stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Absolutely.
I am just starting to learn about the geology around where I live now.
I am just starting to learn about the geology around where I live now.
Show us pictures of where you ride your ebikes!
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Excellent! Places always get more interesting when you start looking under the hood.
If there's a Roadside Geology of Massachusetts from Mountain Press, that would be a great start. Then you can ride or drive up to an outcrop or vista at Milepost X on Road Y and know you're looking at exactly what the book's talking about. No better way to learn.
Same for any other state. Some state books are better than others. Many are co-authored by top geologists known for their work in the region. Always get the latest edition, as geology's a constantly evolving science.
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous but getting cooler. Needed two layers plus a vest. Wanted to take the long route to Mud Bay, so headed out on the road East. Temp had just cracked 12C when I left...
Hard to see, but this hill gets a bit steep. Ended up getting a top speed of 56.7kph even in a headwind...
Stopped by a small Park on Colebrook road...
A whole slough of ducks...
Back on the road heading West...
Mount Baker...
Twice in a row?!!??? My luck is changing it would seem. Highest tide I've seen in years. Nice to see you Mr. Pacific!
The loonies are out...
Water stop, and although the day is cool and the winds were up this spot was calm and I could have dropped the vest...
Heading home...
Hard to see, but this hill gets a bit steep. Ended up getting a top speed of 56.7kph even in a headwind...
Stopped by a small Park on Colebrook road...
A whole slough of ducks...
Back on the road heading West...
Mount Baker...
Twice in a row?!!??? My luck is changing it would seem. Highest tide I've seen in years. Nice to see you Mr. Pacific!
The loonies are out...
Water stop, and although the day is cool and the winds were up this spot was calm and I could have dropped the vest...
Heading home...
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
I could say the same of the last few days. So cool yesterday, in fact, that I had to switch the one and only layer — a lightweight jersey — to long sleeves.
;^}
Good to see Mr. Pacific back for a visit in Mud Bay. After 3 years on the coast, the ocean and the beaches and sea cliffs and bays it touches all feel like one big living thing to me now.
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Taking a knee rest day made all the more delicious by our first Pacific storm of the season. Fun riding in the winds running ahead of it yesterday but rain on and off today.
Saturday, however, was a very different story. Gorgeous day for a morning poke around Encinitas with the missus. Looking south here from the city park above south Swami's Beach.
First stop, breakfast tacos at Moonlight Beach. The 5th Street descent to the beach, 1 block, 16%. Lots of these steep little ramps in Encinitas and Carlsbad.
K and I both credit the Moonlight Beach concession stand with the best tacos in the county. And that's saying something in San Diego County!
The machaca breakfast tacos just can't be beat: Machaca-marinated carnitas, scrambled eggs, cheese, fresh avocado and tomato, and chipotle aioli on a perfectly fried flour tortilla.
Of course, you have to put up with eating them right on the beach.
Volleyball players outnumbered all other beachgoers at the time.
Ebikes are always parked at the Moonlight playground. Many young cargo-bike moms.
Next stop, Cali Cream out on the Coast Highway (aka Hwy 101) a few blocks away. Mint chocolate chip for her, key lime pie ice cream for me. Her blue Velotric Breeze, my yellow Vado SL 1.
Bike route is putting it mildly! Guessing hundreds of bikes per day if not more on this stretch of Coast Highway on weekends.
This pulled up while we were racing the drips down our cones. The 40-something guy who got out with his kids looked a lot more like a banker than expected.
"Sure, take all the photos you want," he told me. Then a beaming smile. "Boyhood dream."
Next, to the I Street overlook above north Swami's Beach, adjacent to the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple of Encinitas. Struck me that this concrete semicircle might be more than just a storm drain. It could well be a portal to the 11th dimension.
;^}
K parked a safer distance away. She won't go farther than the 6th dimension.
The many different plants lining the edge of the bluff here had one thing in common: Big nasty thorns. These prickly pear thorns were the least of them.
Our turnaround in south Encinitas was the aforementioned city park overlooking south Swami's Beach. Afternoon shot from the week before.
The famous Swami's reef break just offshore draws surfers from all over the world. Lowish calm swell this day, but with no close-outs, the surfers were still catching nice rides — sedate but long. Please pardon my phone's now crappy telephoto camera.
This guy stayed seated on his board the whole time. Caught more rides and longer rides than anybody else by a good margin, and his paddle-outs looked easier, too.
Meanwhile up in the parking lot on the bluff, a grim reminder that surfing is a deadly sport — even for skilled watermen.
And nearby, a reminder that we should (a) enjoy this lovely overlook while can, and (b) hope like hell we're not here when it gives way.
