Archive for May, 2009
Everybody getting ready for the Strawberry Fields Forever bike ride
Once again, we set out to do the 25 mile bike ride at the annual Strawberry Fields Forever event at Watsonville. Last year the day started out cold and foggy but today it is warm. As we drove out of the garage at 6 am, the temperature read 66 degrees. Watsonville is near the coast so it could well have been cold and foggy over there. Driving towards the Santa Cruz mountains on Highways 85 and 17, everything looked crisp and clear. Traffic was light and the sun shone. What more could we have asked for?
We passed or were passed by at least six vehicles hauling bikes. I wondered if they are all going to the same event. The nearer to Watsonville we got, the more bikes we saw. There were 1202 bikes taking part in the event. (Click on the images for larger versions)
Besides the 25 mile ride which Tom and I took part in, there were also a 100 kilometers and a 100 mile ride. Either one of those would have been just too much for us. We were not out to do it in a fast time. In fact, we made many stops. Tom had his camera of course and there were lots of photo ops. Last year, all the early starters were on the longer rides and Tom and I were the only ones for some time on the short ride.
When we turned off Highway 1 towards Watsonville and neared our destination, we saw lots of cyclists who had already started on their ride and when we approached the car park at Pajaro High School, the first lot was already full. There were certainly far more cyclists around than last year. Negotiating the car through the car park, with bikes being unloaded, people walking about and cyclists setting off, was hazardous.
While Tom unloaded our bikes, I went to register and to pick up the printed route. I was also given two red arm bands which were our meal tickets. I was under the impression that the 25 mile route did not get the lunch but I was not about to question it.
At 7.40 we set off, after covering ourselves in sun block of course. The first part was downhill and I knew that it would be a killer at the end of the ride.
At first there were three sets of arrows – green, yellow and red. We were following the green arrows. We turned right at the first set of lights. I should have checked the route map to see how far we had to go on Harkins Slough Road before our next turn but was relying on seeing the green arrows. Ahead I saw a hill and was bracing myself to get up it plus the sun block had got into my eyes and they were watering and that’s my excuse for missing the green arrow pointing to the right at Ohlone Parkway. We’d gone about three quarters of a mile before I stopped to check the map. Oh no, we have to climb up that hill again! Our situation was not as bad as another cyclist who had also stopped to check the map. She was on the 100 kilometer route and didn’t know she was supposed to follow the yellow arrows.
Eventually we were back on the right track. Our next instruction was to go 0.11 miles to the next turn but it was more like a mile. I thought we
Lettuce, lettuce and more lettuce. They don't call this the "salad bowl of America" for nothing.
gone wrong again but I had been watching out for the green arrows and didn’t see any at all. Eventually we saw a green arrow and turned onto Beach Street. This is where the strawberry fields began. After nearly two miles we turned onto Thurwatcher Road and were once again sharing the route with the yellow and red arrows. Consequently there were suddenly more cyclists around. There were strawberries all around us and lots of them looked ready to be picked. They were growing right next to the road. It was so tempting not to stop and sample some, but we resisted.
Just before a bridge over Watsonville Slough we stopped so Tom could take photos. Quite a few cyclists asked if we were OK or whether we needed help but I assured them we were fine. I sat on a crash barrier and started writing. We heard a noise behind us and thought it was a tractor but then Tom spotted a model plan and told me where to look. We watched it climb, swoop and execute loops. What fun.
It is amazing how the faster cyclists could carry on conversations with each other as they rode along and they were going at a steady speed. Tom and I are just casual weekend cyclists and this year we were not in top form. We had only been out a couple of times on our bikes – once on a short trip round the neighborhood one evening and our visit to Alviso last weekend. At this stage in the ride our legs were beginning to complain.
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May 22 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
Hobee's Restaurant in North San Jose
After our early morning bike ride on the levees at Alviso, I really fancied a bowl of oatmeal and Hobee’s is the best place for that. The nearest Hobee’s to Alviso on the way home is at River Oaks Parkway. This branch is a bit off the beaten track but it happens to be within walking distance of where I work.
