Asana Cycles Blog | Asana Cycles | Devian Gilbert

AsanaCycles update

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:13:23 -0700

After a long time, I'm spending some time updating the website.

A few write ups to come are:

California Triple Crown

Portland to Ventura, a bike tour

and...

racing with VCM

Watsonville Crit

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:31:42 -0700

a Dummy day

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:18:52 -0700

what is it about being on the bike?

for me, its the "empty mind". i suppose my "Zen Moment", i guess.

that is...

on the bike, all my worries, chatter, etc... it fades away.

you know... power of the breath. the rhythmic effort, easily brings focus to mind.

often times my days are the same, over and over...

like today... ride bike

lately its Ft. Ord being that its close by, my old haunts

go "loose myself", i guess, the "no Mind", "empty mind", "Zen Moment", thing i guess...

like loose yourself in a book, or something...

for me its the bike thing, and the 2nd nature knowledge of my environ, and the movements on the bike...

then...

its errands

light groceries

Monterey to Ventura

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:01:20 -0700

Monterey to Ventura via HWY 1 and what is often referred to as Juan Bautista De Anza Trail.

The Bike: Hunter 29er in what i call Cafe Adventure Touring style.

using an Old Man Mountain rear rack, a set of panniers, and some awesome bags from Jeff Boatman at Carousel Design Works

The plan was to follow the itinerary laid out in "Bicycling the Pacific Coast"

however, things didn't follow to the letter. A fundamental aspect to this trip was to be 100% self contained, self supported, and to stick to the $5/night Bicycle Camping.

Day 1: Monterey to Kirk Creek

Kirk Creek is about 60 miles south of Carmel, with lots of hills. Day 1 is also the heaviest of the days, being that I carried all my food. not once did i stop at a store.

I've done this stretch of coast line numerous times. Kirk Creek sits at the base of Naciemeinto Ferguson Rd, which is the coastal access to Ft. Hunter Liggett, Cone Peak, etc... this jaunt of of +60 miles, I've become very familiar with. it has lots of hills.

Day 2: Kirk Creek to Morro Bay.

in the book " Bicycling the pacific coast", this leg is supposed to be San Simeon. which is just north of Morro Bay.

as i was rolling into San Simeon, i had plenty of hours left to the day, and figuring that I had the hills now behind me, a fast tailwind, that i may as well carry the momentum straight into Morro Bay where I know the campground to be nice.

day 1 is a bunch of hills, and it was the first day which meant a full load, not even 1 meal lightened from the load.
day 1 is the heaviest, and the hilliest... but also the most rested legs...

day 2 started on the road around 10am, which i felt was some sort of laziness or maybe a by product of "too much junk" strung about the place.

either way, day 2 not having nearly as much hill as the previous, the miles rolled by.

The Hunter with those 47c touring tyres, really goes freaking fast, if you let it. On descents, its very easy to start taking lines like a sport bike. the big 203 front rotor has plenty of feel and power to handle things.

the thing that blows the mind, and brings a sober thought, is the speed that you could let this thing roll at...
of which later, a HWY1 descent... Breaking Away-esq played out.

Elephant seals doing their thing in San Simeon
the pier at the William Randolph Hearst beach

day 2 coming into Morro Bay, i was tired. the rollers of San Simeon seemed to start to drone, and the distant Morro in the bay seemed to hover in the distance... regardless of monster tailwind... running 44x the last 3 cogs a whole lot.

climbing a section of HWY 1 in Cambria, with the pines, and white chalk rock, reminded me of HWY 68 (Holman HWY) that I'd climbed for about 4yrs straight...

of course Cambria and Monterey having last strands of cypress and certain pines...

the crest of "Harris Grade" is also full of small sapling pines, just like Huckleberry Hill, HWY 68/Pebble Beach.

at Morro Bay, the camping is great.

the eucalyptus trees provide plenty of hot dead fall for the wood burning stove.

Oily eucalyptus is easy to get a fire going with, and all the little droppings are abundant. its a simple matter of picking it up off the ground and tossing it in the fire box.

Day 3: Morro Bay to Lompoc

the previous day (day 2) was something like 60 miles...

according to the book, i was to ride over to Oceano, which is something like a piddlie 20 miles...

when i get over to the beach, the park aide at the kiosk tells me that due to the "transient" problem, they did away with the Hike/Bike camping area.

which is $5

so all they had available were regular spots at $25/night.

well... heck...
part of the deal with this ride is to only stay at $5/night Bicycle Camping spots....

being around 1pm i decided to just keep going, and make my way towards Gaviota.
which according to the book is something like another 60 miles...

so that would put the day at 80 solid...
after 2 days of 60 mile jaunts, dealing with 80 to get to Gaviota wasn't what i had in mind for the day...

Leaving Oceano, HWY 1 rolls into a little town called Guadalupe...

like a silly guy, somehow i rolled out of Oceano with little water, and now into Guadalupe, i was thinking of the options in Lompoc, +80 F temp got me to looking for water.

while going thru town, there was a sort of festival, fiesta, band... radio station, cops, fire trucks, etc... something going on.

rolling thru town, the girls would hoot and holler, the guys would say things in spanish that i have no idea...

feeling like i need to roll thru town, and get out, i pick the last spot that i thought would have a faucet, so its into the Laundromat...

step inside, the whole place stares at me, and i search for the sink... not finding it, i decided i'd try the rest room...
grabbing the door nob, it doesnt turn, but its a pull direction, and suddenly I've pulled the door wide open, exposing a big dude in a tank top sitting on the throne!

and to top it off... the door opens to the whole of the Laundromat.

close the door, and the lady that works there, laffing... points me to the sink, and i take off...

that was unique!

Leaving Guadalupe, HWY 1 is straight and open, with the wind to my back, the miles roll by. and roll i mean... rollin... 44x11t often. at times its like riding a 3spd. big ring and those last 3 cogs.

Harris Grade is only about 1000ft, about a 700ft climb, then it drops into Lompoc.

at the base of the grade it was around 3:30pm, hot, the sweat dripping off my elbows, and i wondered how much further to Lompoc, and then what?

my thoughts about a mention in the book about a city ran campground.

Into Lompoc taking a break, drinking faucet water... i ask a passer by, and sure enough... River Park has bicycle camping $5/night

i arrive around dusk, and i think its been another 60 mile day. tired... salty, ready to set up camp, eat, and split.

a couple of transients have paid their fees, and rather than be spooked, etc... i decide to say hello and make friends to a certain extent. however... "celestra" the english lady living out of her Saturn wagon, has invited friends over, and now she keeps coming over to invite me over for dinner, etc...

ironic how those with the least of things, are often so giving. i could barely wiggle my way out of it.

with camp set, the even wind had picked up a bunch, and to top things off, there wasn't really any decent deadfall around, so i opted to use my Snow Peak micro stove burning iso-fuel.

burning the iso-fuel, to me is like ultra waste/ultra luxury... burning fuel, to me, is exactly that... burning fuel, and something to be miserly managed.

the total opposite to the wood burning stove, where warmth, kettles of warm water, tea all the time, and slow simmering dinners, are all part of the "fire in box" deal.

in the night i wake up to a sense of something watching me...
look up, and there's a young calico checking me out... early morning i think it was...
probably someone's cat,
she responded to my little "cat clicks", and finger postures, let me pet her, and soon she'd be inside the shelter...
really wanting to sit on the puffy sleeping bag... but not sure enough to actually hang around...

early day break, and i decide to pick up and take off in early fashion.

Day 4: Day 4 Lompoc to Refugio State Beach

keep in mind, that the whole of this trip, not once did i stop to buy anything...
not even a freaking "Oakie Cola", that "shot in the arm", I'd so fiendishly crave... i'd roll on by...
filter water thru the MSR filter, or sucking on faucet water...
instant coffee, sugar, green tea...

I'm a green tea-aholic

this trip to Ventura is to take pop to The City of Hope in Duarte, Ca.
pop has bladder cancer... so it goes, what occurs when you smoke for 50 yrs.

so dont smoke, and drink your green tea!

this day, is gonna be a good one

i'm a head of the itinerary outlined in the book, "Bicycling the pacific coast"
today is Lompoc to Refugio State Beach.

from River Park, turn left uphill for 13.5 mile climb to a summit of about 1000ft.
its a fairly smooth, roller-ish, gentle climb...
big ring x 4th cog down and a bit more, often possible, and a bunch of middle ring...
that spin... then that big ring and stand a bit.... repeat this rhythm

i look up and see an AWAC flying over head, and i have to stop and pull out my little field scope, to check it out...
me wondering to myself when AWACs started flying in visible places like this...
me thinking of the proximity of Vandenberg AFB
of course AWACs have great cruising distances, and the proximity of Vandenberg probably has nothing to do with anything...

this is what happens to the mind after a little bit, with no iPod, TV, computer, etc...
none of those things to stimulate your mind, so simple thoughts entertain my mind for hours on end...

nearing the summit, cattle are around, and with that those, crazy super fast flies that are impossible to out run. so there i am... climbing, dripping sweat, nearing 1000ft mark, in +80 F heat with cattle in fields, and super flies...

then comes a 7% descent for 2.5 miles right onto HWY 101
HWY 1 & 101 merge!

descending onto 101 just north of Gaviota, southbound.

the 7% descent is straight! and FAST!
stupid fast

the pucker factor and risk, have me feathering the brake, and staying in some kind of "reasonable" stupid fast zone...

onto HWY 101 its still a descent
the shoulder nice and wide... trucks, traffic wiz by...
the draft pulls me along...

Caltrans is out
they have the right hand lane closed, along with the shoulder...
orange cones
lights... arrows...
etc...

all narrowing HWY 101 into ONE SINGLE lane... descending thru the rocks, just outside the southbound rest stop...

big ring, last cog...
spinning the gear, with as much speed and form as i know...
and still the draft of passing cars pulls me faster...

the HWY narrowing into 1 single lane...
2 semi's passing, during the last moments before i have to absolutely become PART OF TRAFFIC...

a couple of SUV's, and a white GMC lets me into the FAST LANE

a 4 Runner in front of me...
a huge draft... speed beyond anything i could even imagine trying to pedal...

and yet still, the turbulence buffeting my feet, keep a low tuck, and the wind passing directly over head...

