Riding During The Coronavirus

Should you ride? Should you wear a mask? Should you ride with friends? These are just a couple of the questions you’re probably asking yourself right now.

In November of 2018, we were having horrible fires in California after years of drought and to ride my bicycle I had to order and wear N95 masks. I bought a box of 20 and barely used them because the air quality improved pretty quick in my area. That’s me above riding at that time.

It was horrible to wear a mask while riding. As you can probably imagine under that mask my face was sweaty, it fogged my sunglasses, and my nose was running. I was still glad to have them at that time and now I’m glad to have the remainder since the virus showed up and you can’t find masks.

The coronavirus is making history there’s no denying it and it’s here to stay. For how long we can’t say. It’s scary and there’s a lot of fake news swirling around amongst the real news that can make your head spin. Then there’s the fact that we are sheltering in place, not allowed to see other people, and homebound while our whole lives are changing. It can drive you crazy.

I’ve been bike riding the whole time and since I’ve been riding there have been many changes. The Bay Trail where I ride went from the regulars to crowds of newcomers and their kids. These people could care less about the rules set in place for sharing the Bay Trail. It was frustrating, to say the least until the authorities stepped in. Thank heavens they did it was getting crazy and people were not distancing.

The park’s parking lots were closed, groups were limited to 10 people or less, walkways were blocked, parks were closed, and more. The Bay Trail is a very large trail that goes around the entire San Francisco Bay so there’s really no way to close it but it did limit people’s access to it somewhat.

My friend Anoush (77) and I rode last Wednesday before most of the parking lots were shut down but we had a nice ride. We keep our distance from each other and other people and don’t hug after a ride like we used to.

Should I ride?

I think I read that if you exercise outside that you should distance yourself from others and keep within 5 miles of your home. If you ride with a large group that’s a no-no but riding with a friend or 2 should be fine as long as you’re careful and know who you’re riding with. So there’s nothing wrong with taking a ride during this time.

Keeping up with your exercise program (cycling) is extra important because it helps the boredom and keeps you healthy. Constant sitting all day is as bad as smoking cigarettes! Exercise also helps you sleep better at night. Maintain your health by daily exercise, eating right, and getting enough sleep.

If you don’t ride, you should think about starting. With gyms and other workout venues being closed I think we’re lucky to have something we can do at this time! Running is good but if you want low impact biking is your answer. It gives you a strong core and strengthens your legs. It promotes balance and agility. I’m 65 and bike with people in their 80’s so anyone can do it. It’s aerobic and fun.

There are a few things to think about while riding now.

• Don’t ride behind joggers, runners or walkers for very long.
• Keep your distance (6 ft.) from everyone unless passing.
• When passing keep the widest berth you can.
• Pass as quickly as you can and don’t get distracted or chat.
• If you see someone coughing, spitting, or blowing their nose in the air avoid them at all costs.
• If someone gets too close or is doing something you don’t like wait or take another route past them.
• Because traffic is sparse now the street (bike lanes) are often a good bet.
• If riding with a friend don’t share water or sit close together on breaks.
• When pressing buttons for street crossings use the same knuckle on either hand so you don’t touch your face.
• There are no places to stop and sit for coffee.
• Bathrooms are now closed so make sure you go before you bike!
• Carry hand sanitizer with you on your bike and use it during or after you get home.

Should you wear a mask?

This is the million-dollar question. I don’t wear a mask while biking but I do when I go anywhere else. Because we are alone most of the time on our bikes in the fresh air there’s nothing to worry about. It’s those times that we encounter people on the trail and have to pass that’s important. Like I said earlier masks are not comfortable but if it makes you feel better then wear one. If you don’t have one a bandana or scarf, any type of coverage is good. The virus can live in the air for a short amount of time so the choice is yours. I feel if I’m careful I can avoid catching it.

Peter (59) is another friend I ride with during this virus. We also keep our distance. Peter wears a bandana over his mouth but only because he has allergies.

