Cycling Foodie

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A once-in-a-lifetime experience …

Wow. Just wow.

More later …

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I had a lovely walk this afternoon and ran into a colleague in the Arboretum on campus. We walked and chatted together for a bit. I enjoyed the company and it was a nice break from a rather … the right word escapes me at the moment … morning in the office. It wasn’t a bad morning, it was just … different.

It was a beautiful day in Davis, lots of sunshine, a little bit breezy, and warm. Here are a few photos from just off campus to enjoy.

First Sunflower of the Season!

Roses just off the Arboretum ...

So fragrant ...

... so sweet ...

... makes for a refreshing and reinvigorating mid-day break.

Then to end the day like this …oh, so, so needed.

I keep going to the river to ...

The 2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure is in just 3 weeks from Sunday! Where did the time go? I am still striving to reach Champion status. Won’t you help me? You can make a donation here.

I am looking forward to joining some fellow Tour de Cure cyclists on Sunday for a training ride in the beautiful Napa Valley!

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It’s time for some serious bike work, but first, a ride.

Downtown Winters

We would all love to have some rain, but I am hoping it can hold off until I’m done with my ride today because I am not dressed for rain!

Lake Solano Park, looking towards Lake Berryessa

It turned out to be a beautiful, but a little breezy, day. I lucked out – I rode into the wind on my way out towards Vacaville and got a nice push on my way back to Winters.

Lake Solano Park, looking towards Winters

Oh, dear … I have never dropped a chain quite like this. It was really stuck!

Old Chain + A Bad Shift = A Mess!

Yep. Definitely time for some bike work. I’d better not tempt fate … time to cut this ride a little short and head back to town.

My Colnago will be all clean and sparkly and new-feeling just in time for my 2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure ride! Please help me to reach my goal – you can make a donation here.

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Yesterday we went for a walk at Folsom Lake. We started out at Beal’s Point and walked along the trail for about 3 miles before heading down to the beach at one of the boat launch areas. It was a beautiful day, but felt quite chilly for our standards here. There were a few mountain bikers on the trail and I wondered if I’ll ever mountain bike again. I do have my awesome Klein Pinnacle I used to ride a lot in Annadel State Park, but now I just road bike.

Looking towards the boat ramp.

We meandered back along the beach, enjoying the scenery, stopping to visit with an occasional friendly dog out walking his humans.

Near the Beal's Point parking lot. You can see how low the water level is.

While I appreciate these beautiful, sunny days, we really do need some more rain. We’ve had dry, very breezy weather lately, which lead to lots of junk in the air, which you can see hanging over the hills in these photos.

It’s time to brave the cold this morning and head out for a quick ride. I’ve got lots to do today to get ready for a dinner party tomorrow night. I’ll be making Ciopinno, mostly following this Giada De Laurentiis recipe. A friend is bringing one of her amazing salads, with a super healthy orange vinaigrette. We’ll have some good cheeses, loads of veggies, some good crusty bread to go with the Ciopinno, and I haven’t quite figured out dessert yet. It will be just a little decadent, but not too much. I’ve got a lot of Granny Smith apples, so I’m leaning towards perhaps a comforting, warm apple crisp. Perhaps with just a tiny scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.

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A picture from my friend Julie’s Thanksgiving bike ride.

I wish I could have been there!

Check out Julie’s Instagram for more awesome photos: http://instagram.com/_180_

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Do you ever feel so far behind that it seems you’ll never get caught up? I’m there. Life has been a roller coaster, full of ups, downs, twists and turns lately, but I’ve been getting some cycling in most days before work, weekend rides, and have been able to do a few new rides …

A rare afternoon relaxing in Carmel.

17-Mile Drive, Carmel – beautiful scenery, rolling hills, and fresh, clean ocean air.

Ride Ataxia NorCal – a ride to benefit FARA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching a cure for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a degenerative neuro-muscular disorder. We rode the 60-mile route from Davis to Vacaville, Winters, and back to Davis. The ride is sponsored by Outback Steak House so the post-ride meal … the ribs, oh the ribs …

Sacramento Delta Area – I’m beginning to explore this area again with a friend.

Cantelow – revisiting a hill I “conquered” several years ago which has defeated me this year until last Saturday. Finally up and over Cantelow again without any walking!

I’ve also gotten a few foodie explorations in, especially in Carmel. One of these days I will blog about the food … especially about La Bicyclette.

One of these days … I will get caught up.

Sunflowers!

It's another amazing sunflower year in and around Davis. They're just starting to bloom.

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A lovely little ride along the Central Coast from Carmel to Monterey.

More soon … there were some awesome foodie adventures in Carmel.

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The Napa Valley Tour de Cure is just 2 weeks and 2 days from today! It’s not too late to make a donation! Just click here.

I have been riding nearly every morning before work and longer rides on the weekends. Gearing up!

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We left San Diego for Holtville early Wednesday afternoon. It’s about a 2-hour drive, so we wanted to make sure we got there in plenty of time for our evening event.

The drive was an adventure – rain, wind, sandstorm, beautiful views of the rugged desert landscape.

Leaving San Diego ...

Heading out Highway 8 ...

... first Border Patrol sighting!

Just like home - whirlygigs!

Artsy shot ...

Skies clearing ...

The scenery was quite striking; it possessed a very rugged beauty.

Winds kicking up ...

... into a full blown sandstorm!

The sandstorm looked worse than these photos show … we were in a little rental car that was getting kind of blown about the highway. You could hear the sand grains hitting the car and almost feel them scratching across the paint. Visibility was more limited than it appears here. Fortunately, the sand storm was brief.

Turning into a beautiful day!

Wondering if we're lost ...

Found our destination.

The hotel was … an experience. It was easy to see that it has lots of history. I thought it might be a great candidate for one of those “Save My Resort” type of reality shows. That’s really all I want to say about it.

By the time we got there the wind gusts were dreadful. After checking in, my colleague and I ventured into town for a bite. We ended up at the Food Court in the local shopping mall.

Imperial Valley Mall

Light lunch

My colleague tried the Chinese restaurant – his lunch looked and smelled good. I was looking for something very light and easy on my stomach. I found a beautiful fresh fruit salad at the Italian restaurant, and some fat free frozen vanilla yogurt with toasted almonds. That hit the spot.

In the evening we met an awesome group of students and their families in Holtville. I hope we see many of them here on campus in Fall 2014!

I woke up early and went for a little walk around the property. It was a lovely morning; the wind had mellowed to a gentle breeze.

Just a touch of sunrise left.

Red cabbage?

More fountains.

I packed up early in the morning to head back to the San Diego airport with another colleague. Starbucks for breakfast again. I tried their Hearty Blueberry Whole Grain Oatmeal – it was really good. This would make a wonderful pre-ride breakfast.

Here’s a summary of my flight home …

Leaving San Diego ...

... up ...

... up ...

... cruising altitude ...

Somewhere over California ...

Bu-bu-bumpiest landing ever!

Home Sweet Home! Looking forward to getting back on my bike!