Rolling Hills

Coooold Weekend :)

2009-03-17T00:21:00.000-07:00

I spent this last weekend freezing my ass off. Saturday I had planned to ride to the coast, but with the clouds and low temperatures I wasn't sure I wanted to go. I finally went out around 9:30 AM headed for my starting point in Woodside and on my bike by 10:35. It was already really cold and the sun had yet to show itself. My destination was Pescadero and eventually Tunitas Creek. There were lots of cyclists out on the roads so there was plenty of company at varying sections of the ride (though fewer on the long stretch into Pescadero). Arriving in Pescadero I got there just in time to miss the crowds. There was an organized ride from Western Wheelers that day and so there seemed to be about 30 or so cyclists at the bakery I love to go to out there. They were within 5 minutes of leaving which was perfect so I got my sandwich and went out to chill.

The ride up Stage was a little chilly, but not bad. It was when I got to Tunitas that I was really freezing my ass off. It was about 42.5 F about halfway up and I was tempted to start peeling off the layers, but when I took my long Wombat gloves off, my fingers turned numb! Was feeling really tired by the time I got to the top so was ready to start down the other side. However, it wasn't much warmer on the other side and going down Kings Mtn Rd with the temps around 43 F and the windchill at [who knows] was making things really chilly ;).

Pescadero/Tunitas via Old La Honda (coastal ride)
Find more Bike Rides in Woodside, California

Sunday Nahoko and I had planned to make a day trip to Bear Valley; making this our last expected trip for the 2008/2009 snow season. We were a bit nervous about the weather, but as it turned out it wasn't all that bad. Quite cold, only sunny for a little while, but considering our (i.e. my) track record with the weather up in the mountains this was a picture perfect day. Got in some great runs once the icy top layer softened. The diamond and double diamond runs on the backside where a blast. No more rocks to dodge like last time ;). Wish there was more time to go (not to mention $$$), but there's always next season. Right now it's ride time...this upcoming weekend though might not be that great (more rain in the forecast).

Training

2009-03-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

Been slow to start, but I've started riding again with some consistency. That riding though has been limited to indoor riding on the trainer I bought a few weeks back so that I can ride in the evenings when I get home late from work. Anyway, made it out to the coast this last weekend and boy it was beautiful. Here's the route I took. Bought new wheels for my bike (Easton EA90 SL) and so this was the break in ride. Much stiffer than my old wheels, which seemed to help a bit, but also rolled very nicely (perhaps my old wheels would have done well if I simply had the bearings repacked ;)).

Here's my route from MapMyFitness.com.

Tunitas Creek Via Old La Honda/San Gregorio (Coastal Ride)
Find more Bike Rides in Woodside, California

So damn lazy

2009-02-24T19:09:00.000-08:00

After several months of really not doing anything active I am paying the price. The last major bike ride I participated in was in October and I had already been slacking off for 2 months. With work eating up most of my time and patience during the week it's been difficult to force myself to stay active.

So while my overall weight has only increase a few pounds, I clearly have gained some unnecessary pounds and lost some good ones ;). Picked up a trainer for my bike so that I can ride when I get home late in the evening during the week and no longer have the excuse of "it's too dark outside". As part of using the trainer I've realized that my legs have lost a lot of muscle that I spent time building up and now have to recapture.

What I'm hoping is to be able to build back that muscle in the next few months and that in doing so the "unnecessary" pounds will go away as the good pounds come back (yeah I'm dancing around the words, so what :P). I'm planning to ride the first century this year in April so I still have a few months to go, but I need to drop about 10 lbs by the end of March and of course get back in that "groove" (the groove should be easier than the pounds).

Time to get to it.

Week of hell

2009-01-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

This holiday season hasn't exactly been what I was hoping for. Though not all bad, the vacation plans I had were canceled and as is typically the case with my work, we were releasing a product once again right at the end of the year; this basically spells stress and lots of extra hours spent at the office.

This last week was stressful starting with Monday and I knew what was coming last weekend so when I had lunch with my father I told him, "this week is going to suck" (to put it mildly). After several late nights till after 9 and one night till 1 AM, the week ended. Of course not without one issue arising on Thursday that had to be resolved Friday ;). I jinxed it Wednesday by saying that things were going pretty much as planned...the joke on Thursday was that if there hadn't been an issue it wouldn't have been as planned hehe.

Glad to see Saturday finally, but I already have some major project planning task to complete for Monday so I'll have to find some time to work on it again this weekend. In addition to this there are deadlines and other dev tasks to complete this coming week ASAP.

Oh well, at least I'm staying busy :-).

Fantasy Hockey 2008-2009 report

2008-12-21T02:59:00.000-08:00

I just had to post this for fun. I'm relatively new to hockey, though I've been going to a few games here and there for years. It's my old housemate that is the huge hockey fan. This year, he invited me to join the public league on Yahoo that he's in. Typically it's a big of a challenge to join the same public league, but just takes a little perseverance by choosing the same parameters including the draft date/time and whatever else. This year it took a few tries, but eventually got in. More fun this way than starting our private leagues where we can't get hardly anyone to join.

So he promised to give me some help in adjusting my roster, adds and drops, whatever little advice I needed without exactly telling me what to do (well more or less I guess he was doing that, but that's what I needed). Though I couldn't always do what he was suggesting because I'd get the details at work on my iPhone, but making changes wasn't always somethingg I could do right away.

When I started I was nearly on the bottom and really sucked. Someone as time moved on, I quickly (and I mean quickly) jumped up in the ranks and point totals. I have been a good 20 points or so in first place above the next closest team (which for a while was my buddy Scott). And as of 12/21, I finally topped the number that I had been eluding me!

