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The weather is already turning warmer and green is giving way to tan in some spots. The mornings are still chilly, but the lunch breaks are all shorts and t-shirts
The Roadeo for repair is close enough to perfect to grab these shots.
And there was even a little country road excitement. I missed the first part of the show, but watching them turning it over with the propane tank dangling was enough, I did not stick around.
Great day to be out and spin the legs to get some fresh air.
Another round or rain and possibly hail is scheduled for the next few days. I headed out towards Lake Casitas hoping to get some shots of the snow on the mountains bofre the clouds set in.
The cloud line was already too low, blocking the snow that I had seen from town earlier in the morning. The rivers were all running high, with more rain on the way things could get interesting.
I had wanted to make it to the high point on the west side of the lake, but wind and time were conspiring against me. Still an incredibly beautiful day to get out for a ride.
Dusted off the DSLR with 50mm lens for a ride on the Traut today. I thought it may be time to leave the fisheye at home for a week and focus on some different skills. Today brought clear skies with snow in the mountains, temps in the 50s, it doesn’t get much nicer than this.
Spring wildflowers starting to pop.
Spotted a hawk with a fish for lunch.
This morning was much colder than expected, with temps in the upper 30’s and rain on the way, it looks like Old Man Winter may be on his way back to California. I headed out the Ventura River trail to Lake Casitas, up the 150 to Burnham and back home for a quick 26.5 miles and 1000 ft or so of climbing.
Fun rolling hills with flowers starting to show,
A little bit of climbing,
And the reward.
What a difference a day or two can make in the weather. Looking like rain again in a day or two more, enjoy it while it lasts.
Yesterday morning’s schedule left me with the opportunity to do what I wanted for five hours or more. I decided it was time to put on some decent miles and headed out on what turned out to be a perfect day for one of my favorite loops.
This ride takes you through some beautiful views of the farms, canyons, lakes and with no fog today the channel islands were spectacular. The route heads east out of Ventura out to Santa Paula, up the Hwy 150 through Ojai and back down to the coast at Rincon. From there it back along the coast to home.
The ride is just over 100km (70 miles) and 4250 feet of climbing. I was able to get it done in five hours and ten minutes, pretty respectable considering it has been months since I did anything over 20 miles. The weather was spectacular, warmer than I expected, no clouds and there was only strong winds on the leg out to Santa Paula. Spring has definitely sprung, the flowers: lupine, mustard, poppy and all the others, are starting to pop.
This is a popular route with the local cyclists and clubs. Today I seemed to be the only one going counter-clockwise as I crossed paths with plenty of other’s going the other way. Clockwise lets you slowly work your way up to the Summit and 10 miles down to Santa Paula, I would rather slog up the climb so I can enjoy the twisty drop from upper to lower Ojai.
After the twisty drop it is small towns and rollers to the coast, with a couple of steep pitches through Casitas Pass and then down through the valley to the beach. Everything went better than you could hope for. No mechanical issues, great weather and plenty of time made for a perfect ride. The Roadeo with Jack Browns made me wonder if I will ever ride a skinny tire again.
