A note about health. During the drive home I started feeling like a cold was coming on. Had a slight cough, runny nose, my throat was even a little sore. I wondered where I might have caught it. But through the course of the drive home it didn't get worse, instead my symptoms subsided, including the sore throat. I can only guess that my immune system was able to fight off the infection and keep me from getting sick. I'm glad it went that way.
Friday, July 31, 2026
07-31-2026 Entry
This was a long travel day. I woke up and got up around 6:00, Ann did too. That seemed like a good start, we had a shot at getting through the LA area before heavy traffic. Packed up the camping gear and ate a quick breakfast in under 2 hours, we were rolling before 8:00. Took a different route down out of the Sierras into Visalia, it was still really winding for an hour and a half, had to stay focused throughout. We got down to near the 99 and stopped for gas and a bio break. I made the mistake of getting a large fountain drink. Got to the 99 and headed south, but soon after I needed to pee again. I waited until just before climbing the Grapevine before stopping again. Didn't totally get relief, but it was enough to keep going for a while. I made it to past Santa Clarita before needing to stop again, and then it was Ann's turn to drive. She got the worse shift. We avoided the LA traffic but had terrible slowing all the way through Pasadena and out the 210. The 71 interchange was awful, and we ended up driving on surface streets through Corona, still running into traffic as we got closer to I-15. And of course it was slow on this freeway. What surprised me was that it was slow all the way into Temecula, for no reason other than lots of cars as far as I could see. There might have been an accident earlier, but it was cleared by the time we drove by. The car temperature said it was 107 deg in Lake Elsinore. Traffic finally cleared toward the south end of Temecula, and we drove the rest of the way home without incident. Got home just before 4:30, at least an hour and a half more than I thought (hoped) it would take. We unpacked the car, stowed the camping gear, and put the food away. I ate some leftover enchiladas for dinner and had a nice, quiet evening, watching a little TV and reading as well.
Thursday, July 30, 2026
07-30-2026 Ride/Hike
Slept okay, got up in the night for a bathroom visit, and of course had some difficulty getting back to sleep. It was warmer in the night than in the previous two nights. I woke up after 7:00 and got dressed for the day. Then I went out and made pancakes, leftover peach cobbler, and coffee for breakfast. It turned out well. We cleaned up afterwards and then considered options for the day's activities. Headed over to the general store, got a postcard, some stamps, ice, and a Coke. Because it was warming up an decided against the hiking option, so we drove up to Crystal Grove instead. It took a little less than an hour, dropping us down into Kings Canyon and along the south fork of the Kings River. This is the most beautiful part of the park, in my opinion, and the drive was pretty in the second half particularly. We got down to the tiny visitor center a little after 11:30, just in time for a short break and a program by Ranger Connor. He was young, passionate about his subject of art and national parks. Showed some Ansel Adam's photos and paintings by a couple of Japanese American artists. It was mildly interesting, ran a tad long for me. We headed over to the store and snack bar, had a forgettable lunch of bun sandwiches, and Ann got an ice cream bar, which she ate while we were by the river banks. Then we drove out toward Road's End, not all the way, before turnip arousal and retracing our route to the campsite. We got back at 2:30, there was enough afternoon left for a quick bike ride, so I got ready quickly and headed out. I headed south on the highway, past Grant Village and over to the highway toward Lodgepole. Had a little climb and downhill to get to the intersection, then it was rolling hills for a little over a mile before it started climbing. The climb ended up being over 5 miles and a little less than 1000', never very steep and with some flatter sections to recover. Wasn't as hard as the climb the other day, and I had a bit of a tailwind to help me along. My Wahoo initially said the climb was a little over 4 miles, but when I got to that point it added another mile plus of climbing. Got to the summit and descended to the turnoff for Big Meadows, where I turned. I didn't want to climb another 200', so I rode up to the sign, took a pic, and then rode back down to the highway. Short climb back to the summit, then it was a long, mostly fun descent of over 5 miles. My tires were making a lot of noise and feeling bumpy on the pavement, was worried I might have a rear flat (I found out when I took my bike off the bike rack after the trip that the rear tire was indeed flat). But it was just the condition of the road, I figured. Stopped a couple of times on the descent to take a break and some pictures, it was still pretty fun after the climb. Back to the intersection, then some more downhill and very short climbing to get back to the village and then to the campsite. Was a nice workout, temperature wasn't as much of an issue as I had feared.
Avg speed = 15.0 mph (15.1 mph). Total mileage = 18.2 mi
Avg power = 133 W. Weighted avg power = 167 W
Total elevation gain = 1650' (1560')
Avg heartrate = 129 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 46 (45)
Training Load = 72 (74)
Intensity = 76% (77%)
Got back and changed to take a sprayer shower. The water in the bottle was actually warm, so it was quite refreshing. Then I changed and had a quick break and a beer before starting dinner. It was Dutch oven enchiladas, which are an effort to prepare but worth it. They were very tasty, the best meal of the trip by a long shot. Ann did most of the dishes after dinner, I had cleaned the prep dishes while the enchiladas were cooking. Then we got ready for an evening program at Panorama Point. It was a longer drive than I expected but still pretty short as drives here go. Ranger Kristina had a decent program about maps, including an informative and interactive map-matching exercise up by a really pretty viewpoint. The evening was beautiful, we couldn't fully see the sunset but it was still nice. The drive back down to the village was a little dicey, it was dusk on a winding road, but I made it down okay. On the way down we saw a young buck with a nice antler rack running across the road right in front of us. I slowed down significantly after that. We got back to the campsite and settled down for the night.
Finished In the Japanese Ballpark, by Robert K Fitts. I'm also reading Galaxy Raiders: Battlestorm, by Ian Douglas. First book gave me some interesting and cool insights into Japanese baseball, how it differs from MLB in particular.
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
07-29-2026 Hikes
We slept until after 7:00 and got up around 7:30. I got up to pee a couple of times in the night, as usual had some trouble getting back to sleep after the interruptions. There wasn't a lot of time to spare in the morning. I started the water for coffee and made chopped grilled vegetables and eggs for breakfast. It turned out pretty well, I think. Washed my hair and upper body with the sprayer after that and felt better, a little cleaner. We were on the road to Crystal Cave around 9:30. It took about an hour to get to the Giant Trees Museum, where we stopped (we had some time to kill) and walked over to look around. Tiny museum, moderately interesting. Then we drove another half hour plus (got caught behind a couple of extra cautious vehicles on a bumpy road) down to the trailhead for Crystal Cave and ate sandwiches for lunch. Talked to some Israelis visiting from London before we lined up for the tour. It involved a 0.5 mile hike down a pretty steep trail to the cave entrance, where we met our guide Jay. He was quite entertaining and not over the top. The tour was about 45 minutes and worth the effort to get there. This is one of the few extended cave systems with mostly marble walls, there were pretty rock formations, and the tour was about the right length for me. The hike back to the top was tortuous for me, Ann was walking really slowly and having to pause regularly. We got to the top, and she had to get a treatment to apply to where she had touched some poison oak on the way down. That took another ten minutes, so I went into meditate mode. After she came back we drove back up the hill, faster this time, and then over to the parking lot by the General Sherman tree. Again, the 0.5 mile walk down to the tree and then back up was very slow. The tree itself, the largest by volume in the world, is impressive enough that I wanted to wait in line to get our picture taken by it. That was a minor comedy. One family a couple of people in front of us abused their privilege by taking a ton of pics, to the point where I was joking with the guy right in front of us, who was being shushed by his partner. We were much quicker when our turn came. Then it was the slow trudge back to the car. Serenity now. I drove us back to the campsite after this, avoiding a stop at Lodgepole that Ann had considered. Felt good to get back and just sit down, have something to drink and some hors d'oeuvres. Ann used the sprayer to clean up, which was a plus. Temperature at the campsite during the day had been great, warm with a gentle breeze. I made a simple dinner for us, burgers on the grill, they were tasty. After dinner and cleaning up, we lazed around the campsite, I closed my eyes for a bit, as did Ann. Then we walked in the dusk over to the amphitheater, hoping to catch a ranger program. Unfortunately, I had read the program list incorrectly, and the program was in Cedar Grove. So we ended up on a little hike on some tricky terrain, making our way over to the general store. We thought about buying ice, but I didn't want to carry it back. So we walked back to the site and got ready for sleep. Of course, there were crying children whose screams echoed across the campground. It's part of the camping experience, I guess. To sleep, eventually, after we both settled down.
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
07-28-2026 Hike/Ride
Slept for about 3.5 hours in the night, then I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Had a pee (Ann did too), then I lay there for a while before falling back to sleep. It was cooler in the night than I thought it would be, but the covers were warm enough. Ann wanted more insulation from the air mattress side. Woke up a little after 6:00, had another bio break, then got back to sleep until after 7:00 (<>). We got up and had oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, then cleaned up the camp. Hiked over to Grant Grove, where we were fortunate enough to catch a walking ranger program by Ranger Anna. She told us about the Giant Sequioa trees and their life cycle, was new to the gig but decent.
Tannin helps make tree fireproof
Roots 6' into ground and 100' away from trunk
Microrhizal fungi help trees survive and break down, Tannin helps keep mushrooms and bugs away, except cedar bark beetle
Heavy snow or bad fire can take trees down
Can live up to 3000 years
Trees' root systems can intertwine, and root fungi can help with directing roots to water and nutrient systems
Redwood heart wood is dense, but bark wood is airy and contains more water, preventing fire from propagating. Fire helps cones open out and release seeds
Hollowed out tree was bed and breakfast in late 1800s
String bag
National Parks Monopoly
Charge solar light batteries fully before camping trip
The program lasted about an hour, then we hiked back to the campsite and had sandwiches for lunch. Ann was going to attend the afternoon ranger program at the visitor center, so I decided to ride to Hume Lake, not knowing the elevation profile. It took a while to get everything ready, but I was rolling before 1:00. Headed north on 180 for about 5.5 miles, almost 3 of which were uninterrupted downhill, before turning off on the road down to Hume Lake. This road initially went up and down through a forested area before hugging the mountainside for 2.3 miles or so. That got me down near the shoreline of the lake, where I stopped to pee and take some pics. It was not as scenic as I had hoped for. Back on the bike, and the work was about to begin. I rode up a steady, not too steep grade back into the forested area, then back to the 180. A slight uphill once I made the turn, then it was 2.7 miles at 6.5%. This isn't super tough, but because of elevation (climb started at 6000' and was over 900') and sun exposure I was in my lowest gear for much of the climb, unless I got out of the saddle to mix up the muscle effort. I didn't stop until I got to the summit, which was close to a vista point looking down I to the valleys below. From there, it was nearly all downhill back to the campground turnoff, but I kept going to the visitor center, hoping to get a WiFi signal. Had a pee there as well, Wi-Fi allowed text messages through but apparently not internet connections. I rode back to the campsite, Ann was there slicing vegetables for grilling.
