OVT and the New Bridge

Carrie, Byron and I spent Memorial Day riding the Ojai Valley Trail (OVT) while Leili hung with friends. The OVT is my favorite place to ride with the family. The new bridge over San Antonio Creek adjacent to the Ventura river was completed in March of this year. We started at Foster Park and pedaled the 9 miles up to Ojai for lunch. The 9 miles back to Foster Park from Ojai is as easy and relaxing as it gets.

Our first look at the new bridge.

Byron checking out the bridge. It's a cool bridge and it's long enough to enjoy the ride over it's wood slats before exiting onto the other side of the trail.

Here's the old crossing. Byron is looking out onto the Ventura River from the old crossing over the San Antonio Creek. During the rainy season flooding would often close down this stretch of the OVT for days, if not weeks, after a rain. Taking  busy highway 33 to circumvent this part of the trail and get to Ojai is not a cycling friendly option. 

Carrie following me up the OVT.

A few more pictures of different parts of the OVT.

Oh yes...lunch time at the Ojai Cafe Emporium . The 9 miles back to Foster Pack is easy and involves a lot of coasting so eat up and enjoy a beer. 

We stopped at the bridge on the way back to get another perspective... 

...from below.

 Now the San Antonio Creek flows freely into the Ventura River. Great place to stop and enjoy the shade of the bridge and cool off your feet,

Time to finish our ride back to faster Park and wrap up another great family ride. We missed Leili but she had fun with her friends back home.

Click here for a Visitors guide for Ojai, California. When we stay overnight in Ojai we stay at the Blue Iguana Inn. It's on Highway 33 before you get into town and right next to the Ojai Trail.

The ride on the Ojai Valley Trail when combined with Ventura River Trail starting in Ventura makes for a nice 30 mile round trip. The Ventura River Trail presents a sharp but interesting contrast to the Ojai Valley Trail with it's industrial buildings and old oil wells. Bring your camera!

Go to Ride with GPS-Ojai Trail and Ventura Trail

Tunnels

Tunnels... doorways to beyond.

A tree tunnel 

Cush for Her Tush

I wanted to give Betzi a little softer ride in her trailer. I folded up a old sleeping pad and put it underneath her soft doggy cushion on the floor of her trailer. No complaints from her majesty on our ride today so she must have enjoyed her renovated digs. I also keep the pressure low on her trailer tires to give her a softer ride.

The folded and duct taped pad on the floor of her trailer. 

Seems pretty cushy back in her trailer.

The added padding allows the ole girl to sit a little higher and to more easily  look around.

Oh... the things we do for our critters.

Set Up for Summer

It's still spring but it feels like summer. Time to strip down for summer. Off with the panniers and fenders. I won't be needing the panniers to stuff layers of winter clothing as the day warms up...the weather is already comfortable in the morning and the sun is up early this time of year. The rain is history so I won't need the fenders to keep the rain soaked streets from getting me wet. Although I could have used them today when I ran over a packet of ketchup. Oh well... 

Picture from my ride today.

My winter rig.

Picture from earlier this year.

Tire Change

It was time to change out the old Schawlbe Marathon Racer for a new Schawlbe Marathon Plus Tour. The old tire had a little life left in it but the center of the tire was slick. When towing Betzi it would sometimes skip on hills. Even when it was new it didn't do well on dirt with a load. 

I replaced the old tire with the new 26 x 1.75 Tour by Schwalbe. It has the same protection offered by the Marathon Plus but with more grip for off road riding. Tire size is still limited. Hopefully it will be available in a  20" size soon so I can replace the front tires where all the braking is done.

There are some great dirt fire and service roads where I live. I want to start taking advantage of them.

The new Flat-less tire. A heavy-duty trekking tread for asphalt, or offroad allows this
versatile tire to always feel at home, whether in everyday use, or on long tours. The robust
structure is an effective damage defense that is twinned with SmartGuard, the most effective
puncture protection belt for bicycle tires.

Click here for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour

Old - Marathon Racer

New - Marathon Plus Tour

UPDATE 5/9/12

The new rear tire worked great today on a short section of dirt road dirt. No more spinning the wheel in the dirt...at least on a mild incline. It felt fine on the road but I'm not sure about changing the front tires yet.