Feeling older

2008-12-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

I had a birthday earlier this last week, but thanks to my beautiful girl, I spent it in Vegas! Now for those that know me well, they know that this was my FIRST trip to Vegas. That's right, I had never been to Vegas (not even just driving through) and was somewhat ashamed (considering I went to Chico and the biggest party I'm told was in Vegas). Anyway, it was somewhat last minute, but there was a good deal on flight and hotel and although I pleaded with her to let me help pay, she refused (though she finally caved on my paying for my half of the BMG tickets...that would be the Blue Man Group, always wanted to see that show).

Due to Nahoko teaching Japanese school on Saturday morning, we could not leave until mid afternoon...not really all that big of a deal. The flight in was quite uneventful till he landing. I've been a few flights over the years, but never been on one with the plane sliding left and right and the wings tipping up and down all the way to the ground!

Did the usual, some craps, some poker, whatever I usually do, and also checked out the buffets at the MGM Grand (where we were staying) and the one I had been told to go to, "The Buffet" at the Bellagio. Both were great, but The Buffet was better! The BMG show was incredible as well. I'm so glad we saw it and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to see just one show. Although there are likely other good shows, this one is worth it.

We walked a bunch of the strip on Sunday afternoon checking out the various casinos and shops including the M&M World store, the Coke store, and other misc places. I was thoroughly impressed at just how big this whole place is and it's in the middle of the damn desert!

I was up till around 4 am playing poker and then craps (we won't get into my winning and/or losing :|) and after getting another comp'd beer at the bar while playing video poker (put in $20, get my beer, make $10, leave bar) I headed back to the room where I had left my girl asleep many hours earlier.

We awoke the next morning (Monday) to a rush to get out as checkout was 11 and it was now nearly 10:30...oops! After checkout, we went off to Harrahs and had lunch at the Toby Kieth Bar and Grill (or whatever it was). Now I'm not much of a country music fan, but Nahoko is (probably one of the only Japanese [woman or man] that is ;)) and so she enjoyed listening to the various country songs...I enjoyed it too I suppose hehe.

After lunch, we wanted to go see the Hoover Dam where there would be plenty of "Dam" jokes from the guide. Took the power plant tour, got plenty of great pictures, before stopping by the gift shop and then driving back to return the car. I also purchased a spur of the moment item while waiting in line to buy a few magnets for my collection.....a bottle of hot sauce (only I didn't think about what I was buying and where I was heading afterwards).

After returning the car, getting nearly up to the security checkpoint at the airport, and then finishing off the bottle of water that I knew I still had, Nahoko realized that the bottle of hot sauce was 5 oz, 1.6 oz above the limit....GOD DAMN YOU OBL AND YOUR FOLLOWERS!!! I put it in my bag of liquids and simply hoped they wouldn't realize how big it was, they did. I tried to head back out and check in a bag, but f**king United wanted $15 for the bag. Such a load a bullshit, but what can I do...I screwed up, so I gave the bottle to this Mexican guy who was helping me at the checkin counter. I asked him (in a somewhat joking manner so as not to seem like I'm stereotyping) after he asked me what the liquid was I was checking in, "you like hot sauce", to which he replied "what do you think?" lol. I handed it over and said, "well it's your's if you want it, else chuck it."

The flight out was bumpy up to cruizing, but all in all not that bad. Once in the Bay Area, the weather was really nice. No turbulance to speak of from what I can remember and the only negative was it was surprisingly busy outside! There were cars and people everywhere as we waited for my sister to pick us up.

Well that's about it. I stayed within my budget for losses (as always), got to see where Magatron was hidden and escaped (well sorta), got caught by the TSA (seriously time to change those liquid rules, all someone has to do is just keep trying until they get something through...it's not like they're throwing someone in jail for that tube of toothpaste that may or may not be toothpaste), and finished my 31st year. Happy Birthday to me...

Happy Birthday Nahoko!!!

2008-12-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Yes I haven't blogged for a while. I've been busy (with work mostly, though personally too), sick, distracted, stressed, etc, but what a better time to come back and make a post :).

Happy "21st" ;) Birthday Nahoko. Can't wait to go out to Todai with you tonight (and not because you get a free dinner...we'll go somewhere else to get you a nicer dinner sometime this week).

Bakersfield

2008-10-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

Back in Bakersfield for the third time this year and surprisingly it's quite warm (well not that big of a surprise). I'm back here with my coworker for another bike tour. It's the Spooktacular that I attempted last year and got rained on for the 3rd time in 2007 so only finished slightly less than 100k. The weather this year is excellent and should be quite warm as the morning chill wears off. My previous visits to Bakersfield were in May as I was passing through to camp along the Kern River to do some fishing for Memorial day and again for my friend's graduation from college.

I hadn't planned on attending because I'm picking my girl up from SFO on Sunday morning and figured my counterpart wouldn't be leaving till Sunday morning to go home. Turns out he's leaving after the ride so works out perfectly. Though I haven't been riding so not sure how tomorrrow will go, but I'm going to attempt the Horrible 100 once again and will do my best...here it goes!

Now if I could just get my iPod to finish syncing then I could go to bed!

Bye bye Alex...

2008-09-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

...don't let the door hit your ass on your way out!

Ok maybe that's a bit mean, but honestly it's about freaking time. Truthfully Alex Smith (the former 1st round draft pick of the 49ers) isn't actually gone yet, but after ending up on the injured reserve today and already having lost his starting job as QB to JT O'Sullivan, he might as well already be gone. I'm certainly not sorry to see him go (and will quite pissed if he's back again next season).

