Surf City Halloween Costume Cross

Waiting for the start of the Costume Cross

Bicycle Ride: Carmel to Morro Bay

We use our point & shoot camera to take a fuzzy video of an October 10, 2009 bike ride from Carmel to Morro Bay, add some irritating copyright-free music, and post it on the Internet:

Half Moon Bay Ride

Let’s face it. Traveling by bicycle is a lot more fun that traveling by car. It’s safer. It’s healthier. And how else can you cover so much territory and see it in such rich detail?

This weekend, we rode our bikes north from the Monterey Peninsula through the Santa Cruz Mountains to Half Moon Bay, then home again down the coast. A drenching rain turned the roads of the Salinas and Pájaro Valleys to mud holes and soaked us to the skin. But the sun came out in the hills and the warm ride home was memorable. Here’s a little of what we saw:

Alpine Rd. Near the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Closing the Parks: The California Budget Farce Continues

Pt. Lobos: Will the public soon be fenced out?

We’ve been avoiding commenting on the Governor’s threat to close most of the State Parks (including Pt. Lobos and all the State Parks along the Big Sur coast). Frankly, it’s tiresome to point out what everyone already knows – and we don’t blame you if you stop reading here …

Butterfly Criterium Returns to Pacific Grove

Bicycle racing returns to the streets of Pacific Grove!

The Butterfly Criterium hadn’t been run since 1978 (when it was won by a young punk named Greg Lemond), so it was good to see a great Pacific Grove tradition revived.

Driver who Killed Daniel Vasquez Cops a Plea

Just over two years ago, on February 9, 2007, our friend Daniel Vasquez was riding his bike home from work. He didn’t make it. Charles Seaborn, a man who’d been cited for drunk driving in the past, was once again driving drunk. Seaborn hit Daniel so hard that Daniel’s bike ended up embedded in the front of Seaborn’s Range Rover. But Seaborn didn’t stop. He left Daniel dying beside the road.

The Tour of California Arrives in Santa Cruz

Rain may stop golf tournaments, but it doesn’t stop a bike race …

Crowds pack the streets of Santa Cruz for the finish of Stage 2 of the Tour of California. Not a bad turn-out for a day when sunshine kept alternating with hammering rain.

2008 Year in Review

Well it’s been an interesting year, here at Xasáuan Today. We’ve looked at the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply problems and picked apart the county’s transportation dilemma. We’ve questioned development on eroding beaches and dissected the Light Brown Apple Moth. We’ve chimed in on local political issues. We’ve gone on some bike rides, examined some mushrooms, and even found time for a visit to Pat Springs.

But nothing gets attention quite like a fire.

Rage Against the Bike: Why Cyclists Run Stop Signs

Sharing the Road

As cyclists, we’re often surprised at how many of the non-cyclists we meet consider themselves experts on cycling safety.

Escaping the Smoke – An Interlude in the City & Beyond

By Friday, we were ready for a break from the smoke. Going to the city in search of fresh air might seem a bit counterintuitive, but a lot of things have been upside down this week.