# 50 miles, 3 bathrooms, 1 graveyard -- L.A. Ride Report



## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Commuted to a job in Torrance today. From Brentwood that's a 50-mile round-trip. Usually takes me an hour-and-a-half each way, depending on the wind and the legs.

I got a late start today so I took the quickest, ugliest route there: Through West L.A. and Mar Vista, a sneak peek through Culver City, then down past LAX, then a handful of beach cities via inland residential streets.

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BIG MAP ATTACK--That long straight stretch on the east side that
starts just north of LAX is Aviation Blvd. It's the sux.










As you can see, LAX is the size of a small city. Even still, they've got
near-collisions on the runways on what seems like a weekly basis.










I tried to reach as high as possible while I was riding, but still couldn't clear the fence for a runway shot. Oh well.

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The only thing separating Aviation Blvd. from the Pacific Ocean is this huge mass of flatlands called LAX. That means it's totally exposed, so there's usually a most righteous crosswind. Add to that the rough road, speeding cars and the wasteland factor, and it's pretty miserable. I only go this way when I'm running late to my client.

However, I've always noticed this vintage aircraft graveyard/museum when I've taken this route. It's on the other side of the boulevard so I've never bothered to stop and check it out. I'm not a plane geek, but these things were cool nonetheless.

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After I got back on the road I kept riding and riding down Aviation until I realized that I'd been riding along this stopped train for what seemed like miles. This thing was super-long. I'm not a train geek, but it was impressive nonetheless.

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MYSTERY TRAIN--That sucker needed, what, FOUR engine cars to get it rolling? ... Im_press_ivvvvve. (Note Darth Vader
voice.)










Reverse angle of the train, and a glimpse into the bleakness of Aviation Blvd.

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My typical cilent-visit routine:


Arrive at office.
Set up laptop.
Go on RBR and a few news sites.
Act like I'm super busy.
Charge 4-6 hours for a 1-hour job.

Ok, not really. I was doing a server upgrade/migration today so I had a lot of downtime while files were copying, etc.

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BRANDED--Blackberry by Blackberry. Laptop by Dell. Riding glasses by Oakley. Tap water by Pepsi.

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After a 7-hour day I was ready to head home. That's the hard part about riding so far to a client: the longer I'm there the colder my muscles get. That plus the 25-miles-into-the-headwind factor means the ride home is usually pretty grueling.

I noticed when I was packing up that I didn't have a taillight, as I'd put it on another bag and forgotten to re-transplant it. So I elected to take the long way home, which means staying along the coast (i.e. MUTS) the entire way.

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WALRUS WAS HERE--The Walrus took some fantastic shots of this same pier in his South Bay Scenes ride report.
RIP, brother.










BATHROOM, NO. 1--I guzzled water non-stop while I was working and _still_ have the taste of Quiznos tuna in my mouth.
Nevertheless, I had to make several pit stops on the way home.










BATHROOM, NO. 2--This one was at the Fisherman's Village in Marina Del Rey. I was trying to burn a hole through the
stall door with my Light & Motion.










PIER PRESSURE--They finally opened the stretch of path that runs under the Santa Monica Pier. No more detours
dodging aimless pedestrians.










BATHROOM, NO. 3--The tunnel that goes under PCH, connecting the beach to Santa Monica Canyon. Good thing we
don't have that Florida gun law here in Cali, otherwise I'm sure a few folks could have said I was invading their home
and shot me.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

It is nice the way a cyclist can still find a lot of great stuff on a nasty commute but don't expect too much sympathy since those MUTs were mostly on the beach!

BTW you noted several times what kind of geek you aren't, what kind of geek are you?

MB1
Old geek.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Great shots. Those airplanes are less than a mile from my LAX office. I see them everytime I visit LAX...


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## khill (Mar 4, 2004)

MB1 said:


> BTW you noted several times what kind of geek you aren't, what kind of geek are you?


Looks like he's a professional geek. 

Nice pics. I like the tunnel shots.


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

i love the last shot.
bike geek.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Bike geek for sure. Gear geek. Professional geek, yeah, but you wouldn't know it to talk to me. When I'm talking to people I don't know I act like I don't even know what email is. (Unless I'm trying to mack on them for work.)

MB: Don't get me wrong. The bike path at night was awesome. The ugly part of the ride was just on the way down.


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

Pretty wild looking shots. I am a noob in an urban setting.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I am a plane and train geek. I had the boy at the B&O Railroad Museum when he was still in diapers and took him to the Air and Space plus the Dulles annex back in June. I am creating him in my image. Thanks for the pictures.


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## Jeff in Texas (Mar 17, 2006)

I'm jealous! We don't have any vintage aircraft at DFW. Thanks for the view.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

*Bikes in bathrooms*

Like you, I'm inclined to bringing my bicycle into the restrooms with me. Good report...though I must say it's gotta be one of the ugliest commutes you can possibly make in So Cal. Maybe you could only take clients in Fernwood, Malibu or Brentwood.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Mapei said:


> Like you, I'm inclined to bringing my bicycle into the restrooms with me. Good report...though I must say it's gotta be one of the ugliest commutes you can possibly make in So Cal. Maybe you could only take clients in Fernwood, Malibu or Brentwood.


That would be nice. Except it's kind of nice to be able to steal a 3-hour ride in the middle of the week.


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## fracisco (Apr 25, 2002)

*Proud Bird*



Jeff in Texas said:


> I'm jealous! We don't have any vintage aircraft at DFW. Thanks for the view.


These static display planes are sitting in front of and behind this restaurant "Proud Bird". I have stepped inside once, back when I was an intern at one of the El Segundo companies along Imperial.

http://www.theproudbird.com/


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## empty_set (Nov 1, 2006)

I did almost that same ride when I was in LA for some work related training. When I head out to Long Beach, I'll be sure to post up. Looks like a fun ride.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

empty_set said:


> I did almost that same ride when I was in LA for some work related training. When I head out to Long Beach, I'll be sure to post up. Looks like a fun ride.


Look forward to the pixx!


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## cydswipe (Mar 7, 2002)

*Sweet!*

I really appreciate the aircraft shots. One is an old Mig-17, another is an old Navy fighter, an F-4u Corsair, I believe. Great pieces of aviation history. Thanks for the look!


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