The Niners have all sorts of issues, but one of the most embarrassing (IMO) is the amount of money they paid to a QB for being nothing more than the 1st pick overall in the 2005 draft. That may be how it's done, but only in professional sports could that be true. Unproven at the professional level leads to a huge amount of uncertainty. Can you imagine if normal jobs were like this? Get out of college into a job paying far more than the average pay, only to keep your job when you still can't perform it after 3 F***ING YEARS! Wouldn't that be great? It was when the 49ers picked up the option on Smith that I really felt bad to be a fan. I couldn't understand how easily the coaching, owners, etc were just "overlooking" the obvious flaws and inabilities in this kid to be a pro.

Now I'm certainly not a football expert (I know far more about baseball than I'll ever know about football), but regardless of the number of OC's he's been through, any other job in the world other than professional sports and he'd have been fired in the first 6 months (if not sooner). The kid has made $30+ million for 4679 yards in 3 years (Alex Smith on Wikipedia); I'd say he made out just fine, though not exactly a stellar career that I'm sure he'd prefer to have had.

Some other team will probably pick him up as a reclamation project and perhaps he'll amount to something. Maybe he'll be able to have some kind of decent NFL career, but honestly, I think the football world would be stunned to see him live up to the #1 spot that he was honored with 3 years ago... (course he wouldn't be the first)

Labor Day '08 - Lassen Volcanic National Park

2008-09-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

Went off to go backpacking for the first time with my girlfriend on labor day. She had expressed interest previously in going to see Mount Lassen; considering I had never been there myself (despite being in Chico for 4.5 years) I was up for the idea. So we left after work on Friday and made it up to Chico around 10 PM. Had dinner at Olive Garden (apparently she'd never been there and right now is their unlimited pasta bowl so I was "hell yeah, let's go"). Dinner went pretty quick and we were out the door.

Driving up highway 32 into the mountains was really dark (there was no moon) and our goal was to find a place in the National forest and just setup camp. As we got to the forest we continually saw signs saying area closed, no camping, and other things. We did finally find a place about 10 miles from the Lassen Volcanic National Park to pull off and setup camp, but by this point I was falling asleep. I didn't want to drive any more and Nahoko had already been sleeping so wasn't keen on having her drive.

Awaking the next morning was nice (I love those drive and camp trips) and we got going early. Arriving at the entrance gate at 8 AM we then had the issue of not enough change to make the $10 fee and no one was at the gate yet. After finding someone who had change we paid and were on our way.

Checking out the sites on the drive in, including the sulfur vents (cool stuff), we finally got to the trailhead, only to realize we couldn't get the permit there (the Ranger Station that was supposed to be there isn't there). We were forced to continue driving to the other entrance and get our permit there.

NOTE: The permit was self registration so we actually could have got it at the first entrance we came in; I simply was being stupid and didn't realize that fact when filling out the entrance fee...damnit.

Our hike was getting a late start and the trailhead parking lot was packed. Labor Day weekend visitors seem to be a constant problem for me (in 2006 I made the mistake of going up near Pinecrest thinking I could find first come first campsites...yeah right. Still found a spot for dispersed camping (basically pull off the road and camp within the National Forest), but quite a hassle.

The plan:
Day 1: hike from Summit Lake trailhead out to Snag Lake (about 7.5 miles)
Day 2: hike from Snag Lake to Horseshoe Lake (about 3 miles)
Day 3: hike out from Horseshoe back to Summit Lake trailhead (about 7.1 miles)

Actual: see above ;)

The hike in was tough unfortunately. Mostly related to pack issues for both of us because of bad packing or adjustments to the straps, but we still managed. Stopping to take plenty of pictures of course also slowed us down a bit ;), but worth it. There were lots of burned out areas along the way and at Snag Lake it was no difference. The lake was surprisingly low compared to others we had seen. Not to mention every lake was very shallow (like walk out 15' and still be only just above your knees).

Our hike on Sunday was short so we just enjoyed the morning. Staying warm, chatting, napping, whatever, we just didn't really move much. Finally got up, ate some breakfast, and eventually crawled out to break camp. The hike was much more scenic this day. Also saw our first bear scat (gross), but at the time I wasn't sure if it was bear or not...now I know (FYI, we saw several more throughout that day and Monday). As we got to Horseshoe Lake all we could say was "IT'S HUGE!" And quite beautiful too and definitely worth stopping at. Only irritating part was we needed a break and it was another mile around the lake before we could camp (there were signs saying "no camping next 1 mile". We made it of course, found a nice spot and set up camp. Early in the day, but that's ok. Got some rest, relaxed, enjoyed the mountains, and then eventually got up to do some fishing, filter some water, and make some dinner. The night was cold...

Waking up the next morning I was freezing. I had mentioned to Nahoko the night before that I though the view would be beautiful on the lake in the morning early and worthy of a picture; didn't think she'd bug me to get me out of my sleeping bag ;). I did get up, but I was in shorts and TShirt (warm in my bag, but not out of it). It was beautiful and worth seeing.

The hike out took a while and we were a bit tired, but all in all it wasn't bad. More climbing, but still nothing too bad. My feet needed some attention for sure.

Reaching the car was rewarding. It was a short weekend, but very enjoyable. Can't wait for the next one with my love.

:)

That hurt

2008-08-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

So it's late, I'm working (for work that is) and as I'm coming back downstairs wearing socks without shoes I slipped at the bottom of the stairs! Tried to catch myself as I've done in the past when I've slipped a bit, but this time I missed and landed right on my back on the corner of the stairs...ouch! Still feels like I've got this huge knot around my back and chest. Nothing hurts to push on it so no broken ribs. Hopefully my insides are just a tiny bit jarred and not too badly damaged. I'm sure Nahoko is going to say "go see a doctor!", but don't worry I'll go see the doctor things don't stop hurting or get worse :*. Right now it just hurts like stubbing your toe; it takes a while to subside ;).

