11-09-2026 Ride

Slept pretty well, woke up around 6:00. I got ready for a ride with Paula, headed out of the house a little before 6:30. I had arm sleeves on, and it was cold on the descents to the lake, as well as the portion over the pedestrian bridge and to VRP. I rode through the mall parking lot and then through Kit Carson Park to get to El Ku Ave. Rode up to Escondido Blvd and then to Citracado Blvd, where I stopped to check where I was supposed to meet Paula (I thought it was around here). Turns out we were supposed to meet at the top of Gamble Ln. so I rode over to Brotherton Rd, took it to Miller Ave, turned left and rode to Citracado Pkwy. Then I headed towards the freeway and, at the Felicita Rd intersection saw Paula coming from the other direction. I turned around and met her there, then we took Citracado Pkwy back to Centre City Pkwy, turning left there. I was definitely not feeling strong on this ride, still in recovery mode from the big miles the previous week. We rode through Escondido and out to Champagne Blvd. I gapped Paula a little bit on the gradual climb up to Mountain Meadow Rd, then we rode down the hill to Welk Village basically together. By this time it had warmed up, so it wasn't chilly on the descent. We stopped by the entrance to the village and took pictures by the waterfall before continuing north on 395 until we passed the turn onto Circle R Dr. That's where we turned around and rode back the same way we'd come. Paula wanted to set a PR on the Champagne Blvd climb, so I paced her up the hill, dialing my effort back to stay just in front of her. We got to the top, took a short break at the Circle K, then continued on, turning on Jesmond Dene Rd and taking this descent to Broadway. It was a little more sketchy than in the past, was more difficult for me to see what was in the shadows on the road. We rode past Broadway and waited until a car opened the gate to allow us into the gated subdivision (big houses here) by Marion Glen. Took a right on Douglaston Glen, left on Pine Valley Glen, and then out a gated exit to get to a right turn on Rincon Ave. This took us back to Broadway, where we turned left and took it back into town, having to deal with some moderate morning traffic. We got to Valley Pkwy, turned right there and rode to Centre City Pkwy. This is where we split up, both of us heading home via our own routes. My legs were tired by this time, no push left, so I took it easy on the way back, retracing my route until I got to Beethoven Dr, where I turned right, did the little climb up to Del Lago Blvd, then rode down to get across Lake Hodges via the freeway. Home, slowly, the normal way from there. It was warm by the time I got home, not hot but I was ready to be done.

Avg speed = 13.9 mph. Total mileage = 38.1 mi

Avg power = 109 W. Weighted avg power = 140 W

Total elevation gain = 2010'

Avg heartrate = 103 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 31

Training Load = 130

Intensity = 64%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20922970796

Got home, had some food for breakfast (I'd only eaten a banana up to this point), and watched some TV. In the late morning/early afternoon I took a long nap, I think I was catching up on sleep from the previous week+. Felt better after the nap, a little groggy but that soon cleared. Ann had gone to Mah Jongg, so I did some chores. I cleared out the trunks and branches from the jade plant in the front yard by the house, along with a weed that had grown near it. Lots more work to do in that area to clear the space up to 5' from the house. I filled two bins, that was enough for that chore. Then I fixed the towel rack hanger, which had pulled out of the wall, in our bathroom. It's in the wall more securely, I'll try to get Ann to be more careful and not hang such heavy towels on the rack. Late in the afternoon I set up one of the cans of spray foam and went around the bathrooms to fill in gaps between pipes and the drywall. That task went okay. I also ran a bead of foam by a gap in the garage, under my work bench. That was it for chores for the day. Evening was quiet, I ended up going to sleep around 8:00.

11-08-2026 Swim

Slept pretty well, no getting up in the night other than to pee. I woke up, emptied out the dishwasher, and had some breakfast before getting ready for a short swim at the WWC. Weather was really nice on the way over, but it's getting cooler in the morning, so going into the water is a little more of a shock. I ended up swimming four 250s, with swim pads on the second one and swim fins on the third. Here are the splits: 4:41, 4:45, 4:17, 4:47. So, not super fast, but that's to be expected, given that I was out of the pool all last week. Don't know if I can get more swimming in before our travels this Thursday.

Avg pace = 1:51/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1000 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 18:30 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 128 bpm (Amazfit, probably)

Relative Effort = 11 (likely)

SWOLF = 27

Avg stroke rate = 26 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.43 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20911748010

I got home after stopping to put gas in the scooter, stayed around the house a bit before heading over to Valley Thrift Store in Escondido to find some clothes for my Bisikleta DB holiday party outfit. I found a pair of black skinny jeans that should work, then I got a new pair of sneaker slip-ons at Walmart to complete the ensemble. I rode home, then watched a little TV while eating a light lunch. Relaxed for a bit after that, brief light doze there as well. Had a relaxing afternoon (<>), and I talked to Ben, Mom, and Ross, all good conversations. In late afternoon Ann and I got ready for the holiday party and drove over to Glass Box restaurant in Del Mar. At the party were, along with their spouses: Gideon, Perse, Jed, Ray, Paula, Aaron, Andy (with his friend Debbie), and Fritz. Apparently Nel was also invited, but Gideon didn't send him a reminder, so he didn't show. We elected Aaron to the DB, hoping that gets him to ride with us more often. The dinner had a lot of courses, my vegetarian options were heavy on mushrooms, tofu, and rice. I did get enough to eat. Gideon was a little drunk, and Fritz was really drunk. I got an award from the group, which was a nice recognition. Ann and I talked mostly with Ray and Anna, along with Catalin and Paula, who were also nearby. Ann drove us there, and I drove us home after the party, was pretty tired at the end of this day.

11-07-2026 Ride

Well, this ride was harder than expected. I'd looked at the route the previous evening and saw that it was going to be a 60-mile day for me, which wasn't what I had been hoping for. I had gotten up in the night, had some food, and watched TV for about an hour before getting back to bed and getting some more sleep. Woke up around 5:15 and got up around 5:50. Cleaned the kitchen, did a little blogging, then got ready for the bike ride, which included unpacking my large saddle bag, putting my SPD-SL pedals on my Canyon, and outfitting it as usual. I headed over to the 4S Target through the neighborhood and then took the fast way there, avoiding riding through 4S Ranch. Perse was already there, and we talked a little bit about the trip. Ray showed up, then Cam, Jed A., and Fritz. So we were six fast riders for this route, which also got me a little worried about how hard it would be. I hung out in the back of the pack at the beginning of the ride, and thankfully (at least initially) nobody attacked hard and pulled the group along with them. This was a standard route for us, down CdS to San Dieguito Rd, down Three Witches, then a pace line over to ECR. We took VdlV down to the coast and headed north. No real stopping needed to wait for others, we were all hanging together. On the ride north I was struggling at times to keep up with the others as they begin picking up the pace. As happens fairly frequently, I got dropped on the flat stretch heading into Cardiff and was only able to reconnect with the group because they slowed down for a couple of lights. I generally hung with them into and through Encinitas, then they gapped me again as we rode through Leucadia. Around this point Jed pulled over, had a flat. It was a slow leak, so he pumped up his.tire and we continued on. I was able to basically hang on as we headed toward Carlsbad. On this longer stretch there was a younger couple who were riding faster than us but kept hitting lights, so we basically stayed together all the way into Carlsbad. My legs were starting to loosen up a little bit, so I would occasionally get out in front and lead for a bit. On the way into Carlsbad, Romeo joined us coming from the other direction. But he wasn't riding as fast as he normally does. We got into Carlsbad, there was some discussion about where to stop for coffee, and we ended up going to Shorehouse Kitchen (?), next to Handel's Ice Cream. Perse bought me coffee, and Ray bought some little bread cakes to share. I ended up eating a couple of pieces of cake, a banana, and a chocolate gel along with my coffee. The break was longer than expected because Jed ended up replacing his leaking inner tube after we finished eating. That food perked me up, and my legs felt better on the return trip. It also helped that we had a favoring wind that was starting to pick up. I was able to get out in the lead a couple of times, and we had a good pace. We retraced our route back, with the usual little side trip through Encinitas. We were riding with a loose pack of other riders, including a couple of guys who were a little too free-wheeling with not holding their lines. There was a female rider who was a little edgy about it, and she was commenting to a couple of us. I didn't intend to race up the hill into Solana Beach, but I was around the middle of the pack when we started, and when Perse took off I followed him and was able, with a big effort, to pass him before the top. Then I slowed down, chatted a little bit with the female rider about her expectations for fellow riders she doesn't know, and rode to the turn on VdlV. That's when we heard the Jed had had another flat and had stopped at a bike shop to get a tube and, apparently, another tire. So the four of us - Ray, Cam, Fritz, and I - decided to keep going. We rode together on the flats back to the base of Three Witches. Fritz was nice enough at the start to ask the others to slow down, as they started off pushing the pace harder than I could sustain. Took a break at the gas station, Fritz was cramping and needed electrolytes. Ray and Cam decided to wait for Perse, who was riding solo after Jed headed home to Mira Mesa. Fritz was late for meeting friends, so we rode ahead, he was slow on the return from here, his legs were more cooked than mine. I was glad for the easy pace and had no problems getting back to Target. Didn't stay long there before heading home the new normal way, thankful for the offshore tailwind giving me a push. Home around 12:20, was glad to be done. I did ride to the end of Cora on Pl and back to Duenda Rd at the end to get to 60 miles for the day.

Avg speed = 17.1 mph. Total mileage = 60.3 mi

Avg power = 128 W. Weighted avg power = 155 W

Total elevation gain = 2120'

Avg heartrate = 120 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 73

Training Load = 196

Intensity = 70

https://www.strava.com/activities/20900119783

I had some cheese and bread, chips and salsa for lunch, was also pretty thirsty throughout the afternoon. Watched a little football, fell asleep briefly, but I wouldn't call it a nap. I also worked on catching up with blogging from the trip and beyond. I made egg salad for us to take down to Shelter Island for a little night picnic prior to seeing Dana Carvey at Humphrey's. His opening act was forgettable, his show had a lot of impressions, including all the presidents back to Reagan. I thought those bits weren't as funny as his other impressions. There was a lady in the front row who kept suggesting stuff for him to do until it became comical. Not my favorite show of the fall, but I had a couple of good laughs. Ann enjoyed him more. I drove us home, and after sitting in traffic around the venue we got home a little after 10:00. I went right to sleep.

