I did it, but was too lazy to post it....

Geez Louise, where did the time ago? I am such an a-hole for not even posting it, but I did it! I rode in Bike The Bay. It was a glorious August day, more than 5 months ago.

I don't know who that silver fox is behind me. Let's call him Stuart.

It was easy and the hill going up Coronado bridge was a breeze. As I approached the top of the hill I struggled a tad so I counted the light posts....I said to myself, "only 5 more, 4 more, 3 more...." then I got to top of hill and cruised down fast. My fitter, faster friends of course got to the top of the hill before I did but on the way down I unknowingly cruised past them. From behind me I heard "Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Mandiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" That was them, kindly and loyally waiting for their slo mo pal at the top of the hill. They are much nicer than I am, I didn't wait, just cruised on assuming I was behind.. The end of the ride was rad. I had a egg, bacon crepe from a food truck and drank my face off in the New Belgium beer garden. This was during the time frame of the ice bucket challenge.  It was so hot and I was a week behind in the challenge my darling 12 year old niece gave to me so I did it, in my bike gear, at the beer garden, after 26 miles with a view of the San Diego Bay and Coronado bridge in the background. I wore my GoPro the whole time so the footage is pretty rad and the stuff I saw along the way was mostly water and bay, but there were a couple spectacles I didn't expect to see like: a mound of salt like a salt mine I licked my lips and they were salty as I drove past, 3 grandmas learning how to ride motorcycles in a motorcylce training course, stolen cars? They probably weren't stolen but at mile 19 that's where my mind went, it was a huge parking lot filled with Jettas that still had white wrappers on it and missing liscence plates. Overall, glad I did it. Will do it again. Viva La Bike The Bay!

20 Miles and still slow....

I did a 20 miler today early this morning and it was glorious. I am trying to pick up the pace though because 8.8 MPH is slow mo fo sure. At that rate I will finish the ride in 4 hours. It's a community ride and not a race, but my concern for this is that we start at 8 am and it seems I will finish at 12 noon. The trouble with this is that the beer garden closes at noon. I need to find a way to pick up the pace between now and then so I can make it to the beer garden in time for a luscious frothing iced coldie.

Today I rode from my house in North Park down to Seaport Village, over to Harbor Island, Through Point Loma and back up to Little Italy. Its so nice to ride the bay in the morning when barely any people are there and the breeze is light. As I approached the airport bridge a man swooped in from behind and said "good morning Mandi" I replied with "oh my goodness I didn't even know that was you" He rode past me very fast and I thought it was my neighbor Omar. I thought to myself "this would be really weird if it was Omar because I have never seen him ride anywhere, ever. I have seen him write a ton of food reviews and if I were to have seen him at the local breakfast spot or lunch eatery, it would have made more sense. Seeing him on a bike trail at 8 am just is a little weird." Minutes after this brain trail, he rode past me again, the other direction and after looking at him in the face I realized this was not Omar my neighbor. It was just a stranger on a bike. How did he know my name? this time when he rode past he said "Hi again darlin'" and he rode past me really fast. I was really creeped out. Then I realized, my name is on the back of my bike. My husband's cousin Sam bought me a "MANDI" liscene plate for Christmas last year. It was very nice, but, now that creepy old men are saying "Mornin' Mandi" and "hey darlin" I may have to take it off to protect my bike riding anonymity. I am sure it was just a nice morning gesture, visualizing that he is just a nice random bike riding dude that just delves out well wishes by the dozens to other morning riders. This is what I am telling myself anyway.
Despite the creepy greeting from the Non Omar, the ride was pretty easy. I ended my ride with brunch in little italy. Instead of riding the final 5 miles home all up hill, I called an UBER SUV who picked me up in 5 minutes flat and loaded my bike into his suburban. Why hadn't I thought of this before? In the past when I ride longer than the training ride and need to get home I hop on the #2 or #6 bus. UBER SUV, way to be.