Avg speed = 13.1 mph (13.3 mph). Total mileage = 19.8 mi
Avg power = 131 W. Weighted avg power = 166 W
Total elevation gain = 2030' (2020')
Avg heartrate = 129 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 61 (59)
Training Load = 91 (89)
Intensity = 75% (78%)
https://www.strava.com/activities/19546724339
I had a little break, the beer tasted pretty great. Then I used the sprayer to take a shower, was a little brisk but I've had worse. It did feel great to wash off and clean my hair. I set my clothes out in the sun to dry and air out, that worked well. We had a casual happy hour time before starting dinner, saw a deer (twice) casually strolling through the campground. Dinner was grilled food and a Dutch oven peach cobbler dessert. Ann did the prep, I did the grilling. I think the grate was too far from the coals because it took a long time and the food wasn't charred enough. It was tasty, though, so dinner went well. The peach cobbler didn't turn out well. The crumble at the top dissolved into the peaches below and just made them kinda gooey. Ann kept trying to fool with it, but after a while she gave up and we ate it. She tried to clean the greasy dishes in cold water, and that clearly didn't work. So I ended up washing them all again, somewhat frustrating. Ann made a fire, but I wasn't interested, so I cleaned up the campsite and got ready to sleep. It was late anyway. Got into the tent and settled in, and a young kid at a nearby site had a long crying tantrum that made it impossible to sleep. Eventually she settled down, and I got to sleep.
Monday, July 27, 2026
07-27-2026 Run/Walk
Travel day. I slept okay, had some vivid dreams in the early morning before waking up around 5:20. I got out of bed a little later, got ready for an easy run down by the park. Had negative splits on the run but was intentionally slow, didn't want to tire out too much. Ran 5k and walked the short distance back home. I ate some cereal and toast for breakfast, then started putting my stuff together in my overnight bag and backpack. The I got to packing stuff into the car. It went fairly smoothly, everything in except the food, then I had a shower. Loaded the bike up, then the food, then I checked my personal camping checklist, which reminded me to bring gloves and a head cover for riding. We were rolling just before 8:30, a little later than I would have liked but probably right. Route had us going to I-5, I'm guessing to avoid the mess on I-15 by Temecula and Corona. A little traffic at the 78 intersection, then it was smooth sailing all the way into Orange County. We ran into traffic, obviously, as we drove through LA, slowed us down overall by about 30 minutes, I'm guessing. Stayed on I-5 all the way, heading up to Lebec, where we stopped for a bio break, gas, and lunch. We ate at a little Mexican food place near the Jack in the Box that wasn't too bad (service was a tad slow), then we were on our way again. I kept driving down to the 99 and through Bakersfield. We turned off the highway not too long after this and ended up taking some serious back roads, possibly to save us time. By this point, we had stopped for another bio break. And Ann had taken over driving. So she got the worst of driving on the very winding and, at times, narrow roads. It was slow going because of the roads, we ended up getting to Azalea Campground a little before 4:30. It's a nice campsite, maybe a little close to our neighboring site (it turned out than nobody camped there while we were there). I set up the tent and vestibule, blew up the air mattress and put sheets and a sleeping bag on it as a quilt, then set up the stove and camp chairs. Walked to go to the bathroom and find water, it's not as close to the site as I would like. Got ready to sit and enjoy a beer, but there weren't any cold ones. I was peeved at this, had to go walk around the campground loop to cool down. I probably walked for a little over half a mile. Then I had some wine and relaxed as we started dinner. Food was simple but plentiful, nourishing, and easy to clean up after. Quiet rest of the evening, doing some reading.
Sunday, July 26, 2026
07-26-2026 Entry
Rest day for me. Woke up really early but got back to sleep. Then I got up and had some cereal. In the morning I went out and got the camping stuff down. I also took the aero bars off my Fuji, since I plan to take it on the trip. Unloaded the checked the container contents against the camping list. That took a while. Then I ate a light lunch and cleaned the kitchen dishes. Watched some TV in the afternoon before wet-mopping the kitchen and cleaning it more thoroughly. I talked to Mom before dinner, she was in fairly good spirits. After dinner I did a little organizing of camping stuff and cleaned the kitchen counters and stove more thoroughly. Read some in the evening and turned in a little after 9:00.
Saturday, July 25, 2026
07-25-2026 Ride
Not the best sleep. I woke up in the night, was a little warm and probably feeling the effects of a nap and caffeine the previous day. Read for a bit, was able to get back to sleep, but I woke up again in the early morning and couldn't get back to sleep. Decided to get ready for my bike ride and head over to the starting point early enough to have coffee before the others showed up. Got all my gear set up and headed out a little after 6:00, plenty of time to arrive at Peet's Coffee down by CdS and the 56. Through the neighborhood and over to CSB to get to Dove Canyon Rd and down to CVR. I pushed up these little climbs faster than I have been riding, was feeling pretty good. Rode down to CdS and turned left there to get to the shopping center where the Peet's is located. I had a coffee and sat outside to enjoy the cool weather while it lasted. Humidity was noticeably higher than usual. Ray also showed up really early, had some oatmeal and coffee from the shop, and we chatted about work/life priorities. Others also started showing up, I think everybody was there before 7:30. On this ride, we had: Ray, Perse, Jed, James, Rob T., and Kamal. We left the parking lot around 7:35, a good thing on this day where the temperature was expected to climb. Over to the 56 bike path and then down to its end. Ray was feeling strong on this day, so he and I spent a fair amount of time leading the others. We got to the end of the path, having ridden pretty fast, and I stayed behind to wait for James. That got the others significantly ahead of me. I rode over to CVR and pushed to get up to PCH. Paula was riding with the Swamis women group, I saw her at the corner by PCH and gave her a wave as I worked to catch up to the others heading north. They were waiting at the entrance into Del Mar, but I hit that light, and they took off again. So I had to push hard again to try and catch them. James had picked his pace up, and he wasn't too far back from me after I caught the light. We rode to VdlV, some of the riders were waiting for us there as we continued on PCH. I passed them and tried to catch up to the leaders, thinking that Rob was still out front. Eventually we settled into a pattern with Ray and me in the lead and the others following back. There was a guy on a tri-bike who we kinda matched speeds with. We would catch him on little climbs or if we had enough space to exceed his pace. This went on all the way to La Costa Ave, where we turned around and started heading back. Stopped for our break at the usual 7-Eleven, thankfully it was a little shorter than it normally is. Kamal had to replace one of his shifter batteries, and that was successful. After the break we headed south on PCH, and Rob was riding harder than usual. We retraced our route back through Del Mar. I put in a bigger effort on the little rise into Solana Beach to catch and pass Rob. By this time, the others had dialed their efforts back, presumably due to the heat. We rode to CVR and used it to get to ECR, heading north there up to Del Mar Heights Rd. I was a little concerned about the climbing on this road, since I was also tiring and feeling the heat. But I gapped the others on these climbs, with Rob back a little ways from me. We turned left on CVR and waited for the others to make the turn as well, then we rode up to Rancho Santa Fe Farms Rd to get back to the 56 bike path. Everyone was tired by this time, so the little climb back to CdS on the bike path was anticlimactic. I got out ahead and tried to keep my pace steady, passing a number of other non-Bisikleta riders as an incentive to push harder. Then it was back to the parking lot where we started. I stayed around for just a bit before continuing on my way home, again wanting to minimize being out when it got hotter. Home via CdS, PdS, RB Rd, and W Bernardo Dr. I had some energy left for this last stretch, but I didn't overdo it. Felt fine when I got home, hungry (I didn't eat nearly enough on this ride) but not sore or tired.
Avg speed = 17.2 mph (17.3 mph). Total mileage = 57.6 mi
Bisikleta segment avg speed = 18.1 mph
Avg power = 153 W. Weighted avg power = 178 W
Total elevation gain = 2660' (2820')
Avg heartrate = 132 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 132 (132)
Training Load = 254 (262)
Intensity = 81% (84%)
I've been feeling sluggish on rides recently, so it was good to log a workout where I put in a bigger effort and didn't suffer as a result. Got home and ate a little bit (including one of Joe's big protein bars) while watching some TV, but I didn't feel super hungry by this time. Had a shower and felt better after that. In the afternoon I fixed a FIT file input issue I'd run across while trying to implement putting directional arrows on my plots (with a lot of help from Claude). Eventually got it fixed. It's not perfect, but it should be generally good enough. I'll wait to see if I run into any future file input problems. The directional arrows coding is now working, although one improvement could be to increase the density of the arrows as the map plot size zooms in. In the late afternoon we drove down to Mission Valley to park and take the trolley to SDSU for a concert. I dropped Ann off at Fenton Pkwy and tried to find a place to part there, but there was a soccer match that evening at the stadium, and parking on the streets was nowhere to be found. I ended up driving to the Rio Vista shopping center, lots of spaces there and no clear signs about not parking there if not shopping. So I parked there and walked to the nearby trolley station. Waited a bit for the trolley to show up, it was jam-packed with soccer fans, but I squeezed in and texted Ann to do the same when the train came to her station. We both got on and got to SDSU station without incident. Had a little picnic in the green space near the concert venue, then we walked to the show. I wasn't sure how many people would show up, but the amphitheater ended up being packed. There were three acts: Colony House (featuring a couple sons of Steven Curtis Chapman), Dashboard Confessional, and The Fray. The opening act was decent (for an opening act). The fans were really into the second and third acts. I don't think I clearly recognized any of the Dashboard Confessional songs, but it was an enjoyable set that didn't go on too long. For The Fray, I recognized all of their songs from the first two albums and none of their other material. Their lead singer, Joe King, was not the original voice of The Fray (that was Isaac Slade, who left the band and apparently runs a record store in Washington now). He was energetic, not as well-voiced as the original guy but good enough, I guess. Fans were also into their music from those initial albums, everybody sang along to the big hits. There was a family with younger kids sitting next to us who left after the second act, not sure why that was. The family of four right in front of us had a dad who was perhaps a little too enthusiastic for the situation, but it wasn't out of control. Concert ended about when it should, well before the 11:00 curfew. We left as the drummer was singing a Beatles cover, poorly, so good call there. Didn't have to wait too long for the trolley to arrive, and we got back to the car with no issues, similarly for the drive home, back by 11:45.