11-06-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 5

Final day of the bikepacking trip! We had agreed to get an early start, so I'd gotten some stuff to eat from the motel breakfast area the previous night. Had a chocolate milk, took a shower, began packing up my stuff, then I poured the milk on my cereal. Milk was sour, ugh! So I went down and got another one. Also sour! I ate my cereal dry, along with a banana and a string cheese. Then I finished packing up and loading out my bike. I'd forgotten to charge my phone, so it wasn't fully charged when we checked out of the room and went down to the parking garage on the ground floor. I had it connected to my little power bank to continue charging. All were there except Hugo, who didn't understand the text messages about being ready to ride at 6:30. Charlie needed some Gatorade for the ride, so he went across the street to 7-Eleven, and Hugo showed up shortly afterwards. We all gathered for the starting pic and the start of the ride in that store's parking lot, then headed south on PCH toward Huntington Beach. I don't think I've ever ridden this stretch of road. The sun was still low in the sky, and it was really difficult for me to see because of the glare, so I rode at the back. We were on the highway for the first three miles, then we switched to the Huntington Beach Trail, which was quite nice but also busy with runners, walkers, and a few cyclists. This path took us by Huntington Beach, along with outskirts of Costa Mesa, and into Newport Beach. The path eventually dumped us back on to PCH. We were all riding pretty fast until we got to the wavy part of PCH, with its little downhills and climbs past Irvine, Corona del Mar, and Laguna Beach. I gapped the others when the waviness began, would maintain the gap and then let the others catch up, until I finally got to the top of a climb south of Laguna Beach, near the Ritz Carlton. Charlie wasn't too far behind, and he rode up to meet me. We got a text saying that Hugo had a flat, so the two of us waited at this point for the others to catch up. We weren't too far from Dana Point by then, so we all rode into this little city, turning off PCH and, led by Charlie and Andy, riding over to the marina, which was buried in construction. Andy tried to find a coffee shop he remembered by the marina, but all the shops were apparently closed, and we had to go a roundabout way just to get there. So we tried to get back through a parking lot to Dana Point Harbor Dr, and Charlie had a little spill when he slowed down to avoid running into an older couple on the sidewalk. No injuries, and we were able to get his bike adjusted back pretty quickly. We ended up having a big breakfast at RJ's Cafe, which wasn't in the original plan. Hugo and Nel were okay with the plan, so we did it. The food and service there were very good, and I was happy with the choice. We were behind schedule after breakfast, and the day was warming up, so we took Dana Point Harbor Dr over to the entrance to Doheny SB, rode through it to the parking lot by the actual beach, then got on the protected bike path running along PCH. I kicked in the jets on this stretch, gapping the others and moving pretty quickly past San Juan Capistrano and into San Clemente. Here is where the frustration for me started. Charlie knows this area very well, so he took over and led us through neighborhoods. My route had us riding on ECR, and in hindsight I believe this would have been the better choice. Charlie, Nel, and Hugo were out in front, and I was hanging back with Andy, listening to music. We got separated from the others, but Andy said he knew the way. On one little climb I got out in front of Andy, and he passed me without me noticing it. I waited for five minutes or so, then he called and asked me where I was. I got off the bike route when I tried to catch up to him, was minorly pissed off, and, after chatting with him and Charlie, worked my way back to ECR and followed my original route to the point where I was able to reconnect with the others, on the bike path leading to San Onofre SB, not too far past San Clemente SB. All good after that. We got on the Pacific Coast Bikeway, which is a really nice stretch of roads and paths heading into San Onofre SB. It followed the Old Pacific Hwy for a bit, then went into the park, which is quite long. Much of the park area was closed off to campers, but we were able to get through okay. Past the park, by Las Flores Viewpoint, we rode under the freeway and were again on decent, wide roads and paths as we headed generally southeast. I should mention that we once again had a generally favorable tailwind pushing us along. Charlie and I got out in front on this section, moving pretty quickly down to the Las Pulgas Rd exit, where we had to get on the freeway and ride along the emergency lane. We all gathered up there and then gave each other lots of space, so we could pay attention to road debris to be avoided. I initially stayed with the others, then saw that the road conditions weren't too terrible, so with a fairly strong tailwind I kicked it into high gear and led out. After a couple of miles we had to exit the freeway and go through the rest area, then get back on. Once I was back on the freeway, I really hit the gas pedal and put in a pretty big effort, averaging well over 20 mph all the way to the Harbor Dr exit. There were indeed some stretches of the emergency lane that had a fair amount of debris, but in general it was cleaner than I had expected. All of us got across with no flats, which was a little surprising. We all gathered up at the exit and then took Harbor Dr over to Pacific St and familiar surroundings for most of us. Hugo had run out of water along the freeway, and he was really suffering, so he and I pulled off the main route and went looking for a place where he could find some Gatorade. He took a lot longer at the store than I would have thought, but luckily the others were waiting for us by Jed's house. Hugo and I rode down to meet them, we took a picture with the Bisikleta banner in front of his place, then we continued on. While we had a short break there, we decided to power on to Solana Beach and skip the originally planned lunch break. It was around here that Andy said he planned to ride home instead of catching a ride with me and Ann. He and Nel slowed their pace after that decision, so Charlie, Hugo and I formed the other group that rode faster and, generally, together. We stayed as a fully integrated group following the normal way back from Jed's house to PCH. then we started to separate. Over to Carlsbad, and I was generally leading our small group. We stayed together through this city, then I gapped the others on one of the little climbs. Hugo and I got back together, loosely, and continued on until we stopped to wait for the others at the 7-Eleven just past La Costa Ave. Charlie showed up, then we got a text saying that Andy and Nel were stopping for a soda at a restaurant north of us and that we should continue on to Solana Beach. So that's what the three of us did, following PCH through Leucadia, Encinitas, and Cardiff on the way. I pushed the pace a little bit, was mentally ready to be done, and my legs were feeling fine. Hugo and I separated a little bit from Charlie, then the three of us rode over to Chief's Bar by the train station to stop for a little celebration.

Avg speed = 15.7 mph. Total mileage = 75.3 mi

Avg power = 116 W. Weighted avg power = 143 W

Total elevation gain = 2520'

Avg heartrate = 112 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 70

Training Load = 237

Intensity = 65%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20887430662

It was here that I noticed my jacket and flip flops were gone from the top of my saddle bag. I'm guessing they must have flown off during that last part of the ride. Alas! Leslie was already in the parking lot, on the phone, so while Charlie put his bike in the car and changed clothes Hugo and I went in and got a beer. His wife Christine showed up soon after, and we chatted for a bit before Charlie and Leslie came in. Ann wasn't too far behind them. We all talked a little bit about the trip, a couple of friends of Charlie and Leslie showed up and joined in the conversation, then not too long after that Ann and I left, and she drove us home through surface streets to avoid afternoon rush hour. We got home around 3:30 or so. Was good to relax and eat a little bit, although I wasn't super hungry. I watched a little TV, took a shower (that felt good!), and avoided taking a nap. Ann was really sweet and avoided making pasta for dinner (her original plan). Instead she made a tasty barley soup. I was pretty hungry by that time. Had an easy evening, not much done other than shaving off my 6-day beard. Lights off early, after a long day (<>).

11-05-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 4

A longer day in the saddle. Woke up around 5:00, not a great night's sleep. Charlie's snoring kept me up for an hour in the night and woke me up in early morning. Ah well. Got up and started organizing my stuff. Had a shower and made coffee for myself and the others. Sunrise was pretty, I took some pics before we left the VRBO, including the interior. We left a little before 7:00, that little climb up to Ensenal was surprisingly tough. Then I took care on the descent to Hwy 1. The group had agreed to ride into Malibu and eat a sit-down breakfast. I would have preferred a quicker option to buy us some time for the long ride. We had a couple of little climbs not too long after we started. On the first one I pushed the pace and gapped the others, then waited for a while at the top. Not sure what the holdup was, itight have had something to do with uncertainty about our chosen breakfast spot. Andy did find us a very good little breakfast place, Marmalade Cafe. Took my jacket off after the first climb, there was another little climb to negotiate, then we descended back toward the coast. We were on Hwy 1 in an area with only an emergency lane, no bike lane, and lots of cars parked in it. At one of these places I hit a crack by the white stripe and got a rear tire flat. Fixed it pretty quickly, with help from the others, and we were on our way. I stayed with them as we all rode to the restaurant at about 13.5 miles. I ate fairly light, steel cut oatmeal and a cut-up banana, with multiple cups of coffee. Another good server, Jason, took care of us. The others ate big breakfasts, especially Hugo. They probably didn't get enough food for dinner the previous evening. We were pretty leisurely with time during breakfast. After the meal we stopped at a convenience store for Hugo to buy some Gatorade. I had noticed that my rear brake pad was rubbing after the tire repair, so I quickly pushed the brake pistons out, with Nel's help, and that appeared to work. Andy left early to get a head start, and the ret of us took our time getting rolling again. This next stretch along Hwy 1 was pretty to the west, somber at times to the east, where I noticed a number of big homes on the hillside completely burned down. We were generally riding right along the coast, which was gorgeous, but riding in the highway emergency lane was a little stressful. At mile 23 we moved over to a beautiful bike path, separate from the highway, on the northern outskirts of Santa Monica. Andy was still ahead of us. I stopped soon after that to pee, the breakfast coffee was catching up with me. Rode past Will Roger's SB. Once we got in sight of the Santa Monica pier I called him and asked him to stop and wait for us. We rode past the pier, got some pics there, and it was a couple of minutes more before we caught up to him. Shortly after that we got into Venice Beach, stopping by Muscle Beach to read the plaques of former bodybuilders (Lou Ferigno, Jack Lalanne). Not too long after that (and another bio break) we turned inland to ride around Marina del Rey, eventually getting back to a bike path on the beach around mile 33. Around this point, Hugo and I gapped the others. I was riding at a pretty high pace, and he was doing everything he could to hang with me. He was actually pretty strong here. We rode past LAX, then got on a surface street and continued riding. Past Manhattan Beach, turning back onto a beach path just as we entered Hermosa Beach. We stopped there and waited for the others to catch up, then rode a short distance before I picked a lunch spot, Sonny's. Food was decent, I had a cheese pizza, a big meal for me, catching up from a light breakfast. Spent a longer time at lunch than I wanted, service and food delivery were slow. Eventually we got rolling, headed south until mile 43, when we turned inland to ride around Palos Verdes, as originally planned. We had a pretty stiff tailwind on this stretch, and Hugo and I were out front, again gapping the others. At one point we stopped to wait for them, since Charlie's Google Maps directions to the hotel were trying to take him off my Strava route. On the short stretch where we were all riding together Andy wore out, so when we stopped in Lomita (a city with a Hispanic flavor, which I'd never heard of) for me to buy some Gatorade (others got some stuff too) we agreed to slow down and let Charlie navigate the ride using Google Maps. This turned out to be frustrating and inefficient, since Charlie doesn't have a head unit, so he had to stop frequently and check his phone about where to turn. With that said, it did cut some distance off the ride. I think it also might have taken us by the old Unocal refinery on Anaheim St. This part of the ride was really gritty, lots of big trucks on the roads, which were not friendly for cyclists. Eventually we found out way to a ramp leading to a bridge across the exist of the Los Angeles River into the ocean. Across that to a better part of Long Beach, riding by the Aquarium and seeing the Queen Mary in the distance. We rode along the coast for a while, by the old THUMS islands and into Seal Beach. Our Best Western motel was along PCH, and we got there around 3:40 after a pretty long day in the saddle.

