Fifty Plus (50+) - A typical winter day in Southern California... (pics)

Yeh, just another sunny day.... beautiful, crisp, and clear. Last week's cold heavy rain dumped some new snow in the mountains, and yesterday was one of those clear, crisp, winter days that you can't resist being outside to enjoy. Hubby wanted to ride to the post office to mail some bills, so I joined him and we turned it into a nice 1-3/4 hour ride.

Yes, Virginia, there is fall color (and snow!) in southern California...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cc10b3127ccec5ab6dec309000000040O08Eas2TVu4cg9vPgQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cc10b3127ccec5aa35da10c600000050O18Eas2TVu4cg9vPgQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D1/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cc10b3127ccec5aadcd2502200000040O08Eas2TVu4cg9vPgQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

On our favorite bike trail, there were lots of walkers, a few people on bikes, and some skateboarders.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cc10b3127ccec5abbc7870f400000040O08Eas2TVu4cg9vPgQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cc10b3127ccec5ab661770f600000040O08Eas2TVu4cg9vPgQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cc10b3127ccec5ab0346b13d00000050O18Eas2TVu4cg9vPgQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D1/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

Closer to home, a view of snow-capped Mt. Baldy, a favorite challenging mountain ride for many cyclists.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cc10b3127ccec5ab420770f400000040O08Eas2TVu4cg9vPgQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cc10b3127ccec5ab251e304600000040O08Eas2TVu4cg9vPgQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

Two seasons - autumn and winter - in one day. Nice...

Great shots. We have 6" of fresh snow and an equally fresh temp of 14F. I think I'll head down to the trainer after I shovel the snow.

The trees still have their leaves later than normal this year. Normally the trees would be bare of leaves by now. A late fall? Late summer? I hope this is a sign of a cooler-than-normal summer in 2009. :)

Yes, your weather is nice, but it looks to me like your earthquakes have caused your church steeples to tilt to the left.

Nice pics. Looks a lot like the weather we had yesterday and today -- except your temps are probably 20+ degrees warmer.

RonH, our weather is warm this week... low to mid-70s. Last week was (I'm estimating... we were out of town...) in the 50s. Early mornings are still 40.

We must have been near or at freezing while we were gone, as some of the leaves on our tropical plant have black spots. That plant was almost all blackened in the mid-20s we had a couple of years ago.

:thumb:Sweet!! That's thing I hate the most about WINTER, the dead trees, Colorado Springs, CO. is blessed with a lot of trees but they look so out of place in the winter months! Looks like a great day to be on a bicycle, we had a sunny but chilly day on Monday, which I finally got out on the bike for 20 miles to test the new "wireless"cycle computer, which seems to work very well.

Two seasons - autumn and winter - in one day. Nice...


Yah, it's funny; due to the extra warm "fall" we had the leaves on the liquid amber trees and chinese pistaches did not turn color untill Christmas! But I guess good comes to those who wait--most of the trees around me (some several miles to the east of these pictures) are really gorgeous.

We had some pretty thick fog today on SGRT from Cerritos to the beach. By the time I got back to Cerritos, it was finally burning off.

We're pretty lucky here in Western New York as the snow gets deposited directly onto our driveways. We don't have to go to the mountains to enjoy the snow. By the time we're done shoveling the mountains are nicely lined along the edge of the roads and driveways. :D

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1526.jpg

My daughter's been home from Culver City since the 20th for the Holidays (that's her in the pic above as she arrived home between pre-Christmas storms). Her boyfreind has made it a point to keep her supplied with pictures from the beach on an almost daily basis......although she was thrilled to get back here for a while I believe she's ready to get back to the somewhat more moderate Southern California climate.

All teasing aside, those are great pics Yen, thanks for sharing. It looks like you're blessed with beautiful countryside to enjoy.

Happy New Year

I used to take my daughter out of school for the day at least once each winter when it snowed up on Mt. Palomar, to go sledding (The snow usually would not last until the weekend). I never biked out that way, though.

It stayed warm & dry so late into fall that my pear tree did not dropped most of its leaves. Yesterday I had to sweep two trash can of leaves off the patio (again!). Every time a front comes through with strong winds some come down, but it is not fun to rake in winter. I just need to remind myself of the great biking weather we had before it turned cold so abruptly.

Nine or ten more weeks until it starts to warm again (I hope) It will go fast.

How do you define a "crisp" autumn day? I consider that a day with the highs in the 30s or 40s.

Very pretty, looks like our October.

A sunny, crisp, winter day around here usually means temps around 10-15. Highs around 30 are a warm winter day.

:thumb:Sweet!! That's thing I hate the most about WINTER, the dead trees, Colorado Springs, CO. is blessed with a lot of trees but they look so out of place in the winter months! ...

To each his own aesthetic of course, but I actually enjoy the starkness and openness of the winter landscape. It gives one a different perspective on the landscape. And dormant (not really "dead" as I'm sure you know) trees reveal their structure and complexity in interesting and often beautiful ways. Now winter wind... that I can do without!

