icyclist 

On Sunday, I somewhat repeated a ride to the Hollywood Sign, that I'd made a few weeks before. (My report of that earlier ride is here: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=436276)

This time, instead of riding solo, I linked up with the Los Angeles Wheelmen, who met at "The Corner," the traditional meeting spot in West Los Angeles for the club, just off of La Cienega and Olympic Blvds. There were about 20 of us on this unusually cool, overcast morning in August, and we were a microcosm of Los Angeles itself, with a variety of skin colors, ages, and abilities. The two sexes were each well represented. Most of us were on road bikes, some on hybrids and mountain bikes.



Above: Burl Simon kept the group together, and early on announced that Von, a long-time member of the club, would provide lunch for the group after our ascent of Mt. Lee, where rests the famed Hollywood Sign.

The first part of the ride led through the mostly car-free streets of the city (smog was absent, too, but the day would remain hazy) for about flat miles, before reaching the base of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Below: With the coastal clouds that had blanketed the city beginning to pull back to the sea, we approached the Santa Monicas as we rode north along Gower Blvd., in Hollywood. The Hollywood Sign itself was barely visible, materializing out of the mists high above us.



Above: Some absurdly steep climbing on Ledgerwood and Deronda Drives brought us to the border of Griffith Park, and, after a brief level segment, we climbed even steeper sections over the rough and sometimes sandy pavement.

Below: The final section of road is closed to all but infrequent maintenance vehicles that service television towers atop Mount Lee.





Above: This is the view from the Hollywood Sign; note the sight-seeing helicopter, looking like an insect.

Below: Everyone who wanted to make the final climb, and enjoy the consequent effects of hypoxia, reached the summit of Mt. Lee. We marveled at the views over a hazy chunk of Southern California from our altitude of 1,680 feet (512 meters). Stuffing supplemental oxygen tanks and masks into jersey pockets, we descended for the promised lunch at Von's place, which sits in the flat lands within view of the Hollywood Sign. Von's lovely wife and family (and for all I know, Von himself) had obviously spent a lot of time preparing an amazing spread, including some Filipino dishes.

When the meal was finished Von brought out a plate of large eggs. They looked like they'd been laid by an ostrich instead of a chicken. The room quieted as Von explained that these were Balut, a common dish in the Philippines. A Bulat (pronounced 'boo-lot"), Von explained, is a fertilized chicken or duck egg - ours were chicken - containing an almost-developed embryo. I suppose "almost" is the operative word. Traditionally, these fertilized eggs are sun-warm in baskets. Nine days after they've been laid, the eggs are held to a light to make sure the embryo has been growing inside. After about eight more days, the Balut is ready to be cooked and eaten.

Some think the Balut will put extra carbon in a rider's seatpost. Whether does is or doesn't, it is a good source of protein. And for the uninitiated, it may be more difficult to down than riding up to the Hollywood Sign.



Above: Von offered everyone a Balut. Except for nervous burps, the room went suddenly dead silent. Only one rider was willing to take the challenge, one rider willing to properly repay our hosts, the rider who had the required "huevos." Or maybe I was still a bit delirious with oxygen debt from the climb.

Below: As Von first demonstrated, I cracked open the top of the egg, and drank down the juice contained within. There were some groans and anxious laughter around the table. Or maybe that was me, having an appropriate out-of-body experience. Actually, the "juice" was just a bit salty, and tasted a little like chicken broth.

Next, I peeled off the rest of the shell. Inside was something that looked like a very large yolk. No feathers were visible, no sound of peeping issued forth. "When you get to the bottom of the yolk," Von explained, "you'll find a hard, round part. That's what would have become the legs and feet of the chicken."

As prompted by Von, I added a pinch of salt. With closed eyes, I took a bite. I opened my eyes and took another bite another. It tasted like a giant egg yolk with salt on top. Then I ground away at the gristly hunk of undifferentiated legs and feet. It all tasted good!



The yolk was on me: The Balut looked unlike anything I'd eaten before. I won't comment on any extra carbon in my seatpost - I'm not sure I can remember, and anyway, they say memory is the second thing to go when you're old - but I can say didn't crack under pressure, and I suffered no ill effects from eating an Asian delicacy (no shell shock, for example), which was a great way to end a Sunday ride of epicurean, if not epic, proportions.

Impulse666

mmmmm underdeveloped fetuses. om nom nom

HigherGround

You're a braver man than I am! If I am ever on Fear Factor, the eating segments would be my downfall instead of any of the physical stunts!