STUPID SPEED

the lanes open up right at the exit to the rest stop, and its not until around the actual entrance to Gaviota State Beach, where motorists start to pass by, all giving the thumbs up.

something like 10 miles left until Refugio State Beach
HWY 101, the shoulder is wide, the day is still young, barely noon...

Refugio is a paradise!

just what i had hoped for

here i sit for 2 days!

its like one of those Corona commercials.

$5/night, true bicycle camping spots
and only feet away from the ocean

here so close to Santa Barbara the water is warm
much different than Monterey.

Refugio

by far, the highlight of this trip was the 2 days spent at Refugio

still... only eating what i carried, and drinking the tea and coffee

by shear chance i had thought, at the last minute, to go buy a hammock

and it paid off. oh man did it pay off! lugging that extra pound for that super nice hammock was worth it like, an quick trip to Maui to forget work...

2 days of simple bliss...

lots of time spent floating around in the water...
washed clothes, and ate well...

paradise

to Ventura...

with 5 days @ $5/night

with 2 days of rest
and around 60 miles to Ventura...

down range...
march order

last leg...
so me thinks...
or perhaps Carpenteria...
depending on how things look, and how i feel

i get into Carpenteria, its only 1pm
the park aide at the kiosk says hike/bike cant check in until 4pm
(again.. the transient problem thing)

so i decide to roll to Ventura

its easy.
its flat

rolling along HWY 101/1 i know this section like the back of my hand.
my old grounds
even as a kid i had rode this section going to SB and Carp on my 10spd Torelli around 85-87'

and even more recently during my 3 month stay in Ventura this time last year until Xmas.

as i exit HWY 101 and onto Rincon park way...
i notice a fellow cyclist with panniers...
then notice they are using Power Cranks... i comment on it, and she tells me she actually has a prosthetic

so check her out
Lisa Tylee

flips my lid
its off the hook!

totally amazing!

we rode all the way into Ventura.
an amazing person!

Ventura in a nutshell:

the trip is to take pop to The City of Hope in Duarte, Ca.

in Ventura, i rented a car, and we made the trips... a couple of trips

turns out dad is not a candidate for any operations.

at this point its a matter of time. he has bladder cancer that has spread to his kidneys, his liver and into his pelvis.

so dont smoke and drink plenty of water
or better yet

Green Tea

dad's first appointment was Friday

with that accomplished...
Saturday morning i took AmTrak to Union Station, LA

then rode to the Fairfax/Melrose area to visit my mom, 3 brothers, sister, and her 2 boys.

(here's a shot of The Hunter on the steps of the Disney Concert Hall)

i've made this trip a bunch of times.
using the trains is a great way to haul your bike. its awesome!
$17 each way on AmTrak

we pass the site of the Chatsworth disaster.
crazy
especially since, a year ago, i was often on that train, returning to Ventura, (actually montalvo, where coincidently my grandfather has a rental property less than a block away)

in Ventura i removed the rear rack, panniers, and made the trip into LA with just the bags from Carousel Design Works, and a Camelbak for a backpack. it was perfect!

the bike is awesome! its super fast, those 47c Touring tyres totally rock. the thick inverted tread pattern gives plenty of coosh, and the big smooth center section is fast.

LA is disgusting. i am always amazed at myself how i trip out on SoCal. I know its like this, and yet i'm always surprised.

a film of oil collects on the bike, my shoes, and of course, my skin, and more than likely of course my lungs. LA sucks.
the constant exhaust, the onslaught of pavement, and god only knows of the barrage of petro-chemicals...

i was amazed to see people with what seem like functioning bodies... but who's to really say.

passing the LaBrea Tar Pits on Whilshire Blvd
helicopters over head...
city buses...
bumper to bumper traffic

bicycle down the side... in the gutter
lane splitting
playing leap frog with the Metro
stop lights never timed...
a viscous cycle of stop and go
even the pavement shows the compression bumps, the by-product of cars on brakes on sun baked asphalt

my stay, Sat, Sun, leave Monday around noon... back to Ventura

in Ventura, i find pop anxious about his next appointment. A CT Scan and bone scan. Another repeat of sorts, rent car, drive to Duarte.

Tuesday comes around, and I'm more than anxious to hit the road. SoCal simply drives me looney. its the congestion, lack of a Natural Settings, and fresh air.

Tuesday AM, ride to the AmTrak Station in Oxnard, hop on the train up to San Luis Obispo, where the last leg of the trip is on the AmTrak bus to Salinas.

Cone Peak, 84hrs

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:48:18 -0700

Back in May, I had been shaking The Dummy down, making test runs/field test, etc..

5/28/08

Day 1: Monterey to Pfeiffer Park Big Sur

Day 2: Big Sur to Cone Peak Rd

Day 3: Hike to top of Cone Peak, camp at Kirk Creek

Day 4: Kirk Creek to Monterey

The first trip with The Dummy was Salinas to LA via AmTrak, back in March. That trip also included a jaunt down HWY 1, a night of camping at Leo Carillo State Park in Malibu. This SoCal trip, I had no idea how long i was going to be there, as my brother Dylan was laid up in the ICU at Cedars, therefore the load i was carrying ended up being huge.

The second trip with The Dummy was a trip down HWY from Monterey to Kirk Creek. this trip reduced compared to the SoCal Amtrak trip. However the load was too much compared to the actual camping use.

Cone Peak

being the 3rd of shake downs, the load was reduced even more.

Initially my intent was to summit Cone Peak, maybe summit Junipero Serra Peak, then home via Indian's Rd, and Carmel Valley Rd to Monterey.

However, on Cone Peak Rd, I broke a pulling spoke in the morning, then a braking spoke later in the afternoon.

improvised a truing stand

spoke removed

Day 1 to Kirk Creek is a solid 60 mile effort down HWY 1 with a bunch of hills. Then to summit Nacimiento Ferguson Rd, and into the early night on Cone Peak Rd.

some time around 4:45am, the birds were so loud, and the light bright enough, me being very tired, somehow, i had wondered if it was the moon light... then logic, reality, and my watch queued me into the reality of day break.

Day break over Junipero Serra Peak, as seen from Cone Peak Road, was an amazing experience.

Day 2: Hike to the top of Cone Peak.

Cone Peak

rode The Dummy up Cone Peak Trail, until i couldn't make the switch backs, then cabled the bike up, changed shoes, water, hiking pole, and hike to the top of Cone Peak.

View from Cone Peak, looking South.

Cone Peak is 5150ft, and its the steepest gradient from sea level in the continental US.

Junipero Serra Peak in the back ground.

later in the day, a pulling (braking) spoke broke on the rear wheel. That pretty much ended up pointing me back to Monterey. Obviously to re-think the evident issue of a wheelset.

Descend from Cone Peak, back to Kirk Creek, set up camp, eat, and rest.

Day 3: Kirk Creek all the way back to Monterey. +60 mile effort right into the NW winds, 11 hour effort.

Condor flying slope in the winds high over head, just south of Nepenthe Restaurant.

The stretch of HWY 1 between Monterey and Kirk Creek is nothing but hills. Tons of ups and downs. In the afternoons the winds pick up. Late afternoon going north out of Big Sur, is dead smack into the face of the wind.

The big long stretch along Andrew Molera going past the Big Sur Lighthouse Station, was mostly a granny gear mashing effort... strong wind, and a decent load.

it was probably sometime after 8:30pm by the time i walked in the door.

Over all this was probably the best test run with The Dummy. From here I've got things totally dialed in. The Mod Job I did to the SnapDeck is perfect, and since May, I've outfitted The Dummy with a set of heavy duty Down Hill wheels.

going South...

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:04:34 -0700

Big Sur here i come... an REI Beast duffel bag a Gregory Forester backpack another huge load... everything and the sink... so the bags are loaded into the FreeLoaders then, i used 2 straps on each side crossed in an X running from the frame of the BD to two of the outboard Ringlets in Devo Mod Job, SnapDeck. both sides, in the same exact manner... now bags are held in place with FreeLoaders, and secured to the frame of the BD with the straps from frame to deck. now the cargo in the FreeLoaders does not sway around. 2xExtra bed roll... i bought a new bed roll at REI, and discovered that i had bought a long length, compared to my old mashed down one... when i fold it in half its just about as long as my old pad... then i had to laff, when i piled them together in triple... LUXURY! so i decided what the heck... the BD can handle the volume, and they are not that heavy, especially compared to the bulk of other items, like laptop, batteries, wood burning stove, etc... at first i had placed the roll along the length of the deck, but then decided it was a waste of space... attaching the roll to the stoker bar is by far better... now the deck is wide open... perhaps for a small duffel-o-fire wood for the tipi... maybe. so its off to Big Sur the weather is off the hook! Monterey is 75F at the moment... peace....d

Ft. Ord

Thu, 08 May 2008 18:52:35 -0700

Today I sold off my old Ibis Ti stem. wow... i think i had that stem for about 16 years. it blows my mind to think of all the rides in those years. the bikes i've gone thru...

the way i use to ride, simply the past i guess... or maybe its simply this "thing" that happens to symbolize a time frame. I dont know. at any rate, it was a trip to send it off. i mean... wow.

So I've been on this trippy circuit of bicycles lately. The Big Dummy, hauling stuff around, and any kind of errands, especially groceries, and running things to and from storage. The Hunter 29er, I've spent most of my time on, as I've found it fast enough to ride on the road with my local club, Velo Club Monterey, all with a set of WTB Vulpine 29x2.1" tires. I'm amazed with these tires. Its amazing because, they work so well in the dirt, and they are plenty fast on the pavement. The Hunter is a great bike..

Since the stem sold today, I had to run out to storage, and dig it up. While there, I decided to grab the road bike, and toss that into the routine too.