Riding during this time is awesome to me because I still have some freedom left. When I ride it makes me feel so good it’s hard to explain. Afterward, I feel great because I burned calories, got my ya-ya’s out, maybe saw a friend, and enjoyed the beautiful trails in the springtime. I love biking and always look forward to my rides. I can only hope they don’t crack down on getting fresh air or I’m toast.

I haven’t had the flu in a couple of years nor a cold. I’m a senior (65) and only take meds for my thyroid and have no heart problems. I’m in great health and all due to living a healthy lifestyle. I have written much about how to live a healthy lifestyle on this blog so please take the time to learn. If this isn’t the time to start I don’t know when is.

Take the time to ride while we are on lockdown. Don’t be afraid to ride with a friend you can trust not to be sick. Stay in good health. People who are healthy are more likely to stay that way and don’t get sick as much. This is a fact look it up yourself. This is a historical time of many firsts for our world and we need something to help us get by. Trust in cycling and keep the faith.

Don’t get sick. Follow the rules. Stay healthy. Stay safe. Big virtual hug!

I changed the name of this blog to Let’s Ride. I hope you’ll keep stopping by to enjoy learning about biking and health.

Reflections Of Summer

Summer is coming to a close and was I busy enjoying it! In June I finally decided to give in and try a new bicycle. It’s a hybrid step-through and I love it!

Here on Labor Day weekend with my new (for me,) 2017 Norco Rideau, made of all places, in Canada. Sweet color, hey?

The features of this bicycle are amazing and it’s a dream to ride. A step-through with 24 gears and a crisp shifting system it’s a much lighter bicycle than a mountain bike (or my vintage Schwinn) and has a spring loaded seat post for comfort. When I ride it I never want to get off which is how you want a bike to make you feel so that you ride it.

It was very windy on the San Francisco Bay this year. I usually start my rides around 9:00, 9:30 am because it always gets windy around 1 pm but this year it was windy in the mornings too. All of us regulars bemoaned the wind this summer. It makes me look forward to the winter months because the wind will be much lighter. Although you never know….

It was a wonderful summer to ride all the same and with my new bike, I was a maniac. This was the first summer I didn’t write poetry, or much at all. I apologize but the time off did me good. My average speed scores rocketed.

I hope you had a great summer riding and that my Lazy, Fat and Crazy Lifestyle Change helped you to lose weight or improve your health in some way. My plan is just a simple way to start paying attention to your health so you can get healthier by logging your food, sleeping better and exercising daily. I’d love to get some feedback from you if it helped you or you have any questions. For you newbies, check out my link and get some ideas to start the brand new you. New Years isn’t as far off as you think and good health is sexy!

I have much to write about and am ready to go. More posts on all things health and biking of course. There’s been a lot of new findings on the foods we eat and how our bodies work. It’s an exciting time to be alive and take advantage.

No camera tricks, me at 64 and feeling fit! The featured image is my bicycle in a child’s playground at Coyote Point Park.

Keep up with the exercise it’s the most important thing you can do to get your metabolism moving so you can burn fat. I have thyroid problems so mine crawls if I don’t do something about it. It’s my main health problem I take meds for (besides my bad knees) at the moment.

I will be posting more of my photos from my rides on the Bay Trail soon.

Don’t give up! One small step at a time, you can do it!

Spring Time On The Bay Trail

It’s springtime on the Bay Trail and after all of the rain, the drought is over in California making it a happy time for plants, flowers, birds, bees, and me! I’ve been aware of the Bay Trail for decades but since Feb. 20th, 2016 I’ve been riding regularly and taking photographs of the Bay Trail on my rides.

I’m thankful that I live close enough to ride this beautiful nature trail all year round and my photographs have grown into an amazing collection.  The photos in this post are from this spring (2017) and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them.

If you check out my sidebar you can see even more of my photos and I change it occasionally so always check for more. 

The water levels in the bay and surrounding natural sloughs are always changing with the tides. There is mud on the far left, deeper water channeling in the middle and shallows on the right. The patterns in the mud and water are always changing as nature is the best artist.

