With a bit of downtime in L.A., I set out to run some errands and find a brewery to do some official taste testing.
Brian has work, so I had the day to myself. I perched at a local coffee shop with decent Internet for a while to check in on some servers and answer questions for work. With all the servers patched and healthy, I called the local bike shops to locate the Schwalbe Marathon Plus.
The sixth shop I called had the tire in my size, 700c 32. I rode over to the shop, a swift seven miles and replaced my rear tire. Hopefully this eliminates the flat issues I've been experiencing.
I'm sure the Continental Gatorskin is a great tire, but maybe not worthy of the Grand-Touring description.
From the bike shop, I rode to the Golden Road Brewing Company. Their beers are widely distributed in the Bay Area, and I thoroughly enjoy them, so I had to check out the brewery.
The tap room was not crowded and I ordered the only beer that aligned with my taste preferences and I had not tried before: an Irish Red Ale. Solid beer.
Tierney, one of the bartenders & off for the day, joined me at the bar. She grew up in Minnesota and is an aspiring actress. She introduced me to her favorite genre of films, Mumblecore, which I now have a list to watch.
Once again, another random act of generosity; thank you for the beer, chips & guac, and fantastic conversation, Tierney.
Joe.
In the banner photo, something is on fire.