04/18/2026 Walks

This was a very busy sightseeing day. We had an early start, given that we didn't go to sleep until around 2:00. I woke up at 5:30, did some sleuthing about how to get to the Vatican Museums as well as a pastry shop to have breakfast beforehand. Ann got up at 6:30, and we were out the door by about 7:15. Coffee and pastries were good at the place we went to, then we walked to the museum entrance, where the lines were pretty huge, especially for those folks who needed to buy tickets. Still, we didn't get into the museum proper until about 8:30, it opened at 8:00. We walked directly to the Sistine Chapel, Ann didn't stop much on the way. I took my time a little more, the galleries on the way to the chapel were mildly interesting. The chapel itself wasn't at all what I expected, was rectangular, and the Creation of Adam central fresco was smaller than I thought it would be. It was still very impressive to consider that Michelangelo spent four years painting the frescoes on the ceiling. We slowed down after that and walked generally back to the main entrance, including the iconic octagonal courtyard, which was cool. There were some beautiful paintings by Rafael, fine sculptures as well, including works by Bernini. The grounds were also impressive, although we didn't explore them too much. Spent about three hours in the museum, then Ann and I were ready to take a break. We walked back to the Airbnb, which is up four flights of stairs. Took a little break, and I had a refreshing 30-minute nap. Ann found a sandwich shop nearby, and we walked over. Took 15 minutes before we got a table, but the sandwiches were decent and the right amount of food. From there we walked over to St Peter's Square, saw another long line to get into St Peter's Basilica. Once we got in the line it took us maybe 45-50 minutes to get into the basilica itself. In the line, we talked to a family, originally from India, visiting from Boston. The basilica was consistently impressive, sculpture by Michelangelo, main alter by Bernini. Many former popes are entombed there, and the underground grotto area was interesting to walk through. Crowds were annoying but not overwhelming. Used a mediocre audio guide for the Tour. It worked okay but didn't have enough stops to talk about. After the tour we took the elevator up to the plaza by the dome of the basilica, then it was about 200 challenging steps to get up to the walkway near the top of the dome. The views were worth it, very impressive. Walking back to the upper plaza was easier, Ann took the elevator down (longish line) while I jogged down the ramped steps. That gave me a few more minutes to walk through this impressive basilica and take some additional pics. We were pretty much walked out (so we thought) by this time, so we found a little cafe near our Airbnb and had a drink. Stopped at a Carrefours Express after that and got some snacks and light food for dinner, then headed back. We were all ready to settle in for the night when we got a surprise text from Laura, saying she was staying overnight in Rome after her flight from home. I debated whether to get up and meet her, but we decided toeet in the middle, near the Parthenon, about 15-20 minutes away. We got dressed and walked over there, and she showed up about 1 minutes after we did. Found a restaurant nearby and had drinks and dessert. I told the story of our travel adventure, which has some comical elements that make it entertaining (now that it's over). Split up after that, but we both ended up walking, separately, over to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night. Lots of folks out and about on the way over, but the walk back to the Airbnb from there was sparsely populated and through a lot of dark streets. We didn't feel unsafe, but we were both definitely ready to lay down at the end of this long day. Took a little more than a half hour to get back, I was super glad when we made it. It didn't take long to get to sleep after three extended walks during the day.

04-17-2026 Walk

Continuation of travel adventures 

We had a layover in Istanbul for about two and a half hours on Saturday evening, after our flight arrived at the gate around 7:15, after a seemingly interminable taxis to the gate. It was okay, we had time. We were in row 15, so we got off the flight (seats were somewhat cramped) and found a place to sit at one of the gates in a largely deserted but fancy terminal. I took another longish walk around the airport terminals near us. Got on another full flight to Rome okay, there was a fair amount of confusion in the boarding process, and some minor chaos around line formation and cutting. We were toward the back of the plane on this flight. It was about two hours, another long taxi to the gate, then we ended up taking an airport bus to the customs area. It took us about 20-25 minutes to get through customs, no issues with the new EU policy, which apparently was turned off at the time we went through. We got out of the terminal and, after an initial misdirection got to the place where we could pick up our Lyft taxi. Less than 30 minutes to get to the Airbnb, driver was moving fast. We arrived just a little after 1:00, and a non-English speaking guy let us in and showed us the flat. I was in bed and reading by 1:30, asleep not too long after. I ended up logging 14k steps, unexpectedly, during our long travel experience.