There are crushed shell beaches along the San Francisco Bay that are great for walks when I need a bike break. The white is a nice contrast to the colors of the various plant life. This is low tide and in the distance is the San Mateo Bridge which is highway 92.

Take a walk through Coyote Point, a 670-acre park which houses a yacht harbor, the CuriOdyssey museum and lots of places for picnics/cookouts all within a small forest of Eucalyptus trees. The paths up and down the cliffs are breathtaking with views of San Francisco, the airport, and the peninsula shoreline. There’s a full golf course nearby, a pistol/rifle range, and a playground. Kite and windsurfing are just some of the sports enjoyed here and the Bay Trail runs through it.

Coyote Point used to be much more! As you can see here it was the Merchant Marine Cadet School in 1942 and after that, the College Of San Mateo campus until 1962. Coyote Point used to be an island connected by marshlands to the mainland. It’s now landfill turned into a golf course.

The yacht harbor at Coyote Point with wildflowers in the forefront. Some of the flowers were brought in and some are natural it’s hard to tell which is which anymore but they’re all lovely to look at.

I love to look for everyday shapes in nature like this rock that’s shaped like a heart. The yellow blooms are ice plants they almost bloom year round but go crazy in the spring.

Just look at these yellow flowers, there were only 2 bushes like this. While I was taking close-ups of the flowers I almost missed this tiny hummingbird. The back of his head was bright red but my camera didn’t pick it up.

This was one of my favorite flowers this year due to the color and detail but they weren’t around for long.

Daisies are found all along the Bay Trail of numerous kinds and colors.

After the purple blooms, little white flowers come out from the insides of these flowers.

After all of the rain, we had many kinds of mushrooms growing. Not edible but very interesting.

I like the striped petals and color of this flower. I tried to look up some of these flowers using Google Image Search but wasn’t that successful. It’s not a perfect system.

Even the trees are amazing along the Bay Trail. That’s San Francisco in the distance but look at this tree! The foliage along the cliffs at Coyote Point and along the bay are bent and twisted from the winds and weather into some neat shapes.

There are so many different flowers in this world and I never tire of them.

These have yellow centers that look like the color’s running. Some are bushes some are single flowers.

This was one of the first flowers to bloom and the petals look like someone crushed them but that’s how they grow. There’s still some left as of this write.

Aren’t these pretty with the spotted petals? They are tiny things.

Can you see the hawk in the center of this photo? The yellow and purple blooms are ice plants. They close at night and open with the sun.

Get a load of these colors! They’re almost done blooming now. (These look like, but aren’t ice plant blooms.)

The petals and shape of this flower are interesting!

Bottlebrush flowers are the Hummingbirds favorite. I had a few trees near my patio once and didn’t need to have a feeder.

These purple, white or pink flowers on stalks are the bees favorite and they will swarm you if you get too close. The tree (with the bare branches) looks dead but it’s not. I never see anything grow on them so it’s a mystery to me. That spot in the sky is not a plane it’s a bee.

Can’t leave out California poppies. Bright orange, you see them everywhere even in the middle of the freeway. This year down south they had so many bloom that they could see them from the Space Station. They call that a super-bloom.

These tiny yellow flowers grow everywhere in the wild grass.

I had to include this cactus in a nearby garden although there are plenty of succulents that grow wild. I’m still waiting for it to bloom. (The ice plants are succulents.) Love those tiny blue flowers too!

I could show you more flowers and plants but that’s enough for today. I’m closing with this photo of some stunning clouds above the San Mateo Bridge at low tide. The bay and sky are ever-changing from minute to minute. The birds are busy feeding and everything is peaceful on the Bay Trail.

This site is fairly new but I’m troubled by the lack of comments. Please leave your thoughts I’m waiting to hear them. If you want me to write about something now’s the time to let me know. I plan on more articles about health and biking but surely there’s something you want to hear?

Happy 200th Anniversary to the Bicycle! Read about it from the Wall Street Journal.