Mission Bay Bike Path

Today is an excellent day to ride the Mission Bay Bike Path. I found so many new things about it I never knew before. First, I started at DeAnza Cove entrance. The parking lot is free and tons of open spaces. It's easy to get to off Claremont Drive exit off the 5. The trail takes you through the DeAnza Cove trailer park which was actually quite peaceful. I have such a mental block about trailer parks which isn't fair because we live in San Diego and these things cost at least $200K which is a mansion where I am from. They may be onto something. Get something portable and live on the bay. Seems like an open idea I had never explored. Anyway, the trailer owners were nice as I sped through their front yards on my bike. I weaved in and out until I got to the Mike Gotch Bridge which opened in 2008. It's the bridge that goes over Rose Canyon that connects East Mission Bay to West Mission Bay. This dumps you out into Campland By the Bay on the other side of Crown Point. Easy, flat ride from DeAnza Cove to DRAFT is 8.5 miles. Draft is a new eatery attached to Wavehouse that sits right on mission beach. Killer views, great food. I had the pickled vegetables and green salad. Very good portions and priced right for a mid ride lunch. The huge LED screen in the middle splits into 13 little screens. Much to my delight, this is a Ohio State bar as well. Oh what football fun can be had here.  On the way back I think I found a more direct route because I only went 5 miles and ended up back at my car ni record time. In total 13.5 miles for my first time back on the bike. I am sore and need to explore better bike short protection. OUCH. Also, although I wore sunscreen, I have a horrible farmer's tan which will not fare well for my strapless dress I want to wear to date night tonight. Something else I learned is that I am slow as molasses since the last time I went riding. Average speed was 8.72 MPH, OUCH. I have been way faster in the past so unless I want to finish Bike The Bay in just under 5 humors, I need to pick up the pace for sure. A good first training ride down. Next step, protective and bike gear...

Day 1 Re-Train Bike Ride

I've been super sick this past week with some weird summer cold. It's delayed my Bike the Bay training by a week but I am ready to hop on it today. Today's venture is the Mission Bay bike path. Easy peezy 12 mile flat loop along the country's largest Aquatic Park--Mission Bay.   I have a hard stop at work today at 2 pm so I can do my training ride and get back out there. Man, I remember the days where I would be riding all day every day and now there can be months without me being on my bike. Must-get-back-to-bike-basics.

In other news, I discovered the grade of the hill for the Coronado bridge is only 4.73% and the total bridge is really only 2.1 miles. Next up on my training schedule is to find a couple hills in San Diego that are 5% grade or more and 1 mile or more for training. I used to ride every day up Broadway which is about 7% so if I can get back to where I was with that hill, I should be golden.

Wish me luck, more to report in a bit.

Did you know that people drive their cars into canals--by accident??

When I was a little girl I saw a Ripley's Believe it Or Not?! where they showed people in some ass backwards town in Holland driving into canals, literally. It's like they missed the "Canal in 1 mile" sign and the road ended so they just drove right into it???  Water pressure, not escaping the car, people drowning.. the memory of this episode was horrific.  It has been cemented into my mind that at any moment, the road could end, and you too could drive into a canal. Now, Ohio does not have many canals and Lake Erie is pretty stinkin' big. It would be very hard to drive into Lake Erie with all those "watercraft" signs and "Lakeshore" drive signs. Never-the-less I was petrified to be in a car over a bridge ever since. I would cry, sob, hyperventilate and create all sorts of dramatic panic moments. My family dreaded getting in a car with me where there was a body of water within 50 miles of our destination.  Fast forward to the year 2000 when I moved to San Diego. When I first saw that bridge the Coronado Bridge, I was petrified. It's skinny, and curvy, and high in the air. It goes straight over the bay and into the ocean. Check this thing out:
I've combed the intrawebs and found this to be one of the best bike over the bridge moments. It's too long to watch the whole thing, start at 3:5

Bike The Bay--30 miles, no probs!

My dear friends Sandy and Andy Hanshaw run an amazing ride in San Diego called Bike The Bay. Every year I volunteer and every year I don't ride. My usual volunteer hub is the beer garden. My beer wenches and I arrive at 6 am, set up the beer garden, ice it down, sell it and celebrate. The view is amazing cuz it's on the Embarcadero, right on the San Diego bay with the curious buildings just observing us from across the bay. We also stare straight at the Coronado bridge.

It's nice to welcome riders back after their 30 mile jaunt but after 7 years of volunteering, I am finally going to ride this one. I've turned over the beer garden reigns to my trusty gal pal Tansy Woods and am doing the ride. 30 miles, spanning 5 San Diego neighborhoods, all on the water. I've done this ride before NOT including the Coronado bridge which is appx 24 miiles. It's called the Bayshore Bikeway.   My husband and I will typically ride from the San Diego Convention Center, around the path, land in Coronado, have a beer and a meal at McP's which has a rad outdoor deck and live music most weekends. We then hop on the ferry with our bikes and circle back home. Adding on the Coronado bridge is going to be amazing. San Diego only closes the bridge down twice a year and this is one of them. The view from that bridge is astounding and it always reminds me of why I live in San Diego. The water, the boats, the city skyline, it brings me peace every time I ride over it. So, I am gonna ride it. I have not been on my bike consistently for quite some time so I have between now and August 24th to train for it. Wish me luck, here we go, back on the bike brigade.

