Happy Earth Day

Been awhile since I've blogged.  Lots going on but no time to really write.  Today, I joined 5 others on a club ride that included Cienega to Pinnacles National Monument with a return on Airline Highway in Hollister.

There was a fair amount of traffic though not evident from this photo.  Ha ha.  There was a lot of climbing as well.  And boy did I feel it.

A little while into our ride, I thought we'd done 12 miles but turned out we'd only gone 7 miles.  I was done.  That's the weenie woman in me.  But I stuck it out, mostly riding with Lou.  Along the way, I met some other cyclists who chatted with me and said I was the "little engine that could."  Yep, that's me.  They tuckered out, stopping and starting, and then turned around but I kept going onwards to the Pinnacles.

The hills as you can see are still green.  I've done sections of this route in the past for the Low Key MegaMonster but everything looked so different in technicolor, you know.  It was spectacular. Every now and then, I'd catch a glimpse of poppies and wildflowers as well as cows.  Nice.   I rode alone the remaining 30 miles to our start location.  Given that my cycling has been sporadic this year, and with today's climbs and some wind, I was pleased that I did 65 miles in 6 hr. 24 min.  I'm ready for the next club ride!  Meanwhile, Happy Earth Day.  Please respect and cherish our environment.

As Time Goes By

Lookey, it's the mark of Zorro, side entrance to SF Opera House. Miss P. and I are here again on a Sunday afternoon for the SF Ballet season.  Afterwards, back home after taking BART, Miss. P. showed me how to check my car's tire pressure.  How cool is that.

Here's me a few weeks ago cycling in Hollister with The Boyfriend. I haven't posted much to my blog the last several months, mainly because while I still consider myself amusing, I haven't been inspired to to write about and share the funny moments of my life.  Perhaps, I may once again feel inclined to document my comings and goings, if only for myself.

Hiking in the New Year

Two days ago, I finally got on the road bike, having been off for awhile due to illness and cold weather.  I had to bundle up. Like the weenie I am.  I knew this would be the first time in a long time that I would not bike Mt Hamilton on New Year's Day.  Just too cold for me.  The BF, sick with the flu, has been out of the picture, too.

What to do, what to do.  Well, Miss P. suggested while on our club bike ride the other day that we consider a hike.  Perfect!  I can handle that.  But we had to select a park free of any aliens especially if I am going to get out of my pajamas, and make the effort to return to exercising.  I don't want any close encounters....

We agreed upon Rancho Canada del Oro, a hike I did a year ago.  Good choice.   On the drive into the park, I had to brake for, wait, wait for it, no not aliens but several turkeys!  We did encounter a lot of funny looking mushrooms; I tried not to think they might be incubating tiny aliens.  We met some people who thought we might be bird watchers.  No, more like alien watchers.  They were out to burn off the bubbly.

This is a beautiful park to hike with gradual climbs that take you way up towards the sky, along with a lot of photo ops.  Like the one above.  My first impression was, "It's a toilet seat for the outdoors."  I don't know why I have the thoughts I have.  We also saw signs about restoration in progress for areas affected by one of the fires from last year.

We came across several trees whose limbs had split; possibly signs of alien invasion ... anyway, good to get out and enjoy our open space.  We did just about 5 miles and plan to return to do a different hike, plus, we hope to explore other parks in the coming months.  I've never hiked in Mt. Hamilton for instance. Happy New Year.