Friday, July 24, 2026
07-24-2026 Run/Swim
Slept well, woke up around 5:30 and got up to get ready for a run down by the park. I ran four miles at a generally casual pace, doing negative splits with my last mile being the fastest. It was cool temperature-wise but unusually humid, so I was sweating at the end.
Avg pace = 8:43/mi
Total distance = 4.10 mi
Elapsed moving time = 35:48
Avg heartrate = 123 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 9
Got home, had time before getting ready for my swim at the WWC. I was already wearing my trisuit from the run (not a good idea in general, it doesn't breathe well), so I had time to empty/clean the cat litter bin and do the kitchen dishes. Rode over in nice weather to the WWC and got there before other swimmers. By the time the gates were opened, there were five lanes accounted for. We were fortunate enough to get lanes 3 and 4. My legs were a little tired from the run, and on this day I did not have a powerful stroke, even when I tried to slow it down and lengthen it. I ended up swimming four 250s and a final 150 (to account for not starting my watch soon enough on a 250), and here are the splits for those: 4:39, 4:26, 4:31, 4:39, 2:46. The second 250 was perhaps a little faster because I was breathing every three strokes instead of every four. I will have to do a more controlled comparison in the future.
Avg pace = 1:50/100 yds (Video, not including pauses)
Total distance = 1150 yds (only 1000 yds included in Zepp / Strava workout)
Elapsed moving time = 21:01 (Video)
Avg heartrate = 149 bpm (possibly, seems high)
Relative Effort = 57 (possibly, seems high)
SWOLF = 37
Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm
Avg pull distance = 2.36 yds
Got home and had cereal for breakfast. Not much done during the late morning and early afternoon. I finished reading John Fugelsang's Separation of Church and Hate, was a decent read, albeit somewhat repetition toward the end. Had a nap after the morning's exertion. We drove down to Fashion Valley and parked to take the trolley downtown for Comic Con people-watching. Was mildly amusing, although they had blocked off the sidewalk in front of the convention center, which was a bummer. The free events generally had long lines or were too commercial, next time we should get there earlier before the crowds build. Found a bar and had drinks and chips, then we decided we'd seen what there was to see and took the trolley to Little Italy for dinner. Had sandwiches at Mona Lisa, and my eggplant parmigiana was mighty, a definite belly-filler. Walked back to the trolley stop after that and took it back to where we had parked, then I drove home.
Thursday, July 23, 2026
07-23-2026 Ride
Woke up just before 6:00 and got ready for an early bike ride. I was hoping to be done before it got too hot, mission mainly accomplished. Down by the park and across the pedestrian bridge, with only the loosest of ideas about where to go. Headed up BVP to the 78,whee I turned right and then left onto Citrus Ave. Slower pace again on this day, just getting miles in. I turned right on Glenridge Rd. Up to Moody Dr, where I turned to get to Reed Rd, taking a right there. Should have stayed on it, since that can get me to Hidden Valley Rd, but I turned instead on Falconer Dr, which got me to Oak Hill Dr. Right turn there, trying to find a new way out of the neighborhood. I got to Jonah Rd, which took me to Jed Rd, where I went to the end before turning around and enjoying a nice descent to Hayden Dr. Right turn there took me to BVP, which I used to get over to Valley Pkwy and then up to El Norte Pkwy. I rode all the way down to Centre City Pkwy and turned right, intending to ride up to Nutmeg St. I did, but it was blocked off for construction of new housing, so I had to ride back down to Country Club Ln, which I used to get back over to El Norte Pkwy. Headed west there and turned onto Woodland Pkwy, intending to take this steep climb up to the houses on the hill, but I got a little ways up and came across a security gate, so no dice. Had to turn around and ride back down to El Norte Pkwy, headed west again until it turned into Borden Rd, and I then took this road up the steep part just past Las Posas Rd that I had seen so many times. After it flattened out, I saw a bike path to the left that I used to ride down to the Inland Rail Trail. It was time to start heading home, so I used it to get to Mission Rd, taking this road back to Las Posas Rd and riding to San Marcos Blvd. Left turn there and then a right on Via Vera Cruz to get to Discovery St, where I turned left and rode to Barham Dr. I was slowing down here as it got warmer. Rode back to Mission Ave and took it into Escondido, turning right on Quince St and riding to 13th Ave to get back to Centre City Pkwy. Rode toward home the normal way from there via the freeway. Picked up some speed on this last stretch, as it was more generally downhill. Slow climbing the hill before the park, and I wanted to get 40 miles in, so I stayed on W Bernardo Dr up to Duenda Rd and then rode home the usual way from there. Legs have been feeling fine, I just haven't had the energy to push hard when I normally would, and I am more tired after these rides.
Avg speed = 15.1 mph. Total mileage = 40.5 mi
Avg power = 122 W. Weighted avg power = 149 W
Total elevation gain = 2050'
Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 43
Training Load = 134
Intensity = 68%
Got home, and I was hungry. I had eaten a banana during the ride, around Las Posas Rd, but it didn't do much. Ate some cereal and then had a rest as I cooled down. I had a quiet rest of the morning and afternoon. I did some research on potential spots for the family celebration in November with Laura and Joe. Went to Phil's BBQ for the Avi happy hour, it was mildly pleasant. Evening was also quiet, Ann and I watched some TV after dinner.
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
07-22-2026 Swim
Woke up around 6:00 after a late previous night. Still, I felt fairly refreshed. I did some blogging to capture my thoughts from the Ed Sheeran concert, then got up and started getting ready for a swim at the WWC. Rode over there on a fine morning, a few people were there, but when the gates opened there were a bunch of folks. I had learned from my mistake on Sunday, so I was standing by the gate and was among the first ones through when they opened it. Got my preferred lane, but the pool filled up quickly. I swam three 500s, with a brief pause in between. Focused on having a longer stroke, and I'm still not as fast as I was. Here are the splits for the three 500s, the last one with a pull buoy: 9:46, 9:51, 9:26.
Avg pace = 1:56/100 yds (Video, not including pauses)
Total distance = 1500 yds
Elapsed moving time = 29:03 (Video)
Avg heartrate = 163 bpm (nope)
Relative Effort = 80 (nope)
SWOLF = 38
Avg stroke rate = 20 bpm
Avg pull distance = 2.41 yds
The pool was really hopping when I left. It will be difficult for a while to get longer workouts in, since so many people are waiting for a lane to swim in. I rode home and had some toast and coffee for breakfast. Had plenty of time in the morning before I shaved, showered, and got ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. Nothing productive done though. The shift was unremarkable, although there was a dead person in one of the rooms. My room-cleaning responsibilities don't cover that, so I occupied myself elsewhere. The ride home after the shift was pleasant, not too hot, with a nice breeze. Got home, changed, and had dinner. I watched some TV after dinner and read for a while before turning in (<>).
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
07-21-2026 Run/Ride
Woke up around 5:30 after decent sleep, it was muggy (for San Diego) in the night. Got ready for an early-morning run before meeting Andy and Nel for coffee. It had been a while since I ran, so I stretched out for a bit and took and easy pace. Down by the park and back for the usual 5k loop. I thought about adding a mile but decided to get back to running in a gradual manner. First two miles were slower, then I was able to pick up the pace a little bit on the last mile
Avg pace = 8:47/mi
Total distance = 3.19 mi
Elapsed moving time = 28:03
Avg heartrate = 120 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 6
Got home with plenty of time before I was supposed to meet Nel and Andy for a coffee ride. I ordered a new bottom bracket and some fresh chain wax, then got ready for the ride. Found my Wahoo out of power again, apparently the setting to turn it off after a period of time had been set to No. So I went upstairs and got a small power bank to charge it while I was riding. Over to Andy's house via W Bernardo Dr and RB Rd. Nel had ridden from home and was there as well. I was just a little late, so I kept rolling until I found some shade on Rios Rd to wait for them to catch up. We got on Pomerado Rd and took it all the way to the top. On that climb I slowed way down and rode with Andy, who was nursing a sore left foot. We stayed on Spring Canyon Rd until turning left on Semillon Blvd. That took us down to Scripps Trail, where we turned right and rode down to the little shopping center where The French Oven Bakery was. We stopped there for coffee and pastries (Nel paid). Coffee was acceptable and the chocolate croissant was very good. Conversation about pickpockets and bikepacking. After the break we got back on the bikes and rode up Scripps Trail to Semlon Blvd, turning right this time and taking it over to Pomerado Rd. Up to the top, I was a little ahead of the others so I did a loop through the little neighborhood there before continuing down the hill on Pomerado Rd. We got to Poway Rd, and Andy was feeling good enough to add miles, so we turned right there and rode up to Community Rd. Took it to Hilleary Pl and got over to Midland Rd. Then it was to Twin Peaks Rd and up to Espola Rd. Fairly slow on the climb up to the high school, where we turned left on Titan Way and took the Riparian Rd / Lake Poway Rd / Summer Sage Rd / Bridlewood Rd route back to Espola Rd. There was a headwind from the northwest that we had to contend with going down the descent. Turned on Alondra Dr and the right on Rios Rd to get back to Pomerado Rd, where Nel split off and headed home. Andy and I rode to his place, where we chatted very briefly before I rode home via the W Bernardo Dr route. This was a very pleasant little ride, I hope Nel is able to join us more regularly.