BOB trailer bags are great for transporting the road bike. Simply use one bag for the front, and another for the rear. Put the wheels in wheelbags, load into FreeLoaders, and maybe use an extra strap thru the SnapDeck to cinch things down.

the road bike hardly gets ridden at all. in fact, at times I think about selling it. so i rode it today thru Pebble Beach, and along the hills of Monterey. The form, the geometry, the positioning of being on the road bike is awkward to me, and i have to laugh to myself about that... its just that it's been along time since I've done any ridding on the road bike. I guess tomorrow I'll go do a nice road ride, and see if I cant get comfortable on it again. I think I'll give the road bike a try for the next week or so.

peace...d

More about bikes...

Tue, 06 May 2008 19:25:16 -0700

As things keep changing, my new Hunter 29er MTB is quickly becoming my favorite bike. The new bike is always the favorite, right? Pretty much. but this is different... right.

Well, it is different. Very different. Its different simply by default of where I am in my life, my bicycle practice, and the evolution of bicycle product availability. This bike comes to me after a solid 2 years of riding the Pug, and Xtracycle. Not to mention its been almost 3 years without a car. All that time I've spent riding big heavy bikes, with a cargo load, has brought me into a new form. Not to mention I am also bigger these days. 39 years old, around 180lbs, with a solid 16 years of daily bicycle lifestyle.

Momentum and energy management had come to mind while riding big bikes, and over time, I have learned how to use my weight, and be purposeful in my movements. The 29er proves to be a fast and durable bike. I've been riding it on group road rides for the last few weeks. Two weeks ago, it was a Sunday Morning ride with Velo Club Monterey out to Gizdich Ranch and back, totaling up a solid 80 miles.

Last Sunday was cold, windy, with a bit of drizzle, so i turned to the dirt for a few hours. This bike handles everything. Road and dirt.

A compression sack neatly tucks under the handlebar. I was amazed how much base layer clothing will fit in a 6x15" compression bag.

the bag also seemed to fit fairly well as a seatpost bag, however I think I'll need to work on the strapping method. Subsequently I've picked up a second bag just like it. Next I'll be loading up a light weight summit type backpack.

The direction is towards a super lightweight touring setup. I suppose very much like Randonneuring but I guess with some sort of an American MTB Cafe Adventure Touring slant applied to the quest.

At any rate... It's a rocking set up. its fast, durable, and has style.

peace...d

Hunter 29er

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:53:20 -0700

I just finished the build on my new awesome Hunter 29er MTB complete with all the braze-ons, for racks, fenders, etc. its an awesome rig.

I like to call this style Cafe Adventure Tourer. its an awesome bike. it can take road tyres, all the up to a 2.4" 29er MTB tyre. today i rode it around town for just a little bit, and my first impressions, are something like...

"wow, this is something totally new. its like a hot rod. its fast, and its like a MTB, it hops curbs, and dashes around. when its cabled to a rack, it looks fast...

peace...d

Hecho en Watsonville

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:35:14 -0700

This past wednesday, I rode the Big Dummy up to Watsonville and stayed at Sunset State Beach. I brought the tipi, and a slimed down packing list.

By the time I managed to get packed up and actually out the door, and down the road, it was now the afternoon, and the wind was coming right off the ocean at about 20mph. White caps on the bay. My mind likes to wonder back to R/C Gliders and how much i miss my old stuff. The hawks and peregrines make play on slope.

The night at Sunset Beach was nice, the tipi and a fire is the whole deal really. its amazing how much luxury heat is. The tipi stove vents the smoke right out the top, the tipi itself deflects air, and its designed to be adjustable, so that you can let it vent in various ways.

the stove is also a stove of course, and of course you can cook on it too.

this is veggie burger, tortilla, and avocado, with a cup of green tea.

check out the flame coming out the chimney

the stove gets red hot! it amazing how much heat fire puts off.

Thursday morning I went over to Rick Hunter's place and picked up the 29er MTB i had custom ordered some time back.

with the slimed down packing job, it was fun to ride home from Watsonville with the frame wrapped up in a sheet.

today i managed to get a few moments to work on it. I installed the headset, stem, handle bar, steatpost and set, wheels, and the front brake.

pretty nice bike... wow! it should be fast....

peace...d

The LA Trip...

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 12:39:09 -0700

my brother Dylan is now home and building strength.

The Trip was an experience. I sat at Cedars-Sinai with Dylan for a number of days, i pretty much have lost track.

Once Dylan was home, and his initial follow up visit completed, I opted out of LA. Loaded up the dummy and rode to Leo Carillo State Park Beach.

From Malibu I rode to Ventura to visit with my dad and grandparents, give them the "LA Update". I'm happy to say that 3 months since I've left Ventura, my family and I are on good terms.

The next morning I rode from Ventura to Oxnard, and hopped on the AmTrak to Santa Barbara, then had to transfer from the train to an AmTrak Bus, which took me to Salinas, then as luck had it, i managed to get a shuttle ride to Monterey.

Salinas to Union Station was $46

camping at Leo Carillo was $3

Oxnard to Salinas was $40

Salinas to Monterey was luck.

thats the short version.

The Story goes like this... (if you have the time)

Dylan's trip into the hospital was unexpected, and coincided exactly with the finish of the Big Dummy, and good weather. I choose to take the opportunity to do a shake down run with the Big Dummy, packing, and a trial run with "the whole kit"; that is, 4 man tipi, wood burning stove, liquid white gas stove, a small ultralight backpacking butane/alcohol stove, about a week's worth of foods, extra clothing, including rain gear, lights, batteries, laptop, iPod, digi cam, battery chargers, and support items for the bike, like tyres, tools, innertubes, etc.

The bicycle/camping mode, I purposefully over packed. Over packed I was, and to my elation's the mega load was not overtly objectionable. Would I care to haul the approx 100lbs of cargo up into the hills on fire road, etc? well... I think I'd think twice about it, and reduce. But for a trip to SoCal, on the pavement, i never found an incline too step to climb comfortably. Over all, I'm very pleased with the technical aspects of the trip. there was little to no adjusting with the packing and strapping methods, things stayed secure, and the whole rig was a very effective method of travel. this rig rocks!

Now that I've been home for a day or two, I've sifted thru what i used and did not. the slimed down version, is what i think to be very much a dirt capable set up.

I've been in Monterey now for 20 years, and my mind has come to pretty much always envision the out of doors. things like The City of Angels is still an awkward environ for me. With the Big Dummy, the big change being going to LA. With that comes the use of infrastructure. Suddenly now, my cognitive process has to deal with things like transferring from train to bus, going thru transit plazas, up and down concrete ramps, making my way thru a set of doors, and riding the loaded Dummy in LA traffic. Suddenly infrastructure has become the most significant challenge with my choice lifestyle.

To help make my way thru the infrastructure a few skills come to the forefront.

1. How to secure your bike and cargo.

PacSafe also cables to a fixed object. in this case i cable the net to the bicycle.

I choose to use a big long cable lock and a PacSafe 120 stainless steel wire mesh net with brass lock.

with the cable and padlock, i've chosen a brass combo Masterlock with a long shackle. this way i run the cable thru the front wheel, around/thru a fixed object, thru the frame of the bike, and lock the cable ends and pedal all together.

locked this way the rig is pretty secure. its about 100lbs of cargo and totally cabled down. however I do need to order a 2nd PacSafe 120 for the other duffel back, or backpack.

another skill is

2. How to get your rig on and off a train in a quick manner.

this comes down to learning a method of lashing your duffels down. you need to practice this over and over, and get a method down that is easy and fast. I use 1" wide nylon strap, and use "trucker's knots" to tie/adjust the load.

whatever process you choose, it needs to be strong, dependable, and easy. its modular nature needs to accommodate quick change. from one thing to the next. Loaded, riding down the road, to unloaded on the train, and stacked, then into the hold of a bus.

all the while

3. Keeping track of important items, like laptop, cell phone, lights, paperwork, I.D., money, etc. these things you cannot loose, or leave vulnerable to theft. these things are what we used to call in the Army "Sensitive items", like your rifle, night vision devices, etc.

the primary method, is to pack in a system of stuff sacks, duffle bags, and/or backpacks/messenger bags. you need to be systematic. a small hygiene bag needs to be quick access and able to toss into various larger bags, for different modes, like, on the road, riding the bike, or in camp, at the campgrounds in the tipi, or at home and having access to a shower, etc.

you have to keep things organized, and accounted for at all times. you cannot afford to set down your bag and have your iPod get lost. or how about a 4GB memory card? can't loose things. so pack accordingly. packing alone is an Art.

4. The Art of being friendly and thankful.

in The City I have discovered the value of "The Art of being friendly and thankful". that is by large the most valuable tool you will ever learn. obviously on the bicycle you are close, person to person, and sometimes riding along a sidewalk, making your way into a plaza to the bike racks. on the bike we encounter people much more.

Security is your friend! I've come to vastly appreciate Security. They are typically friendly, and helpful. Be courteous and try to be in their eye. that is to say, its safer to be near security, and with any luck, maybe there is a bike rack next to a kiosk or office. choose these things. choose to make friends. that alone is probably gonna be the best method of prevention. prevention of getting hurt, things stolen, or anything else that we'd like to avoid.

this is the bike rack right in front of the Security Office at The Beverly Connection in LA on Beverly Blvd & La Cienega. it was perfect.

The trip from Salinas to Union Station was pretty easy. I found the bus ride to San Luis Obispo to be almost empty, the staff very nice, and we didn't have to be on the road for too long without a break. SLO to Union Station was easy.

In SLO the conductor let my put the rig in the Baggage Car. I lashed the bike to the cargo rails along the inside wall, and tossed in the duffel bags. The train was pretty much empty going South. The car i was in, maybe we had 6 people to the whole car. Entering SoCal more and more people piled in. By 8pm the train was at Union Station.

