Downhill against a Headwind
This past sunday Ernie and I met at the Irvine, City Hall park and headed to Newport Beach along the San Diego Creek bike trail. The creek flows to the ocean, actually the Newport Beach, Back Bay, so since the bike trail followed the creek, the ride would be easy, all downhill, right? Wrong.
It wasn't easy due to a strong headwind blowing in from the Ocean. It was hard pedaling to keep moving and we struggled against the wind, I guess, due to our middle age girth! I weigh about 175 on a 5'10" frame and Ernie about 160 on a 5'8" frame. We aren't wide! However, the wind made a difference in the distance we managed to ride. We got to the Pacific Coast Highway and the ferry to Balboa Island was a short mile away. However, we were pooped out! So we turned around and headed back.
Going back was easy! The slow elevation climb was nothing since we had that previously pesky headwind pushing us along. Barely had to pedal. About a mile to the park we stopped for coffee at a bakery on Harvard & Main and sat there with coffee and a peanut butter cookie and talked as old men do.
Ernie wants to go back to visit Viet Nam and see places where he was stationed. He belongs to a vets organization that all served in Viet Nam and I told him that he should arrange a tour with his organization. He asked if I would be interested, and I said no. I didn't serve there as he did, having being stuck in the continental U.S.A. as a "remf" or "jody" (long story).
He also wanted to go back to England where he also had a tour and asked if I was interested. I said I was, but not with him since two old vets would certainly get into trouble running around that country. We should take the wives....well that put a damper on any travel. End of Subject.
We eventually made it back to the park and made tentative plans to head out to the Mohave Desert to do some plinking. Ernie is an old cowboy (he wears cowboy boots to work) and has an old Colt .45 single action revolver. I gave up revolvers years ago and prefer a Sig Saur P220 .45 or my Glock M36 .45. But we have .45s in common. So maybe plinking is in the works the next time we get together.
It wasn't easy due to a strong headwind blowing in from the Ocean. It was hard pedaling to keep moving and we struggled against the wind, I guess, due to our middle age girth! I weigh about 175 on a 5'10" frame and Ernie about 160 on a 5'8" frame. We aren't wide! However, the wind made a difference in the distance we managed to ride. We got to the Pacific Coast Highway and the ferry to Balboa Island was a short mile away. However, we were pooped out! So we turned around and headed back.
Going back was easy! The slow elevation climb was nothing since we had that previously pesky headwind pushing us along. Barely had to pedal. About a mile to the park we stopped for coffee at a bakery on Harvard & Main and sat there with coffee and a peanut butter cookie and talked as old men do.
Ernie wants to go back to visit Viet Nam and see places where he was stationed. He belongs to a vets organization that all served in Viet Nam and I told him that he should arrange a tour with his organization. He asked if I would be interested, and I said no. I didn't serve there as he did, having being stuck in the continental U.S.A. as a "remf" or "jody" (long story).
He also wanted to go back to England where he also had a tour and asked if I was interested. I said I was, but not with him since two old vets would certainly get into trouble running around that country. We should take the wives....well that put a damper on any travel. End of Subject.
We eventually made it back to the park and made tentative plans to head out to the Mohave Desert to do some plinking. Ernie is an old cowboy (he wears cowboy boots to work) and has an old Colt .45 single action revolver. I gave up revolvers years ago and prefer a Sig Saur P220 .45 or my Glock M36 .45. But we have .45s in common. So maybe plinking is in the works the next time we get together.
posted by Reggie at
10:28 AM
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