Hail to Chicago. I recently went to Chicago for a trade show and client meetings. One full week in the windy city in the middle of spring was a sheer delight. The traffic was not a delight, therefore, I rented a bike. Much to my happiness it was Chicago Bike Week. Everyone was biking to work, so, I followed suit and marched down to the Bike and Roll, fetched  a bike and rode away. The streets are super bike-able and the drivers are really nice. My fav ride was from McCormick Place Convention Center, 28 minute on the Lakeshore Bike Way to the Gold Coast. Gorgeous ride, passing many museums and monuments. There are bike locks everywhere and it was super affordable. I highly recommend renting a bike in Chicago next time you were there, and guess what??? All those fools that took cabs everywhere spent more than I did in cab fare, got stuck in traffic and didn't burn off the booze from the networking events the night before. I burned 800 extra calories a day, had a great conversation piece and was raring to go for each appointment. Such an awesome experience.

Nature's Make Up-My Happy Place

My fella and I kibitzed about our "happy place" the other day. Mine involved starting at the top of Island Street in Golden Hill and riding as fast as I can down the hill, without stop signs, oncoming traffic or the danger of being "doored" by some unsuspecting car owner. It ended with me laying on my back on a patch of grass in the park. Well, today, he inspired me to make my happy place a reality--at least a part of it. I had 2 meetings today, 1 in Southpark and 1 downtown. So---before going to bed I did my morning duties so I would have time to ride to the meetings. First meeting, 9 am, Grant's Market. I connected with an old colleague and it was awesome. 12 minutes via bike from my house to the coffee shop. One hour meeting, quick change into my tennis shoes and headed for Island Street. Got to the top and cruised all the way down. Wind in my hair, only a few pigeons in the way, and all the cars behaved unusually well. It made me wonder, "What ever happened with that Island Street project?" A local reporter said he has an update for me from SanDag so I will email later today to see the scoop. Hit the bank, grabbed a bowl of fruit and cup of coffee at COFFEE ART on F and 6th. This place is cool. Free wireless for patrons. The bathrooms are big....big enough for me to do wonder woman change, quick spritz and get some emails done for a couple clients before my next meeting. "Right Now" by Van Halen is playing in the background and I totally forgot how inspiring this song is. Remember what a rad video this was? I got a bowl of berries here, and it's delicious. Peaches, berries, bananas, plain yogurt and honey----nummalicious. For a cup of coffee and a huge bowl of berries, free wireless and a big wonder woman change bathroom--$8.00---pretty kewl deal. Kewl as in Miley Cyrus speak. Try it out....www.sdcoffeeart.com

Something I learned over the last couple weeks is the power of Nature's Make Up. My helmet serves as a flat iron and the wind serves as glowey rouge. I blow dry my hair just enough so the top is dry, I keep the bottom wet. By the time I get to my destination and take my helmet off, the wind and helmet work as a flat iron. When I take the helmet off, the ends of my hair are flipped so it looks like I styled it. After I go to the bathroom for wonder woman change, wash hands, splash water on face and apply lip gloss--the wind has created a special light red glow to my cheeks--looks like make up--but it's nature's make up. Thank you bike ride bliss.....

Bike to Work Day....

It was 7:45 AM and I had 75 minutes to hit as many pit stops as possible on my way to the first appointment. I woke up Friday morning and it was like Christmas. So excited to hit the road, meet some people and ask some questions... With my back pack ready to rock with lap top, working girl attire, assorted vanity products--perfume, mascara, deodorant--etc... off I went. The route was Texas to University to 6th to Island to 4th, circle back to Little Italy for meeting.

I came upon surprise pit stop on the corner of Normal Street and University. This one was sponsored by KTUA. They are a planning and landscape architecture company in San Diego. I met a great guy names John. He said their company does a lot of the landscaping/planning for bike paths in San Diego and for master planned communities. I asked him if he's involved with any of the plans on Texas street, he said YES. But....only from University to Madison. We chatted a bit about the overgrown trees and debris on Texas. He said his wife experienced the same thing over on Aldine in Talmadge. She took some of his sheers and cut the trees. I think I will do the same for Texas Street. I took an iCommute sponsored flashing bike light and away i went...Whole Foods bound. Bike count after this stop: 8.

