Car? What Car?

My brand new bike. The frame on
the old one broke at the seatpost.

On Day 49, April 11, the car-free streak ended. I drove! But a new one has begun, and it is at day twenty-one. So I've used my car only once in the last 70 days. Sometimes I think how I am wasting money on insurance and all while not using the car, but that doesn't make sense because I would be spending a lot more if I was using it. I'm going to have to go somewhere like the Sierra anyway. A compromise.

Midpeninsula Region Open Space District - Criminal Thugs

The bicycle-hating arrogant bastards that run MROSD actually assess a penalty of $192 for failure to wear a helmet. No warning ticket, either. Figures they drive around in giant carbon-spewing trucks, of course they hate bikes!

The 4th Annual Big Ride - Oct. 14, 2018

Chris Hayward and Chris O’Connell led the 4th Annual Big Ride on October 14th on behalf of the Sequoia Audubon Society. They were joined by Naomi Goodman and Genna DeVries. Rob Furrow, who established the event, recently relocated to Davis but we carried on in his stead. There is definitely a lot more birding than biking on this ride. I call it the little Big Ride because we only cover 11 or so miles in 9 to 10 hours. But it grew out of our sister event – the Big Sit™ – which takes place on the same day. Regardless of the name, it is always big fun. It is also a fundraiser for Sequoia and more information can be found here: Big Sit/Ride Donation.

Red-shouldered Hawk

We started at daybreak at Gazos Creek Beach (and I started well beforehand at a pitch black campsite over 10 miles away and high up in the hills - more on that later). There were quite a few birds moving about on the water: cormorants, loons, murres. A Ring-billed Gull (rare for the coast) was at the edge of the large gull flock on the beach. The least expected bird was a Dunlin poking around near the creek mouth. A Red-shouldered Hawk made its presence known. Among the humans, a couple of men who apparently slept on the beach argued. The local tracking club was meeting here at 8am so it was good to see varied humanity likewise appreciating the natural world. But as the trackers gathered, it was time for us roll on over to Gazos Creek Road.

We slowly cruised up the lush riparian habitat, stopping for stretches as we scanned flocks of insectivores. We had great looks at Townsend’s Warblers, and there were dozens of them. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any uncommon warblers, and couldn’t even find a Yellow Warbler. Nor were there any Orange-crowned Warblers on the day. But given the great bird activity, it was hardly disappointing.

At one of our stops, after a while Naomi noticed a bird that had some red on its breast. The rest of us were able to get on it although never with great views. It was wet and must have flown up from the creek after bathing. Rose-breasted Grosbeak! That was probably our bird of the day as far as the rarities. While spending a lot of time here among the plethora of birds, we heard a long calling Northern Pygmy Owl. A Red-breasted Sapsucker flew across the road and a couple of Black-throated Gray Warblers were active.

Did I mention that some people are saying the bicycle may turn out to be the greatest invention ever. And not just any old people. Get Rich With Bikes  And you know, binoculars ain't bad, either. (Complaining about things nets us 4.)

As we continued up Gazos Creek Road, we split off onto Cloverdale Road and moved into the grassland habitat. We also had to move up our biggest hill of the day. It is steep in parts but it must be only about 1/3 of a mile so no one cracked. Here we saw American Kestrel, bluebirds, blackbirds, sparrows and a few Wild Turkeys got chased by the hounds when trespassing near the domesticated birds’ pen.

Greater White-fronted Geese

We carried on into the quaint town of Pescadero, enjoying a break and a snack at the old country store. Then it was onto Water Lane and the backside of Pescadero Marsh. We poked around and headed west up Pescadero Creek Rd. to the well-known and oft-flooded field next to Butano Creek that has featured many great birds over the years. This spot will dry up due to the dredging project underway. But on this day, 20 Greater White Fronted Geese were in the creek right near the road when we spotted them, and they saw us see them, so they flew up in a flock and into the famous field about 100 yards away, foraging for the next couple of hours (They were still there on my way back to the camp later.)

We birded the marsh, and scoped the coast. We heard Virginia Rails calling to each other. We saw Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, and Common Merganser in a marsh pond visible from Pescadero Creek Road. The coast offered us obligate birds such as Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, and Surfbird.

The final tally came to 102 species, which includes Western Screech Owl which I heard at my campsite the morning of the ride.

For me this was more than just a (little) big ride. It was epic, if only for Olmo Fire Road. I took pumpkin weekend and the Big Ride as an opportunity to ride my bike from home and camp out at Butano State Park. I would camp both the night before and the night of the ride. I loaded up the bike and headed for the hills, and there is no shortage of hills to climb to get to Pescadero. In my case, the main obstacle was Kings Mountain Road, an awesome, beautiful climb. I love it. (You have to take Greer Rd and cut through the park though to avoid Huddart Park traffic.)

It wasn’t enough to merely camp. I stayed at the trail camp over 5 miles in, and up. Bicycles are not allowed on any hiking trails but they are legit on the fire roads and there are two of them: Jekyll and Hyde! Butano Fire Road is an often smooth, generally consistent gradient that goes for about 5.7 miles to the camp (the last half mile is flat or a little downhill – the first 5.2 are uphill).Olmo Fire Road, on the other hand, is a nightmare with many steep ups, too many downs and some super-challenging terrain. It took me over ninety minutes to get to the camp taking Olmo and less than an hour via Butano Fire Road.

