birthday ride

This past Saturday, Ashley organized a dream birthday celebration. I'm a simple man, of simple tastes. The key components to a killer birthday bash were:

Friends
Bikes
All you can eat Indian buffet.

If that's not a recipe for high times, I don't know what is.

El Nino had been in full effect all week, literally. Rained Monday through Friday. So Saturday, we were a little worried about what the weather might bring. Turns out, it was a beautiful, only slightly crisp afternoon. Perfect for bike riding. The first, and major x-factor during the ride was - how would a ten month old fare with a six month old in a bike trailer?

As if there were ever a doubt - Abe and George, cool as cucumbers

The ride was going along fantastic. There were a few helmet, hat, and clothing adjustments. Everything was going according to plan.

Concerned parents

Our friends Adrian and Naomi were our ride leaders - they set a punctual pace.

Just when it looked like we had the open road ahead... we hit our first snag. Locked out! The Ballona Creek bike path was locked due to concerns from flooding. The water levels were totally normal so we decided to "go rogue" and scale the fence ourselves. With such a willing party, it was no sweat.

Abe and Kimber looked with interest

Adrian did most of the heavy lifting.

George was dressed for an arctic expedition, with his NEW helmet

After we hopped the fence we had 3-4 miles of carefree riding... only to be met with another gate! Crumbum! No fear, we merely repeated the step again, hoisting our bikes over the fence. It was quite a scene. Bicyclists en masse were doing it, so everyone just kind of helped out the other.

It was a total stab in the dark on restaurants. We went on google maps, searched restaurants, and stumbled upon this gem. Tandoor A India. Great samosas. Great nan. Great chicken Korma. Fantastic service. Delicious desserts. Ample room for a large party.


After dinner... we painfully mounted our bikes, stomachs engorged with exotic meats and cheeses. The excitement was too much for Abe & George to handle, as you can see below. The napped for most of the way home.


Literal roadblocks aside, the event went off without a hitch. 14.5 miles of riding without a flat or mechanical failure.



Thanks to everyone who came out and made my birthday celebration amazing. I love you guys.