I saw a rainbow unicorn.

On November 5, 2022, I wrote that the night before I went to 17th and Harrison for San Francisco Bike Party and saw people I had gotten to know well over the course of the pandemic. I also saw quite a few of the regular leadership from the various Bike Parties – SF, Ease Bay (Yay) and San Jose. When we rolled out down Shotwell I saw old acquaintances and many people I had known on that ride for many years. I also saw a lot of new faces.

We headed up 15th. The ride was slow and at Market one of the ride leaders stopped the group to let cars go by. Some of the hard core of SF’s cycling rebels were managing traffic as the ride headed to Castro Street and returned to the Mission along 18th Street. I didn’t think the route was very productive but it turned out great.

I was behind a couple of girls for a bit. Later I saw a friend I knew from Twitter. I helped the ride at Guerrero. I saw a rainbow unicorn.

I rode with the group to Valencia and we went down 26th to Potrero Del sol. I spoke to many of the same people I had known for ages and we all caught up with our lives. During the ride a person from my geography happy hours said hi to me but I wasn’t able to locate her later. I hung out with “my group” and discussed camping before we headed out.

The ride went up Potrero. I spoke to a bunch of people but it was mostly in passing. Some guy said he liked my Cross Check. We rode the circle in Mission Bay and went on the sidewalk to avoid the metal grates on The Third Street Bridge. I saw those girls again. I also hung out with the cycling rebels again. I spotted an old acquaintance and we all did some catch up.

I followed the Rebels to Market and rode home with a few others. We met a random Canadian girl on the way.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Wearing Their Costumes

On October 31, 2022, I wrote that the night before I had packed the bike at my father’s house and in the morning we left at 7:30. It wasn’t hard because I had organized a lot over the previous four days.

We rode to the waterfall in GGP in 10 minutes and made it to Pacific Heights by 8:10 which meant that we were early. I offered to give the boys their costumes but just ended up putting them in their backpacks against my better judgment.

I went to the cafe and set up the computer at home for work. Everything went fine all day.

Later I went to the school and the boys were in the school’s Halloween Parade but weren’t wearing their costumes which was kind of sad for me. I got the boys packed and we went to Golden Gate Park on the cargo bike via Clay, Euclid and Arguello.

Their mother met us at the ping-pong tables near 8th and Fulton and the four of us got some quesadillas at ninth and Lincoln. The meal was wonderful.

After that we rode to Funston and met up with another family of four– people we’d known for years. We walked with the four boys up 12th Avenue and I followed on the bike. Some parents had a table in front of their house offering box wine.

The youngest in our group was wearing a blue suit to look like the mayor in Paw Patrol and we all thought he looked adorable. He was very good with the other boys too. We walked to Kirkham and came back nearly to Lincoln.

A little later the boys’ mother got on her bike and headed to Alameda via the ferry and I hung out a bit longer with my boys and our companions. After that I took the boys to my father’s house where they quickly went to bed. My father and I chatted in the dining room for a while. He said he had had 20 trick-or-treaters.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Time for A Bike Party

On October 8, 2022 I wrote that the night before I left for the little Chihuahua to get a burrito a bit late. I was in time for a Bike Party. The ride left Francisco Park on Beach Street and headed to Sansom. One of my buddy’s was in a great Skull Mexican outfit. We had traffic issues all the way down Second Street but it was OK. I rode with some people from my neighborhood and and learned that a regular from the East Bay (Yay) was leading. We went to Terry Francois and onwards to 24th Street and hung out at the park there. I saw a bunch of regulars. I also got to know new people from the East Bay (Yay). On the way back up Embarcadero I was with an acquaintance I met at a previous Midnight Mystery Ride. We also witnessed a motorcyclist harassing one of the organizers.

We ended up at Aquatic Park and my acquaintances and I rode up Van Ness to Pacific where I said bye to them. I noted that they are very nice. I rode Laguna home and had frozen waffles.
This is an occasional series chronicling my life.