04-16-2026 Walk

Well, this was a crazy, frustrating travel day, maybe the craziest ever. We got up early, packed our stuff into the car, and left home around 6:45. Ran into just a little traffic until we got into LA. But we were early to the area near LAX, so we stopped for breakfast at a Norm's. Food was okay, I ate my huevos ranchers and half of Ann's French toast (turned out to be a good plan), had made full-strength coffee for the drive up, so I was caffeinated. We got to the airport parking garage around 9:50, so we made great time. Right on the shuttle, a United rep helped figure out why my ticket wasn't showing TSA pre-check and fixed it, and we got to the gate with lots of time to spare. I ended up walking through Terminals6, 7, and 8, just to pass the time. On the plane, and this is where the fun began. Before we were scheduled to leave, the captain let us know that there was a mechanical problem with the plane that they were fixing, so maybe a minor delay. Not too long after, he got on again and said it would take longer than expected. That's when I told Ann we should get off the plane and start figuring out out to rebook our flight. The gate agent, Jill, took some time to get us on a Alitalia flight that left really soon, but check-in was closing soon and it was in the International terminal. I was able to get Ann checked in but not me, and we missed the bus to that terminal. So we walked back and asked the gate agent what to do. I was really anxious by this time. She said to get to the gate and plead our case, so we hoofed it back to the shuttle bus stop only to just miss the shuttle. I was carrying my bag as well as Ann's, and I tried to get the guy to let us on the bus, no luck. We weren't going to make that flight, so we again walked back (I was walking quickly to get a better place in line) to the original gate. She tried for about 15 minutes, off and on, to find us a flight, without success. So she told us to have a seat, and Ann started checking SkyScanner for flights. She found a Turkish Airlines flight that looked promising and went up to show it to the gate agent. Voila! After about 10 minutes, Ann came back with a reservation code but no tickets. We walked all the way over to the gate, but there was no Turkish Airlines agent. When I tried to check in online, after a few attempts we got a troubling message that this flight was going to be canceled. Yikes! Checked online for flight status, and all looked good, so we decided to walk down to the ticket/check-in area for Turkish Airlines. Turns out you can just walk downstairs in this terminal (I have no idea why not), so we had to walk back to Terminal 4, where the shuttle bus had dropped us, exit the terminal, and walk from the outside back to the departures area for the International terminal. Took us about 15 minutes. We found our way to the Turkish Airlines check-in counters, and I got in line for Economy class, while I asked Ann to see from one of the Business class agents (shorter line) if we were in the right place. That agent (Maheshi) was able to convert our reservation code into two tickets and check us in. Whoohoo! Back through security, with a very short TSA Pre-check line, and to the gate. We had burgers (not bad) using the meal voucher from United to cover 3/4 of the cost. I also got a sandwich for the flight, since it was unlikely I could get a vegetarian meal on the plane. Still, it was better, much better, than it might have been. I was already resigning myself to at least one night in LA or San Francisco before we would be able to get on a plane. Very late arrival in Rome will cause some issues, but I don't think there will be anything money can't solve. We had a layover in Istanbul for about two and a half hours, where I took another longish walk around the airport terminals near us. Got on another full flight to Rome okay, there was a fair amount of confusion in the boarding process, and some minor chaos around line formation and cutting. We were toward the back of the plane on this flight. It was about two hours, another long taxi to the gate, then we ended up taking an airport bus to the customs area. It took us about 20-25 minutes to get through customs, no issues with the new EU policy, which apparently was turned off at the time we went through. We got out of the terminal and, after an initial misdirection got to the place where we could pick up our Lyft taxi. Less than 30 minutes to get to the Airbnb, driver was moving fast. We arrived just a little after 1:00, and a non-English speaking guy let us in and showed us the flat. I was in bed and reading by 1:30, asleep not too long after. I ended up logging 14k steps, unexpectedly, on this day.

