03-06-2026 Walks

Slept in the night until about 11:00 (<>) and got back to sleep around 1:00. I slept off and on (no long periods of lying awake) until just before 6:00, when we got up and headed to a local sit-down café for breakfast. Omelet and bread, pain au chocolat, along chocolate croissant, and two coffees for about $12. It was excellent and really hit the spot for me, since I had basically had one meal the previous day. After breakfast we stopped at a market and got some snacks for the weekend. Then we walked around, trying to find us an ATM (successful), and back to the Airbnb. Ann had a gastric issue on the way back, but she found a café that was open. When we got back we rested while she took some Imodium and gave it time to take effect. In the late morning we walked over to the Imperial Citadel, which served as the military headquarters for North Vietnam during the war and also has a long record as a place of central importance in Vietnamese history going all the way back to 1000 CE. The grounds were fairly extensive, and we walked throughout the place. Then we started walking back to the Airbnb and happened upon the south Train Street area just as a train was rolling through. We walked into the row of shops after it passed and stopped for a drink there. This is a crazy place, hard to believe it still exists, given the danger of trains rolling through lines of people close enough to touch the sides. No trains came through as we sat there. We kept walking back, found a banh my sandwich shop near the Airbnb, and I had a light lunch (delicious and refreshing). We walked back to the bakery from the morning, walking along a street with a concentration of hardware shops, got a baguette there, and headed back to the flat for a rest break. We decided to try and have dinner out, went to a Vietnamese place not too far away, with vegetarian options. Food was pretty good, prices were great. There was a dude at the table behind Ann who, as near as I could figure, was on an escorted date, trying to chat this young woman up. She didn't seem too interested in the whole thing. And he was wearing sunglasses in the restaurant. Would love to know the whole story here. After dinner we walked back over to the lake, which was supposed to be set up for activities on the sidewalk around it. All we saw was an awful bad playing instruments slightly out of tune and too loud. So we walked over to Beer Street, where it was still early, stopped at a clip joint for a beer and a glass of wine, and people-watched. We walked a little further north, and the bars at the north end were dead, again likely because it was early. From there we walked back to the flat, taking a detour through a nearby night market that was hopping. Back to the flat for a quiet rest of the evening before going to sleep. According to my Google Maps timeline, on this day we walked about seven miles, and that sounds a little low. It was over 20k steps.

03-05-2026 Walk

We arrived into Hong Kong and had a two-hour layover until our two-hour flight to Hanoi. All went off without a hitch. Ann had arranged for assistance from Klook getting through immigration check, but we probably didn't need it. We were through in about 10 minutes and into the main airport. Got some money out of the ATM without too much difficulty, then Ann used the Grab app (like Uber) to get us a taxi to our Airbnb in the Old Quarter. The 40-minute ride cost us about $12, and we ground the place pretty easily. Lin, our Snug host, was waiting for us and showed the place, which is decent (kitchen is bare bones, but the rest of the place is nice and comfortable enough). We headed out to a place nearby for a sit-down lunch, very good and super cheap. Headed back, had a brief rest, the we walked over to the nearby lake, taking the loop around it and snapping some photos along the way. The traffic here is intense, cars and many, many scooters that don't stop for you crossing the road. You just look for a gap and start walking across without making eye contact. This is a gritty area, safe enough but definitely working class. We walked until Ann was starting to fade (I was close too) and then headed back. Had a shower to clean up a bit, Ann washed some clothes, then we both fell asleep around 6:00. 

03-04-2026 Entry

This is a short entry, since I spent a very short Thursday in the air flying over the international date line. Airplane flight from LAX to Hong Kong was super long, 16 hours, maybe our longest flight. I watched a couple of versions of The Running Man, the first didn't hold up so well, and the second was almost unrelentingly violent. Slept off and on throughout the flight, food was average, and I couldn't eat the non-vegetarian breakfast.

03-01-2026 Entry

Slept restlessly, probably too much caffeine during the ride. But I did get enough sleep overall, woke up and had some cereal and a banana for breakfast. Then I went in and checked to see if the computer RAID 1 setup was active. Disconnected both drives individually and verified that the data storage files are resident on each hard drive. All good! Then I buttoned up the computer, and we're good to go again. I started laying out the clothes I'm taking on the vacation. Ann and I then went downtown, parked, and walked over to the Rady Shell to see Party in the Park. Highlights were Gregory Page and a dance practice where an instructor taught audience members how to do the zombie dance from the Thriller video. We didn't stay for the DJ dance party, I didn't see how that was going to work. Drove home and talked to Ross for a while about Mom's health. Then I had a much-needed nap, felt better after that. We talked to Laura before dinner, heard about her conferences, and invited her and Joe to a vacation of their choosing, it will happen later due to Joe's work. Watched a little TV after dinner, did the dishes and went to bed. 

