Stop and smell the roses... or something like that

One of the cooler things about being on a bike for 40 to 85 miles on a Saturday is that if you see something interesting along the way, you can stop and appreciate it.  Now mind you, most of the time you're worrying about parked cars with doors that fly open, but sometimes you can get on a stretch of road where it's just you, the bike, and the pavement.  Then you can see the weird stuff that passes for advertising or signage around Southern California.  Take this Christmas display I found in front of my favorite fruit stand in San Dimas:

 

Mopey's on the pokey side, here.

 

I've nicknamed that big brown statue "Mopey the Christmas Tortoise."  At least they could have given him a hat to blend in with Donner and Blitzen.  And while we're speaking of imaginary creatures (this blog is PG-13 kiddies, so don't go crying to mommy and daddy when I tell you the Tooth Fairy is imaginary too), I also found the home of the Warner Brothers and their sister, otherwise known as the Animaniacs:

 

Smack dab in the middle of Burbank.

 

Yes, that is the Warner Brothers Studios Water Tower.  And yes, it is only cool to certain people of a certain age who appreciate educational material sung to the melodies of '40s and '50s musical comedies, jazz and vocal standards, and the occasional opera.  That water tower may be big, but I've also found liquid refreshment containers of various sizes around the Los Angeles Basin:

 

'Oy, that Croc looks right irritated!

 

Kaldi's coffee house in South Pasadena took a much more practical approach to describing the sizes of their coffee doses instead of the Tall, Grande, Venti stuff.  What the hell is venti?  Isn't that italian for winds?  We're definitely missing some context here, which is why I appreciate Kaldi's no-brainer approach: pee-wee, wee, not-so-wee, and not wee at all.  Even I can't get that mixed up while ordering coffee.  As you can see, the interesting things we see along the way can also convey very important information.  Take a look at this sign, which gives a helpful suggestion from The Man Himself:

 

The Eleventh Commandment

 

If that's not good enough resolution for you, the text says: "11. Thou shalt not zoom around blind corners."  The eleventh commandment is good advice for cars, bikes, and people in the foothills of the little town of Sierra Madre.  There are other signs that cyclists encounter in the mountain pass roads that can alter their plans for the entire day:

 

So...what are you saying?

 

I think they are suggesting that there might be something wrong with the road to Chantry Flats.  Just a guess.  They're being awfully subtle about it.  Sometimes cyclists can ignore these signs because oral info lets other walkers, hikers, and cyclists know that the road is only closed to motor vehicles.  Glendora Mountain Road is currently closed to motor vehicles (50 foot gaps in the road that have merely fallen down the cliffside might pose a problem), but there's plenty of room for outdoor enthusiasts.  But the road closure signs for GMR are nowhere near as insistent as this setup.  However, my favorite sign on a mountain pass road just reinforces that you are supposed to enjoy yourself on the bike, not take too long doing other stuff along the way:

 

I saw the sign, and it opened up my mind.

 

I also like that it looks like I own a water source all by myself.  Hee!