Day Three, 090303 - New Brighton, CA

Day Three Tuesday, March 3, 2009 (updated 3/13/2009)
Distance for the Day: 39.0 miles: Pescadero to New Brighton
Time in the Saddle: 5:35
Altitudes: Starting/Ending: 503’/132’ ASL, Highest: 222’ Accumulated: 1424’
Speeds: Avg: 6.9 mph, Max: 30.1 mph
Weather: Cool, cloudy, little breezy
Expenditures: $101

I got up at 5am was re-packed and ready to roll by 6:15am. I continued up Cloverfield, which the fireman said would reconnect with Hwy 1, and it did. I stopped at Año Nuevo to sightsee, and visited their very nice interpretive center for a bit. At 8:50am, I then passed into Santa Cruz County, and stopped in Davenport to get a sandwich/soda, water and cashews ($13). I arrived in Santa Cruz at close to noon, and stopped at the first bike shop I found on the main drag to get a new pair of gloves ($60). I would’ve gotten new goggles, too, but they didn’t have any with the wind-blocking foam inserts. I found the town library, but couldn’t find any secure parking for my fully loaded trike; I was even given the phone number for the town’s parking supervisor, who couldn’t help me, either. I asked a local shop worker if they could hold my stuff, but she wasn’t willing to do that, but then offered an excellent suggestion: try asking the nearby bicycle shop if they would hold my stuff. I rolled over to The Spokesman, and the proprietor, Tim, agreed to help me out . I was able to leave my bags there, lock up my trike, and walk a few blocks over to the library. Once there, I paid ($3) for 2 hours of computer/internet access, and updated my blog as much as possible. Back at The Spokesman, I got my trike and gear, and also bought energy bars and a pair of wool socks ($25) to replace the cotton ones I decided to throw out because they just wouldn’t dry. Wool has a couple of interesting, very useful properties: they don’t stink up, even after prolonged wear (and I’m talking several days – at least so far), and they dry out much quicker. How nice! I checked to see if they carried goggles, but they didn’t, either. It seems that bicycle shops don’t carry these things. I originally bought my first pair from a motorcycle dealer, so maybe I should start checking with them instead/too. I asked Tim if he knew where a cyclist could get a hot shower, and he suggested New Brighton Beach Park, and gave me a hand-out map that showed the way. With map, socks, and energy bars in hand, I bade farewell to the super-friendly and helpful Tim, and began cycling to the hot showers of New Brighton. Except, they weren’t open. Normally, they would have been, but due to the “high winds,” of that day, they closed the park. Hey Renee: I lied - I do stink. I really wanted/needed that shower, and figured I'd have to do it the hard way, but not tonight - tomorrow morning. It was now dark, and I had to figure out where I was going to sleep. And lo and behold, one presented itself almost immediately! Just up the road past New Brighton Beach Park, was a large, empty gravel parking lot. According to the sign in front, it was not currently being used at all – perfect. Well, it did face the freeway, but it wasn’t right next to it, so the noise wasn’t horrendous. I ate my deli sandwich, an apple, and a pack of M&Ms, and then set up my stealth camp, and got to sleep by about 7:45pm. Unfortunately, I still didn’t have the knack of setting things up right, quite yet, and it rained during the night, so I developed a small pool on the starboard side of my bivvy sack. Have you ever tried sleeping on only the port side of your sleeping bag? It rained pretty hard a couple of times, and was otherwise fairly constant. I did manage to sleep twice for a few hours, but the rest of the time was spent in that place between sleep and wakefulness, listening to the rain hit my bivvy sack, and turning from one side to another to let my limbs get out of the puddle on one side, and to let them wake back up from having fallen asleep, themselves. Had an interesting dream, like a drama, about getting involved with a young couple whose relationship was in trouble, and then years afterwards, meeting them again in Las Vegas, but they kind of dodged me, apparently not wanting to bring up memories of their troubled times. Read something into that, if you dare!