This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Get in The Big Pool

On September 5, 2022, I wrote that that morning I woke slowly knowing the boys would instantly start bothering me. When were out of the tent I had them dressed themselves and break down the tent. Then I told them to go out to the empty campsite across the way – it had bees apparently.

I rolled up the sleeping equipment and separated the clothes before getting dressed and then started prepping for food and oatmeal and hot cocoa. The boys had had at least two meltdowns at this point. The food was OK – they ate most of it. I managed to pack a lot after this without a lot of interruption. I noted that I hate doing it but my process works. I didn’t remember what the boys specific gripes were and they were not strident but I noted that I was troubled every time.

I had charged my battery the night before and my phone chargers that morning. We threw garbage away and left at almost 10:30. The ride had much the same as normal but but more since it was a major holiday.

At the swimming hole, The Inkwells, I parked down on the creek and we went over and I jumped in. There were a lot of young people but there were more parents than when we went the last few times. We had a snack and then I had them get in the big pool with me.

While sitting on the rocks I saw an acquaintance from Bike Party ride over the bridge with her two friends but they seemed slightly preoccupied. However, she did notice that I had yelled bike party at her.

We got going at around 12:30 and I knew that we were pressed for time to catch the ferry at 1:35 so we dumped garbage and I ran through San Geronimo Valley in about 20 minutes. Only one motorist was rude. Also, I made it nearly to the top of White Hill from the Woodacre turn off without being followed. There were a lot of cars going the other direction.

The drop to Fairfax didn’t top 39 mph and though one car was following us, the electronic camera signs all said to slow down so I knew we were going really fast. When we stopped between Fairfax and San Anselmo for water, I noted that we were six minutes ahead for catching our Ferry.

I was exhausted. The ride was calm after that and I noted that the climb over White Hill had turned out to be a boost. The boys were really nice.

At the ferry we went right in and boarded. I unpacked and went downstairs. I found my acquaintance from Bike Party and her friends on the ferry. We chatted and I discovered that I had met the other two people in her group at the campsite the night before and that they had been staying there all weekend. They said they hadn’t notice me on The Inkwells Bridge.

At the ferry building we rode home and I noted that Market Street was predictable. We unpacked in an orderly fashion and we spent the rest of the day recovering.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Platform Bridge Road

On September 4, 2022, I wrote that the night before I had trouble staying up and fell asleep around midnight. When I woke I was being lazy so let the boys wake up on their own. When our hostess gave the boys some toys.

For about an hour I collected stuff and checked on the boys. Our hostess’ spouse made us pancakes and I started laundry. The boys didn’t eat the pancakes which was sad. We sat around chatting for a while and then our hostess took the boys to see the trees in the yard. Later we looked at their studios - they are both accomplished artists. We also visited the old willow out front. I sent pictures to family. We made coffee and chatted for a while.

I packed the bike up then and made to go. I took the boys on a short walk around the neighborhood and our hostess gave us sandwiches as we were saying goodbye.

We went to the market in Point Reyes Station then. The place was really crowded. I got enough food for dinner and breakfast. I sadly couldn’t find beer and the line was really long so I settled for a rosé.

The town itself was also really crowded. We battled traffic as we left the market and then headed up to the Platform Bridge. While riding on the Point Reyes Petaluma Road it was as busy as I predicted but better than Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The motorists were very accommodating. On Platform Bridge Road some people passed us who had seen us at the market and they waved at us. I also thought the views were stunning. At Platform Bridge itself, I stopped at the fruit stand and got candy, chips and water.

Miles later at Tocaloma we took a stop and ate snacks and drank a coke. I remember thinking about how much better the trip was than going over the ridge on Drake Blvd. From there we went up The Cross Marin Trail where we had a lot of fun. One of the boys took pictures with my phone from the back of the bike.

When we arrived at the front entrance to Samuel P Taylor Park, the ranger told us that she had ejected some cyclists the day before from the hiker/biker Site Number 1 because they had overstayed their welcome. However, she was very helpful to us – partially because she liked that I had brought two kids on a bike. I noted too that her hard exterior is misleading as she is clearly a softy. She gave us the overflow site number 62.