Cruised up to Whole Foods and met Ray. He was manning the pit stop here. He was a really nice guy, the marketing director at Whole Foods. He was genuinely interested in talking to all the bike to work pit stoppers. He spoke about "Health Starts Here" which is a Whole Foods company wide healthy eating initiative. He recommended I look up a fella named Rip Esselstyn who wrote "Engine 2 Diet". It's all surrounded around eating more raw and whole foods, and eating to live. Good fuel stuff. At the Whole Foods pit stop I met a cool dude who was obsessed with talking about this movie called Forks Over Knives. He said it was a compelling look at the power of eating plant based foods and whole foods. I just checked out the trailer and it looks good. Action step--go see this thing--it's playing at the Landmark in San Diego.
www.forksoverknives.com . I started talking about the movie Riding With The Dutch and that there will be a screening of it at the end of June here in San Diego at the Childhood Obesity Conference. Ray asked me how I knew so much about this stuff. I told him I learned about a lot of the active living stuff when I was working for hotels and booked a conference called Active Living Research. Right then, a girl who I had seen at the previous pit stop said, "We work for Active Living Research" We immediately looked at each other, took our helmets off and said, "Amanda is that you?" and "Mandi is that you?" And it was.... A gal I had worked with in contracting the conference a couple years ago was here at the pit stop with me. I hadn't seen her since February 2010 and it was great to reconnect. The organization is headed up by a dude named Dr. Jim Salas, who is chock full of energy, a music buff and a dynamic person to be around. I spent only and hour with Dr. Salas as we toured the hotel and discussed the meeting space but I knew he was someone that changes things. Some people are groupies for rock bands or celebrities, I was a Dr Salas groupie immediately after I met him. In preparing for the site inspection, I needed to learn everything about their business. ALR is very cool and is all about assisting with master planned communities, designing them to provoke an active living. Creating walking paths, bike paths and communities near stores in which you can walk and live healthy. After learning about ALR, it was shortly after I had started the bike commute gig and it was uber inspirational. I asked if Dr. Salas still had the drum sticks I gave him, and Amanda confirmed that he did. ALR does great work--and it was really nice to reconnect. Inspired and motivated, I charged on to pit stop #3, Island and 4th. However, along the way while riding on 6th, I was waved over by another pit stop---this one was sponsored by ReCon. I met a slew of people there, including 1 person dressed as an Owl, and another dressed as a cactus. They were biologists and planners for ReCon. They were dressed in costume to demonstrate the possible endangered species in San Diego. I asked the Owl, "If you were a bike what kind would you be?" She replied: "a road bike. I have a mountain bike, and have road bike envy" It was a suitable reply and I totally understand. My first bike was a mountain bike and was really slow, and heavy. I had road bike envy too, and appreciated her plight. I grabbed a Clif bar and headed to 4th and Island. This one was sponsored by Gaslamp Quarter Historical Association and a Real Estate company that I didn't catch the name. I met a great gal there who had a florescent orange bike pin on. I had pin envy. It was really cute, and she worked for a company called ALTA. She is a planner there and we discussed BIKE STATION. We still need a BIKE STATION in San Diego. 4 pit stops in 75 minutes and I still had an hour before my first appointment so I went to Brickyard for some coffee. I perched up on their patio ready to relax, reflect on the morning and sip upon my coffee... I sat, inhaled, exhaled, took a sip and then a loud, pounding jack hammer started across the street. There is construction on the street over there at G and Front street. Already set up I wasn't going to move so I dealt with the loud construction and carried on. Got to my Anthology gig, and got a text that my 2:30 Appt was cancelled, but added 2 other phone appointments in the meantime. Hopped the bike, headed to InFlux in Little Italy. While there, I solved some contract issues and eaves dropped on the 2 people on either side. From what I gathered, an interview was taking place to my right. 2 girls were grilling one. The candidate seemed polished and that she had a great shot at the job. I was ready to hire her. This came to a screeching halt when they asked her if she had a Facebook page. The girl did not. There was an audible disappointment in her answer. Next question was, "how much do you want to get paid?" she said, "Uh I dunno, about a thousand bucks...but I am really uncomfortable talking about how much you should pay me" I gasped and almost grabbed her by the hand to take her outside for a moment and give her a quick lesson on negotiating for a paycheck. After the facebook and payment issue, it seemed the whole interview went really downhill. Tuned out to the hen house to my right and tuned into the 3 hipsters to my left. From what I gathered they were into websites and fashion and hairstyles. Looks like they were putting on a hair show or a fashion show. One guy was in town from New York. The other hipster kept staring at me. I am not sure if he didn't like the looks of my chai tea or my "I want to ride bikes with you" t-shirt...but he had a starting problem. They spoke about a cool gallery on India street that is perfect for a party. I interrupted them and said, "I am so sorry, I was eaves dropping, but, you just mentioned an interesting venue. I find cool venues for people for a living, where is this thing?" They were oddly not bothered by the interruption and shared all sorts of details about it. This made the staring hipster crack a smile, and now his stares seemed a wee bit more of adoration, instead of angst. Result from this is there is some cool venue in little Italy--somewhere--with a loft space and a floor level and it's all bright white. I think I have to investigate more, they didn't know the name or the streets, and only knew it by walking back there. So, time will tell.

