I’m in London for the start of the Bike Dreams Abbey Road bike tour. I got in a few days early to recover from the flight and jet lag, and to make sure I had enough time in case my bike was delayed. I took a little walk around Putney, which is the neighborhood in London where I’m staying. I got a little rain that made the streets all wet and shiny after it stopped.
What is that glowing yellow orb in the sky? Finally, a nice sunny day, and since I was in the area, an opportunity to check out Edgewood Park. Like many other parks, I’ve passed by it on my bike but never hiked around in it. The trails were a mix of shaded forest, and open grasslands. I saw a few different types of wildflowers, and it’s nice that the wildflower season is still here.
Arun loves the sun… a lot. So, even though he has a nice fleecy bed with a heating pad, he’ll choose any place to lie down if there is sun shining on it. On Friday, he had sunny opportunities during the entire day.
The morning sun is quite nice when it comes in through the back door. Arun gets to enjoy exploring the “catio” in the back, but once he’s satisfied his curiosity, he likes to lie down in the back area for an extended sunbathing session.
When the sun gets high enough during midday, it comes in the skylight in the hallway, and I arrange Arun’s little bed so that he can get a nap in it while getting a nice amount of the sun’s warming rays.
On this day, I had dropped a pair of jeans in the living room, intending to come back and pick them up shortly. However, Arun found them first and settled in for more sun.
I got out early this morning to hike Byrne Preserve. This is a place that I often ride by on my bike, but I’ve never explored.
Part of the trail was on dirt Moody, which I have done on my bike, but otherwise, it was a new experience for me today. Pictures are below the break.
Arun likes to take care of his fur, and is very enthusiastic about his grooming, as the following photos show
During a break in the rain, I bundled up and went out for a walk. I spotted many interesting flowers during my trek. Check them out below the fold.
After my fun road trip last week, it was nice to get back to doing a Monday hike. I got up early so I could beat the heat, and headed over to Hallmark Park. This is another park that was close by when I lived in Belmont, and I had ridden my bike past it many times, although I often didn’t notice because the entrance is not as visible as some other parks.
The trail in the park was only about 6 kilometers (3.6 miles) so I added an out and back on Sheep Camp trail, down to the Pulgas Water Temple. The entrance to the water temple wasn’t open yet, but it was still worth the walk, as I saw some wildflowers and a good view of Crystal Springs reservoir.
After coming back up Sheep Camp trail, I continued on the Hallmark Trail, which is also part of the Crystal Springs cross country running course. Because it’s a running course, the trail was well-maintained and wide enough to avoid the copious amount of poison oak growing along it.
I got to see lots of wildflowers along the trail, and it was a nice trail to do, although it wasn’t too difficult or challenging. Check out the photos below the break.
After my ride in the Monterey area during the weekend, I drove down to Los Angeles to visit with friends. In my free time, I got a bike ride in. It started from Glendale, and I got to ride along the Los Angeles River for a bit. I then ventured up to Griffith Observatory, where I observed the many school tour groups.
There was a road up around Mt Hollywood that was closed to cars. It was a slightly broken up road, but still rideable with some decent views.
Then I continued west through Hollywood and into Beverly Hills where I ascended to the world famous Mulholland Drive. I saw lots of tour buses up there, and I wondered if I could figure out what sights they were pointing out to the tourists.
After descending from Mulholland Drive, I got to ride along the river some more, passing the Dreamworks campus, where I plan to return this evening to enjoy some whisky tasting at the Uisge Beatha Whisky Society. I think I earned some whisky after this ride around the Hollywood Hills today.
After my bike riding in and around Pacific Grove, I packed up my van and drove down to Paso Robles. I got a room at my now-usual hotel choice, the Oxford Suites. It’s not too expensive, but it’s quite nice and close enough to downtown that I can walk there to get dinner.
I got up early for the drive out to Carrizo Plain. I was hoping for a super bloom, but given that the poppies and other wildflowers were not out in abundance during my ride on Saturday, I was not expecting much.
I got to there pretty early, and sure enough, there wasn’t any color on the hills, just brown and still some green. I ventured along the Soda Lake Road, stopping off at the Visitor Center to see if there was any information about where to go. I didn’t seem much info there, so I continued along the road, turning off on Panorama Road to see what was over on the east side of the plain.
I stopped here and there whenever I saw some flowers. I got some decent enough pictures doing that, but there wasn’t quite the spectacular scenery that saw back in 2019.
I made my way to the Wallace Creek Trail to check out the San Andreas Fault. Again, not much to see there. I decided to head over towards Selby Campground and explore that area.
I had been around the Selby Campground in 2019, but I decided to drive up the hills towards the Caliente Range Ridge. I did see more flowers there, especially as I ascended towards the ridge.
I got some decent pictures, even though there wasn’t the super bloom that I had hoped for. The only flower that seemed to be in abundance was the Purple Owl’s Clover. Anyway, check out the pictures below the fold.
After my long ride with the large group yesterday, I did a shorter ride with a smaller group today. Lyresa, Tom, and I started with the Western Wheelers and did the ride to Fort Ord, but we were mostly on our own, being passed a couple of times when we had to work on Tom’s tire.
It was a pleasant day, much sunnier than the last time I did it. Pictures are below the fold.
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