08-02-2026 Ride

Slept pretty well, even with having a nap the previous afternoon. Got up and got ready for a ride before the temperature heated up. This was a chill ride, legs were feeling the effects of the previous day. I rode down by the park and over to Highland Valley Rd, turning there and riding up the first climb to the 5-mile point before turning around and riding back to Pomerado Rd. Left turn there, taking it (slowly) up to Twin Peaks Rd, where I stopped and ate one of the protein bars I got from Joe and Cathie. Those things are a calorie load. It took me a while to get through it, then I continued up to join the time trial route for just a little bit, until I got onto W Bernardo Dr. Then I meandered through the technology park to the left of this road, coming out on Via del Campo to get back to W Bernardo Dr. Home the normal way from there. I avoided the direct sun on the ride, but it was definitely more humid than normal.

Avg speed = 14.6 mph. Total mileage = 20.3 mi

Avg power = 111 W. Weighted avg power = 137 W

Total elevation gain = 1150'

Avg heartrate = 101 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 13

Training Load = 56

Intensity = 62%

https://www.strava.com/activities/19571395010

Got home and had a generally quiet day. I did some reading, had a nap in the early afternoon, and emptied out my old chain wax from the crock pot. Intention is to replace it with a new batch I recently ordered. That went well. Talked to Ross, Ben, and Mark in the afternoon about various topics, including setting the date for our meeting with Mom while I'm visiting Houston. I also talked to Ross about getting the room ready, to Ben about Adri's recent COVID bout, and to Mark about Lisa's upcoming surgery to repair some tendons in her left foot (it apparently was causing drop foot symptoms and pain). In the evening we drove down to Carlsbad to eat pizza for dinner and see Jeff Berkley, Gregory Page, and Bushwalla at New Village Arts. We ate at Knockout Pizza, got pre-made slices, and they weren't good, had been under the heat lamps too long. The garlic knots were also too greasy, won't be going back there. We walked around Carlsbad village after that and eventually got over to the theater with time to chill before they opened the theater doors. We got good seats when they did, and the show was pretty good. Bushwalla, aka Billy Galewood, hadn't performed as this persona in quite a while. He was the emcee at the Java Joe's reunion show earlier this year, and maybe some of that persona was represented there. He was decent, very funny and engaging with the audience but rusty in his music. Jeff Berkley also knows how to interact with an audience. Some of his songs are mildly entertaining, others not as much, and his voice is serviceable but not one I would go out of my way to hear. I really liked Gregory Page's set. Seems like he has moved past the Leon Redbone phase, which wasn't my favorite, and he's now playing tuneful melodies with fine guitar accompaniment. He finished with a cover of George Harrison's Within You Without You that just didn't work for me. Other than that, a good set. They all finished with a cover of This Land Is Your Land, which I think was also the closer for the Java Joe's concert. Walked back, on a still warm evening, to the car and drove home, and to bed after that.