When we got to the site, I yelled at the boys to build the tent. I was really frustrated at that point because of all the extra steps in getting settled. We eventually did it though and we put our stuff in the tent and I took the three of us to the swimming hole at the Inkwells (again). The whole excursion was great. I jumped in twice.

The boys drank their apple juice before I jumped in a third time. Ironically, the boys hate jumping into overly cold water and they walked back to the bike. I had to catch up with them where I had parked next to the pools on the creek side near the confluence.

At that point I opted to take the boys up to Kent Lake where we got photos of the dam. The boys really liked the forest and mountain quality. When we were finished, we rode down into the west side of the canyon to the trail head for the Shafter Grade. Then we returned to the Shafter bridge and got on the Cross Marin Trail where I was surprised to see friends from Bike Party.

We headed to the campground where I made a quick stop at Camp Site Number 1 where I saw more Bike Party People.

When we got back to Site Number 62, we unpacked a lot and I made ramen for dinner and eventually we went to bed.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Point Reyes

On September 3, 2022, I wrote that that morning I woke from an OK night lying on the ground sleeping through the night and later the boys moving around in their tent. I had to tell them to be quiet several times. By 7:50 we were dressed and getting ready to eat. Most of the campers in the site were leaving and I sat with the last of them.

I charged my bike battery using the outlet in the bathrooms and we packed the bike until 11:30 am and the couple who owned Bromptons were headed out for a hike then.

We rode to inkwells then just to jump in the swimming hole. I had told a group of people from our shared site about it and while we were there we saw them. While only a few other people were there, more arrived as we were leaving.

We rode to the camp again and said bye to the Brompton couple before peeking at Samuel P. Taylor’s overflow bike campsite and passed Jewel trail head on the way to Tocaloma. I gave the boys my camera. There were a lot of people riding bikes on the Cross Marin Trail but they had clearly driven their cars to the park.

We braved the climb up Drake Boulevard to Olema then. The GSD averaged about 10 miles an hour to the top and we were able to pace a road cyclist almost the whole way. Because of two turns at the top the road is very sketchy so we stopped to take in the view.

We descended to Olema then and had a small snack. Then we went to the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center. We found that we could take the bike to divide meadow but were not allowed to take the bike to the coast. We looked at the exhibits and then we ascended the Bear Valley Trail and at the end we did a short hike. We didn’t get a chance to see the coast because the boys very reasonably asked that we go back. So, we returned to the Visitor Center.

The whole ride and hike took only a couple of hours. I was really happy with it. We rode back through the Olema Marsh and passed Limantour Boulevard. Then we crossed the Lagunitas Creek bridge headed into Point Reyes Station.

I had gotten in contact with an acquaintance there the day before who had agreed to play hostess for us. So after putting in a reservation at the restaurant we went to her house. She was in her garden and set us up in her extra bedroom.

Later we returned to the restaurant. We had to wait for our table in the bar where I gave the boys a coke. Then when we sat at our table the boys established a rapport with the waitress because she brought them things that they liked – grilled cheese sandwiches and quesadillas. She also brought us some dessert that the boys liked. I took a really great photo on the way back.

Our hostess was very hospitable and the boys went to bed fine.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

We Rode to Inkwells

In the morning of September 2, 2022, I wrote that I sent a message to an acquaintance in Point Reyes Station who had agreed to play hostess for the coming Saturday before I got the boys up for the day. We had breakfast like a normal school day.

As we had already dropped the bike off at Embarcadero, I only had to collect the odds and ends to leave the apartment. However, the bus ride to the Ferry Building was a little frustrating because we barely made our boat despite getting up early.

I had to stay busy repacking the bike during the bay crossing but the trip was fun and the boys enjoyed themselves. I had to ask the attendants to retrieve my backpack after we left but that turned out alright – I got everything back.

We went to Larkspur Landing to take photo booth pics before loading up the bike and riding up the slough into Ross. I got coffee in Sam Anselmo. The boys remembered everything. It was really sweet. Later we rode to the Fairfax market and Bike Shop to get a few items. The kids had been having issues up to this point and I realized it was really hot.

