The ride starts off at the Santa Monica Pier around seven, and then it meanders wherever the head of the pack feel inclined to go. Lately, the ride has sort of made a b-line out of the City of Santa Monica because we've been getting harassed by the fuzz. This years route was kind of whimsical, but a lot of fun.
Can you spot Ashley and I?
A little easier to find us in this one. In the course of our route the entire of mass of riders had to switch directions. Kind of comical.
Ashley and our good friend Kimber. I think they were sharing a quiet moment along the ride.
I like this picture Ashley took. It totally looks like a bad photoshop job and I have a completely asinine look on my face to boot.
A typical Critical Mass pit stop. Conveniently next to an establishment that sells spirits.
Kimber is halfway through PA school. She has also become our personal health counselor. Ashley and Kimber were talking about one of Ashley's maladies.
After our ride we were quite peckish. We got pizza and salad at Wildflour Pizza on Main Street in Santa Monica. The outdoor dining area in the back is perfect for pleasant conversations and libations on a warm summer's eve.During the ride there was a pleasant fellow wearing only a speedo, and Kimber & Ashley had a knack for seeing him. It was kind of like staring at their sun. It was painful, but they couldn't help themselves.
The ride started to thin out as it came time to watch the fireworks. We broke with the crowd and headed down to the beach in Venice to catch the fireworks. After the fireworks we got dinner, ran into a few fellow critical mass participants, and then made our way home. It was a delightful 4th of July.
What did you guys do to celebrate Independence Day?
18 comments:
Tell Kimber there IS light at the end of the PA school tunnel. It is a long, dark, miserable tunnel, but light at the end nonetheless! Looks like you guys had a great 4th. I am so envious... I want to be a biker like you.
Jennae - you can be a biker like us. if you dream it, you can do it!
I don't think I've ever met someone that is more like an Oregonian but isn't. You can ask Kimber and I think she will agree, you are destined to move here.
ryan. i think if i moved to portland i'd be overwhelmed by my own smugness. i'm already borderline smug on so many things, but living in a fantastic city like portland... i'd be in danger of smugging people to death.
also, i really like your blog/photography.
I worked all day, but then was rewarded with the fantastic fireworks in Boulder. my kids won't go anywhere else anymore. It's quite a drive, but we find it worth the trip.
Thankfully, they ditched Chris Daniels and the Kings.
Speaking of smug little Portland... that's where I was for the 4th. I'm so hip. We did so many trendy oregon things. Including a trip to the oregon coast. And the fireworks show in downtown portland was one of the best i've ever seen.
However, it was not a relaxing trip and we got like no sleep. monday morning was a biatch.
Nice "stash" on you upper lip. Mik'L thinks I look like a perv when I grow mine out and she forbids it. I also see you guys went with the more casual "no helmet" look on this ride. Anyways looks like fun, I just need to buy my bride a bike so we can riding too.
I love that 2nd pic of you two.
We had a great fourth. We went to a friends party, one of those classic potucks with tons of food, people and kids. They live a couple blocks from the city park with a great fireworks display, Jason and Xine went down there while I stayed with the "moms with young babies" contingent, there were quite a few of us.
blythe - very jealous of boulder. it's definitely my favorite place to spend the 4th. period.
remember our joke about reading what was actually written on the pages from which we built the airplanes? priceless.
clyde - a mustache is not for every man. ashley is fond of my mustache, and ergo, i wear it with pride. some people look like perverts, some people look like motorcycle cops... i happen to look like a young burt reynolds. such is my cross to bear.
dawn, your 4th sounds perfect. dare i say... the only thing that was missing from our 4th was MORE friends and a bbq.
oh, and liz. monday mornings - for realz.
really cute photos! We wish we were there! Remember the 4th last year? A really long and hot bus ride leading to a really long plane ride home from Guate, Guate, Guate?? Oy oy oy oy (or however you and Ashley do it)! We had a great 4th, you can see it on the blog. We hope to be taking long and hot bus rides for the fourth of July with you two in the future.
p.s. I love that you call it "spirits"
serena... one of my favorite pictures of the trip is you and chris sitting on the bus. when we were stuck in blazing hot weather in unbearable traffic. have you ever been more miserable?
oy yoi yoi yoi... the whole trip was fantastic, even though it ended with a sweaty bus ride.
Wahhhh...this is me crying because I miss critical mass and all the associated drama and antics. I miss you guys and I miss riding a bike.
Hey everybody... I just want you all to know that the bike riding community isn't as unified and rosey as David would have you believe... there is a dark, divisive underbelly.
Much like the Hell's Angels who require you to ride a Chopper style Harley Davidson to join, cycling elitists like David Jonathan (made that up) Pulsipher will only accept you if you ride a 10 speed. Or a 10 speed style "Fixed gear" bike that nobody understands the use of (other than it's freaking hard to ride and there's no waste of energy and some other bullcrap I think he made up. And if i wanted to save energy, buddy, I'd drive my car. wait, uh...)
Anyway, I told him I wanted to buy a BMX bike to ride to work and he stepped on my idea faster than you can say "Smug Santa Monica Environmentalist." Apparently, it's not good enough to want to reduce my personal carbon footprint, he said I needed to buy a mountain bike or fixed gear if I wanted to be a "real man."
I was hurt. And shocked. I thought about bloggin' about it, but then this post serendipitously appeared. It seems that nothing we do is ever good enough for these people. You buy a Civic that gets 35 MPGs, they want you to buy a Prius that gets 40 MPGs. You buy locally grown fruits and vegetables, they want you to buy organic. You buy a BMX bike to commute to work, they want you to buy a fixed gear. It never ends with them. David Alexander (getting closer, I think)Pulsipher and his likes are always one step ahead of you!
Thanks David Patrick (?) Pulsipher for dashing my dreams of meeting your expectations... yet again.
i think may be exaggerating slightly. this is what i said, and i quote:
way too small (bmx bikes). you'll look like an idiot and get way sweatier than you normally would. you won't be able to ride it longer than 40 yards without being uncomfortable.
if you really want to do bunnyhops, get a mountain bike.
if you are a real man, get a road bike.
notice i said nothing about a fixed gear bike. i have a geared bike, and prefer it to my fixed gear bike.
oh craig... you were never close on my middle name.
i was just trying to spare you the uncomfortable purchase, and price you'd pay for riding a bike that's too small for you. you'd be limiting your options.
you wanted my opinion, and i gave it to you. if you want to buy a bike that's way too small for you and you won't ride very much because it's not fun to rid more than 5 blocks... be my guest.
David...I don't understand why you would need "more friends" than me.... that hurts.
what a precious moment that we have with Kimber and Ashley.
A former Governor of OR once said "Come visit us again and again. This is a state of excitement. But for heaven's sake, don't move here to live."
Who's smug now?
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