Happy New Year-2012

As an aside as I want to be the first to throw this out.  My wife loves reading fiction--cultural event of the last month was "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" which came out in the movies.  I must have been the only person in the theater who didn't know who the killer was as I didn't read the book.  Anyway--she gets bummed out whenever she finishes a book and one of her favorite authors hasn't come out with a new one yet.  Well--with Kindle and Nooks there is no need to finish a book--how about someone puts out a PERPETUAL BOOK--a book that continually has chapters added.  Every week a writer (or a group) could write a new chapter and everyone with a electronic book would have new reading material.  Futuristic, hey--its 2012.....

2012-time to make new years resolutions--first time in memory that my front and back wheel match

In the new year a Diablo Cyclist tradition, along with anyone else who owns a bike in the Bay Area, is to go up Mt. Diablo.  Some years there is actually snow which prevents going to the top--other years there is a biting cold on the downhill where all the clothes you can wear do no good.  50 degrees at the bottom may mean 38 degrees at the top--a 20mph wind chill factor makes that 38 degrees feel like 28 degrees.  But but but--sometimes there is an inversion layer, where it is hotter at the top than at the bottom--and the increase in temperature ain't gradual but BOOM, suddenly found around a turn.  Last year was like that and I'm pleased to say we had a repeat performance of warmth at 3,800'.

Anyway, made a movie re our cycling ride up Mt. Diablo--where it seems like bikes own the world.  Its in 3 parts and gradually all 3 parts will make it onto You Tube.  I didn't want to break it up but either my laptop computer doesn't have enough memory (more memory on the way) or a good video card (non correctable) to prevent Windows Moviemaker from melting down when I reach the 8 minute mark.

Click on link below for movies.  Happy New Year.

Part 1--to the Junction

Part 2--to the Summit

Part 3--to the Summit



PS--If you want to see the casual joy of cycling check out the film below.  The crown jewel of my old bike club, the Delta Pedalers, is the casual bike ride John & Margot Coker have been leading for years.  Both just find joy about everything cycling--John loves the gagets and thing incredibly unique and Margot sings away as she rides.  Usually riding with John means bs'ing about politics, the legal system, philosophy, art and music....I think he should have been a radio talk show host instead of a law professor/attorney/ musician.   (John once told me about a passage in an antiquated circumstantial Evidence book when Teddy Roosevelt took the stand and all hell broke loose, and John did the Roosevelt dialog from memory--later he gave me a written copy of the passage and every time I read it I can hear John's voice dramatically doing Teddy.)   Anyway I started with them about 15 years ago on a hybrid bike with mountain bike baggy shorts and a cotton t-shirt and swore I would never wear lycra.  It was John's enthusiasm during 20 mile rides that got me going.

John and Margot's Tour of East County