Ok is my work stuff still running??? hmmmm, yup...

Shasta Summit Century 8.3.2008

2008-08-11T00:00:00.001-07:00

Before the Death Ride Granger had sent out an email at work to several of us asking if there were any takers for this century (an understatement calling it a century) up in Mount Shasta on August 3rd. Looking at the website I was a bit concerned, but said "let me finish the DR first ;)."

DR came and went, time to decide. The Shasta ride has several options, though I signed up for the big one (135 miles and around 16000'). I wasn't really thinking I'd finish, but giving it a good try sounded like fun. The route resembles a clover leave so that if I can't continue the ride back to the start, rather hotel, isn't that far away (well no up hill at least).

The day started at 5:30 AM (well 4:45 waking up at least) with a large group of Granger's friends all leaving together. I knew they'd all leave me the dust (many of these people are double century riders so I'm somewhat out of my league, but still fun nice people). I kept up with them throughout the ride to the base of the first climb, but that was it ;). The first climb was a long one for sure. Not many breaks on the way up, though not steep, you don't get that many opportunities to rest up...so just keep riding! It was starting out to be a beautiful day and the climb at that hour was wonderful. The scenery matched with the weather and the sunrise was making for an excellent morning ride.

The climb took a while given the distance, but the descent was fast and fun (though some nervousness in avoiding the many pot holes that fortunately were marked well, but anything in the shade I had a hard time seeing). No cramps, no issues, no problem...on to climb 2. Climb 2 took a long time, but again incredible views. The temps were still ok though going up as the day progressed. There's a rest stop 5 miles from the top that I definitely needed in order to eat a bit more, but all in all wasn't feeling bad...still no cramps. I'd started popping enduralites from within the first 45 minutes...hmmm, maybe it works. I had considered turning around and heading for the 3rd climb so that I would have time to make the fourth climb that goes up Mount Shasta itself, but couldn't resist the last 5 miles up this hill. There are a few very steep sections that really get your heart going and your legs burning so it takes some pushing to keep going, but not too bad really (it doesn't go all that long really). Saw Granger and several other members of the morning group shortly after leaving the mid rest stop so knew I wouldn't likely see them again till the end of the day.

Resting at the top enjoying a soda (gotta love regular soda when riding...I always drink diet so regular is a nice treat) a PCT thru hiker came through. Cool! PCT = Pacific Crest Trail that goes from the Mexico border to the Canada border. It's a long hike ;); see here for more details. He'd been out since April I think he said so needless to say he was a bit dirty, but definitely has my props giving my longest trek was 7 days...inspiring!

Left for pass 3 and got there relatively quickly. The climb was only really any challenge for the first 2 miles then it just goes on and on for a while longer, but not bad. Again the scenery was wonderful! This ride was worth the drive (aka money) to go up just for the scenery alone. The top of the 3rd climb was this lake that honestly looked very inviting. I considered jumping in, but opted against it...next time!

I left after 20 minutes (I was just relaxing) and decided to see how long it'd take me to get down before decided to go for the last climb. Needless to say I was already at 94 miles at the top of the 3rd climb so it was already going to be a century by the bottom of the hill so it was a good day no matter what. As I got to the bottom it was clear that I wouldn't make the top of Shasta before dark or at least would miss the closing times for the rest stops. I decided to not go up seeing as it was 5:15ish when I got back to the beginning (first rest stop was closing at 5:30 about 6 miles up the 14 mile ride).

The two best parts from the whole day...
* Beautiful scenery
* NOT A SINGLE CRAMP! (will definitely try more enduralites at next year's DR)

Totals (approx):
110 miles
11500'

Here's a few views from the day...enjoy!

Death Ride - detailed

2008-08-10T23:31:00.001-07:00

OK so I haven't been back to post in a while, but that's because I've been really busy (work and personal life are quite busy these days and only getting worse).

Anyway, the Death Ride was another amazing ride and much improved over last year (so something is going right). I had a plan in place for how I would make the cutoffs and while I was actually slightly ahead of schedule, cramps settled in on pass three (actually at the top of pass 2) to delay my ascent and thus end up missing the Woodfords cutoff by about 25 minutes :(.

Early morning:
The morning began at about 3:20 AM as I awoke prior to the alarms going off and eventually just jump out of bed to shut the alarms off one minute before the whole room was noisier than hell! I had about 4 alarms set ;). The plan was for a leave time at 4 AM and we stuck to it. Myself, Nahoko, and Glenn (coworker) were out the door of Glenn's father's house in Minden at 4 AM and on our way out to Turtle Rock.

Starting out:
We parked a mile or so from Turtle Rock in order to not have to climb this last hill back to the car (in case I did make 5 passes that is), plus it afforded a nice little warm up. Glenn and I both left at about 5:10 AM, only to be stopped at the Turtle Rock turn off about 10 minutes later because I did not have lights. There was plenty of light out with the sky around blue and yet the officer would not let us proceed with the warning that his superior was down at Markleeville handing out citations for those without lights (I have no comment on this :|). Officially on the road at 5:30 AM I headed for the first climb up to Monitor Pass. Glenn had actually left before me because he did bring his headlight and needed to find the mens room somewhere up ahead so I was on my own for the rest of the ride!

