Running Malibu Beach

It wasn’t much of a running performance, but who the heck cared? It easily makes it into my top 5 most scenic+feelgood runs. It was warm, I could smell the salt air and the surf pounded. So of course I stopped on the beach a few times for pictures. And after we were done, we had beachfront fish’n’chips.

Driving Los Angeles

Yes I drove, stylishly, the white minivan on the Ventura Freeway, Sunset Boulevard, Melrose Avenue, Santa Monica Boulevard, and Pacific Coast Highway. Had I been a passenger, I would have more to say about the Hollywood sign, Hollywood hipsters, U-turns in Beverly Hills, gawking at the giant Palm trees on Rodeo drive, an easy drive to the coast, and sun setting on the ocean. But for an L.A. drive-by, I was impressed. Still wouldn’t want to live there. But a great afternoon-evening.

Unintentional Cyclo-Cross

“Gate’s closed, but you can get through”, the guy said.

So we did. And promptly ended up in a dusty, boulder-strewn single-track trail that is heaven for mountain bikers. But for us roadies, shouldering our rides
and picking our way around rocks in cycling shoes, it was awkward and we looked like dorks. We managed some of it on our bikes, though one of us bit it, letting out a howl that echoed through the canyon. Turns out the trail led to the area that was used for the outdoor camp scenes of MASH, but no medical attention was required despite the bloodshed. A beautiful death march of sorts.

Eventually, we got back to business on asphalt and completed our daily mile of vertical without further incident, but with sun and smiles.