2015-11-04 - Ride to Luckie Park and Walk 3 Miles and Ride Home

Bike: Vilano 3 Speed
Miles: 5.1
Start Time 4:13
Moving Time: 0:29:22
Elevation: 121
Avg Spd: 10.5
Max Spd: 19.2

Avg HR:
Max HR:
Temp Out:
Temp In: 50

First blog entry since 7/19. When I last rode on 11/2 the high was 86 and it was still about 80 when I went out. Today the high was 61 and it was in the mid 50's with a nasty North wind when I started. I wore a thin jacket but my head was cold the entire outing. The sunset was beautiful.

2015-07-19 - To JTNP HQ and Home Through Town in the Rain

Bike: Vilano 3 Speed
Miles: 8.4
Start Time 7:07
Moving Time: 0:45:06
Elevation: 255
Avg Spd: 11.2
Max Spd: 24.6

Avg HR:
Max HR:
Temp Out:
Temp In: 74

My first ride to Park HQ since 5/18. I rode to Park HQ then home through town via the bowling alley. I started in a very light drizzle/mist. By the time I got up to Park HQ is was a moderate/light rain. By the time I got back to 2 Mile Road it was a sprinkle again.

2015-05-18 - To JTNP HQ, home via Stater's and Mesquite Springs

Bike:Nashbar Carbon 105
Miles: 14.5
Start Time 9:51
Moving Time: 1:03:06
Elevation: 504
Avg Spd: 13.8
Max Spd: 35.3

Avg HR:
Max HR:
Temp Out: 75
Temp In: 80

Nice morning ride around town. Almost ran over a large dead rattlesnake on Mesquite Springs. I am glad he was dead becaause I did not see him until the last moment.

2105-05-13 - To JTNP HQ, Home Via Mesquite Springs

Bike:Nashbar Carbon 105
Miles: 10.7
Start Time 10:31
Moving Time: 0:47:30
Elevation: 348
Avg Spd: 13.5
Max Spd: 37.8

Avg HR:
Max HR:
Temp Out: 80
Temp In: 80

First ride on road bike since 4/23. It is a rocket compared to the heavy fat tired 3 speed I have been using since I got back from Fort Bragg (CA) on 5/4. A beautiful warm spring day with a mild breeze. It is interesting to see how strong riding the heavy bike with limited gear choices makes my legs. It really shows on the carbon bike. It is good to be back to it!

The park HQ is finally re-opened. I did not go in to look. The main difference outside is that they took up the red tile from the walkways. Much of it was loose and it was probably a slippery hazard and potential lawsuit on the rare occasions it was wet.

2015-04-23 - A Blustery Ride to JTNP HQ

Bike:Nashbar Carbon 105
Miles: 10.3
Start Time 10:43
Moving Time: 0:56:27
Elevation: 344
Avg Spd: 11.0
Max Spd: 44.5

Avg HR:
Max HR:
Temp Out:
Temp In: 68

A good stiff 10 MPH South wind made parts of this ride a chore. On the plus side I recorded a record on Mesquite Road between 2 MIle and Raymond, 44.5 MPH, far and away the fastest I have been on that stretch. I have been doing 5 mile evening rides around my immediate neighborhood and I seem to have recovered much of my capacity. A longer ride is in order to test this proposition.

The last taillight I purchased came with an invitation to join a group who would have the opportunity to buy the companies new products for $1.00 in exchange for reviews on Amazon. I missed a couple of light sets I would like to have had but finally got in on twe items, a U-Lock/taillight combination and a LED light bar/flashlight/magnetic pickup stick do-dad. They came yesterday. I found that my mountain bike is the only one of the 4 bikes I have here with enough real estate to hold the taillight/lock bracket device which is about 2" tall. This works out as I plan to use the bike to tow my new trailer around town and the rather small U-Lock in combination with a cable will probably make a good locking setup for the bike and trailer. The taillight has 3 modes, one solid on and 2 flashing. It is adequate but not as bright as some of my other lights. It uses 2 included AA batteries.

At first sight I was not too impressed with the with the light bar/etc. device. But after putting 3 AAA batteries in the light bar section and trying it last night it will become my go to flashlight. The light bar really puts out the light. The flashlight end runs on 3 button batteries (included) and is OK. The magnetic pick up capability will come in handy from time to time I am sure. Both ends are magnetic. I think Luke Skywalker carries a similar device!