Around 9pm the rear tyre finally gave up a Slime clot that had been holding since sometime in Salinas. My theory is that the weight of the payload kept flexing the tyre, and the clot kept breaking loose, until finally the tyre just blew green Slime all over the place. 9pm there i was, somewhere around Korea Town, along Wilshire Blvd, fixing a flat on a loaded rig. To top it all off, the kickstand broke, and i learned how and when to use the kick stand. so it goes that now, when the rig is loaded, I simply lay the bike on its side, onto the cargo.

along the way to my siblings house, this row of lights at the LA County Museum of Arts caught my attention.

right away Security showed up.

their curiosity peaked by the Big Dummy and all the gear I was carrying.

Once settled at my sister's house the days melted by, as I spent the time at the hospital visiting my brother until he was finally discharged about a week later. Cedars-Sinai is a huge hospital. everything in LA trips me out. the sheer enormity, the sheer finance blows my mind, and of course the millions of people, their interactions, the general hustle bustle of city life is something so strange to me. often i feel as if its an "Altered Reality", concrete jungles, and all the goings on of a life within that context..

seems like as soon as i got to Cedars Dylan was discharged from ICU, went to a step down unit, still on telemetry, another 24hrs past, then he was sent to a Med-Surg floor, where he stayed for a few days, then discharged home. With Dylan's initial follow up visit with his MD after discharge.. once that was finished, i loaded up The Dummy and rolled out. I had, had my fill of city life, and the ramble was calling me.

that afternoon i rode straight out Beverly Blvd to Santa Monica Blvd where i rode it right down to Santa Monica.

at PCH i turned right, and started North. the bike path in Santa Monica, making my way under the Santa Monica Pier, is pure luxury. the day was warm, the path clean level concrete for some distance. Easy rollin.

somewhere early into the city of Malibu i found a place to grab a bite to eat. a mid way stop, and then it was to Leo Carillo State Park Beach. Here I pitched the tipi made a fire in the stove, heated up tea, cleaned up, rummaged around thru all the stuff I brought. massive amounts. way too much. but then again, that was the point to this trip and packing. to experience what its like to "pack too much" and see how it is to actually move with it, get it thru doorways, on and off of busses and trains, etc.

I always like tipi time. its one of my favorite places to be. Leo Carillo State Park is nice, as far as car camping type campgrounds go. the typical campground ruckus came to a stop exactly at 10pm. my night was pleasant, as the frogs sang a chorus from the creek less than 50 feet away.

tipi time is great. the fireplace really makes the experience. WARMTH! in this pic, notice the flame coming out the top of the chimney. PURE HEAT!

in the morning I found myself with a mind that was clear with the nights download complete, as the dreams would unfold, and i process the occurrences of my life. A cup of coffee some breakfast, and i was wondering why i needed to even leave. if i should stay another day, or what the deal was. Suddenly that familiar feeling of no obligations, and the sense of being "On The Road" settled upon a surface layer of my mind.

however truly being "On The Road" was not reality. I was in Malibu, in SoCal, surrounded by masses, and my life in Monterey was beckoning.

Malibu to Ventura it was. Ventura to visit Dad, Nana and Grandpa. the stay was long enough and short enough to produce a pleasant visit.

Along PCH i passed the Malibu Rock.

coming into Pt. Mugu, a marshy area between the ocean and PCH, I caught sight of a Peregrine falcon in a dive, and narrowly missing a Sand Piper.

soon i was at Missile Park

as a kid i always loved to go to the Air Show, and to this day, I still enjoy visiting this little park.

Once in Ventura i found their Hallmark of massive road debris to still be a threat to safe bicycle passage. the roads are full of glass, nails, screws, etc. I suppose Ventura will never escape its destiny of being a bedroom community to LA. Therefore the masses drive. the infrastructure used mostly by motorists.

after my stay at my grandparent's house, I rode to Oxnard to catch the train back. along the way, more yet yet of the road debris.

this section is the bike path along the HWY 101 bridge spanning the Santa Clara River from Ventura to Oxnard. its a beautiful piece of engineering, a huge amount of money was put into it. Dad says it was something like $50M. Here is the bike path portion of it. its awesome! its full of trash! full of glass, gravel, etc. signs of illicit activity string its length. as the cars zoom by, it shows me what the community chooses. my hunch is that the people that do use this bike path, simply don't have the privilege to speak up to their government(s). So there it is. a whole society confined to the fast pace life of SoCal Economy.

At the AmTrak station in Oxnard I was hoping to catch the Coast Starlight going to Seattle, but the train was full. that was at 9:47am. my next chance was 2pm on the Pacific Surfliner up to Santa Barbara, where I'd have to transfer to AmTrak Bus service.

a 4hr wait for the train, gave me a chance to ride around Oxnard a bit. I found a Farmer's Market close by, where i ate pastries, drank coffee and talked to what seemed like a million people about bicycles, the Big Dummy, et al. the hours flew by, next thing i knew it was about 1pm, and i needed to make my way back to the station to prep for boarding the train.

the train comes into the station, giving you only a few minutes to get everything aboard. The Big Dummy does not fit into any AmTrak policy. its length is awkward, and the two large duffel bags are an added concern.

Luckily the conductor let me put the BD aboard.

as you can see, it didn't exactly fit into the accommodations, and the duffel bags simply got tossed to the side.

In Santa Barbara the AmTrak Bus was already there waiting, loaded with passengers. it was a dash from the train to the bus. get everything off the train, remove the WideLoaders from the rig, toss them in the FreeLoaders, put both panniers on the front rack, and place the 2 duffel bags sideways against each other on the SnapDeck and walk across the Train Station to the bus.

the bike goes under the bus in the cargo hold. then it was from Santa Barbara to Salinas on bus. Around 8pm the bus finally arrived in Salinas. It was late, and I was preparing to ride back to Monterey. About a 2hr ride that I had planned for. At the station, I started reconfiguring the rig when someone calls out, "Last call to Monterey". somehow an AmTrak shuttle was still there, that happened to be waiting for a late train. I caught the shuttle and it dropped me off about 2 miles from home.

All in all, the trip was a success. I stayed with my family, Dylan went home, i visited family in Ventura, things seem to be somewhat smoothed over, and I'm living just far enough away to be healthy. As to the technical aspects of the whole kit, everything worked as planned. i broke a kickstand, and had 1 flat tyre. The tipi was awesome, i love having a fireplace, i got good sleep, and the experience of using infrastructure was another successful mission chalked up to experience.

$86 round trip to and from LA. $3 for bicycle camping at Leo Carillo State Park Beach.

peace...d

LA calling

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:51:52 -0700

My brother Dylan;

is in the ICU at Cedars-Sinai on a respirator and conscious sedation. A couple days ago, he went in to the ER because he was so sick that he could barely breath. Seems that an abscess was somewhere in his trachea/bronchia, and he ended up having an emergency surgery.

I'm off to SoCal to be with my family and see what is going on.

The Big Dummy is loaded up.

I hope to be able to use AmTrak and make the 9hr train ride down south to Union Station.

the trip is has no definitive duration. i have no idea when i will be back. A trip to Ventura is probably on the agenda. Simply to go back and visit my grandparents and dad. lets hope that goes well.

Dylan being in the ICU, obviously is a bummer. Crazy kid. I hope he will be well. Just the other day, as the Big Dummy arrived, built up, etc. i had converted the Xtracycle rig back to a regular MTB complete with BOB Trailer, mostly for his use. As I've been trying for so long to entice him into a touring trip.

or if nothing else, just a trip up here to Monterey, where the air is clean, the locale pleasant, and Big Sur so close. a great place to ride bikes, and be outside.

for now, instead I am going back down south. lets hope that he has a speedy recovery and maybe sometime this year he can be on the bike.

peace....d

Surly Big Dummy... you too can haul cargo

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 12:47:35 -0700

Ok, so i got a new bike. I love a new bike. Every time a new bike makes me feel like a little kid. its great. I love dreaming about them, listing all the parts, planning out its intended use, and exactly what I’m trying to accomplish.

The list of bikes I’ve had goes on and on, just like any other bike junkie. Of course there is always, the line... “this one is different”. ya ya ya. we’ve all heard it. bike addiction is bike addiction. like new shoes, or anything else we seem to collect.

onto the real deal.

New bike is the Surly Big Dummy. This bike is great because is seriously address the notion of being able to actually use the bicycle as a daily tool. We’ve all seen those bumper stickers that say things like “Bicycles are Freedom”, and even The Sierra Club has started showcasing bicycle lifestyle as being “Green”.

For 27 years, the bicycle has been at the center of my life or lifestyle. As a kid one of the first father son projects we had was a Schwinn Varsity 10 speed, which was finished off with a few coats of “British Racing Green” as my dad always called it. I call it OD Green (Olive Drab). its been my favorite color since childhood. I loved army clothes, i loved those old ammo cans, as a kid I liked taking to school c-rats a p38, and my army lunch box (ammo can). I even loved the smell of Cosmoline. I suppose it was no real surprise that at 18 I joined the army.

I have always had a bicycle. And I don’t mean that it was sitting the garage gathering dust. I mean, I always rode a bike. During the 4yrs I was in the Military, bikes were definitely recreation, but I still rode. From 87’ to 92’ bikes changed a lot.

Mountain bikes emerged on the scene in great success. No doubt a historical marker in the evolution of bicycles. The 87’ Olympics in LA brought a huge shot in the arm to the bicycle industry as more and more people went into shops and discovered the world of road bikes. Suddenly 5spd cogsets gave way to 6spd, then came indexed shifters, 7spd... 8, 9 and 10spd today.

In short, here in the US, what we have mostly seen is a progression in the direction of Recreational Sport. Bikes today are awesome with all the carbon fiber, the trick design, ergonomics, and sheer Sport Performance.

Bicycle trailers have become somewhat popular. We see BOB Trailers and Burly Trailers mostly, as cargo and child transport. The Touring market has pretty much been the same for the years, with changes that naturally followed the Recreational Sporting Goods market. Just like MTB’s and Road Bikes, Touring bikes now have index shifting, 8 to 10 speed cogsets, v-brakes, and maybe even disc brakes. The world of panniers has not changed too much. Maybe some innovations in material and then again, more trickle down from other industries.