I took my 2 phone appointments sitting on a Little Italy Chair on India street. Slam Dunk--I scored 2 more Sales Coaching gigs. A successful work day and bike to work day down, I decided to head home. On my way, I stopped at my friend Chrissy's brand new sales office. She and her husband started a wine import business called "Quigley Fine Wines". www.Quigleyfinewines.com
Since I am a wine club member, a big fan of wine and had a great day, stopping off for a celebration glass of vino and to see my great gal pal was in order. Their office is awesome....and the sales energy is great. All the sales people were on the phones chatting away and selling wine. I had a glass of something involving the word Devil, and it was a real treat. Since it was "free public transport day" My bike and I hopped on the #2 bus and headed home. All and all, Bike to work day was a great success. I learned a lot about a lot, reignited the flame for ALR and Bike Station.....and have more healthy eating and healthy learning homework than ever before.

Action steps:
Get some sheers, cut Texas street tree obstacles
Learn more about the plan the city has for Texas Street improvements.
Bike Station--get back on the mission

Bike to work day--Plan of attack

Tomorrow is bike to work day in San Diego. My first appointment is at 10:30. This gives me plenty of time in the morning to bike to work and stop at the various pit stops. The plan is to hit the Whole Foods on 7th, then cruise downtown to 4th and Island pit stop, circle back to kettner/broadway, columbia/India--Superwoman change at Cafe Italia, blog entry then work. I want to ask several questions along the way of bikers and of volunteers. The entries tomorrow will be video and photo based, so--brace yourself--it will be seen through the eyes of a curious semi bike commuter. If you know of any good pit stops along the way....OR.....have any questions you'd like to submit for a Bike to Work Curiosity Killed the cat moment.....post your comment here....