2013-04-19 - First "Real" Rides Since Surgery

Bike:Nashbar Carbon 105
Miles: 9.1
Start Time 8:42
Moving Time: 0:47:37
Elevation: 253
Avg Spd: 11.5
Max Spd: 30.6

Avg HR:
Max HR:
Temp Out: 78
Temp In: 82

Mild ride to JTNP HQ and home through town. I have lost some aerobic capacity but maybe not too bad. More work is in order. Beautiful spring morning. Bike was shifting poorly when I last rode it an it got really bad this morning. I stopped on Park Blvd. and backed RD adjuster out 1 turn whcih seems to have fixed the problem. The rear hub seems to click once per rotation when coasting. I don't know if it is a problem or not but I will write to Nashbar to ask about it.

2015-04-16 - Stuff

Since I last posted on 3/30 quite a bit has transpired. On 4/3 I had robotic surgery to reduce a herniated umbilical. Life has been somewhat a blur since then but focus is gradually returning. A few days ago I ordered and received an inexpensive bicycle trailer/cart combo to use as a utility device around my home and town. I broke it in by hauling my basket of wash to the laundry room, a chore I did not relish doing by hand wirth my injured belly:

The trailer worked well. It is probably too heavy for serious touring but will be fine for local use. I have a send hitch on the way so I can use it on 2 bikes with minimal hassle.

Yesterday I rode the Ural into Yucca Valley for a shopping. The trip really tired me out and I slept long and hard last night but woke up feeling well this morning. I have been putting off installing the new heat blocking gaskets and flanges for the Ural carburetors I bought a month or so ago. I finally did it today. It went smoothly enough but I cannot start the bike until tomorrow after the sealant has cured to see what improvement if any they make. I called to order a new main jet body/tube for the right carb as the existing one is corroded from having water in it. The dealer that sold me the flanges and new jets (not installed yet) did not have the part. I called another dealer in Florida and he happened to have one left. I bought it along with new stainless Allen screws to replace the cruddy Philips screws on the carbs. He suggested the left carb may be running rich because I have lost the "needle jet" which sits at the top of the main jet body. It makes sense. Tomorrow I will take the top off to see if it is in there or not. If it is gone it may be impossible to find a replacement. I may have to get new carbs.

In other news, the weather has been very pleasant. We had a hot period 3 weeks ago and I got new pads and got the swamp cooler going but have not used it much lately. The is the earliest I have ever needed it here.

2015-03-30 - JTNP Park HQ and Home Through Town with Daniel

Bike:Nashbar Carbon 105
Miles: 9.8
Start Time 5:00
Moving Time: 1:00:09
Elevation: 265
Avg Spd: 9.8
Max Spd: 27.7

Avg HR:
Max HR:
Temp Out: 73
Temp In: 78

Evening ride to park HQ and home through town with Dan. I seem to have lost the photos I took.

2015-03-27 - Hike From Palm Springs Tram to San Jacinto Peak and Return

Bike:Walk
Miles: 11.6
Start Time 10:30
Moving Time: 6:00:00
Elevation: 2500
Avg Spd: 9.2
Max Spd: 21.3

Avg HR:
Max HR:
Temp Out:
Temp In:

Daniel and I left home at about 8:15 and arrived at the tram station a little before 10:00. We missed the first car at 10:00 but got on the 10:10. The crowds were light and we had a pleasant ride to the top (some photos are tno sharp due to a slow phone camera and the tram cars rotation and swinging:

After I found the Pepsi machine and got my morning soda fix we started walking at about 10:30 and after a brief stop at the ranger station to fill out a permit form entered the wilderness. The 4 hour walk to the summit was fairly rigorous foo my old carcass because of the persistent climb and long sections of slippery snow and ice:

After a short interlude on the summit we started down. I was concerned about traversing the snow sections before they turned to solid ice for the night:

We left the summit at about 3:15. The summit is a steep pile of large granite blocks with snow on and around them and I had to be careful coming down the first 50-100 feet. Once we got back to the trail the going was not bad and the snow sections were softer than they were in the morning. I did slip and fall down a couple of times but had soft landing in both cases. Shawn, a guy Dan had struck up a conversation with at the bottom of the tram was on the summit with his girlfriend and he walked down ahead of me. We had a nice conversation. It was good to have him in front as he gave me clues as to the snow conditions. We arrived at the tram station at 5:40 and walked right into a waiting car and were down and in our car headed home by 6:00.

Shawn and his girlfriend on the way down:

The upper parking lot: /p>

We stopped in Yucca Valley for hamburgers, came home and made a trip to the hot tub and pool and retired for the night by 9:00. A successful day and hike.