Day Two, 090302 - Pescadero, CA

Day Two: Monday, March 2, 2009
Distance for the Day: 42.0 miles: Devil’s Slide to Pescadero
Starting/Ending Alt 600'/225'
Speeds: Avg: 7.2 mph, Max: 36.8 mph
Weather: Cool, overcast, strong, gusty winds 20-30mph early, heavy-to-normal showers throughout the day.
Expenditures: $31

(Sorry for the lack of fine details on Starting Altitude, Highest Altitude Attained, Accumulated Altitude, and Time in Saddle – I’m still trying to figure out how to work my #@*% altimeter watch and cyclometer.) I woke up at 6:19am, with the weather overcast, but not currently raining. Boy, that Devil’s Slide sure gets a lot of traffic! I packed up all my gear (wet – yuck – but clean, since it was on concrete and not dirt), put my trike on the road side of the concrete barriers, loaded the panniers back onto it, and was ready to roll again at 7:48am. A cyclist, also named Don, stopped to chat with me, there at the top of the Slide. Seems he commutes to Half Moon Bay from Pacifica every day up and over Devil’s Slide. Now that’s hard core! Stopped for lunch at Starbucks in Half Moon Bay at 12:42pm, and stayed a few hours to do blog entries on my notebook (while the battery was still good). I used the Starbucks card my astro friend Tom L gave me + ($3) more to get a sandwich and hot choco drink (thanks, Tom!). While I was in Starbucks, the rain turned torrential for a while, so I was glad to be inside at the moment. After leaving Starbucks, I bought a deli sandwich ($5) to eat later from Safeway. Weather now was on and off rain. Got first call from Auntie M. Asked her to send my computer’s power supply forward to Auntie Elsie in L.A. Somewhere in Half Moon Bay, I lost my biking goggles. That was a pisser – those were nice, expensive, goggles; light sensitive, foam inserts to keep out wind and rain – Demitol! (Oh, you’ll see that “brand name” every now and then in my writings. Listen to how it sounds when you say it fast, and you’ll get the meaning.) I met and got my picture taken by a couple from Michigan. At 3pm I stopped to see the sights at San Gregorio Beach. At 3:37pm I took detour off of Hwy 1 a mile or two into Pescadero to buy more supplies. Oops! Now I lost one of my gloves! I hung them both on my flagpole to dry out, and one of them escaped. They weren’t cheap, either! (Note to self: stop losing stuff.) At 5:30pm bought another pair of lightly tinted sunglasses in lieu of real goggles at the Pescadero general store; also bought some food items ($23). I stopped to ask the local fire department guy where there might be a good place to overnight; they suggested Butano State Park, about 6 miles further inland, off of Cloverfield Ave. By the time I got there, it was dark, but I went up the park entrance road and got to the entry gate anyway, and found out the price was $25 to camp overnight With seemingly no other options, I was resigned to having to pay, so went up the road to the campsites. The road became steep, and it was still pretty far before I got to the campsites, when I realized I lost my new sunglasses! I decided I was not going to lose those glasses, so I went back to the entry gate (not there), and then back out to the road where I last remember having them, and found them on the ground. At this point, I really didn’t want to wend my way back into the park to pay $25 to lay out my sleeping bag, so I just found a wide part of the park entry road, and set up my gear there, instead. And, it was fine – no one bothered me, I was about 150 yards from the street (Cloverfield), so got almost no traffic noise, and it didn’t rain all night (except for a half-minute sprinkle at 4am, so I got a good night’s sleep. Odd note: I was in such a rush to set up camp I never did eat the deli sandwich I bought in Half Moon Bay – my stomach was growling a lot, but I didn’t feel hungry. Go figure. I think I got to bed around 8:30pm.

Day One, 090301 - Devil's Slide, CA

Day One: Sunday, March 1, 2009
Distance for the Day: 24.7 miles: Ft. Point to Devil’s Slide
Starting/Ending Alt 5'/600' ASL (above sea level)
Speeds: Avg: ?, Max: ?
Weather: Early light rain, cool and overcast rest of day.
Expenditures: $5

Well, I've begun(!) My hang buddy Dave, his wife Renee, and daughter Arianne, came to pick me up at my place, loaded my trike and bags, and took off for SF. Our first stop was to The Bistro restaurant at the Cliff House in SF to have breakfast with along with my brother Rich his wife, Dian, and his son, David. From there, they took me over to Ft. Point, at the south tower of the Golden Gate bridge, which I’d decided to make my launch point. Ever since I was a teenager, this was one of my most favorite places to go. I’ve always liked the feel of the place, where the old fort, built in another era, sat beneath the giant superstructure of the world famous bridge, and where the waves of the ocean would slam against the sea walls, sending liquid walls of water even higher. There’s a big chain along the walls that keep people from falling into the drink whose links practically look like wood, they’ve been rusted and decayed over the decades. I think that’s just cool.