Texas Street Hill--Revisited

Well, I had meetings meetings meetings today and so we dart out on the bike to the meetings. With my Puma bag upon my back and my sassy shoes all packed, I took on the Texas street hill--again. I had a meeting at Maria Maria Carlos Santana's lunch spot at Hazard Center. This was motivation to pedal faster. Off I went with tacos on the brain and caution on my mind. Google maps said it would take 27 minutes. RideTheCity.com said 21 - 27 minutes. The route--Texas--straight down to SD River Bike Path to Hazard Center--really straight shot. Texas is an uber busy street through NorthPark and I know it's illegal and unsafe..but..I need my tunes to ride the bike. Adelle told me to do it, so, I did. As I cruised through Texas, passed University and to the corner of Madison/Texas I was stopped at several lights. The lights take forever. It occurred to me--when Bike Route Google Guy and RideTheCity Road Mapper are creating routes...do they take into consideration the time it takes at lights? I mean, how do they pinpoint these times? Who's pace are they using??? I figured I would know how accurate it was when I got there. So....I maneuvered through town, down the hill and proceeded with great caution passed the 8E and 8W merge. I have to admit--I have a dying urge to enter the highway at some point. Mark my words---at some point in my bike life, I will merge onto a freeway on my bike. It's that big big "no no" that just beckons my name every time I cruise past. It's like yelling really loud at church when it's totally silent or screaming "fire" in the airport line. All are illegal--or socially unacceptable--but---it's just so tempting. I made it past both merges without hopping on the freeway, then cruised over to the SD Bike Path--easy peezy. On my way down the Texas Hill I noticed the overgrown trees. They are overgrown more than ever before. At a couple points I had a choice to get hit in the head with a branch, or swerve to the left. So many cars speed down that hill so fast without regard for bike riders that swerving was not an option. However, I was not wearing protective goggles and didn't want to poke my eye out with a tree branch--so--I ducked. Four ducks and sore abs later I made it down the hill. Hopping on the SD River bike path is cool. Birds chirp, trees with a breeze are pretty but, there was an air of creepiness. I felt like at any moment a goblin was going to jump out and attack me on that trail. Note to self: do not ride that trail at night. During the day it is a good link from East to West in Mission Valley---Mission Center to Fashion Valley--perfectamundo! I made it to Maria Maria in record time. I got lucky with another HUGE bathroom at Barnes and Noble at Hazard center. Quick wonderwoman change and a lady spritz or two and away I went. I can never tell if people I meet with think I am crazy or cool when I am all decked out with my lipgloss and business attire but am sporting a grey puma back pack. It's like Trump meets Facebook or something. These are the treasures of running your own business but am still curious what my business cohorts think at first meeting. Post meeting I made my journey back up Texas hill home. I walked the bike most of the hill up, but still was it a good workout! Made it down there in 26 minutes and 59 seconds....google guy and ride the city were right--I don't know how because everyone's pace is different but they hit the timing on the head. The biggest thing I noticed about this trip was the road rage. On my way there, I think it was mostly due to it being lunch hour, everyone was in a hurry and were mad. I think drivers need to take an educational class on the rights bike riders have. I think that would make them more understanding and inspire less road rage. People get so pissed, and speed up passed you so quick when you are in the slightest way of the road. An old man came up to me as I waited at the light on the corner of Texas and El Cajon and said: "I will try not to punch you". Yes, an old man sans 1 front tooth, with a cane, on a street corner who looked like the wind would blow him over if it blew harder, he hit the walk button on the traffic pole and stared straight at me, with a smile and said, "I will try not to punch you." I smiled and said "Thank you". As I rode off--unpunched by a blue hair--I was stunned. What did I do to this guy? And....he wasn't even one of the road ragers....So crazy....

Anyway--that was the day---Texas hill did me well....no one ran me off the road...I got a great work out and did not get punched by an old man. Tomorrow is Ride your bike to work day---the official day---More details on plans for that--later!

Copy Cat Crime.....

As you see, I started my bike adventure back in 2009. It's chock full of info, stories, research and follies along the way. Recently, I found a very similar blog in the local media. Copy Cat--you know who you are...come out come out wherever you are??? Copy Cat--I celebrate your adventures and am happy you are taking the bike challenge plunge--but--I do challenge you to a bike off..... Let's put our blogs side by side starting today--and see who can best illustrate our "pedal powered" experiences.... Are you in?

PS--it's raining today---how'd your first sopping cycle treat ya?

Bike to work day...looming

Well, Bike to Work Day San Diego is this Friday, May 20th. If you go to iCommutesd.com you can sign up and track your trip. You will be eligible to win all sorts of prizes. In addition, there are pit stops names with various goodies including free chain lubes, Clif bars, visits from Zoo animals and the like. Most stops are from 6 a - 9 a. I plan on hitting a couple on my way into my Friday appts. The ones on my route and appeal most to me are the Fehr/Peers, 4th and Island--giving away some sort of "lifestyle" pass...sounds creepy--yet interesting--worth the stop for sure, YMCA downtown and Whole Foods in Hillcrest. The other open area is the topic of bike lockers. We mentioned these bike lockers before. We know they are all over San Diego at various transit stops---but I have yet to see one. In the spirit of Bike to work week/month--extravaganza bonanza--I am going to find one of these lockers and try it out. I am positive they won't be as good as Bike Station...but, let's try out the existing Bike Lockers and see what they got. I looked at the bike commute map on icommutesd.com and could not locate said lockers. Next step, send an email asking for addresses. Mission Bike Locker...here we come...

Finally--various bike sponsors in the city are giving 15% or more off on items purchased bike to work day. 15% off beer and pizza at Blind Lady to wrap up the day seems in order for me.