A few years back, Xtracycle suddenly popped onto the scene. I vaguely remember their emergence. At the time I was fairly well focused on the Sport of bicycles. I was doing some racing, and every day, to and from work, on the in betweens, on the weekends, it was all about some sort of “training” and i seemed to work, save, and scheme to buy new bike stuff. The new bike stuff, part of life has not seemed to change.

I recall seeing the bolt on subframe that Xtracycle offered up, and I recall one of the guys around here getting one, mostly to carry his surfboard.

Years go by, until about a 18 months ago, when i decide to give the longtail a try. All things have a “shake down” period. Especially when it comes to dynamic things like a bicycle. here we have this thing we ride. we actually risk life and limb on these things, and we bring them into our lives. For me, the bicycle has become the center of my life.

I rode my Cannondale Xtracycle conversion since June 2006. At the time, I had a few too many bikes, as I had just recently brought The Pug to my collection. Therefore, suddenly I had an old bike, (the Cdale a 99’ model) free to explore with. In the years past, I had used a BOB Trailer to great success. I lived out of doors for about 1.5yrs, on the Cdale pulling the BOB. I learned of what its like to use this system. Still to this day, I think BOB’s are great. what I especially love, is that all you have to do, is replace your existing quick release with the BOB Trailer one, and its done. No big modifications to your bike. The trailer easily pops off and on.

I also began to explore the world of panniers. Awesome invention are saddle bags. I’d sit and lament over the weight differences of pulling a trailer, the added 3rd wheel, the different wheel size than the bike’s, and of course, the actual cargo volume.

For about 3 or 4 years now, I have not owned a car. In the past it was life of going to work, and living my life primarily off the efforts of being on a bike. Grocery shopping, transportation, recreation, and social life. a whole lifestyle with the bicycle at the core. Its not the first time, I’ve done this before, but obviously this has been the most “complete” and/or most “capable” in the last 14yrs.

The BOB Trailer ultimately gave way to using panniers. I found that in daily life, a set of nice panniers that click off and on with ease, is much more practical that pulling around a trailer, having it bounce around in the back, and then still what you end up with is using the DrySak that comes with the BOB. I’ve come to discover that the duffle bag is key.

Ironically, when it comes to packing things like groceries and camping gear, panniers and the BOB Trailer are just about equal. Really the big variable is the intended use. Even that area has been bridged with success, enter Old Man Mountain racks out of Santa Barbara. OMM racks are unique in that they can be bolted up to suspension. basically these racks can fit onto any bike. they have a ton of hardware to make this happen. they rock!

Panniers and BOB Trailers. what they have in common is the “type” of cargo or payload that can be carried. whatever it is you are going to transport, it needs to fit.

Ahh... now enter the world of Cargo Bikes.

Now you can carry a bookcase!

uhh.. how about some firewood?

ok... i did this a lot with the BOB trailer, carry firewood, but can you carry 2 BOB trailer bags full at the same time? how about toss on top a big bag of charcoal. Ummm... how about 4 tool boxes, a bike stand, and a floor pump.

Or simply all that which could be carried before, and double it.

The Cargo bike is the daily bike. For me, being car free, its perfect. Cargo bike with racks up front and panniers. Panniers for the little items that are best stowed away in a bag, and the big rack out back for sheer hauling ability.

The Big Dummy’s long trellis like frame is much more efficient than the bolt on combo of the Cdale. The big differences really comes down to availability, and affordability. While the Big Dummy and an XtraCycle seem very similar, they really are very different.

The Xtracycle is probably the “Greenest” of the two, altho Surly’s OD green frame is as close to my heart as could ever be. The Xtracycle makes use of

existing bikes. its the ultimate in re-cycle. it opens a new door to what the bicycle can be used for. That has to be THE ULTIMATE STATEMENT. USEFUL BICYCLES.

For me, I simply wanted the Big Dummy. Heck I’ve been waiting for this rig for about a year now. I have come to very much appreciate Surly’s efforts. I’ve been riding the Pugsley for about 2yrs now, and everything that I have come to know of the company has struck a chord in my heart. I was so elated to learn of the co-operative efforts of Xtracycle and Surly in developing this first mass produced “Long tail Cargo Bike”.

From the week long impression of the BD, the frame is more efficient.

My old rig would flex, standing up with a load to climb induced a funky “wiggle” that I avoided by simply A: improve how smooth I am while standing, B: simply stay seated. “B” was the most common method. With the BD I can just stand up and act if walking up an escalator in the wrong direction. stand and pedal. just what i had hopped for!

but you know, I'm a good solid 180lbs these days, and often I'm hauling a 50lb payload.

on a tangential note: it has been brought to my attention, the factor of "Combo's" that is.

rider, bike, use, and of course, FreeRadical and bike.

that is to say, the combination of FreeRadical to bike frame, will yield various ride characteristics based on the bike frame. In my case, the Cannondale proved to not be the best choice.

also there is the rider, the way they use the bike, and how much. Again, here I am living life without a car, so I depend on my bikes a lot, and I use them. A lot. I go thru about 3 sets of brake pads per year between the rigs i use, i also eat up drivetrains, and tyres.

i also haul these silly loads that most people probably would simply use a buddy's truck for.

The guys at Xtracycle are pure genius. thats my opinion. With all the various bicycles out there in the world, and to develop a product that will effectively match up and produce a useable rig, is simply amazing. not only that, BUT... the XtraCycle now takes a bike that was not getting used so much, and turns it into a viable transport solution. it changes lives. that is the beauty of it.

With the hole in the Cdale seatstay, and me pursuing a different ride, what would i have done if the Big Dummy didn't make it to market? I guess I would have tried a Surly Instigator/FreeRadical combo with a rigid fork. if that didn't pan out like i wanted, I probably would have asked someone to weld up a custom Cargo Bike. that would be DOLLARS!

A week is just a snapshot in time to experience a new rig.

However being without car, I do all my errands on bike, and the Big Dummy has received a curious shake down. Last weekend, day #2 with the BD, I spent 5 or 6 hours on it, riding around Ft. Ord. The day consisted of pavement, fireroad, and single track. The tyres of my choice had been a set of Maxxis Holy Roller 2.4” On the Cdale convert rig, I had chainline issues. The chain rubbed the 2.4 tyre to the extent that the 22x34t grannygear combo was not useable. i had to shift down 1 cog to avoid grinding the chain into the side knobs of the tyre. regardless of tire choice, the chain also rubbed against the seatstay of the Cdale in the last 3 cogs. like I said... issues. even then I still rode this rig for sometime, being mindful of the issues, and avoiding them if possible.

with the chainstay rub, eventually i cut a hole in the frame, which is not good, and to further avoid that, i ghetto rigged a piece of soda pop can, folded over and over, glued and zip tied it into place as a sacrificial scratch plate, preventing any further damage. Luckily the frame seems to be ok, even with the hole. like i said... ghetto.

with the Big Dummy none of that exists. Surly has identified all these little variables that go into making a quality bicycle. its purpose designed, and i couldn’t be happier. a big thanks to Surly. they definitely did their home work. the BD is such a joy to ride.

not only have i taken it in the dirt, but i had also stripped it down bare, with no racks on it, and a set of Continental Town and Country 2.1” tyres to ride with a local roadie group. From the days prior of riding the BD, I felt that the combo of myself and the new rig would be capable enough to be with roadies for 30 or 40 miles. Sure enough I was correct. I even managed to take a group sprint. albeit I did sit back a bit in the pace line, and watch the scene unfold, when one of the guys made an attack, the others followed. Me being a few yards back, I grabbed 44x11t, stood up, and started the wind up. with it’s long and low frame, comes more momentum, and momentum management is something you start to embrace with heavy bikes. I was intro’d to this with The Pug.

with the momentum I simply kept on the attack, pulled off a nice flyer with a substantial speed difference, and off the front I flew... the long tail of the BD, keeps your roadie buddies at bay. its just far enough back to keep them out of your draft. in the end, the guys pretty much let me have the sprint, as i couldn’t really hold it to our invisible sprint line, falling about 20ft short. None the less the effort was impressive, and the long tail is a fun ride at speed on the pave.

I found that going fast on the BD is very fun. Going fast around neighborhoods, I suddenly discovered how hard you can make this thing corner. I use a Thudbuster seatpost, so I put my weight into it and the outside pedal, as i corner. Tri-pod one leg to the inside, pull the outside bar, lean it over, and its an exhilarating feeling as you exit faster than typical. FUN!

in the dirt, i tapped the rear brake enough to have it step out to the side, and the long wheelbase lets you slide, in a way you’ve never felt before. More FUN!

Really people. Cargo bikes can make HUGE improvements to our lives. In countries that are not as affluent as the US, cargo bikes help to improve daily lives, simply as an affordable utility vehicle. its a machine! here in the US we are so busy, our economy being what it is, we too suffer in our daily lives. Very different from the necessity of hauling fire wood, but rather we don’t have the luxury to slow down.

For both sides of the spectrum, enter the bicycle. Here in the US, we have plenty of health issues, ok... try riding a bike. its great mentally and physically. oh ya... its cheaper than a car. that helps too. Instead of burning petrol, we start to watch our diet. “you got to fuel the fire. what you put in is what you burn”. so if you are living on chips and sodas, well you get what you put in.

in our modern lives, we have entered the erra of Zoom Zoom. that is transportation. Impoverished countries need it, Industrialized countries need to clean it up. we have the starving, and we have the polluting. that is in gross terms.

the cargo bike can help even out this equation. the end result is healthier people, better living conditions, and hopefully helping our environments.

get a cargo bike, park the car, ride to the store, enjoy the day...

peace...d

more about loads

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:09:26 -0800

Today I took the whole rig out for a few hours. At first the day was still very windy, and rainy, as the tail end of a big storm passed thru. So it was out with rain gear, and pretty much a full load. I can see that the Xtracycle is capable of hauling much more. The real story is, whether or not you want to carry it.

Not only can the Xtra haul it, but it quickly comes down to what you can pedal up, over what kind of terrain. Suddenly the concept of keeping things modular is that much more at the forefront.

The concept being to pack things in an order. An order of priority, modular to be able to adjust to varying terrain, capability, and safety to both myself and equipment.