08-01-2026 Ride

Slept pretty well, although I did get up in the night and have a little trouble going back to sleep. But it was nice sleeping in a comfortable bed (<>). Got ready for a Bisikleta ride, and it was promising to be a hot day. When I got out into the garage I noticed that my front tire was flat, so I had to change the tube quickly. Later I noticed that the front tire had a big gash in it, so it needed to be replaced. But I didn't notice this when I made the repair. Rode through the neighborhood and then, because I had some time, took the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. Andy and Arnold were there when I got to the 4S Target. Others began drifting in, so that on this ride we had a larger number of riders than I expected we would: Ray, Andy, Arnold, Jed, Fritz, James, and Nel. We left around 7:40 after Ray figured out how to take a picture of us. This route took us on familiar roads, down CdS to San Dieguito Rd. I was sweeping on this ride, so I tended to hang back toward the rear of the group. Down Three Witches and over to El Apajo, turning there and taking it and Via de Santa Fe up to VdlV. I waited at this turn for Arnold to catch up, then he and I rode up to the other riders. We turned on Paseo Delicias and took it over to El Camino del Norte. I again waited for everybody to make the turn, then I rode at a brisk pace to catch up to the tail end of our group. On this segment I pushed harder than anywhere else on this ride. Arnold and Fritz were out front, and it took a fairly big effort to catch up to them, including on the descent. I went full gas on the last little ascent and passed them before the stop sign. It's been a while since I went that deep for a sprint. I waited for everybody else to pass me as we turned left on RSF Rd. Andy and I rode together on this stretch to Manchester Ave and kept going through the left turn to stay on this road, under the freeway and until it turned into San Elijo Ave. We stopped briefly at the 7-Eleven, where Ray convinced us to ride down to Broad Street Donuts in Encinitas, where he bought coffee and churro donuts for us. It was, as usual, a casual and fun little break, and Ray got us riding again, back on PCH. I was at the back riding with Andy, the others got out ahead of us. We rode up into Del Mar, caught James on the little climb into the village, then the three of us rode to CMR and used it to get to the 56 bike path, where the others were waiting in the shade. Several riders were really feeling the effects of the heat, particularly Fritz and Arnold. Andy led out on this next stretch, and the rest of us were riding in a pack pretty far behind him. He waited for us at the cul-de-sac, and then he and I were in the back as we continued riding. We stayed on the bike path up to CdS. I put in a little bigger effort to pass others, couldn't catch Ray, who had ridden ahead. The group splintered some here, as James kept riding while Fritz needed to stop for some cold water and Arnold removed the brace he was wearing on his ankle. I rode ahead with the slower  group, intent on staying with Andy and making sure he was okay. Fritz was also suffering some here, but he perked up and rode ahead of us. The other riders caught up with Andy and me and passed us, so we brought up the back and took our time on the last little climbs back to Target. He made it just fine, he's in better shape than he wants to admit. I hung around for a bit with the group, but it was definitely feeling hot by this time, so I took a shorter way home via RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr. No fast pace here, just taking it pretty easy. It was 96 deg when I got home, didn't feel that hot out on the road, but I was glad to be done.

Avg speed = 16.3 mph. Total mileage = 52.5 mi

Avg power = 129 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W

Total elevation gain = 2640'

Avg heartrate = 130 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 107

Training Load = 183

Intensity = 71%

https://www.strava.com/activities/19559904749

Had a pretty light lunch of cheese and crackers when I got home, ate a little ice cream as well. Chilled for a little while in the early afternoon before tackling some easy chores: replacing tires on my Canyon, fixing the rear tire flat on my Fuji, replacing rear brake pads on my Canyon, taking the bike rack off the car, and reserving a rental car for the upcoming trip to Houston. Later in the afternoon I had a nap and relaxed in preparation for an evening out. We went down to La Jolla Playhouse and saw ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, an unscripted comedy performance by Julia Masli featuring audience participation. This was a strange, awkwardly humorous, show where she came out in character and asked various audience members to state a problem they were having. Then she would riff on their answers, endeavoring to create some kind of solution. I was so glad she didn't put me on the spot, the other people from the audience were quite gracious to play along with the performance. Back home after that and to bed.

07/31/2026 Entry

This was a long travel day. I woke up and got up around 6:00, Ann did too. That seemed like a good start, we had a shot at getting through the LA area before heavy traffic. Packed up the camping gear and ate a quick breakfast in under 2 hours, we were rolling before 8:00. Took a different route down out of the Sierras into Visalia, it was still really winding for an hour and a half, had to stay focused throughout. We got down to near the 99 and stopped for gas and a bio break. I made the mistake of getting a large fountain drink. Got to the 99 and headed south, but soon after I needed to pee again. I waited until just before climbing the Grapevine before stopping again. Didn't totally get relief, but it was enough to keep going for a while. I made it to past Santa Clarita before needing to stop again, and then it was Ann's turn to drive. She got the worse shift. We avoided the LA traffic but had terrible slowing all the way through Pasadena and out the 210. The 71 interchange was awful, and we ended up driving on surface streets through Corona, still running into traffic as we got closer to I-15. And of course it was slow on this freeway. What surprised me was that it was slow all the way into Temecula, for no reason other than lots of cars as far as I could see. There might have been an accident earlier, but it was cleared by the time we drove by. The car temperature said it was 107 deg in Lake Elsinore. Traffic finally cleared toward the south end of Temecula, and we drove the rest of the way home without incident. Got home just before 4:30, at least an hour and a half more than I thought (hoped) it would take. We unpacked the car, stowed the camping gear, and put the food away. I ate some leftover enchiladas for dinner and had a nice, quiet evening, watching a little TV and reading as well.