04-14-2026 Ride/Hike

Well, the ride on this day was not a good one. I originally planned on leaving around 7:00 for a ride to Camp Pendleton to renew my riding pass. But Mom was having problems with the base unit from Bay Alarm Medical (Ross had unplugged it but didn't turn it off).  Issue resolved, but it took about a half hour to fix. So, I left a little after 7:30, heading down by the park and across the freeway, turning left on Via Rancho Pkwy. Right after the turn I ran over a wood screw and flattened my rear tire. Not great. I stopped to fix it, it went pretty well, although I think that tire is done now. This was the first time I used the electric bike pump, and it worked just as promised. Pretty cool, although it is kinda bulky. Back on the road, riding to Felicita Rd and turning there to get up to Hamilton Ln. Left turn there and then a right on Bernardo Ave, climbing up the little hill and over to the road that parallels the freeway on the west side. Up this gradual climb. By this time, I could tell it was going to be a low-energy day for me. The previous day's virtual ride must have taken more out of me than I thought. So I slowed down and tried to keep a steady pace. To 11th Ave and then down to Del Dios Rd, taking it to Avenida del Diablo and turning left there. Rode over to Citracado Pkwy and turned right, then left onto Harmony Grove Village Pkwy. I used it to get to Country Club Dr, turning right and taking it into northeast Escondido. Road quality here isn't great. A left on Progress Pl and a right on Corporate Dr got me over to Meyers Ave, which I used to get to Barham Dr. A left turn there got me headed west, eventually connecting to Discovery St, which I used to get to San Marcos Blvd. There was a lot of traffic around the high school, and it took a while to get through the lights. Stayed on Palomar Airport Rd, which is generally downhill except for a little climb just before Viewpoint Dr, along with another one by the airport. Made decent time on this stretch, which took me all the way to PCH, where I headed north. Through Carlsbad (I thought that this road was closer to Carlsbad Village, but I was wrong) and into the outskirts of Oceanside. I took the normal way to Pacific St and rode north on it, past the pier and by the harbor, turning onto Harbor Dr to get to Vandegrift Blvd and the Camp Pendleton Visitor Center. As I pulled up, another cyclist gave me the "no go" sign and said the Marines aren't letting visitors onto the base while the war is going on. Shit! I thought about this before riding over but didn't expect they would lock the base down. So I headed back the way I had come, tired and annoyed for quite a while. Back on Pacific St to Myers St, using it to get to Cassidy St and keeping on the route I had ridden out. South on PCH, I decided to keep on this road until I got to the 7-Eleven by La Costa Ave, where I stopped for my free Slurpee. For whatever reason, the coupon didn't register, and I was mad enough to skip the Slurpee and just keep going north on PCH until I found a way across the construction along the median. Then I retraced my route back to La Costa Ave and turned there. I knew this next stretch was going to be a challenge, given how I was feeling, and I wasn't wrong. Several moderate climbs got me up to RSF Rd. Had a nice tailwind helping me along once I got on this road, and I took it to San Elijo Rd, turning right there. Was feeling more tired by this time, and I slowed down accordingly on the climb into San Elijo Hills village. Right turn on Elfin Forest Rd, and that little climb out of the village was another slow one. I enjoyed the descent after it to get to Harmony Grove Rd, then I was slow on all of the climbs here, even though none of them are tough. This got me back to Harmony Grove Village Pkwy, where I turned right and retraced my earlier route to Citracado Pkwy, staying on it to Valley Pkwy, where I turned right. Another nice descent, not long enough, then the turn onto Via Rancho Pkwy for more little climbs that were a lot tougher than they should have been. By this time, I felt calorie-deprived, hadn't eaten enough during this ride, by a long shot. I had a banana in Oceanside, and one of my water bottles had Gatorade in it, but other than that, nothing. Need to do better in this regard. Rode home the normal way from there, the last two climbs were tough, I didn't have much left in the tank at all. Boy was I glad to get home.

Avg speed = 15.8 mph. Total mileage = 65.3 mi

Avg power = 129 W. Weighted avg power = 147 W

Total elevation gain = 3430'

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 106

Training Load = 206

Intensity = 67%

https://www.strava.com/activities/18109508434

Had to rest for a bit after I got home, then I started feeling better. I rode over to Rancho Viejo (Ann had said they had cheap burritos), ended up paying $9 for a burrito, so that place is crossed off the list for the future. Still, the soda I got caffeinated me and energized me, felt better on the way home. No nap in the afternoon, which was an accomplishment. In the late afternoon I headed over to the park and met Emily and Caleb for a hike. We did the normal loop by the lake, but my phone was low on battery and didn't track the entire route. Talked about church stuff as well as the Remax awards party the previous week. Got home and had some time to relax, watched play-in basketball (thrilling ending between Heat and Hornets), then I started arranging stuff to take on the trip. My backpack is going to be really full. Read for a while before going to sleep.