Monitor Pass #1:
The early morning climb was a breeze (though there was no wind to speak of)! There were lots of cyclists around me, just as last year, however, this time I was keeping pace with the bulk of the group and was feeling very strong. The temperature was quite nice given the hour and so I already felt quite warm. The first 3 or 4 miles seem to go for a long time for me, though not tough without being able to see much ahead of those miles it seems to go on a while. After making the bend to the left and seeing the open meadow (not to mention the road following up the mountain side further), I felt energized! I charged up a bit more and maintained a great pace to the top, making it about 30 minutes faster than last year (though still slower than the mass majority I'm sure ;)). Total time up - 1 hour 15 minutes (approx).

Descent to HWY 395 :):
God I love this descent! For those who hate those of us who blast down the hill I apologize, but it's just too much to resist :D! I think I was averaging about 38 MPH (though hard to tell), but quite often was over 45 and maxed out at 52 MPH :D! This year I noticed a significant fewer number of riders already climbing back up as I descended.

Monitor Pass #2:
The first 4 or 5 miles are nothing (basically back up to the "water boys") and just take some time to grind out (though there were some people already falling victim to the climb). I was feeling terrific and so energized that I just kept finding reasons to push just a tad more (likely to be my downfall at the top of the climb). About 2 miles or so from the top, I had just slowed down to get my heart rate down a bit and I hear someone say something in my direction. I turn...it's Granger (my other friend on the ride)! Granger is a very strong rider and had started some time after me, but of course managed to catch up anyway ;). He was surprised at my current position, but of course there was a long way to go overall. I sped up for just a minute to chat, but he was focused on his ride as I should be too so I said to enjoy the ride and backed off. No stops again on this climb. Total time - 1 hour 35 minutes (not sure how I was able to make up so much extra time, but that's 1 hour better than last time).

The descent down monitor west wasn't much to speak of, but before leaving the top I had to get some help from the REI guys to get some dirt and rocks out of my Speedplay cleats and in the process was bending my leg in a very weird position and got a huge cramp...let the troubles begin :(.

Ebbetts Pass #1:
With the cramps that I felt first on the top of Monitor I knew Ebbetts was going to be a long ride. I slowly rode my way up to the first rest stop about 8 or 9 miles from the top. I needed to refuel and stand in the bathroom line so I spent more time than intended, but that's ok, my leg needed it ;). My ride continued with some strain, but it wasn't until about 3 miles from the top that my leg started giving out and I was feeling dizzy. It wasn't super hot, but hot enough that riding in the direct sun was taking it's toll. I should have been popping the eduralites much more often. I was only about a 1/4 mile from the top when I had to stop again because my leg cramped up to the point that I couldn't move my leg let alone peddle. It was at this time that Granger passed by going the other direction seeing me standing there stretching (he figured I cramped up...good guess). Got to the top without much more effort and then looked around for Nahoko. No Nahoko found..."did she go over to the other side?" is what I was asking myself.

I went ahead and started my ride down to Hermit's Valley. Close to the bottom I saw Nahoko (also saw Glenn closer to the top)! She was on her way back up and looked like she was doing welll.

Ebbett's Pass #2:
I stayed a while at Hermit's Valley to cool down. The weather was nice, not too hot and not too cool, and there was still a Pepsi left! Had I left about 30 minutes sooner I might have actually made the Woodfords cutoff, but that's ok. Not much happening at Hermit's Valley seeing as most people had already moved on. I started out and quickly was on my own (again not many riders by this point).

As I was climbing a few people came by and passed along with me passing a few people. On the way up, closer to the top, I heard the thunder crash! I looked up and couldn't believe my eyes; dark clouds, much cooler temperatures, and me thinking, "not again." Arriving at the top, there were the people wearing big garbage bags and the ground was somewhat wet. The guy at the top was warning us to be careful on the descent because it was slippery. All I could think was, "why me??" I have such bad luck with weather and cycling. Had 3 rides last year in the rain, hail, and snow, not to mention near freezing temps average on most of the ride while in Tahoe in September (I missed the snow fortunately, but it was snowing on parts of the ride). I started down the hill...

It quickly started sprinkling and then it started coming down harder! As I was passing the rest stop I saw Nahoko standing there in her own garbage bag :) (so cute). Her brakes weren't working all that well and she was VERY cold. She had decided she couldn't go on, but still 3 passes! COOL! She and others were catching a ride back to Turtle Rock. I told her I wasn't going to attempt 5 passes (though my cramps were COMPLETELY gone following the cooler temps) due to not having enough time. Being the sweet guy that I am I told her I'd go back to the car (her car), get the car, and pick her up at Turtle Rock.

Shortly after I left her, the heavens OPENED UP! It was like the Tierra Bella in Gilroy 2007 all over again! It was coming down so hard that there was a thick layer of water on the road and I could barely see anything let alone potholes (I didn't hit any fortunately). It was actually hurting (besides freezing my ass off) so I wondered if there was hail, but I couldn't see any. Later I was told it was definitely hailing that some could see it bouncing off the road. The lunch stop was kinda funny, I was going to stop and grab a sandwich, but as hard as it was raining, everyone was huddled under the canopy. I laughed, got some water (could have just opened my bottle and held it up ;)), and rode off. I kept it at a reasonable speed due to the rain still falling hard, but it let up after about 3 miles and then I started flying! It felt great! Disappointing that I was so late because I felt like hitting that 5th pass, but no time available :(.

Passing Turtle Rock was a great feeling and as I arrived back at the car that sense of accomplishment settled in (if only accompanied by a bit of disappointment from not completing all 5). I got cleaned up (in the rain that had started to fall there now too) and started driving to to Turtle Rock (remember we parked a mile or so before it).

When I found Nahoko she was very worried about me (so sweet :*) because it was taking me a while, but honestly I was moving pretty quickly, but she had been waiting a while because of getting a SAG back.