Butano Trail Camp tent setup

I made the mistake of ascending Olmo with all my gear, including more than a gallon of water. There is some extreme gradient on gravel and pushing a bike up there with 35 pounds of cargo on the back… (It was totally back-heavy. I needed even just a small back pack to put like 25 pounds in and it would have made a huge difference)  When I stopped from exhaustion, I kept hearing a symphony of distant drums. I realized that was just maximum heart rate. But it didn’t kill me, and it definitely made me stronger. Getting up Olmo Fire Road was like a 100 workouts and boy did I sleep long and well that night. It made my trek up the sublime Tunitas Creek Road on the way home feel like a walk in the park.

Butano Park trail campsite #6

We have great biking and birding in the county and I took full advantage of it this past weekend. Stage Road is about the most beautiful road in the world you could hope to bike on, or at least it strikes me that way. And I got to go the full length round-trip. (On my way home, I spent 20 minutes checking on the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker site at 1655 Stage Rd. but to no avail.)

Here's looking forward to the 5th Annual Big Ride next year. We'll just have to make sure it's not on a pumpkin-crazed weekend.

I am just realizing, or perhaps remembering, how much I love REM. I love REM. They are wonderful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmsCf6GpR1E

Still Alilve

Photo taken July 1, 2009.

Hi world. I am still alive, and still have no car. I have been on my bike(s) pretty much every day. The weather is good.

I rode 200 miles on June 20th. It was the Annual Terrible Two Double Century ride.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I am selfish. And make more than enough money to get by. Now is the time to give some away: "charity", year-end giving. This is how it has worked lately for me now that I get the tax break. Oh it's the end of the year, I have to give some $$$. So I have been looking for eligible entities and came across this which is nice because Wikipedia sure has helped me along the way.



There is also the reliable, non-controversial human rights groups. These groups are really effective and help individuals a lot.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

You can also give and not get a tax break to groups like this:
San Francisco BICYCLE COALITION
INT'L COMMITTEE of the RED CROSS

Give AND avoid the crass commercialization that defines the contemporary holiday.

Kings Mtn and Bear Gulch West

OK - longs posts like the previous are verboten. Yesterday, I led a ride for the Western Wheelers but not much happened, just a nice, mellow ride, no crashes or anything. It was a C ride, which for me means pretty mellow, although there was some strong riders (i.e. D riders). But as the organizer/leader, I had to hang back. We went from Gunn High School to Kings Mountain Rd, gaining 1630 feet in the 4.2 mile climb. Then it was on to Bear Gulch West, this is a 3 mile road down to a dead end. The end gets very steep and a little hairy. This is a 1020 feet over 3 miles, but the first (or last) mile is mostly flat.

There was a good turnout, around 13 people. The ride started after 10am, so it had time to warm up a little since temps were in the mid-30s overnight. Quite a contrast from the prior week D ride, when one person showed due to the weather conditions. After the ride, I rode straight to work to help finish our project by Christmas (hopefully/doubtfully) and make some extra $$. It was a good ride, and kind of an easy one for a change.

When it ( ) Rains, It ( ) Pours (expletive deleted)

Well today I got hit hard by the rain on my bike. At least not as hard as Gary. But it (mostly) was not about commuting. I led a ride for the Western Wheelers Bike Club. It was supposed to be 50% chance of rain all day and cold. Wet and cold is a real problem on these roads, where you descend for miles, especially if you have Raynaud's Syndrome. By the way, the photos in this entry are all file photos, none from today. Unfortunately I did not have my camera and a lot happened. With my ziploc bag, I could have protected it from the rain which drenched me to the core.

So 5 minutes before the ride, no one is there. Then right at 10, Gary shows up. Kind of my worst fear because I was in demand at work for a change with a large, urgent project. I was thinking - good, no one showed. I'll just go for a 2 hour ride. But he shows, and we decide per his suggestion to go up Page Mill and down Alpine and turn around (we went into La Honda for coffee and warmth), the idea being you don't get too far away (although 20 miles) and if it rains, it is best to be climbing Alpine. So I was glad to be riding with him, after all.

The first of 2 legs went well. I can climb faster than Gary so I took it easy and stayed with him, did not get too hot or sweaty. Then we descended Alpine and my hands really froze towards the ed, being on the levers for 7 miles and having Raynaud's Syndrome (dammit). The coffee warmed them and all was temporarily well. Minutes later, Gary crashed hard turning left onto Pescadero Creek Rd. from Hwy 84 (see map for location). I was aware that he was going too fast. It was not raining but the roads were slightly damp. There was about a bike length between us. He went to the left, his bike went straight, and I was turning left so I just had to veer right (and pay close attention as it all happened). I think he must have hit the front brake as he was turning left - I don't know. He is a big guy, around 210 lbs., so it was a hard fall. I wish I could say he was alright but he never got up. And he had blood streaming from his temple, well not streaming but leaking. He never lost consciousness, at least and it seems the vital organs are all ok. UPDATE: He broke his pelvis in 3 places, hairline fractures, no surgery at least.

