SHOW us YOUR PIX here .... Odd, WeiRd ,UnUSuAl or EyE CaTchIng things from your rides

[Art Deco]

its a whole city before gated communities. I don't see as many gated communities around portland.

The pattern I saw in NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, and Burbank was as i described...actually worse since gated communities were the bare minimum. Walls and guards were preferred.

Maybe it's different where you are; I live in a very rural, poor county ( by choice). I moved here from a suburb of Atlanta, partially so I didn't have to live in or pay for that kind of community.

There are actually very few really rich people now, but those few are incredibly rich ... helicopters not cars, yachts not sailboats, and security is as basic a need as water and electricity to the house.

Anyway, I enjoy seeing your rides where you don't encounter the ugly parts of your city quite so often.

 

[fooferdoggie]

some artwork in the middle of winter.

 

[fooferdoggie]

 

[Art Deco]

some artwork in the middle of winter.
View attachment 169671

Flowers in the trees in mid winter ... yeah, we don't ever see that here ...

 

[Art Deco]

It sounds like you’ve experienced significant differences in living environments, particularly in terms of security and wealth, between urban areas like NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, and Burbank compared to your current rural setting. It’s interesting to hear about your perspective and the contrast in lifestyle.

I didn't ride bikes in any of the cities I have lived in, or even visited except for rentals in tourist areas, and I really don't notice much of the scenery or surroundings when I am driving.

There are no obviously wealthy areas here, and the really poor areas are usually rather rural and off the beaten path, although our century old cities often look pretty run down.

We often have horses and buggies riding on the shoulder and grocery stores often have hitching posts for them. A huge contrast to the metros, where the wealth difference was obvious.

 

[Art Deco]

It sounds like you have a unique experience with contrasting landscapes and modes of transportation in your area. You notice unique contrasts in your area, including horses and buggy ridings, hitching posts, and a mix of rural and run-down city landscapes.

Easier to notice things on a bike at 15mph or even a car going 35mph on a 2 lane than while navigating a six lane freeway in 70+ mph traffic ...

 

[Art Deco]

Slower speeds on a bike or a two-lane road make it easier to notice things compared to navigating a six-lane freeway at high speeds.

Is there an echo in here?

 

[BlackHand]

You can say that agAIn. QuAInt isn't it?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Biked down the Coast Highway to Cardiff State Beach in southernmost Encinitas on Monday. When I returned by car on Wednesday for a dog walk with an engineer friend, most of the parking lot had been turned into a staging area for a big beach sand replenishment operation in the neighboring town of Solana Beach.

After the walk, we spent a good 20 minutes excitedly ogling all the cool equipment and supplies being amassed there -- proving once again that you can take the old man out of the 6 year old, if he was ever there, but you can't take the 6 year old out of the old man.

The sand used to replenish the beaches will be dredged from a large San Dieguito River mouth bar some 2 miles offshore large sand bars offshore. It will then be pumped ashore in water suspension to be sprayed onto the target beaches. Heavy sand-moving equipment will then rework the beaches into final form.

The sand suspension will come ashore in these 30-inch cast iron pipes. My friend says that its high carbon content makes cast iron much more resistant to saltwater corrosion than steel.

Some of the pipe still had sand from previous jobs.

Not sure where these giant blue guillotine valves will end up in the pipeline.

A ship this big this close in is a rare sight along the North (San Diego) County coast. The accompanying ocean-going tug on the left is also pretty big as tugs go.

Not sure what role this ship plays, but it looks more like a pipeline layer/tender than a dredge to me. The ship is the hopper dredge used to mine the sand.

Also unsure what these many wooden frames are for. But the dog and I certainly intend to find out.

Massive articulating front loader with attachments.

The 2-part portable field office arrived by flatbed truck. The front loader deposited it inside the staging yard.

The front loader also put out the all-important porta-potties.

Portable tank with a built-in gas-powered pump, presumably for water but conceivably for diesel fuel -- countless gallons of which will no doubt be burned to complete the replenishment, both on- and offshore.

Think of all the diesel-turned-CO2 behind the creation and maintenance of modern human infrastructure.

On the beach walk, we came across several failures in the low sandy bluff between the beach and the Coast Highway. From the still-green plants caught up in the downed sand fencing, we could tell that the damage was fairly recent -- probably from the high surf event we had 4 weeks earlier.

Replenishment suppresses damage like this -- in part by raising the beach surface. Bigger waves rolling in on higher tides are then needed for the waves to smash directly on bluff faces. Solana Beach has many bluff-top homes and condos to protect.

