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Our World Cyclist Friend ...

Thomas, cycling down the west coast from Alaska to California, came to visit us for a couple days. We rode on the Dry Creek Trail. Dara on the left with his Townie. Thomas standing on top of the sign. His Surly Cross Check on the right.

Thomas, Dara, Vern Riding Around Town

We (Dara and I) took Thomas riding around town. Rode from our place, across the historical Lion Bridge (built in 1916), through downtown, then onto the Dry Creek Trail. We rode to the end and back (nine miles), then rode past the Library, McHenry Mansion (took some pictures), McHenry Museum, then over to A & W Rootbeer. It was already dark by then. We order three large rootbeers. Thomas had never drank rootbeer! We took our time enjoying the rootbeer, took some more pictures, then rode back to our place.

World Cyclist Comes to Visit ....

This afternoon, we had a special guest, Thomas, from England. We met through Warm Showers He had been riding his bicycle from Canada to California. Thomas rode the BART to Pleasonton, then rode his Surly Cross Check to Modesto, about 55 miles, in only four hours! Had a nice visit, sharing stories ..... I am really interested in hearing more about Thomas' adventures with the Mongols, where he stayed for six weeks .....

Riding to Emergency ...

Last night Dara and I rode to the Emergency at Memorial Hospital to get x-rays of Dara's arm. Temperature must have been around 100 degrees when we left home about 4:30. We had to wait at least three hours before they finally did the x-ray. Somebody has mistakenly marked that the x-rays had already been taken, when in fact, no x-rays were done!

We spent about four hours at the Emergency, before we rode home again, from about 9:30 until 10:15. Ride home was pleasant, as the temperature had cooled to about 75 degrees.

Total ride for yesterday = 16 miles

Dara Took a Spill on the Townie ...

I rode into town, then took the bus with my old Switchback to work. After work, I rode over to pick up Dara at his friend's house. We rode from there into town. While riding through the park, Dara slipped on the Townie, and crashed. He hurt his hand pretty good, but was able to ride all the way home. When we got home Dara was complaining about his hand hurting really bad.

Total ride for today = 16 miles

Dry Creek Trail - Lots of Squirrels!

Rode the Dry Creek Trail with Benny. There were so many squirrels out! Benny almost ran over one, and in order to avoid hitting the poor thing, Ben crashed his bike!

Benny rode the entire trail, 4.5 miles each way. I pooped out about half way, or less. Needed to find a shady spot to sit down and rest. All the best shady rest areas were already taken, so I had to ride back towards the start of the trail. Finally found a bench to sit on and rest.

Benny pointed out to me a bunch of squirrels playing around in the trees. They were jumping around from one branch to another! I've never seen anything like that before ...

I took lots of pictures of the squirrels. Was able to get pretty close to some of them. Some squirrels were standing perfectly still ike a statue. Others were dragging their bellies on the ground. One was so occupied with finding nuts, that they didn't seem to be too worried about my presence.

Talked with some friendly people when we got back to the trail start. One lady had a cockateel in a cage that didn't make a sound! Her two boys were having a blast riding their skateboard down a short hill (both boys on the same board!).

Guy On a Titanium Bike

Went for a ride on the Dry Creek Trail with someone from a new club I just joined. We met at Star Bucks, and just as we were about to ride out, we met a guy on a titanium bike, Gary. Chatted for about 20 minutes, then headed out for the trail ....

We rode the trail to the end and back, which is nine miles. When I got back to Star Bucks, I saw the guy with the titanium bike still at Star Bucks. I rode over and we chatted for about two hours! I'm glad I met Gary. He told me his life story in a nutshell -- how he used to play hocky, ride in bicycle races, and lots more ....

Total ride for the day = 17.2 miles.

Lightspeed Titanium Bicycle

Here is the Lightspeed titanium bicycle I got to see yesterday:

Lightspeed Titanium Bicycle ...

Another shot of the beautiful Lightspeed titanium bicycle:

Biggest Grocery Haul ....

Today was my biggest grocery haul yet .... $195 and about 80 pounds in just food items ... !!! I maxed out my handlebar bag to see just how much it will hold. I also wanted to know first hand just how the bike would handle with the front panniers loaded and the handlebar bag packed full .... I packed 14 pounds of food in the handlebar bag. Steering was wobbly, unstable, and actually scary ... !!! I won't load the handlebar bag with that much weight again!