The people were great, the first 5 or 6 cars all stopped and offered help. One guy helped me tend to him and deal with traffic. Another woman went into town to the fire station for first aid treatment (they are not always staffed in La Honda so good thing they are on Sunday afternoons) since there is no cell phone service in that spot. (Crash location below).
View Larger Map Another guy and his girlfriend stopped and offered to take his bike and me back to Palo Alto. That was before we knew it was so serious and he needed to go to the hospital. I realized that if you are ever really in need of help for whatever reason and really need something, just put your bike in the road and pretend you fell and the world is your servant. (This thought occurred to me later when I was in severe pain, sopping wet with fingers like ice, shivering, and people driving all around me in the parking lot, coming from a church no less, but no help; they probably thought I was a perv b/c I had my hands down my pants on my warm legs, trying to revive them. But I could not bring myself to feign a crash.) But really, it was a testament to humankind's goodness when our fellow man is in dire need.

I soldiered on. Of course it soon started raining lightly as I climbed Alpine. It was only as I neared the top, 6 miles later, that it started getting really wet. I crossed Skyline for the 6 or 7 or 8 mile journey down Page Mill Road. Pretty quickly I was drenched. I wanted to get it over with ASAP, but I wanted to live to tell the tale so I had one or two frightful moments. I am pretty inexperienced in these kinds of descents, especially in the rain, and just seeing Gary, flat out on the pavement, immobilized, and carted off on a stretcher to the hospital, it was pretty intense. With my fingers glued to the metal levers (and did I mention Raynaud's), they turned to ice, although they kept working. You have to be keen on control, the descent gets steep and extremely curvaceous at times so you can easily gain too much speed to control turns, and with (sparse but some) oncoming traffic in blind turns, one overshot can be the end, or at least severe injury. Well I survived fine, thanks. No issues. It rained so much that it really wasn't first rain at that point, it was 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Once I got to the flats, I was able to generate heat, stop shivering. and feel fine even in the cold rain. Although, I had to spend a few minutes reviving my fingers from, what really seems like 40 degrees, get some heat and blood flowing there.

Then it was off to work. Good thing I have a lot of clothes there: dry shirt, shorts, socks, underwear. That's mostly because we have a gym but also my bicycle commute. So I warmed up, worked hard for 6 hours, my stuff mostly dried (with a fan on it, good thing no one was there). And then at 10pm, it started raining just as I left (Newman!), and it got harder and harder until it was just pouring. My butt got drenched and I was immediately cold. But again, I quickly warmed up with the pedaling and it soon stopped raining for the next couple of miles. But then it started up again near home. All in all, it was a tough day. A wet and dirty day. A tragic day for my ride partner. But real and fun, ultimately. And I feel really good right now. Although I did not have hot chocolate. All the photos in this entry are illustrative and did not happened this day.

I rode in the San Mateo Hills last night with some of the bikeforums nor-cal crew. I also went into San Mateo Pet Supply store to do my duty for the kitties. God knows they've been doing their duty. They are veritable shit factories. (So are we but with plumbing!) This means I rode my road bike to work, which is nice because it goes appreciably faster with less effort. I don't really want to sweat it, but occasionally I'll bust a sprint to make a light or something like that.

Things have been slow at work so I figured I'd venture into the shopping district of Menlo Park. It is a nice little town, too bad so many people have giant SUVs. As mentioned earlier, the firm keeps a bike room stocked with bikes and locks and panniers for employees to use. That's nice because I was not about to bring my $2K titanium road bike into town to leave cheaply locked outside. So I took out the company vehicle. Picked up a pair of trail running shoes [$50 - you don't need to spend more than that (I hope)], some base layer long johns for the cold evening, and a pair of gloves. I checked into the pharmacy to spend some FSA money on first aid kits and ended up buying electric toothbrush heads ($10 off) and some other items. I stopped by the hardware store and got masking tape and duct tape. The stuff easily fit in one pannier. On my way back, I stopped across the street for a photo of the bike.

Then after work, it was back on the bike for a 5-6 mile ride to San Mateo Pet Supply to clean up after cats. I have to take a bit of a roundabout route to avoid ridiculous traffic. Then I rode about to the train station in San Carlos, to San Mateo for a night ride in the hills. Lots of hills, up and down. It is awesome, Marco sets out a pretty nice ride. Their is a long, medium and short ride. The long ride is 33 miles, 4100 feet. The medium ride is 26 miles and 3500 feet. I took it easier tonight. You have to modulate because it is pretty cold out but you get so hot climbing and get drenched in sweat (that happened the week before), but then you descend and freeze and dry off and do it all again.

Adopt Me - Humanimal Connection

I've been cleaning up after the kitties at Humanimal Connection. The cats seem especially happy there, even as it is hopefully a waystation on their path to permanent homes. in their populous cat community, things seem quite orderly and fun but they are also very good with the humans, even reverential. They know who butters their bread. Here are some shots from last night. Click to enlarge.