January 2014

SB for breakfast, Ventura for lunch, then back home to achieve my most miles in a January

Jan 312014

Through yesterday I had accumulated 421 miles for the month of January, my second highest number of miles in any January after the 478 miles in 2003. Today I was going to drive down to Los Angeles to visit friend Carol so was settled on 421 for the month. But ANON! Carol was not feeling chipper so asked that I come down Saturday instead. What to do with my now “free day”. Bingo, I’ll ride 60 miles and set a new personal high for January. So off I pedal to Santa Barbara for some banana/wheatgerm pancakes at the East Beach Grill where I decide that riding down to Ventura for lunch and then home would accumulate the miles I sought. It was a nice 60 miles with lots of wonderful views, interactions, and contemplations.

Note: I continue having a problem with my new slideshow technique. The original slideshow lays on top of my new one. So for now please click anywhere outside the initial image presented to remove the old version and allow my new one to get center stage, thanks.

: Checking the calibration on my cyclometer. I have just ridden 6.00 miles and “should” be right at the 21.00 marker having started at marker 15.00. But hey, I’m only off 9 feet per mile

: A beautiful clear day and interesting shot toward Emma Wood and on to Ventura

: Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands through the boughs

: I’m always fascinated and appreciative of the architecture in this restroom complex at San Buenaventura State Beach

: 40 miles down 20 to go. Lunch at the Ventura Habit with a chocolate malt to celebrate the 60 mile day

: Inside the Habit I had a nice visit with this other biker who rides down to Ventura from Ojai once a week

: Right on time to be stopped and enjoy the rumbling by of the Seattle bound “Streak”, Too Fun!

: The special last car of the day as the “Streak” heads on to Santa Barbara and points north

: A creative but sad memorial for a bicyclist killed along the nice coast road

: Two fellows entering the surf near Solimar Beach

: The “Hal G. Moore” fountain almost halfway to/from Ventura, a much used topup spot for me

: Up, up, and away for the Rambouillet

: The lovely tropical isle at Mussel Shoals

: Last image of the day looking northwest to Santa Barbara. The next slide is the devil, i.e. the details

: January mileage at a new high: Dry, warm weather == MILES! (if you continue past this shot it’s a whole new show)

Drive to Ventura — Ride to Boccali’s for Lunch

All Categories, Bicycling, Food 1 Response »

Jan 242014

I’ve been getting a little bored riding the same old routes from home so today drove the bike down to Ventura to ride the nice Ojai Valley Bike Trail into and through Ojai two miles for a great lunch at Boccali’s. Returning to Main Street I rode on down to the wonderful Ventura ocean promenade where I joined a large crowd watching the expert surfers in the high, 12–15 foot, waves before returning to the Volvo after a nice 37 mile outing. Click on any of these thumbnails to view large images (complete with meaningful comments).

I am currently having a problem with my new slideshow technique. The original slideshow lays on top of my new one. So for now please click anywhere outside the initial image presented to remove the old version and allow my new one to get center stage, thanks.

: Just entering Ojai which offered this nice photo op

: And nearby another op with an equistrian theme

: Just east of downtown Ojai (Robert Frost’s west coast home?)

: Almost one o’clock, time for lunch, and right into Boccali’s 🙂

: Here’s a perfect shot of things I love;
A great meal right in front of my wonderful bike that brought me the 17 miles to it

: Yikes! No strawberry shortcake today.
Guess I’ll have to make do with the special apple cobbler 🙂

: FUN muffler wildlife back down the bike trail

: Whoa Nelly, don’t kick my bike!

: An interesting, beautiful bridge along the Ojai Bikeway

: Rode over to Hwy 33 to find and photograph this sign (an intesting factoid, no?)

: Back in Ventura I stopped by the Visitor’s Center for a quick dip

: A final shot from the Ventura Promenade of the big 12–15 foot waves and the exciting surfing

A wonderful walk on the Sedgewick Reserve

All Categories, Hiking Comments Off

Jan 112014

Friend Carla invited me to join her on the monthly public hike on the Sedgewick Reserve. We were all set to leave with the moderate level hike group when the leader heavily cautioned any of is without lugged soles to not come on his route. So we moved over to the easy group and had a very interesting experience. A very nice feeling of being way into the country and curious insight into how others lived and grew up.

: This has an interesting explanation which awaits downstream

: 9:00AM awaiting the division into groups and docents

: Two interesting burros in the field opposite

: The small obervatory atop our first hill

: Behind our comrades is a “camera blind” with camera and a light source to capture animals coming to a water trough that I am standing next to as I took this shot

: Opposite the blind is this water trough. As an animal arrives at night to drink it triggers on the light in the blind and a sequence of pictures from the blind’s camera

: The light causes the animal to turn around to see where the source is which .…

: .… allows the last shots a view of the animal head on

: Beyond the main house many pretty trees and some of the removed housing used by the Sedgewick children

: The front entrance to the interesting Sedgewick home

: A view a short way from the back of the house that is seen in the distance

: A reservoir near the house and corrals recently cleared of plants to allow Cal Fire helicopters easier access

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