When was the last time I felt a bit over-dressed and over-heated? Quite some time ago! That changed today.
It was the usual Sunday ride; up Old LaHonda, down to LaHonda, Haskins to Pescadero, Stage Road north to Tunitas, then back over the hill. I got to watch Kevin ride away on Old LaHonda and didn’t even consider trying to keep up. Just wasn’t going to happen. This has been a pretty tough winter for me, in terms of trying to keep weight off and speed up. Hopefully the slightly-warmer temps will tell my body it’s OK to come out of hibernation mode!
Life could be worse though; as you approach Pescadero, you come across the field on the southern side where the large iron (I think they’re iron) Mastadon & Triceratops hold court. Sadly, the Mastadon fell over many months ago, and is still lying on its side in the field.
Kevin and I met up with the other Kevin (pilot) in Pescadero, after which we headed north into a very stiff headwind. Younger Kevin surprisingly pulled hard into it, something that used to be my job, but seems like more and more of my (on the bike) job description is being handed over to younger Kevin all the time.
Tunitas today was as tough as Tunitas last week, although today I was on my own through the steep part, as the two Kevins rode off the front, chatting away. As usual, I had my loud lungs to keep me company. Thankfully they turned back to check up on me after reaching the spot where it levels out, so I didn’t have to ride the long, flatter upper section alone. No biggie; it was a very pleasant day to be out on a bike, whether climbing, descending, even fighting the wind for a bit.
Towards the end of the ride, the Olive Hill corgis were out watching the world go by, in a lazy manner that mirrored how I felt at the time. These guys are never out there to greet us on Tuesday or Thursday mornings; I think they like the cold even less than cyclists. Amazing how much the Corgi in the photo looks how I felt shortly after the ride.
So about that El Nino thing. Yes, I know we need more rain, but what happened to our customers during December & January wasn’t pleasant to the shop’s bottom line, so from a purely-selfish mode, I’m ok with extreme water conservation requirements. I’ve even got a good way to rationalize it. California’s only going to get more people over time, so if we can’t figure out how to learn with less water now, what’s going to happen down the road? See, droughts now are good for us! –Mike–
