Thursday nights in Oceanside

Hubby and I went to the Thursday night street fair thingy in Oceanside last night (with our bikes, of course), and we learned that they have FREE bicycle parking, with security!  What an awesome concept!  It keeps us from walking around and tripping people with our bikes, and frees our hands up so we can sample hot sauce and hummus.  We are going to start volunteering for the bike parking to help give back to Oceanside's super bicycle friendly community! 

Happy Cycling!

Rode to work...

And it was RAD!  My max speed was 31.7 mph.  How do I know this you ask?  Because my incredibly awesome hubs bought me a GARMIN!!!!  Now I have the same cool gadget as him (mine is actually way cooler) and can use Strava and be cool, just like the real cyclists ( : 

I noticed something today that I think needs to be addressed.  This is for the motorists who think that cyclists are taking up space on "your" road and who freak out at the sight of one of us and make dangerous moves.  You don't need to exaggeratedly swerve into oncoming lanes just to get around us.  All you need to do, is pay attention.  That's it!  Now, if you're in an unnecessarily large vehicle, like a Hummer or one of those pick-up truck with twelve wheels on your back axle, please try your best not to hug the bike lane... But everyone else, just paying attention is all we need you to do. 

That's my gripe for the day.  Well, that 10 minute hill... Nope, I'm gonna leave it at that.  No complaining! 

Happy Cycling! ( :

A green grocery trip!

Aaron and I rode our bikes to the grocery store this evening!  And, we brought our reusable grocery bag! 

I learned a nifty new route to get to the street that will save at least a minute off my commute to work... I'm pretty stoked about that. 

Happy cycling!

Longest ride to date!

Hello everyone!  Hubs and I went on my longest ride today!  We rode 40 miles!  (His longest is 100).  We went back to Witch Creek Winery, and joined their wine-o club!  They have amazing wine, if you're into that kind of thing.  They have $5 wine tasting and you get a decent sample of 5 different varietals!  Super nom.  After gettin' our drink on we kept riding to Leucadia and had a late lunch.  The chef hooked us up with some extra lil' things to nom on.  The place is called Hapifish I think.  It's a wee on the expensive side (considering their typical roll is only 6 pieces) but the flavors are to die for.  The ride home was kinda rough.  We didn't stop for food/bathroom/flats/mechanicals.  The only stop we made was to satisfy the cat lover in me!  There was a cute little orange and white kitty named Pumpkin that just needed me to pet him!  He lives at a little beach shop in C-bad, you should go visit him.  Anyway, the temperature dropped at least 10 degrees from C-bad to O'side, and the sun set, and the marine layer rolled in making everything nice and wet!  My headlight was about as bright as RJ3's future will be after this Alamo bowl game, which was annoying as hell!  It was a wannabe strobe light, oy. (If you would like to contribute to the new-headlight-fund please note the "donate" button to the right of the page!)  Wouldn't have been so bad if there were lights on the O'side trail.  We made it home with time to spare before the game, which made my Husky lovin' hubs a happy camper.  My parts hurt, my wrists hurt, but I feel great and some masochistic part of me wants to go ride in the morning! 

My advice to newbie riders: always have a reliable headlight and tail light, if you aren't 100% sure what time you'll be home, pack somethign WARM, and buy some shot bloks, they're super yummy and really help with energy! 

Thanks all for following me!  Much love ( :  HAPPY CYCLING!

-Christie

Gettin' our drink on...

Revisiting our wedding site <3

Catalina Island!

My dear followers... I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this in a million years.  My hubs and I have been really busy with getting married (again), buying a house, transitioning from military life to civilian life, school, everything!  But, I still should have at least posted SOMETHING.  I am sorry!  Please forgive me, and still follow my shizzy. 

Hubs and I went to Catalina Island for his birthday and we took our bikes!  Btw, it's $30-something each way on the Catalina Express and only $6 to bring a bike!  It was so much fun.  We didn't do all the fancy expensive tours... We made our own tour!  We wode our bikes around Avalon, explored some ancient ruins (which look like an old beat up chicken coop), went rock climbing in a cave (less than 15 feet above the road), and visited Mr. Wrigley's memorial and botanical gardens.  We wouldn't have been able to go to all those places without the bikes! 

One cool part of the trip was the fact that the LA Sheriff department was to make their press conference speechy thing that day regarding the Natalie Wood case being reopened.  It was kind of neat being on the island during that.  We got to hear from a couple of the locals about their version of the story, or their parents' version!  One of the locals, Memo (sorry if I spelled your name wrong!) from the Catalina Cantina hooked us up with an amazing drink that's only made on the island, Buffalo Milk.  So good.  I highly recommend it.  Their tequila selection isn't so bad either, if that's your kind of thing! 

We loved the island so much we decided to go back for our honeymoon! ( :  And of course, we will bring our bikes. 

Happy Cycling ( : 

Stone Brewery Trip

At Witch Creek Winery

Weekend rides are the best!

