First rides on Grape Ape!
Tag: ridesfv
New video, who this?
That’s Really Super, Supergirl
Wandrer added a new feature to their maps: Streets that you’ve ridden but no one else has are called “super unique” and are shown with a highlight around them. Here’s my map of the San Fernando Valley with the super uniques highlighted:
Odd thing I noticed: North and West sections of The valley are way more likely to have unique streets. I wonder if you could use this to extrapolate areas with concentrated numbers of Strava users (since that’s where the biking data comes from).
And if you’re wondering what the title is about:
Hey, A ride video!
This one features:
- Hamburgers!
- Hills!
- and MATH!
March Fourth!
Month three of 6000 Miles in 2023 has begun. Join me, won’t you?
It’s month three, and I am still way behind (as expected)! I expect my numbers to get better in a week when Daylight Saving Time starts and I’ll have more sunlight. In the meantime, enjoy two minutes of ramble!
End of Month 6000 miles update
…and that’s two-thirds down.
I started the “ride every street of the San Fernando Valley” project years ago. It was easy to pick up new streets at first- there are a lot, you know- but I burned through all the closest streets when I had the most time to ride. Now I have to ride ten miles just to get started.
Today’s ride was about 40 miles. About sixteen and a half of those were new miles. It pushed me past the two-thirds mark and put me in second place for most new Valley miles. It’s not very likely that I’ll get the “Most miles in a month” award again, since anyone new to riding in the Valley can get 40 miles just going up and down the Orange Line bike path.
The Mystery of Mooncrest Drive
My main biking goal right now is to get ready for AIDS/LifeCycle, but I’m trying whenever possible to work in my “ride every street in the San Fernando Valley” project. I’m not quite two-thirds of the way done.
I’ve done nearly all of the flat areas that are close to home, so now I’m starting to get deeper into the twisty little streets in the hills. Sometimes that means I find weird stuff usually hidden from the hoi polloi who crawl around the floor of the valley. Yesterday’s discovery was Mooncrest Drive, where the Fancy Lads are unhappy to have their lives interrupted for the entertainment of the masses.
I can’t figure out exactly what triggered these people so much that they’d go to the trouble of getting signs made, but I did find a couple of clues. The first was this article from last year that isn’t specifically about Mooncrest Drive, but features a 2020 picture of the street with the “FILMING NOT WELCOME” signs visible in the background.
The problem is that it doesn’t say what production was filming, so that wasn’t much help.
Then I found this page on a Twin Peaks blog. I thought that might have been the source of the complaint, but Twin Peaks filmed four years earlier and the signs look newer. And the scene was so short that it would have wrapped before the neighbors had a chance to organize. Also, it was used for a nondescript scene featuring a very minor character, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a one day second unit shoot.
The only other thing I found was that Norman Lear used to live on Mooncrest Drive, but I have no idea if it was even this section of the street.
Brian could figure this out.
A couple of unrelated pictures!
Now, Donate!
The Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation do great work helping people live healthy, safe lives. Go to my AIDS/LifeCycle sponsor page and make a donation. Anything you can give helps! Thanks!
100!
100 days. A little over three months. It’s going to be bonkers. I’m going to have fun, but I’m also freaking out a bit. Well, maybe more than a bit. You help me freak out less by sponsoring my ride. And a ton of employers will match your donations, so you get to pay once but give twice- neat!
When I make these goofy little videos, I always spend way too much time looking for little bits of related audio & video. Sometimes I get lucky and find something like Mark Ronson’s “The Bike Song.” I fun and appropriate song I’ll actually listen to.
Sometimes I’ll find songs that I like but aren’t quite right for the video, like this Del Vikings song that’s about a flat tire, but not the right kind of flat tire.
Or this great 8 bit version of bicycle race that I couldn’t find a place for:
Sometimes I find clips of movies I can’t believe I once thought were funny.
And sometimes I find… this.
Now sponsor my ride and save some lives!
Out to CSUN
Bring me all the streets
While I’m training for AIDS/LifeCycle, I’m also still working on my “ride every street in the San Fernando Valley” project. Just like national COVID vaccinations, I’m currently around 60% done. Also just like national COVID vaccinations, the rate of completion has plateaued.
I’ve pretty well saturated all the available roads near where I live, so I end up riding ten miles in one direction just to get to where I’m picking up new streets. “But Luke,” you say, “why don’t you just drive your bike to the other side of the Valley so you don’t have to ride 20 miles to pick up another five?”
Good point.
I just feel a little silly going through all the hassle of loading my bike on the car so I can tool around random neighborhoods. I mean, I’ve done it, but it feels like it defeats the purpose of riding a bike.
I don’t know what I like, but I know art
My quest to cover all of the roads sometimes leads me to odd places. Yesterday’s ride to the North end of Tampa included a surprise visit to the CSUN Art department. No one was there, but there’s some outdoor artwork.
Life and Taxes
Now it’s time for you to save lives. Don’t worry, it’s easy. Donate to sponsor my AIDS/LifeCycle ride and give people with HIV/AIDS the health services they need to survive. You also get a tax deduction for helping. BONUS: your employer might match your donation. When you donate you’ll get information about how that works.
Thank you for being awesome and donating. You rock like a hurricane.