Around the bay

Yesterday I took a ride around San Diego bay with Ivan. We began our ride downtown and went south through National City and Chula Vista. We then rode through Imperial Beach and traveled up the Silver Strand to Coronado. At Coronado we took the ferry back across the bay to downtown and our ride was through. It was a very fun time filled with beautiful views and interesting people. Over the 26 miles we were only passed by one person, and he looked very professional in his USPS outfit. We did fly by a couple of people and even pushed ourselves way too hard when we saw a woman in front of us. After passing her we were both tired and were glad that she did not pass us up. At the pier we met a family who was from Michigan, they were very nice to us. Thankfully they were there because we had to wait 30 minutes for the ferry to come. That evening Audrey and I went to the Padres game with some friends. The game was one of the best ones that we have been too. Audrey was talking trash about my favorite player on the Padres. So ironically while I was at the concession stand he hit a home run. The game was very fun and the Padres finally got a win. All was well. Today is my sister Jennifer's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A photo from yesterday

Here is the chopper we saw yesterday.

Helicopter sighting

Today I took a trip out to the Laguna Mountains, east of San Diego. It is about 45 miles from home but about 5,000 feet higher if I am not mistaken. The day started with a trail ride through some pine forests and then through a meadow. When we were about halfway through the trail we heard a helicopter. When I rounded a bend in the trail, there the helicopter was coming down about 50 yards away from me. The chopper was from the SD sheriff office and it appeared to have fire fighters in it. They landed and sat there for 5 minutes and then just took off again. It was very strange, the only thing they did was open and shut the door, no one ever exited. They may have been as intrigued as we were, I am sure they don't see 3 guys on bikes just staring at them everyday. It was a great ride and very beautiful this time of year. The grass and other vegetation is still green and has not died yet, in about a month it will be very brown in that area. There was only one real challenging section of the ride but thankfully it was paved. This uphill section was about 2.5 miles long and a pretty good incline. The hard work climbing was justly rewarded with a sweet downhill section that I took a little too fast but with no incident. I did have a few close calls with danger, but no wrecks. This is one of the first trails that I have not wrecked on my first ride. Normally I go too fast and can't make a turn and end up eating it. After the ride was over we went down the road and explored a deserted Air Force station. The sign said keep out but that would be no fun. The gate to the property had six locks on it. It is amazing how large our government is and can do nothing. At least six different agencies need access to this abandoned Air Force station now on US Forest Service land. Our tax dollars at work. The area was pretty neat, but like any deserted location vandals had been there and of course it was full of empty beer cans and broken bottles. If you are going to get drunk at least take your trash with you. Well anyway, it was a great trip with a little adventure tied in with it.

A swarm of bees

On my way home from work today I rode right through a swarm of bees. As I was about to leave base I saw what looked like a ton of mosquitoes flying around. As I approached I heard a buzzing noise, so at 25 mph I had no choice but to duck my head and ride straight through. After hearing several thumps on my helmet and about 100 yards later I stopped to assess the damage. Thankfully I did not get stung; however, I had picked up three hitchhikers along the way. I promptly swatted them off and continued on my way home. I can now say that I have ridden over a rattlesnake and through a swarm of bees. It is amazing the little things you miss when you are driving in your car, I would have never even known those bees where there. I am sure I would be singing a new tune if I had been stung, but for now, nice to see the bees.

New equipment

After riding my bicycle to work on and off for the past 6 months I have decided to attempt to ride 3-5 days a week. The ride is 11.4 miles one way and takes me between 40 and 45 mins. Over the last 6 months I have only ridden an average of 2 times per month. I continually made excuses why not to ride into work. Several factors contributed to my so called "reasons" to including: exhaustion after riding 2 days in a row, being on time for school after work, having duty and various other things. I recently read a post on the website (http://www.mapmyride.com/) I use to track my biking mileage that gave me a little wake up call. There were people biking well over 20 miles each way, 5 days a week, even in the snow and rain. This inspired me, in a way, to stop making excuses. As of today I have biked 2 days in a row and not taken a nap afterwards both days, a very phenomenal accomplishment for me (the not napping part). I will continue to do this no matter the physical discomfort, because surely it will get better, and if not I will just age faster than I already am. To ensure that I have even less excuses I purchased a new rack for my bike to include a "trunk", now I can take more stuff with me and storage should not be an excuse either. Tomorrow will be the real test due to the exhaustion I felt climbing up Linda Vista Rd. today. I have never given up on anything that I have totally set my mind to, and I don't think I will start with this. Oh yea, this is not gas or environmentally driven, I just think I could stand to loose a few more pounds and be in a little better shape. Saving on gas will just be a side effect. Gas in San Diego is now $4.36 on base (cheap) and $4.60s everywhere else and that is the cheap stuff. As far as carbon footprints go, I am not at all concerned about that either, in thousands of years people will just be able to date my effect on the earth to millions of years ago.