Avg speed = 13.2 mph. Total mileage = 28.1 mi
Avg power = 106 W. Weighted avg power = 130 W
Total elevation gain = 1620
Avg heartrate = 117 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 35
Training Load = 83
Intensity = 59%
Got home, had a little lunch later and watched some TV in the afternoon. We left the house around 3:15 to drive downtown, park, and get dinner before heading over to Petco Park for the Ed Sheeran concert. Opening acts were: Aaron Rowe, Sigrid, and Myles Smith. Latter was pretty good as the main opener. Ed Sheeran came on and was solo for much of the concert, relying on loop pedals in an amazing fashion to fill out the sound. In the middle part of the concert he had an Irish band, Beoga, come out and back him for a couple of more traditional Irish-sounding tunes. Later they came back and provided backing music for several more songs as well. He brought on Alex Warren to sing Ordinary, backed by this band. The staging was pretty good, there was an interesting use of the video screens to give it an MTV video flavor at times. There were fireball machines and occasional fireworks as well. Sound quality was okay, especially with the lead act. We initially sat in the wrong seats, further back and under the overhang from our actual seats, until Ann questioned whether we were in the right section. I went back, talked to a seat guide, and he pointed me in the right direction. There were some folks during the concert, several rows lower, who felt like they needed to stand up the entire time, and that was mildly annoying. But the two girls in front of us were mostly okay, only standing up and blocking our view on a couple of songs. Stan Evans and his wife were in our row, I recognized him right away but didn't know him well enough to say hi and start an awkward conversation about HP days. After the concert (he played for over 2.5 hours!) we were able to get out of the stadium fairly quickly. BTW, here is the setlist from the concert:
A Stage
- You Need Me, I Don't Need You
- Shivers
- Castle on the Hill
- The A Team
- Sapphire
- Don't / No Diggity
B Stage - Eyes Closed
- I'm a Mess
- Sunburn (Fan Request; first performance since 2021)
- Supermarket Flowers (Fan Request)
- Give Me Love
A Stage - Galway Girl (with Beoga)
- Nancy Mulligan (with Beoga)
- I Don't Care (with Beoga)
- Old Phone (with Beoga)
- Camera (with Beoga)
- Celestial (with Beoga) (Congratulated Spain on winning the World Cup)
- Photograph
B Stage - Medley: Eastside / 2002 / Cold Water / Little Things / Love Yourself
- Thinking Out Loud
- Perfect
- I See Fire
A Stage - Ordinary (Alex Warren cover) (with Alex Warren) (with backing from Beoga)
- Bloodstream
- Afterglow
Encore on A Stage - Shape of You (Wore a Padres jersey for remainder of the show)
- Azizam
- Bad Habits
Our car was in a parking lot at 6th and K, and we got to it quickly as well. But the garage was jammed, and cars weren't moving for about 20 minutes or so. I initially tried to get out, saw it was futile, and pulled back into the spot until the line started to move a little bit. A really nice person let us out of the spot not too long after I started the car back up, then it was another 10 minutes or so before we were out of the garage. Slow traffic through city streets and onto the freeway. Curiously, on the way home I think I saw four police cars with their flashers on, for different reasons. Got home a little after midnight, to sleep soon after.
Monday, July 20, 2026
07-20-2026 Ride
Slept well, even though the air isn't as cool in the night as it has been. Got up around 5:30 and prepared for a ride. I wasn't in a real rush, but I was slowed because I had to get my derailleur batteries and a power bank, since my Wahoo was out of charge. Headed up Azucar Way and then took Duenda Rd to W Bernardo Dr to get to RB Rd. Head up and through the 45 Ranch neighborhood via Ralphs Ranch Rd, extended at the end. Back to CdS, taking it down to San Dieguito Rd and turning there. Down the hill, and this is where I started thinking about how to get back home. I rode across the flats and ended up turning left onto Old El Camino Real, to see how steep the climb was there. It get steep near the top but isn't too long. Over to Derby Downs Rd (I passed it initially and came to a dead end before retracing my route back to it), turning there to get to ECR. I rode down the last part of this descent and stayed on the road until coming to VdlV, where I turned right. I rode up the first little climb and stopped to eat a banana. This was a low-energy day for me, and from here it seemed like I was slow at every opportunity. I rode up to Calzada del Bosque, turned right there, and took Via de Santa Fe all the way into RSF village, where the road name changed to La Granada. Up to Paseo Delicias, turning there and starting my return home. I took the Del Dios Hwy climb for the first time in quite a while, and I was definitely slow, just spinning to get up the hill. To Via Rancho Pkwy, turning there and heading home the normal way across the freeway from there. This ride felt like a bigger effort than it actually was, but my legs were fine at the end, I was just tired. One saving grace from the ride is that my heartrate was low, where it should have been.
Avg speed = 15.5 mph (15.6 mph). Total mileage = 36.1 mi
Avg power = 121 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W
Total elevation gain = 2180' (2200')
Avg heartrate = 111 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 33 (34)
Training Load = 119 (118)
Intensity = 71% (70%)
Got home, I was hungry, so I had some cereal for breakfast. Ann was at the church for her first day volunteering in the office. I watched a little TV in the morning, did some reading, cleaned the kitchen dishes. I talked to Ben in the morning as well, he needed to unload after talking to Mom about her current living situation. I had a little nap later, then ate a light lunch. I started switching to Mint Mobile until the T-Mobile agent told me that the bill wouldn't be prorated, so we will wait until just before our current month of coverage ends. Watched some more TV in the afternoon. It was a quiet evening, nothing special to report.
Sunday, July 19, 2026
07-19-2026 Swim
Slept pretty well, woke up around 5:45 (<>). I had plenty of time to get ready for a swim at the WWC. It was busy in the pool. I was there first but unfortunately some folks just pushed through and claimed the lanes they wanted. I ended up in lane 4, generally okay. Swam a warmup 250 and felt a little sluggish at the outset. I had a brief break, then I swam four 100s on 2:00 intervals. Forgot to set up my video camera, so I could only estimate my 100 yd times. I think they were all in the 1:45 range. Even though I wanted to on the last 100, I didn't pause longer than the 2:00 interval before swimming again. Finished up with a 250, where my stroke wasn't as crisp as the initial 250. Here are the splits for the two 500s: 9:44, 9:31. Don't know if this is a real signal, but my heartrate really crept up in the last 250.
Avg pace = 1:55/100 yds (Strava)
Total distance = 1000 yds
Elapsed moving time = 19:18 (Strava)
Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (possibly)
Relative Effort = 14 (possibly)
SWOLF = 38
Avg stroke rate = 22 bpm
Avg pull distance = 2.37 yds
Got home, Ann was at church, so I put the camping bin back on the shelf, then went in and had cereal and coffee for breakfast while I watched TdF coverage. Later, I watched some more TV, then I went out in the front yard and trimmed two of the bushes on the east side of the driveway. They had gotten really overgrown, so I tried to trim the front sides back more than usual. Will keep trimming these sides in an effort to have prune them back. Had a little nap after that workout, then I took a shower and had a late lunch. In the late afternoon Ann put a picnic together, and we went to a summer concert at Lake Poway Park, featuring Britain's Finest. We've seen them before, they were very good, and the crowd was totally into it. We parked at the high school and took the shuttle there, were fortunate enough after the concert to get the first shuttle bus back (I had to stand up in the back). The rest of the evening was quiet.
Saturday, July 18, 2026
07-18-2026 Ride
I ended up sleeping pretty well, probably catching up from the previous week. Got up after 6:00 and started getting ready for the Bisikleta ride. I didn't have as far to go to the starting point, since we were meeting at Gideon's house. Rode through the neighborhood all the way around Matinal Circle and over to W Bernardo Dr to get to Poblado Rd, then over Capilla Rd to his place. Andy, Zac (down for around a week for a visit) and Perse were already there, and Gideon had set out coffee for us. I had a half a cup, and the others started showing up. On this ride at the start we had the following riders: Andy, Zac, Arnold, Fritz, Perse, Paula, Ray, Jed, and Jed A. It was a challenge to get them riding, since Gideon was trying to keep the party going at his place. I eventually just started riding, assuming that the others would follow. Down the hill to Poblado Rd and right there to get to W Bernardo Dr, where we took another right. We rode across RB Rd, and I got a call from Arnold, who was wondering what direction we had taken. So I stopped to wait for him. Paula and Jed A. passed me, then Arnold showed up, and we rode up the hill past HP and over to Bernardo Center Dr, taking a right there. Some of the riders were waiting around there, along with Kamal, who had ridden from his house to meet us. There was another group that hadn't stopped, and they were ahead of the rest of us. I was in front of the second group on the descent, then I slowed down to let others catch up on the climb on CVR up to Black Mountain Rd. Zac was the only one who caught up, and we chatted as we did this climb at a modest pace. We saw the lead riders ahead of us miss the turn onto Black Mountain Rd (frustrating!), but I decided to keep the rest on our original route. We waited until the rest of the riders made the turn, then took Black Mountain Rd down to Park Village Rd (I had to keep them from turning onto the 56 bike path when we passed it). I stopped at the turn onto Park Village Rd to make sure they all turned there, then I worked to catch them and pass them, to make sure we followed the route. Somewhere on the descent to CdS Zac's friends Keaton and Ella showed up and started riding with us. At the turn onto CdS the other riders who had kept going straight on CVR were waiting for us, but we still weren't all together, since a couple of other riders were out in front. I rode fairly hard to try and catch them, attempting to consolidate the group. I was mostly successful as we made the turn onto the 56 bike path, then we spread out again. Several riders really dropped the hammer on this stretch, and I slotted in to ride with Jed and Ray, attempting to catch up to Fritz and Kamal, who had pushed out in front. We caught them, then several riders pushed forward, and it was a hard sprint back to the intersection with CVR. We frightened a couple of older riders who were coming up the path in the opposite direction, not great etiquette. We gathered back up at this intersection, then continued in a spread-out fashion to the end of the 56 bike path. I was near the back of the group on this section. Another gathering at the end of the bike path, and from there we rode over to PCH via CVR. I was still near the back, although I moved up on the climb to PCH. Zac was intent on setting a Bisikleta PR for the Torrey Pines climb, and a couple of riders rode out with him to try and pace him at the start. I was further back, just trying to set a solid pace I could maintain. On the climb I ended up passing all the others except Zac and Keaton, with Ella not too far behind me. I was pushing pretty hard, started running out of gas near the top. I finished in under eight minutes, but that's pretty far from my PR. Andy didn't do the climb, he ended up waiting in Del Mar for us for a while before continuing on our route ahead of us. The rest of us gathered at the top, and Keaton and Ella rode home from there while the rest of us rode down the hill and into Del Mar. I got out in front, passing others to make sure we all made the turn onto Jimmy Durante Blvd to get over to VdlV. I was at the back after that, and I rode at tempo pace to catch up to the group and do my best to keep everybody on the right route. It was simpler to get back at this point, so I wasn't as concerned. We took VdlV over to ECR and then to San Dieguito Rd. We all started together and had a decent, fast pace line on the flats over to the base of the Three Witches climb. We stopped for a break at the gas station there. It was definitely warm by this time, and I was anxious to get back before it got hot. Up the climb, I was initially riding at the pace of Zac and Kamal, then Zac kicked it into gear and he was gone. I again kept a steady pace and paced others, all of them except Zac and Fritz, who really scorched this climb. Got to the top, where I waited for everybody to make the turn onto CdS. Perse had hung back with Kamal, and I started riding after they turned. Ray and Arnold also waited. We rode to PdS, turned right there and took it up to Babcock St, turning there to get back to CdS. We rode back to near Target, where Ray and I stopped while he placed the order for the pizza. Then it was the old normal way back to Matinal Rd and to Gideon's house.