To the Brewfest

And so we rode 11.4 miles from North Park to Karl Strauss Beach to Brew. It was fun. The glory of riding in a group is to have everyone go together. This day, we had all sorts of mishaps. My perfect day looks like this: We all meet at my house and travel in a wolf pack to the festival. We hold formation on the OB Bike path and we look like BMX bandits--+25 years. However, this day had all sorts of follies. One friend had a flat tire, and then the other friend did. 2 men down, we biked to bike shop, while they drove. 3 of us rode to Old Town to meet our friend the Woodsman. Now there were 4. With plans of the other 2 trailing us by truck to Fiesta Island, we set off for the adventure. My esteemed first mate, who knew of the route in advance, and insisted I don't write it down--because of course he'd remember...asked me "which direction we should go" in the first 5 minutes of the plan. I said, with patience, "Why don't we follow the route we planned--PCH to OB Bike Path to Fiesta Island to Mission Bay Golf Course--which is where we'd pick up Rose Canyon Trail". He said "I don't remember the way ports, but I know where I am going" What the hell is a way port? And...if you know where you're going, why are you asking me where to go? So.....off we went, we got lost a couple times. Each time I was infuriated with each pedal. I was thinking--why did you insist on me not writing it down, then tell me you know where you're going, but then ask me where to go. I let him lead. When we finally figured out the direct route to Rose Canyon, one rider and I were far ahead of the group. We looked back and realized "wayporter" and woodsman were no where to be found. We sat at the entrance to Rose Canyon Trail for 15 minutes before we got in touch with wayporter and woodsman. They decided to take a "quicker" route. In ultimate frustration I asked, "why did you go off the plan?" Wayporter said, "I'll explain later" I told him we were riding to the corner of Damon and Sante Fe and to meet us there. Guess what???? We got there first. Their so called short cut, was a long cut---he must not have known where the wayports were. Finally--we all rode to the entrance of the festival together--to meet the rest of our gang--and a day of fun, festivals and beer had begun. Word to the wise: Rose Canyon Trail is a great way to ride from North PB through Mission Beach. Love that trail. It's not very well lit at night, but, during the day it's great....goes under Garnet and Grande.

Helmet Shame

It's crazy how many people on bikes on the road don't wear helmets. I didn't wear a helmet the first couple commutes....and was scolded by my very good friend/neighbor/avid bike rider...Angela. That was 2 years ago. I would not leave the house on my bike without my helmet. Today I saw 6 people without helmets. The grand finale was a dad and son. The son wore the helmet...the dad did not. Isn't that a bad example to set for your kid? How do you explain that to your son?? "Jr...you need to wear a helmet because it keeps you safe. Daddy doesn't need to wear one because his head is made of steel." His wife may agree, but, really?? You're going to go on a bike ride with your kid sans helmet... Bad news bears...

Shame Shame Helmet less people...you know your name...

Transporting Suits

When my fella texted me today and said "honey, I need a real big favor can u ring me?" I thought, "how can I make this a bike adventure" Once I spoke to him I realized transporting his interview suit in my Puma backpack on my bike up to LaJolla would not be an ideal way of carrying out the mission. So...I drove.... Flaw #1 in bike commuting: when doing a last minute favor for someone, always have a back up car.

Back in the saddle

Ok, well I hit the streets again last week and had great success.... My house to Anthology--17 minutes flat. I loaded up all my gear for a 5 meeting day, had dress clothes in the bag and bike rider clothes on the bike. I landed at Cafe Italia in Little Italy--mostly for the coffee and then for a quick wonder woman change. Much to my delight...the bathrooms at this place are huge! Perfect for a wonder woman change and a quick spritz and primp before a day of meetings. I grabbed my coffee, locked my bike and hoofed it 2 blocks for morning meetings. In the midst of the meetings, I had another client call who we were suppose to meet at 6 pm. I had just enough time between my 10 AM and my 3 pm to ride up 5th to Hillcrest for the next meeting. Then....ride home to grab my car and pick up my client for an airport drop off. Well.........6 p client wanted me to meet her at 1 p. I said, great...I will pick you up. Then...after we hung up, I realized I don't have my car and I can't pick her up. I crafted a plan to ride my bike to her hotel, find a pedi cab along the way and then pedi cab with her to lunch along the bay---I was real excited to do that because it was such a nice day and I thought it would be relaxing for her. Then.....she called again and said she was going to the mall before our meeting and I should meet her there... YATZEE!! I didn't have to do the pedi cab switch a roo. And...so we met...our meeting lasted longer than expected which would make me late for the 3 p meeting...so...I had to grab a cab to 3 p meeting. A gal pal ended up meeting me after the 3 p meeting and dropped me off. Whew--that was a close call. Along my ride in the morning to Anthology--it was such an awesome and easy ride. Florida is still so full of pot holes and although in a park, people fly down that street with little regard for the clearly marked bike lane. I always feel a little nervous riding on it. Pershing takes me straight to B and I rode that straight to Civic Center, cut through the court yard, cruised passed Downtown Johnny Brown's and then cruised over to A street to India. So easy..... Getting back in the groove was easy--even on a really hot day---the key is finding a large Cafe Italia style bathroom...