The weather, as predicted, was lightly rainy. Another hang gliding friend, Martin, also showed up, and everyone saw me off with hugs and handshakes and many well-wishes. I started by going up to the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate bridge, itself, to get a few pictures. I then began my route south, along the road that goes along the coastline, through the Presidio, past the Legion of Honor, the VA Hospital, and back towards the Cliff House. I made it about half-a-mile north when I thought I’d take a little video of me riding along with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, when I discovered I’d forgotten my notebook computer(!) It was still in the back of Dave’s car, and I had dreadful visions of having to call him back across the bay to bring it to me. Fortunately, Dave and his family had decided to drive ahead of me, back to the Cliff House, to see me pass by, so they hadn’t returned back to the East Bay, yet So, they drove back to where I was by the Presideo golf course, and got my notebook. Dave also helped me take the video I had planned, and then they took off back home for real, this time. If I forgot anything else (and I had), it would have to be sent ahead of me for pickup later on (and it did – my notebook’s power supply!)

I continued south, stopping just before the Cliff House to do a little coastal sightseeting, and then headed out, down the Great Hwypassed Golden Gate Park, and got to Ft. Funston at around 2:30pm. At Funston, I met Chuck, who was very interested in my trike. By coincidence, he had recently become interested in getting one, himself, and I just happened to show up. He told me these kinds of things seemed to happen to him fairly often. By further coincidence, it turns out we had mutual friends: Paul S, a local Funston hang glider pilot, and Alan F, a volunteer astronomer at Chabot(!) Fortunately, things didn’t get any stranger after that. He offered to let me overnight at his place, but since the day was still early, I thanked him for his kind offer, but said I would continue on. And so I did.

At about 3pm, I crossed into San Mateo County, and hit my first big uphill push on Skyline Blvd. – it seemed to go on forever, but I finally crested this monstrously long (but not overly steep) hill, and reaped my reward of high-speed, downhill flight I took a slight detour in Pacifica to visit The Dumps, an unregulated hang/paragliding site, and then to a business section of town where the hang gliding shop, Chandelle, used to be (where I first learned to fly hang gliders). There, I bought a bunch of broccoli and a choco energy drink ($5), before continuing on further south into more of Pacifica.

The rain had stopped, and it was cool, overcast, with light wind, so I stopped at the Pacifica Beach at 5pm to cook up the broccoli using my mini-camp stove and pot with vegetable steamer. Everything worked fine, and in about 25 minutes, I was munching on perfectly cooked veggies. It was getting into the early evening, and was wondering if I should try looking up my astro friend, Joe A (who offered to put me up for the night, if I should pass his way). I decided to try pushing on up Hwy 1, to see how much further I could get. Well, from the south end of Pacifica, the road starts going up, and it was getting dark, and
it’s a winding road with lots of traffic. Slow going, but I was well marked with a flashing frontlight, flashing taillight, and bright triangular rear reflector, so the cars and I treated each other well (didn’t get one honk or skid), and after stopping to rest every now and then, I eventually came out at the top of Devil’s Slide, high above the Pacific coastline. I was pretty pooped by then, thought very little of racing down the long and steep grade at night, and decided that my first campsite would be right there, on the side of the road. There were concrete barriers to protect me from the headlights, and a couple of nice, level slabs of concrete where I could hide my trike and lay out my “weatherproof” sleeping gear (ground tarp, inflatable sleeping pad, bivvy sack [kind of a tent for just a sleeping bag], and sleeping bag). Since this was the first time I’d ever used all these things, together, naturally, they didn’t quite work as advertised, but since it wasn’t really raining, I remained mostly dry for the night, except for the condensation from my own breathing, which was significant. Apparently, however, there was a storm front passing out over the ocean, nearby, and while it didn’t rain, the gust front that precedes a storm front hit, and buffeted me enough to make me wonder if it would push me off the long, steep drop of Devil’s Slide into the Pacific. Also preying on my mind: I covered my trike with the camouflage sheet I brought along for all the “stealth” camping I was planning to do, and was wondering if it had sailed off for Hawaii, or, if it decided to even take my trike along with it. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer, and jumped out of my protective layers in my bare feet in the high wind to hop over to the slab where I’d parked my trike. Yay! Not only was the trike still there, but the camo-cloth was still there, too, though it was no longer covering the trike. I balled it up and threw it in the trike’s seat, and made sure both brakes were locked. Despite all the wind, bits of rain, and traffic noise (against which I use earplugs), I did manage to get a few bouts of sleep that night, and when the dawn came, I felt rested and ready to go.