Recently added an Arkel Big Bar Bag, and a Carradice Long Flap saddlebag:

Call from the Bike Shop ...

The bike shop called me this morning .... Looks like it will take a couple more weeks to get my Trucker back on the road. The wheel has to be specially built and will cost another $43.34. So, I had to call the person who rear-ended me and ask them to go back to the bike shop and pay the additional cost for building the wheel. They agreed to that. Thank God ...!

The wheels for my LHT were specially designed for my bicycle. I'll have to settle for a black rim, instead of silver.

Off to the Hardware Store ...

Yesterday, I rode the Townie to Home Depot. Picked a variety of hardware so I can put together some kind of brackets to install lights and reflectors on our bikes. Short ride of only three miles. Still feels good to get out and ride ....

Morning Ride on the Townie ...

Took the Townie for a morning ride to Big 5. Bought a pair of cycling gloves, then picked up more groceries at Cost Less. I'll be riding Dara's Townie until my Trucker is fixed.

For larger images of my LHT, see my new pages:

My Surly Long Haul Trucker

Back On The Road ...

I've calmed down a bit from the accident yesterday. Took my son's Townie out today. Went to K-Mart first, then Home Depot. Dropped off the stuff I bought, then rode into town to check the PO. Got a money order from Save-Mart, and sent in my order for the DiNotte 140.

Total ride for today = 8 miles. Only one small incident. While riding through downtown, driver in big pick-up behind me was angry because I stopped to allow someone to back out of a parking space.

Just as I was leaving Save-Mart, a guy asked me if he could use my air pump. I pumped up his tire with my Topeak Road Morph. Guess that's my second good deed for the day ....

Bad News - My New LHT Rear-ended!!!

Really bad news ... I had just left the bike shop, on my way to the sporting goods to see if they had some cycling gloves that would fit me. Had rode my LHT about two miles, and a car rear-ended me! I almost crashed ... don't know how I managed to stay up!

I noticed instantly that the rear wheel wouldn't turn, and thought the bike was trashed. The young lady (19 years old) was totally freaking out ....

After we exchanged information, the lady wanted to pay for the damage, rather than go through the insurance. One of the witnesses was nice enough to help me out. He put my bike in the back of his pick-up, tied it up real good.

Took me to the bike shop. We waited for the lady. The mechanic said that the only damage is the rear wheel. So they ordered a new wheel, and the lady paid for everything.

I'm really bummed out, and afraid to ride anymore .... I had my Real Lite on, pedaling about 15mph, in the center of the right lane. It had just started to rain, and the young girl was following me too close, then slammed on her brakes, and went sliding out of control.

I just hope I don't have any more close calls! That was too close!

Lights on my Trucker ...

So many people have asked me about the lights on my Surly Long Haul Trucker. These are the lights that I presently have on my Trucker. I will add more later ...

* Real Lite, 18 super bright LEDs (!!!), two settings (flashing or steady), four AA batteries, 60 hours. Visible for 1/4 mile in bright sunlight, and over a mile at night
* CatEye TL-LD1000 OptiCube, with 10 super bright LEDs, four settings for the upper level (5 LEDs), and four settings for the lower level (5 LEDs), two AA batteries, 100 hours.
* SuperFlashStealth, 2 extreme LEDs, two settings (flashing or steady), three AA batteries, 100 hours.
* CatEye EL-520 LED Opticube Headlight
* Coleman 60 lumens helmet light, three AAA batteries.
* Two blinkies on the back of my helmet, AG13 batteries.
* two 6-mode Bell flashers (each has six LEDs)
* On order, the DiNotte 140 Pro Series Ultra Taillight

I use rechargeable batteries, which reduces the cost for batteries tremendously! Except the two blinkies on my helmet, which use the small flat batteries (AG13).

Rain, Birds, Proverbs ... More Birds

Rode into town to take care of business. After picking up a prescription at the clinic, went to get my allergy shot. Then hit the Dry Creek Trail. It had just started to sprinkle. At the first bench, I rested to eat half of my sandwich, and watch the birds. When I got to the beginning of the trail, at the park, rotated my handlebars so the bar-end shifter won't hit my knees. Seemed to work pretty good.