As it is Mother’s Day, we were expecting a few people around but hoped Hobee’s at River Oaks would be less crowded. It was just after 9 when we pulled into the car park but already it was crowded. Tom did manage to find a parking spot where the bikes on the back of the car didn’t impede anybody.
Inside it was full but, as the wait was only 10 minutes, we decided to put our names down. We found a shady spot on a bench outside while we waited. It seemed we were called in no time at all.
Inside Mother’s Day helium balloons decorated the place. Over the cash registers by the entrance though, was a banner which said ‘Happy Birthday’. That might reference the fact that Hobee’s is celebrating 25 years of being in business. On the tables, a handwritten sign in the plant pot said ‘HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!’ While we were looking through the menu, I was presented with a huge chocolate covered strawberry, decorated with a swirl of whipped cream and served on a small plate. It was delicious. Tom asked where his was and was told to come back on Father’s Day.
The Hobee’s menu always has specials on the front cover. Today’s specials all make reference to mother in some way. Tom chose Mother’s Special Salmon Omie served with coffee cake instead of hash browns. I, of course, went for the oatmeal.
This is one of the better Hobee’s – not that I have been to all of them. There are nine altogether and I’ve only been to five. I like the way this one is set out. There are no booths or seats up at a counter, just pine tables and chairs. Apart from the seasonal Mother’s Day decorations, the normal decor is big, bright prints of fruits and vegetable on the walls.
Hobee’s oatmeal is self serve from a bar. What I really like about their oatmeal are the sides to go on top. Today I was spoilt for choice with seven bowls to pick from. Beside the brown sugar, there were raisins, shredded coconut, cranberries, flaked almonds, mixed nut nibbles and walnut halves You can also help yourself to a piece of muffin. Sometimes it is small pieces of their famous coffee cake on offer. And, of course, you can visit the bar as often as you like.
Those are the good points but today I have three gripes. The oatmeal was very runny (but it tasted fine); the piece of muffin I had was stale and there was no milk. I did ask for milk and was promised someone would bring me some to the table. It never arrived but it was OK because there was milk on the table for coffee so I just used that.
I was a bit disappointed when I visited the restroom to find only one, very small picture of a couple of plums, on the wall. The restroom was very clean though with hot water and piped music playing softly in the background. There could, of course, have been the same music in the restaurant but due to the volume of noise out there it was impossible to hear.
We both enjoyed our breakfasts and we will come back to Hobee’s again and again.
May 17 2009 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
Levees at Don Edwards in Alviso. You can ride for miles.
Oh, to be out again in the early morning and on such a beautiful day. After a long break from routine due to my recent visit to England and a series of wet and cold weekends, we were ready for some exercise.
The bikes were loaded onto the car the night before and at 6:15am we were on the road. Alviso was our destination and the salt marsh and the miles of easy riding on the levees were our goal.
Alviso gets better each time we drive through it and the Marina area has really improved. An area of 18.9 acres near the car park is now called the Alviso Marina County Park and there is an easy walking trail around it with lots of information boards along the way. Today though we are riding on the Alviso Slough Trail which starts from the car park and the first part of the trail is along the the short circular trail around the marina. Just past the first observation platform we turned right.
At this time in the morning, there is nobody else around. In fact the rabbits outnumber us. They sit in the middle of the trail and then turn tail and lope off to the side as we approach. Tom stops to take photos and a couple of American Avocets take exception to him being there, even though we were on the trail. They screeched and screamed and attempted to scare him off. I remember a few years back being dive bombed by terns on the other side of Don Edwards as we were riding the trail.
Last time we where here at Alviso, there was a dredger working and mounds of fresh clay lined the levees. The mounds are still there but they
Avocet. This guy didn't want his picture taken.
have rounded off and are beginning to be covered with pickleweed.
