Show us pictures of where you ride your ebikes!
Jeremy McCreary
Very Stable Genius
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Destination: Del Mar
On Saturday, rode the Coast Highway south to my Surface 604 dealer in Solana Beach to pick up a new bike battery (bad USB port on the original).
Kudos to Surface 604 and San Diego Electric Bike (web photo) for making this warranty swap so easy. Now I can replace at least some of the phone charge eaten up by RideWithGPS without stopping.
From Solana Beach, pedaled 3 more miles south to my turn-around in Del Mar, where all subsequent images were taken. Del Mar is the next beach town north from La Jolla. Together, Del Mar and La Jolla claim some of the best beaches and most scenic coastlines in all of SoCal — with the real estate prices to match. Downtown Del Mar adds a seaside village feel to that mix.
Doesn't get any more Del Mar than this: On the right, City of Del Mar lifeguard headquarters with standard-issue red Toyota pickup out front. On the left, Poseidon, a fabulous beachside seafood restaurant with badass Lamborghini sportwagon out front.
Surf conditions at Del Mar this day. This is an unusually large and fancy lifeguard station, even by SoCal standards. Little oval plaques acknowledge its many wealthy donors.
Looking south along Poseidon's rear deck with the La Jolla Peninsula in the distance.
A shot from that same deck in January.
No problem choosing an entree when forbidden purple rice is on the menu! And just how did Poseidon get hold of forbidden rice? The waitress was forbidden say.
Rail isn't the first thing SoCal brings to mind, but the San Luis Obispo-San Diego rail corridor happens to be the second-busiest intercity line in the US. Just around this bend, the Del Mar segment runs smack on the edge of a slowly retreating sea cliff. Result: Fabulous scenery for AmTrak and commuter passengers, colossal headache for regional transportation authorities.
The threatened tracks were closed for repairs and/or reinforcements at least twice in the last year alone. As befitting a place as posh as Del Mar, they'll eventually be moved to billion-dollar tunnels beyond the waves' reach.
A wave-cut bench a few steps south of Poseidon back in January.
Two fine parks grace the Del Mar shore — Powerhouse Beach below the tracks on the north side, and Seagrove Park above on the south. Seagove offers views like this one to the northwest. The white signal post marks the failing track.
Of course, into every charmed life some rain must fall. These zillion-dollar beachfront homes a mile north of Poseidon are still under repair after being pelted by rock-throwing storm waves in January.
Every day, I count my lucky stars for our new home in Carlsbad, 12 miles up the coast. But if Del Mar had been affordable, that's where we'd be — not least for the Del Mar Dog Beach, here seen with Roxie legally off-leash last March...
Off-leash dogs are 11th-degree black belts at being in the moment, and it can't help but rub off on the humans around. Add many dogs eager to play, a shallow sandy bottom many yards out, and waves to splash in at a stunning Del Mar beach, and you have a strong contender for Happiest Place on Earth — at least in our book. The nearest off-leash beaches are at least 30 minutes south and well over an hour north.
The dog beach straddles the mouth of the San Dieguito River, here hidden just this side of the sea cliffs. Before the rivers draining San Deigo County's west slope were dammed, this was the largest, complete with an impressive gorge carved through hard granite some 20 miles inland. The flow at its mouth, still strong, delivers lots of sand to this and other Del Mar beaches.
Little traffic on the Coast Highway all the way to Del Mar on this beautiful Saturday at 0930 but bumper to bumper much of the way home at 1130. No doubt a taste of what our first tourist season here will be like.
On Saturday, rode the Coast Highway south to my Surface 604 dealer in Solana Beach to pick up a new bike battery (bad USB port on the original).
Kudos to Surface 604 and San Diego Electric Bike (web photo) for making this warranty swap so easy. Now I can replace at least some of the phone charge eaten up by RideWithGPS without stopping.
From Solana Beach, pedaled 3 more miles south to my turn-around in Del Mar, where all subsequent images were taken. Del Mar is the next beach town north from La Jolla. Together, Del Mar and La Jolla claim some of the best beaches and most scenic coastlines in all of SoCal — with the real estate prices to match. Downtown Del Mar adds a seaside village feel to that mix.
Surf conditions at Del Mar this day. This is an unusually large and fancy lifeguard station, even by SoCal standards. Little oval plaques acknowledge its many wealthy donors.
A shot from that same deck in January.
Rail isn't the first thing SoCal brings to mind, but the San Luis Obispo-San Diego rail corridor happens to be the second-busiest intercity line in the US. Just around this bend, the Del Mar segment runs smack on the edge of a slowly retreating sea cliff. Result: Fabulous scenery for AmTrak and commuter passengers, colossal headache for regional transportation authorities.