 

[Readytoride]

I remember the day down at the Outer Banks (North Carolina) that the dredging tugs arrived to start the beach renewal project that had been planned the past few years for all the OBX. Prior to the project beginning in Kitty Hawk where our beach rental sat on the shoreline, we could enjoy high tide with the waves actually going under our house. We learned (from the next door neighbor who grew up in her house from a little girl and was now in her 50s) that when the current shoreline houses were built in the 50s and 60s, the ocean was easily 1/2 to 1/3 mile away. All the houses closest to the 50s shoreline were now long gone, foundations now hidden by the encroachment of the ocean.

It was the final year we rented the house because it was being listed for sale the following year. I never went back to see the replenishment in person. Google Earth shows a massive beach in front of the house now. No more surf under the house to lull one to sleep.

Our two collies resting on the deck of our OBX rental during low tide in late September 2016. High tide the waves were washing up under the deck. The replenished beach has been pushed out well beyond the cresting swell in this photo.

The picture below is mine from October 2016 after a hurricane whose name I've long forgotten (looked it up - it was Matthew). This bit of eroded beach was about 1/2 mile south from our rental. The ocean took out the shoreline north/south NC 12 route, swallowing massive pieces of pavement. It took months to put the road back, and I think it brought home the need to speed up the beach replenishment program poste haste, which began in earnest the following year.

This pics below are posted on Google of NC12 in the same spot as mine (notice the pedestrian crossing sign and the closest house), but from the view of the ocean. Shows how serious the ocean was in claiming further inland.

And a year later the program was begun to save the OBX by returning sand to the beach and shoving the ocean back far away from land. In this picture I noted with a red arrow where our rental sat. The beach nourishment had yet to reach the house.

As of reports dated January 2022, the project had exceeded 1 billion dollars. The 2023 sum needed was $100 million, and Dare County was out of funds and the state and federal governments were holding tight to their purse strings and glaring at the county begging for funds. Apparently the county did get some funds but had to grovel with concessions to get the cash.

And the ocean continues to steadily and relentlessly chew away at the brand new, very expensive sand beach.

I really miss our old rental, now under private ownership and withdrawn from the rental market. It was a fun house and presented us with lots of wonderful old memories, especially of ocean waves advancing and retreating in a lovely peaceful rhythm in the darkness under our house at night.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Below is a follow-up video, shot yesterday, to my earlier beach replenishment post. I'll let the video do the talking. See the captions and description for details.

I come to Cardiff Beach often by both bike and car — the latter cuz it's our nearest dog-legal beach. Grateful that Roxie and I and my engineer friend were still allowed on the beach (for now) to see the Cardiff end of the Solana Beach replenishment process up close. Video of the Solana Beach end to follow.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I remember the day down at the Outer Banks (North Carolina) that the dredging tugs arrived to start the beach renewal project that had been planned the past few years for all the OBX. Prior to the project beginning in Kitty Hawk where our beach rental sat on the shoreline, we could enjoy high tide with the waves actually going under our house. We learned (from the next door neighbor who grew up in her house from a little girl and was now in her 50s) that when the current shoreline houses were built in the 50s and 60s, the ocean was easily 1/2 to 1/3 mile away. All the houses closest to the 50s shoreline were now long gone, foundations now hidden by the encroachment of the ocean.

It was the final year we rented the house because it was being listed for sale the following year. I never went back to see the replenishment in person. Google Earth shows a massive beach in front of the house now. No more surf under the house to lull one to sleep.

Our two collies resting on the deck of our OBX rental during low tide in late September 2016. High tide the waves were washing up under the deck. The replenished beach has been pushed out well beyond the cresting swell in this photo.
View attachment 170186
The picture below is mine from October 2016 after a hurricane whose name I've long forgotten (looked it up - it was Matthew). This bit of eroded beach was about 1/2 mile south from our rental. The ocean took out the shoreline north/south NC 12 route, swallowing massive pieces of pavement. It took months to put the road back, and I think it brought home the need to speed up the beach replenishment program poste haste, which began in earnest the following year.
View attachment 170187
This pics below are posted on Google of NC12 in the same spot as mine (notice the pedestrian crossing sign and the closest house), but from the view of the ocean. Shows how serious the ocean was in claiming further inland.