Right away, I notice that the loaded rig is good in the big winds. the load is heavy, and packed well. On pavement it proves to be somewhat aerodynamic the rig's heft keeps me from blowing around in gusts. The rain is not too much of a deal, rolling on a set of Maxxis HolyRoller 2.4" Urban MTB tyres, the water simply parts.

These tyres have a a knobby pattern them, but really its a square pattern, and its more like a set of groves cut into a tyre. That is, the tread pattern is more like an inverted tread compared to a bumpy knobby tyre. In reality the tyre is designed for street ruckus, more like urban assault messenger style, or aggressive street use.

In the world of Cargo bikes, bicycle tyre development is still in catch up mode. With cargo bikes the added weight wears on typical bicycles tyres more, and the extra rigors of off-road duty, I'm pushing the current limits in State of Bicycle Design and Use. However, with the anticipation of Surly's Big Dummy, I think all the little issues I've come to know, are worked out in their design. We all know how pleased I am with The Pug.

I have found that hauling things up pavement is much easier than the dirt. Especially muddy fireroads, with clay, and wet single track. The heft of the rig is an amazing thing. The weight on the rear wheel really gives you a ton of traction, but that too has its limits, as i discovered.

Riding a longtail cargo bike with a 100lb payload, on and off road, in the rain, wind, and mud, thru Ft. Ord, is my backyard testing environment. I know the area well, and i know bikes well. so its the perfect testing grounds.

A big issue I've had with my particular Xtracycle conversion has been the chainline. That is...the chain like to rub, and that is not good. It likes to rub on the seatstay when I use the last 3 cogs. I have already worn thru a few pieces of plastic I placed to offset the rubbing, but ultimately the plastic wears thru fast, and i have actually cut into the chainstay with the chain. its a bummer. for now i have some metal put in place as a kind of sacrifice piece of metal.

On the other side of the spectrum, the chain rubs on the rear tyre when i use the biggest cog and the granny gear, but only when I use this Maxxis 2.4" tyre.

I hope The Big Dummy is not like this.

Today's mud was a bit of a challenge. The tyres clogged up, as they are not really designed for muddy conditions, but I will say they did really well. I would hope for a better lugged tyre for these conditions. When it comes to a lugged type knobby tire, I have some reservations when it comes to putting my 180lbs + another 100lbs of cargo, onto those lugs. its just that the current State of Design in bicycle tyres is aimed at sport, either light weight Cross Country Racing or Down Hill. Eventually I will find a wide dirt tyre I like. The issue is reliability. It will be a real bummer to have tyre failure on a multi-day back country jaunt.

I think the key will be to swap back to the Conti Town and Country tyre set when rolling on the pavement and save the knobbies for only dirt. The issue is the added weight, and most bicycle tyres are not designed for it.

The rear wheel I pretty much had the same problem, the clay in the mud gunks things up. The chainline is too close to the tyre, and the chain rubs on the tyre. When the mud collects, the chain cuts thru the mud, which results in a now muddy chain, which makes shifting a bit chunky at times, and churning the cranks round and round, really is churning, as the grit grinds away.

The amount of change in pitch, that I was riding on in the dirt, made for a busy set of hands, constantly shifting the front and rear derailleurs at the same time, trying to keep momentum and yet not mess up a shift going into a steep pitched short climb. I found myself wondering how luxurious a Rohloff 14-speed internal geared hub would be. Suddenly I envision the chain being perfectly straight, nothing rubs, the whole drive train is steel, gone are light weight XC aluminum chainrings and the simplicity of no cogset and derailleur...well...so much cleaner..right? so the story goes.

Knowing what I what I know of owning a Single Speed MTB and the years I rode it off and on, I can attest to the advantages. Yes...it would be better. Arggghhh...but the CASH! Rohloff hubs are not exactly cheap. So for now...I'll be eating up standard drivetrain parts, and I'll be dealing with the charm of it all...gee..sounds fun.

The packing job I was so pleased with, has shown its downside. That being, the duffle bags are basically hanging from the tops of the V-racks on the Xtracycle. That allows the payload to swing a little bit. Not matter how much adjusting, tying, roping, tightening, etc, no matter how much you do, it all starts to wiggle around once you get going.

This is where I've come to think using the Wideloaders is better. So I will be trying that setup very soon. What I noticed is that the duffle bags had a tendency to bounce, and swing out, when I went off of little drops, or hit bumps a bit too hard.

The whole of the situation really makes me wonder about using a 24" LargeMarge rim, like what is used on The Pug. But then you sacrifice the convenience of finding 26" MTB tyres all over the place. Oh well...things will work out.

This was a cool shot from today. You can see the rain drops in the sunlight.

this is another trippy shot too.

While on Ft. Ord I came across all these sheep.

the sheepherders said it was 300 head of sheep and that was just part of flock. The other flock was over on Gidotti road. I think they said there were about 1000 sheep in total.

About loads

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:17:36 -0800

With the anticipation of the Big Dummy arriving, I’ve started loosely packing camping items. I was impressed with today’s packing exercise. The rig rolls nice, its evenly loaded, and very secure. Overall, i think this system is going to pan out.

On a note about wideloaders, vs simply using the freeloaders, I suppose it comes down to what it is that you are hauling. Optimally I think its best to pack camping gear into duffle bags, and secure those to the xtracycle. sometimes there are items too large to put into a duffle so you have no choice but to secure it to a wideloader.

Lately, as I’ve been playing around more and more with the duffle bag system, i find that if you use the freeloaders, the cargo is actually held up higher than the wideloaders. in the pic you can see how the duffle is not even touching the wideloaders.

The other method is to simply lash your items to the wideloaders. this method often times results in a load that is not as clean. I mean, its all chaotic, full of criss-cross ropes, odd items lashed on. As if a gypsy caravan complete with pots and pans tied onto the sides.

I’ve used this method for a few months now, and undoubtedly more cargo can be lashed down this way. it is of particular advantage when the load consists of large items, like the bookcase i carried the other day, a set of wheels that I shipped off via USPS, or all the toolboxes and bike stand I hauled. These type of items are just too large to put into a duffle bag. The low position of the wideloaders really help stabilize awkward loads like this. it puts the center of gravity low.

this bookcase, and these funky green plastic storage bins are lashed down about as best as its gonna get. this load was easy to travel with. nothing shifted around, and the load was fairly even. the bookcase was heavier than the plasctic. which resulted in needing to constantly give some handlebar input to keep the rig going straight. no big deal for a limited jaunt.

this wideloader cargo run was pretty much perfect in weight distribution. in the BOB trailer bag, i had a DeLonghi electric radiator heater.

a load like this really should have been put into duffle bags. this random method of haphazardly stringing straps thru handles, etc, is sketchy at best. Pour packing method.

this load was a combo of using the BOB trailer duffle bag for small items, panniers loaded up, and then the toolboxes, and a bike stand, all lashed down. I don't have a duffle bag big enough for this load.

this was a load of firewood that I hauled when i was in Ventura. I made this "wood run" a few times during my stay, as i used it for fuel in the tipi. Over all this method was OK. the load itself is pretty heavy. the only other way to deal with this awkward load would be to use a couple of large heavy duty plastic tubs.

when you look at the various methods of loading a cargo bike, you can see that the duffle bag method is the most secure, and best organized.

the downside of wideloaders, is that they are rigid. they are in a fixed position. The duffles are higher up, which is better for avoiding contact with things like curbs, and basically anything else sticking up.

ultimately i think once it comes time to start doing some touring I will be taking the wideloaders. I've also discovered that its pretty easy to carry the wideloaders as cargo. i just slide them in along the v-racks.

peace...d

haulin

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:17:16 -0800

these days I'm selling off my things, and that means getting it out of storage. all of this boils down to learning how, and what can be done with an Xtracycle. The possibilities seem to me to be just about endless.

Monterey, once again...

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:46:51 -0800

In short my efforts in Ventura came to be a huge fiasco. Ultimately, I learned that even at 39 years old, I am still the kid, and still the grandkid. My family was not ready for me to be there. The breaking point was an altercation with my father. Therefore I simply have removed myself from the situation.

With that said, I’ve come back to The Monterey Peninsula, to find there are no jobs here for me, and luckily my girlfriend has let me stay with her.

In an expedited manner, the notion of me being On The Road, has come to the forefront. I continue to sell off my belongings, and re-arranging the essential items I already have. My heart pulls to be out of doors, on the bike, and out in Nature.

The days are rolling by fast, my progress along a time line, and the inevitable “Ramble” is approaching. I love the Spring. Altho it is still officially Winter, the days are getting longer, and I have come to realize how stressed I was, and how crucial it is for me to get plenty of rest. These days I find myself relaxed, and dreaming of the outdoors.

peace...d

MetroLink, Montalvo to Union Station

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 12:42:03 -0700

10/31/07

0650hrs

One year ago today, i was on a solo loop from Pacific Grove, out and around thru Arroyo Seco into Ft. Hunter Liggett up and over Nacimiento Ferguson Rd. down to the coast on HWY1 and back home. a 57hr loop in total. Today its The Pug and I on MetroLink, Montalvo to Union Station in LA to visit family for Halloween, see my nephews, and maybe get to see some freaky LA types during the adult hours.

So far i have to say that im totally stoked to get on the train with The Pug. One thing is that the 4” Endos dont like to fit the bicycle tie down system they have on MetroLink, but im more than happy to even be able to take the bike on the train. Next time i will bring extra tie downs to help keep The Pug secure, as it is, i locked the brakes, and so far so good. I love how Avid Mech discs have the dial adjustment.

The train experience is all about people. its about the communal experience, its about the joy of sharing the bike rack, talking with your fellow humans, lashing the bikes together, and sharing the experience. While still within a steel box, a person obviously doesnt have to give attention to the task of driving, but instead they are free to do whatever they like. for myself, its jotting down a few thoughts, iPod in ear, while groovin to the Killers. 6am on the bike, Ventura is a bit of a ghost town, i had the neighborhood streets to myself, 51F i had to put on my fav set set of full finger DeFeet gloves, a first in the more than a month since i’ve arrived.