I missed a turn on the way to the market in Fairfax but in total we were ahead of time. We stopped at White Hill elementary to get the boys water. I shared photos of our ascent to the pass with friends and I noted that everything was great.

The descent to Woodacre was also fine. We had ice cream sandwiches. I met the owner of the store. I got a beer and a cocktail and some other items. We got butterfly stickers.

On our way to Lagunitas my work called and I had to do a surprise meeting which was really frustrating because it killed enough time that we were late passing through Lagunitas. We rode to inkwells but there wasn’t enough sunshine and I was kind of not happy. I jumped in anyway. I yelled at the boys to jump in. It was fine after that though.

Later we went to the campsite and met a guy from Sacramento and another guy named who had a Brompton from Danville. We unpacked and set up the tent. Then we had ramen with sauerkraut and some messy candy.

A couple from Seattle showed up on Brompton‘s and the guy from Danville was ecstatic. They shared all of their stories about their peripheral ride around America. I cleaned up and got the boys in bed. The boys really helped. I tried to be nice. I sat with the Brompton riders and chatted for an hour.
This is an occasional series chronicling my life.

This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

The Opening Pitch

August 14, 2022, I wrote that the day before Jo and I took a seven to Gordo and then eight in big wreck. We discussed his divorce and when I mentioned mine we discussed wildfire. We looked at Sutro. We went to the fireside. There I explained YIMBY. A dog was loud so we relocated to Finnegans. Margaret arrived at dad‘s so we took an N and walked. We discussed Bjork at dad‘s house. Dad played some Irish music. Edgar gave me a beer. I went to bed late. I didn’t sleep well.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I woke at my dad’s house and my brother made coffee. As we got ready to go, I confirmed where to meet for dad’s birthday baseball game. I said bye to everyone at the local bakery and I rode my electric cargo bike through Golden Gate Park to the apartment.

A little while later I rode to the ferry building to meet my kids and their mother for some hot cocoa. Then we stopped at a deli to got sandwiches on the way to meet my family and friends at the playground next to the ballpark. While picnicking my Dad was with his new lady friend. Before heading inside, I took the boys to the Giants’ souvenir shop after going to the bike valley and bumped into a few of my friends and coworkers on the way. They had got comic books at the door upon entry to the park.

We went upstairs and sat with our group and watched the opening pitch. Later boys went off with their cousins a few times. I sat with my brother most of the game but by the seventh inning was sitting with my niece and her friends.

A little before the end of the game the boys left on a pedicab with their mother to go back to her home just as the Pirates got one run ahead. So in the ninth it was stressful. After the game, I retrieved my bike. My sister had wanted to see the fire station that our grandfather had worked at when he was alive. However no one really understood what she had intended and we were all trying to leave. Hence everyone got lost.

I put two of my party - my brother’s friends - on my bike and we passed all of the cars on Embarcadero on our way to Yerba Buena café. We got there 40 minutes before the rest of the group arrived. I had a waffle and Irish coffee while we waited. Later and I gave rides on my bicycle.

The party went to Boudin where we had soup bread bowls. Then we went to observe the seals before walking through North Beach for a beer at Vesuvio.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

We Rode to Inkwells

On August 6, 2022, I wrote that that morning I woke at 9:15 probably. The weather had been wet all night, which was really irritating. There was tension as the neighbors packed to go. Some of them said bye. I made oatmeal and the boys ate it all right.

I had packed up our wet sleeping bags by then. We set the table up for packing and they played. Later they told me they had met a boy and the camp next-door.

We rode to inkwells then. The ride was OK. The boys explored and I wanted to go up Shafter Road of little bit but they were swinging on the gate and they were really unhappy with me for pushing them around. I dragged them to the pools and they complained the whole way. Later on the walk back things improved and we rode to Forest Knolls and discussed it over hot coco and coffee.

We rode straight to White Hill then. My bike had been making spoke noises the day before and I later discovered it was the magnet on my wheel for the speedometer. This caused my motor to cut out occasionally making the climb up White Hill particularly difficult. However, the far side turned out fine. In fact I topped 35 miles an hour.