Aaron and I went on a 25+ mile ride yesterday.  It was a lot of fun!  We stopped for lunch and some coffee... Starbucks actually was out of coffee, and tea.  Pretty lame!  On the ride back home Aaron's bike broke.  A couple of his spokes decided their time had come and they popped outta place.  Super rad!  Luckily, the spokes broke right in front of Hooters, so he and his bum bike got to go have a beer while I rode home to get the car ( ;  It's okay though.  I needed the extra exercise.  I'm training for a sprint triathlon that's in a couple weeks and I need ALL THE HELP I CAN GET.  Those who know me, know I'm not an athlete at all, but for some reason I like to try and I sign up for races that I know I will get my ass handed to me at.  But, it's going to be fun!  I'm not too worried about the swim part, or the bike, it's the run that's going to be the end of me.  Thank goodness for shot blocks! 

It's a really good thing Aaron and I each have two bikes.  Both of our cars are outta commission.  His is awaiting a new catalytic converter, and mine is awaiting a trip to the car hospital to see what's wrong with her.  Her check engine light came on yesterday and she was driving pretty sluggishly.  So, we are both really excited about this financial hit we're about to take, but also thankful for the two-wheeled, human powered vehicles we have! 

Well, I haven't taken many pictures lately, but when I do I will start posting them.  Thanks for following my bloggity blog ( :

Happy Cycling!

Ridin' in San Fran...

I did it!

I rode my darn tootin' bike to work finally!  It's been well over two months since I last did it.  The ride is so nice.  It was mostly quiet because it's so early.  It was overcast which I really like.  The less sun there is, the less energy it can suck out of me!  Heat really drains me... Also, there was this little stretch, no more than a quarter mile, of jasmine flowers!  It smelled so yummy.  It was a great ride!  Some other perks: I saved $3.16 in gas, and I prevented 16.67 lbs. of CO2 from being added to the atmosphere.  And that's just the ride TO work!  Here and back is: $6.38/33.35lbs.  Pretty impressive. 

If everyone that works within ten miles of their job traded one car day with a bicycle day, you could save about $157/year and keep 823 lbs. of gunk from being released into the air for everyone to breathe.  Think about that! 

Happy Cycling ( : 

Great ride yesterday!

I finally got back on my bike yesterday and it was so much fun!  Aaron and I rode the entire bike trail in O'Side which is really neat.  I love the miniature traffic signs!  So cute.  We stopped for some yummy ice cream and looked at some precions puppies and kittehs.  It was hard not to take the eight baby orange tabbies home!  The entire ride was just shy of 30 miles and I didn't complain once!  This is a major breakthrough. 

Here are some lessons that I learned:

• Put sunscreen on about 10-15 minutes BEFORE you go outside.
• Ride WITH traffic when you're on a bicycle, no matter how easy it is for you to get on the bike trail from the wrong side.  Jerks.
• Get your bike chain and lock!  Always have it with you.

Yesterday was the perfect ride to jumpstart my return to my bike!  Now I just gotta follow through and ride that thing to work!!!! 

Until next time...  HAPPY CYCLING!

Tomorrow, I ride!

Tell me where I should go!  I'm thinking about having lunch with my hubby, but I'm also thinking about visiting Ma, or just going someplace I've never been!  Any suggestions?  Also, I'm gonna post some long overdue pictures from our past cycling adventures ( : 

This was the cutest thing!  We were at Bull Taco (btw, they painted over the Banksy mouse) and some little kid parked his bike in front of ours. 

Back from Mars

I realize that I have fallen off the face of the planet, and I'm sorry.  It's kind of tough to go from being unemployed to working again, while maintaining the same balance!  Unfortunately, my biking, and blogging, have had to take the back burner for a little while.  Let me update you faithful followers on what's been going on lately! 

Work is going really well, and I thoroughly enjoy receiving a paycheck every two weeks!  It's a very nice change of pace from those damn unemployment checks.  In my month and a half of work I've only had the energy/drive to ride my bike twice... Which I'm hoping to change as the weeks and months go on.  There are showers at work which makes it very easy and convenient for me to ride and not stink.  On a positive and Earth saving note, Aaron and I carpool to work almost every day!  I say almost because he rides his bike at least two days a week.  Go, Aaron!  Maybe he should be blogging and not me!  I kid.  I kid.  I've started some online classes so I can get my Bachelor's degree!  Here's my current educational plan: get an(other) Associate's degree while working on my Bachelor's in Professional Aeronautics, then get my Master of Project Management, maybe a Master of Aeronautical Science degree while I'm at it, then eventually get my Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation.  Now we're talking DECADES down the road before I'm "Doctor cb", but hey, a girl can dream, right?  Hopefully in the coming years my school will have some options for classes or degrees in more "green" fields, like environmental protection, renewable energy, bicycles, that kind of thing!  Btw, the Wright Brothers owned a bicycle shop well before they were flying airplanes! 

Kthxbai.

Started working again!