Thanks for posting the ride report and pictures. Having lived in PA most of my life, I find it interesting to read about group rides around the country. I'd like to make it out to CA some time. (Probably during the PA winter!)

tekhna

I love it. The ****** on HEDs and the ripped guy on DTs.

BillyD

That's "Viewer" Discretion Advised.

And you're right . . . . . . . . yeeeeeeeeeuch!!!

ShadowGray

That doesn't sound too bad. No one else ended up taking one?

And you know, you could at least tell us what we're supposed to be discreting!

daytonian

Oh gnarly
https://alanb.com/spicoli/gnarly.au

icyclist 

Yeah, viewer discretion - I can't seem to edit the title - moderator, help me?

ehidle

My first thought was, "did those guys swap bikes or something?"

spry

"both sexes represented"?
All I see is a picture of guys eating rotten egg yolks.
Must be a LA thing.

twentyflights

not to be a prick, but it's "balut," and yes it's definitely something different! i'm Filipino, and used to have ducks in my backyard (at one time, up to 4!) when i was younger...my believe me, my mom would go out every day to see if they'd laid eggs for...you got it, balut. i've only had it maybe 2 or 3 times as a kid. i wouldn't mind drinking the, eh, "juice" and eating the yolk, but the embryo always scared me off haha.

but at some Filipino parties (usually the ones where more family come than friends and friends -of-friends), you'll find that they've prepared balut and people down it like nothing as for me, i'm still not down to eat that damn embryo haha

icyclist 

>not to be a prick, but it's "balut," and yes it's definitely something different! <

Correction made, thanks.

rousseau

How about some details on the stylin' Bianchi?

icyclist 

> How about some details on the stylin' Bianchi?<

The Bianchi - I hadn't met the rider before. He said his brother purchased it used - age unknown - about 20 years ago. The rider got it from his brother five years ago. Except for a new saddle and wheels, it's the same bike it was when his brother bought it. The bike rattled and squeaked a bit, but was in great shape.

BillyD

Excuse me?

slimvela

they are quite confused in CA, trust me, it's one of the reasons we left...

icyclist 

>I love it. The ****** on HEDs and the ripped guy on DTs.<

I'm not sure I'd call anyone a ******, it's kind of cruel - the guy was on his bike, which had a very cool set of wheels, and he rode up a steep climb without much difficulty.

>My first thought was, "did those guys swap bikes or something"<

They like their bikes, I don't think either would trade for the other's.

rousseau

I don't get it.

logdrum

Balut is the reason why the Philippines has more than a quarter of the population of the US and a land area just slightly bigger than New Mexico. It is is an aphrodisiac supposedly along with Durian, pickled (as in rotten) pork, raw goat brain, frogs, dogs, cow bile soup, a tropical version of rocky mountain oysters and barbequed python (the snake and not the programming language). How can they serve Balut without beer, San Miguel to be exact.

GI's would down a balut or 2 with a couple Pale San Miguels and get all psycho in the w(hore)house. It's not an urban tale.

Great ride! Is the Von guy from the Philippines as well?

unbelievably

"Rattled and squeaked" and "in great shape" are not synonymous.

Red Rider

I've ridden on many group rides but none with so exotic a cuisine. I had to live in South Korea to eat exotic, and the only bikes there were the "two-ton" bikes loaded with beer, bolts of fabric, groceries, etc.

This looks like it was great fun. I've always wondered what it was like to climb to the Hollywood sign, and what the view was like from there.

Thanks for the pics, report, and good on you for HTFU and eating a new food -- as you can see from the posts, many would not.

icyclist 

> Great ride! Is the Von guy from the Philippines as well?<

Yes, he is.

GreatWh

whenever I see people with bikes (or boats, skis, etc) beyond the price range that their physical abilities and skill level should have shoe-holed them into, while I zoom past on a much older and beat up machine, I constantly must remember to tell myself "It's the horse, not the chariot"

philcasi

my dad makes the newbies to his golf group eat balut. its the funniest sight watching grown men squirm in their chair.

sidenote, i'm filipino.

logdrum

If you are zooming on the guy with the big tummy, he climbed that climb and if he did not walk or made excessive stops, I think he did pretty well. That climb is not a joke, have you done it? I think in this case it's the horse as well. The ripped dude is obviously zigzagging the hardest parts of the climb. I don't know if the "fat" dude did the same maybe not.