Spring Time Gravel

According to the San Diego Weather Center we have gotten a lot of rainfall this winter. A lot. I have been very grateful to have my Elite Direto trainer, as it has kept me sane on the days (okay the months) when the trails were just too muddy to ride. The dirt in my neck of the woods is great, until it gets wet. Then it turns into cement and it quickly gums up wheels, brakes, and drive trains. As if right on cue spring showed up this week. So, I braved the soggy roads and went out for a ride. My gravel bike is still broken so I took my trusty XC hard tail out for a spin. It was a lovely spring day and I got some truly spectacular photos. Keep reading to see them...

deep water
flowers!

The Birds and the Bees

Several new lakes have formed and have become quite popular with the ducks. The wildflowers are exploding across the hillside and the Buckeye Butterflies are migrating. I have spotted all manner of birds from Hooded Orioles, Warblers, Western Bluebirds, Finches, Tits, Junkos, and Wrens. The spring nesting season is in full swing.

more flowers

For the first time since November last year we have a week of sunny weather in the forecast. Which is a good thing. Not only are the hills fully saturated but many of the roads are utterly destroyed. One of the gravel roads near my house that I use to escape into the hills has a 6-7 foot deep trench running down the middle of it! Who knows if and when it will be repaired.

bike in a field of flowers
puffy clouds

Updates

As I mentioned above my gravel bike is broken. The 8-speed Claris shifter (the right one) works intermittently. It has been a good excuse though to finally commit to a new drive train. I now have a new 11 speed cassette, derailleur, and shifter in the garage waiting for my Wolf Tooth Components and crank to arrive. Once she is back on the gravel road again I will report on the process of building out my new gravel drive train.