As I rode into town the rain started coming down pretty good, so I stopped under a huge tree on the corner of the library, and read from Proverbs chapter seven. Next, I went to the bus terminal to see if my Trucker will fit on the bus rack. The front tire was raised up about 1/2 inch. As long as the bike is secure, should be ok. I want to have a supervisor check it for me though, just to make sure! I don't want my new bike falling off and getting crushed ... !!!

As I rode across the Lion Bridge, saw two geese, maybe Canada geese? They were standing on the shore of the river, and were big, and tall. I watched them for a few minutes, then they took off flying.

Raised the Seat 1/4 Inch ...

Also raised the seat 1/4 inch. Will need to test ride ....

Handlebars Adjusted ...

After adjusting the handlebars, not having the problem with my knees hitting the bar end shifters:

Bar-end Shifters Hitting My Knees ...

Yesterday while at Dry Creek, I adjusted the handlebars. Seems to have fixed the problem with my knees hitting the bar-end shifters. I will need to adjust the brakes now.

First Ride With My Trucker In The Rain

Yesterday was my first ride with the Trucker in the rain. Started raining when I first hit the Dry Creek Trail. I was pretty wet when I got home, but somehow survived the ordeal!

I'm getting close to 100 miles on the LHT. Yesterday the odometer read 83.3 miles, for five days riding. Maybe I'll hit 100 miles today ....

Equiping My LHT .. .

Here are some updated pictures of my LHT, with the equipment that I've been carrying around recently:

Night Ride ...

Just got back from another night ride around downtown. Rode a total of 23 miles today.

Close-up Surly Long Haul Trucker

Close-up of my Trucker

Dry Creek Trail

Rode the Dry Creek Trail today. Stopped to chat with another cyclist. He said he might be able to find somebody to give me a ride to one of the charity rides. I rode up the hill at the end of the trail for practice about six times. Almost got hit by a wreckless driver while on my way to the trail. Somebody passed me really fast, then cut directly in front of me and almost clipped me! They must have been going very fast, because I didn't see or hear them coming.

My New Surly Long Haul Trucker

Picked up my new Surly Long Haul Trucker in Sacramento. Dara went with me. He took his Townie. When we left The Bicycle Business, we rode around Sacramento from the Marina, through downtown, then to Discovery Park. We toured around Old Town Sacramento, checking out the old buildings, and the old trains.

Riding With Dara ...

Dara and I went riding around town today. First stop was Best Buy to get some new speakers. Had fun testing out lots of differents speakers. One of the gals demonstrated a set of 400W speakers! Man those speakers really rocked! So loud the manager came over to tell her to turn the sound down becausae he couldn't hear his customers! My son was on the other side of the store and could hear those monsters!!!

I got a smaller set which still rocks, only 140W, but quite sufficient to drown out the neighbors music ...

Our next stop was Wal-Mart to buy a new shower curtain. Temperature got up to about 85 degrees while riding around. We've been having a heat wave for the past few days. Several days in the high 80s.

Today's ride totaled 19 miles. Dara was already complaining by about eight miles. I felt great, and like I could ride another 19 miles with no problem, except my feet were quite swollen, as usual. I really do need to get sandals for riding.

Weather Is Warming Up ...

The weather is warming up, as usual for this time of year. When I rode into town after work, it was 88 degrees! We turned our air on for a bit today. I showed up for the Critical Mass meet, but nobody else was there. I waited and rode around for about 30 minutes, but still nobody else showed up.

As I was riding back home, I stopped and talked with a couple of guys standing outside the Spanish AA building. The older guy has 21 years clean and sober time! We had a nice long chat for about 45 minutes.

Yesterday when I rode across the Lion Bridge I decided to ride on the road instead of the sidewalk. So I watched for a clearing in traffic and pedaled hard. Made it a little over 25mph, but as usual, somebody caught up with me and tailgated me. The speed limit is 25mph, but most people drive around 35mph, or even faster over the bridge. There was nowhere to go, so I just kept pedaling as fast as I could.

I've been doing a little better with sprinting. Today I stuck to the sidewalk as usual. Total mileage for today = 17.64 miles, time = 1 hour, 55 min., calories burned = 578

Bicycling Journals ...