The train bumps, jiggles, rolls, and speeds along. I sit with my thoughts, digi cam, laptop, with a goofy grin as we speed past cars. Yes! zooming past cars, with bike, and not even putting out the effort. the train blows its horn, the rail guards drop, lights flash, and cars wait.

Ventura County has these moments of beautiful landscapes, even quiet moments. the train is like that too. 6am in Montalvo is quiet, the train empty, the sun rises, the landscape comes to light, more people load on the train, the chatter rises, more bikes, etc. its great!

And wow! the beautiful girls on the train! and i ask myself, “at what point do i not like living here?” I love how the people sit next to each other, they chit chat, skills in social graces play out before me, so much different than those social skills of car bound, typically played out on the gas pedal, a flash of lights, and the annoying blast of the horn.

Speeding along, as we come into Simi Valley, im amazed at the housing. SoCal is unfolding before me. Mega housing complexes, giant culverts to channel the winter rains run off, and yet goats, horses, and corals mingle in this matrix of nature vs humanity. Humanity and its insatiable desire to tame everything. pave over the world, run rail, domesticate, make slave, husbandry in all forms, even the skies have been pioneered.

along the railway i see remnants of hobo camps, soot up the sides of rocks. even an equestrian along the way! who’d have ever thought? as another train, AmTrak blares past less than 10ft away, certain death as i stop to realize the energy behind all the tons moving at 50mph.

11/1/07

423PM

Union Station LA

Here i am on train 113 return to Montalvo from Union Station LA.

I think the total is going to be about 38hrs round trip. Last year for Halloween i had done a 57hr solo loop around from Pacific Grove, out to Arroyo Seco, into Ft. Hunter Liggett, then up and over to HWY1, and straight home.

This year it was a trip to visit my siblings, nephews, mom and brother-in-law in LA, whom live right off of Melrose Ave, near Fairfax Ave. My brothers and i have always been into bikes by various necessity, and/or virtue of our lives in general. Myself and my two brothers, Dylan and Dallas had ourselves a typical brother’s on bikes Halloween in Hollywood kind of a time. From the moment i arrived at their place, it was on the bikes riding all over the place, hang out here and there, and “mosh” as Dylan calls it. Basically its just ride around town, go all over the place and i guess get down into the pit with the cars, and mosh.

First its over to pick up, or just simply check out what Dallas is up to over at Power Plant Choppers where he works on Melrose, and sure enough, its the typical day, he’s doin the little daily things tinkering around with motorbikes, tools, and the shop in general. I admire Yaniv and his +5yrs of effort and commitment to run a biz. and a big thanks to Yaniv(sp?) for letting me get some pics. Power Plant Choppers. Yaniv you are awesome!

On a side note, my 2 brothers, Dallas and Dustin are in Vogue, the Fall-Winter 2007-2008 issue, on page 98 "Bikers"

this is the cover

Dallas on the left, Yaniv (owner of Power Plant Choppers, and family friend.)

Dustin, bottom row, second from the right.

Afternoon, Halloween we find ourselves with obligations, just as brothers to ride around. its all over Hwood, and down towards the LA Community College, out by Oragne 20 Bikes, and the Bicycle Kitchen. a shout out to TJ over at Orange, Tony at the Bike Kitchen, and i think it was Heather at the restaurant. A totally cool little groove over there on that side of town. Who’d of ever thought that i’d be diggin a grove in a mega city like LA? Bikes are bikes and bike folk, i dig.

As the evening started to catching up, we found ourselves rollin Hollywood Blvd. Once we stopped and hung out with a “crash unit” as Dylan called them. some cops in those crazy dark blue crown vics, some suburbans with huge running boards along the sides and rear, as it was obvious cool cops, watchin the scene, some kind of special ops group, like crowd control of some sorts. I had to ask which one was Jake and which is Ellwood. their reply all of us! and im all about dribbling out Blues Brothers scene, its got a cop motor, cop tyres, & cop brakes.

At Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Dylan is all about Captain America,

and we get mega laffs, damn near falling off the bike as we ham it up in front with the world to watch. Later i catch Dylan rocking out to Bon Jovi, Wanted Dead or Alive.

Santa Monica Blvd and Melrose was beyond packed. crazy grip of peeps there. the Sheriff stopped me, and we chit chat a bunch, funny how i seem to get along with cops, or more like The Pug and I grab their attention. The Sheriff gives us the “OK” to take our bikes into the mega crowd, but with plenty of advice and fore warning. the crowd is piling up crazy fast, as if like those wooly mammoths in the La Brea tar pits, the crowd engulfing us, no mater how we make our way against the flow, they pack faster than we can exit, caught in a rip tide of freaky freaks on Halloween, until i put the Vega on flash mode, and do my best Moses, reaching the edge of that sea-o-freaks.

We find ourselves back to brothers “moshing” around town, aimless, and wondering, we find McDonalds! yes! Micky Dee’s on Halloween, took the bikes right inside and ate up. a first in i have no idea how many years for me. Mickey D in Century City. My vegetarian ways, gone, as im mingling in the sea of SoCal, PETA is in my head, scenes of Planet of The Apes flash across my mind, Fay Raye King Kong, Fast Food Nation, and the shear vast quantity of suffering plays out before me, my taste buds drive the message home. a cool pic of us 3 boys with the Century City skyline in the back ground,

after they were so stoked to have apple pies for treats later.

A night of watching the LA scene, we crash out at home, a new day, and time for me to head back to Ventura by the 430pm MetroLink out of Union Station.

the time flys by on the train, as i just about pass out iPod and sunset. Back home the fog has rolled in, twilight, and purple legions.

a shower, a few words, pics and to crash out. Tmrrw another day in “care”. Pop to the MD’s in the am.

and gee...the weekend is upon me...viola!

Its a SelfPropelledDevo Pug’s life...

peace...d

Ventura Kinetic Sculpture Race

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:47:19 -0700

Every day Ventura is growing on me, or maybe its simply my attitude, but whatever it is, im having fun almost every day. its all about FUN!

Last night as i had sat around prep-ing my Moto Rapido for a ride that i was thinking to hook up with, as i remembered it was a loop up past Ojai, and into Rose Valley, all of which im still very new to. I google Earth’d the area and found it was hills, and still being a bit apprehensive about my integration to the locals i choose the Moto Rapido for its gearing.

Alas as i was settling down to crash out, i remembered that Ventura has a Kinetic Sculpture Race, the 10th Annual was today.

I opted to check out the scene, as opposed to a group ride. I can do that every other weekend, but the Kinetic Sculpture Race is something i had wanted to check out for many years. I had always lived some kind of vicarious occasion thru the internet surfing the rants about Arcata’s Kinetic Sculpture Race. Just the concept alone spins the proverbial gears in my head.

Last week it was 100f and SoCal on fire. Today its 70F with showers. those large drops, and 70F, the heat rising from the ground fills the senses, and i think of the tropics. maybe not Panama, and maybe not really Hawaii, but at times it seems like it could. maybe somewhere with a bit of elevation, as the clouds and showers stack against the hills.

peace...d

From Ventura to Monterey, OD green the mainstay...

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:31:38 -0700

Ventura has this great bike infrastructure. its amazing, and more amazing yet more, is that no one is riding their bikes. instead they are driving their cars, typical right?

Here is the land of the “strip mall”, the land of franchise and the land of cars. On the upshot, every mall has nice bike racks, even in front of the bank. Typical bike life, the streets are full of cars, the parking lots full too, and on the bike you get door front parking. this shot of the Pug is in front of WAMU where i walked in to deposit a check.

I’m always hard pressed to decide what bike i want to ride today. it becomes more and more of a consideration these days. Ironic because, now-a-days, since I’m here in Ventura helping take care of my grandparents, and my dad too, suddenly my grandfather gifts me his 2 cars, both 1979, a van and a Cadillac. Neither of which i care to drive, but then again i dont care to drive at all. However the car has crept back into my life by default of the sad necessity to shuttle my family members to doctor’s appointments, and their steadfast practice of “shopping” at the grocery stores. they always buy the same stuff, so there really isn’t any “shopping” going on. I know, its a form of getting out of the house for them, and its good to get them out, but my god! how those old ways of life grind against my nature. It blows my mind to see how an entire generation has held material objects at such a high value. but then again, we have to remember that in 1930, merchandise was valued. China dot com hadn’t hit the shores. Consequently my Nana does things like, loves to eat TV dinners and washes the trays and keeps them. I mean...STACKS of old TV dinner trays!

When i ask them of actually cooking, its like sheer lunacy. I cant imagine not wanting to eat fresh foods.