Conclusion...
It was a great ride of which I had already forgotten how bad it hurt. I was already thinking about the next year's ride by that evening. The plan of attack is definitely improved once again so I'll be more prepared both in training as well as during ride electrolyte intake (a big issue I think). Till next year...

Death Ride 2008 - post

2008-07-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

It's over! I'm done! Unfortunately did not complete the entire ride :(. It was a great ride with beautiful weather, smokeless skies (for a change), and relatively mild temperatures. The day was an early start with us starting our ride at about 5:20ish (the cops wouldn't let those of us without headlights continue...despite the skies already being blue and plenty of light to see outside).

Will have to post an official ride report as soon as I have time, but here's the summary...

Completed 4 of 5 passes
92 miles (approx)
11000' elevation gain (approx)
9 hours actual riding time (approx); same as last year, but with one additional pass
Rain, hail, and lightning from the top of pass 4 back to the car
Temps seemed to be in the mid to upper 80's, but not certain

And Nahoko finished an amazing 3 passes!!! She skipped pass 2, thus not going down that 9 miles to 395 from the top of Monitor (at the advice of myself and Granger) and instead turned around after climbing Monitor 1 and headed for Ebbetts to climb pass 3. She decided to be brave apparently at the top of pass 3 and headed down the backside of Ebbetts to climb back up pass 4 (once you're down there, there's little choice but to climb back up, unless you want to ride on the back of a motorcycle while holding your bicycle). She made it back up to the top and was being rained on all the way to the next rest stop. I'm so impressed :). Way to go dear!!!

Another writeup to come...

Death Ride 2008...pre

2008-07-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

well its here and I'm as ready as I could do for this round 2. Its been a while since my last post so some quick updates. Completed the Sequoia century in June and did ok i thought. Been riding as much hills as I could and so far its seems like I'm ok. Hike my tallac again three weeks ago and two weeks ago was up hiking half dome again. Harder on HD for some reason due to some knee prob (fortunately my knee seems ok when riding).

As for my status my weight is at 190, about 5 lbs less than last year. Though 15 lbs MRE than I wanted for the DR I'm much stronger this year. So technically I might actually be quite close to the goal in trms of bad weight.

All is ready and te for sleep. More to come on Sunday!

Strawberry Fields Forever [metric] Century

2008-05-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun on last year's SFFC that I had to go again. I had planned to ride the century (as in the real century), but because I had asked Nahoko to join me, we did the metric century instead. Course I should be riding as many centuries as possible before the DR in oh, less than 2 months, but I enjoyed riding with her :). It was really exciting to see how well she did! Way to go dear!!!

Let's start off by saying it was a bit chilly on Sunday (the 18th) morning and seeing the fog, including driving through it, as we made our way to Watsonville was a bit discouraging considering neither of us really brought that much extra clothing. Granted I had knee warmers and arm warmers, without long finger clothes I'd have been numb. We both had long sleeves on (well I had arm warmers on) for the first stretch to the rest stop, but after that it was down to short sleeve jersey's (we had skipped the leg warmers and/or tights when we left the car so shorts was all we had on the bottom half).

The first "climb" of the day as we made our way out was fun. I tried to get a bit more out of it so I upshifted and then alternated between standing and sitting. I have found that forcing myself to stand has really increased my endurance for doing so. While I still tire relatively quickly compared to some, I notice a significant improvement over last year (thank god because that was embarrassing at last year's DR when even standing up, I couldn't make the bike move any more trying to go up the 3rd pass).

First rest stop was a bit busy, and the coffee line was long (but I wasn't going to miss my coffee). Nahoko didn't want to wait for me :(, so she took off, with the expectation of me to catch up at some point. What I thought was only about 15 minutes of lead time for her, must have been more like 30 because it took me just under an hour to catch her and I was moving a lot faster than she was (not that she was moving slow I just was working it hard to try to catch up) and she even stopped a few times to take pictures. I was glad I caught her because Tustin Rd was coming up soon ;).

As we got to the bottom of the hill on Tustin Rd I told her to take it slow and not to push anymore than she could do. With that I took off and road to the top (amongst all those pushing their bikes up..yes it's that steep). The only relief in climbing that (I'm still weak, that climb hurts) is that it's very short, but someone said it peaks somewhere around 18% (don't have a way to verify that though). As I neared the top, there was LOTS of people catching their breath and I'm sure a good portion had walked and still had to catch their respective breaths.

Then as I was waiting for Nahoko on the top, I saw something amazing! Nahoko was riding! And getting close! As I watched her struggle up the hill, I started thinking to myself, oh please don't tip over. I don't know how fast she was going, but it wasn't that fast....who cares she was still pedaling! With that she finished and made it to the top! So proud of her :)...

The day continued on with a nice lunch (not before another hill though that everyone was saying "oh, I forgot about this one" (I was one of them), and head wind into the next rest stop and finish. Nahoko finished her first 100km ride! Way to go!!!

Allergies

2008-05-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

This year is turning out to be a particularly bad year for allergies for me. I find it amusing (somewhat anyway) that I never had allergies as a kid, however, after attending CSU Chico (aka Chico State; as it says on the back of my Tacoma) I now have your typical seasonal allergies like so many others :(.

I will never forget during orientation at Chico when the guide was mentioning the great diversity of plant life on the campus. He said, "if you don't have allergies, you will ;)." He wasn't kidding as I soon found out during my first spring. Fortunately that first spring wasn't terrible, but what I found was that now regardless of where I went (Chico or elsewhere such as home), I had seasonal allergies!

