BluepoofBikes Motorcycle Adventures

Hooray for books!

Asking for 90% books on my Christmas list this year is making for interesting packing (travel tip: a square foot worth of books will bump your suitcase over the 50lb limit...), but it'll be invaluable for planning future rides.

Among the booty:

• Adventuring in the California Desert
  
• California Ghost Town Trails
  
• California Coastal Byways
  
• California-Nevada Roads Less Traveled
  
• California State Parks
  
• Roadside History of California
  
• Roadside History of Nevada
  
• Sierra Nevada Byways
  

*bounce* *bounce*

I've already talked Peter into a dual-sport weekend around Death Valley this spring, so I'm happily devouring the books with southeastern CA sections.

Those other two-wheeled things

So, my friend Prue is finally getting through to me. For months now, I've wondered how she knows all these neat short rides around the Bay Area -- little 20-50 mile jaunts that hit all the nice roads and are perfect for newer riders or for a short lunchtime ride. On Saturday, when she showed up to say hi at the coffee shop before the Wind Dancers ride, I finally learned her secret.

Bicycle trail books.

It's brilliant! I don't know why I never thought of this myself. There are always bicyclists on the good motorcycling roads, and they have to get their ideas from somewhere, too, don't they?

Right now, I'm borrowing Prue's copy of San Francisco Peninsula Bike Trails. Last night, I went online and ordered a used copy for myself, along with South Bay Bike Trails and East Bay Bike Trails (by the same author). All together, these three books cover San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties.

Some of the rides in the SF book aren't very useful for motorcyclists; they're either flat rides through cities or follow unpaved mountain bike trails. Of the 25 listed rides, though, 16 are either immediately motorcycle-friendly or could easily be adapted to become so. The mountain bike trails, for example, often parallel paved roads that would be just as fun for a motorcyclist. A few of the rides also offer alternative "sub-rides", so all-told, there are probably about 20 motorcycle ride ideas in this book.

Each chapter of the book covers one ride (and any sub-rides). Each chapter includes the ride's region, total distance, total elevation gain, and some other data points that don't really apply to motorcyclists (I wish we could apply the "calories burned" chart!). A short description of the terrain follows, including a graph of the ride with elevation (feet) on the Y-axis and distance (miles) on the X-axis. Major landmarks and crossroads are plotted on the curve, along with the road's average grade. Next up is a nice ride description, which makes me happy as it frequently includes a little bit of history about the road or region. At the end of the chapter is a map of the ride and a detailed list of mile markers and directions.

These books will be absolutely perfect for those days when I know I want to ride, but have no idea where I want to go, especially if I don't have a whole lot of time. Thanks, Prue!

"Research"

I was just telling Steph that the nice thing about this whole "writing" thing is that I get to rationalize buying other people's books by saying they're for "research".

Current "research":

Rising from the Plains, John McPhee. I figure that if I adore California history, and enjoy Nevada and Arizona history, and liked McPhee's book on Alaskan history, I'll like this one on Wyoming history. Soon I'll have to move east just to get interested in more states.

Travels in Alaska, John Muir. I've been warned not to start with this one, unless I really really really like glaciers. But it was on sale at a used bookstore. Besides, I'm from Wisconsin and live in California. How could I not like John Muir?

Beyond the Wall, Edward Abbey. Mmmm. Edward Abbey. Need I say more?

Assembling California, John McPhee. Probably one of the only books I bought that actually will end up being used for research. But if anyone will make me enjoy reading about the geological history of California, it's John McPhee. I should do a separate journal entry on him sometime.

California: A Study of American Character, Josiah Royce. A history of the West, first published in 1886. I haven't yet read any Royce; in fact, all I know about him is that he went on to teach philosophy at Harvard. But, hey! Research.

BikerLady: Living and Riding Free, Sasha Mullins. OK, I'll 'fess up -- this one isn't research; I just needed to get my ass in gear and buy Sasha's book. My photo's in the color section between pages 110-111, for those playing along at home.

Much Excitement in the Magazine World

First RoadBike, then Rider, and then WomanRider...lots of changes in the magazine world these days.

RoadBike continues to be the clear winner in my eyes. Their new look is clean without being minimalist; sharp without being too flashy. Jessica Prokup has been an excellent contributor, and I was impressed with her first issue as editor. Two thumbs up to her and the entire RoadBike staff. If I had to pick only one general-purpose bike magazine to subscribe to, this would be it.

Rider gave me quite a start when I saw the most recent issue. Am I the only one who remembers (fondly!) the days when Rider featured landscape/travel shots on its cover? Now it has the same ol' flavor of the month as all of the other newsstand magazines. Sigh. Anyway, I'm not sure how I feel about the new look. It seems as though the magazine is thinner, the ads are more intrusive, and the font is huge. The picture quality inside the magazine seems lower than usual, too. Hrm. I'll reserve official judgment until the next issue; maybe this one's just a fluke.

Woman Rider, a child magazine of Rider, has now gone annual instead of quarterly. I don't give it much time. An annual magazine isn't much of a stand-alone magazine, per se; it'll become a supplement to the parent magazine. It's too bad, really. I didn't always agree with Woman Rider's choice of focus, but it never hurts to have one more woman-oriented magazine. Let's hope that the women who'd subscribed to Woman Rider will now turn to Women on Wheels. Our magazine is getting bigger and better, though of course, I'm utterly unbiased. ;)