Avg speed = 16.1 mph (16.3 mph). Total mileage = 44.9 mi
Avg power = 143 W. Weighted avg power = 176 W
Total elevation gain = 2730' (2780')
Avg heartrate = 132 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 112 (124)
Training Load = 218 (200)
Intensity = 80% (81%)
Gideon had a regular party set-up ready for us when we got back, he was cooking food and had prepared some salad stuff as well. I had a beer and cooled down while we waited for Ray to go and bring the pizza back. There was so much food. I had another beer, stayed around for a bit longer, then rode home via W Bernardo Dr. Got home, it was hot, Ann was having lunch with the church hiking group. I relaxed for a bit, took a shower and felt better after that, had a little nap in the afternoon. Not much accomplished on this day. After she got home, I did take her hair dryer apart so I could clean some of the lint and hair out of the air intake, since she was noticing a burning smell when she used it. The design of the hair dryer didn't allow me to get into the fan section, so I couldn't fix the buzzing sound at high speed. Was a quiet late afternoon and evening, I watched a little TV and read for a bit.
Friday, July 17, 2026
07-17-2026 Swim
Slept pretty well after about midnight and woke up after 6:00. I got up and starting unpacking stuff from the backpacking trip. Then I got ready for an easy swim at the WWC, meeting Avi there. The pool was crowded, all lanes filled, and I got lane 4. Even though I was taking it slow, I could feel out of practice with my stroke, which was shorter and certainly not as powerful. So, more time in the pool needed to get into better form. Here are the splits for the two 500s I swam: 9:45, 9:48.
Avg pace = 1:57/100 yds (Video)
Total distance = 1000 yds
Elapsed moving time = 19:33 (Video)
Avg heartrate = 163 bpm (nope)
Relative Effort = 45 (nope)
SWOLF = 39
Avg stroke rate = 22 bpm
Avg pull distance = 2.24 yds
Got home and had cereal for breakfast before continuing to unpack. Later in the morning Ann and I drove to Thai Thai restaurant in Escondido and had lunch. This place is actually very good, low prices, excellent service, and delicious food. Got home, Ann went to mah jongg, and I read for a bit, watched some TV, then cleared out my backpack. Washed out my water bladder and cleaned the water filter system. I read up on tent repairs, and it doesn't seem like it will be that difficult to repair the small hole in my tent fly. I talked to Mom in the late afternoon and told her about the plan to come into town around her birthday for a family celebration with Laura and Joe. Later on I talked to Ross about the November visit, and he was supportive. He was in a good mood, and the conversation went well. After dinner Ann and I went to 7-Eleven and got our last free Slurpee before switching from T-Mobile to Mint Mobile. Then I watched some TV before reading for a bit. That was the day.
Thursday, July 16, 2026
07-16-2026 Hike
This was a generally good day. I slept fitfully, the tent was pitched on a slight incline, and I kept feeling like I was rolling down toward where Joe was sleeping. Also, I couldn't get comfortable around my head, need a better pillow solution. I woke up early and was out of the tent around 4:30 for my morning constitutional. Then I went back and pulled out my sleeping quilt and pad to pack them up. By this time the others were waking up. I took the tent down and packed it up, with help from Joe. One of the tent stakes had been hammered into a tree root, and it was really difficult to get out. But we had success. Had coffee and oatmeal for breakfast, everybody was feeling good and sitting around while we ate. Fairly quick cleanup after breakfast, then I packed all of my stuff into my backpack and got ready for the hike out. We were rolling a little after 7:00, and nearly all of the climbing for the day was concentrated into the climb from Duck Lake up to Duck Pass. I had stopped to take pictures of the lake and start my watch to track the hike, so I was at the back. I walked for just a bit with Joe, then turned on the juice and passed him and Mike. Jason was pretty far ahead, so it was an effort to catch up to him before we got to the top of the climb. We then kept going to the pass, just a short distance from the trail intersection, where we waited for Joe and Mike to show up. Jason was able to read texts and found that his wife Jodie had suffered a fall after donating platelets. She got some staples to close a scalp wound, but it sounded like she was okay, lucky to have two of her kids nearby to help with the emergency response. After a long wait, I got worried about where Joe and Mike were, so I walked back to the train intersection and looked for them, saw no sign. After waiting a little bit, I walked back to Jason and told him I was going to walk down toward the lake and look for them. When I walked back to the intersection I saw Joe coming from the other trail. Turns out that they had turned left at the intersection instead of right, they ended up hiking about half a mile down this trail before realizing that it wasn't correct and turning around. I was surprised at the mistake, it just didn't make much sense to me. In any case, I was glad we were all back together and ready to hike down to our jump-off point. Since it was nearly all downhill, we made good time. Jason and I were out in front for the most part, with Mike a little further back and Joe further still. Saw a lot of hikers, both backpackers and day hikers, coming up the trail as we came down. We made surprisingly good time and were back to the car around 10:00, I think. The last mile was a little tough for me. I was ready for the hike to be done, and my shoulders were sore from the weight of the backpack, particularly as it bounced on my shoulders while I took big steps on the descent. In the parking lot we talked to a really old lady who was looking for a place to park so she could hike to the mine. She couldn't hear and she couldn't read maps, it was mildly hilarious that she was out for a hike (I think she ended up not hiking, saw her in her car leaving the parking lot later). It took us a while to empty trash from our packs and arrange stuff in the car as well as gather items for a shower. Eventually we were ready to go. Joe was driving, and I could tell he was tired and not thinking really clearly. With a little assistance we located a place where you could take a shower for $10 (Mary and Maria helped us at this trading post store). I bought showers for all of us, and it felt quite refreshing to get clean after five days of camping. We drove from there to Distance Brewing Co. in Mammoth, had a beer to celebrate the successful completion of our hiking and backpacking adventure, then we ate lunch there as well. I had just one beer and volunteered to take the first shift driving on the way back. After lunch we got in the car and were rolling around 1:00. I drove down to Lone Pine, was feeling pretty tired behind the wheel near the end, and Mike graciously offered to take the wheel (I think he noticed that I wasn't fully alert). Had a little nap in the back seat and felt so much better after that. Jason was also riding in back, and we talked about a number of topics, but most of the conversation on this part of the drive back was about music. Mike drove until we stopped in Chaffee for a bio break along with drinks and snacks, then I took over again. We were on Hwy 14, which took us through Lancaster and over to I-5 just north of the 210 split. Got on I-5 and made good time to within <10 miles of LAX, when we ran into evening rush hour and crawled the last 40 minutes or so to the airport. We dropped Jason off there, and I continued driving, talking with Joe and Mike again mostly about music. Not too much traffic to have to contend with by this point, thankfully. I wasn't paying much attention to the car until Mike reminded us that we were almost out of gas. Oops. I pulled into a service station and Mike paid for enough gas to get us back to Joe's house. Joe was okay to drive, so he took us the rest of the way there. We got to his house around 8:45, and Ann was just pulling into the parking lot, so that was good timing. I unloaded my gear, said goodbye to Mike, Joe, and Cathie, and we headed home while I told her the highlights of our trip. Got home, and I did minimal unpacking before getting ready for bed. I dozed for a bit before waking up hungry and getting something to eat, then I went back to bed. Ann was also restless (<!>), but we both eventually got to sleep.