Avg speed = 14.8 mph. Total mileage = 67.6 mi

Avg power = 106 W. Weighted avg power = 135 W

Total elevation gain = 1730'

Avg heartrate = 117 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 74

Training Load = 204

Intensity = 61%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20876565664

The motel was near an area where folks had houses on the water with generally large boats at their docks. This motel location was okay, closer to Surfside than Huntington Beach, as I had expected, but not too far away. The motel itself was the worst of the trip. Beds and rooms were okay, but the amenities were poor, no pool or hot tub. We checked in, and it felt great just to lay back and relax for a while. I watched a little NCAA basketball, eventually took a shower. Charlie went off to meet with his nephew and his family, so the rest of us later on walked to an Italian restaurant in Surfside for dinner. I had pasta again, it was filling, but the pesto sauce wasn't the best. Still, calories were sufficient. After dinner we walked back to the motel and sat in the breakfast area for a while planning out our strategy for the following day's ride. Nel and Hugo were thinking about riding home from our original Solana Beach target destination, so we agreed on an early start. When I got back to the room Charlie was on the phone helping out an old friend who had gotten herself into a bad contract situation. I did some blogging before calling it a night.

11-04-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 3

Slept okay, a little better than previous nights (less beer consumed). I woke up and got absorbed in reading about the Blue Wave, then Charlie woke up, and I noticed it was 6:15. I had to hustle to grab a shower, change into my riding gear, and pack my bike up. Down to the lobby before 6:45, Nel was already there, and James came out as well. Charlie, Hugo, and Andy came to the lobby, and we rode a short distance to Jack's Bistro & Bagels for breakfast. Sat outside on a really fine morning, I had some decaf coffee and a couple of bagels. I'd drunk a cup of motel coffee to get some caffeine, and I ate an apple there as well while waiting for the others. We left the motel at 6:54, a little late but not too bad. Got to the restaurant, had our breakfast, and did our morning constitutionals before we headed out. We were rolling again by about 7:50, again within reason. Headed through Carpinteria on surface streets until we had to get on the 101, which was a section I'd worried about. Turns out there is a completely separate bike lane for us, and the views were just spectacular. We followed good bike paths and safe roads for a while until we got to Emma Woods SB, which is closed. It looked like there was a way for bikes to still get through and avoid riding on the 101, so we rode on these old roads. Went past a couple of games and at one point had to walk our bikes across a dirt patch. We made it all the way to the end of the road and we're lucky enough to see some riders on a bike path above us, on the other side of the railroad tracks. We found a very rough, kinda steep dirt path that we were able to use to get up to the true bike path, whose entrance we had somehow missed. This path was in good maintenance and led us all the way into the outskirts of Ventura, eventually dropping us onto the Ventura seaside boardwalk. This section of the ride was a little dicey, having to share the path with lots of walkers, but we made it through. Then we rode by the marina and past it, stopping at a liquor store so Hugo could get some Gatorade. We had tried to stop at a bike shop in Ventura, but we were early (it didn't open until 10:00). So we rode by the dunes along Oxnard Shores until turning inland around the Channel Islands Marina. It was time for our mid-morning break, so I pulled us into a shopping center, hoping to find a coffee or pastry shop. No luck, but we needed a bio break spot, so we ended up stopping at Carl's Jr. Several of us had sodas, some got a snack too. Andy looked up the directions to our VRBO and saw it was in west Malibu, much closer than my originally mapped endpoint for the ride. So we were going to have a shorter ride on this day (and a longer one on the following day). We took our time at this stop, then continued on into Oxnard. I stopped shortly after to tighten the screws on my head unit bracket, then we continued. We rode east aided by a tailwind, then turned south to get to Port Hueneme, turning east again there. This road took us through some farmland until we got to the frontage road along Hwy 1,heqding southeast there along Naval Air Station Point Mugu. The group spread out a bit on this stretch, but we stopped at Point Mugu Missile Park for some photos. This was a cool little stop. Nel had been attached to an F-18 squadron back in the day, so we rolled out the banner and took some pics in front of one of the planes. Our overall pace was slow (we were stopping more than expected), but we had lots of time on this day due to the shorter distance. We continued on, and here Charlie, Nel, and I got out ahead. We eventually got on Hwy 1 and rode on the shoulder (it was fine) past Mugu Rock and along some really beautiful coastline. Wind wasn't pushing us as hard as the previous day, but it wasn't a headwind either. At some point the three of us pulled over to the side to wait for Andy and Hugo, then we rolled on. In this next stretch a strong female rider passed us, so Nel and I decided to pick up the pace and try to match her. She would slow down a little on the slight ascents, then speed up on the descents and flats. I offered to give her a draft at one point, but she wasn't interested. So we rode on her wheel or (me) in front, trading positions until we got to Neptune's Net, our lunch spot. We pulled off there and waited for the others. This is obviously a seafood spot, with burgers, but I wasn't interested in a $20 Impossible burger. I had Cole slaw, then later a beer and an ice cream bar, while we killed time until we could check in to the VRBO, after 2:15. It wasn't too much further down the coast, 5-6 miles. Others' legs were more tired than mine, so on this last segment I gapped the others and rode fairly hard to the turnoff. After everybody showed up we had to climb about 300' to the VRBO. It wasn't very steep, I just put my bike in its lowest gear and spun up. I waited for Nel and Charlie at the turn, had them wait there while I rode to the place and met Larry and Nancy, our hosts. The driveway was pretty steep, I needed a headstart to get up it with my loaded bike.

Avg speed = 14.3 mph. Total mileage = 53.2 mi

Avg power = 114 W. Weighted avg power = 137 W

Total elevation gain = 1310'

Avg heartrate = 113 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 60

Training Load = 173

Intensity = 62%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20862903555

The layout of the little apartment was fine, two bedrooms, a small kitchen and living area with a pull-out bed, and a nice outdoor patio. The views of the ocean were also quite nice. We had some time to relax, and I was glad for the break. I proposed making dinner, was originally going to ride to the nearest market, about 2.5 miles away. But it wasn't practical with that last climb to negotiate, so eventually Andy and I took an Uber to the market. We got stuff for chicken stir fry, rice, some beer, and some little bread cakes for dessert. I should have gotten some bread to go with it but didn't. Took another Uber back, then with Andy and Nel's help made dinner. The others liked it, so it was a quified success. We ate everything, and they probably would have eaten more if I'd made more, but it was sufficient. Hugo opened up a little bit during and after dinner/dessert, and he and I traded stories for the others about visiting Baja California. I had had a long day by the end of it. The others on this trip are, for the most part, waiting to be told what to do and where to go. Charlie has been a help in deciding what to do, the others usually wait to be told. I mapped out the plan for an early start to our ride the following day, then Charlie and discussed some high-level logistics for a proposed bie trip in Europe next June. Then it was bedtime for me.

