Blast From The Past

Do you remember when Waterpik Shower heads came out?  It was 1974.  I was an impressionable young 8-year-old.  When my cousins in Southern California showed me their newest "massaging shower head," I was impressed.  It was so cool.

They blew me away again in the eighties when I was a teenager.  My aunt drove us through the Newport Beach McDonalds and ordered something called chicken McNuggets.  Mini pieces of deep fried chicken.  Ah-mazing.  Barbeque dipping sauce?  I was in heaven.

All the cool things came out of California... remember checkered Vans?  Even the freeways looked better and the air smelled fresher as we drove like hillbillies in our yellow Suburban from the heat of Arizona to the perfectly manicured neighborhoods of Irvine, California.

There's always been something special about this hidden *wink* gem of a place we call Cali.  The cars - a little sleeker.  The people - a little tanner.  The boys - a little more surfer cool.

Which brings me to my most recent trip to Newport Beach.  This time it wasn't the Waterpik or the McNuggets that caught my fancy.  It was the pristene roadside biking and walking trails surrounding places like Pelican Ridge, Bonita Canyon and Turtle Rock.

I found a some great cycling routes Here.

Newport Beach -- what a great place to train.  The homes are palatial.  The weather is perfection.  The bike lanes are, for the most part, wide and comfortable and safe.  These attributes are not lost on the city's residents.  There were bikers all over the place.  And next to them on the unpaved trails were hikers, runners and dog walkers.  And most of them are out in style.  Check out this local:

Head to toe in yellow!

I've been caught up in the fantasy called Southern California.  And I've picked out several beach houses that are just my style.  When I move in I will ride my bike up to the canyons everyday.  I'll come home and nap on my chaise that looks out toward the surf.  I'll take my cruiser over to the island for a Balboa Bar snack.  And sleep with my windows open breathing in the salty air every night.

Who's with me?