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
07-15-2026 Hike
This was a good hiking day. I had a very restless night's sleep, couldn't get my head comfortable. I need a better pillow solution for backpack camping. Woke up around 4:10 and couldn't get back to sleep, so I lay there until a little after 4:30. I think that was the first time I got up to pee. Had a pee and came back to the tent to collect my #2 gear. Went and did my business, then I came back and packed up my sleeping pad and quilt. I thought I was ahead of schedule, but the others were up and starting breakfast. By the time I had organized my gear (and backtracked to the site to retrieve my spade again), I had to rush drinking my coffee and eating two packets of oatmeal. Finished the oatmeal while I was packing up the tent, then I gathered the stuff going into the food and smellables bag. I'm not sure where the time went. Anyway, I got everything packed up, and Joe had to take a morning constitutional as well. Jason got tired of waiting (I don't blame him) and walked up to the water crossing ahead of us. Mike and I followed, and Joe wasn't too far behind. We got there, Mike walked over to where Jason had gotten across and retrieved one of Jason's shoes for me to wear. He brought it to the first water crossing, the one where I had contemplated rock-hopping. The wading/hopping approach, with poles, was much safer, and I got over to the other side without getting my clothes wet. Changed back into my boots and put my poles up, I was ready to go well before the others, particularly Mike, who was not feeling well (altitude sickness?) on this day. We finally got going from this spot around 7:30. Flat for a little bit, then we had to climb out of the basin. Jason and I were out front and quickly gapped the others. We motored up the climb out of the basin, talking this time (more Jason than me). Got to the ridge and kept going until we started descending toward Purple Lake. We kept the conversation going down to the lake and paused by the lake shore to wait for Mike and Joe. It took them 15-20 minutes to catch up, we ran into a very talkative old guy at this point who had lots of stories to tell about backpacking. I was afraid we would get trapped by this guy, but I was able to break contact and get us going again. Another climb, out of Purple Lake basin, and we continued on the ridge, not waiting for the others. We walked until the descent got steep and waited there for over 40 minutes Then they showed up, they had paused for a break earlier. At this point I thought we were very close to the break point, at the bottom of Duck Lake. Nope. We descended for a bit, then started the climb up to Duck Pass. I started at the back after we found a good photo spot for the four of us, and Jason got out ahead. This climb was a workout, and I was going full-speed. We got to the lake about 10-15 minutes before the others and took a long break here. Ate lunch (I could have eaten more but didn't want any of that powdered peanut butter), dried out clothes, filtered water, and generally relaxed before continuing on. Mike was slow to get going again, not feeling well on this day. I motored up the next part of the climb, going about as hard as I could, and got to the trail split about 15 minutes before the others. Waited for them to catch up, saw a number of hikers along with a group of distance runners, male and female, from South Medford hauling ass up the trail to the pass. We paused for a break here, then descended to the trail along the north end of Duck Lake. We were looking for the nearest suitable campsite and found one one a small trail up above the main trail. We found a spot that Joe and I thought could accommodate both tents, but it ended up fitting one. Jason and Mike did a recon to look for better spots nearby but came back empty, then they located a spot that was okay near the one we had found. Joe and I put up the tent, they put theirs up and ended up moving away from a spot that had evidence of active chipmunk holes. After we set the tents up, Joe walked down to the water and took a swim. I walked down with him, and he dived in. The water temperature as "bracing." I wanted to rinse the lower half of my body off, so I hurried up and got my suit as well. Changed down by the water, then I got in while Joe took videos. It was cold, not freezing but not warm enough to stay in long. I cleaned myself up a bit and then got out. Luckily, there was enough sun to warm me back up. Jason came down later and got into the water, with encouragement and prodding from us. He stayed in longer and had less sun when he got out. We walked back to the campsite, and I changed into clean underwear and a shirt that wasn't damp, then set out my clothes to dry in the sun. Went in the tent, got out my sleeping quilt, and caught up on blogging, along with having a short nap. Felt much better after this. It was windy and cool in the tent but warmer outside. Mike had a longer nap and woke up feeling better. However, Joe was dealing with some gastrointestinal issues and also feeling off. I went out and sat with them for a while, walked down to the shore and filled water bottles to filter. This activity ends up taking a lot more time than you would expect, since water is needed for drinking, cooking (lots of dehydrated meals), and cleaning up. The wind was brisk but not gusty in the late afternoon, and the clouds ended up clearing out for the first time in our trip. Jason set out sausages, cheese, and crackers for a happy hour with Trader Joe's bourbon that he had brought. I told them some funny stories about our Vietnam trip, they seemed to enjoy them. Mike started being like his normal self, but it wasn't until Joe got some food in him at dinner that he started feeling and acting more normally. The evening was absolutely gorgeous, with spectacular Alpen glow around sunset. I had been a little depressed when I thought I'd lost my Amazfit charging puck, but I found it in my electronics bag and was in a much better mood after that. This day had the best weather of the trip so far, no competition. We kept thinking that stormy weather was going to come in, and it never did. Delightful! It was a long and good day for me, glad to listen to music for a bit before turning in.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
07-14-2026 Hike
Got up between 6:00 and 6:30, I rolled up my sleeping quilt and put it in the waterproof stuff bag to ensure it stayed dry even in the tent. We had a very leisurely opening of the day, I had a couple of cups of coffee, a mint chocolate protein bar, and a bowl of Kodiak oatmeal with some Gorp thrown in. The coffee jazzed me up again, weather was cloudy with periodic sunshine. I spent some more time filtering water, had my morning constitutional by a tree, and later on went down by the lakeside and washed my hair and upper body. I also rinsed out the shirt from the previous day. Back to the campsite, where in the late morning we decided to take a day hike over to the overlook by Tully Hole. Packed up lunch stuff and walked about a mile south on the trail until we found a decent (not great) spot. The sun was out and had been out for a while by this time, so we enjoyed the weather while it lasted. Talked to several people on the trail heading both ways, most had interesting stories. We walked back toward the campsite and continued on to the water crossing, where I mapped out my crossing strategy for the following day. Back to the campsite from there, and we had some time with sun before the clouds rolled in. We all took turns filtering water until it started to rain. Jason was thinking about going in the water, but the threatening clouds put a stop to that idea. Once it started to rain, the skies really opened up. One squall came through, and dropped hail on us. After a lull, where we were able to sit out and chat, we got really dumped on for about an hour, including a second wave of hail. All four of us hunkered down under a set of trees that kept us dry for about 10 minutes before the rain broke through our cover. It was miserable. I was chilled and a little damp in my socks, hands, and around my neck. When this cell let up I got in the tent, changed into a long sleeve shirt with a t-shirt over it, and put on dirty dry socks. That helped me warm up, and I was somewhat comfortable for a while, the sun even came out and warmed the inside of the tent up before going behind the clouds. Wrapped my feet in a shirt that was mostly dry, and that also helped. This next storm cell brought really heavy rain and loud thunder, although I didn't see lightning flashes. The temperature dropped as well, and it was hard to stay warm enough. Had my gloves on and my feet in a dry bag didn't want to break out my sleeping quilt. The storm lasted over an hour before starting to taper off. Joe and I debated whether to cook by the tent. I had walked quickly out when the rain was less and brought back his bear canister. But when we shouted to Mike and Jason they were already out and planning to use the kitchen area to make dinner.. We joined them and it was a great call. The weather held all the way through dinner and into the evening past sunset. The sun even came out for a bit. I had curry rice, was a good mix with perhaps too much sauce (but maybe not, it was good to sip). I passed out the last set of liquor bottles and used my vodka to add into chamomile tea. I think it burned off the alcohol and didn't add much flavor. Better to chug it and chase it with the tea. After dinner we filtered the water for breakfast and enjoyed the remains of the day in a somewhat dry state (my feet were a little wet from being in damp boots without socks). Got some decent pics around sunset, was in the tent and settled down by about 8:30. The beginning and end of this day were so much better than the stormy middle. When I was in the tent and struggling to get warm I kept asking myself why I was doing this. But I was reminded about the beauty of nature at the end of the day. Overall, it got a plus.
Monday, July 13, 2026
07-13-2026 Hike
This was a very long day. I slept in bits and pieces through the night, wasn't great but was adequate. Was comfortable enough, but after all it's still camping on a thin air mattress. The temperature wasn't a problem, which was good (I didn't pack for cold weather). I was awoken around 4:30, Joe and Jason were up, and Mike was getting up. Packed up my sleeping pad and quilt, then I went back up the hill and took a shit in a hole I dug, worked out okay although I forgot my spade and was fortunate enough to remember I'd forgotten it. I went back in the dawning light and was able to find it. Then I went down to have breakfast (coffee, oatmeal with some Gorp, maybe a date) with the others, was a little behind their schedule. Cleaned up my dishes and went back to the campsite. I took the tent down and rolled it up, with help from Joe. Then I laid everything out and started packing it into my backpack. I was ready to go before the others, Jason and Mike hadn't gotten much if any sleep, and I learned later that Mike was congested and feeling run-down. We were moving a little after 6:20, and the early start turned out to be a good thing on a very long day. It was kinda flat, walking through woods for a while before we started climbing out of this watershed and over Duck Pass. At one point, at a little flowing waterfall by a creek that probably exited from Skelton Lake and emptied into Arrowhead Lake, we stopped to filter water. I was feeling pretty good at the start, used my poles for a bit but found I didn't really need them. We stopped pretty frequently. Joe and Mike were slower. Several times I would get ahead and then wait for the others. I think we did a decent job with the breaks, none were too long. I would have taken fewer, but I probably would have regretted that decision. It took us over three hours to get to Duck Pass, including a number of rest stops. On the way up we saw a couple with four dogs, one of them, Bear, a dachshund who was a barker. They got to the top of the pass, then passed us going down while we were on a break there. Saw a scout troop (I think) there as well. During the day we talked to a surprising number of people who were doing seriously long hikes, which I guess should not be too surprising on the JMT and PCT. After the pass we had a long general and gradual descent toward Duck Lake, which is quite large. We didn't get down to its shore until we reached the southern end. Jason and I were out front for nearly all of this segment. There was a good spot to collect and filter water, so we took an extended break here and did that. The trail ascended a little bit before dropping pretty steeply down to a point where the Duck Pass trail intersected with the combined PCT/JMT. That descent was hard on the others, particularly Mike and Jason, with his surgically repaired hips. But Jason recovered pretty quickly. For a while the trail was relatively flat as we hiked along the mountainside. We met Ranger Kyle there, who looked at our pass and told us some interesting stuff: good campsites and beautiful views at Virginia Lake, not many bears above 8000'. I think it was around here that we stopped on the trail for lunch. I had reconstituted peanut butter (messy and not worth the weight savings) on a tortilla and on a cracker. Had some nuts as well. I had trailed the others for a while here, and it was on this segment, naturally when I was behind the others, that one of my water shoes fell out on the