Santa Monica Beach

Santa Monica Pier was built in 1909 and is a National Historic Landmark.

Santa Monica Beach is a California State Park

Santa Monica Beach is located along the Pacific Coast Highway and is 2 miles long.

Fiddle-dee-dee

Fiddle-dee-dee...BIG RED has lots of miles in her before she becomes an antique.

Photo taken in Washington, LA.

Ultimate Trainer

I met this Iraq War Veteran outside Safeco Field in Seattle. He was raising money for Military Families in crisis. Today's goal was to pedal 14 hours on the trainer! It was nice to see his donation bucket filled with cash. If you are a cyclist or want to take up cycling...using a trainer during the winter months when you can't pedal outside will help keep your legs in shape. Once Spring arrives you will be ready to pedal a century!

Toppenish, WA

Toppenish, WA was a nice surprise. It fancies itself as a "mural museum". The city boosts over 70 murals within city limits. It took over 3 hours to ride Black Betty through the streets of Toppenish to get as many photos as possible. Other photos will appear in future posts of my Training Wheels blog.

Nolan Lake River Dam, Kentucky...Gar

The Nolan Dam is in central Kentucky and creates a large recreational area that focuses on aquatic activities...boating and fishing.





The river below the dam had several people fishing in its dark waters.

All of the people had traditional fishing poles except for 2 guys. As I walked down the river I said to myself "are those guys using a bow?"

As I got closer I noticed that there were using a compound bow and that they had already shot (caught?) two gar. It was the first time that I've seen a gar outside of an aquarium.

How would you like to be bit by a gar? Ouch!

A few facts on gar: 1) Gar can inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine, waters of Eastern North America, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands. 2) Gar is an Old English word meaning "spear". 3) There are many species of gar, including the alligator gar that can exceed 10 feet in length!

A nice catch!

Bicycle Ranch

Sabra Ranch...Where all the cool bicycles go on vacation.

Photo taken near Bastrop, TX.

SUNFLOWERS 2011

The sunflower crop of 2011 was banner. The sunflower field located near the intersection of Highways A and K near where I live peaked during the absolute hottest week of the summer. With a heat index of over 100 degrees I walked the rows searching for the best flowers.

Mural, Mural...

Mural, mural on the wall - who's the coolest of them all?
BIG RED!

Photo taken in Hawthorne, FL