11-03-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 2

Slept somewhat fitfully again, getting up frequently to pee, probably because of the amount of fluids, including beer, that I drank the previous evening. Got up around 5:00, had a shower and started packing my stuff as soon as Nel was awake. I did some blogging, then went down to breakfast around 6:20. It was really crowded, but I was able to find a table for Nel and me. Eventually Charlie and James showed up too. I ate a big breakfast, knowing we would have a late lunch and an improvised mid-morning food break. After breakfast I went upstairs, changed into my cycling gear, and finished packing my stuff and setting up my bike. Nel and I checked out and we're ready to go by 7:50 or so. The others trickled down, and we ended up leaving the hotel around 8:05, riding to a nearby convenience store for other's to get some Gatorade. Charlie forgot his water bottles, and Nel forgot his bike lock, so they both had to ride back to the hotel. That delayed us some more, but I thought we were still on track. We rode over to the originally projected route starting point for Day 2. It was gently uphill for the first 14 or so miles of the original route. Was chilly enough at the start to warrant wearing my jacket. I was riding out front for much of the climbing segment. Stopped a couple of time to let the others catch up. On one of the times, we peeled off layers and accidentally left Hugo still putting stuff on his bike, so he had to burn some matches to catch up with the others. I was out front with Nel, so I didn't notice. I gradually gapped the others and kept pushing pretty hard all the way to the top. Thought it was going to be steeper near the summit, but it was definitely manageable. I got there minutes before Charlie showed up next, Nel arrived some time after that. We got a text that Hugo was cramping and that they had stopped for a break. Eventually the three of them made it to the top, where we all paused before taking the descent, 2 miles of 7% grade followed by a longer stretch of downhill to the Gaviota rest stop. I hung way back and watched my speed and stability, not interested in setting any records here. There was road construction, which made the descent dicey at times. Got to the rest stop shortly after the others, and we took a break here, deciding to ride to Refugio SB for our mid-morning longer break. We were on Hwy 101 by this time, which has really good shoulders for riding. A favorable tailwind was also a big help, it made it seem like we were riding slightly downhill. Charlie was feeling strong, so he and I rode out ahead of the others, making good time. We might have stopped to wait for the others once (by the old bridge before the campground), but in general we motored there. The bridge by the entrance to the campground was under construction, and I got confused about the detour route, but we got that squared away. No fee to ride into the campground, and we ended up staying there for nearly an hour. I ate some food, had a pee, walked on the beach, and took several pictures. After our break we continued on the 101 for quite a while, passing by El Capitan SB and eventually getting into the outskirts of Goleta. James had recommended a restaurant, Eddie's Grill, in Goleta, which was more on the southern end of the town. I had Google directions to the restaurant, and it seemed like it took forever to get there, another 5 miles from when we had entered Goleta. The restaurant was good, decent food (veggie burger with lots of jalapeños) and great service (Paola). Charlie wanted to stop at a bike shop to buy a local jersey or some socks, so we backtracked a little bit to a shop in Goleta (very small clothing selection). Since that didn't work, we took a detour into Santa Barbara proper to another bike shop. No luck for Charlie there, but Nel did get another Dyna plug kit. This was frustrating, so I wasn't in the best mood after that. We also got trapped in early rush hour traffic, including one young woman who cut Hugo off and cursed at me when I called her out on it. That got my adrenaline pumping. By this time we had found our way back to our original route. Lots of surface streets through south Santa Barbara (including a ride by the harbor and pier that was mi or spectacular), Montecito, and Summerland. This section of the ride was tough for me, for some of the others as well. I was just anxious to be done, and the miles were going by too slowly, even though that tailwind had freshened and was really helping us along. Again, it seemed like we were riding downhill on the last stretch to the motel.

Avg speed = 15.6 mph. Total mileage = 69.2 mi

Avg power = 114 W. Weighted avg power = 137 W

Total elevation gain = 2510'

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 66

Training Load = 207

Intensity = 62%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20850360264

We arrived at the Best Western Inn in Carpinteria around 4:20, later than I wanted but still okay. The place is a step down from the Embassy Suites. No breakfast at this one, which is a minor inconvenience. Card keys weren't available when we checked in, and hot tub was unavailable. I stayed in a room with Charlie (he snores), and he washed a couple of items for me, including my bib shorts.. The group was obviously tired from the ride, and it took some time to get a dinner plan together. We ended up walking over to a street with bars and restaurants, had some beers (one for me) at a decent little brewing company, then hit the jackpot for dinner, a cheap pasta shop, Guicho's Eatery, where the food and service were simple but very good. That meal hit the spot for me. Charlie and James wanted another beer, but I was ready to settle down, so the rest of us headed back to the motel, getting faulty directions from Google that took us to a canal area under construction and forcing us to have to backtrack. Walking in my flip flops is awkward and uncomfortable, I need another solution for next time.Got back to the motel and caught up on blogging, was in bed a little after 10:00.

11-02-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 1

Big day, the start of our bikepacking trip down the coast. I slept okay, got up a lot of times to pee, woke up around 4:30 and didn't get back to sleep after that. Nel got up soon after. I watched some ESPN, first time in a long time watching sports talk shows. Had a shower and a cup of room decaf coffee. I did some ordering and packing of my stuff so that it was basically complete, then Nel and I headed down to breakfast. There was so much food there, but I limited myself to a relatively small breakfast, which was much bigger than I usually eat. The others showed up, and we all ate breakfast together. Then I headed back to the room to brush my teeth, finish loading up my bike, and dressing for the ride. Nel and I were down in the lobby, checked out and waiting for the others well before 7:30, our scheduled departure time. We were rolling before 7:40, and it was a little chaotic at the start because my Wahoo was apparently trying to route us back into SLO (confusion at the first intersection, where my route had us turning north, obviously wrong in hindsight), where the route originated. Thankfully James had ridden up the day before and had a way to get us onto our route, so as soon as we followed him we were good. I won't list the roads on the route, just some general comments. Out of town on Higuera St. It wasn't too long before we got onto a little-traveled side road, Ontario Rd that had a nice bike lane and good road quality. We were on this for a while before turning on Avila Beach Dr and then Shell Beach Rd, which took us through Shell Beach and onto Price St, leading into Pismo Beach. We turned onto Dolliver St (I turned too early but got back on route quickly) and road down by the coast, quite beautiful riding here. This was Hwy 1, and we ended up riding on this road (it changed  for a long way. Past Grover Beach, through Ocean and then down to Guadalupe, where I'd thought we might stop for lunch. But we were riding fast (and had left early), so we were ahead of schedule. The group decided to stop at a convenience store for a quick break and the power on into Lompoc early. At the convenience store, I bought a Dr Pepper and had a pee. We talked to a guy on a cruiser bike who was interested in the road bike technogy, drinking a beer in late morning. Heading out of Guadalupe the road quality was pretty bad as we rode through farm fields. James took us for a brief period on a shady bike path, but it had so much tree debris that I was glad to get back on the highway. Had to be careful here, I was generally trailing the others on this stretch. We passed just by Orcutt, which is where we should have stopped for lunch, in hindsight. On the flats here Charlie got out in front of the others, so I rode up to him, then we kicked up the pace and rode fast for maybe 5-7 miles, gaping the others. We eventually came to a stop sign and waited for the rest to catch up. Then we rode together on the side of the highway until Charlie caught a small thorn in his front tire. He got the tire changed pretty quickly, James appreciated the break, and we were off. Not too long after this we started climbing, fairly gentle at first, with a sharp tester 1.5-mile climb at the top. I gapped the others on this climb, then waited at the top for them to show up. Hugo, Charlie, and Nel were fairly close together, then Andy and James brought up the rear. Nel found a dime at the stop, and just before we headed down the following descent I found a lucky penny. 😊 The descent was thrilling, a little scary, and I was focused on avoiding road debris. We had some waviness until we turned left by Vandenburg SFB to stay on Hwy 1. Right around this turn Nel hit something in the road, and his tubeless tire didn't seal. He put in a couple of Dyna plugs, and after some fiddling around got it to seal okay. Hugo has a frame pump that works really well, and he used it to put some air in the tire. This section of the ride was just a little wavy, with one climb that was noteworthy and two other small ones. The downhills were kinda scary, lots of shadows where I couldn't see the road or any debris clearly. Was glad to be done with the descents. Last one brought us into the outskirts of Lompoc. I stopped and found us a decent Mexican food restaurant, Floriano's, that was nearby, and had a leisurely lunch there.

Avg speed = 14.3 mph. Total mileage = 57.4 mi

Avg power = 111 W. Weighted avg power = 144 W

Total elevation gain = 2670'

Avg heartrate = 115 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 71

Training Load = 203

Intensity = 65%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20835141653

We were early into the town, a little before 2:00. Got to the Embassy Suites, which was close by, a little after 3:00, they were able to check us in early. I had a shower, then some of us - James, Andy, and eventually Hugo - sat in the hot tub, which felt wonderful. We talked about where to go for dinner, James said he didn't want to go to the restaurant by the Embassy Suites. So we ended up walking to another nearby restaurant, which was in the Hilton Garden Inn! 😂 It was forgettable, I had a large salad, the least objectionable vegetarian option for me. Not great but okay, and close by. I was happy to get back to the hotel fairly early, have a little time to unwind before getting to sleep.

11-01-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 0

Slept okay until I heard the clock chime 4:00, when I started thinking about getting up. Turns out I had another hour because of the time change, but I still got up before 4:00. Had time to eat breakfast, double-check my travel list, pack my bike and bags into the rear of the car, and put the bike rack on the back. We left the house around 6:30 and got to Andy's at 6:40. Loaded his bike on the rack and headed down on surface streets to the Solana Beach train station. The others - Nel and Hugo - were already there. We unloaded our stuff, said our goodbyes, then walked to the train platform. Hugo had a locked up rear brake for some reason, I had to use my multitool to loosen the cable and release the brake so he could fit his rear wheel on. Shortly after he realized he didn't have his helmet, so he called his partner Christine to come back. It all worked out okay. We got on the train at the front, where the baggage car was with tie-downs for the bikes. Stayed on the train and walked to the back where the business class cars were located. There were coffee and pastries there, so pretty plush (😊). The train ride to Union Station was a little less than 2.5 hrs, numerous stops in between. Got off the train in LA and made our way to another, larger train eventually heading to Seattle. This one had a dedicated baggage car where we handed up our bikes, then walked to the coach class cars near the front of the train and got our seat reservations. We got on, no problems, were spread out in a car, although Hugo and Nel were next to each other. The train up to SLO was generally uneventful, but the stretch from Santa Barbara on was extremely slow, apparently there was some problem with the signal system. I ended up talked to Hugo for quite a while, hearing his back story about growing up in Costa Rica and working his way toward an EE degree. We stopped several times to let other trains heading south pass, and there were a lot of slow stretches. Eventually we got into SLO, around 4:50 and nearly two hours late. It was near sunset. No problem getting our bikes off the train, we were just a little slow setting them up for the 2.5-mile ride to the Embassy Suites. We left the station around sunset, but there was enough light to get there safely.

Avg speed = 10.9 mpp. Total mileage = 2.2 mi

Avg power = 59 W. Weighted avg power = 73 W

Training Load = 2

Intensity = 33%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20830428300

No James yet, he had run into a series of flats and headwinds that caused him to get to the hotel well after 5:30. But he made it safely, seemed pretty fresh for having ridden 300+ miles in three days. Charlie and I were in the bar having a beer when he showed up. The others came down as well, and I had several beers (caught a buzz) and some bar snacks. We went to a nearby food court that was close enough to walk to and had some decent Neapolitan pizza (Palo Mesa Napoletan Pizza) just before the food court closed. Walked back to the hotel, and I settled down, was asleep before 9:30.