The water level appears to be lower because there are more mud islands out in the slough which I have never seen before. Either that or it is a very low tide.
We follow the trail over the railroad and stop to look north at the inaccessible ghost town of Drawbridge in the distance. As I have said before, it’s very tempting to walk the rails and to actually visit the town but I understand it is not safe at all because Drawbridge is slowly sinking into the marsh.
We pass a sign which says this trail is closed for duck hunting between October 18 and January 25, so it’s OK to ride it now. We don’t go too far because there are just too many bugs around. They were getting in our eyes, mouths and noses and we were covered in them.
Back over the rail tracks, we turn right. There are no trail markers out here so I have no idea which trail we are on. We just keep cycling and eventually we will either go round in a loop and arrive back where we started or we will have to turn back and try to remember which way we came. The levees seem to go on and on for miles.
Lone Egret
Tom stopped in front of me and seemed to be pondering something so I stopped too. Then he pointed out the power lines overhead. I hadn’t noticed them at all but now Tom had pointed them out, it did seem strange to have them out here in the middle of nowhere with not a house or any sort of building in sight.
It was very peaceful out there with just the sound of the gulls and marsh birds. The American Avocets are making the greatest noise but the most common bird around is the Western Gull. A Red Kite passed overhead and circled over the slough.
We came to another junction and discussed which way to go but off to our right we spotted a flock of white pelicans, so the decision was made. There were about 15 of them and, to begin with, they were close to the levee but they moved off and were soon in a feeding frenzy. Pelicans are an unusual bird to look at with their long beaks with the big pouch underneath. Brown Pelicans are more common in California so it is always a rare treat to see white pelicans.
While Tom was taking photos, another couple on bikes came towards us. It was only after they had gone by that I realized I should have asked them if they were on a loop trail. We cycled on for another couple of miles but seemed to be moving further away from the start. As the hunger pangs were beginning to gnaw we decided to turn back. (I checked a trail map when I got home and it is actually called the Alviso Slough Trail Loop and it is 8.9 miles long so we could have carried on.)
The ride back was pretty uneventful until we were on the final stretch. Tom spotted a Red-tailed
White pelicans feeding
Hawk sitting on a log beside the levee eating a rat. I’d ridden right past and had not noticed. I did hear Tom, who was several yards behind me, say ‘Whoa’. By the time I had stopped and turned, the hawk had flown away, clutching the rat in his talons. But he didn’t fly too far and I was able to watch through my binoculars. Tom didn’t have time though to get off his bike and set up his tripod and camera before the hawk had moved out of view.
There is nothing like getting up early and taking a bike ride before breakfast to get you into the right mood for the day ahead.
May 15 2009 | Neighborhoods and Special Places | 2 Comments »
Beautiful Dale Farm House in Dibden. Charming B&B with the most wonderful breakfasts.
We hadn’t planned a trip to England at all, but my mother was taken ill at the beginning of April and I went across to be with her. Unfortunately my mum died a week later but I was able to spend a lot of time with her beforehand. Tom flew over later to be with me and we had a few days break before the funeral. After picking Tom up from Heathrow Airport, we took the scenic trip back to Taunton in the south west by driving through the New Forest.
(Click on the images for larger versions)
This is an area of approximately 145 square miles which I have been to many times but Tom had only skirted the perimeter. From the M27 we took the Cadnam road to Lyndhurst. Now I’m sure Lyndhurst is a lovely place but it took an awful long time to drive through it. Every road leading to it had a back up of traffic and it is like this every single time I have driven through it. It is a town which desperately needs a bypass. It took us long enough in April, but during the summer months it is even more of a nightmare.
