Leaving for Las Vegas

The Boyfriend and I are off to Vegas Thursday.

Last time I was there was for my friend R's wedding in which Elvis married her and D and they rode off in a pink cadillac -- a lovely memory in my heart. Side note: R is a librarian for a major film company; I got to visit the premises, a memorable experience. One thing I regret about that trip was not having the chance to visit Hoover Dam which our other librarian friend B (who works at the National Archives) was able to do.

Well, Hoover Dam here we come! Stay tuned.

On a Mission

With a break in the weather, and Spring approaching (sort of) and bike tours down the road, I need to get serious about training (of course, define training when it comes to me). The Boyfriend and I did a 51.8 mile ride Saturday from Sierra Road into Sunol, Fremont and Milpitas, passing Mission San Jose, pictured above. The photo from Wikipedia Commons was taken in 1910. The Mission was founded in 1797.

I averaged 11.1 mph. Climbing Sierra Road, which took me about 55 minutes (walked some bits), caused my speed to plummet to 6 mph. The Boyfriend, who had to stop here and there for me, ended up with an average of 14 mph. He'll be pleased that this blog entry contains a few biking details.

Apparently, there was an earthquake in Sunol that we missed. Well, let me tell you, the Earth moved for me while I watched The Boyfriend pedal in his hot looking red cycling outfit. Go Speed Racer. Oops, a momentary lapse. Back to the bike ride -- it left me pooped. I need to get serious about training. Hmm, I suppose.

2009 Amgen Tour of California Stage 3

Oh darn, what's his name!

Today, given the gloomy weather forecast, The Boyfriend met me in downtown San Jose to watch the start of Stage 3 of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California instead of waiting on Sierra Road like he has done in previous years. He stood along Tunitas Creek yesterday to see the cyclists. Despite the horrible weather, people have come out en masse to cheer the cyclists! I'm waiting to hear from my cycling budette P as to what it was like on Sierra; P also did the KOM the other day; what a babe. As you can tell from my photographs, The Boyfriend secured us a super vantage point! Thank you Mr. Boyfriend.









Floyd Landis!






George Hincapie. Damn fine looking cyclist with a damn fine clothing line.







Our unassuming camera shy hero Levi Leipheimer, and hopefully on his way to winning the Tour again.











This guy looks familar.







Let's hear it for all the cyclists participating in this year's tour! We're into Day 3 of torrential downpours and gusty winds. Yes, California needs the rain to avoid the dreaded D (drought) but let's hope the cyclists get a bit of a break for the rest of the tour. And a big thanks to the Tour Tracker that is allowing Lorraine (who had to go to class today) and me to watch it online at work. Loved the sign written in the green hillsides of Modesto that said, "We love (shape of a heart) the Tour.

KOM and Me

Me bundled up before setting off to meet the King of the Mountain (KOM) cyclists at the base of Sierra Road. It was chilly, around 45 degrees but no rain, so, I dashed off to cheer them, blow kisses, wave, and wish them a Happy Valentine's Day. Well, that was the plan.... The policeman at Sierra Road informed me that I had missed the riders by a long shot. Sigh.




While there was snow atop nearby Mt. Hamilton, the hills have turned green from the recent rain and the trees are flowering. Today is the start of The Amgen Tour of California (in Sacramento)! Come Tuesday, they'll be in downtown San Jose and heading off to Sierra Road and onwards to Modesto. I'll be there in downtown SJ to capture it all. Below are some scenic photos of the area that they will travel as they make their way towards Modesto.




Somewhere on Piedmont.




A meadow of yellow green flowers while biking along Piedmont.





Piedmont and Calaveras. The Amgen TOC cyclists will come down Calaveras. Boy are they going to fly!





Intersection of Piedmont and Calaveras. By the way, last weekend, I scheduled a custom bike fitting (a big thanks to P for suggesting this). The guy at the bike shop looked at me and said, "I've been known to do wonders but in your case (a long drawn out sigh)...." It was an eye opening experience for me and something I should have done quite some time ago. He marveled at the fact that I have catalogued (organized) the clothes in my walk in closet. Anyway, he adjusted this and that and me and well, tomorrow is another day for me to be someone else other than Weenie Woman.





Going up Calaveras a wee bit before turning around as the winds kicked in and the sky clouded up, threatening a rain storm. I leave you with this -- The Boyfriend is traveling on business but he sent me a dozen long stemmed roses and well, it left me feeling mushy not weenie....