hill. My rear tire didn't sever its valve stem, and I did indeed reach the summit after stopping to catch my breath only three
more times! It's nice to know I can still do this kind of exercise! At the top I was rewarded with this nice view of our 'hood. On the right you can see the winding path that brought me here, and you can see our apartment in the near end of that strip of white buildings that stretches away into the distance.
At the summit I discovered that Runyon Park actually continues north into the Hollywood hills, so I stayed on the path and came upon this panorama looking east:
On the left is the Hollywood sign, and on the right, that tiny white building in the distance on top of the hill is the Griffith Observatory, and all of that land around it is the humongous Griffith Park (including the Hollywood sign.) If I was more ambitious I'd Photoshop these two pics together, but if you compare them you'll see where they overlap.
A little further along the path and around a bend, I did come across more magical creatures! Two horses, a goat, and a sheep, but they would not speak to me at all.
Notice again, "The Sign" behind the horses, and downtown LA behind the sheep. For some reason I'm greatly amused by barnyard creatures in urban settings -- especially chickens as you'll see in another post.
A few minutes further north along the path I came to the park's northern gate which is on the famous Mulholland Drive -- an east/west road that runs many miles along the tops of these hills, mostly west of here. There was nowhere else for me to go, so I turned around and headed back, and was quickly met by this mysterious creature all alone on the hillside. He didn't seem
to notice me as I coasted past, and he also did not speak to me. Just beyond him, I shot this lovely southeast photo of downtown. Notice you can actually SEE downtown from here. This is rare indeed!
The path got steeper again as I descended, and soon I was applying the brakes constantly to avoid hitting dogs/pedestrians or losing control and flying off the path into the brambly ravine. I made it safely to the bottom of the park, and just as I was passing through the gate I remembered I wanted to call Lorie and tell her I was "on top of the world" looking down on her at her TV pilot auditions in Hollywood. I stopped and inspected my rear tire one last time (no slippage, yay!) and dialed Lorie. Before the first ring ended I heard the dreaded "POPWHOOOSH!" But the rear wheel was solid. Wha?
I had neglected to keep an eye on the front tire! The strain of coming down the hill with the brakes on constantly was too much for it. The front tire had shifted and its valve stem had just now given up the fight. DAMN! And Lorie didn't answer her cell phone, so I complained to her voicemail. DAMNDAMN! At least my front tire hadn't popped while I was going down that hill. THAT would have been a disaster, not to mention embarassing in front of all the hikers and dogs.
So, I flipped over my bike on the sidewalk and changed the front
tube using my one and only spare. Since my little portable hand pump can't build nearly the pressure a big standing pump can, I decided to walk my bike down the foothills to Hollywood Blvd. to avoid the greatest braking stresses. From there I followed my same path home.Wouldn't you know it, about 10 blocks from our apartment, "POPWHOOSH," and the front tire was flat again with a severed valve stem! Oh well, it was a particularly beautiful day in sunny California and I hadn't died in Runyon Park, so I didn't mind walking the rest of the way home.
Lesson Learned: Don't leave your spare bike tires baking in the 100-degree south-facing laundry shed of your Austin Texas house for three years, and then put them on your bike just before moving to Los Angeles and expect them to not be completely dried out with no grip on your wheel rims.
Epilogue:
That same day I drove to a bike shop and replaced both tires with brand new juicy ones, and the bike remains locked in the garage to this day. We'll see what 2007 brings.
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