04-13-2026 Swim/Virtual Ride

Slept well, longer than usual (<!>). Ross sent me a text saying he wanted to talk in the morning, so I postponed going to the WWC for a swim. Talked to him about Mom's current state as well as canceling the Bay Alarm Medical subscription. After I got off the phone with him, I called Bay Alarm Medical and canceled the service. It went pretty smoothly, no high-pressure attempts to try and get me to stay on the service. Did a little work around the house, then I got ready for a quick swim. The skies looked threatening as I rode over, but I stayed dry. Put my stuff under the eaves, though, when I got there. Swam 1000 yds at a pretty good pace, here are the splits for my two 500s: 9:01, 9:09. Not sure if I have swum a 1000 this fast in the pool without stopping.

Avg pace = 1:49/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1000 yds

Elapsed moving time = 18:10 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 167 bpm (not likely)

Relative Effort = 52 (probably not)

SWOLF =35 (!)

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.47 yds (seems too long)

https://www.strava.com/activities/18093984214

Got home and had some cereal before heading out to buy a pair of cheap black shoes for the wedding. I went to the Valley Thrift Store and got a pair of Johnson & Murphy shoes, really nice and in good shape. Stopped at Walmart on the way home and bought shoe polish, saw Dick Althouse in the parking lot. I had some lunch when I got home and polished my shoes as well. In the afternoon I checked the repaired sprinkler line, and it appears to be holding water pressure. Hurray! Ann went to Mah Jongg, and I did a virtual ride on MyWhoosh in the garage. Averaged 20 mph for an hour on a flat course, it was a workout as usual. I started charging my pedals one by one, then emptied the gasoline out of the mower and sprayed some carb cleaner in the carburetor for good measure. Had a quiet late afternoon. Ann and I watched TV after dinner, and I spent a quiet evening reading after that.

04-12-2026 Run/Ride

Slept pretty well, considering how much napping I'd done the previous day. Woke up early and laid in bed for a while before getting up and going for a run. This time I planned on starting slow and running longer. Listened to Hard Fork podcasts during the run, a 10k with negative splits for the first 6 miles. I stretched before the run, and that seemed to help release tightness in my right leg. Right foot felt fine, no issues there. Didn't run really fast, but I could tell the distance was a minor challenge. I ran all the way home for a change, keeping it slow on the climb up to the house.

Avg pace = 8:59/mi

Total distance = 6.31 mi

Elapsed moving time = 56:42

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 16 (Felt a lot harder than this)

https://www.strava.com/activities/18081493925

After I got home, I did the dishes. Ann had started the dishwasher, so I did the rest of them manually. Then I had cereal and a banana for breakfast before reading for a bit, then going for a leisurely bike ride. Headed through the neighborhood and then took the long way through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. Was riding at a slow pace, although this ride ended up having more elevation gain than I expected. Over to CdS, turning right and taking it to the light at Casey Glen. I turned left, rode around the little park to Tierney Glen to get to PdS. Headed back through the neighborhood and over to Potomac Ridge Rd, where I turned right and rode to Nighthawk Ln. Right turn there, to Camino San Bernardo (CSB), then I headed to Dove Canyon Rd and turned right there. Down the hill, turning left on Bernardo Center Dr and riding up (slowly) to the top of the climb. I turned right on Avenida Abeja (traffic light there), then left on Avenida de Los Lobos, where there was a nice descent. But when I turned left onto Paseo Montanoso, I had to climb a steep (>10%) little section that was painful. It got me over to CdN, I missed a turn that would have brought be to Penasquitos Dr via some other neighborhood streets (next time). I took CdN to Paseo Lucido, turning left there and riding to Calle Pueblito, turning right to get to Bernardo Heights Pkwy. Another right turn and down the rest of the descent to Pomerado Rd. I turned left and took it to Rios Rd, right turn and a left on Alondra Dr to get to RB Rd, turning right and riding up to Valle Verde. I turned left there, rode up the little climb and then over to Old Winery Rd, where I turned left. To the end of the road and over to Paseo del Verano via the sidewalk path. Another couple of little climbs, then the descent back to Pomerado Rd, where I turned right. I followed it down to the freeway and rode home the normal way from there. Last two little climbs were pretty slow, I was strangely without much energy on this ride, but at least I got it in without getting rained on.

