Strawberry Fields Revisited

The Boyfriend and I decided to revisit segments of the Strawberry Fields tour we did earlier in the year. As you can see, we began the 58.9 mile ride in a layer of fog. Earlier in the week, a heat wave hit the Bay Area so the cooler temperature was rather a surprise and somewhat chilly. We began in Watsonville and traveled through Soquel and Aptos as well as Eureka Canyon and Soquel San Jose roads.

The Boyfriend recently bought me Specialized All Condition Armadillo road tires which reign supreme in terms of not flatting out. I felt safer on descents but on the downside, they do feel somewhat heavier. While The Boyfriend raced along as though he was driving a Miata, I felt like I was steering a tank and I fell behind for most of the ride. Yes, it's easier to blame the tires ....





Much of our ride was in a forest with a bit of a grade but which was peaceful and afforded me time to a) go even slower than a brisk walk and b) contemplate some blogs I've read of late in which people refer to their partners as "The Spousal Unit." In my mind, I keep seeing one's lover as a kitchen appliance, you know, something that comes with the house, the kids and the dog.

We finished the ride in 4 1/2 hours (bit slow, somewhat lame) as the Tank, I mean, my bike, I mean, I ran out of gas the last 10 miles.

Into the Woods

It was 57 degrees and overcast when I awoke this morning. The cat whined nonstop until I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for today's ride. She ranks up there with The Boyfriend in being a thorn in my beauty sleep regimen.





15 ACTC cyclists met at Lexington School for a 34 mile ride that included Old Santa Cruz Hwy, Wrights Station, Summit and Morrill.





We encountered fog, some wind, a few rain drops from the mist, and eventually a warm sun.




And we had spectacular views.





Most everyone was faster than me. Geez, what a surprise, eh.... I sometimes wonder what people think about while they're biking. Me, I was thinking about how I told my manager the other day that I wanted a raise because I am a shoeaholic and I need to finance my habit. I'm afraid to count how many I own.






We came to a washed out road. I shrieked looking over the edge. After a lunch break at a nice market, we made our way back to the school. KC (and the Sunshine Band) told me he was my Boogie Man. Oh yeah! Brings back memories of roller skating rinks and strobe lights in the late 1970s. The ride ended with Beethoven's Piano Sonata #8 in C minor. A pleasant time with strangers and my friend P.

Coyote Creek Trail

Before we set sail on the Coyote Creek Trail (Monterey Road at Bernal) and Henry Coe State Park, I had a flat in my living room!




The Boyfriend ahead of me on the trail.




I took a photo of myself while biking. Not bad, eh. Did I mention that I like my nail polish to match my jerseys. The Boyfriend is shaking his head, sighing.




On the way to Henry Coe, we passed small farms with illamas, cows, and goats. The BF took us up Thomas Grade off Dunne to get to Henry Coe, an uphill road in a quiet neighborhood that he learned about during the Tierra Bella bike tour.

Anderson Lake -- spectacular isn't it. I ran out of gas while going up Henry Coe but my nail polish looked good.

It's now Sunday. Did you catch the women cyclists biking in the rain in China. Yuck. Or, Dara Torres, the 41 year old Olympic swimmer competing against much younger women. You go chick!

A Hard Tire is Good to Find

Ah, Mae West, my kind of woman.

I put The Boyfriend on probation when he failed to notice my haircut. You see Men, when your woman does something different, do notice unless you wish to find yourself in deep doodoo. (women nodding in agreement saying, "I hear ya Sister"). Me above, a few miles into the Marin Century (though I did the Metric).



The Boyfriend did receive a few brownie points because we slept in a wee bit at the motel in San Rafael before setting off on the ride together at 6:30am. The fog lingered as you see from the photo above.






The fog begins to burn off.




Sunshine and heat as the day wore on. I finished the Metric in 4 1/2 hours (a flat tire/improper tire pressure slowed me down a bit along with the illama that caught my attention -- should have got a photo; though I managed to hit 35 mph on a descent) and The Boyfriend (who did the scenic Mt. Tam Century) finished shortly after (amazing).



The Boyfriend redeemed himself by buying me new tires and having me practice changing a flat. He would have completely been removed from the Doghouse had he: a) served me wine while I changed the pretend flat tubes and new tires and b) invited a few Chippendale men for entertainment. But he was an excellent instructor who made the training session amusing. And well, the photo of him during the Death Ride where he looks like a darn cute Mighty Mouse kinda did me in, too. As I said earlier, "A hard tire is good to find or is it a good tire is hard to find?" Whatever -- I know I found my man.