At Manor we discussed the ride and stopped at the coffee shop in San Anselmo where they play jazz in the morning. We had another hot beverage and cookies before riding all the way to the bike shop where they confirmed my problem with the speedometer. They also fixed it and I made an appointment.

I hung out with the boys at the ferry terminal then but I also had to go to Marin country market. I bought the boys a paper airplane toy kit and we did some people watching. Back at the ferry they were understaffed and that made things difficult for me. However, the ferry ride home was OK.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Walk to Fairfax Falls

On August 5, 2022, I wrote that that morning I didn’t want to wake up but finally got up when the boys started complaining. They were watching TV and thankfully I didn’t have to pack a lot as I had set the stuff out and so put it in my bag.

It wasn’t too hard to get the boys going. We went to catch an F but had to catch a seven. The boys were glacially slow and I was way nervous. We ran to the subway, grabbed the bike and took the escalator which took way too long but we made the ferry just fine. I had to carry the bike upstairs so ended up re-packing.

However, it was great. When the ferry docked we went to New Wheel and filled the tires before riding up bike route 20 through Ross and San Anselmo. At first the boys didn’t know where we were but eventually they figured out they had come through there twice. They told me about our trip to Phoenix lake with friends.

My bike had been making spoke noises but the spokes were fine. Later it turned out to be my speedometer bead. The problem never escalated to become and emergency but it made getting around really hard.

The boys pointed out stuff in San Anselmo saying they recognize the place. I had to stop once and we went shopping at two stores in Fairfax. The first one the boys bought a lot of snacks. I got coffee and pastries. I took some great selfies.

We rode to Olema Street after the second store and re-packed. Then we rode to White Hill Elementary for water. The ride up railroad grade was ok actually but after the newest bridge I had the boys walk to Fairfax Falls. Then at the top of White Hill I saw cyclists.

The descent to Woodacre topped 35 mph. As soon as we got into the town my speedometer stopped working. We got ice cream. I picked up M&Ms. We rode Meadow to San Geronimo and on to Lagunitas where we had lunch at the local Indian restaurant. I ordered chana masala. I also offered the boys some naan. The boys didn’t want any of it but it was OK.

I bought beer from the general store and we rode to inkwells. We explored the bridge and creek. We saw some cyclists. We rode the Cross Marin trail to the campgrounds in Samual P Taylor park. We met a bunch of cyclists in the hiker/biker site - including a couple we had seen at White Hill.

I made the boys ramen and they set up the sleeping area. The cyclists from inkwells showed up - a guy from SF with them and a lady from Oakland. They played cards and one of my kids got unruly. However, I got the boys ready for bed and sat with the last of the wakeful campers. He told me all about the local color.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Donner State Park

On July 4, 2022, I wrote that I went to bed pretty quickly after writing and woke at 5:30 feeling mostly rested. I woke again at eight and went down to eat an egg sandwich on a croissant with ham and cheese. I spoke to some hikers and ate a cinnamon roll. I returned to my room and packed with trips around the building to get stuff as needed.

I eventually brought all of my stuff outside and got the bike. I said bye to the hosts and then peddled to the railroad grade tweeting and communicating with family along the way. I was planning on travelling to Truckee via the abandoned rail road tunnels and I knew it would take a while. 

I tweeted the tunnel portal and then realized I didn’t know the tunnels names so I sat and figured that out. I realized I was between tunnels six and seven around then. Later I took photos of eight and nine.  I decided to just call the last sections the "final tunnel" because I wasn’t certain if "ten" was the proper name.

I rode through the Donner State Park and discovered that Sout Shore Dr. deadends at the campground.   While taking photos of the lake there I realized that I really wanted to get a reservation there for summer of 2023.  When I was finished in the campgrounds, I got lost in the gravel dumps and crossed a fence.  I saw a family on bikes on my way to Deerfield in the actual town of Truckee. I rode past Sierra College and into town.