We're pretty lucky here in Western New York as the snow gets deposited directly onto our driveways. We don't have to go to the mountains to enjoy the snow. By the time we're done shoveling the mountains are nicely lined along the edge of the roads and driveways. :D
(snip)

Oh, we here in So Cal don't have to go to the mountains to enjoy snow either!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3125431585_b0878c447b.jpg

We're so lucky!:rolleyes:

To each his own aesthetic of course, but I actually enjoy the starkness and openness of the winter landscape. It gives one a different perspective on the landscape. And dormant (not really "dead" as I'm sure you know) trees reveal their structure and complexity in interesting and often beautiful ways. Now winter wind... that I can do without!

I lived in Beatrice from Aug. '73 to Sept. '74. That wasn't my destination, I just ran out of money there. My coldest winter ever (grew up in NJ); freaked out when I was walking down Court St. and the bank sign showed -10*. I didn't have my bike with me and wished I had, as the roads were structured in such a way that I could've gotten lost in the milo fields and still found my way back home.

ITA re the wind. In winter it's brutal!

Watching the Rose Bowl parade this morning. Checked the weather for Pasadena. It sure is warm there, highs for the next 10 days are in the upper 60s to low 70s. I could deal with that. That's the weather for which we cross our fingers and hope to get in May.

Watching the Rose Bowl parade this morning. Checked the weather for Pasadena. It sure is warm there, highs for the next 10 days are in the upper 60s to low 70s. I could deal with that. That's the weather for which we cross our fingers and hope to get in May.

Yeh, it sure is nice here, beautiful gardening and bike-riding weather.........

.....which is why we also have way too much traffic and way too many people. :twitchy:

Jen, I just got back from my New Year's Day bike ride - I thought you would like this photo (and it was raining...).

http://i41.tinypic.com/if3imo.jpg

The advantage of snow......no need for the kickstand! :D

Cranky and Benge, great pics! You guys who ride in the snow really blow my mind.

Now that Hubby has his new knee warmers (Christmas gift from me), nothing should stop him either. We'll give them a try on Saturday morning.

PS - I got 6 new pair of bike socks for Christmas.

Looks like La Verne! I lived there from 1973 to 1989, beautiful little town.

Looks like La Verne! I lived there from 1973 to 1989, beautiful little town.

Whereabouts did you live in La Verne?

Yen, here are a couple shots of Baldy from different angles. The first is from summer and was taken from the back of Baldy on Angeles Crest Highway west of Wrightwood.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u308/bigjohn53/DSCF0895view.jpg
The other is from Jan 1 and was taken by KiddSisko on Mount Wilson Road.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u308/bigjohn53/baldyview3.jpg

Nice pics, John. So, is the view from Mount Wilson Road looking east? That is quite a view up there, from the top of the mountain... a very different perspective than I normally have from down below. Away from all the people, traffic, and congestion.... beautiful.

Some day, I hope to be strong enough to ride UP Mt. Baldy, not just to it. We go to the end of Thompson Trail, then head up the road that begins at Padua (can't remember the name) then turn around when it gets steep. I've considered challenging myself to ride part way and increase that distance over time until I can make it up the mountain.

Nice!

I hope to ride there someday. That's impressive scenery.

Nice pics, John. So, is the view from Mount Wilson Road looking east? That is quite a view up there, from the top of the mountain... a very different perspective than I normally have from down below. Away from all the people, traffic, and congestion.... beautiful.

Some day, I hope to be strong enough to ride UP Mt. Baldy, not just to it. We go to the end of Thompson Trail, then head up the road that begins at Padua (can't remember the name) then turn around when it gets steep. I've considered challenging myself to ride part way and increase that distance over time until I can make it up the mountain.

Yes, that view is to the east. It's part way up Mt Wilson road, which is a 5 mile spur off of Angeles Crest Hwy. From that intersection it's about 40 miles to the back of Baldy where the other picture was taken. You can't actually get to Baldy from Angeles Crest, at least not on a road.
The easiest way to get to the Mt Badly Village is to go up Glendora Mountain Road from Sierra Madre. It's about 22 miles of mostly uphill. The way you're trying is Mt Baldy Road, the hard way.
It's a good destination, though, and we like to go to the Lodge for lunch before going back down. They are always happy to have us.

Looks like La Verne! I lived there from 1973 to 1989, beautiful little town.

I bought a bike in Claremont. The bike shop is still there (by the railroad tracks, downtown Claremont) but ownership has changed.

My wife and I lived on 6th Street, then on Bonita, then on Magnolia. Over the course of 15 years, we moved about a mile west.

Interestingly, your picture of the steeple is the church that I pastored for 12 years when it was Grace Church. Those were happy days!

We had a not-so-typical SoCal day on Sat. with strong warm winds. Here we are with the wind to our backs, riding an Irvine MUP from Portola to Walnut.

As this was taken, I was in the lead (looks like Lauraetta behind me), in a not too close pace line at 28 mph. Great fun, but we'd battled the wind in the opposite direction earlier (not fun).

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee179/bikephoto1/Blastindownthebikepath.jpg