One day I will get back in the groove of blogging daily.  I started my new job last week and so far I love it!  I get to carpool with Aaron which is amazing because I like to save gas and money wherever possible.  I haven't ridden my bike to work yet, and I was going to try this week, but I'm sick.  Yay.  Hopefully I'll be better soon so I can ride on W or Th!  Thanks to those who follow my shizzy!  I will get more inspired and motivated soon!  Just send healthy vibes my way please.  Much thanks.

Happy Cycling!

Keeping the momentum

     Right when I was starting to lose faith and "oomph" for my bicycle riding lifestyle, I saw the prices at my local gas station go up again.  Jumped six cents overnight.  Also, my ride to my new work place yesterday wasn't nearly as painful as before, and my recovery time has shortened drastically!  Right now, I'm thinking I will be able to bike two days a week to start out, then progress to three!  I was able to make it halfway up a hill in 2nd gear (on both shifters) instead of my "peewee herman" gear (1st on both shifter things), when I would usually be walking!  That's a happy. 

     I can't wait until California decides to be California again and get rid of this rain!  I'm not at the point in my cycling life where I look forward to getting dressed and ready to go get drenched.  Maybe someday, but not anytime soon. 

     Here's a group on f-book I just joined!  You should take a look at it and give it some thought. 

  Until next time... Happy Cycling!

Frustrating ride today...

     I am very sad to report that I had to walk about half of my ride today.  There are just so many STEEP hills and I'm not quite in the physical shape required to make it up without walking.  I need to improve my "out of the saddle" technique.  That will help a lot.  Right now I just feel so uncoordinated when I stand, plus I don't like my bike wriggling from side to side.  It freaks me out.  I'll get there though.  Soon hopefully, as I start my new job next Monday!!

     There are a couple issues I had (other than hills) with my ride/walk today.  First, it is illegal to park on the sidewalk!  So, don't park there.  Please.  And, make sure your scary, barky, bitey-looking dog is locked up so I don't have to illegally and scarily cross the street to avoid getting bitten.  I'm sure there's laws against having loose dogs running around, too.  One more thing, totally unrelated to biking or saving the world... When you go and walk your dog and take little plastic baggies to pick up the poop, the point is to take the baggie with you after it is filled with said excrement, and dispose of it at your home.  Not on the side of the road.  Follow through, that's all.  I passed three ominous looking plastic baggies!  Come on people.  Take a little more pride in your planet, okay?

     I've got quite a bit of riding, recovering and strengthening to do this week before I start next week.  My idea is to drive M and F, and ride T-Th.  That way I can drive my clothes and toiletries to work on M, ride and get gross and sweaty T-Th, then drive my clothes home on F.  Then again traffic is terrible on F.  So, maybe I'll change it up.  Ride M, W-F, and drive T.  We shall see.  Sorry you just had to read me thinking "out loud"!  I think that is all for now.  Thank you to my loyal followers!

Happy Cycling ( :

Holy crap

     So I thought it would be a fantastic idea to ride my bike to my new workplace (also where Aaron works) to get a feel for the ride.  Well, to keep it semi-PG, F that S.  It was the ultimate test of my strength to keep on riding my bike.  My rear end hurts, even in areas that I don't actually sit on, my index finger repeatedly went numb, I always hit red lights and lost a LOT of momentum to get me up a hill, I have red lobster legs, I have a cute little red stripe on my arm where my sleeve shifted... It was a GREAT TIME.  But, I do have good news.  On my final stretch, the last turn before my apartment complex, is a gas station.  It was up to $4.13, up four cents from yesterday.  So, although I looked gross, smelled like sunscreen and sweat, felt like I'd been hit by a semi, all the good stuff, I wasn't paying that much for gas!  I got a very awesome app for my phone that calculates my distance, speed, calorie burn, and it maps out my route.  It's very awesome.  I rode over 33 miles today, and burned over 1,000 calories.  I think the ride will be a LOT easier when I'm doing it earlier/later in the day, and I'll have 8 hours in between rides instead of an hour and a half.  I crashed when I got home. 

     Happy Cycling!

Wine tasting and lunch!

     Aaron and I went for a very fun ride yesterday!  Our original plan was to ride down to Enci but we saw a cute little winery in Carlsbad and decided to do some tasting!  They had a LOT of wines that I've never even heard of.  For $5.00 you get to sample a white, four reds, and one dessert wine.  It's a pretty sweet deal!  I suggest the viognier, aglianico, and the muscat love.  All very tasty!  And we supported a local business! 

     After our tasting we headed to a yummy taco shop.  It's a little on the pricey side, but still good.  I recommend the veggie burrito with a lil' guac on it!  The best part about the restaurant isn't the food, but the art work on the outside.  That graffiti has been on there for some time now and they haven't painted over it! 

     Before heading home we did a little thrift store shopping.  We found a couple cycling jerseys and some shorts for me so I don't have to ride in denim all the time!  We got some good deals!  We got "lost" on the way home, although we were far from actually being lost.  Aaron got his first flat, thanks to a staple.  Luckily it wasn't the super bad kind that can't hold any air. 

     We've got to head out now, but I'll post some pictures when we get home!  Hope you're all having a great weekend and thinking hard about becoming a cycle commuter!

Happy Cycling!