Final stop, the E Steet overlook above south Moonlight Beach, first looking SW, then NW. Imagine living in those houses!
Then imagine the cliff falling out from under them.
Saturday, however, was a very different story. Gorgeous day for a morning poke around Encinitas with the missus. Looking south here from the city park above south Swami's Beach.
First stop, breakfast tacos at Moonlight Beach. The 5th Street descent to the beach, 1 block, 16%. Lots of these steep little ramps in Encinitas and Carlsbad.
K and I both credit the Moonlight Beach concession stand with the best tacos in the county. And that's saying something in San Diego County!
The machaca breakfast tacos just can't be beat: Machaca-marinated carnitas, scrambled eggs, cheese, fresh avocado and tomato, and chipotle aioli on a perfectly fried flour tortilla.
Of course, you have to put up with eating them right on the beach.
Volleyball players outnumbered all other beachgoers at the time.
Ebikes are always parked at the Moonlight playground. Many young cargo-bike moms.
Next stop, Cali Cream out on the Coast Highway (aka Hwy 101) a few blocks away. Mint chocolate chip for her, key lime pie ice cream for me. Her blue Velotric Breeze, my yellow Vado SL 1.
Bike route is putting it mildly! Guessing hundreds of bikes per day if not more on this stretch of Coast Highway on weekends.
This pulled up while we were racing the drips down our cones. The 40-something guy who got out with his kids looked a lot more like a banker than expected.
"Sure, take all the photos you want," he told me. Then a beaming smile. "Boyhood dream."
Next, to the I Street overlook above north Swami's Beach, adjacent to the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple of Encinitas. Struck me that this concrete semicircle might be more than just a storm drain. It could well be a portal to the 11th dimension.
;^}
K parked a safer distance away. She won't go farther than the 6th dimension.
The many different plants lining the edge of the bluff here had one thing in common: Big nasty thorns. These prickly pear thorns were the least of them.
Our turnaround in south Encinitas was the aforementioned city park overlooking south Swami's Beach. Afternoon shot from the week before.
The famous Swami's reef break just offshore draws surfers from all over the world. Lowish calm swell this day, but with no close-outs, the surfers were still catching nice rides — sedate but long. Please pardon my phone's now crappy telephoto camera.
This guy stayed seated on his board the whole time. Caught more rides and longer rides than anybody else by a good margin, and his paddle-outs looked easier, too.
Meanwhile up in the parking lot on the bluff, a grim reminder that surfing is a deadly sport — even for skilled watermen.
And nearby, a reminder that we should (a) enjoy this lovely overlook while can, and (b) hope like hell we're not here when it gives way.
Final stop, the E Steet overlook above south Moonlight Beach, first looking SW, then NW. Imagine living in those houses!
Then imagine the cliff falling out from under them.
Last edited:
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
One day I must revisit...
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Please do. We'll ride!One day I must revisit...
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Hmmm... well let's see... by my calculation that's about 2400kms from here.
I figure that's about 100kms/day.
I'm sure my 800wh battery will take another 24 charging cycles.
Oh wait... 48... gotta get back too... Plus whatever we get up to.
Looks like I need a good 3 months off!
by the side of the road,..Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Rather fugly, looks like something a hillbilly would have to catch with his shoelaces tied together at the annual charity fete.
I have an accurate and detailed knowledge of North America.
I have an accurate and detailed knowledge of North America.
stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Jeremy, a few questions and notes.
We have dangerous rip currents out here, too, but we don't have active bluff failure zones. We have houses that close to the edge out here, but they are in Maine, on granite and limestone, not sand and mud. How long do you think they have?
When you are eating on the beach, do seagulls try and steal your food?
Was the blue truck parked in the bike lane? Did you yell at him?
Her blue Breeze with the Topeak bag looks great.
Swami's sponsors a club and a racing team. You probably see their jerseys in your area. They are best known for hosting their early Wednesday morning "Worlds" training ride inside Camp Pendleton. I've never done it, but many I know have, and they say it's insane.
Ride on.
We have dangerous rip currents out here, too, but we don't have active bluff failure zones. We have houses that close to the edge out here, but they are in Maine, on granite and limestone, not sand and mud. How long do you think they have?
When you are eating on the beach, do seagulls try and steal your food?
Was the blue truck parked in the bike lane? Did you yell at him?
Her blue Breeze with the Topeak bag looks great.
Swami's sponsors a club and a racing team. You probably see their jerseys in your area. They are best known for hosting their early Wednesday morning "Worlds" training ride inside Camp Pendleton. I've never done it, but many I know have, and they say it's insane.
Ride on.