07/30/2026 Ride/Hike

Slept okay, got up in the night for a bathroom visit, and of course had some difficulty getting back to sleep. It was warmer in the night than in the previous two nights. I woke up after 7:00 and got dressed for the day. Then I went out and made pancakes, leftover peach cobbler, and coffee for breakfast. It turned out well. We cleaned up afterwards and then considered options for the day's activities. Headed over to the general store, got a postcard, some stamps, ice, and a Coke. Because it was warming up an decided against the hiking option, so we drove up to Crystal Grove instead. It took a little less than an hour, dropping us down I to Kings Canyon and ong the south fork of the Kings River. This is the most beautiful part of the park, in my opinion, and the drive was pretty in the second half particularly. We got down to the tiny visitor center a little after 11:30, just in time for a short break and a program by Ranger Connor. He was young, passionate about his subject of art and national parks. Showed some Ansel Adam's photos and paintings by a couple of Japanese American artists. It was mildly interesting, ran a tad long for me. We headed over to the store and snack bar, had a forgettableumch of bun sandwiches, and Ann got an ice cream bar, which she ate while we were by the river banks. Then we drove out toward Road's End, not all the way, before turnip arousal and retracing our route to the campsite. We got back at 2:30, there was enough afternoon left for a quick bike ride, so I got ready quickly and headed out. I headed south on the highway, past Grant Village and over to the highway toward Lodgepole. Had a little climb and downhill to get to the intersection, then it was rolling hills for a little over a mile before it started climbing. The climb ended up being over 5 miles and a little less than 1000', never very steep and with some flatter sections to recover. Wasn't as hard as the climb the other day, and I had a bit of a tailwind to help me along. My Wahoo initially said the climb was a little over 4 miles, but when I got to that point it added another mile plus of climbing. Got to the summit and descended to the turnoff for Big Meadows, where I turned. I didn't want to climb another 200', so I rode up to the sign, took a pic, and then rode back down to the highway. Short climb back to the summit, then it was a long, mostly fun descent of over 5 miles. My tires were making a lot of noise and feeling bumpy on the pavement, was worried I might have a rear flat (I found out when I took my bike off the bike rack after the trip that the rear tire was indeed flat). But it was just the condition of the road, I figured. Stopped a couple of times on the descent to take a break and some pictures, it was still pretty fun after the climb. Back to the intersection, then some more downhill and very short climbing to get back to the village and then to the campsite. Was a nice workout, temperature wasn't as much of an issue as I had feared.

Avg speed = 15.0 mph. Total mileage = 18.2 mi

Avg power = 133 W. Weighted avg power = 167 W

Total elevation gain = 1650'

Avg heartrate = 129 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 46

Training Load = 72

Intensity = 76%

https://www.strava.com/activities/19546756185

Got back and changed to take a sprayer shower. The water in the bottle was actually warm, so it was quite refreshing. Then I changed and had a quick break and a beer before starting dinner. It was Dutch oven enchiladas, which are an effort to prepare but worth it. They were very tasty, the best meal of the trip by a long shot. Ann did most of the dishes after dinner, I had cleaned the prep dishes while the enchiladas were cooking. Then we got ready for an evening program at Panorama Point. It was a longer drive than I expected but still pretty short as drives here go. Ranger Kristina had a decent program about maps, including an informative and interactive map-matching exercise up by a really pretty viewpoint. The evening was beautiful, we couldn't fully see the sunset but it was still nice. The drive back down to the village was a little dicey, it was dusk on a winding road, but I made it down okay. We got back to the campsite and settled down for the night.

Finished In the Japanese Ballpark, by Robert K Fitts. I'm also reading Galaxy Raiders: Battlestorm, by Ian Douglas. First book gave me some interesting and cool insights into Japanese baseball, how it differs from MLB in particular. 

