Christmas bike ride from McKinleyville to Trinidad, Calif.

To counter my overindulgance in gravy, meat products and adult beverages, I snuck out of the house today for a bike ride.



I wanted to test out Lance Armstrong's statement that "it's not about the bicycle," so I used my old five-speed Schwinn Suburban. The odd thing about this bike is that it has something called a front freewheel. The front chain ring spins even when coasting. This allows the bike to change gears even when you're not pedalling.



I headed north along the Hammond Trail.



The trail extends from one end of town to the other and was built on an abandoned railroad right-of-way. Here's a small section of the Hammond Railroad track.



It was cool and gray. There was light rain on and off. This is the view looking north from the Vista Point in McKinleyville. In the distance is the seaside village of Trinidad. That was my destination.



The way this sign is written, I can only assume it's intended for tandems. Right? So I rode recklessly down the hill rather than walk.



I was making good time on the Suburban. It's a very pleasurable bike to ride.



This was the biggest hill I had to climb. Big whoop.



I was wet and cold when I reached Scenic Drive, but in good spirits. This is the view looking south in the direction I came from.



I carried my bike down to Luffenholtz Beach and admired the surf.



We've had a lot of rain. as is evident by the amount of water in Luffenholtz Creek.



When I got to Trinidad, there was a massive present waiting for me!



The next stop was the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse...



...then the Trinidad Pier.


The crab fleet took Christmas off.



Some history.



Then I pedalled home. Although the total trip was only about 21 miles, I'll wager that it's the longest single trip this old bike has ever been on.