trail. After we continued there was a tester ascent of about 200' before descending to Purple Lake. The last serious climb of the day occurred after we passed by Purple Lake, our original destination for the day. We took a brief break here, and I ate a granola bar. Then we passed by the lake and started an 800' climb to a ridge. I started at the back but passed the others and was working pretty hard, intent on getting this last chore done as soon as possible. Jason slotted in behind me, and for most of the climb he was right there. I gapped him near the end but not by much. When I got to where the ridge flattened out I stopped and waited for him. I was planning on waiting there for the others as well, but he was worried about the possible lack of good campsites at Lake Virginia, so we kept on. There was a little more climbing, quite gradual, before we dropped down to the lake. We met a guy who had started from Kennedy Meadows and was intent on hiking to Canada on the PCT. He told us a different story about the upcoming water crossing that gave me some hope I could do it without getting wet. We dropped down into the meadows by the lake and got across to the water crossing. No way were either of us going to get through it without getting wet. I took my boots, socks, and pant legs off while Jason crossed over. Then he threw one of his shoes back to me so I use it, along with my poles, to navigate the shallower areas by rocks and get across without getting my pants wet. A note about the weather up to this point. We had cloudy weather up to the pass and down to Duck Lake. I think it was around our lunch break that it started raining. We had seen it ahead of us, so it wasn't a surprise. It was heavy enough that I put on my pack cover, as did the others. We got through it and didn't have much more precipitation until we got to Lake Virginia. Then it started to sprinkle, sometimes heavily. So I was damp by the time I made the first water crossing. There was a second one that I did in the water shoes, could have probably done it without getting my boots wet by rock-hopping. Jason followed me after putting his socks and boots on, then we continued on for just a bit before going off the trail and doing a recon for campsites. We found a suitable location, staked our claims, then hiked back to the water crossing, where Mike and Joe had showed up. Apparently, Joe was ecstatic about the prospect of crossing water and getting wet, go figure. They came across and we started the process of setting up camp. Joe didn't like my initial campsite selection, so we moved into a small grove of trees and set up the tent (this spot ended up being a pretty good one, better than my original choice). Mike and Jason set their tent up and then discovered standing water nearby, so they also move from the original spot. Their tent base got wet in the process, but it wasn't a disaster. When I set up the poles in my tent I put the bases in the wrong loops, which ended up causing a major issue. I chalk this mistake up to my mind being more tired than I thought, so I was not on guard for avoiding stupid stuff. I was damp around my neck (jacket had a seam separation here) and in my boots, so I needed to keep moving to avoid getting chilled. I did a lot of water filtering, then we started making dinner. It was raining by this time, and even though our kitchen area was sheltered it was really hard to start the burners. Lighters weren't working, neither were regular matches. Joe had some flare matches, about half of them worked, so crisis avoided. I had the mac and veggies recipe, Mac was just slightly crunchy after 15 minutes of steeping. The dried mushrooms were tasty, could have used more of them as well as other dried vegetables. But it was incredibly hot! It took me about 30 minutes to eat, had to pause every now and then to let the heat subside. Somewhere around here I had changed my wet shirt for a long sleeve shirt with another shirt over it, along with my rain jacket. That helped with the chill, as did eating the very spicy meal. While this was going on, I started to help Jason string up the bear line until Joe called me over to a tent crisis. When I had fixed the pole bases earlier I didn't put the top of the pole back in the grommet, so it ended up poking a hole in the tent fly. Damnit! Joe and I fixed it temporarily with some tape he had brought, but the permanent fix will require more work. I was really angry with myself for this screw-up, but that's life. It reminded me upon reflection that when I am physically tired I am mentally tired as well. Jason and Mike finished up the bear line, and I was ready to call it a night. Got into the tent, stripped off my boots and socks, inflated my sleeping pad, and unrolled my sleeping quilt. I drew the string at the bottom of the quilt to close it off, then climbed in with no socks on. I caught up on my blogging for the previous two days, didn't get all the way through the second day before I was ready to stop. Around this time Joe came in and settled in, then I slept for about an hour until waking up again when it started to rain. I lay there for a bit, then got up to make sure my pack was covered well. Rain was steady for a while but never really heavy, and eventually it subsided. I got back to sleep until after 2:00, when I woke up again and decided to go pee. The sky was clear, I could see some stars but was unsuccessful in taking a picture of the nighttime sky. Back to the tent and eventually back to sleep, waking up and getting up around 6:00.
Sunday, July 12, 2026
07-12-2026 Hike
This day was the start of our backpacking adventure. I woke up before 4:30 and finished putting my stuff into the different bags that got loaded into the hiking backpack, my travel backpack, and the car. Ann got up and drove me to Joe's house, where he was already out with the food items on a table. I unloaded my stuff out of the car, kissed Ann goodbye, and started deciding which food items from Joe to bring with me. Jason and Mike showed up pretty soon after. We had hoped to be moving by 6:30, but it was around 6:50 when we got rolling. The first part of the drive went quickly, Joe drove the whole way up. We got caught up on what everybody had been doing. Stopped for a bio break in Adelanto, and I got an XL fountain drink. Stopped again at a place on the 395 where we had stopped before (had a Subway and a Chester's), then continued on to Lone Pine, where we stopped to get sandwiches for lunch at Schat's Bakery. Joe also got some Paracord at an outfitter's store that was open on a Sunday. The bakery was hopping, so we ended up buying pre-made sandwiches. They were okay. The bread was delicious, but my egg salad didn't have a lot of flavor. We drove through Bishop and turned off to go to Mammoth, where I filled up Joe's tank. Then it was a fairly short drive to Coldwater Campground, which is quite large, might be a place to consider staying sometime. We drove to the end of the campground, where there was a parking lot for overnight hikers. We unloaded our packs and finalized what we were going to take. I made the mistake of bringing just one pair of long pants and a pair of shorts, should have brought my two pairs of convertible pants. Other than that, I brought everything that was on my list. We started hiking around 2:45, and my map estimated we would hike about two miles or so. But it was calculated from the entrance to the campground, so the distance was shorter. It was uphill, I think we gained about 800' in a mile or so. We got to the turnoff for Arrowhead Lake after a little over a mile, then we walked along the western shore of the lake to find a suitable campsite. Found one, then Joe found a better one across a small creek crossing and a little further from the marshy area of the lake. The mosquitoes and flies were intense, so Joe and I started exploring higher ground for suitable sites. We found a couple, he is pretty good at scouting sites. Weather was nice, cloudy but clear. The mosquitoes weren't as bad here, but they were still super annoying. Got the tent set up quickly, and not too long after we started dinner. I had a prepared Indian curry dish that I'd bought, and I served it over Minute rice. It was tasty, but the pouch was kinda heavy. I brought out the little bottles of Fireball whiskey, Joe and I split one mixed in Chai tea, which was good but probably cooked off some of the alcohol. Good dinnertime conversation, light-hearted and friendly. After dinner, around dusk, we scrambled down the rock slide to a place where we could get water to filter. This was our first time using the filters, and they had to be back;flushed a number of times to get the filtered water flowing. The mosquitoes down by the water were voracious, and this was overall pretty unpleasant but necessary. It was full-on dark by the time we were done, my headlamp was just adequate to show me the way back to the tent. I got ready for sleep, inflating the mattress and laying out my sleeping quilt (really nice for this kind of camping). Was in bed by 9:15 or so, got to sleep okay for the situation.
Saturday, July 11, 2026
07-11-2026 Ride
Woke up and got up before 5:30, made some oatmeal and reviewed how to pitch my backpacking tent. Then I got ready for the Bisikleta ride, which was going to be shorter than usual. So I left early and got some extra miles in before reaching Target. I rode down to W Bernardo Dr and then started up. Got to the light at RB Rd and realized I hadn't started my Wahoo yet, so I missed out on capturing about 1.5 miles of riding. I climbed up past the site and turned right on Via del Campo to get back over to RB Rd. Left turn there and a right on Alva Rd, taking the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood, including riding up to the top of Ralphs Ranch Rd, Camino San Thomas, and Four Gee Rd. I had time, so I rode on PdS through the Del Sur neighborhood, heading down toward CdS. On the way down, I saw a rider coming the other way, she looked familiar, so I turned around and caught up with Paula, who was riding up from the coast to meet us at the start. Crazy coincidence. She had sent me a WhatsApp message saying what she was doing, but I didn't read it. We rode back up PdS to Kristen Glen, turning right there and taking it all the way to its end before turning around and climbing back to PdS. We kept going straight, turning right on Concord Ridge Ter, left on Bedford Hill, and left on Via Montenero, taking it to the end before turning and using a short gravel path to get to Casey Glen. Back toward the 4S Target to meet up with the others, Andy was already there. The others started showing up, including Gideon, whom Perse picked up to make sure he rode with us (☺). At the start of this ride, we had the following riders: Gideon, Perse, Arnold, Fritz, Andy, Paula, Charlie, Cam, and Ray. The general tone of the ride was casual, not too much pushing the pace. We rode down to San Dieguito Rd, turned right there and took it down the hill, staying on it and forming up a decent pace line on the flats over to ECR. We took that to VdlV, turned left, and rode down to the coast. After the start, I spent a lot of my time at or near the back, making sure everybody was hanging together. Once we got to the coast we headed north. Paula split off from us around Lomas Santa Fe to wait for the Swami's group coming from the south. We continued up the coast through Cardiff and stopped for a break at Swami's Beach. Original intent was to turn around here, but Ray convinced us to ride into Encinitas and get donuts and coffee at Broad Street Donuts. Gideon had a slow leak, so I used my pump to put air in it before we rode up there. Was a nice break at the donut shop, they have good donuts (albeit expensive) and coffee. As we were getting ready to leave Gideon saw that he needed to put more air in his tire. It turned into a lengthy ordeal, since there was some kind of issue with the tube valve, then Fritz found that the latex sealant wasn't sealing the hole, which was evident. So Fritz plugged the hole, then we pumped it back up and were ready to roll. Charlie was impatient with all this stuff going on, and I could sympathize with him. We headed back south on PCH, originally intending to ride through Del Mar to the 56 bike path. But Gideon wanted to shorten the ride and go up Three Witches, so that's what we did. Andy was starting to slow down, so I hung back with him and rode to VdlV, where the others were waiting. Charlie had decided to follow the original route, while the rest of us retraced our route back to the Target from there. Tried a pace line on the way back, and it was working okay until a couple of riders dropped off the back. I waited for them at the base of the Three Witches climb, then Andy and I rode up this segment very slowly. He was feeling the effects of having pushed himself on the pace line sections. We got up to the top, and the others were waiting on CdS. We rode generally together for a while until it started climbing again, at which point the others rode ahead while Andy, Arnold, and I rode at the back. Arnold was on his gravel bike, as was Andy, so they were both working much harder than the rest of us. We got back to the start just fine, not super fast but okay. Gideon invited us to his place for a late breakfast, so I rode over there the old normal way. Most of the riders joined the little party, and it was enjoyable. I rode home through the neighborhood after that, feeling fine at 50 miles without pushing myself really at all throughout the ride.
