Hi Patrizzia and Amos!
Glad you finally received snaps from October! I seem to recall, vaguely, that first time I sent them there was an error message but second try seemed to work. Nevertheless, all's well now. Busy times here. Chloë arrives today and Corinne's parents on Monday so the Dunn/Durston Clan is starting to gather! Enjoy the holidays and a Healthy New Year to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Patrizzio -
Marvin Angelo Mercado
Patrick James Dunn On my Madone Six to ride from Temescal Canyon to Venice Beach on the Pacific Coast Highway Bike Path this weekend, Simi Valley for Christmas and St Maarten in the New Year! Bon Voyage, Marvinator and Nicolina Marietta and Buona Fortuna! Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year to you both! PS: How are the shelves holding up?
The big thieves hang the little ones. -Czech proverb
Hi Cactus!
Hope your drive to Los Osos went well. Had a great ride today when The Sisterhood were out shopping, mainly for groceries for the next few meals before Christmas and for Christmas morn breakfast, as well as our contributions to Christmas dinner.
Took Woodman Avenue to the 101 North and exited on Topanga Canyon Road where I followed this picturesque, twisting and turning road to the Pacific Coast Highway. Chap I was chatting with in the lobby of Open Fist Theatre, where we saw Both last Thursday, told me about the Marvin Braude Bike Trail which runs from the Will Rogers State Beach, right across from Temescal Canyon Road in Pacific Palisades, to
Torrance County Beach, in a parking lot at the base of the Palos Verdes Peninsula hills. The whole trail is 22 miles, (35.4K), in length but I only managed to go as far as El Porto Beach, just past the Scattergood Generating Station, a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power electrical generating plant, run on natural gas, and possessing two distinctive red and white chimneys.
By the time these came into view, visible once one returns to the path which runs parallel to the beach, for most of its length, after having to go inland from Venice Beach, along Washington Boulevard, to get around the main channel of the marina at Marina del Ray, I decided to make them my goal. I knew, by rough reckoning, approximately how far I'd come. (I am most embarrassed, Dear Reader, to report that I had FORGOTTEN my trusty odometre! Couldn't believe it when I unloaded my bike at Will Rogers, [parking $9!], and couldn't find it! I had set it out on the table with my car keys, etc., and somehow didn't put it in my jacket pocket!) At any rate, the path itself is extremely well maintained tarmac and concrete and, more or less, flat, so I assumed I was making close to 20kph for most of the ride. Wind was slight so not really a factor, either coming or going. Only hazard to speak of was the sand which drifted across the path at certain points and I was concerned about skidding on it if I took some of the corners too quickly.
Quite enjoyed having wonderful vista of the Pacific on my right as I headed south, and the various, colourful communities, up against the cliffs, to my left. First is Santa Monica with its Municipal Pier housing quite an amusement park which boasts a ferris wheel and a roller coaster. Bike path takes one under the pier itself and then
Venice Beach is next. This is perhaps the busiest section of the route as the ocean front walk here is something else!
On the Westside there must be hundreds of street vendors although I didn't see many performers or musicians. On the Eastside are the store fronts of the boardwalk. Here you will find everything from t-shirts to tattoo and piercing stores, skate and surf shops and medical marijuana dispensaries! Of course there is a large selection of restaurants, juice spots and bars. Bike path here has many curves and I had to pay particular attention to the mini-sand dune covered surface as well as all the other heavy traffic along this particular section, (families with small children on bikes, roller-bladers, dog walkers and dough-headed pedestrians oblivious to BIKES ONLY signs), or risk an accident. Fortunately, only trouble I encountered was witnessing what seemed to be a rather nasty altercation between two street people, just as I was nearing the Venice Fishing Pier. Was past the two combatants before any blows were exchanged but the foul language and obvious rage of both men was upsetting enough. I noticed that a number of bikers coming the other way stopped a good distance away from the scene of the argument. For my part, I had to dodge the smaller of the two as he was standing in the middle of the path, ranting and waving his arms, when I cycled by.
A few minutes later the bike path along the ocean came to an end and I was at a bit of loss as how to proceed. Figuring that this was an exploratory ride anyway, I turned right onto Pacific Avenue, the street which ran parallel to the beach and followed it until it turned into Via Marina with numerous Ways, (Bora Bora, Tahiti, Marquessas, Panay), lined with expensive looking apartment and condo complexes jutting, like spokes, from it. Via Marina turned into Admiralty Way and I followed this until it became Fiji Way which in turn feeds into the terrific path which runs along Ballona Creek channel. Over a small bridge near Del Ray Lagoon to return to the ocean front path of Playa Del Rey. Not many people by now so it was a pleasant change from the crowds of Venice Beach.
Next was Dockweiler Beach State Park and I was plane spotting as I zipped along for LAX is almost immediately east of here. There is also an RV Park here but I'm not sure why people would want to stay in such a location, at least at this time of year. Furthermore, close by is the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest
wastewater treatment facility int eh LA Metropolitan Area! Almost next door are the earlier mentioned Scattergood Generating Station and the Chevron El Segundo Refinery with a huge, ugly, rust coloured holding tank of some sort, just before the parking lot at El Porto Beach. According to Wikipedia:
El Porto is one of the most popular beaches in the South Bay area with surfers from near and far because of an underwater canyon that creates waves usually larger than those at neighboring beaches. These swells have lefts and rights that break over sandbars and are consistently big when other beaches are flat. The breaks can hold waves up to double overhead.