07/29/2026 Hikes

We slept until after 7:00 and got up around 7:30. I got up to pee a couple of times in the night, as usual had some trouble getting back to sleep after the interruptions. There wasn't aot of time to spare in the morning. I started the water for coffee and made chopped grilled vegetables and eggs for breakfast. It turned out pretty well, I think. Washed my hair and upper body with the sprayer after that and felt better, a little cleaner. We were on the road to Crystal Cave around 9:30. It took about an hour to get to the Giant Trees Museum, where we stopped (we had some time to kill) and walked over to look around. Tiny museum, moderately interesting. Then we drove another half hour plus (got caught behind a couple of extra cautious vehicles on a bumpy road) down to the trailhead for Crystal Cave and ate sandwiches for lunch. Talked to some Israelis visiting from London before we lined up for the tour. It involved a 0.5 mile hike down a pretty steep trail to the cave entrance, where we met our guide Jay. He was quite entertaining and not over the top. The tour was about 45 minutes and worth the effort to get there. This is one of the few extended cave systems with mostly marble walls, there were pretty rock formations, and the tour was about the right length for me. The hike back to the top was tortuous for me, Ann was walking really slowly and having to pause regularly. We got to the top, and she had to get a treatment to apply to where she had touched some poison oak on the way down. That took another ten minutes, so I went into meditate mode. After she came back we drove back up the hill, faster this time, and then over to the parking lot by the General Sherman tree. Again, the 0.5 mile walk down to the tree and then back up was very slow. The tree itself, the largest by volume in the world, is impressive enough that I wanted to wait in line to get our picture taken by it. That was a minor comedy. One family a couple of people in front of us abused their privilege by taking a ton of pics, to the point where I was joking with the guy right in front of us, who was being shushed by his partner. We were much quicker when our turn came. Then it was the slow trudge back to the car. Serenity now. I drove us back to the campsite after this, avoiding a stop at Lodge pole that Ann had considered. Felt good to get back and just sit down, have something to drink and some hors d'oeuvres. Ann used the sprayer to clean up, which was a plus. Temperature at the campsite during the day had been great, warm with a gentle breeze. I made a simple dinner for us, burgers on the grill, they were tasty. After dinner and cleaning up, we lazed around the campsite, I closed my eyes for a bit, as did Ann. Then we walked in the dusk over to the amphitheater, hoping to catch a ranger program. Unfortunately, I had read the program list incorrectly, and the program was in Cedar Grove. So we ended up on a little hike on some tricky terrain, making our way over to the general store. We thought about buying ice, but I didn't want to carry it back. So we walked back to the site and got ready for sleep. Of course, there were crying children whose screams echoed across the campground. It's part of the camping experience, I guess. To sleep, eventually, after we both settled down.

07/28/2026 Hike/Ride

Slept for about 3.5 hours in the night, then I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Had a pee (Ann did too), then I lay there for a while before falling back to sleep. It was cooler in the night than I thought it would be, but the covers were warm enough. Ann wanted more insulation from the air mattress side. Woke up a little after 6:00, had another bio break, then got back to sleep until after 7:00 (<>). We got up and had oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, then cleaned up the camp. Hiked over to Grant Grove, where we were fortunate enough to catch a walking ranger program by Ranger Anna. She told us about the Giant Sequioas and their life cycle, was new to the gig but decent. The program lasted about an hour, then we hiked back to the campsite and had sandwiches for lunch. Ann was going to attend the afternoon ranger program at the visitor center, so I decided to ride to Hume Lake, not knowing the elevation profile. It took a while to get everything ready, but I was rolling before 1:00. Headed north on 180 for about 5.5 miles, almost 3 of which were uninterrupted downhill, before turning off on the road down to Lake Hume. This road initially went up and down through a forested area before hugging the mountainside for 2.3 miles or so. That got me down near the shoreline of the lake, where I stopped to pee and take some pics. It was not as scenic as I had hoped for. Back on the bike, and the work was about to begin. I rode up a steady, not too steep grade back into the forested area, then back to the 180. A slight uphill once I made the turn, then it was 2.7 miles at 6.5%. This isn't super tough, but because of elevation (climb started at 6000' and was over 900') and sun exposure I was in my lowest gear for much of the climb, unless I got out of the saddle to mix up the muscle effort. I didn't stop until I got to the summit, which was close to a vista point looking down I to the valleys below. From there, it was nearly all downhill back to the campground turnoff, but I kept going to the visitor center, hoping to get a WiFi signal. Had a pee there as well, WiFi allowed text messages through but apparently not internet connections. I rode back to the campsite, Ann was there slicing vegetables for grilling.