Avg speed = 14.7 mph. Total mileage = 22.5 mi

Avg power = 126 W. Weighted avg power = 161 W

Total elevation gain = 1650'

Avg heartrate = 126 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 43

Training Load = 83

Intensity = 73%

https://www.strava.com/activities/18083795120

I was hungry when I got home, so I had some leftover salad. Took a short break, then I dove into some chores in the back yard. I cut the piece of 1" PVC pipe and tried to glue it in. The angle between the two sections made it difficult, and I think it's 50:50 that the connection will hold. I have a backup plan if it fails. After that I pulled a lot of the weeds out of the backyard grass, it started sprinkling while I was working but never got too bad. When I finished that job I went in the garage and fired up the mower. By this time it was sprinkling pretty good, and it ended up raining on me fairly heavily as I cut the grass in the back yard. Wanted to get this done before applying the fertilizer later in the afternoon. Then I reserved a road bike for when we are in Hawaii, to ride up to the top of Haleakala and back down. This should be a big challenge. Later, after the rain let up, I spread fertilizer on the grass, hoping it helps revitalize the lawn somewhat. I watched just a little bit of TV before dinner. Was a quiet evening. I spent a fair amount of time trying to clean up my email inbox after downloading the account to Outlook. More work to be done there.

04-11-2026 Ride

This started out as a frustrating day. Woke up after sleeping pretty well, no need to read 8n the night. Got ready for the Bisikleta bike ride, knowing there was a chance we would get rained on. It wasn't raining when I left the house and rode through the neighborhood. When I got to the 4S Ranch neighborhood I felt the first sprinkles. Up to Ralphs Ranch Rd and over to the 4S Target the new normal way from there. The sprinkles turned into a drizzle by the time I got there, but I was still hoping to ride, since the roads were dry. However, the consensus among the riders was not to ride. It was a shame, and the right decision. I was sad because Kamal showed up to ride, and he hadn't ridden with us in three months. Originally, I was going to stop at Mostra for coffee on the wet ride home, but I decided to skip it and make coffee when I got there. Got fairly wet on this short ride, not a fun one.

Avg speed = 14.6 mph. Total mileage = 9.6 mi

Avg power = 129 W. Weighted avg power = 158 W

Total elevation gain = 620'

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm

Relative Effort = 11

Training Load = 37

Intensity = 72%

https://www.strava.com/activities/18067594484

Had some coffee, cereal, and a banana when I got home. Ann went to Chuze, I just chilled, watched a little TV before doing some chores in the garage. Organized my bike supplies, swapped out the cleats on my black Sport cycling shoes, and replaced the right shifter battery. Then it was time for lunch. After lunch I went in the garage and glued the two PVC pieces together to raise the level of the line going into the front yard closer to the level of the line coming from the sprinkler valve. Had a quiet afternoon, watched a little TV and napped a couple of times, not sure why I was so tired. In the latter part of the afternoon I went out in the back yard and started gluing sections of the broken PVC line back together. I got it all the way to (I think) one longer piece of PVC pipe that needed to be glued in, when I realized that I had bought the wrong kind of 1" PVC pipe, it wasn't Schedule 40. Bummer! After dinner, I convinced Ann to go to CMR with me, buy the correct pipe, and have a Blizzard at DQ. We got home, and I had a quiet rest of the evening. Finished reading Zeke Faux's Number Go Up. It was kinda frustrating in that the whole crypto finance world is not adding any real value to our world, and there isn't a clear path to this fact changing any time soon. It's essentially a gambling space that's being used to exploit ignorant people. I started Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky, about a human ship searching for a new home after the devastation of Earth and its early space colonies, along with the interaction with a world seeded with an evolutionary acceleration virus and the rise of sentient spider creatures.