Getting lost on a ride

It's been a funny week - I'm still going through a cycle of insomnia but I've managed to function throughout the week.  Last night wasn't too bad, but Monday night was pretty hellish - I woke up at 1:11. Or at least that's when I looked at my phone, hoping that the time would be either a few hours earlier or later.  No such luck.  Tuesday night I mercifully slept until 4:00 or so.  At that point, I just stayed awake until 5:00 am and then I went for an early morning swim.  It was so strange being at the pool when it was dark but also a cool experience to swim outside, in the dark, yet feel perfectly safe and more relaxed than my daytime swims.  During the day, there is such a hustle and bustle - swim team! dive team! water aerobics class!  regular swim classes!  crazy intense people!  not great swimmers who refuse to circle swim! parents swarming! That morning, I actually had an entire lane to myself for the whole 35 minutes and everyone seemed so focused and also meditative. Of course, by 9:00 am, I felt more than ready for a nap which didn't happen.

Today was a gorgeous spring day, and although I debated going for a ride versus a run versus doing nothing, I managed to talk myself onto the saddle and out the door (not in that order).  I figured that if I went out for 20-30 minutes and decided that I wasn't feeling it, I'd head home.  At the very least, that would give me 40 minutes or so of movement. However, once I was on the bike, it felt great to enjoy the afternoon's warmth as I moved in and out of the shade.  I planned to follow a pretty typical path, zooming (for me) along some local streets and then head down to the Rose Bowl for a few loops.  However, as I was headed towards the Rose Bowl, I decided to challenge myself and take a back way that would include a nice climb or two.  I was definitely meandering down a road that I felt confident that I knew slightly from a ride about a year ago.  At a certain point, I had to turn, so I went left and shot further downhill.  Suddenly, I saw an overpass that did not look at all as though I was in Pasadena or anywhere that I thought I was.  And, it wasn't!  Not that I ended up in Santa Monica or something crazy like that.  But I had managed to land in Glendale, not too far off track, but far enough that I cursed myself and my terrible sense of direction.  What was worse, to me, was that I had enjoyed a tremendous descent to get to this point, so now I was heading uphill for a few miles!  I initially felt pretty frustrated with myself, and then I decided to think about the situation - Chevy Chase and Linda Vista, the streets that were/are so familiar but not really, are very bike-friendly and offer some fun parts that wind around the hills.  The uphill trudge was, indeed, a trudge, but it is good to remind myself that climbing builds character.  Also, I don't suck at it!  Finally, it was kind of cool to suddenly find myself unexpectedly in a different part of town.  Had it not been a Thursday with lots of obligations and 'to-do' items hovering over me, I would have taken my time and pedaled around until I hit the familiar haunts of Eagle Rock.  Even though I couldn't reap full benefit from my off-track experience, it's good for me to remember that surprises in life are good.  I also realized from this experience that biking does offer more opportunity to explore and to get lost than running does.  While I often stick close to the usual paths and routes, being able to wander, even if just for an hour, is such a relief from the usual schedule and close attention to the what and where at all times.

On a final note, it was definitely more of a challenge and less repetitive than the ride that I had planned, and there is nothing wrong with that!

2012 is a blur already!

Hitting January, mid-month, it occurs to me that the month and year seem to already be in overdrive.  The weeks back to school/work have been full of meetings, classes, general busy-ness, and Michael and I have tried to keep our social card somewhat full without overdoing it.  The three-day weekend has actually provided me the opportunity to take a step back.  While I do need to grade, plan, write an exam or two and grade some more, the extra day is a much-needed buffer.  We haven't traveled and our plans are minimal, which is perfect for a productive weekend - painting and drawing for Michael, grading for me, sleeping and eating for the pups!
Not that it's been all work and meeting some of our responsibilities around here.  I've decided to embrace our Friday night out "rut" as not a rut but as the perfect way to enjoy the end of the formal work week.  We rarely make a huge evening of it, sticking to some place local and fun.  Last night, I was in the mood for decent bar food, so we made our way to The Fat Dog in Montrose, a fun little neighborhood that is very close and convenient. Before drinks and dinner, we stopped at the local bike shop to pick up a tire that needed some tweaking.  While Michael was paying, I unfortunately saw this beauty:

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I'm kind of obsessed now.

After I salivated for a while over it, Michael pulled me away - or the idea of dinner and drinks motivated me to salivate over something else.  The "Fat Dog" experience did not disappoint!  We went there for the first time in December when we had no power and were desperate for a good drink and decent food, and we really enjoyed it.  This time around was the same.  Good food and drink - no complaints from us.  

Today has been full but fun - running errands this morning and working on and off this afternoon, but it doesn't have the rush feel that sometimes happens on weekends.  I just went out for a short but fun ride (not on the beauty shown above), and since all of Southern CA must be watching the NFL playoffs, I was almost the only one on the road - or so it seemed!

So, yes, it's been nice to slow down the pace this weekend.  Not to the point that I don't have a pulse, but I'll take the breather!

A safe trip home!

So, I can't believe that it's August 8! I know that this statement is a total cliché, but it does seem to me that the summer months have 'flown by'. I can't decide if that is positive or negative. I suppose it indicates that I haven't been bored too often, but I doubt that I win points for "mindfulness"!

Before the full Colorado update, I will say that we survived the 14 or so hour drive from Breckenridge, CO to the greater Los Angeles, CA area on Saturday. We know the drive well and can predict some of the dips and turns in the road. Overall, it's a beautiful drive, except when we hit Vegas. At that point, we are so close but still a few hours out, so the final push feels particularly painful.

Last year, we hit Sunday night Vegas-to-LA traffic which was HELL. The only thing that lifted my spirits was when we passed BMWs that had overheated and the bachelorette and her friends were sitting on the side of the road, looking grumpy and disheveled, not a tiara in sight. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person, but I really hate the whole "I-must-celebrate-MYSELF-for-twelve-months-straight-because-I'm-getting-married" thing.

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No doubt these mean-spirited thoughts do come back to bite me in the ass. Karma is a bitch, especially when you are on the road.

Karma, on this occasion, came in the form of a Yakima bike rack that fell apart on us while we were cruising down I-15. We heard some strange and inauspicious sound, and it seemed as though my door or window had popped open. I asked Michael to exit ASAP, which he did - fortunately we were close to an exit and could pull into a service station. There, we inspected the bike rack and realized that the driver's side of the rack had become completely loose. This wouldn't have been such an issue, except that we had our bikes strapped to the rack and the car was packed as it was. Fortunately, we squeezed the bikes into the backseat, once we removed the front and back tires. Our dogs weren't very happy to share their space with some bikes, but they only had to travel an hour with such limited space.

On our part, we were relieved that we hadn't lost the entire roof rack. Whenever I imagine that possibility, I have a mental image of our rack and bikes all over I-15. There would have probably been a huge accident to boot. I seriously cringe when I think about it!

Knowing how terrible the situation could have been, we were quite grateful to arrive home all in one piece.

We also learned an important lesson - bike racks are not infallible, and we need to check ours out at least once a year. The good news is that I went back to the rack store today (Rack Solid in Santa Monica - I totally recommend this place!), and they did not chide me nor tell me that I was going to need a new rack. They did have to replace a part and reinstall the system, but now it is as good as new. So, we are back in business, ready to road trip, bikes and all!