A common sight when riding up Glendora Mountain Road are gravity skaters. Usually 6 or 7 of them are going all out to reach the bottom with a following vehicle ready to take them back up to the top to repeat the process.

Monday rides up San Gabriel Canyon are the best times to encounter the debris left by those that missed a turn the night before. This mangled vehicle ran off on the west side of the road. Most take the plunge down toward one of the two reservoirs in the canyon.



Riding along on Hwy 101 (PCH) in Carlsbad, I looked up and saw a party of pelicans flying up the coast.



Very colorful along mountain roadsides in the spring, Spanish Broom is native to Mediterranean countries and was first introduced to California as an ornamental plant. Considered a highly invasive species by the forest service and environmentalists (who would like to pull everyone of these plants out by the roots) the shrub has thrived in the poor soil of roadsides and road cuts.



The western pond turtle is the only native western aquatic turtle found along streams and ponds. This one was basking on a log in the San Gabriel River in the Whittier Narrows area.

Riders Keep Left, Walkers Keep Right. Not on this day as the El Tour de Tucson has two arroyo crossings that require walking the bike through the sandy 1/3 mile long crossings.

While riding along Lyons Valley Road in San Diego County, I came across this house with a unique mailbox. I ride this way a few times a year and the last time I rode by the motorcycle mail receptacle was no longer there and the owner was in the driveway. He told me it was stolen.




The best sign ever. While riding up 101 from La Jolla to Oceanside, I stopped by my artist friend Ron Wickersham's art gallery in Encinitas Beach. I walked into the gallery and found this note on the floor. Just don't steal anything O.K.

Originally built as a water tower in the late 1800's to supply steam locomotives running from Los Angeles to San Diego, the Sunset Beach water tower has been a house since 1980. An elevator leads up to the 2400 sq ft, tri-level luxurious house that was on sale recently for $4.5 million. The owner has since turned it into a rental for a mere $4000 per week.

OK, your turn. I didn't make too big of a mess. We pidgeons have to keep up appearances as we have a reputation for being messy.

A chilly and misty day in San Gabriel Canyon.

Can you play "Guantanamera"?


Let's see now...going 4.5 miles per hour, almost 21 miles into the ride,at 66 degrees. No, that 17% is not the humidity but the gradient of the climb, made a little more difficult while holding the camera in one hand and trying to control the bike with the other.

Dolce at Biosphere 2. The worlds largest greenhouse and a colossal $150 million failure by Columbia University and its financial backers to replicate Earth's ecosystem. It's crew of 4 men and 4 women barely survived the 2 years occupation. 80% of the 3800 plant and animal species became extinct within its glass walls while ants and cockroaches thrived. After 18 months the occupants had to have oxygen pumped in so they could function properly. In-fighting and power struggles plagued the crew who could not grow enough food to feed themselves. It is currently run by U of A as a tourist attraction. A round-trip 60-mile ride from my house.


Nothing says Arizona like this saguaro cactus along Camino de Manana, part of my ride when in AZ


Rana catesbeiana, or Bullfrog, is an invasive species in California. First introduced in 1895 for its meaty legs as a culinary offering, it has few enemies and will eat almost any other small vertebrate creature.


Oro Valley Arizona prides itself in being a bicycle friendly community, which is obvious in this photo. This group is getting together for their regular weekday ride but first have to agree on a coffee shop rest stop.


Before you drop out of the Santa Monica Mountains and into Camarillo on the El Conejo Century, you are reminded by these Thousand Oaks High School cheerleaders that hopefully, you won't lose any more than your elevation.


A brand new bike path. In 2010 a large part of the San Gabriel River bike path was re-paved. This section is just south of the 210 freeway.


The Cayo chillin' in AZ.