Central Coast Here We Come

Trike loaded and ready to travel to Cambria on the Central Coast.


Trike storage in the motel room at Fireside Inn, Cambria


Kids are happy to get away. Goofing after watching the sun set at Moonstone Beach.



Trike the coast tomorrow.

March Mileage Log

Steintrike in My Future?

My Catrikes are awesome rides but there is one thing they can't do for me...take me into the back country of the Santa Monica Mountains on the many fire roads and trails virtually steps away from my home. Starting in the late 70"s I logged many long miles hiking the Santa Monica Mountains. As my body and joints started to let me down I tried mountain biking in 2000. It was a bit easier on the joints but not on the mind. I'm an avid day dreamer, day dreaming and hiking are meant for each other, day dreaming and cycling on two wheels in the mountains...not good. A couple of broken ribs and a torn shoulder and my year long mountain biking experiment was over. Plus it wasn't that comfortable. So I accepted that three to four mile hikes would be my future. Let the younger folk do the 15 to 20 mile hikes to the more isolated and cool places in the Santa Monica Mountains. 

In 2009 I was introduced to recumbent trikes and that took my mind off the mountains. I was getting physical again, going far and enjoying the ride. HOLD ON...why can't I do it all? Why not an occasional MTT (Moutain Trike) ride? Maybe the Steintrike with it's beefy suspension can get me back on the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains. Veeery interesting...must give this some more thought. Stay tuned.

Click here...Steintrike thread on BROL

BROLer "willspower3" new Steintrike...NICE looking ride!!

Time to Get Away

From last year's Central Coast vacation

It's time to get away and take the family and trike up the Central Coast to Cambria. By no means is it too soon coming...I want a break from riding around my home where the noise of traffic is not an option but a constant reality. Riding the Central Coast during the Spring offers great scenery and minimal traffic.

A quiet street

At home there are quiet stretches of riding and nice rest stops along my normal routes where the din of the traffic can be left behind for awhile but only for awhile. The rest of the time it's the buzz of cars accented every now and then with some character who feels it's funny to gun their engine right beside me and race off. Yesterday my speakers weren't charged so I wasn't able to white wash the traffic noise with my usual tunes, instead I was serenaded with the sound off buzzing engines and altered mufflers on oversize cartoon cars.

A quiet place for a rest

Next week I'll load up the family and my Catrike 700/20 and head up the coast to Cambria just south of Hearst Castle. I'll take a couple of day rides up and down the coast from Cambria while Carrie and the kids take advantage of my absence. 

Central Coast 2012

Red Shouldered Hawk

Some things you won't see riding a traditional bike. Sometimes you have to be laid back to see the world.

Red Shouldered Hawk 

California Bike Safety

Metro press release on its new bike safety campaign; cyclists have legal right to take a full lane     (click here for full press release)

Click here to go directly to the official California DMV Handbook...Share the Road

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE: (good summary)

Bicyclists:

• Are entitled to share the road with motor vehicles.

• Have the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicle and motorcycle drivers.

• Must obey all traffic signals and stop signs.

• Are lawfully permitted to ride on certain sections of roadway in rural areas where there is no alternate route.

• Must ride in the same direction as other traffic, not against it.

• Shall ride as near to the right curb or edge of the roadway as practical– not on the sidewalk.

• Are legally allowed to ride in the center of the lane when moving at the same speed as other traffic.

• May move left to pass a parked or moving vehicle, bicycle, animal, or avoid debris or other hazards.

• May choose to ride near the left curb or edge of a one-way street.

• Should ride single file on a busy or narrow street.

• Must make left and right turns in the same way drivers do, using the same turn lanes. If the bicyclist is traveling straight ahead, he or she should use a through traffic lane rather than ride next to the curb and block traffic making right turns.

• Must signal all their intentions to motorists and bicyclists near them.

• Must wear a helmet if under the age of 18.

• Should carry identification.

• Shall not operate a bicycle on a roadway unless the bicycle is equipped with:

  • A brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

The California Vehicle Code Section 21200 stipulates that bicycle riders may use any lane in the street since they have the same rights and must follow the same laws as car drivers. Bicyclists may need the full lane to safely navigate specific road and traffic conditions. In addition, the state vehicle code sets out several situations in which bicyclists are specifically permitted to leave their usual position on the far right of the street:

• To avoid obstacles and unsafe conditions (including the door zone along parallel-parked vehicles)
• To pass another bicyclist, car or bus
• To prepare for a left turn
• To avoid an area where right turns are made
• When traveling as fast or faster than other traffic at that time and place
• When the lane is too narrow to share with a vehicle

(Click here for California Vehicle Code regarding Bicycles)

Catrike 700/20 Photo Op

From my ride yesterday.