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Our sea cliffs expose marine sedimentary rocks much weaker than your granites and limestones. They're definitely rock, but still no match for the highly destructive shoreline environment here.
Most of the wave damage to the cliff bases occurs during high surf + high tide combos, usually in winter. Irrigating the developed bluff edges year round just compounds the instability. And our biggest winter storms make it all worse.
However, when and where and how an undercut and weakened section of cliff actually comes down is anybody's guess. Could be today or 100 yrs from now. A slow downhill creep, a small spall off the cliff face, or a top-to-bottom slump. Doesn't take much differential ground movement to render any bluff-top building uninhabitable.
The ultimate result is sea cliff retreat in fits and starts all along the SoCal coast at an average rate of 5 cm (2 in) per year — some places, like south Carlbad and Palos Verdes, faster than others.
Not normally. But once saw a guy weaponize gulls by pouring french fries on a row of beach blankets. With the frenzy of gulls came lots of poop. Stirred up quite a ruckus among the humans, too.
No, he was in a legal space but had to take a few inches of bike lane to fit. Looked like he really tried to minimize the encroachment.
Same with all the delivery trucks along here. Put up with it, or let the bars and restaurants run out of beer and avocado. Those are the options.
Most drivers here are pretty good about staying out of bike lanes. The pedestrians (especially the runners) are a different story.
Thanks! It's a very nice ebike for the money.
Yes, I see them around. WAAAAAAY out of my league!
Last edited:
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
This old photo shows the view ahead as I rode south on the Coast Highway toward North Ponto Beach today. Saw something hovering above the face of the bluff beyond the bottom of the dip but couldn't make it out.
As I got closer, it was too big to be a typical drone, too thick to be a remote control glider, and not quite right for a pelican riding the cliff-face updraft (a common sight here).
Nearly under it when I stopped in the parking lot and made the ID: The largest osprey I'd ever seen by far. Absolutely magnificent!
It hovered motionless on the updraft for a few more seconds, wings fully spread, then flew off before I could get to my phone. So, here are some osprey photos shamelessly lifted from the internet...
I saw mostly the underside.
Common names: Sea hawk, fish hawk.
A mating pair we ran into on San Deigo Bay 2 years ago...
Last edited:
BlackHand
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Western WA
Our coastal bluffs here in the Sound lose just about a foot every hundred years, so much slower than SoCal on average.
Different story out on the coast. North Cove lost ~100ft/year for much of the last century and over 160 structures on what became known as Washaway Beach.
@Jeremy McCreary you might find this story of how the locals turned the tide and might have saved the rest of the town. You've mentioned the seasonal movement of sand and cobbles at your SoCal beaches.
www.atlasobscura.com
Different story out on the coast. North Cove lost ~100ft/year for much of the last century and over 160 structures on what became known as Washaway Beach.
@Jeremy McCreary you might find this story of how the locals turned the tide and might have saved the rest of the town. You've mentioned the seasonal movement of sand and cobbles at your SoCal beaches.
Washington's 'Washaway Beach' Experiment Is Reshaping Ideas About Coastal Erosion
In 2016, a concerned local dropped $400 worth of rock on a vanishing beach to see what would happen. Now engineers are watching, too.
www.atlasobscura.com
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Sea spray plus osprey... Works for me!
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Great article! So many familiar themes.Our coastal bluffs here in the Sound lose just about a foot every hundred years, so much slower than SoCal on average.
Different story out on the coast. North Cove lost ~100ft/year for much of the last century and over 160 structures on what became known as Washaway Beach.
@Jeremy McCreary you might find this story of how the locals turned the tide and might have saved the rest of the town. You've mentioned the seasonal movement of sand and cobbles at your SoCal beaches.
Washington's 'Washaway Beach' Experiment Is Reshaping Ideas About Coastal Erosion
In 2016, a concerned local dropped $400 worth of rock on a vanishing beach to see what would happen. Now engineers are watching, too.
Washaway Beach — catchy name for a sad trend. Nearly all SoCal beaches south of LA have been losing sand for decades — largely because the natural sand supply has been trapped behind dams on all but one of the major west slope drainages.
And many if not most of the coastal engineering projects designed to reduce further sand loss have backfired in one way or another. The Pacific's a wiley and formidable adversary.
They've tried cobble berms like this big one now at South Ponto Beach — which until the 1980s had been one of the widest and sandiest in all of North County. Maybe not the same design as the one in your article, though.
Much sand was lost all along the SoCal coast in the apocalyptic El Nino-driven winter storms of 1982-83. And with the beaches greatly narrowed, sea cliff retreat only accelerated.
Last edited:
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
My fattie glides over those, but you also look like a madman to observers.
I smile and wave
I smile and wave
Similar threads
