Yesterday evening (Mardi 19 Mai) I went for my usual after-work bike ride. I ride on the same stretch of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) from just South of Solimar Beach down to the pier in the City of Ventura and back.
I like this route for several reasons, it is fairly flat (the net elevation loss-gain is minimal), vehicular traffic is light, the views are awesome (and change daily depending on weather conditions) and I know the route well, which means that I can easily track my performance over any portion of the route.
The one “problem” with this route, however, are the ever changing wind conditions. Depending on the prevailing weather pattern, winds can be completely calm or they can blow at a fast, steady rate. The weather further affects wind conditions by dictating in which direction the wind will blow – out to sea or in from the sea.
On yesterday’s ride the wind was a major factor. As you can see from the picture below, the wind was blowing in from the sea at a steady pace (look at the flags to the right of the photographs).
The wind pushed the waves (you can see the white caps on the photos below) creating choppy conditions. Of course, diehard surfers are not deterred even by choppy waters - I am told that windy conditions make for lousy surfing, however.
On the “out” half of my ride, I had the wind at my back. I rode the eight miles out with no problem at all, averaging over 15 mph. On the way “in,” however, the wind made me “pay” for the easy ride out. Facing a stiff headwind, I was never able to go faster than 5 to 6 mph. If you have not ridden your bike against a head wind, imagine what it feels like to climb a mountain on a bike – that is exactly how it felt yesterday evening. It felt as if I rode eight miles straight up hill.
The ride back was hard, but it made for a wonderful workout. My calf muscles got pushed hard and at the end of the ride my gluteus maximus was tired but I couldn’t complain – you all ought to try riding against the wind sometime!
Now for more photographs…
Another interesting weather condition is the fog created by the marine layer. In Ventura County (as in most California coastal regions) it is not uncommon for a deep shroud of fog to roll in the early morning hours, burn off at midday, and then return on the late afternoon.
In these photographs you can see the fog that has settled right over the hill bordering the coast. The fog is “sucked,” by warm air, in through inland valleys and it can reach in for many miles away from the coast.
Another nice “bonus” from these coastal bike rides are all the interesting sites, such at the gun emplacements (featured in earlier posts), dotting the coast line. The beach draws an interesting crowd of people; some of who are very talented (like the artist who arranged these rocks overlooking the surf).
On these rides I usually come across interesting sea life (like the dolphins from Sunday’s post). There are also groups of pelicans “patrolling” the coast, like ancient pterodactyls. Pelicans are interesting to watch for a couple of reasons. When they are flying in a V formation, pelicans, like Canadian geese, like “draft” like bike riders in a peloton. If you watch them, you can see how each pelican takes a turn as the lead, or point, pelican. The lead rotates, so that the work is evenly distributed, just like bike riders in a peloton. The other interesting thing about pelicans is how they “fish” for food. A pelican will fly over a spot and, when he notices a tasty morsel swimming below; the pelican will dive straight into the water, like a diver bomber, and catch its food.
The shore also has delicate plant life that does not grow anywhere else. These are very fragile ecosystems and that is the reason why I encourage you to walk, and not ride your bike, into the areas where these plants grow.
And there is also the driftwood that washes ashore -the tangled wood creates interesting patterns, almostlike a boneyard.
Finally, what is a ride along the beach without the obligatory shot of waves crashing into the rocks?
And, for me at least, there is the obligatory shot of sea gulls at play. Seagulls are as bright and playful as crows and ravens. But they don’t have the dark, ominous reputation that crows and ravens have. That is why I enjoy photographing seagulls and sharing their pictures with you.
Hope you enjoyed this ride down the beach with me!
Soon I will return to more serious topics and more poetry, but for now, a romp by the beach is as serious as I can possibly get.
Ciao!
All photos © Copyright 2009, DB. All Rights Reserved.
For more fun information and facts on the City of Ventura pier click the links below:
Photos of Ventura, including the famous pier.
A brief history of the pier
Pier view from Beach Cam (You must have Java enabled and updated.)
An added-added-added bonus: roses from my backyard!