Last year with the lack of rain I had no problems...it was wonderful! Though I would have preferred more water/snow it was nice not to have the allergies for the year. This year is turning into a real annoyance. Yesterday at work was a very long day...sniffling, sneezing, headache, etc, etc...it seemed like it would never end. I finally was able to get some work done, but ended up working till shortly after 10 pm in order to get more done.

With the Strawberry Fields Forever century tomorrow, I'm a tad bit worried. Might have more than sweat running off my chin ;). Lol, I know.....ewwwwwwwwwwwww!! That's what I'm saying :P.

Bike to Work Day 2008

2008-05-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

This week has been bike to work week (actually I think the whole month is supposed to be bike to work month though not sure why May, but who cares), but today was the "official" (if there is such a thing) "Bike to Work Day". I started riding in on this day 3 years ago and that was part of what got me interested in getting a nice road bike. I remember that first BTWD on my mtn bike and it was miserable ;). Now it feels like nothing, which of course is a good thing.

Today was different because I was riding with my girlfriend. We both work in Menlo Park within a few miles of each other and so our routes are the same. Though we generally don't ride to work together because I um, don't need to get in as early as she does (also known as lazy from her interpretation). We made a point of stopping at as many Energizer stations as we could this morning to get some free goodies (the coffee cake was really good, I should have gotten more). A couple of free bags, some munchies, water (for the ride home since we both already had filled water bottles), and of course coupons! Now for a trip to Sports Basement with our 20% off coupon.

What made today even more fun, was the heat. Today was officially a Spare the Air Day here in California and so one or another we shouldn't drive, but riding was a bit hot. At 7 am it was already in the mid 70's and climbing. By the time we got to work, it was HOT! The ride home was going to be fun so I decided to stick around and keep working (Nahoko headed back to San Mateo on her own while I was going back home to Sunnyvale). Despite leaving at 6:45 with the temperature greatly reduced I got cooked on the ride home and walking in the front door I looked/felt like someone had sprayed me with a hose.

This weekend should be fun...we're both riding the Strawberry Fields Forever century (well metric century anyway) on Sunday. I did it last year and it was one of those rides where you might gain weight as opposed to lose it while riding ;). The chocolate covered strawberries (with whip cream) are the main draw. Can't wait...!

To the coast!

2008-05-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've ridden to the coast several times this year already, but yesterday's ride was a bit different. I hadn't been feeling well most of the week, however, still decided to go riding yesterday with Nahoko. The original plan was to ride out from Sunnyvale, up Old La Honda, and finish out around the Portola loop. Instead I talked her into riding to the coast via Old La Honda and San Gregorio. This of course meant riding back Tunitas Creek ;).

Our time up Old La Honda (44 minutes) was a little slower than the previous time (42 minutes), but still ok. I usually do about 32 minutes (give or take a minute), but it's nice to slow it down a bit. Instead I just lower my gear selection and make it a bit tougher to pedal (hopefully giving me a bit more practice for upcoming challenges). Once reaching Skyline we didn't bother to stop and instead just made our way down the west side.

It took quite a while to get to San Gregorio because of the wind and because we just weren't riding that fast downhill. Only a short stopover in SG to get something to eat (most of the sandwiches, actually all but one, were already gone) and drink. Going up that short stretch of Stage Rd was a pain in the ass with the wind in our faces. It was clearly having an affect.

On Tunitas though, the wind was nonexistent (excluding the occasional gust in the lower portion of the road). Once reaching the trees, there was no wind, but it was chilly. One fun thing we saw on the way up, was near the bottom there were some tadpoles in a small pool of water. Thought about bringing a few back with us in an empty water bottle...though we decided against it ;). We took our time and eventually made it. Nahoko made it up without stopping. We only took a rest at key points like the wood bridge and the crest of that fun 1.9 mile stretch.

Nahoko's shoulder was hurting quite a lot by the top of Tunitas and so even riding downhill on King's Mtn Rd was going to be a bit painful, but fortunately it wouldn't require much effort to get back to the truck.

Bacon sweets?

2008-05-08T21:56:00.001-07:00

I'm all about good sweets (even though I know I shouldn't have them), but today I saw something that was a bit disturbing. Even more so was what my sister forwarded me.

Bacon maple bars and bacon cookies (with pieces of bacon actually in the cookies)! Now in all fairness, I gotta admit, I want to try them ;).

The maple bar, courtesy of Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Ore is a bit overwhelming. I wouldn't know what to do with that big piece of bacon on there! Oh yeah...EAT IT!

Recipe for making bacon cookies...thanks to Muffin. If you like cookies and bacon (presumably only considered separately enjoyable), you seriously need to check this out!

I can't say I'll be running to to do this today, but someday...

rice burgers?

2008-05-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm here in the car heading south to go camping and fishing with nahoko and we're talking about fast food. She saying that when I go to japan (now that I have my passport...yes Don I have my passport finally) that I have to try mcdonalds rice burgers! WTF? Rice burgers? Can we at least flavor it with some dead animal ;)? Kidding dear :*...I can't wait to try one.

Hmmm....she's singing now. And wondering what I'm doing on my phone. No I'm not driving obviously :P.

Here we come fish!!!

Long day (plus mountain pass info)

2008-04-27T23:23:00.000-07:00

After last weekend's century completion (only my second one so far after deciding in Feb '07 to complete one) I thought I'd head out again for the weekend and attempt a good long ride to the coast and back via San Gregorio and Tunitas Creek. Well the ride was going quite well, but as I got closer to finishing Tunitas, I realized that certain body parts (specifically one) were really hurting badly. Let's just say I could sit down any longer and still had a long way to go to get home :|.