Inaugural Bisikleta Century Ride

Big day for riding. I slept okay, a little restless, and woke up early to start preparing. Ate cereal and a grapefruit for breakfast, then prepped the snacks and water for the sag stop. I also tried to swap out my rear brake disk pads but didn't have the block to force the pistons open far enough, so I ended up riding with the old pads (it worked out okay). Charged my Wahoo and batteries as well. Paula showed up about 6:40, we loaded the bikes and gear up, as well as the wheel that I had cleaned for her friend. Headed over to the starting point at 4S Ranch Community Park, where only Perse was there. But we were early, and folks started showing up. At the start of this first Bisikleta Century we had: Perse, Ray, Jed, Andy, Arnold, Fritz, Jed A, Nel, Paula, and Rob T (who had ridden from his house to meet us). Fritz's tube had popped on the drive over, so we were a little delayed getting started. But we were still rolling by 7:40. I was behind the others, had to restart my Wahoo. Caught up quickly as we headed over into RB via Bernardo Center Dr. Down by the park and across the pedestrian bridge. Weather at this point was really good for riding, but it was heating up. Up BVP to Citrus Ave. General strategy was to ride in front, wait at the turns for everyone to make it, then ride to catch back up to the front. It took a bigger effort to keep this going. Through that neighborhood in northeast Escondido to get back to BVP. We passed Jed St and I got the two Jeds to turn around and get a picture there. Up to Valley Pkwy and over to El Norte Pkwy. Not too long after we passed the turnoff to Dixon Lake Jed A. had a flat. It took longer than expected to fix it, which was frustrating for me. Romeo showed up, having ridden from Oceanside through Valley Center to meet us. And Gideon also showed up in his car to sag for us for a while. After we got rolling we took Jesmond Dene Rd to get to the Circle K, where Rob's wife My was waiting with their camper van. This was a long break, Gideon was there as well, and it turned into a social hour. Day was also warming up, so this next stretch into Vista was a little toasty. Rode over to Buena Creek Rd and took this route to Santa Fe Rd, then into Vista. Around this time Andy got a flat, and it again took too long to fix it. Several of us were out front, and Romeo and I ended up waiting for the rest of the riders to show up. Once they got there a group of riders - Romeo, James, and Arnold, I think - separated from us at a traffic light. I tried to push the pace, along with Jed A, to catch up. This was a generally downhill section, and we made good time. It cooled down somewhat as we got closer to the coast. Was a little more humid than normal, but the sun would occasionally go behind the clouds and give us additional relief. Down to Jed's house as the second sag stop, and again we spent too much time here. In particular, Ray waited until we were ready to leave before he noticed that his front tire was low on air, so he spent 10 minutes putting more sealant in it and pumping it back up. Once again, frustrating! As he was finally getting ready to go, I got impatient and rolled out with James and Paula. We quickly dropped Paula, then James and I rode together into Carlsbad, where I dropped him and rode solo for a while, into Leucadia. Eventually a group of the faster riders caught up with me, and we rode through Encinitas to Chesterfield Dr, where I waited for everybody else to catch up while Ray put more air in his tire. They continued on while I waited for Andy, the last one to show up. I was about ready to continue riding when he arrived, so a group of us, who had waited, rolled out and got over to Manchester Ave, taking it to RSF Rd and stopping for our third sag stop at Champagne Bakery. I got a coffee here, needing the caffeine (although I had earlier had a GU packet with caffeine in it). It was pretty warm by this time, and this next section of the ride was the hottest part. We rode up into RSF village, everybody was slowing down but not me as much as the others. I gapped them on the climb into the village and waited for them to show up, then we rode down and over to the Three Witches climb. I was behind everybody else at this point but had stronger legs, to I passed them on the climb up to CdS. Several others, Arnold, Jed, and Jed A, weren't too far back, and they made the right turn on CdS while I waited for the rest. When Andy and Fritz showed up, they were both really hurting, so they headed back to the starting point from there. After everybody made the turn we gathered up a little further up the road (in the shade), then continued to Carmel Valley Rd, where I got there first and waited to direct the others to make the turn. I thought I got everybody, but Ray had dropped back quite a bit, so he ended up turning left on CVR while the rest of us rode over to the 56 bike path. This stretch up the bike path was helped by a tailwind, it was pretty warm but not quite hot. I was out in front with the two Jeds and Arnold, and on the last little push up to CdS Jed A kicked it in gear, which caused me to go hard to stay on his wheel and eventually pass him. That was the last hurrah for Jed A, as he turned on CdS and started heading back home. We were certainly running late from my original estimate of how long it would take us, so it was understood that he needed to get back home. The rest of us continued up the bike path to Rancho Penasquitos Blvd, I waited at the turn here to make sure everybody got it. Onto Carmel Mountain Rd, taking that gradual climb to the top before dropping down. We were near Arnold's house, so he wasn't too far behind me at this point, and he and Jed rode to his place while I waited for the others to make the turn into his neighborhood. Abie was at their house with pulled pork sandwiches, and initially Arnold was going to call it a day (he had a birthday party to attend). But Abie convinced him to keep going and finish the century (what a wife!). It was still warm but starting to cool down by this point. Headed back to Carmel Mountain Rd and went east, but I missed the turn into a neighborhood that was west of I-15 and had to get the group to backtrack to Penasquitos Dr. I don't even remember mapping this section of the route, and we rode on streets that were unfamiliar, including an unpleasant little steep climb on Andorra Way. It was great to find that there was a fire access path from one neighborhood to another that got us over to CdN. Took it to Pomerado Rd and then followed the normal way home via Bernardo Center Dr for our fifth and last sag stop. James missed the turn onto Bernardo Center Dr and ended up having to retrace his route to get back on course, but he got to the house as well. Sun was warm but the temperature was cooling. We got to the house a little after 4:00, had some cookies and other snacks, refueled with water and took off again. Through the neighborhood up to RB Rd, the last tough stretch of the ride. Paula was the last to get up that climb, so she and I were alone at the back for the rest of the ride. We rode through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to Ralphs Ranch Rd and then took the usual route back to CdS. Right turn there, down to PdS and back up into the Del Sur neighborhood. On this gradual climb my quads started twitching, and I knew I was close to being done for the day. Over to Camino San Bernardo, then some neighborhood streets to get back to the starting point, where the others were gathered. Century completed!

