Beech to the Beach

I had been talking about riding to the beach for a while. Yesterday, we got everything ready and I left about 9 AM. The first 20 miles or so was through Thousand Oaks and out to Potrero Road. Then there was a little fun. In two different spots, there was some downhill riding through this canyon, steep and sharp turns with no bail out areas. I had to ride my brakes pretty good to get through it all. The wind picked up out on the Hueneme Road where there is no protection from the off shore winds. It didn't help that their was storms blowing in either. After about 10 miles of solid wind I got on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The wind was not so bad there. It was great to ride down the coast for the next 20 miles or so. The waves, the rocks, the sounds, the other riders, it was beautiful.

A highlight of the ride was seeing this orange bike riding rider up ahead of me about 1/2 mile. It was motivating to think "Hey, there's Yoda, time to go!" Within the next mile and at the top of a next hill, the chase was over; the catch was made. It feels great to catch someone on a hill. In a look reminescent of "The Look", I stared back at the man and said, "Good morning!" Then, I put the pedal down on the downhill and I never saw him again. In fact, I thought I'd better ride hard because I don't want to see him again. That would mean I was not riding hard enough.

The end was the best. I was finishing up the ride, looking for a place to wait for Christine and then there she was. I turned around and went back to meet her and the kids. This is when Craig took the picture above. We stayed at the beach for about two hours, sitting, talking, playing football, and just hanging out. On the way home, we stopped in at Chipotle and got a burrito. Hey, after riding 50, I had a great need from some calorie replenishment. A little rice and beans never hurt anyone. After getting home and watching Texas lose in OT, we went off to look at a health club. Christine has a group of women she plays BB with that attend every morning. It has a pool, sauna, weights, etc., just like any health club. I think it would be great to do. Then I could swim twice a week, sit in the sauna, and lift a little to supplement my bike riding. Yoda has given some advice that I need the cross training to aid in the weight loss effort. I think I will take him up on it. More importantly, Christine and I could work out together a couple time a week. On the weight loss note, I lost another half a pound this week!! 200 here I come.