Been catching up with reading journals from the Camel Hippo Tour. Amazing adventure - must read for any bicycle enthusiast! I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures ....

Now I'm back to reading up on Dave's New Adventure. You can download his book, Jackfruit: An Adventure On Two Wheels Through Latin America.

Ordered Long Haul Trucker

Rode into town about 3:40 a.m. so I could catch the Greyhound Bus to Sacramento. Took some pictures just as it was starting to get light, then hung out at Temple Coffee. Rode the bus out to The Bicycle Business. Ordered the Surly Long Haul Trucker. Should be ready in a couple weeks.

While waiting for the bus back to town started to rain pretty good. Had a chicken burrito while waiting. Rained all the way back to Modesto.

Short bike ride today - 5 miles. Total ride so far for this month = 300.2

Close Call ....

Ran some errands around downtown. While riding out to Wal-Mart, I almost got hit by a truck that passed me, then cut in front of me, just as I was about to make a right turn. I called in to report the incident.

Got sunburned a bit. I need to remember to use sunscreen more often.

Commute to Work

Today's commute was good. Left the house about 6:45, and arrived at work at 7:20. After work took care of some errands and personal business. Several jerks on the road were shouting and honking at me. I just kept pedaling and ignored them.

Total miles for today = 12.5, average speed = 10.3mph, time = 1 hour and 13 minutes, burned 399 calories! I'm feeling great!

Dry Creek - Riding With Friends ...

Our first ride for today was to Wal-Mart. Had to pick up Dara's pictures for his school project, then get some medicine and water. Total ride was 6.266 miles.

Today Dara and I rode into town to meet up with our friends, Don and his two kids, Donnie and Athena. We rested for a bit and finished eating our sandwiches, then the five of us rode over to the Dry Creek Trail.

Here is a picture Dara took of me with the huge great dane!

I was riding my old mountain bike and Dara rode my Electra Townie, which will soon be his bike. I tested out my mountain bike on lots of dirt trails. Some were a bit difficult, but somehow I managed to keep control of the bike.

I haven't had so much fun riding bikes in many years! We all rode to the end of the trail, which is 4.5 miles each way. There were lots of people riding the trails, jogging, lots of kids and adults, dogs, people playing golf and frisbee golf.

Total for the day was 24.672 miles, 3 hours and 2 minutes, 840 calories.

Dara at Dry Creek

Here is my oldest son, Dara, today, at the Dry Creek Trail.

Dry Creek Pictures

My son took this shot of me today at the Dry Creek Trail.

Bike Ride With Son

Had a good ride today with my oldest son. Stopped off at the Post Office. No mail today. Had to adjust the seat on my mountain bike. Then we rode out to get our allergy shots. From there we hit the Dry Creek Trail.

Had to stop again, to fix the seat. It keeps slipping down to slow. I think the seat is fixed ... We only rode about four miles of the trail today. At the beginning of the trail, Dara took pictures of the squirrels, including a video.

Last of all, we rode over to Save Mart and got two foot-long sub sandwiches. We ate 1/4 of our sandwiches inside the deli, then rode home.

The temperature reading on my computer registered at 80 degrees! We're just about at the end of the wet season. My sinuses are reacting to all the flowers and blossoms that are blooming all around town. We rode a total of 12.9 miles today.

Big Grocery Haul Today ...

Rode into town to check my PO box. Received the Oregon bicycling maps from ODOT! I'm excited about researching the Pacific Coast tour, and planning out my trip ....

WINCO was having a special on pizzas, two large for the price of one. I wasn't sure if I could figure out how to tie the pizzas onto my bike (was already full with lots of groceries), but I figured it out.

Had a nice chat with another cyclist. His father used to live on the Oregon coast, can't remember which town ... The guy told me that he remembers lots of cyclists coming through the town.

My legs are getting stronger, and my back didn't hurt today while riding with a heavy load. So, I guess all this training is paying off!

Rode 13.982 miles today. Average speed 9.5mph. Riding time 1 hour and 28 minutes. Burned 452 calories.

Short Ride Today - 8.32 Miles

Had a short ride today, only 8.32 miles. Stopped by the Post Office to check my PO box. Received my book, "Bicycling The Pacific Coast!" Went to the library to get some books for Dara. He asked me to find some books on super heroes. Tried to find Larry, but didn't see him there.

