2026 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Chargeride]

Ive just logged on to Facebook to find one of the mtb youtubers I follow as a friend recomendation in the actual feed with a varety of photographs of their channel.
Ive never contacted them in any way.

This is just diabolical.

 

[PedalUma]

This is the new normal. Many major roads, shopping areas, and expensive residential areas are on the flats by the bay in Marin. They will need to all be abandon in the coming decades of global warming consequences. It is one reason I ride a bike and have not flown in a plane since 2012. Putting soot and greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere has consequences. Access to the GG bridge is from a flooded area, Tam Junction, between Sausalito and Marin City. Now data gathering has been cut.

 

[stompandgo]

Hey any of our coastal friends got any picture(s) of the results of this king tide? I hear Marin is getting hammered (@PedalUma )… Any US east coasters by the water?

How about our European contingent? Are you guys affected by these tidal surge(s)?

I haven't heard a thing about it, although our tides vary quite a bit. Maybe I'll go for a beach walk tomorrow.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Hey any of our coastal friends got any picture(s) of the results of this king tide? I hear Marin is getting hammered (@PedalUma )… Any US east coasters by the water?

How about our European contingent? Are you guys affected by these tidal surge(s)?

King tides occur around the new and full moons closest to perihelion, when Earth is closest to the sun in early January.

As purely astronomical events, king tides occur globally, so US and EU coastlines see their own king tides within hours of each other. In the absence of meteorological (weather-driven) inputs, high and low tides both tend to hit their annual extremes during king tide "season" — roughly the 6 or so weeks centered on perihelion.

Perihelion 2026 happens to be today (Jan 3), and we have a full moon tonight! The resulting extreme low tide drew a huge crowd to see seldom-exposed tide pools on the rock reef at Cardiff Beach yesterday afternoon. Zillions more people than usual.

K wanted to see the tide pools, too. Apparently, so did Mateo.

We got even more extreme tides around the last full moon 4 weeks ago. I'd never seen the ends of this jetty out of the water, and here I was riding beyond them!

Coastal infrastructure is generally built (or rebuilt) to handle uncomplicated king tides with a certain margin of safety. The problem comes when a big surf event (typically from a distant storm), a storm surge, or a deep atmospheric low pressure system happens to roll in on top of a king tide, increasing water level, wave run-up, or both.

Much of the California coast is having that kind of bad luck right now. Most of our major storms and big wave events come out of the Gulf of Alaska, and storm season there happens to overlap king tide season.

 

[Chargeride]

I'd be wary walking past an EV in a flood, 800v DC.

 

[Chargeride]

King tides occur around the new and full moons closest to perihelion, when Earth is closest to the sun in early January.

As purely astronomical events, king tides occur globally, so US and EU coastlines see their own king tides within hours of each other. In the absence of meteorological (weather-driven) inputs, high and low tides both tend to hit their annual extremes during king tide "season" — roughly the 6 or so weeks centered on perihelion.

View attachment 204190
Perihelion 2026 happens to be today (Jan 3), and we have a full moon tonight! The resulting extreme low tide drew a huge crowd to see seldom-exposed tide pools on the rock reef at Cardiff Beach yesterday afternoon. Zillions more people than usual.

View attachment 204196
K wanted to see the tide pools, too. Apparently, so did Mateo.

View attachment 204197
We got even more extreme tides around the last full moon 4 weeks ago. I'd never seen the ends of this jetty out of the water, and here I was riding beyond them!

Coastal infrastructure is generally built (or rebuilt) to handle uncomplicated king tides with a certain margin of safety. The problem comes when a big surf event (typically from a distant storm), a storm surge, or a deep atmospheric low pressure system happens to roll in on top of a king tide, increasing water level, wave run-up, or both.

Much of the California coast is having that kind of bad luck right now. Most of our major storms and big wave events come out of the Gulf of Alaska, and storm season there happens to overlap king tide season.

I just watched a video about the Salton sea, what a crazy place.

 

[Aushiker]

Suburban 50 km ride this morning. Mild temperatures ~ 30 C/ 86 F.

