Fly & Ride

Today I was vividly reminded why I love living and playing in Southern California. After last week's rain storms and subsequent winds, today dawned cool, calm and crystal clear. My friends Mark and Bruce had planned to meet in Carlsbad for a morning ride along the coast and through the hills of North San Diego County. Since the McClellan-Palomar Airport (CRQ) is a stone's throw from their departure point, I decided to fly down and join them. Any day I can combine flying with any of my other passions is a great day, indeed!

I rose at 6:00am and was at the Palomar airport, ready to go, by 8:40am. The flight was "severe clear" - one of those rare So. Cal. days in which the visibility seems unlimited. I could easily see all the southern Channel Islands and, near Carlsbad, the tiny Coronado Islands off Baja. My comrades arrived soon after and we were off on a grand loop of about 35 miles. From the airport,we headed west, then south at the coast, all the way to Del Mar. Turning inland, we began climbing hills through rural countryside - complete with orchards - that made the city seem a million miles away. Heading back north, we finished up with a few good hills before returning to the airport. After a quick lunch at Islands nearby, I re-loaded the bike into the plane and returned home, enjoying the midday sun on the deep blue Pacific as I traversed the coastline back to Torrance. I had N21508 tucked back into her hangar by 2:30. On the drive home, with a big smile on my face, I had to once again pinch myself that such a perfect day was, in fact, real.

Tomorrow's forecast predicts more of the same. Hmmm... Where shall we go?