Interestingly enough, I passed a young surfer, after I turned around to make my way back, who was carrying his surfboard on a nifty brace that was attached to his bike! Noticed quite a few surfers catching the waves of Santa Monica Bay and wondered how cold the water was. El Porto is part of the City of Manhattan Beach but I will have to explore this part of trail another time. Would certainly like to go all the way to the end of the trail, past Redondo Beach to Palos Verde. Was first at RB in 1983 with Chloë, (She was seven!), and Salmon George Csoti, when the three of us took a road trip to Disneyland. Dropped Chloë at the San Francisco Airport on way home. She flew to Seattle and Cora Lee picked her up there before leaving next day with Jean and John Anderson to rendezvous at The Budget Lodge Motel in Redding! George dropped me off there on his way back to Vancouver and I discovered Jack's Bar and Grill, (home of unbelievable 16oz filet mignon), the night before they arrived. This was our second trip to California and the very beginning of our wine tasting excursions!
Return ride was even more enjoyable as I now had some idea of where I was going and looked forward to seeing the spots I'd passed once more. On the way down, a friendly rider I'd asked about the trail which went north from where Fiji Way meets the Ballona Creek channel, told me it went to Culver City so I'd like to explore that part of the route some time as well. Only part of route that gave me a bit of trouble was the section which paralleled Admiralty Way to intersect with Washington Blvd. Whether I missed posted signs or misunderstood ones I'd seen I ended up using the sidewalk on the south side of the very busy street until I came to an intersection that allowed me to cross over to gain the dedicated bike path which took me right into Venice Beach.
Once there, it was smooth sailing all the way back to Will Rogers although the wind had picked up and it required somewhat more effort to make headway. Once under the pier at Santa Monica the wind was much more Iona-ish and I must admit that I was beginning to tire somewhat by the time I was close to what I thought was Temescal Canyon. Got a bit of a fright when I reached the parking lot and my car was nowhere to be seen. When I first arrived there were very few parked vehicles so I knew exactly where my car was parked, close to the ticket booth and the washrooms. So surprised and upset, (Had my car been towed? If so, why? And what was I going to do? Cycle Topanga Canyon all the way back to Woodman?), was I that I turned around, hoping that I'd come too far and had somehow missed the Mother Ship! As it turned out, I hadn't come far enough and was overjoyed when I came to the next parking lot and my saucy Hybrid was patiently waiting for me to come and claim her! This was around 4:22pm so ride was probably about three hours.
Loaded my bike, locked it onto the rack and then took a few snaps of the beach before heading north on PCH to Topanga Canyon. Waved goodbye to WRSB just before 5:00pm and after the up and over of TCR traffic was moving well on 101 South so I was back on Woodman and home by 5:30pm. Once I'd showered and changed I did a bit of web searching and was able to estimate that I'd covered about 16 miles on each leg for a round trip total of 51.499008K, close enough to 51.3K, Dear Reader! Since I cannot enter this as an Official Ride, (not having had odometre to provide corroborating evidence), I will also admit that my feet actually touched the ground twice: Once, on the way back, between Dockweiler Beach and Vista Del mar Park, I missed a detour around a section of the trail closed for maintenance and had to turn around or face wading through the soft beach sand that would have sucked me and my Trek Madone under like ravenous quicksand. The trail was so narrow at this point that I was forced to un-cleat, much as I fought the impulse not to do so!
The second dis-mountment occurred on Washington Blvd when I was forced to wait for a damnable light change and no possibility, whatsoever, presented itself for a saving dipsy-doodle. After the excruciating burning sensation subsided to a manageable threshold I proceeded, taking some comfort in the fact that ride was not an officially sanctioned one anyway. Nevertheless, a grand outing, boldly cycling where I'd not gone before!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR, to you and your loved ones!Hope for a lot of fun together in the new year. Kjell
Chloe Alexis Dunn is at Vancouver International Airport: "Going to LA- Merry Christmas everyone!!!!" 
Nicole Marie Christmas just won't be the same without you guys!! But have fun give hugs to the fam for me
Hello Jane and Kjell!First and foremost, I trust things go well for both of you, particularly you, Jane, in the aftermath of the deaths of your Father and Aunt. I hope you are settled back into life "regulare" in Stockholm/Gavle, Kjell.
I had wanted to send greetings earlier so I must apologize for not writing sooner but it has been a hectic, yet wonderful time ever since leaving the confines of Villa Vicente, in Berkeley, and the northern environs of Healdsburg, Sonoma. Fondestos from our family to both of yours, Jane and Kjell. Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year! Cheers, Patrizzio!
George and Pat,The christmas cake I donated to fund raising for breast cancer was advertised as Magic Math Cake, guaranteed to raise your IQ by 10 points and was auctioned off for $200 last night. The generous donor cut some off for the ladies I gave it to and they said it was delicious. Thank goodness for that! May have to go into business next year with perhaps a Christmas pudding sideline.Best wishes to both of your families.RayAyn P shared Rick Livingstone's status update.
$1000.00 (ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS)
Looking for a home for our 4 year old white neutered female cat Waffle. Shots are all up to date. She's wonderful and loving but has to be in a single pet household. She doesn't get along with other animals. She's wearing soft paws right now, plastic clips that cover her nails, but she will grow out of them. I need to place her by Christmas Day somewhere in the L.A. Ventura area. She comes with a $1000.00 (ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS) check to cover her food and kitty litter costs if it's the right home.Patrick James Dunn Maggie, our cat back in Vancouver, has always wanted a sister. We'll take Waffle but it'll be $2,000 CDN
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