Being the weekend, trail traffic was dense around town, but after a few miles it thins out.

We did a little exploring on the way back.

Here Jenn flies down a descent.

It was probably the coolest day so far, but not bad, somewhere in the low 60s.

We finished up with dinner at the Indian restaurant again. I really like that place.

Later.

MD3

After owning my Pugsley for over three years, I finally had the opportunity to put the fat tires in the sands along the sea.

We started from our hotel and rode along the bike trail past the wharf where we hit the beach.

The sand near town was fine and dense, making it easy to ride on.

As we rode farther north, the sand became more course, and that made it tougher to ride on.

Here I am setting up for a timer shot.

It was pretty difficult to time it right. Either I would have tough time getting back to the bike and moving or Jenn would.

It made for plenty of laughs.

I almost ran over a Flock of Seagulls. Fortunately they flew (and ran) so far away.

This is a sunfish, which in adulthood is the heaviest bony fish. They can weigh over a ton. Unfortunately we saw a dozen dead ones washed up on the shore. The gulls eat the eyes and fins and leave the rest. It was a real downer to see them. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium it is one of our favorite fish to see.

Almost back.

Jenn's front tire had a slow leak. After pumping it up, I nicked my finger on the disc brake rotor when I removed the pump.

For dinner we went to Peter B's, which is in the Portola Hotel. Unlike the Cannery Row Brewing Company, they actually brew their own beer. The place was packed, which surprised us. The food was good and so was the beer.

Another fine day. Later.

MD2

Today was a very mellow, slow-paced day. We started off with a nice 11-mile walk north along the bike trail and through the town of Seaside. We had coffee, did a little shopping and had some fish tacos for lunch.

On the way back I took a picture of this big sand dune. I think it would be pretty cool to ride the fat bike down the steep face of it.

In honor of our Mexican food lunch, we took a siesta after we returned to our room. Naps are a real luxury.

In the evening we went for a little ride south along the water.

Jenn was still a bit congested, so we kept it short.

Our color coordination was NOT planned. We are generally not one of those couples, although it isn't uncommon for us to both be sporting beer-related clothing.

Anyway, she was in my borrowed jacket, so it doesn't count.

After our sunset ride we showered and headed into town for some Indian food, probably my all-time favorite thing to eat.

Another fine day of vacation.

Later.

Monterey Day 1

We're here in Monterey for a little vacation. Jenn is getting over a cold and opted for a lower-impact walk, so I was going solo today.

We brought the fat bikes and a second set of 29er wheels so we can vary our riding. I recently purchased a set of Surly Rabbit Hole wheels for my Pugs. I went with a low tread 29x2.25 tire, so they roll pretty good on the pavement.

I headed north on the trail, which was going into a pretty stiff headwind. I hate headwinds.

Still, I'm on vacation, so even though it was slow going, life was good. See?

The end of the trail is a little over 13 miles from the hotel. Once I made the turn my speed increased significantly. It seems rare, but sometimes in life you do get a tailwind.

There are opportunities to jump on some trails here and there. They are typically sandy and slow, though.

Almost back to the hotel.

A nice, scenic 26-miler to start the trip.

Later.

SS

I decided to go for a ride after work last night. The night before, looking down the row of bikes on the wall, I decided to go with the single speed. The bike hadn't seen the light of day in a long, long time. I guess I have had other interests for the past few years. After pumping up the tires and lubing the chain, it was ready to go. That's the beauty of a rigid single speed.

Out on the trail the bike was exceptionally quick. Walt built the frameset eight years ago, and 29er geometry has changed a lot since then (for the better). The 72-degree head angle so popular back then is unheard of now, as is the short 430 millimeter fork length. As you can see, the rider position is definitely "racy," and so is the handling.

Up the first climb I stayed in the saddle and totally ripped it. I thought, "Hey, I'm in pretty good shape!" After a fun little descent was another longer climb that I labored up just a bit. "Maybe not that great," I thought. After the third climb I only had this thought: single speeds suck.

In the end I did enjoy my ride, but I am not sure this is the bike for me anymore. I might try a shorter stem, riser bars and a seatpost with some setback in an attempt to modernize the ride a bit. After riding the Canfield, I do prefer a more laid-back geometry now.

Our smog layer is providing some pretty sunsets:

Overall I like my Nokia Lumia phone for mobile shots. It's definitely nice not carrying a phone and a camera. Most of the time the quality is excellent. One situation where the phone falters though is whenever the sun is present in the shot. You get a lot of weird flaring. Not an issue with a real camera.

Later.

Another New Year

I made it out today for a nice mixed terrain ride, by far the longest of the year. OK, it was only my second ride so far, but it was fairly long for a winter ride.

It was clear and cool and bright, with temps in the mid-40s. It was a bit cold for my liking, but still a welcome change from all the rain we had in December.

Unfortunately, the high pressure that gives us clear weather also keeps the smoke and smog near the ground. Many people burn in my county not only to heat their homes, but to get rid of brush and yard clippings. It all adds up.

The gravel roads were in good shape, but the trails were a bit wet in places.

Cerveza? Yes, please.

I certainly wish there were more quiet gravel roads like this one around here.

Yet another steep climb.

I ended up with 30 miles and 2400 feet of climbing on the day.

Later.

SWAT!

As I mentioned a couple days ago, my renewed interest in mountain biking led me to crack open a few magazines. In the new issue of Bike, two different writers mentioned the Specialized bib liners with SWAT as part of their essential equipment choices.

When I saw them I had to buy some. I ordered a pair immediately.

What is SWAT? It's a really dumb marketing acronym. What does it stand for? Storage, Water, Air, Tools.

Idiotic name aside, the idea is awesome. I have been wearing bib shorts and bib knickers under baggie shorts for a while now. I really hate wearing a tight road jersey with baggy shorts, though. It looks dumb, but I need the pockets to carry my stuff. Baggy jerseys look better, and feel better, but carrying anything in the pocket is awful. Your stuff bounces and swings all over the place. Any guy knows you don't want your junk bouncing around; you want it held up high and tight.

The SWAT system introduces pockets to the liner. So now I can wear baggy shorts AND a baggy jersey AND carry my crap. Nice.