Avg speed = 13.1 mph. Total mileage = 19.8 mi

Avg power = 131 W. Weighted avg power = 166 W

Total elevation gain = 2030'

Avg heartrate = 129 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 61

Training Load = 91

Intensity = 75%

https://www.strava.com/activities/19546724339

I had a little break, the beer tasted pretty great. Then I used the sprayer to take a shower, was a little brisk but I've had worse. It did feel great to wash off and clean my hair. I set my clothes out in the sun to dry and air out, that worked well. We had a casual happy hour time before starting dinner, saw a deer (twice) casually strolling through the campground. Dinner was grilled food and a Dutch oven peach cobbler dessert. Ann did the prep, I did the grilling. I think the grate was too far from the coals because it took a long time and the food wasn't charred enough. It was tasty, though, so dinner went well. The peach cobbler didn't turn out well. The crumble at the top dissolved into the peaches below and just made them kinda gooey. Ann kept trying to fool with it, but after a while she gave up and we ate it. She tried to clean the greasy dishes in cold water, and that clearly didn't work. So I ended up washing them all again, somewhat frustrating. Ann made a fire, but I wasn't interested, so I cleaned up the campsite and got ready to sleep. It was late anyway. Got into the tent and settled in, and a young kid at a nearby site had a long crying tantrum that made it impossible to sleep. Eventually she settled down, and I got to sleep.

07/27/2026 Run/Walk

Travel day. I slept okay, had some vivid dreams in the early morning before waking up around 5:20. I got out of bed a little later, got ready for an easy run down by the park. Had negative splits on the run but was intentionally slow, didn't want to tire out too much. Ran 5k and walked the short distance back home. I ate some cereal and toast for breakfast, then started putting my stuff together in my overnight bag and backpack. The I got to packing stuff into the car. It went fairly smoothly, everything in except the food, then I had a shower. Loaded the bike up, then the food, then I checked my personal camping checklist, which reminded me to bring gloves and a head cover for riding. We were rolling just before 8:30, a little later than I would have liked but probably right. Route had us going to I-5, I'm guessing to avoid the mess on I-15 by Temecula and Corona. A little traffic at the 78 intersection, then it was smooth sailing all the way into Orange County. We ran into traffic, obviously, as we drove through LA, slowed us down overall by about 30 minutes, I'm guessing. Stayed on I-5 all the way, heading up to Lebec, where we stopped for a bio break, gas, and lunch. We ate at a little Mexican food place near the Jack in the Box that wasn't too bad (service was a tad slow), then we were on our way again. I kept driving down to the 99 and through Bakersfield. We turned off the highway not too long after this and ended up taking some serious back roads, possibly to save us time. By this point, we had stopped for another bio break. And Ann had taken over driving. So she got the worst of driving on the very winding and, at times, narrow roads. It was slow going because of the roads, we ended up getting to Azalea Campground a little before 4:30. It's a nice campsite, maybe a little close to our neighboring site. I set up the tent and vestibule, blew up the air mattress and put sheets and a sleeping bag on it as a quilt, then set up the stove and camp chairs. Walked to go to the bathroom and find water, it's not as close to the site as I would like. Got ready to sit and enjoy a beer, but there weren't any cold ones. I was peeved at this, had to go walk around the campground loop to cool down. I probably walked for a little over half a mile. Then I had some wine and relaxed as we started dinner. Food was simple but plentiful, nourishing, and easy to clean up after. Quiet rest of the evening, doing some reading.