10-31-2026 Ride

Slept okay, waking up early but getting back to sleep with just a little difficulty. Had some anxiety dreams likely related to the trip. Alarm woke me up at 5:30, I unloaded the dishwasher, had a bowl of cereal, and started reviewing voting choices. At 6:30 I started getting ready for my ride, which included swapping out pedals on my Fuji and putting the saddle bag on. I wanted to leave at 7 but ended up rolling around 7:07. Down by the park and over the pedestrian bridge to Via Rancho Pkwy, then up to Felicia Rd. Took it to Hamilton Rd and used that route (via Continental Ln and Calle Cataline) to get to the top of Gamble Ln. I wasn't slacking off on this stretch, generally pushing at above average pace. I rode over to Citracado Pkwy using Scenic Trail Way, then rode down to Harmony Grove Village Pkwy, turning there and taking it to Harmony Grove Rd. Left turn, riding generally down to the bend on to Elfin Forest Rd. Here I pushed some, not a huge effort but not a low one either. I was trying to get into the village with enough time to have a coffee before meeting the others, and I was successful. Stopped at Tidewell Coffee Co (Thalia and Ephraim), at the corner of San Elijo Rd, and had an Americano, sitting inside and relaxing for a bit before continuing on Elfin Forest Rd. This road ends at a kind of a tee, and I was able to pass through the gate on Windemere Dr by following a car in. Here is where I slowed down, taking the initially gentle grade at modest pace and looking for the others coming down the other way. Rode up to Glencrest Dr, turning left and then right on Lighthouse Rd. This road passed by a couple of gates, and it got pretty steep, so I slowed way down here. Eventually got up to the intersection with Schoolhouse Way, and this is where I saw Paula and Ray coming down the hill. I turned around and followed them back down the route I had just taken, all the way to San Elijo Rd, where we turned right and continued down to Melrose Dr, turning right there. We took it over to Boulderridge Dr, then rode up and down to get to RSF Rd. Up the fairly gentle climb toward Lake San Marcos, turning right on Lake San Marcos Dr and taking it to San Marino Dr, turning left there. This got us to the bridge over the lake, where we stopped to take a picture before continuing on San Pablo Dr. We turned left on San Julian Dr, stopping for another picture by a house with extravagant Halloween decorations before connecting back to San Pablo Dr. Right turn on La Noche Dr, then another right on La Sombra Dr followed by a left on Quail Hill Dr. We rode up to Via Vera Cruz, took a left there and then a right on Honeysuckle Dr. This got us to Applewilde Dr, where we turned right, and then left on Poppy Rd. Near the intersection with Foxhall Dr, we stopped for another pic of fancy Halloween decorations before riding over to Discovery Lake and taking several more pictures. Then we took Buckhorn Ave to Iron Horse Dr, turned right and then left on Orchid Ave. Finally we turned right on Santa Barbara Dr and followed it to get out of the neighborhood and to Twin Oaks Valley Rd. Down the hill to Craven Rd, turning right there and then left on Campus View Dr, riding through CSUSM to get to Barham Dr (not the usual East Barham Dr, another one). Paula thought she had a route through this neighborhood, as we took Shelley Dr to a gate. No luck getting through until a car came from the other direction, and we sneaked through after the car had passed and opened the gate. We took Edgewater Dr all the way to its end, hoping to see a bike path that let us out, but no luck. So we backtracked to Saddleback Way, took this road down to its end, and here found a pedestrian gate with an Exit button. This dropped us down onto the main Barham Dr, where we turned right. Took it to Meyers Ave, turned right, then took another right on Corporate Dr, which led us to Country Club Dr via Progress Pl. This road isn't in great shape, but we were generally riding downhill, so it was manageable. We followed it all the way to Harmony Grove Rd, turning right there. We all retraced the earlier route I had taken, almost all of the way back to San Elijo Hills village. Paula was tiring out here, and I rode with her for a while before pushing my pace and catching up to Ray, who was ahead of us. We turned right on Schoolhouse Way, waited for Paula there, then continued on. Ray got ahead of us while Paula made a phone call, then we two rode together up to San Elijo Rd, turning right a continuing the climb up to Double Peak Dr. Again, I rode with Paula for a significant portion of this climb, but I saw Ray in the distance and pushed to catch up to him. He and I turned on Double Peak Dr and continued up this climb. He was tiring by this point, so I got out ahead, riding up to the stop sign by the park entrance. That was far enough, and enough elevation gain, for me. I waited for him, and he continued up to the top, while I turned around and rode to Paula's house on Atherton St. That was the end of my ride, glad to be done, legs felt fine at the end.

Avg speed = 13.4 mph. Total mileage = 40.8 mi

Avg power = 126 W. Weighted avg power = 162 W

Total elevation gain = 3660'

Avg heartrate = 117 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 67

Training Load = 184

Intensity = 74%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20807743464

We actually got back earlier than I thought we would. Catalin was in the back with a number of his mountain biking friends. I chatted with one of them, but they started heading out before the rest of the Bisikleta riders showed up. Andy had driven to the party and was already at Paula's house. Three other riders - Aaron, Cam, and Arnold - had done a gravel ride with a different route, planned by Aaron. They showed up a little before 11:00. Ann got there around 11:15. Maya and Anna also showed up around that time, and eventually Gideon came as well. It was a nice little gathering. I chatted with Maya about Boston, which is where she went to college. Also heard some more from Catalin about his recent trip to the Grecian Isles and back to Bucharest. Food was decent, Ann said the brisket was tasty. I got enough to eat as well, it felt good to be done with this last training ride before the trip. We stayed for a couple of hours, then Ann drove us home. In the afternoon after I got home I gave my Canyon a more thorough cleaning, then I laid out all of the items to be taken on the trip. Will do a final pack-up in the morning. I checked to see if my Canyon can fit on the roof bike rack, and it appears that it can. I'd prefer to put Nel's bike up there if his will fit. I cut out some pieces of insulating foam tube to use to protect my bike frame on the train ride. I ate a fairly big dinner of leftovers, Ann wasn't hungry after her big lunch. Watched some TV after dinner and turned in early, knowing it would be an early next day. 

10-30-2026 Swim

Slept okay, through until after 3:00, then I got back to sleep and had several vivid dream cycles before waking up around 5:30 (<!>). I got ready for a swim at the WWC, no Avi, who is in Hawaii. Swam four 500s with brief pauses in between (a little longer pause before the last one), and using my swim pads for the second 500. Here are the split times: 9:15, 9:16, 9:23, 9:17. My stroke was ragged on the latter part of the last 500, but I sprinted the last bit to try and lower my time.

Avg pace = 1:52/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 2000 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 37:11 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 145 bpm (Amazfit, maybe)

Relative Effort = 43 (maybe)

SWOLF = 28

Avg stroke rate = 26 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.43 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20810884600

Shoulders were tired at the end of this workout. I had some cereal and coffee for breakfast. The exterminator inspector found evidence of rodents in the attic, so Ann and I headed toward Home Depot. We turned around when I saw the message from Andy that he and Hugo were stranded on I-5 with a flat, after having ridden with James on the first leg of his 300-mile ride to SLO. We headed back home, where I loaded the bike rack in the car and drove to meet them. They were about 3-4 miles north of the entrance to Camp Pendleton. I got there, loaded one bike in the back and the other on the rear bike rack, then drove us north to the Las Pulgas exit, where we turned south and headed to the Solana Beach train station. I dropped them off and then headed home, stopping at Home Depot to pick up some anti-rodent supplies. Got home, was hungry and had some lunch, then took a nap. Throughout the afternoon I gathered some more supplies for the trip. Also recharged my derailleur batteries. Watched some TV in late afternoon, then after dinner I replaced the brake pads on my Canyon and gave it a mild clean. Also watched TV before going to bed.

10-29-2026 Ride

Had a planned early morning meet-up with Paula to ride down in La Jolla, so I got up early, emptied the dishwasher, then got ready for the ride, packing my stuff in my backpack. She showed up before 6:30, we loaded my bike on her bike rack, then she drove us down to the Torrey Pines Gliderport. We unloaded the bikes and got ready for the ride, it was a perfect day for riding: cool but not cold, and clouds to keep the sun at bay. Rode up to Torrey Pines Rd and headed south. My bottle cage was rattling, so I stopped after we turned on Dunaway Dr and tightened it down. We continued on Prestwick Dr to Calle de Oro, taking that thrilling descent down to Camino del Oro, riding by La Jolla Shores. Turned on Avenida de la Playa, stopped there for a couple of pics, then took Calle de la Playa to Paseo Dorado, followed by Spindrift Dr up to Torrey Pines Rd, turning right there and riding up to Prospect St, where we turned right and rode down into the village. Stayed on this street through the village until turning right on Olivetas Ave. Right on Marine St and left on Monte Vista Ave. Right on Fern Glen and right on Neptune Pl to get to the bottom of Neptune St. Then we started the first serious climbing on this ride (definitely not the last). Climbed up to Muirlands Vista Way, turned right there and took it up to Muirlands Dr, more climbing up to a right turn on La Jolla Mesa Dr. Left on Rodeo Dr, then another left on La Jolla Rancho Rd. We were descending to La Jolla Corona  Dr to get to a right turn onto Linda Rosa Ave. This took us to La Jolla Mesa Dr, turned left there, then right on Lamplight Dr and left on Candlelight Dr. We were climbing again, heading up to Rutgers Rd, which took us up to La Jolla Scenic Dr, turning right there. More climbing got us up to Mt Soledad, where we rode to the cross. I stopped there for a bio break, then we walked around the cross and took some pics before starting back down. We turned right on Via Casa Alta, rode to Hillside Dr and turned left and then left again on Caminito Bassano, followed by a right on Caminito Valverde, which turned into Via Valverde. This got us back to Nautilus St, where we turned right and then right shortly after on Muirlands Dr. Nice downhill here. Took us down to Fay Ave, right there and right on Genter St. Left on Girard Ave and right on Pearl St. Left on Cabrillo Ave to Olivet St, we started climbing again. Right on Soledad Ave, then right on Al Bahr Dr, which had an interesting little loop in it to get up to Crespo Dr, a little more climbing to the local summit, where I waited for Paula, including backtracking a little bit so I could see her coming up the grade. Then we had a descent before some more steep climbing to a right turn on Soledad Ave and then another right on Hillside Dr, ultimately climbing to Via Capri. We turned left there and rode down a steep (not the steepest) portion of this road to get to Hidden Valley Rd. My brakes were squeaking at this turn, overheating from frequent use. We rode down to Torrey Pines Rd and then climbed the generally gentle climb up to the left turn to stay on Torrey Pines Rd. This last section was blessedly slightly downhill back to the turn to get to the glider port (Torrey Pines Scenic Dr). Somehow at that previous turn I'd paused my Wahoo, so I missed a mile or so of the total route. My left quad was feeling sore on that last climb, a lot of riding out of the saddle on this day. Bike shifted just great the entire ride.

