Monday, August 27, 2007

California...

So for those of you who read about the cross country extravaganza here, you know that I'm already out in Irvine. Got my apartment all set up, and after Nicole helped me assemble some Ikea furniture, the place is looking pretty rocking. I'll snap some photos later...

But down to the real business at hand, I've been on a few rides, and already have a pretty funny story to tell. I did a ~50 miler (second day back on the bike after 30 days off) to Santiago Canyon. Now most people would hear "Canyon" and figure they'd be climbing a bit. I trusted gmap pedometer's profile, and thought it looked relatively flat. Wrong. It was lump enough to make my completely out of shape legs feel it quite a bit. Wasn't so bad though.... but it was getting dark as I started to get back onto the roads that I know well.... and then... passing under the 5 (that's how you call out highways here... the 5) I nailed something, and a mile or so down the road, my front wheel went flat. Balls. Changed that up pretty quickly, and got moving on.... the last hurdle was going through this gated community. I knew it was a private road, due to the large signs stating such, but I figured as a cyclist, I'd just cruise on through. Well I came up to the entrance of Jurassic Park, and thought... shit, how do I get through this? Keep in mind its getting dark, and if I have to go around this Porsche haven, then it's on busy roads with cars that all have their headlights on by now.... So I sort of skirt through the first gate, and that's when three dudes come out of nowhere and are like.... "what are you doing?? you can't go through here". So evidently there is a bike path through the rich fuckers community that I missed.... so they showed me where us mere two wheelers tread through their land, and I was off.... But it was looking sort of hilly to me, and I didn't remember seeing any hills near campus, where this was supposed to let me out. Went on for a few miles, and finally ran into a couple walking on the path. Stopped and asked them if I was close to UCI, and they said it was just ahead... so sweet, saved. Then they keep talking for a while because the husband is a cyclist, and he starts offering up all his advice on cool routes to ride around there... so that was pretty cool. Then his wife tops the boat, and is like, you know we live right up around the street.... if you want to come over for home cooked dinner, feel free any time, we're always around. What!? Seriously? Just because I shave my legs? Weird. I've already forgotten where they said they lived... but still, pretty cool I guess.

Back to work. I'll talk a bit about what I'm studying out here later. When I figure out what that is.


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