Getting ready

Let's see...since my last entry, I've continued to prepare for the trip by doing such things as changing the tires on my Trice QNT trike with fatter tires so it will get better traction in slippery conditions. As mentioned earlier, I noticed the drive wheel slipping when I hit sand or leaves while going uphill, so fatter tires should help. *** I've also taken delivery on my mini-notebook - an HP 2140 with an extra gig of RAM (total is now 2GB). I installed the ffdshow codecs on it, and it will edit video from my helmet cam, so that's cool. I like the HP 2140 - it's got a 92% sized keyboard with all the keys in their proper location, the same as a standard keyboard, so I don't have to retrain my fingers to recognize oddly placed keys. Several other netbooks have done weird keyboard placements in order to fit things to the smaller format, and being a dedicated touch typist, they were not an option. One bad thing I notice about the 2140: the keys aren't always responsive to my usual level of pressure, so keystrokes don't always show up. This is probably just me, not being used to the pressure needed. I find if I concentrate on hitting the keys properly, everything works mostly just fine. *** A bunch of other "todos" (pronounced, too-dews) included finishing and filing my 2008 AND 2007 taxes (I had trouble figuring out my 2007 taxes, and procrastinated badly on getting them done); I still have to install an automatic drip watering system for the plants around the house; and I really need to do a test run with all my gear to find out if I can really bring all the stuff that I want to bring; everything from an electric toothbrush, to a camoflage cover for the trike. *** It's nice not having to go to work; I can get a lot more personal stuff done (imagine that). My desk, which was always clogged with backlogged mail is now completely clean; I pretty much stopped doing the hang gliding club's newsletter, and turned the astronomy club's newsletter over to someone else (temporarily) (thanks Jim!) while I'm gone. I even fixed the garage door, and rebuilt an outdoor powerbox housing to replace one that was falling apart. I'm still somewhat undecided about the exact route I'll take, but you can see the rough draft at this Google Maps address. Google Maps is how I plan to show my day-to-day routes throughout the trip. I'm not sure that will work, exactly, but that's the gameplan for now. *** If you are following along on this blog, I encourage you to register as a "follower," so I can tell a) if anyone is listening, and b) if I see something along the way that might be of particular interest to you, I'll be sure to make a note of it. So far as I know, I've only got ONE registered follower (thanks, Debbie!), and I kind of feel like I'm talking to myself. By the time this trip is over, I may be doing just that(!), but I'd like to say that I at least *started* this adventure, a (mostly) sane person. *** One last thing: I am now Skype capable, and can do video calls with anyone else equipped with a computer, web cam, and internet access. How nice! It's pretty easy to set up and use, and except for the price of an inexpensive web cam, Skype itself is free! My Skype name is: doncycler. See you later?

Time Marches Forward

Only a few more weeks before I stop going to work, and I'm continuing to train on my new trike, making 26 mile round trips out to my friend's home in Kensington, or heading up into the Oakland hills to the Chabot Space & Science Center, where I also volunteer. That's a very steep road, rising approx 1344 feet from a home altitude of 199' to 1545' over a distance of 2.7 miles As The Crow Flies (ATCF). That's an average grade of approx 9.5%! As a reference, I can coast in my car at 80+ mph on a 7% grade freeway. Here's a bit of video of flatland, in-city riding along a fairly main thoroughfare in Berkeley, CA...

I'm also looking to buy a traveling computer, and my current favorite is the HP 2140 mini notebook. I have to find out if I can edit video with it, though. It uses an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor and capacity for 2 GB RAM. Ideally, I'd use it to update my blog, do video editing and email, etc.

More to come!

So far, so good

Well, it's been about 3-weeks since I got my trike, and I've been using it to commute to work every day, and try to get in a long or tough ride on the weekends, too. I've been out to Kensington a few times (approx 26 mi round trip with some fairly steep/challenging hill-climbing work), plus a trip up to the Chabot Space & Science Center, which is a *very* challenging hill climb up Castle Dr. (a steep, winding residential street) which required a dozen rest stops along the way. I found I couldn't ride on leaves or sand while going up steeps hills, as the drive tire would slip. My trike dealer, Steve, suggested a wider set of tires for the tour, and this now seems like good advice. I was worried about a slightly painful knee condition I had before I began training on the new cycle, but it thankfully seems to have disappeared rather than get worse, as I feared it might. I hope it stays that way. I had my first "almost-got-run-over" incident, where a woman coming out of a parking lot, yabbering on her cell phone, had to jam on her brakes stopping inches away before she finally noticed me. I'm really going to have to keep a close watch out for these situations, and take nothing for granted. My leg muscles still get a bit stressed after the longer rides, but are slowly getting stronger. I didn't have to stop to let them recover from failure, as I did on my first out-and-return to Kensington, so there's some progress happening here, I think. -- Well, here's an odd twist to my schedule: my office at the University of California's Office of the President has decided to postpone layoff notifications until February, but instead of having to then wait 60 days to the actual layoff, they will *give* those being released that time to do job searching, while still getting paid(!) So, the actual layoff date will be in early May, which is when I would then retire. Instead of job searching, I would do the final preps for the trip, and take off as scheduled (I hope) sometime in late Feb/early Mar. That is an exceedingly generous plan by UCOP - I've never heard the like. Thank you, UC!