The threatened tracks were closed for repairs and/or reinforcements at least twice in the last year alone. As befitting a place as posh as Del Mar, they'll eventually be moved to billion-dollar tunnels beyond the waves' reach.
A wave-cut bench a few steps south of Poseidon back in January.
Two fine parks grace the Del Mar shore — Powerhouse Beach below the tracks on the north side, and Seagrove Park above on the south. Seagove offers views like this one to the northwest. The white signal post marks the failing track.
Of course, into every charmed life some rain must fall. These zillion-dollar beachfront homes a mile north of Poseidon are still under repair after being pelted by rock-throwing storm waves in January.
Every day, I count my lucky stars for our new home in Carlsbad, 12 miles up the coast. But if Del Mar had been affordable, that's where we'd be — not least for the Del Mar Dog Beach, here seen with Roxie legally off-leash last March...
Off-leash dogs are 11th-degree black belts at being in the moment, and it can't help but rub off on the humans around. Add many dogs eager to play, a shallow sandy bottom many yards out, and waves to splash in at a stunning Del Mar beach, and you have a strong contender for Happiest Place on Earth — at least in our book. The nearest off-leash beaches are at least 30 minutes south and well over an hour north.
The dog beach straddles the mouth of the San Dieguito River, here hidden just this side of the sea cliffs. Before the rivers draining San Deigo County's west slope were dammed, this was the largest, complete with an impressive gorge carved through hard granite some 20 miles inland. The flow at its mouth, still strong, delivers lots of sand to this and other Del Mar beaches.
Little traffic on the Coast Highway all the way to Del Mar on this beautiful Saturday at 0930 but bumper to bumper much of the way home at 1130. No doubt a taste of what our first tourist season here will be like.
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Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
Looks like a fantastic day to be at the beach whether you’re watching other strollers from above or surfer dudes doing their thing.
Life is good.
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
I popped out for another ride this morning and despite the cold and eerie fog conditions the four trails that I took on were in surprisingly good shape. No audio soundtrack on the video other than the noise of the wind and those tenacious studs as they chattered away along the ice and hard pack. Music to my ears! 
Started out riding this skinny along the Garden Heights single. I’ve never had much success with TTFs in the past but on this occasion, I came out clean.
A temperature of -14C wind chill certainly helped speed things along and at no time did I have to deal with soft, slushy snow. Even many of the bare, patchy sections were frozen solid which kept me and the Wookie relatively spotless.
It was clear that the recent warm weather has made an impact on the ever-dwindling snow pack along the trails. With temperatures forecasted to rise to +14C by the weekend, there will be little left behind if any. It might be good opportunity to finally hit the road after a long five + months of winter.
A couple of precipitous descents made things a bit more interesting and kept me on my toes.
Closer to the end of my ride along the Heritage Ranch single, the skies finally cleared as the sun burned off what remained of the fog.
Started out riding this skinny along the Garden Heights single. I’ve never had much success with TTFs in the past but on this occasion, I came out clean.
A temperature of -14C wind chill certainly helped speed things along and at no time did I have to deal with soft, slushy snow. Even many of the bare, patchy sections were frozen solid which kept me and the Wookie relatively spotless.
It was clear that the recent warm weather has made an impact on the ever-dwindling snow pack along the trails. With temperatures forecasted to rise to +14C by the weekend, there will be little left behind if any. It might be good opportunity to finally hit the road after a long five + months of winter.
A couple of precipitous descents made things a bit more interesting and kept me on my toes.
Closer to the end of my ride along the Heritage Ranch single, the skies finally cleared as the sun burned off what remained of the fog.
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Jeremy McCreary
Very Stable Genius
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
No shortage of things to watch at the beach, but my faves are the waves themselves.Looks like a fantastic day to be at the beach whether you’re watching other strollers from above or surfer dudes doing their thing.
The science is fascinating — lots of counterintuitive things going on out there. But I've also been talking to surfers coming off the beach to learn to see the waves through their eyes. Life is good.
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Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
San Juan Islands, early spring:
jimbo5
Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Redding
I worked at Boeing 30yrs and lived in Everett, marysville and 26 yes in lk Steven's. Been all over the islands . Still over the area but now in Redding ca 5yrs 12yrs snowbirding.
You enjoy all that beautiful area. Even eastern Washington too.
Great bike riding state. Safe riding
Taylor57
Well-Known Member
San Juan Islands known for Orcas or Great Whites?
Jeremy McCreary
Very Stable Genius
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Kraken.
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
You will sometimes see Orcas in the neighborhood, true.
