Month: October 2020

Spoooooooooky!

SPONSOR ME! http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/ga2so

This ride was mostly what I expected it to be, but I accidentally put a challenge in the second half.

That’s an elevation map. On the top and left you can see the line gradually get darker as the route goes higher, then lighter at the bottom. But look at the middle right section. See that tiny dark section? That’s a steep hill. So steep that as I was going up a guy on the street said “that’s quite a climb!”

One of the best things about riding on Halloween is playing “Is That A Costume Or Do They Dress Like That?” Some are easy, like the five year old kid dressed as the corona virus. Some are slightly more challenging: “It looks like a Batman costume, but he’s not wearing the cape or mask.” Most challenging: “Is she a cowboy, or does she just like that hat and shirt?” As for me, I wore my Cookie Monster jersey, which is about as close as I’ve come to wearing a costume in years.

Bonus video of the route:

BIKE PATROL

SPONSOR ME! http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/ga2so

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. I’m almost a quarter of the way to my goal. Please: donate. Any amount will help. BONUS: Originally I was just planning to ride 100 miles a week, but now I’ve decided I will ride one mile for every dollar donated, up to $5000. I just did the math, and that would be FIVE THOUSAND MILES IN EIGHT MONTHS. Come on, folks: MAKE ME WORK.

A Brief Tour of (mostly) Burbank

Some things I didn’t show in Burbank:

  • The TARDIS on Magnolia
  • Oh, so much Disney
  • The confusingly-named Hollywood Burbank Airport
  • The Fry’s with the spaceship crashed into it
  • My school (which wouldn’t have been very interesting for you, but I would have enjoyed riding my bike through the halls at night)

Don’t expect a video every day. Some days I don’t ride, y’know.

Did you sponsor me yet? http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/ga2so

First Ride: Up To Griffith Observatory

Sponsor my ride to help fight AIDS at http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/ga2so

The Year of Alternate Plans continues!

After yesterday’s “I don’t have clothes for a cold and windy ride” cancellation, I bought some fancy arm warmers to be ready for the elements- so naturally today was warm and sunny. I wore my Hawaiian Shirt jersey to celebrate. I only had about 90 minutes to ride, so I did a quick (for me) ride up to Griffith Observatory.

Griffith Observatory Fun Facts!

Griffith Observatory is in the middle of Griffith Park. The land was donated by Griffith J. Griffith, who later shot his wife in the face. This did not make him popular. When he later tried to donate money for the Observatory and the Greek Theatre, the city said “Uh, no thanks!” But they eventually took the money when Griffith graciously died of liver disease so they could accept it without thanking him.

Griffith Observatory is in a lot of movies. It’s the first place the T-800 (The Arnold model) shows up in The Terminator. It’s where James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo wind up in Rebel Without A Cause. It’s where Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone save jazz in La La Land. It’s even been on Star Trek. Well, Star Trek: Voyager- that still counts! A partial list of movies and shows with that feature the Observatory.

Another “fun fact”: Parking at the Observatory (as of October of 2020) is FIFTEEN DOLLARS AN HOUR. Park at the bottom and get a bonus hike for free!

Today’s ride:

https://www.strava.com/activities/4251808045

Okay, TOMORROW the riding starts!

I planned to start riding today: I figured out a nice route and made sure the bike was ready so I could jump on it right after work.

Then this morning the wind showed up.

Riding in the wind, especially cold wind, is hard. Worse than hills, worse than rain. Still, I would have gone if I had the right clothing; long sleeves would have been enough. However, it turns out that losing a bunch of weight means your warm clothes that used to be just a little too snug are now oversized to the point of being non-functional.

So: alternate plan (this is a year of alternate plans): avoid the wind, order some warmer cycling clothes (REI will have them ready for pickup today!), and make bake some bread.

And if I can’t pick up clothes today: a ride on the indoor trainer tomorrow!