Love My Commute?

So, I've been commuting to work on my mountain bike whenever I can. It's an easy way to add miles to my week. But honing my route has been a long process. I live in Pomona and work in Santa Fe Springs. I liked going over Fullerton Rd/Harbor Blvd, but too many drivers didn't want to share the road for my taste. I liked the bike lanes and/or wide lanes on Colima Rd. But the elevation profile was less challenging and the scenery left much to be desired. Pathfinder Rd was really nice, but I thought it was just a way to get to Harbor Blvd.

Well, it turns out continuing from Pathfinder to East and West Roads via Fullerton Rd is possible, difficult, and beautiful. As if that trinity of qualities wasn't enough, I can even ride partway on dirt. This dirt:

Nicer than Florence & Norwalk...

While, I'm pretty good at finding places to heed nature's call, why not plan a route with a nice park and clean bathrooms at the midpoint?

Feed Zone...

It's obvious that I'm showing pictures of the nice parts of the ride in the middle, and leaving out the less scenic termini. What is less obvious is the fact that this photo was taken from Grand Ave in the City of Industry. Not what I usually expect from that city...

Where's the beef? On my commute!

I'm still perfecting my route, but it will never be set in stone. Depending upon how I feel and how much time I have, I can always do some extra climbing and descend Schabarum Trail through the park of the same name. And one time I took Colima as a cop-out route when I was tired. Even after knowing the other alternatives...

Over the River and Through the Hoods...

...to Grandmother's house I go.

This is my twice-a-month commute, and I really enjoy the opportuntity to see so much of Los Angeles and its metropolitan area. I doubt I could ride my bike from Pomona to Culver City and back, but with the help of light rail trains, I do just that. Plus I get to make a loop of it (and ride 10 miles along the beach as well)!

Unfortunately, I don't like to get up early. So I have only one picture from my outbound trip. I had to get there on time for lunch which is served promptly at noon. Fortunately, I was planning a little extra time. So I was able to suffer a flat tire and still live up to my reputation (always being on time to a free meal)!

 

I wasn't expecting to see this array of antennae in Culver City.
I just had to snap a shot...

On the way home, I took Venice Blvd towards downtown. My Grandmother talks about the Helms Bakery trucks that used to deliver to people's homes. So I thought I'd get her a picture of the bakery now.

I didn't know what to make of "H D Buttercup" so I looked closer. Turns out the whole place is a furniture bazaar. I asked my buddy H.G. Wells what he thought "manutailer" meant (zoom in on the sign above). He said something about "adspeak double plus ungood."

Not like Grandma remembers...

Union Station has its share of  "adspeak" going on.

I don't remember the billboards on the collumns.

When I step outside to the garden, the station's charm seems intact.



From Union Station, I rode the train to Pasadena. From Pasadena, I rode my bike home. A nice leisurely Sunday with the riding broken up with train rides and a lunch-visit. Like it says, I crossed the river (San Gabriel or Ballona Creek, take your pick) on my bike. But "through the hoods" refers to the communities from Norwalk to El Segundo when I was merely looking out a train window...