Once through Lyndhurst, the journey became enjoyable and we could take pleasure in the countryside. In 1079 William The Conqueror named the area his ‘Nova Foresta’ or new hunting forest. Now, nearly 1000 years later, most of the forest has disappeared, mainly due to the navy taking the the timber to build their ships in the late Middle Ages. Today the area is a mix of woodland and heathland. The locals, or Commoners, are allowed to graze horses and cattle in the New Forest and these animals roam freely. The animals are prevented from straying too far by cattle grids. As you drive through the forest, you will see many ponies and they have the right of way. The speed limited is 40 mph on unfenced roads and it is necessary. We rounded a bend and came up behind two cows, which ambled along the road in front of us for about 200 yards before deciding to head towards a pond.
Our first stop though was in Lymington. This is a small town not far from the coast. We needed to book some accommodation and we have always found that the Tourist Information Office is the best place to do this. We parked the car near the center of the town and walked to the main shopping street. As we didn’t know exactly where the Tourist Office was, we stopped for a cup of coffee at an independent coffee shop and asked for directions. At the Tourist Office, a very helpful lady gave us a brochure to browse through. We prefer farmhouse bed and breakfast to hotels and there were several to choose from. As we were next visiting Beaulieu, we picked a place nearby. The lady telephoned and we were fixed up, leaving with a map of where the accommodation was and a phone number.
On to Beaulieu where the world famous Motor Museum is situated. Beaulieu is a very nice little village where some of the houses – those with
Motor Museum at Beaulieu
red painted front doors – are owned by the Beaulieu Estate. Beaulieu Estate, which comprises not only the National Motor Museum but Beaulieu Abbey and Beaulieu Palace House, has been owned by the Montagu family since the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century. Our intention was to visit all three buildings but ended up spending all our time in the Motor Museum. What a fascinating place. Lots of vintage, classic cars and racing cars plus land speed record holders. There are over 250 exhibits. I particularly liked the one of a kind cars like Del Boys (Only Fools and Horses) three wheeler and Mr. Bean’s mini.
We left Beaulieu to drive towards Hythe, which is on the Southampton Water, and set out to find where we were booked for the night -Dale Farm House in Dibden. We had the instructions on how to get there but somehow got lost and ended up going up and down the same stretch of road and around the several roundabouts before we pulled off the road and rang the our host. Fortunately we weren’t too far away, we just hadn’t negotiated the right roundabout. Soon we were bumping down a unmade up road until we found Dale Farm. The setting was perfect.
We were greeted warmly by Christine Archdeacon, given a key to our room – which was at the top of the stairs (mind your head!). What a lovely room with an compact but impressive ensuite bathroom. The view from the window was outstanding. After lugging our suitcases upstairs and washing our hands we took a walk round the garden, meet the ducks, watched a couple of pheasants and admired the surroundings.
Time to get something to eat. Christine recommended some good restaurants nearby and we chose the nearest one which was the Pilgrim Inn at Marchwood. Right next door is a restaurant but it wasn’t open. Both buildings are under the same ownership and have recently been refurbished with brand new thatched roofs. Inside the pub there was another warm welcome. We could pick our own table and browsed through the mouthwatering menu. Our server was very friendly and we had a long conversation with her about photography. We both chose something from the specials on the blackboard – Tom had calves liver – now this was a bold step for him as he hasn’t liver since he was a child and he didn’t like it then – and my choice was a chicken dish. Before the meal Tom enjoyed his first pint of British beer this trip while I had a St Clements. The food was fantastic.
After a very comfortable night’s sleep, we were ready for our farmhouse breakfast at Dale Farm. Our host, Peter – complete with chefs jacket and harlequin trouers – greeted us as we walked into the restaurant and we had a simply wonderful breakfast. We filled up with cereal, a very colorful fresh fruit salad, yoghurt, fruit juice, the tastiest English cooked breakfast with local produce I’ve ever had, toast, home made marmalade and all washed down with several cups of tea. Peter spent a long time in conversation with us as until the other guests arrived and soon the room became full. Peter and Christine have spent several holidays in California and we told them to look us up if they come again. If you ever check this website out Peter and Christine, we looking forward to meeting up with you again.
May 11 2009 | Further Afield | 1 Comment »