Updates from Bike Pasts....

Car--I kept my car--bought it outright--no payments--no interest--I own it... good for puppy transport--however, I am still vying for a side car to the bike. I have actually seen some...

2 home dwelling--My fella and I moved in together back in January--Co-habitation Nation-I no longer bike prance between two homes--just one--and....it's on the park and so close to everything.

Island Street Project--I need an update--and am out of the loop. More details to follow.

Bike--no more baby blue Schwin for me...I bought a brand new bike last year---diamondback--road bike. I still have the schwin though...we use it as a "guest bike" Needs new tires.

Running 2 businesses, still work from home BUT have more appointments now than ever. I am guilty as charged for cheating and using my car for convenience, but, I am back in the saddle....starting tomorrow--with my standing Friday appointment at Anthology--I will ride down. North Park to Little Italy--Back in the saddle...let's do this!

Bike Month

It's been a while since a post. And then..........................today I was blasted with bike stuff. A friend who works at SPARK posted an awesome video about teaching kids healthy habits early such as riding your bike everywhere. It reminded me.....why haven't I updated my blog? I have been bike riding, just not writing about it. Last night was the first meeting for 2011 Bike The Bay--my friends Andy and Sandy proudly started this awesome ride years ago, and was one of the bike inspirations for me. Another friend posted a question on her Facebook about daring people to ride their bike to work..I posted back about how riding my bike to work 2 years ago for 30 days changed my life...and then I went back to the blog. It's Bike to Work month, the weather is awesome and it's time to chronicle this stuff again. Going back to my blog I found an old comment from a local reporter that I never read...shame on me--I wish I would have seen it back in November when he posted...tisk tisk hand slapped...I called him back. His post said he's in the early stages of writing an article about bike commuting and wanted to ask me some questions about my experience. I knew I was late, BUT, if someone is going to write about it, I definitely wanted to weigh in...this experience changed my life. He left his contact info in my blog but before calling, I wanted to know who I was talking too. It was probably the OCD, sales person, Nancy Drew investigator in me that lead me to google him--but--I needed to know who I was talking too before I just called an alleged reporter...So...I googled Bob. Low and behold...Bob wrote an article about "Pedal Power" today. He tackled the Bachman Hill--a hill I have had a love/hate relationship with, and he wrote about it. I identified completely with his story of needing to be at a reception, not be sweaty, leave before dark...etc. Reminded me of when i first started bike commuting and I was not wearing a helmet, did not have night lights and sometimes rode on a flat because I didn't know how to change one.... So, I rang Bob. I said "Bob, I just got your comment on my blog about talking to me about Bike commuting and I realize I am really late. I just saw your article today in the newspaper and apologize for not getting back to you." He said, "well it might not be too late. I am in day 4 of bike commuting and still would like to talk" He asked what I was doing now and if I am still biking. I told him I am riding my bike every chance I get unless I have to drive to Orange County on an appointment, but, working from home makes my bike commute real easy:) I am excited to talk to Bob about all the silly things that happen when you make a change like this to your life, all the bag packing and time management, the community tools and resources that are available that I never knew about...and....all the bike-isodes...From finger wagging to Kamikazi red right running to quick super woman outfit changes.... I am really excited for people when they start this journey.....it's empowering. Between the bike to work month, the FB posts, and the blog comments--I am back in the saddle. I wonder if I do a reunion--30 day back at it trial????? And....after reading this I realize....I have a lot of updates to share regarding bikes....next post...update post.

Keep it or dump it?

This November my car lease is up. I had designs to end the lease, and not get a new car--only bike commute. My dude could not believe this was possible. I went on a rant about the benefits of bike commuting and to really do it, and mean it, you have to do it without a car. Recently, he brought some important perspective to my attention:
1. what happens if I want to transport the puppy to and fro?
2. what happens if I have a last minute site inspection or client appt. to go too?
3. what happens if I have people in town and want to scoop them at airport?

there were a slew of "what happens"?''s..all of which I met with great answers regarding "Smart Car" for the day and rental car type stuff...However, we did a little financial analysis and keeping my car/extending the lease or getting a new car is less expensive than the budgeted last minute work stuff that may pop up. So....with more careful deliberation--I may be keeping the car come November. We will see how this shakes out. If I do keep the car, then, I am going to still commit to only use it when I have too.....