Avg speed = 11.4 mph. Total mileage = 20.8 mi (actual was 22.2 mi)

Avg power (est.) = 35 W (from Strava?!)

Total elevation gain = 2300'

Avg heartrate = 109 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 29

https://www.strava.com/activities/20780551628

Paula drove us back to our house, and I swapped out her pedals to recover my Assioma pedals. Got home, had some time to chill before Ann and I got ready to meet Leslie and Charlie at Greek Corner Café for lunch. Conversation was good, food was bad (worse falafel I believe I've ever had). Then we drove to Angelika to see You Can See Everything, Nathan Fielder's documentary about Elizabeth Holmes and Billy Evans. It was entertaining and innovative in its extensive use and involvement of Amanda Seyfried, who played Holmes in Hulu's The Dropout. It was also long, almost three hours. I came away with a more nuanced impression of Elizabeth Holmes, a definitely flawed person but flawed in different ways than I'd thought. Chatted about the movie with them a little after the movie, then we drove home. I watched some football in the evening, ate snacks for dinner.

10-28-2026 Ride

Slept pretty well, got up early and got ready for a ride with John. I rode my Fuji bike to avoid having to take the bags off my Canyon. Cleaned the few kitchen dishes before I left around 6:40. I took the usual way over to his house with the exception of turning on Alpine Way and doing the loop in his neighborhood (I was a little early). It was just him outside when I got there, but Jayden and Vivian came out to see us off. I'd planned the route, and we headed up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy and turned right there. The shifting on my Fuji seemed fine on the way over to John's house, but I dropped my chain a couple of times while trying to shift to my lower chainring, and later I was having some chain-skipping issues in my middle gears. It was also a little difficult to shift to the upper chainring. With all that, I got pretty far behind John on the descent to I-15, but eventually we connected back up by that interchange. He then got out in front of me on the continuing descent (I was wearing my light windbreaker, and it was slowing me down) to Black Mountain Rd, where we turned left and started heading up. I dropped my chain again and had to stop, then I pushed a little hard to catch up to him to let him know about the right turn onto Capricorn Way. There was a fair amount of morning traffic on this street, and its quality is poor. John got out ahead again, then he waited for me at the turn onto Camino Ruiz. We took that road to Calle Cristobal and started heading in the direction of Sorrento Valley. John led for a while, then I pushed the pace again and created a little gap between us before we turned left on Camino Santa Fe. Still had my jacket on, so John got out ahead on the descent, while I caught him before we turned right on Mira Mesa Blvd. Took it over to Pacific Heights Blvd and turned left, where we had a pretty steep, fun descent to get to Carroll Canyon Rd. We turned left there and paid for the descent with a climb, initially steeper but leveling off, on Carroll Road that eventually got us to Miramar Rd. We turned left and headed over to Pomerado Rd. There has been road construction, and the bike lane is more choppy than it used to be. We got across the I-15 overpass okay then started up Pomerado Rd. I stayed with John for most of this stretch until we got to the last steeper part, where I created a little bit of separation, not much. Then we took Cypress Canyon Park Dr down to Candy Rose Way and used it to get to Angelique St. Normal way back to his house from there. The weather was pretty great on the ride. It had been a little chilly on the way over, but our ride together was fine. I'd taken my jacket off, I think just after the descent on Pacific Heights Blvd. We had smoothies, and I chatted with them about Halloween plans, and a little bit about my upcoming bikepacking trip. Then I rode home the normal way, bike not shifting well at all by this time, via Bernardo Center Dr.

Avg speed = 14.9 mph. Total mileage = 41.4 mi

Avg power (est.) = 124 W

Total elevation gain = 2950'

Avg heartrate = 111 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 38

https://www.strava.com/activities/20767771941

I got home and had some time to relax, watch a little TV, and eat some cereal before I needed to get ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. I shaved and showered, then headed over there to eat lunch before the shift. It was less busy on this day, perhaps because the CT scanner was down and so patients were being diverted to other hospitals. With that said, I was really busy at the beginning, had a bit of a lull, then another busy stretch before it seemed to lighten up near the end. Rode home after the shift and had a pretty quiet rest of the evening. I did take the time to tune up the shifting on my Fuji for the planned Thursday ride.

I finished reading Ken Liu's All That We See or Seem, about a young Asian woman who is technically savvy and gets pulled into tracking down the missing wife, a dream weaver, of a lawyer. It was definitely suspension-of-disbelief material, even though it was set in the near future. Started reading Claire Stapleton's Don't Be Evil: Bad Bosses Fake Promises and My Escape from Big Tech - A Biting Memoir of Twelve Years Inside Google.

10-27-2026 Swim

Ann's 65th birthday (<!>). I slept somewhat poorly, got up after midnight and watched some TV, ate some food, and read before I could get back to sleep. Still woke up a little early, took the opportunity to shave. When Ann got up I made her oatmeal, eggs, and coffee for breakfast. A little later she went to the gym, so I took the opportunity to go for a swim at the WWC. I had the pool to myself initially, but others gradually came as well. Intent was to swim for a longer distance than usual for me, mission accomplished. Earlier in the morning I had watched a swim video short about correct hand and body positioning for streamlined form coming off the wall, and I tried it out. Surprisingly, it made a measurable difference in how far I could glide before starting my stroke. I tried it out for much of this swim, and perhaps it helped my time somewhat. Ended up swimming 2000 yds with very short breaks around the 500 yd marks, last 500 with the pull buoy. I had a fair amount of trouble with my swim goggles leaking, need to try and fix that problem. My water-resistant bone conduction phones worked well again, fingers crossed that they will continue to work. Here are the splits for the four 500s, not including the short breaks: 9:23, 9:24, 9:22, 9:26. My form definitely fell off in the last 500, arms were getting tired, so more endurance swims are needed for me.

Avg pace = 1:53/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 2000 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 37:35 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 122 bpm (seems too low)

Relative Effort = 13 (again, low)

SWOLF = 28

Avg stroke rate = 26 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.40 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20754244038

Got home, Ann was still out. I looked into places to have an early birthday dinner with Ann, then watched some TV while eating a little lunch. I had a little nap in the afternoon, caught up a bit on sleep, then I went out in the garage and patched a couple of inner tubes. I also replaced the tube on the rear wheel (EliteWheels), since it is really difficult to inflate with the hand pump. Don't want to take my bags off my Canyon, so I got my Fuji ready for a couple of rides before the big trip. I took it off the Kickr trainer, removed the aero bars, and put my SPD pedals on (Paula still has my Assioma pedals). Pumped up the tires, put the saddle bag on, and I think I'm ready to go. In mid-afternoon Ann and I drove down to Convoy St and had an early-bird dinner (with happy hour) at Steamy Piggy. I picked this place because it's supposed to have excellent soup dumplings, and Ann ended up getting the taco flight, since it was a happy-hour special. I had a huge plate of fries with kim chi on top, very spicy and quite filling, not so healthy. After our early dinner I drove us to Common Theory, a typical bar on Convoy St that also has a speakeasy, Realm of the 52 Remedies, behind a door and through a dark hallway. The interior vibe was nice, we had a couple of fancy drinks (mine was supposed to have a banana flavor, but the alcohol content kinda overwhelmed it). Then we drove through moderate traffic (were able to take the carpool lane, which helped) to get to Karl Strauss in 4S Ranch, where a number of Bisikleta riders were celebrating Andy's birthday. They all wished Ann a happy birthday as well, and I think she had a good time. She stayed for a while before she left to go to bell choir practice. I stayed until the end and got a ride home with Andy, who dropped Nel off first (failed geography lesson). I ended up getting home just a little bit after Ann did, and I was tired from a busy day.

10-26-2026 Ride

Slept okay, woke up early enough to have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, then I spent a little time (not enough, it turns out) attaching my bags to the bike. I got ready and left the house a little after 7:00. Headed through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd and then took W Bernardo Dr to RB Rd, then to the parking lot in front of Von's. Hugo was already there, and Nel and Andy showed up shortly after. We chatted briefly about preferred routes to the coast and settled on the most common one. Took Bernardo Center Dr over to W Bernardo Dr and then to RB Rd. Up the hill (I had gotten behind the others and had to catch up here) and over to CdS. Around 4S Ranch Andy stopped to troubleshoot a rear tire leak, and that took 10 minutes or so. I had stopped here to tighten up my rear saddle bag, which has a tendency to sway back and forth as I ride. We took a steady pace, not as slow as last Thursday, and I was frequently out front, not super concerned about staying with the others. Instead I wanted to test out the feel of my bike. Over to San Dieguito Rd, down the hill carefully to account for the different geometry and weight distribution. We kept together on the flats over to ECR, took it to VdlV, and rode together over to PCH. There we headed north, ultimately deciding ronridento La Costa Ave before turning around. We rode back into Leucadia and stopped at Bump Coffee (Grace and Olivia) for a delicious pour-over, best coffee I've had out in a while. I tightened up my saddle bag again before we started back. We talked mainly about the trip and decided to stop at the Solana Beach train station on the way back to ask some questions about bringing our bikes on the train. I was getting used to riding with the extra weight. I doesn't seem to have a huge effect on the flats, I am slower when climbing, obviously. On the way back I kept getting out ahead mainly of Andy, who was concentrating on riding at his pace. We retraced our route. Nel and I got ahead of the other two on Three Witches, and Nel hung with me until he couldn't keep up the pace on the last climb. We gathered back at the turn, then I got out ahead of the others on the climb back to Del Sur. Similar result on RB Rd, taking it back to W Bernardo Dr. The others turned right on Duenda to get back to where we had started, and 8 headed directly home. Legs felt good throughout, not putting a lot of stress on them at the pace we were riding. I'm feeling good about my readiness for the trip, hoping we have generally good weather.

