LKHC Page Mill Road

On our way, somewhere in Los Altos, to Arastradero, the starting point for the LKHC Page Mill Road event, Miss P. and I got a wee bit lost. [photo above by Josh; pretty low key, eh]

Define fortuitous: Lost in front of a fire station with buff firemen ready to serve ....

But Miss P. whipped out her handy dandy Android thingy to steer us back on track.
Because, after all, we are self sufficient, independent women.
And because, well, men really are only good for one thing. oh oh, I'm in trouble now.
Still, the thoughts I had about those firemen coming to our rescue.
Focus, damn it, focus on the biking, The Boyfriend says from our neighbors to the north.

Alas, we showed up on time. Dan the Man organized us by groups. First up to go, children and us. Sigh, don't even ask. But, it was a treat to be surrounded by cyclists as we biked up Page Mill Road. Got my engines fired up. All those delicious men. Yeah, they motivated me alrighty. Focus, damn it, focus, The Boyfriend, says again from the country to the our north. Oh but I was, Mister ....

What a lovely day to be out. I've been confined to my home due to a relentless kewtie that invaded my body. Guess who I saw coming down Page Mill! Mr. S. How swell. And then, later, at the top, I ran into Thomas, who I met on the Eastern Sierras trip. And I also met Laura Hipp, a sweet woman. Plus, Miss A and Miss L were on board. I also got to try out my new SmartWool arm warmers with their girly green colored flowers. Very feminine. Matched my jersey and looked good with my nicely painted nails. Because these things matter.... But the day was much to warm to keep them on for long.



Nearing the top, a cyclist on the way down said, "Great job." Of course that's code for "I'd like to get your number." Oh oh, The BF may get on the next flight out to have a talk with me ....

How'd I do? Well, the results are not posted but I may have shaved 10 minutes off my LKHC 2006 time. Not bad for someone not firing on all cylinders and distracted by firemen and cyclists full of testosterone. Oh oh, The BF is probably in the air somewhere ready to have a talk with me....

Thank you Miss P for riding with me today.

Danke Schoen LKHC Montebello

How low key looking is that, the pic of me. Speaking of Low Key -- our team for the LKHC series has dwindled to just 2 -- the tortoise and the hare. Still, our team of 2 managed to place 16 out of 43 (not bad given that the first 10 or so teams have multiple team mates).

I sort of really tried this time to put some effort into it. The plan was to at least beat The Kid. He's about my level of competition, sad as that is to note. 12 other women participated and they were simply swell. All together, there were 127 cyclists for the first ride of the LKHC 2011 series.

But enough about biking. Let's talk about my nails which aren't visible in the photo. Lovely cherry color to match my outfit. I spotted some newbies, some young men, their first time doing the series. As a veteran, I naturally felt that it was my duty to break them in ....

Focus on the biking, The Boyfriend says. I beat my last recorded LKHC time back in 2008. Then: 55.58. Now, 54:53. I received a standing ovation when I cross the finish line. Oh alrighty, they were already standing .... still, despite placing last and not beating the kid, I did a decent job and more importantly, my nail polish looked outstanding.

Danke Schoen Montebello, thank you for the joy and pain. Til we meet again, next week Sierra Road.

Devil's Postpile and Lake Mary

Wednesday, September 14th

We're in Mammoth Lakes now, about to climb to Minaret Summit (9,265 elevation) and onward to Devil's Postpile. We're all feeling a bit fatigued, not because of the altitude or climbing but most likely due to Happy Hour!

The climb and descent into Devil's Postpile was trying but I revved up when the construction workers whistled at me. Warm climbing, cold descending....



Next up, some more climbing to reach Lake Mary.



A bike trail allowed us to bike around Lake Mary plus a few other lakes. It is so pretty here and bike friendly, too; I almost don't want to leave. Once again, the storm clouds gathered and this time, we were hit with spitting cold rain but luckily only for about 15 minutes and at the end of the day's ride.