![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
This afternoon
Mar. 11th, 2012 11:15 pmI escaped Anza and made my way to warmth. I started by driving to Palm Desert and having lunch. I then found a safe place to park and proceeded to prepare for my bike ride. I made some minor adjustments to the bike itself, added my 'trunk' bag to the rear rack, checked tire pressure and I was ready.
The first few miles I was riding to the right edge of the curb lane, moving at a good pace, all the while watching whatever the approaching motorists may be signaling. That portion of the ride was uneventful. Being a retired pavement rehabilitation expert, I always observe the pavement condition and I noted that in more than a few cases, budget constraints led to some poor choices when it came to street repair, and the shoddy work was in need of attention. It is too bad that what crumbling streets I saw will probably be the norm for the next decade or maybe for all the future time.
I made it to the edge of Indian Wells, a very affluent city (living behind walls so the 99% don't have a clue how these people live) and started using their very nice bike route. It seems in their community, bicycles and pedestrians share the sidewalk, thus this bike route meanders along SR 111 through lush green lawns and blooming flowers. If you suffered from any allergies, today was not the time to ride there, as I was constantly discovering one fragrant flower after another. To add interest to this route, the sidewalk/bike way meanders over small hills and hummocks, through a series of gentle curves. This weekend was a bit busier than usual, as there was a big pro tennis event (that runs through next weekend) at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden (how many cities have a tennis garden that has about 40 tennis courts including a couple that have their own small stadiums?).
Eventually I made it to the end of Indian Wells to then enter another city, La Quinta. Now La Quinta is a bit more 'everyday', with hamburger restaurants and a Trader Joe's market. They still live behind walls and have gates, but rather than armed security, they just use key cards, I roamed through the numerous shops and car dealers along SR 111 till I came to the City of Indio. At that point, I stopped heading south and plotted my return trip.
Indio is a contrast. You move from the relative affluence of La Quinta to the poverty that is Indio. I'll do more on Indio at another time, in fact there is a great tour for cyclists that takes you to about 12 murals, done by local artists that reflect the native mexican culture that is Indio.
Overall the afternoon was wonderful.. the weather couldn't have been better. The following is a picture of the temperature on a local bank taken just after 5 p.m. today...
Oh, on the way home I stopped to observe a Peninsula Big Horn Sheep walk along the hillside near the highway. Didn't get a picture, but was told they come out and are visible near dusk. I may have to take my Canon DSLR and my 480mm lens and go sheep hunting.
Posted on Dreamwidth
The first few miles I was riding to the right edge of the curb lane, moving at a good pace, all the while watching whatever the approaching motorists may be signaling. That portion of the ride was uneventful. Being a retired pavement rehabilitation expert, I always observe the pavement condition and I noted that in more than a few cases, budget constraints led to some poor choices when it came to street repair, and the shoddy work was in need of attention. It is too bad that what crumbling streets I saw will probably be the norm for the next decade or maybe for all the future time.
I made it to the edge of Indian Wells, a very affluent city (living behind walls so the 99% don't have a clue how these people live) and started using their very nice bike route. It seems in their community, bicycles and pedestrians share the sidewalk, thus this bike route meanders along SR 111 through lush green lawns and blooming flowers. If you suffered from any allergies, today was not the time to ride there, as I was constantly discovering one fragrant flower after another. To add interest to this route, the sidewalk/bike way meanders over small hills and hummocks, through a series of gentle curves. This weekend was a bit busier than usual, as there was a big pro tennis event (that runs through next weekend) at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden (how many cities have a tennis garden that has about 40 tennis courts including a couple that have their own small stadiums?).
Eventually I made it to the end of Indian Wells to then enter another city, La Quinta. Now La Quinta is a bit more 'everyday', with hamburger restaurants and a Trader Joe's market. They still live behind walls and have gates, but rather than armed security, they just use key cards, I roamed through the numerous shops and car dealers along SR 111 till I came to the City of Indio. At that point, I stopped heading south and plotted my return trip.
Indio is a contrast. You move from the relative affluence of La Quinta to the poverty that is Indio. I'll do more on Indio at another time, in fact there is a great tour for cyclists that takes you to about 12 murals, done by local artists that reflect the native mexican culture that is Indio.
Overall the afternoon was wonderful.. the weather couldn't have been better. The following is a picture of the temperature on a local bank taken just after 5 p.m. today...
Oh, on the way home I stopped to observe a Peninsula Big Horn Sheep walk along the hillside near the highway. Didn't get a picture, but was told they come out and are visible near dusk. I may have to take my Canon DSLR and my 480mm lens and go sheep hunting.
Posted on Dreamwidth