Avg speed = 14.7 mph. Total mileage = 50.2 mi

Avg power = 104 W. Weighted avg power = 137 W

Total elevation gain = 2170'

Avg heartrate = 110 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 49

Training Load = 155

Intensity = 62%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20741630253

Got home a little after 12:30,had some lunch and watched a little TV. Ann went to mah-jongg. I re-sent the routes for the trip to everybody, changed the proposed route for day 5, and sent out information about the two hotel stays I arranged. After some back and forth, I think we are now set for lodging, with the addition of Hugo. I talked to Mom in the early evening, she was in an okay mood but basically didn't ask anything about the wedding. Very depressing. Watched some TV after dinner, then settled down after that.

10-25-2026 Swim

Slept okay after the busy previous day. I got up after 6:00, put the table back in the office, and watched a little TV before getting ready for a swim at the WWC. It was a beautiful morning, a little chilly on the ride over but still really nice. My "waterproof" bone conduction phones appear to be working again (I had also used them, connected to my phone, on the long Thursday ride), which is really great. Hope they keep working. I ended up swimming 1500 yds, using the following protocol:

Initial 500

    9:30

Second 500, with swim pads

    9:22

250, with swim fins

    4:23

Cooldown 250

    4:48

Here are the overall estimated statistics.

Avg pace = 1:52/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1500 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 28:03 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 161 bpm (nope)

Relative Effort = 69 (again, nope)

SWOLF = 28

Avg stroke rate = 24 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.53 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20729414831

Need to find time to put in some longer swims and build up my stamina. I was okay at 1500 yds but could feel my stroke quality degrading later in the workout. Rode home and had some cereal and coffee for breakfast, emptied the dishwasher. I also reserved a car for the Houston trip in November through Expedia (Hertz). Had a quiet early afternoon, then in mid-afternoon we drove down to Pilgrim UCC to see Mohavisoul in concert. We had seen them a year ago, decent fiddle player (not sure it was the same guy as when we saw them last) and great banjo player. Guitar player had a good voice, other vocalist, who played the mandolin, was not good. Show was okay, we don't need to see this band again. After the concert we had ramen in Carlsbad, then drove home. I took some time to gather the gear I'll take on the bikepacking trip and put it in the two bags. With almost everything, the bags weighed a little less than 10 lbs. I put them in the garage, and retired for the evening.

10-24-2026 Ride

Slept okay, did get up early and eat some cereal for breakfast before the bike ride. I'd filled up my tires the night before, got ready the rest of the way, including cleaning up the last of the kitchen dishes. Then I headed through the neighborhood and then through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to Ralphs Ranch Rd, taking that route to get to the 4S Target. Andy and Hugo were already there, along with Aaron's friend Kain, who lives in Fountain Valley and is getting ready to ride the Tour de Tucson (he wanted to get some experience riding in a group before this century). Ultimately, we had the following riders: Andy, Fritz, Perse, Aaron, Kain, Nel, Paula, Charlie, and Hugo. Jed was originally going to ride with us and lead the group, but he backed out in the morning. So I ended up leading for most of the way, except for a stretch where we got separated (more later). We headed out CdS to CVR, turning right there and riding down to Solterra Vista Pkwy, turning left and using it to ride over to the entrance to the 56 bike path. Then we took the bike path over to Carmel Country Rd, exiting the path there and climbing up to Carmel Mountain Rd (CMR). I started out kinda slow but kept a steady pace on the steeper section of this climb. Aaron eventually caught up with me, and we essentially sprinted on the less steep section up to the intersection. We waited there for the others to show up, then Paula had us take a couple of pictures by the sculpture of the dog (?) riding a bike. We continued down the hill and turned left on Ocean Air Dr, where there is a little climb I'd forgotten about before a really nice winding descent down into Sorrento Valley. We turned left on Calle Mar de Mariposa and then right on Vista Sorrento Pkwy to ride back up to CMR. Left there and down to the bike path that took us over to CVR, which we used to get up to PCH. I was riding more toward the back of the group around this point but put in a bigger effort on the climb into Del Mar, getting out in front with Fritz and pushing him as well. We rode into Del Mar and stopped for coffee at Little Joy (Emma was the barista), where we've stopped before. We stayed there a little longer than Aaron wanted, so he got us back moving. The group spread out a little bit here as we got rolling again, but we gathered back up around VdlV. Continued north on PCH, and Romeo joined us coming from the north (this was the day of the Bike the Coast ride, lots of riders going the other way on PCH). He led a faster group, and they got separated from us without really knowing the route. The rest of us turned on Chesterfield Dr and then left on San Elijo Ave to ride on the east side of the tracks up to Santa Fe Dr. I think that the lead group missed these turns, so it took them some time to find their way to Santa Fe Dr. We climbed this road ahead of them and then waited for them after the left turn onto ECR. Romeo kept going north on ECR, and the rest of us gathered back together and rode down to Encinitas Blvd, turning right there and heading into RSF. We turned left on El Mirlo, and I ended up hanging back with Paula after she had a minor mechanical. She stopped to fix her chain and ended up doing a slow fall-over. She landed on her knee and side, skinned her knee and twisted it as she actually came out of her shoe. I helped her get back up and got her bike fixed up, then we continued to a right turn onto Via de Fortuna. The others were waiting for us a little further on this road, and we rode down a steep winding section to a quick stop at (another) San Elijo Ave, turning left there. Aaron and I rode out front together here for a bit. We turned right on Avenida de Acacias and rode into RSF village. A left turn on La Flecha and then a right on La Granada fed us onto the downhill on Via de Santa Fe, which we took to VdlV and then stayed on Via de Santa Fe and over El Apajo to the little shopping area at the corner of San Dieguito Rd. For some reason (bio break?) we stopped there. I waited around to make sure everybody was okay before riding up Three Witches with Andy, mostly at his pace until near the top, when I saw Hugo ahead and worked a little harder to catch up to him. We met up with the others waiting for us at the turn onto CdS (except Charlie, who had ridden ahead), and we rode in a loose line back to the Target via PdS and Templeton St. I hung around for just a little bit before riding home the new normal way, riding with Nel until CSB. Overall it was a decent ride, a little faster than I had originally planned (also with more elevation), but my legs held out fine. Andy did better than I expected, which is a good sign. Hugo also seemed to do okay on this ride, although he was getting tired near the end.

Avg speed = 14.5 mph. Total mileage = 51.0 mi

Avg power = 115 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W

Total elevation gain = 3340'

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 67

Training Load = 210

Intensity = 71%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20716933897

Got home, and I had a list of things to get done before Ann's 65th birthday dinner. I had cleaned the upstairs bathroom before I went for my ride, so I vacuumed the hallway. I also cleaned up the dishes (for the first time on this day), moved the table from the office downstairs (involved taking the legs off the table), wiped down the kitchen table, and wet-mopped the kitchen floor. Ann also helped us get ready for our guests, which was really nice. I watched some NCAA football in the afternoon, which probably caused me to get a late start on making dinner. I cut the vegetables and put the salad together, then set it aside. Next I cooked the noodles and spinach, then put the lasagna together and put it in the oven to bake. While it was baking I cleaned the dishes and made the salad dressing. Had time for a very quick shower, and folks (Emily & Caleb, the Swobodas, Guys, and Landreths) started showing up right at 5:30. Caleb brought Ann some spice drops for her birthday, which was hilarious. Everybody we invited made it to the dinner. Emily made yellow cake with caramel frosting. I think the lasagna turned out well, some of the portions were kinda small though. We had nice conversations during and after dinner, including dessert. Party didn't last super long after dessert was served, which was to my liking. I'd cleared the dishes (with Caleb's help) and washed the salad plates to use them for dessert. After everybody left I finished cleaning the dishes and started the dishwasher, so I wouldn't have a big mess greeting me in the morning. Ann watched some TV, and after she came upstairs I went down and watched some TV to unwind as well. Then it was to bed.

10-23-2026 Swim

Slept okay, cat was wound up in the morning and interfered with me trying to get back to sleep after waking up around 4:15 and having some cereal. I ended up getting out of bed around 6:30, emptied the dishwasher and cleaned the upstairs bathroom, then got ready for a swim at the WWC with Avi on his birthday. It doesn't take long for me to get out of swimming shape, and I definitely noticed the effects of my layoff from swimming. I kept it pretty chill, doing four 250s with the following approximate results (I forgot to charge my video cam and didn't catch the last two 250s).

Initial 250

    4:37

Second 250, with swim pads

    4:36

Third 250, with swim fins

    3:54 (Est.)

Tempo 250

    4:34 (Est.)

Here are the overall estimated statistics, maybe a little optimistic for latter two 250s.

Avg pace = 1:46/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1000 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 17:41 (Zepp)

Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (maybe)

Relative Effort = 20 (maybe)

SWOLF = 27 (low because it isn't counting the non-stroke time in my laps)

Avg stroke rate = 25 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.46 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20704126968

Got home, changed, and started to make the spaghetti sauce for the lasagna, when I got a call from Andy about a cancellation of part of our train ride up to SLO. We got on a conference call with an Amtrak rep, and she was able to book us all a transfer to a train in LA that will get us up to SLO. Disaster averted. I watched a little TV while I finished making the spaghetti sauce. Then I wiped the kitchen cabinets down with conditioning spray, they look a little better. Cleaned the downstairs bathroom as well. Evening was quiet.