View attachment 170188

And a year later the program was begun to save the OBX by returning sand to the beach and shoving the ocean back far away from land. In this picture I noted with a red arrow where our rental sat. The beach nourishment had yet to reach the house.
View attachment 170189

As of reports dated January 2022, the project had exceeded 1 billion dollars. The 2023 sum needed was $100 million, and Dare County was out of funds and the state and federal governments were holding tight to their purse strings and glaring at the county begging for funds. Apparently the county did get some funds but had to grovel with concessions to get the cash.

And the ocean continues to steadily and relentlessly chew away at the brand new, very expensive sand beach.

I really miss our old rental, now under private ownership and withdrawn from the rental market. It was a fun house and presented us with lots of wonderful old memories, especially of ocean waves advancing and retreating in a lovely peaceful rhythm in the darkness under our house at night.

Have a huge soft spot for the Outer Banks, and it hurts my heart to see these beloved islands damaged this way. Had one of my most memorable positive life experiences of all time on a National Seashore beach on Ocracoke. Wonder how much of that beach is left?

 

[Readytoride]

Have a huge soft spot for the Outer Banks, and it hurts my heart to see these beloved islands damaged this way. Had one of my most memorable positive life experiences of all time on a National Seashore beach on Ocracoke. Wonder how much of that beach is left?

I'd love a chance to get down to the OBX again to see for myself how the fight against the beach erosion is doing.

One day during our annual vacation in Kitty Hawk, long before the beach replenishment project took place, I took my ebike for a ride south 20 miles towards the national park lands. I had two 30 mile batteries so was ok to go at least a 50 mile round trip. But I knew the view of the ocean and the beach would be blocked by the huge berms when I eventually reached the main parkland, so I figured 40 miles round trip would be plenty for that ride. It was the first and only time I'd ever had the opportunity to ride a completely flat ride in my life. It was great!

I had the wind at my back going home so that was a bonus. Especially for my bike battery.

The following day I rode 15 miles north into and past Duck. Gorgeous ride. But to see the beach I had to walk my bike on the boards over the dunes. The ocean was beautiful, and the beaches wide and quiet. No bike riding on them, however, so I kept to the roads. Duck is a very lovely little community with lots of upscale eateries and shops. I do remember they were higher on the beach replenishment list so they obtained additional beach frontage before anyone else.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Below is a follow-up video, shot yesterday, to my earlier beach replenishment post. I'll let the video do the talking. See the captions and description for details.

I come to Cardiff Beach often by both bike and car — the latter cuz it's our nearest dog-legal beach. Grateful that Roxie and I and my engineer friend were still allowed on the beach (for now) to see the Cardiff end of the Solana Beach replenishment process up close. Video of the Solana Beach end to follow.

the problem is this does not work. you cant stop sand erosion its part of the cycle.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Jonson creek looking gnarly.

 

[fooferdoggie]

 

[fooferdoggie]

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

the problem is this does not work. you cant stop sand erosion its part of the cycle.

Yes, pumping sand onto beaches is a short-term fix at best, but it still makes sense in some places. Beaches are huge economic drivers at local to state levels along all US coastlines, and they can easily merit periodic replenishment on that basis alone.

In SoCal, the ultimate long-term mitigation would be to remove the dams on the rivers and creeks that drain the mountains to the Pacific. These steep, rugged mountains are mostly made of granitic rock and shed lots of sandy sediment over time. But the Santa Margarita River north of Oceanside is the only undammed river left in all of SoCal.

Problem is, the dams trap the sand that would otherwise have replenished the beaches naturally. Several have since filled with sediment and are no longer used. A few have been removed, but the will and funding to take out more of them just aren't there yet.

 

[Readytoride]

Photo from my ride today in 72°f (22.1°c) temperature. Three days ago this landscape was covered in 5" of snow and nighttime temps were in the low teens Fahrenheit. The snow is now meltwater, and the gravel roads soft and mushy.

Today has already broken the record for warmest day in January thus far. Edited to add: the temp hit a high of 77°f to crush the prior record of 70°f. Historic average is 42°f.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

View attachment 170245
Photo from my ride today in 72°f (22.1°c) temperature. Three days ago this landscape was covered in 5" of snow and nighttime temps were in the low teens Fahrenheit. The snow is now meltwater, and the gravel roads soft and mushy.

Today has already broken the record for warmest day in January thus far.

In our 20 years in Denver, we saw one or two crystal-clear 70-degree days each January or February. They usually came one at a time and totally out of the blue (literally). Each was a gift from the planet.

My very first one, in the middle of an otherwise cold and snowy February, left me dumbfounded and delighted the same time. What manner of weather be this??? Walked the dogs in a T-shirt at 9 am and drove to work in falling snow 4 hours later.