Cycle of Fear

Whilst staying at my friends place for the week I decided to go for a bike ride along Los Angeles river.
I was using my friend Rena's bike which is pretty much a girl's bike with a big basket at the front.

This was bike with special brakes as in it didn't seem to have any. When i started off on the street (on the wrong side of the road I'll point out) I tried to grab the handlebars where  the brakes should have been and there were none! Instead you have to pedal backwards in order for the brakes to work! I did not like this.
Anyway I road along the road and found the entrance to the lane. Switched on my itouch and pedaled.
I passed many serious cyclist on the lane (actually they passed me) and i didn't mind if they laughed at me on my girly bike. I was on a nice afternoon out. After nearly running over a squirrel 3miles later i reached on end of the lane. I then turned around and headed back.
This was after a near death experience when I went down the steep verge back through the gate which lead straigh to the edge of the river and forgot how to use my new brakes.
I also saw that someone had set up a home in the middle of the river

Part of the way back I needed a little toilet stop so on my way back I saw some cubicles so vered off the lane and rode into the car park and up to the cubicles.
However I noticed some men 'hanging around' the cubicles. Strange I thought. Two were oldish and there was another round the other side on his own. By now it was too late anyway I neeeded to go. So there I was little Jeremy pulling up on his dainty girly bike to what now looked like a cottaging centre. I can imagine they saw me as pulling up and ringing my bell singing 'la la la - oh I need to use one of these cubilces - hello boys - ooh there's no lock on this one - anyone could come in' (there was no lockon the one I used).
After peeing at the rate of 40 knots I got back on my bike and gave them all a wave and blew them a kiss (not really). However I was tempted to look up 'cottaging areas in LA' on google.