10-22-2026 Ride

This was a good day on the bike with friends. It had started raining the previous evening, and the forecast for Thursday morning called for scattered showers. Because it rained steadily in the night, there was some doubt about whether to do this long ride. I advocated for trying it, and the others - Andy and Charlie - were game. I got up early and packed some stuff in my new bikepacking saddle bag and handlebar bag. Also packed a change of clothes and swapped out the pedals on my Canyon with the MTB pedals. Andy came to the house at 6:40,and we loaded my bike on the carrier and my stuff in the car, then he drove us down to the boat ramp in Shelter Island. Charlie showed up soon after. I put the bags on my bike, geared up withy bike stuff, and we were rolling before before 7:40. I won't describe all the turns we took. Essentially, we took Nimitz Blvd over to a area around the south shore of the San Diego River, took a bridge over the river, then rode out to the end of a quay that split the river from the entrance to Mission Bay. Some guys were fishing at the end of this jetty. Then we rode into Mission Bay Park, essentially skirting along its eastern edge until we got up to the north end of the bay. We rode across there and turned south to head toward Crown Point. Around here, we felt a couple of drops of rain, but the clouds weren't ominous, and no rain fell. Kept going past Crown Point and under the bridge to get to the bike path around the part of the bay that Ann have ridden around. We followed this path all the way around and over by the park by Belmont Park, stopping there for a bio break before continuing over the bridge and then back across the San Diego River. This got us back to Nimitz Blvd, competing our first loop of the ride. We took a route by the airport and on a combination of Harbor Dr and the sidewalks adjacent to it over to the area by the Midway. I had forgotten to transfer my riding food from my backpack, so I was getting hu8by this time. We stopped for high-priced donuts (which were pretty good but greasy) and coffee in Seaport Village before continuing south on Harbor Dr. Eventually we got on the Bayshore Bikeway, then the Sweetwater Bicycle Path by the new Gaylord Pacific Resort, then some surface streets, eventually stopping for another bio break at Chula Vista Marine View Park. Back on the Bayshore Bikeway, which took us around the end of the bay in Imperial Beach before it started to head north along the Silver Strand. Andy was tiring out by this time, so Charlie and I got ahead of him a couple of times. The wind was helping us a bit as we rode north towards Coronado. We stopped for brunch at Miguel's Cocina (decent food, waiter kept trying to upsell us) on Orange St, then rode the fairly short distance from there to the ferry landing. The ferry was just about to launch, so we got on and paid for our tickets on the boat. Short ride over to the Convention Center, where we got off the ferry, rode on some sidewalk paths until we got back to Seaport Village. Cut over to Harbor Dr, and again took it the parking lot driveways, and the sidewalks over to Harbor Island. The wind was starting to kick up, and I was getting concerned that Andy might run out of gas. Charlie had added in an out-and-back on Harbor Island to get us up to 60 miles, and we ended up doing that. We felt a few more rain drops on that stretch, but again they didn't turn into anything. Back to Harbor Dr and over to Scott St to get back to Shelter Island, where we rode to the end of the island again to get up to 61 miles (including the ferry ride) for the day. My legs were a little sore at the end (~150 miles in three days), but I still had some push left in them.

Avg speed = 13.2 mph. Total mileage = 61.1 mi (including ferry across the bay)

Avg power = 83 W. Weighted avg power = 101 W

Total elevation gain = 790'

Avg heartrate = 99 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 43

Training Load = 112

Intensity = 46%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20693610476

We packed up the bikes and gear, said goodbye to Charlie, then Andy drove me back to our house. It was a long riding day, similar, I expect, to the pace and schedule for our riding days on the bikepacking trip. I was pretty energized by the day, not too tired (had a couple of hits of caffeine as well). Some relaxation time before dinner, watched a little football before settling down for the night (<>).

10-21-2026 Ride

Ride with John from his house. I took the regular route over to his place, keeping a decent pace but not killing it. Got there with some time to spare, so I rode the little loop around the streets by his house. Jayden was out, then Vivian also came out before we started. We rode up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, turned left on Candy Rose Way, then took a right on Evergold St to get up to Cypress Canyon Park Dr a new way, a little less climbing than the normal way. Up to the top of Pomerado Rd, then down through heavy morning traffic to Miramar Rd, followed by a left on Kearny Villa Rd. Decent pace for me and John on this next stretch to Ruffin Rd, where we continued straight. Down to Aero Dr, bike lane was kinda ragged here. We turned right and rode over to Kearny Villa Rd, turning right there. Heading north we had a modest aiding tailwind that took us back to Miramar Rd. I got a little ahead of John near the end of this segment, then we rode together for a while up Pomerado Rd. A couple of faster riders passed us, so I tried to stay with them. Was successful for a while, but I figured I couldn't sustain it, so I backed off. Up to the top, and I had enough time to ride around that little loop for five times before he got there. Back to John's house the regular way from there, where we enjoyed Vivian's smoothies. I rode home the normal way, via Bernardo Center Dr, from there.

Avg speed = 16.5 mph. Total mileage = 46.5 mi

Avg power = 130 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W

Total elevation gain = 2250'

Avg heartrate = 119 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 52

Training Load = 159

Intensity = 71%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20677848980

Had a little time to relax before I needed to shave and shower for my volunteer shift at the hospital. Previous time there had been really busy, and this day was similar. Seems that ED traffic will be higher now that they have closed the nearby urgency care facility. I met Rita from housekeeping and Thomas, a nurse I probably worked with once before. I was able to leave essentially on time, headed home in cool weather with a front moving in. Home, and it was a nice quiet evening. I did swap out my chains, putting chain #4 on my Canyon and taking the time to clean and rewax chain #3.

10-20-2026 Ride

Travel day #2. I had set my alarm for 4:00, and I actually woke up around 3:45. Got up just before 4:00, got dressed, and started loading things into the car. Ann had accidentally left one of the sliding doors open in the night. Thankfully, nothing was taken out of the car, but it could have been a disaster. We were actually on the road around 4:15, earlier is better when you have to drive through LA. Got over to I-5 and headed south. We drove all the way through LA and Orange County without running into any slow or stopped traffic, although there were times when the cars on the freeway were whizzing around, and I really had to keep my wits about me. I was watching the gas gauge, knowing that we'd have to stop for gas before we got home. Luckily, our gas mileage was pretty good (didn't need the A/C), so I was able to get all the way back to Escondido before we filled up, at one of the stations on the corner of Centre City Pkwy and 5th Ave. Drove home from there, essentially avoiding any heavy traffic the entire way. We got home around 6:40, and I thought I was early enough to meet up with the other Tuesday Coffee Ride riders. We unloaded the car, then I quickly got ready for the ride. Had run out of battery on my Wahoo (auto shutdown had been turned off again in the software, probably due to a software update), so I started the ride with it turned off and charging. Also had to pump up my tires, and the rear tire was soft and wouldn't keep the pump head on. Ann held it on while I pumped it up, and I was good to go. My right brake hood was still displaced from the adventure the previous Saturday, but it was okay to ride. With my narrow profile wheels on, I was getting a little brake squeaking when I got out of the saddle, but it was still acceptable. Headed through the neighborhood, pushing my pace a little harder than usual since I was running late. Up to RB Rd, taking it over to Dove Canyon Rd and using that road to get to CVR. Up the little climb (watching for the sometimes crazy traffic around the middle school) and then over Black Mountain Rd to the 56 bike path, where I was supposed to meet the others. I'd hoped to get there before them, but I ended up being just a couple of minutes late. Andy and Nel were waiting for me on the bike path, and we continued on that path all the way to its end. Once I joined them, I dialed my pace way back, we are practicing the speed we want to maintain during the bikepacking trip. They both had their saddle and handlebar bags on, only Nel's were packed with his gear. We got to the end of the bike path and then rode into Sorrento Valley to have coffee at Corner House Cafe, where we had stopped previously. Had coffee and shared a chocolate chip cookie (I could have eaten more), along with a longer conversation than usual, including discussion of preparations for what to take with us on the trip. After the coffee break they both wanted to put in more miles, so we headed on the bike path to CVR and used it to get up to PCH, riding through Del Mar up to VdlV. They wanted to keep going, but I was ready to start heading back, so we split up here. They ended up riding 60+ miles, including stopping for lunch in Solana Beach on the way back. I took VdlV to ECR and thus to San Dieguito Rd. Had a helpful tailwind on this return trip. I made decent time on the flats over to Three Witches, then I took my time riding up this climb, again focusing on conserving my strength and riding in such a way that it will be easier for us all to stay together. Back to CdS, taking it to PdS and turning there. I rode through the Del Sur neighborhood, then continued on Four Gee Rd to do a reverse route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood up to Ralphs Ranch Rd, then over Alva Rd back to RB Rd. Home from there via the W Bernardo Dr route. Legs were still fresh at the end of the ride. The basic stats below are from the Zepp workout data, which covered the entire ride. Power-related stats are from the Strava data downloaded from my Wahoo.

Avg speed = 15.2 mph. Total mileage = 40.7 mi

Avg power = 111 W. Weighted avg power = 153 W

Total elevation gain = 2180'

Avg heartrate = 115 bpm (Amazfit), 117 bpm (Wahoo)

Relative Effort = 48 (Amazfit), 51 (Wahoo)

Training Load = 131 (Wahoo, incomplete data)

Intensity = 70% (Wahoo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/20665023453

Got home pretty late, after noon, but it was not a hot day, and weather was still nice. I had a small lunch, wasn't super hungry, and watched a little bit of TV. Then Ann and I drove to the Enterprise car rental office and dropped off the car before heading to the store to get some groceries. Got home, and I relaxed for a bit, watching TV, then I went out in the garage and did a little bike maintenance. First I checked my brakes and saw that the front rotor appeared to need some centering between the pads. I did that, then I adjusted my right brake hood up a little bit to match the left side better. I also changed the MicroAdjust setting for the rear derailleur on my Canyon to a value of 8, which now allows me to get into my lowest gear (could do this only with great difficulty at the earlier setting, with the EliteWheels on, of 12). I did a quick wipe-down of the dirt from the frame. The bike is overdue for a chain swap, so I'll try and do that tomorrow evening. I also wet-mopped the downstairs, all except the kitchen. Ann had left the waste water in the mop, and cleaning it out was pretty disgusting. I cleaned all the parts after I was done mopping.