 

[Chargeride]

Ebikeschool has visited China again, another interesting and informative look into Chinese culture and ebike tech.
Its a great watch.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Ive just logged on to Facebook to find one of the mtb youtubers I follow as a friend recomendation in the actual feed with a varety of photographs of their channel.
Ive never contacted them in any way.

This is just diabolical.

You can add me as your contact.

 

[Chargeride]

Dont use it.
I just go on now and then to see if anyones dead

 

[stompandgo]

The combination of unusually high tides in late October, and what they now call Superstorm Sandy, which featured high winds just under hurricane force, is what destroyed my childhood home in CT back in 2012. Living a block from the beach, we were used to flooding, but nothing like that, which put 6 feet of water in the house. It was torn down and the lot was sold to a development group that put up a 3 story McMansion in its place.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Dont use it.
I just go on now and then to see if anyones dead

The best reason to join FB

Old dear Blighty Marmite and Bovril are no-go for me, and I haven't finished Branston Pickle since August

You can't handle the modern art without having a good drink first (Tate Modern)

 

[Chargeride]

ooh look at you, all Bananas taped to walls.

 

[Chargeride]

spam stands for spiced ham.
In reality its coagulated pressure jet recovered 'meat'.
Id need all that mustard for one bite.

 

[PedalUma]

new and full moons closest to perihelion

I have a friend who took me kingtide kayaking and knows how to time it just right, so on the river (a tidal slough) the tide takes you out five miles and then back.

The local paper says:
“The king tides are the result of three different lunar events going on, which is why the king tides are so strong,” Kennedy said. Those lunar events are: a full moon on Saturday night; perihelion, also in full effect Saturday, meaning the sun and moon are aligned and combining their gravitational effects; and perigee, meaning the moon is at its closest point to the earth."

 

[Chargeride]

Is that the same as a spring tide, never heard of a king tide.
Which is an odd scenario if you think about it.
Seems the Aussies coined it those little cork hatted ruffians

 

[Chazmo]

I have a friend who took me kingtide kayaking and knows how to time it just right, so on the river (a tidal slough) the tide takes you out five miles and then back.

View attachment 204209
The local paper says:
“The king tides are the result of three different lunar events going on, which is why the king tides are so strong,” Kennedy said. Those lunar events are: a full moon on Saturday night; perihelion, also in full effect Saturday, meaning the sun and moon are aligned and combining their gravitational effects; and perigee, meaning the moon is at its closest point to the earth."

I wonder if the moon’s positioning as a “supermoon” (closest to earth) has as much to do with this as the perihelion (our closest orbit point to the sun)… I think the “king” tide was described as a lunar event somewhere, but perihelion would seem more likely as cause to me.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Is that the same as a spring tide, never heard of a king tide.
Which is an odd scenario if you think about it.
Seems the Aussies coined it those little cork hatted ruffians

No, spring tides (and their low-tide counterparts, neap tides) occur with every new and full moon, year round. The "spring" here has nothing to do with seasons.

King tides are spring tides that occur close to perhelion, which only occurs in early January.

Not sure if there's a separate term for the neap tides near perihelion, but they're also extreme — generally the lowest tides of the year, and for the same reason the highs are extreme near perihelion.

 

[Chargeride]

The Moon was low and huge looking last night

 

[Rás Cnoic]

The best reason to join FB

View attachment 204207
Old dear Blighty Marmite and Bovril are no-go for me, and I haven't finished Branston Pickle since August

View attachment 204208
You can't handle the modern art without having a good drink first (Tate Modern)

Spam tins are American. Probably spread to UK with US troops stationed in UK in WW2. - just looked it up; originated in Minnesota. Well you live and learn.

Didn't know marmalade was especially British. But then I once spent a fruitless half hour searching a Walmarts in US for the biscuit aisle before realising yanks don't do biscuits, or at least not like IRL/UK.

The only better mustard to Colmans is called Strong Irish mustard, same colour just hotter. Come 6 Nations in 6 weeks time I'll have the friends over with ham sambos (with mustard) and the Guinness all ready. Perfect for the rugby.