The original plan was to turn around and go back up King's Mountain Road, but I wasn't able to sit to ride home and so knew going back up King's, wasn't going to happen ;). I took what I thought was the shortest route home heading back for Foothill Expressway and did the best I could not to sit (tough to do all things considered). Total mileage for the day was only 75, but still came out to about 5170'. Actual ride time was slow as always compared the vast majority of serious riders, but not bad for me. After 6 hours and 17 minutes (not counting about 25 minutes worth of "breaks") I was finally walking back into my place in Sunnyvale. It's funny, the more I do these rides, the better I feel, and yet I still find myself asking [myself] during each long climb "wtf was I thinking?" I'm sure when on the DR in July I'll be saying that during the ascent of the backside of Monitor pass (just as I was doing on last years ;)).

Speaking of Monitor pass, I had been wondering when the various passes in the mountains would be opening or if they had been opened already. Found the following details that show when various passes were closed in the past and when they were opened. As you will see Monitor pass was opened on 4/9/2008. Sweet! Maybe I will go up there next month as originally planned and if I'm lucky, maybe Ebbetts will also be opened as I much more enjoyed that pass ;). And of course, there's always Sonora pass (yet to be opened) when I'm at Pinecrest Lake this coming August for the yearly camping trip.

Sierra Nevada pass closures

Tierra Bella 2008

2008-04-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

Been somewhat busy and haven't been posting in a while (obviously). Several rides since the last posting including a ride to the coast that included a late night return home. I got a late start when I decided to head for Page Mill and head for Tunitas Creek via Pescadero and thus didn't get home till about 8:50 PM. The return ride consisted of a ton of bugs smacking me in the face and seriously limited visibility, but I made it. Total mileage was 87 for the day with better than 6k feet I think (I forget, will have to check it out later).

This past weekend on Saturday the 19th was the Tierra Bella. I had been waiting for my opportunity to attempt the century again after last year's monsoon ride. Though the route was changed somewhat with no ride up Metcalf, the change was to go up to Henry Coe (quite climb in itself). Started out around 7:10 AM and rode to the first rest stop with my friend Scott and his dad who were doing the 60 K (our routes were the same for the first 16 miles or so). The pace was a bit slow to the first stop ;), but that was perfectly ok as it was fun to get out and ride with them both once again. They had introduced me to this tour back in 2002.

It was pretty damned cold till I finally hit Thomas Grade (the first step in heading for the top of Henry Coe) and so I was actually quite welcoming the climb for a chance to warm up. Seemed like forever when climbing up that hill, but finally made it along with dozens of other cyclists. As the wind picked up while at the top, it was clear how cold it would be on the way down and what was in store for me eventually when riding back to the start.

The last climb of the day was up to Gilroy Hot Springs, which I remember as being quite short...I must have a short memory because it was anything but short (course I was a bit sore by this point too). The wind was to my back while heading there so not too bad. After finishing the loop and heading north on Franklin in Gilroy, the wind showed just what it could do. I was barely managing 6 MPH. Turning west I could maintain 14 MPH, but the wind was constantly knocking me off balance.

What was really fun, was shortly after crossing highway 101, I reached Santa Teresa once again. As I turned south, with the wind to my back, I started FLYING! Generally speaking I'm pretty slow compared to most riders, but on the flats I can hold my own. I was averaging 28 MPH (without any real effort) and for about a min was holding 30 MPH with just about average power output. It felt great to suddenly get the boost of speed after barely moving not long before that.

As I arrived back at the college, I felt really good to have finally completed another century! Considering I tried 4 centuries last year (not including the Death Ride) and was rained on for 3 of them (one being the Tahoe Sierra with the hail and snow combined with near freezing temps over most of my ride too) I was thrilled to finally get the chance to see if I could repeat my 2nd century. Best of all they still had pie and ice cream at the end ;).

CSS formatter

2008-04-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

OK so it's not exactly cycling or hiking, but I'm also a software engineer so I do spend a fair amount of time "tinkering" with new stuff to learn how the hell it all works. Anyway, I was trying to figure out how something on a website was working, but as usual the source (in this case CSS) was quite obfuscated to the point that it was just one big bunched up block!

I had looked in the past, buy couldn't find any resources that I liked, but did a quick search and came across this optimizer/organizer. Quite useful I must say.

Yes it's Friday night and I'm screwing around with this stuff ;). I'm researching for a personal project and had nothing better to do tonight (though I am watching the A's at the moment).

Boarding

2008-03-31T00:08:00.001-07:00

Went out boarding Saturday with Nahoko and Jessica (my sister). We (meaning I) had planned to leave around 4:30 AM, but I couldn't locate the stupid free pass I had from my Tahoe card purchase. I was quite pissed about that, but not much I could do about it. I had checked where I had placed it on my desk here at home, but it wasn't there. Looked under the pen holder and desk clock I had there (they are a bit big so it could be under them), but couldn't find it. I gave up after about 30 minutes and went to bed. When 4 AM came around, I just said f**k it and kept hitting snooze for 3 hours. When I got up, I looked around some more and checked the same spot under the clock; wouldn't you know it, there it was! I must have been so tired Friday night, that I simply overlooked it.

Anyway, everything was ready to go, so grabbed the ticket, woke Jessica up and we packed the truck and left. Got a really good half day out of it. It was Jessica's first day ever on the snow (snowboard or skiing) and although she has a long way to go before getting on the lift she made great strides. Thank god for the magic carpet lift ;).

Not much sun to speak of, but at least it was clear while we were at the resort (oh yeah, we went to Sugar Bowl). It was raining on the way up so I was a bit worried. I had some fun in the terrain park while on my last few runs of the season. Planning to pack all the equipment away and just focus on riding now that April is almost here.

Fingers are crossed for a great season next year... :)