Avg speed = 15.5 mph (15.7 mph). Total mileage = 49.0 mi
Avg power = 114 W. Weighted avg power = 145 W
Total elevation gain = 2070' (2200')
Avg heartrate = 115 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 52 (55)
Training Load = 156 (161)
Intensity = 66% (68%)
Got home, had a little to eat (I had also eaten a little bit at Gideon's place), and watched the highlights of this day's TdF stage. Was glad to have completed a ride without getting a flat. Then I packed most of my stuff into my backpack, all except the food, which will go in tomorrow morning before we leave. Had to swap out jackets in my clothes pack to accommodate the forecast for rain on Monday. I think I have everything thing loaded up that was on my list. In the evening after dinner, I installed the new engine cover and hood liner that finally arrived. Was a little difficult getting the fasteners out of the hood, but the rest was fairly straightforward. Watched some TV with Ann after that and turned in early.
Friday, July 10, 2026
07-10-2026 Hike/Swim
Slept a little fitfully, maybe because I had a nap the previous afternoon. I got up in the night and read for a while before finally getting back to sleep. I woke up and got up around 5:30, getting ready for a hike through the neighborhood with my backpack loaded with weight. Walked a little less than an hour and got back before 7:00, where I had a little time to do some prep work for the backpacking trip before getting ready for a swim at the WWC with Avi. It was busy at the opening again, but we were able to get lanes 3 and 4. I was feeling sluggish on this day, in lane 4, not sure what all of the reasons were. But my stroke length was definitely lower. We swam a warmup 250, then on Avi's suggestion we swam the pyramid drill, which was definitely a workout for me. He was very nice, slowing his pace down to match my own, even though I know he could have swum much faster. After this drill I cooled down with another 250, this time with the pull buoy, focusing with some success on lengthening my stroke and reducing my stroke count. Here are the times for the different intervals:
Warm-up 250
4:42
Pyramid Drill
50 0:47
100 1:45
150 2:40
200 3:37
250 4:40
200 3:41
150 2:43
100 1:43
50 0:46
Cool-down 250 (with pull buoy)
4:46
Avg pace = 1:49/100 yds (Video, not counting pauses)
Total distance = 1750 yds
Elapsed moving time = 31:50 (Video)
Avg heartrate = 138 bpm (Zepp, possible)
Relative Effort = 45 (possible)
SWOLF = 39
Avg stroke rate = 22 bpm
Avg pull distance = 2.29 yds
So, not great. Lots of work needed here after I get back from my backpacking trip. I got caught up on blogging after I got home and had some breakfast and coffee. I ordered more inner tubes from Amazon, watched a World Cup match in the afternoon, read, and had a nap. Also organized my food for the camping trip and loaded most of it into a transport bag. In the evening I rode over to Jalapeno's and had a burrito for dinner while Ann was out with Caleb, Emily, and Jen for their Mother's Day musical. Watched some more TV after I got home, read more, and went to sleep.
Thursday, July 9, 2026
07-09-2026 Ride
Well, this ride had its frustrations, all of them traceable to my lack of preparation or patience. I was supposed to meet Paula over on Harmony Grove Rd for a ride, so I got up early and got ready to be able to leave the house around 5:40. This was all good, and I was on schedule at the start. It wasn't fully light out, so I took the pedestrian bridge over Lake Hodges and then headed up Via Rancho Pkwy to Felicita Rd, which I took to Hamilton Ln, turning left there. This is where my first miscue happened. I was listening to music and lost track of where I was supposed to turn, so I ended up staying on Hamilton Ln instead of turning onto Bernardo Ave, as was planned. I recognized my error after a bit but continued on this road after looking at my Wahoo map and seeing what looked like a throughway to a major street. I rode up to the end of the road and got onto a private path, but it was blocked on the other side by a chain link fence, so I had to turn around and ride back, not really knowing where I was but looking for a way out of the neighborhood. I ended up turning left on Continental Ln, which climbed a bit and got me to Calle Catalina, where I turned left and found myself at the top of Gamble Ln, without the really steep sections to navigate. So this is actually a pretty nice way to get over to Citracado Pkwy (via Scenic Trail Way), perhaps the fastest route. I took Citracado Pkwy down to Harmony Grove Village Pkwy, turned left and to to Harmony Grove Rd, where I took another left and started riding to meet Paula heading the other way. It was starting to get foggy as I continued, then we met up and rode together on Harmony Grove Rd down to the turn onto Elfin Forest Rd. I only knew the route superficially, hadn't downloaded it, so I rode at her pace up the first climb here, we were both looking for the left turn onto Fortuna del Este. There is a nice, winding descent here through a rural neighborhood, the road turns into Canyon de Oro, before it starts to climb. There is a short, very steep (I registered 20% gradient briefly) pitch up to the intersection with Seaquest Trail, which we had previously ridden coming from the other direction. We joined back up and then descended Canyon de Oro to Rancho Summit Dr and then down to Fortuna Ranch Rd, where we turned right and, after a short ascent, enjoyed a nice descent to Lone Jack Rd. The road kept descending, more gradually, until it flattened out and got us over to RSF Rd. We turned right there and rode up the little climb before descending to Calle Acervo and turning right. Around here my right shifter stopped working, even though I had replaced the battery fairly recently (it must have been a battery that had sat in the saddle bag for a while. We stopped, and I checked to find out that I didn't have any spare batteries in my saddle bag. Mistake #2. So we modified our planned route to get us over to La Costa Ave via Camino de los Coches, where we turned left and then right into the parking lot for a Pavilions supermarket. I went in, and they had a battery display was surprisingly didn't have any CR2032 batteries. I was amazed! So we had to ride to the shopping center on the other side of La Costa Ave, where there was a CVS that had the batteries at an exorbitant price. I bought one and put it in my back pocket, hoping I wouldn't have to replace it, since my shifter had started working again. With this minor delay, we decided to modify the route, taking La Costa Ave to Circulo Sequoia and turning left (we had turned right on previous rides) and riding up a gradual climb until we got to Avenida Amapola, where we turned left and then left again on Camino Junipero to get back over to RSF Rd. Up the last bit of that climb and then down to San Elijo Rd, turning right and then right again on Dove Tail Dr. Here is where my shifter battery finally died, so we stopped and I replace it fairly quickly to get back my shifting functionality. We turned left on Amberhill Ter and then right on Shadetree Dr, riding through a neighborhood until we turned right again on Weatherwood Ct. This got us to Fallsview Rd, which we used to get back onto San Elijo Rd. We climbed into the village and turned on Elfin Forest Rd to get over to Calistoga Way. Up to its end, using the throughway to get over to Genoa Way and up to Baylor Dr. We were both able to get through the gate by following cars, then we turned right on Questhaven Rd and left on Blue Water Ln. We rode up to the entrance to a bike path that led us up to Leeward Ave, where we turned left, right on Hollowbrook Ct, and left on Eclipse Dr to get back up to San Elijo Rd. Just a little more climbing until the turn onto Double Peak Dr. I rode to Atherton St and waited for Paula to show up by her house. In our ride together, we rode through some fairly heavy fog and light mist, and it was still overcast up at her house. I didn't stay long, just turned around and rode back to San Elijo Rd and down the hill into the village. I wasn't watching closely enough as I got into the village, so I missed the turn onto Elfin Forest Rd and ended up turning left on Baker St, riding through the Albertson's parking lot to get to Elfin Forest Rd. I was tiring out here, so I dialed my pace back, did the little climb out of the village and then enjoyed the descent to the turn onto Harmony Grove Rd. After I made the turn, I noticed that my bike felt a little wobbly. I kept riding for a while until I stopped to check my tires, finding that I had a slow leak on my front tire, again. I was super frustrated. I thought about trying to ride with the slow leak, occasionally pumping it up, but the air started coming out faster, so I pulled over to the side of the road and took the front wheel off to replace the tube. The tire was quite uncooperative, I was mad and impatient, and I ended up damaging the tube I had put in. This took my frustration and anger (at myself, really) to the next level. I wasn't sure if I was using my Cycplus pump correctly, especially after putting on the second tube and, stupidly, puncturing it as well with the tire levers. I got my CO2 cartridge out and tried to use it to put air in the tire, to no avail. It was, after all, punctured. So I was stuck on the road with three inner tubes with holes in them. That was the end of this ride.
Avg speed = 13.1 mph (13.2 mph). Total mileage = 34.3 mi
Avg power = 123 W. Weighted avg power = 158 W
Total elevation gain = 3170' (3100')
Avg heartrate = 112 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 42 (45)
Training Load = 157 (148)
Intensity = 72% (73%)
I called Ann. No answer. I ended up trying to call her for about 20 minutes, with no success. This got me even more frustrated. I finally gave up and called an Uber, and the driver showed up in a little over 10 minutes and helped me put the bike into the back, after putting the back seats down. The driver, Mark, turned out to be an interesting guy, who was from Palm Springs, knew the guy (Tim Esser) who had started it all up. Turns out this guy was a former tennis semi-pro player who had jumped on the pickleball bandwagon, so he spent the rest of the ride telling me about the social aspects of the game and trying to get me to give it a try. It turned out to be an interesting ride back home. I got there, put my bike away, and went upstairs to find that Ann was still asleep! After 10:30! I was blown away and kinda pissed off that she hadn't answered her phone. She got up not too long after that, was apologetic, but I was still upset. The rest of the day and evening was quiet. I read quite a bit and stayed mostly upstairs. I did try to repair the three inner tubes, but the punctures in two of them (the two new ones) were too close to the stem for the patch to hold. I threw them away, along with the Enve tires that turned out to be just too unreliable to ride on. I swapped in an older set of Gatorskins, and I'm hoping I have better luck with them, and I put in the multiply patched tube on the front tire. Fingers crossed that my recent spate of flats is over.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)