Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things. --- William Golding
RECYCLERS WEEKLY BULLETIN: 10 August, 2006
HI FOLKS (Paul Shragg, yet again, filling in for Marty Weiss),
LAST WEEK: This last week's ride went a lot smoother than the previous
week's, but wasn't totally without its moments. 14 of us showed up, on
time, at the Solana Beach Train Station and began our trek north at 8:15
sharp. 30 seconds into the ride, "pop, pop". My rear tire sputtered
and
went flat. (Thornburg said he thought he was having a Pamona, or was it
Pacoima, flash back…something about some weapons in his past, or
something)
At any rate, we hadn’t even made it to Lomas Santa Fe, and, already, the
ride was on hold. This was the first flat tire that I had witnessed
on any
of our rides, and, of course, it was my tire. Being relatively new to
this, I had almost no idea how to fix the tire. I’m pretty sure I could
have done it, slowly, sitting on my front lawn, drinking a cocktail and
taking my time. But with 13 other folks waiting on me, and nowhere to
hide, crap! Thankfully, I did have the proper flat tire
repair/replacement
equipment with me (good thing, or I’d never have heard the end of it).
In
any case, thanks to Dennis Webb and Ed (Michelson, I believe), in
particular, the tire was fixed in a jiffy and off we all went for the
first
½ of our ride. I must say, in all seriousness, thank you for the
help, and
the instruction, boys. I truly do appreciate it. The ride was very
nice,
the weather delightful. We took our usual route of PCH, Neptune, more
PCH
and then Oceanside beach front roads to the O’side Harbor, where we all
refueled with coffee and muffins for the ride back. After a brief
(approx
15 min) break, we started back. This time, at least, there was no “pop,
pop”, but, unfortunately, there was a “hiss”. Just as we all started
back,
Phil Erdelsky’s rear tire began to loose air. He and I stayed back to
“fix” the tire (actually, I stayed back to get some more practice at
tire
repair, as much as to help him, as he really didn’t need my help). The
others went on ahead, waiting for us at Carlsbad State Beach, down the
road
a bit. Phil, of course, is a totally self sufficient type of guy, but
put
up with me none-the-less. Only once did he mention that he could get it
done faster without me. Actually, Phil was very nice and explained the
process to me, step by step, as we went along. The tire was fixed
promptly, and Phil and I had a nice conversation on our way down to
rejoin the rest of the Recyclers in Carlsbad (minus a few of you, who
had
to get home promptly to get started on your honey do’s). The rest of
the
ride was somewhat nondescript, albeit, very enjoyable. Again, we took
Vulcan from LaCosta Ave south to avoid traffic. Greta has provided us
with
two very nice set of snapshots of the group and the ride. Email me
pshragg@ucsd.edu if you would like me to send you the photos. After
returning safely to the Solana Beach Train Station, four of us (Greta,
Brian, Walt, and I), decided to do a loop through parts of Rancho Santa
Fe. This too, was a very pretty ride. The price, however, is a
relatively
steep climb towards the end of the ride. All in all, however, it was
just
another perfect Recycler kind of day. I really enjoyed myself, and
trust
the rest you riders did as well. I was, however, beat, and welcomed the
ride home from Greta. Thanks Greta!!!
OTHER NEWS: Again, just a reminder that the Recyclers’ weekly Bulletin
will be posted on our web site, http://www.sdrecyclers.org/ . We will,
until we all decide otherwise, continue to send it out vis a vis email
as
well. Regarding the web site, it would be really nice for some of the
original Recyclers to begin to draft a Hx of the organization (based in
reality or not, it’s up to you), for us to post on the net (but no
pressure. Do it, or not, when the time’s right). Maybe a “Mission
Statement” or some blurb on our biking philosophy, or something, might
be
nice also. Just food for thought.
DE RIDE: This week’s ride will be Sunday, August 13th, and will be the
infamous, Mission Bay to The Cabrillo Monument Ride. Dennis Webb has
agreed to take the lead on this ride (thank you, Dennis). In total,
it’s
about 27.3 miles. Well meet in the first parking lot north of the
Mission
Bay Hilton Hotel - Sunday, 8:00 for an 8:15 departure. Head south
along
Mission Bay through O.B., up Chatsworth and out Catalina Blvd. to
Cabrillo
Nat. Park. Back on Catalina and down the Canon St. hill and then out
Harbor Dr. to Broadway and then back to M.B. via Pacific Hwy. If
there’s
time, and/or interest, we’ll stop, of course, at The Con Pane bakery (on
Rosecrans, I believe). Of course, this is all subject to Dennis Webb’s
last minute whims. I trust, this is the route he’ll want to take. If
not,
look out!
So, meet at the Hilton at 8:00am, Sunday, August 13th. Remember The
Hilton
is on Mission Bay Dr., between Sea World Dr, and Clairmont Dr.
Remember,
it’s not the Hilton parking lot, but the first one north of it.
DE ADDITIONAL RIDE: Free for all. To be decided when we return to
Mission
Bay after De Ride. Catch as catch can. Whatever. You get the
idea. Please, you all should feel free to suggest a ride as “DE RIDE”
or
“DE ADDITIONAL RIDE” as long as you know the route and would like to
lead.
FINAL TID BITS: Remember, we’re all sort of filling in for Marty this
month. So, feel free to suggest and take the lead on a ride. Write a
blurb for the bulletin. Or, just continue to show up for the fantastic
rides. It’s a GREAT Group!!!
HEALTH ISSUES: As many of you know, I experienced some numbness and
weakness in my left hand this last weekend. Mike Goldbaum, M.D.
pointed
out that I probably have a pressure injury to (i.e.compressed) my Ulnar
Nerve. Based on the little I’ve read this week, I’m almost certain he’s
right. I sent around a reference to a great review article he
provided on
non-traumatic cycling injuries, which I’ll be happy to send out again,
if
you like. In the meantime, I “GOOGLED” “ulnar nerve” and got a number
of
interesting links. Below is one of them, should you be interested.
Ulnar Nerve Entrapment
Until then, be safe, keep riding, and don’t forget to head ‘em up, and
move
‘em out.
I hope to see you all Sunday at 8:00 for our 8:15 departure.