Avg speed = 16.1 mph. Total mileage = 100.4 mi

Avg power = 136 W. Weighted avg power = 159 W

Total elevation gain = 5140'

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 170

Training Load = 387

Intensity = 72%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17559781667

We sat around and chatted for a while, Arnold took off to get to his next event, while the rest of us headed over to Ray and Anna's house for pizza and beer. Was a nice, relaxed time, I chatted some with Anna about our upcoming trip to Vietnam. Was glad when the party started to break up, as I was tired. Paula gave me a ride home, and I had a much-needed shower and read for a while before falling asleep. A very successful, long day overall!

02-27-2026 Ride/Swim

Slept fairly well and woke up/got up around 5:45. I read for a bit and eventually got up to get ready to meet Rob for coffee at Mostra. Rode over there on my bike, taking the normal way through the neighborhood and the straight shot to the 4S Ranch Town Center. He was already there, we ordered coffee and then sat outside while he told me about his surgery. The muscle twitching was gone right after the surgery but has come back, which is worrisome. He is in wait-and-see mode but has to be disappointed. He also told me a little about his work experience. He worked for Schlumberger, and I told him the connection with Pete and LeRoy Melcher. We also discussed living with, and influencing, our elderly parents. After the coffee I rode home the normal way via W Bernardo Dr.

Avg speed = 13.3 mph. Total mileage = 6.3 mi

Avg power = 124 W. Weighted avg power = 169 W

Total elevation gain = 540'

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm

Relative Effort = 8

Training Load = 31

Intensity = 77%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17543560156

I hung around the house for a while until David Garrett showed up to learn about how to take care of the cat while we are in Vietnam. That went fairly quickly, and I had a little free time before heading over to the WWC to meet Avi for a swim at 11:00. The pool was quite crowded, I guess that's not the time to go if you want the pool to yourself. We had lanes 5 and 6, and after a warm-up 50 we swam four 250s at tempo, on the 5:00 mark. I did pretty well here, probably could have strung two of them together for a sub-9:00 minute 500. I forgot to start my watch to record the workout, so here are the times, from video, of the four 250s: 4:42, 4:20, 4:24, 4:14. Elapsed swimming time was 17:18. I was pretty hungry after this, so I went home and finished off the cabbage rolls. In the afternoon I cleaned the kitchen, wet-mopped the downstairs, and made cookie dough for the sag stop on tomorrow's ride. Then I watched a little TV before working on the Fear Free training for SDHS. Throughout the day and into the evening I worked on trying to get my RAID drives functional again for our data storage. It was frustrating, ended up having to replace one of the 1 TB drives, but Windows is not well set up for this kind of thing. The eventual breakthrough was when I used the Intel Rapid Storage Technology app to set up the RAID 1 drives. That came in the evening, and I was pretty happy with having figured it out, albeit with a lot of false starts and frustration. The rest of the evening was pretty quiet, as I went through the logistics of the following day's bike ride to make sure all the key details were covered.

02-26-2026 Entry

Woke up fairly early after sleeping through the night for the first time in a long time. Had some yogurt and got ready for my volunteer shift at SDHS. It was cold for about half of the ride over and fairly quiet in the Animal Shelter. I couldn't see much to do so I spent over two hours folding Lau dry and restocking cabinets and shelves. Doing scut work now, but long-term it has to get more interesting. I rode home, stopping for gas on the way, and ate a big burrito, was pretty hungry. Then I swapped out the tires on my Canyon and adjusted the rear brake pistons, hoping the pads won't rub. In the afternoon I played around with the computer to try and get another backup HDD to work. Was successful in restoring function to a 1 TB drive but somehow I so doing I gave one of my raid drives an error. Fortunately, I didn't lose the other drive, so I backed it up right away. Frustrating! Waxed a couple of chains and put Chain #3 on my Canyon.in the evening I drove the second batch of t-shirts over to Perse's house, then Ann and I watched some TV.