But to clarify something that is a pet peeve, from the Wikipedia article on Orcas Island:
m@Robertson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I took this pic a couple of weeks ago to illustrate why I put knobby tires on this bike and leave them on year round. This is an urban path believe it or not, and this is the route between me and several essential stores (Costco and Home Depot in particular). Wind happens year round here and the only bike path from A to B can get completely submerged. This was only about 6 inches of sand... a bit further on the drifts went as high as 10-12 feet and essentially erased the path and covered part of the roadway. Thats all pavement 12 feet wide behind me.
Today I found they finally had moved those sand dunes back away from the path which was now re-opened. So, noticing the parasails were out in force, I detoured over and did a little overland travel to the edge of a bluff, where they do their turnaround and pass over you only maybe 20-30 feet overhead.
One of them had a passenger and the gal shouted down to me "come fly with us!". I told her I had room on the bike so come on down and lets go for a ride. There are six of them in the photo if you zoom in and look really closely.
Pretty sure she just wanted me to rent her passenger seat for a ride.
Today I found they finally had moved those sand dunes back away from the path which was now re-opened. So, noticing the parasails were out in force, I detoured over and did a little overland travel to the edge of a bluff, where they do their turnaround and pass over you only maybe 20-30 feet overhead.
One of them had a passenger and the gal shouted down to me "come fly with us!". I told her I had room on the bike so come on down and lets go for a ride. There are six of them in the photo if you zoom in and look really closely.
Pretty sure she just wanted me to rent her passenger seat for a ride.
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
Things got off to a sluggish start this spring but we’re also beginning to experience some warmer temperatures that we’re more accustomed to seeing. Still, a slower snow melt means that we might put on an extra layer before heading out on one of our daily training rides especially when the wind picks up and blows cold air off of the open fields. My better half doesn’t appear to feel the effects of the crisp air and couldn’t be bothered with leg warmers on this particular day. There is also plenty of winter gravel along the side of the road but nothing to get too worked up about. For me, it’s a nice transition from riding trails all winter long.
RabH
Well-Known Member
Its strange seeing you on the road bike again, hopefully many more tarmac rides to come soon
It looked amazing with the snow and dry tarmac, no doubt it was rather chilly but your wife is made of strong stuff! 
Saratoga Dave
Well-Known Member
Finally topping 60 degrees today! Nice 30 mile ride up and around Saratoga Lake and back down a nearby bike path on the Creo. Supposed to get a little warmer every day this week, I should be able to pile on a few miles.
Approaching Saratoga Lake at the bottom of the hill, peeking through the trees:
Not the worst view in the world:
Finally getting around to actually paying attention to the data on the Specialized Ride app. 985 feet elevation, 75% motor off, 20% Eco, 5% Sport, only 21% of the battery used. The Creo is such a nice bike to just ride by itself!
Approaching Saratoga Lake at the bottom of the hill, peeking through the trees:
Not the worst view in the world:
Finally getting around to actually paying attention to the data on the Specialized Ride app. 985 feet elevation, 75% motor off, 20% Eco, 5% Sport, only 21% of the battery used. The Creo is such a nice bike to just ride by itself!
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Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
Believe me, it's soo nice to be back on the road again after 5+ months even though I did rather enjoy my time on the wintry trails. Temperature yesterday was a cool 6C with a 19km wind blowing in from the SE. Today felt even colder without any help from overcast skies which obliterates the warmth given off from the sun's rays.Its strange seeing you on the road bike again, hopefully many more tarmac rides to come soon
Looked like a gorgeous day to be out for a ride around the lake, Dave. I'm envious of your surroundings. Actually, those sentiments go out to anyone who rides where it's relatively warm and green.
DaveMatthews
Well-Known Member
Weather here has been lousy, but there was a break on Friday afternoon so I got a short stint in.
Good news is that I decided to see how far I could go on one charge with the 800wh battery and so far I'm up to 83kms with 39% left.
Good news is that I decided to see how far I could go on one charge with the 800wh battery and so far I'm up to 83kms with 39% left.
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
Short stint? That’s awesome, Dave. So close to hitting that m-century.Weather here has been lousy, but there was a break on Friday afternoon so I got a short stint in.
Good news is that I decided to see how far I could go on one charge with the 800wh battery and so far I'm up to 83kms with 39% left.
It was a few degrees above freezing here but we still managed to get out for a ride. Expecting wet flurries tomorrow though. 
DaveMatthews
Well-Known Member
To be honest, that 83kms is three rides... a 60/8/15, so yeah, the last two were shorties inbetween downpours.Short stint? That’s awesome, Dave. So close to hitting that m-century.
View attachment 151510
Good to see your roads opening up!
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