Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
No pictures today, just lots of loose gravel:
I don't want any trouble, but yes, I usually carry something, but as we noted in the 'dog spray' discussion, there's not really a great solution.
I do not believe in carrying firearms outside the home except in the most extreme circumstances (and yes, open or concealed firearm carry is illegal here) knives are legal for open carry but hard to use, pepper spray not great because of blowback (though some formulations/sprays have better range and might work) and stun guns are typically heavy and/or don't have range, but not bad as a weapon of last resort if powerful enough. Asps or batons would be best, but are not legal.
The mountain lions here don't bother people much-- there are only a few, and they do get quite near our house, but no one's had a problem. I chase coyotes sometimes, they are pretty easily hazed. The unhoused folks are down on their luck and while there are entire colonies of homeless bike thieves in Silverlake/Los Feliz-- and you can see many bikes there in various stages of disassembly-- these encampments did not have that feel to them. I am a psychotherapist, and I work with violent people sometimes-- I do have special training in anger management work-- so I'd almost always try conflict de-escalation first. These guys were a little scary, but they didn't have a predatory look; if there was conflict, it would due to mental illness or misunderstanding, which theoretically I am trained to handle.
My colleagues work in homeless outreach, I've had some homeless clients. These guys (and gals and gender nonconforming folks) have some fascinating stories sometimes. When you hear about their day-to-day lives, it's easier to understand why they don't stay in shelters. But yeah, I get scared, and I might use my carry if there were really, absolutely, and totally no other option.
Looks like the city was abandoned every pic. Liked the light at the end of the tunnel too...today was a mix of urban and rural roads, with decidedly mixed results ... packs of off-leash dogs on mixed use trails are not a good mix for clipped-in beginner cyclists even at very slow speeds!
route map shows one small segment (between san francisco and treasure island) which is not bikable, threw the creo on the rack out front of a muni bus!
51.5 miles, but only 1900’ elevation.
average speed 14.5mph
used 67 wH, or 21% of the internal battery!
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I tend not to ride one handed with people around, so that’s an interesting side effect, nobody in any photos!Looks like the city was abandoned every pic. Liked the light at the end of the tunnel too...
Here is a comparison between Ride with GPS (current iPhone Pro) and latest Bosch Nyon…I hope your are enjoying the new Nyon as much as I do.
Hints of both of these..Now, let me tell you two stories from my May 1st ride I've completely forgotten about!
I was riding a narrow gravel road at the side of the forest; the road was well concealed against viewing the scene by any aliens. Suddenly, I have noticed a quite large gathering. People were split into groups: each group maintained social distance to the other. Those groups were lined along the road. And, fancy that, there was a beautiful dog (kept on leash) by a person in each group. The people were waiting for something.
As I'm very cautious about "dog vs. bike" now, I dramatically slowed down. And, reaching the end of the row, I asked the last dog-owner, a lady: "Is it a dog contest?!" -- "Yes, indeed!" -- she shouted back, and people around -- all in perfect mood -- started laughing and cheering! Oh! AN ILLEGAL GATHERING! Clandestine dog contest! Illicit because of lockdown! Haha! Now, think of it: the Kampinos Forest used to be the area to hold partisans, Home Army, secret nuclear command centre etc concealed at different times in history. Now, dog owners have illegally met to share the beauty of their pets there!
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I was sitting at a bus shelter in Truskaw, and hoping for the raining could have eventually stopped. (Truskaw is one of entry points to the Kampinos National Park). Now, a car with a family (man, wife, and two teenager daughters) stopped by.
-- "Sir, can you direct us to the Educational Path?" -- the man asked -- "Err... Can't recollect it right now, so sorry!" -- I replied in confusion -- "You know what I mean" -- he insisted -- "The Educational Path, a series of wooden walkways above the morass. Which way should I drive to?" "Sir. I must appear stupid because I actually rode that Path twice but I cannot remember where it was! I apologise but I cannot help you". The car disappeared -- the pater familias tried his luck himself.
After several minutes I was ready to restart the ride. I continued southwards (through another nasty potty gravel road). Now, there is a car moving in the direction opposite to mine. The car stops, and a teenage girl shouts at me: "Sir, STOP!" The brakes of my Trance just squealed when I was suddenly stopping it.
-- "Can you direct us to the Educational Path, sir?"
-- "Yes. Now I can remember. Drive to the main road. Turn left. Go until the road ends; there will be a large parking area with rain shelters. That's the place where the Education Path begins!"
How could I be so dumb to forget that?! And, was it exactly the same car with the same family?
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The KPN Educational Path. I was riding there twice, the last time on November 8th, 2020...
A run to the post office, and an opportunity to terrify small children .
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And meeting a rig with a horse trailer on the steepest, roughest, and spookiest section of my road:
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Here is a comparison between Strava and the display of my Lovelec DiademHere is a comparison between Ride with GPS (current iPhone Pro) and latest Bosch Nyon…
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- 'Duration' includes coffee break!
- Richard: Thanks for noticing Homage #2! Impressions to follow.
Please read it for me!*assuming the photo is clear enough.”
I think I get it! (-:It’s Russian…”Make America Great Again”