Rode around downtown for a bit to add a few extra miles, then went back home. Got a picture of the biggest tree I've seen in Modesto yet! The tree looks like it might be around 500 years old!

Dry Creek Trail Pictures ...

PO, Sub-sandwich, Grapefruit and Ducks ...

Today was full of events .... Had a good ride around town and on the Dry Creek Trail. Left home around 12:30, and rode into town to thet Post Office to check my PO box. Nothing interesting. Then I rode over to Save-Mart to get my favorite sub-sandwich -- wheat bread with turkey and pepperoni jack cheese with all the vegies. Rode to the north side of town to check out Sports Authority. Stopped off at Barnes & Nobles first. Picked up a map of Oregon. Ate part of my sub-sandwich outside of Barnes & Nobles.

Then browsed the sporting goods. Lots of good stuff. Will have to wait till I get my tax return. Bought three pairs of shorts, on sale for only $7 each! Went back to Barnes & Nobles and ate a quick snack of chocolate and fig bars. While resting pastor Rick came out of Star Bucks with his coffee. We exchanged greetings briefly. My thermometer read 80 degrees before I left to ride back into town.

As I rode back to town, I decided to hit the Dry Creek Trail to get in a few more miles. Before I hit the trail, I rode up some of the steep hills several times. While riding around, I noticed a tree with good looking fruit. I stopped and asked the guy if I could have some of the fruit (grapefruit). He gave me enough to fill my backpack! While riding around before I hit the trail, it felt like there was something wrong with the rear wheel. When I stopped to check, I noticed my backpack was hanging over the edge of my basket, about to fall off! The grapefruits were rolling back and forth, which was causing my bike to wobble. That was funny!

I continued riding around looking for more hills, and noticed the biggest tree I've seen around town. Looks like an oak tree that must be around 500-600 years old! I must take my camera with me next time and get a good shot of that old tree. Ran into a couple of Mormons. I recognized one of them. Stopped to talk with them briefly. We have chatted before ...

As I started riding the Dry Creek Trail I saw lots of squirrels running all around. The must be collecting the acorns that are falling from the trees. About half way down the trail, someone called out my name. I stopped and looked at the guy, but didn't recognize him. He told me that he was one of the clients when I worked at Nirvana. We had a nice long chat. He was riding bikes with his son and daughter. He has 13 months clean and sober.

I continued on towards the end of the trail (4.5 miles each way). There were hundreds of people along the trail -- kids playing at the jungle gym, people playing frisbee golf, walking their dogs, joggers, and cyclists. Lots of kids riding their bicycles along the trail today.

I had to find a place to stop and sit. The only place I could find was a fallen log. I checked really good for ants first! After resting for a bit, back on the trail. Two people riding a tandem passed by. When I got to the end, there was this guy who was repeatedly climbing the hill at the end of the trail. I joined him and we chatted a bit, then I headed back to the other end of the trail, while he continued to climb the hill. He said he usually climbs the hill 10 times.

I need to continue working on the hills .... I'm getting better, slowly ... Lots of people riding the dirt trails with their mountain bikes and single speeds. Riding back I noticed more blossoms than the last time I was on the trail. Two ducks flew right over my head!

When I reached the end of the trail (back in town), the sun had just set. Was getting quite chilly. Forgot to look at the temperature, but it must have dropped to the 40s! My hands felt like they were freezing. I forgot my helmet light, but did have my cheap headlamp on the bars, and my blinkie on the rear. Made it back home about 5:30.

Total distance for today was 26.3 miles! Average speed was 10 mph., 2 hours and 40 minutes riding time. Burned 858 calories.

More Groceries

Went grocery shopping last night with Ben. Hauled home $92 worth of food on our bikes! When we were pushing the shopping cart nearly full out the door, I had second thoughts about getting all that food on our bicycles .... Good thing we brought both of our backpacks!

Good Workout Today ...

Rode 13.3 miles today to pick up groceries from WINCO, $132 worth of food today! This ride was much easier than the last trip I made to WINCO. First loaded trip with groceries from WINCO was 67 pounds, and pretty grueling! My knees were hurting about half way home, so I had to gear down.