So here i am in this SoCal world. a bitter sweet irony where I am amazed at the infrastructure and the actual bicycle facilities but yet no one rides a bike. Also you’d be amazed at the debris in the shoulder of the roads. Of course, right? right, tons of glass, plastic, gravel, nails, screws, tools, tire carcasses, you name it. the road ways are like veins collecting plaque. I have had more flats on the Pug in the 1 month that i have been here, than i had in all the time i was there in Monterey.

as a kid i loved my “Army Lunch Box”

and i loved the little cans of Army Food

and i loved my little P-38 can opener

In Ventura I loved to ride my bike

and i especially loved “Hobo Jungle”

which is now Emma Wood State Beach

my paternal grandfather told me of WWII

the South Pacific

the Solomon Islands

Bouganville

my maternal grandfather told me of going home to the Philippines to fight

he was a Filipino Commando

he was the grandfather i knew for the first 8yrs of my life

my dad a Vietnam vet

my mom a WAC from Ft. McClellan

where they met as dad was out processing from his tour

so it was for me to enter this manifest in Fresno

then later to move to Ventura

I awed at the Ventura Fair Grounds

and even as a young kid, it seemed to me to an old Army post or something

it was Camp Ventura

where my paternal grandfather entered the Army prior to WWII

he was a cook assigned to an Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) unit

my dad, and maternal grandfather went thru Ft. Ord

and as a kid i had these Deja Vu memories of playing in white sand with my toy cars.

life in Fresno often had trips to the coast to cool off, so it was often to Monterey, but i was very young in those days, not even 5.

as i was 19 and in the army at Ft. Ord, one day i drove to the end of Ocean Ave in Carmel, stepped out of the car, and walked in the white sand, with a flood of memories, as i knelt to the ground passing my hands in the sand, as if i still had that car. Memories so strong, Deja Vu, in Ultra Reality

my Army Lunch Box had a smell

i grew to love that smell

i always rolled my socks

my shoes were always at the foot of my bed

and i always made my bed as my mom, my grandfather, and my dad had taught me

in Basic Training i was blown away to learn that i had been keeping my room to military standards, i knew nothing different

the first time i opened an Ammo can, the smell of Cosmoline took me back to child hood

when we were issued new field jackets, boots et al, i was beyond happy. when i got my license to drive a "deuce and a half” it was almost just like driving our 1959 Ford Stepside van with no syncro. my dad taught me right, taught me how to remove a split ring from a set of duals with a pick ax, how to double clutch, and how to adjust a set of valve tappets.

i had never put my finger on a trigger, but the countless times he told me of being a 60 gunner, tracer rounds every 3rd round, traverse and elevation mechanisms, etc, it was almost as if second nature, but this time around, me...this manifest, had the discipline to actually fire in 6 to 9 round burst, and follow orders.

growing up homeless with dad in our van living at the State Beaches here in Ventura, during the 80’s, Carter was the President, a recession was in full tilt, and there were lots of people without jobs.

20yrs has past, and i still love to ride to Hobo Jungle, and today i found those old Coastal Artillery turrets. in those days they were still on the beach, and not in the surf as they seem to be today. I would sit and imagine how dirigibles would patrol the coast, and some how Zepplins would flash across my mind, Janis and Big Brother, those big bellows of smoke from Zig Zags, the snap and flash of Zippos, and my dad and his hippie buddies, post Vietnam in Fresno, would kick back, pop bellowing smoke, like old man of the north on a map blowing the wind, and i’d toss a paper airplane thru the smoke, maybe he’d play along and puff smoke rings. The Goodyear blimp was in fresno, and we often would watch it land. In Ventura i would imagine old Navy blimps over head, maybe 1940, those big Coastal Artillery turrets actually with Howitzers mounted to them, and i could only imagine the bang they’d make. somehow howitzers, Cosmoline, ammo cans, moth balls, OD Green, and some kind of “code”, ethic, value, family unit...rules...something was in my blood.

20yrs after leaving Ventura, with all of that, all of which i have lived thru the US Army, Operation Just Cause, etc...and of course the bike...that big ol OD Green monster of a bike, actually its just like it was when i was kid...5spd Schwinn beach cruiser, drum brake in the rear, and generator lights. even then, i’d simply ride away.

Emma Wood State Beach. Devian 39 years old. 2007

devian 12 years old, apartments off of Ventura Ave. 1980 or 1981

when i was a kid we used to play here in Plaza Park, located right in front of the Ventura Post Office, and of course i loved to play “Firing Battery”

The Pug is natural with this M1A1 Pack Howitzer. I cant tell you how many times i had played on this howitzer, running my hands over the breech, the mount where the gunner’s sight goes, and imagining how the spade would dig into the ground. Those child hood play days took me to the 7th I.D. Light at Ft. Ord where i lived up to my dreams, repelling out of UH60 Blackhawks and firing M102 Howitzers.

I was fortunate enough to realize that i needed to go to my old motor pool and snap some pics before the Battalion crest totally fades away.

I was part of B Btry 7/15 FA 1987 to 1991 serving in Panama Operation Just Cause. As a kid i could only imagine how it was to fire a howitzer, and as a young soldier i learned that, but still i was only imagining what it was to actually fire at a target. One of the comforts of field artillery is that most of the time you never see your rounds after the lanyard is pulled. However in Panama, we did some direct fire, fire missions, and in those, i did see what a 105mm Howitzer can do to a building. No wonder they say Artillery is the King of Battle.

After M102’s we received these really cool British M119A Howitzers. I found this pic thru wikipedia. Kevlar helmet with “rag top” was a hallmark of the 7th I.D.

circling my haunts

somehow they are intuitive

of course its all about life on a bike...

peace...d

Ride to Ojai

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:57:48 -0700

Ventura is growing on me. Today I rode for about 3hrs, from the "East End" of Ventura up to Ojai. Nice ride. The bike path trips me out. Its so different from Monterey, Big Sur, Pebble Beach, Carmel, and the Artichoke fields of Castroville, and so forth. But...I must say, i do like it here in Ventura. I like that the weather is SO NICE! Holy smokes! Today it was 75F or more the whole day and SUNNY!

Just the sun and waking up every day at 6am, going to bed by 10 or 11pm, just that alone has completely changed my mental out look. In Monterey I was so stuck in a rut, it was this constant droning, daily grind. Same job, same town, same issues, same people, and somehow, my military conditioning took to the forefront. Dedication to duty.

Here in Ventura, i have my family to tend to, and that covers the dedication to duty, but the hours are so much better. No longer do i get off of work at 11pm, no longer do i stay up til 2am, and no longer do i work any weekends. Now its up with the sun, out during the day, and the KIDS! wow! Ventura is FULL OF KIDS! Suddenly i realize, i feel, that sentiment, when someone would say something like, "kids make you feel young." wow! at 39 and being in good shape, i cant tell you how great it feels to hang out with 20 somethings at the beach, or at a coffee shop and just shoot the breeze.

But what is disappointing is how few of the young adults i see exercising. SoCal is very much all about CARS! for me, personally, the view is a real shame. Ventura is so nice. its flat, and the weather! OMG the WEATHER! What a great place for a bicycle lifestyle. Heck...look at all the wood i haul on a weekly basis.

Anyways...here are some pics from today's little jaunt up to Ojai. I took my road bike out, and that was trip. wow! Sometimes i step back, and just trip out on how far, how easy, and how fast i can be on a bike. simply amazing! Darwin, Evolution, all in the making. Devolution.

peace...d

this is weird. its part of the old USA Gasoline refinery.

this is the bike path off of Ventura Ave, on the way up to Ojai. I like the artwork created with old industrial leftovers. it hits my mind/heart in a good way.

Ventura

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:15:28 -0700

It's been a little more that a week now that I've been here in Ventura. The impetus being to spend time with my grandparents, and try to help out.

Ventura is a renewed experience for me. 20 years has passed since I've lived here, and all the things are familiar, yet different. Its like Deja Vu, but in Ultra Reality.

The years of cycling in Monterey, all the racing, my Hobo Joe-esq ramblings on the bike, the discipline learned thru the military, all these experiences have made things very easy for me here. Ventura is pretty flat, and the bike paths are pretty nice. I still trip out on how a lot of the bike paths switch back and forth from being on the sidewalk, to the road, etc. lots of confusing transitions, and lots of concrete islands in the road that make it more difficult to simply cross the street as i had become accustomed to.

Ventura is the land of cars. everyone is all about being in their car. the roads, those concrete islands, and all the signs, NO LEFT TURN, EXIT ONLY, ENTRANCE, the way parking lots are laid out, all of these things are designed with the car in mind. the simplicity of taking the most direct route is not necessarily the best route. In fact my mind is starting to undergo a shift.

In Monterey, the area is less crowded and i could simply take those most direct routes, use a sidewalk if needed, etc. but here in Ventura, the flow of traffic and the way the roads, those concrete islands, etc, are laid out, most times its best to wind and snake around in those car path ways. its not so easy to simply cut across a big parking lot. and believe me, Ventura has parking lots. holy smokes...the cars!

this is about 200lbs of fire wood i picked up the other day.

this is the tipi with a fire goin in the fire place.

so Ventura is this renewed experience for me. Living in my grandparents backyard, in the tipi, helping out with daily life, making sure things are ok, and of course the challenge of family.

either way, we can rest assured that the bike is still the core of my practice. that is, the bike is the core of my life. the bottom bracket is the center of the universe.

peace...d

Where its at...

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:06:26 -0700

Santa Barbara has it goin on

http://www.sbbike.org

Portland is more than "all that"

http://www.shift2bikes.org

more bike blvd. portland

http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/portland-or-bicycle-boulevards/

Bay area secure bike parking for cents/hr

http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/secure-bike-parking-just-cents-per-hour

totally cool. i dig the set ups, but i dont necessarily dig the concreate/steel set ups with electronic locks/atm cards. makes me wonder what would happen when the electricity goes out? your bike confined? lock down? and what of a would be "hacker"? could they just break the code and grab bikes?

i like the plastic lockers much better. cyclist provide your own lock. much better.

all very good ideas.

it kills me to see huge parking lots, cramed freeways, and my fellow human strung out on corn syrup, gas, and debt.

all the while, rail has been removed/covered up, for more streets.

people drive themselves crazy with rents/mortgage/carpayments

a fractured/fragmented society confined to boxes of modern convenience credit to the hilt. unable to go 10 miles without gas, bound to bummer jobs.

American community lost.

on the bike, your outside, fresh air, and we say hello.

BBC says that Vanuatu is this years "Happiest Nation".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5169448.stm

i wonder how many cars are there vs population.

the human experience is communial

Huxley spoke of "Island Universes", here we live divided by "Concrete Islands"

NYC knows whats up.

as do we

look at the cool Monterey coffee SMR hang out by Tony's shop

take back the streets, and let the people be free, mingle...

"I'm all verklempt. Talk amoungst yourselves." Coffee Talk

check out Project for Public Spaces

http://www.pps.org/

and this vid (scroll down a little)

http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/category/issues/car-free-parks/

Titled "Public Space Transformations"

Donald Shoup, professor of Urban Planning, UCLA

http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/dr-shoup-parking-guru/

says that the merchants of downtown Pasadena where reluctant to bring in parking meters, but when the procedes went to renovate the area...well...look at Colorado BLVD today.

world car free network

http://www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd/

obviously this is an issue/agenda much larger than VCM

peace...d