Day trips on bicycle are easy and fun. Recently, Bernadette coordinated the recent ‘historical highlights’ tour and picnic. Travis dubbed it the P.A.L.B.I.F. Ride—(pack a lunch because it’s fun). We met up at Portfolio Coffee House on Junipero and Fourth.
The Drake Park neighborhood (Willmore City Historic District) is one of the oldest in Long Beach.
Docents from Long Beach Heritage awaited us at the Bembridge House near Drake Park. The Bembridge House was built in the early 1900s.
We made sure we didn’t scuff up the old, restored wooden floors.
A typewriter of sorts, that only types numbers.
Carlos is a cyclist and a pianist. He was given permission to play a tune on the old piano.
After the Bembridge House tour, we cycled north along the LA River trail. In places the river is very pretty. Decades ago, before levies were built to make the Los Angeles River run straight, all lowland areas were subject to seasonal flooding. The Bembridge House and other houses in Drake Park were built on high ground. The Bembridge House looked out over lowland areas that were considered ‘mud flats.’Â Areas that were once ‘mud flats’ are now residential neighborhoods.
We get a great view of the Metro Blue Line as it crosses the river.
The river also includes a beautiful area where water can soak into the earth, to replenish our aquafers. You can see egrets, ducks and other wildlife here.
We enjoyed a rest, and picnic lunch, in a small park just off the river bike trail.
Many Long Beach Cyclists rides are for the entire family.
We cycled to Rancho Los Cerritos, which goes back to the first half of the 1800s—long before this area became known as Long Beach. You will want to visit Rancho Los Cerritos to learn about early California history. There were no bicycles in the early days… and of course no motor vehicles. Imagine how nice and quiet it was around here.Â
Rancho Los Cerritos was home to various families over many, many decades. Can we guess when this horse-shaped tricycle was new? Note that one operated this tricycle by hand, not with one’s legs. The hand pedals connect to a chain that runs to the rear axle.
A group photo in the Rancho Los Cerritos garden.
Long Beach Cyclists organizes or participates in group rides and other fun events throughout the year. Click EVENTS at the top of the longbeachcyclists.com web page to see our calendar of upcoming activities.
If you wish to see more photos of the Historic Highlights Ride and Picnic, which took place on January 10, 2010, additional photos by Michael Bos and Jacob Dickinson have been posted on Flickr. For Bos’ photos, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46493017@N04/sets/72157623267925108/
Additional photos by ride participant Jacob Dickinson are now posted at:
http://flickr.com/gp/jjldickinson/m2g76j
Happy cycling, Michael Bos / lbcyclists@gmail.com
Great news! Â Our friends with Pedal Movement are starting up a bicycle cooperative called the H.U.B. Congratulations Graham Baden!
 