I'll be glad when I have panniers to carry everthing. Having to bungie bags hanging from the sides is no fun ....

29.1 Miles Commute Today!

My goal was to ride 25 miles today. I put in 29.1 miles! Left home about 11:00 a.m., and got back just before 3:00. I had to take numerous breaks to rest my feet and stretch. It was raining pretty good the whole time I was out, so there was no dry place for me to sit down and rest my feet.

I rode the Dry Creek Trail two rounds trips, which is about 18 miles, and another 11 miles riding around town. I found a pretty steep hill near downtown which I never knew existed. Rode up the hill several times. I also rode the hill at the end of Dry Creek three times. I need to work on the hills more ....

Despite the rain, today's ride was good. I rode into a huge flock of what looked like robins, probably at least 50 of them. They seem to be attracted to the trees that are filled with blossoms. Saw dozens of mocking birds, some kind of blue bird (not blue jays), a few pigeons, small birds that seem to stay low in the branches of large bushes, ducks flying (maybe mallards?), and lots of squirrels everywhere.

Blossoms are all over many trees. Some flowers are already abounding. I think I even saw a dragonfly. The trail was pretty quiet today. Saw three or four joggers. One person with four or five dogs. Two stray dogs. Three or four cyclists. Looked like maybe four people were playing golf, even in the heavy rain.

I got pretty wet after about an hour. Had to change into a dry sweater, and wear my poncho. By the time I got home my shorts were dry though. I can really feel the miles in my knees! Had to use low gear on the middle ring often.

US Army 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps ...

Another interesting bicycle story:

U.S. Army 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps

Lure of the Open Road, by Thelma Popp Jones

Somebody shared this story of two young women, setting out on a journey from Buffalo, New York to Cairo, Illinois, in 1944, one riding a single speed and the other a two-speed bicycle! Here is the full story for you to enjoy:

The Lure of the Open Road, by Thelma Popp Jones, 2007

Low, Overhanging Branches Along the Trail ...

Had to duck going through these low, overhanging branches!

Total Miles for February

Total miles riding this month = 420.857. My goal for March is to ride at least 500 miles.

Dry Creek Trail Along the River

Riding the Dry Creek Trail near the river ...

Riding the Dry Creek Trail

More pictures along the Dry Creek Trail ...

Dry Creek Trail

Rode 23 miles today. Went into town, then off to the Dry Creek Trail. I rode my Townie on some of the dirt trails! I'll upload some pictures I took later. Got some nice pictures of birds and squirrels.

I tested my Townie on the smooth dirt trail for the first time.

Pacific Coast Touring Journal

I'm presently reading through Patrick's journal of their trip down the Oregon Coast. You can check out the journal here.

Another journal down the Oregon Coast, from Camel Hippo Tour.

Favorite Cycling Pages ...

Here are just a few of my favorite cycling pages:

Bicycle Touring Forums, from Crazy Guy On A Bike

Surly Long Haul Trucker, from Palm Beach Bike Tours

Bike Forums, Bike Forums[/URL]

Ready to ride ....

Bicycle Fever

I think that bicycle fever has hit me! I've been car light for the past year. Got rid of my van last week, and now am finally car free! I've been trying to ride as much as I can, and getting into better shape.

I've been doing lots of reserach on bicycling, reading books on cycling and fitness, and reading many cycling journals. I've decided to try setting some goals .... Short term goal is to experiment with bike camping at Caswell Memorial State Park, which is about 19 miles each way. I plan on camping for two nights, possibly three (if they will allow me to stay a third night).

Longer term goal for a short-distance tour is to ride up to Yosemite for one trip, and Calaveras Big Trees for another trip. Long-term goal is to ride the Pacific Coast from Oregon to the Bay Area.

As I read more journals of those who travel around on their bicycles, I have this itching, and longing to experience life on the road!

Total Miles for January

Total miles for January = 188.194. Need to work harder ..... Would sure be nice to have someone to ride with ....

Back to Work ...

Well, this is the end of our three-day weekend. It's back to work tomorrow ... I have a 6th grade class today. Rode my Townie for a test run today. It's only 6.1 miles round trip. Not bad at all. I made the round trip 32 minutes riding time.