I'll be adding more photos and video to this blog, soon, so keep a weather eye out...

Helping the economy...

...but not my savings account! I'm on a total spending spree (whee!) I'm normally pretty conservative with my money unless it has to do with Lord of the Rings collectibles, or, for prepping for this BIG TRIP I'm planning. Here's what I've spent so far:

Price		Item
24.46		OnGuard cable lock
46.94		Ducharme bike alarm
255.32		CC Radio/MP3 player/recorder
161.98		Green laser pointer
215.00		REI bivvy sack
61.90		Bodylastics exercise bands
60.00		Black Diamond headlamp
35.00		MSR replacement fuel pump
50.00		Rubber booties for biking shoes
3767.32		Trice Qnt w/accessories
130.00		Garmin Foretrex 101 GPS
65.00		Convertible pants
$4743.59		TOTAL

Some of these items may not seem like they should go on a cycling tour: Bodylastics? Green laser pointer? Let me explain. I like to work out, to keep my upper-body physique toned. I have free-weights at home, but I absolutely REFUSE to bring them on tour. So, these rubber-bands-on-steroids are relatively lightweight, and I can use 'em to stay in shape no matter where I go - what a concept. I will use the green laser pointer for impromptu star parties for whoever I run into in my travels. (Chicks dig astronomers!) (I wish!)

And here's my wish-list of items I'd like to bring - I'll have to see if I can get it all to fit in my panniers, first, and how much it will all weigh.

Camping: Sleeping bag and pad, bivvy sack, hammock, rope, cord, rainfly, tent stakes, mosquito net, tarp, space blanket, strong headlamp, lighter, earplugs, camp stove/fuel bottle, utensils, Sierra cup, camping pot, dish soap, scrubby, medkit, mtn $$, 6' of duct tape.

Bicycle: Panniers, cooler packbag, cable lock, helmet, flag, cyclometer, water bottle cage (but no water bottles - just use soft drink bottles), front and rear bike lights, tire patch kit and levers, 2-pairs of latex gloves, waterproof rubber bike shoe booties, some paper towels, 3-spare tubes, CO2 tire inflators and pump, compact bike toolkit, cassette wrench, spare spokes and nipples (4 of ea), tire levers, chain lube, spare brake and derailleur cables, cycle alarm, chainmail pack-lock(?).

Misc Gear/Tech: Strong headlamp, cell phone, radio/MP3 player, earphones, AA/AAA fast battery recharger, AA/AAA batteries, POV video cam, digital still cam w/charger, mini-tripod, extra SD cards, software on laptop (Starry Night Pro, MS Office Suite, Adobe Premier Elements, etc.), Leatherman, small binoculars, green laser pointer, multi-color flashlight, bird book, tree book, reading book (digital books?), mask/snorkel/fins, backpack (to carry expensive items), Garmin Fortrext 101 GPS, Bodylastics bands.

Toilet: Battery powered shaver and toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, toothpick, wash cloth, towel, soap, shampoo, DEET, sunblock, moisturizing cream, toilet paper, comb, signal mirror.

Clothes: 2-pairs of cycling socks, 1-pair regular, 3-underwear, 1-t-shirt, 1-longsleeve shirt, 1-long bike pants, 2-longsleeve bike shirts (one heavier), 1-"Cyclist needs ride" longsleeve shirt, 1-pair reg lightweight convertible pants, 1-windbreaker, 1-lightweight waterproof jacket/pants, 1-fleece jacket, 1-set long underwear, 1-pair regular shoes, 1-pair bike shoes and waterproof rubber shoe booties, 1-pair foam sandals, 1-pair water shoes, swimsuit, 1-pair fingerless biking gloves, 1-pair full biking gloves, warm hat, cap w/neck skirt, sunglasses.