Once I arrived in town, I checked in at the Truckee hotel and settled myself.  From there I went to Bike Truckee and dropped off my rental bike. Then, because I had ripped my pants on the crest, I went shopping for a new pair next to my inn and had a coffee before I started writing.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Claire Tappan Fed Me

On July 3 I wrote that I had had trouble sleeping the night before but only because I was sleeping on the ground. I woke to a chipmunk at 6:30. It was really angry at me.

I boiled my iodine preparation and made pour over coffee using a pour over kit I had gotten at my hotel the day before. I also ate a Cliff bar and my apple.

I packed up and returned the table I had found on the top deck of the Bradley Hut. I brushed and eventually had the bike sitting waiting while I enjoyed the air in the meadow.

I rode up to the saddle and was passed by two different dog walkers. The incline wasn’t great for cycling. At the top I saw the car that had passed me the night before at Bradley Hut. A man on an ATV Mule passed me going up as well.

That was around when the car went back down Pole Creek. I saw no one as I made my way to the saddle below Tinker Knob. I noted that Deep Creek is serene and quiet.

I found the guy on the ATV Mule near the top. I stashed the bike and climbed to the Pacific Crest Trail. I saw eight or nine people – mostly through hikers. I took some pictures and returned to the saddle after eating all of my food and water.

From the crest I grabbed my bike and descended the Cold Stream Trail. I fell twice and had to walk a lot. The ride was really hard and steep. When I got to Cold Stream road there were a bunch of people on motorcycles.

Thankfully Lost Lodge, at the bottom of my decent, offered me water. The lady that ran the place told me that they generally will rent rooms when they are not busy.

I quickly got to the railroad tracks a short ride later but there was no cell coverage. So I couldn’t tell my lodge I was late.

I found the road up Emigrant Canyon and it was nearly as bad as portions of Pole Creek the day before. I had to climb and push the bike a bunch of places and really suffered. However, I made it to Eder where I saw an Amtrak train and that really picked up my mood.

I took nearly a dozen photos of the Donner Tunnel then and continued along historic transcontinental railroad right away until I was able to enter the tunnels. I had brought a bunch of flashlights for the venture. The gravel is terrible but the tunnels were fun.

Once I had made it through the tunnels, it was a short ride to the end of the days’ excursion. Claire Tappan fed me dinner and offered me beer for sale. I did laundry for free. I took time to myself. I met some interesting people.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

A Picture of Olympic Valley

On July 2, 2022, I wrote that the day before I was writing at a Truckee restaurant called The Alibi before I walked back to my room at the Red Light Inn. I did what I needed to get ready for bed. I played the guitar downstairs and looked at the kitchen where some guy was making venison. The host asked why I wasn’t at the street fair.

I walked over to the bar named RMU and ordered. I had been there before. It was set up inside of a single family home on the main street. I went outside to the patio. There were a lot of college kids and I noticed that there was were overflow from the street fair which took up all of two blocks.  I saw small group of couples and dancing with a DJ.  The patio had a bar. Some lady said the bar was haunted. Later I walked to Bar of America down the street for fries.

I went back to the Red Light Inn and fell asleep by 11:30. Sadly, there was no cargo train that night. 

In the morning of July 1, I woke early and packed up. Immediately someone was cleaning my room.

I had a backpack and the panniers had everything else. I went to the coffee shop on Brockman and got a bagel and a latte.  The café was really dusty because the foundation was just a pile of shale. I disturbed a centipede in the cracks in the walls. I had been trying to look at the mandolin when that happened but decided not to put it away because of it so as to not disturb it any more than I had to.

I walked to Bike Truckee and they gave me a two year old KHS XL with a rack and I packed it up and adjusted my panniers. I got coffee next-door and the staff helped me get set up. I had zip ties, a hex wrench and a 29 inch tube. I got coffee next-door before saying thank you to the shop staff. I then took a deep breath at 7-Eleven and headed up Palisades to Silverfir.

On the way to Sawtooth Road (aka Road six), I noticed was having some trouble with the granny gear but thought it would be ok. Unfortunately, the Sawtooth Trailhead had no water which was a bummer. I took pictures and rode on. I had to stop a few times to adjust. Sawtooth Road is really bumpy and the incline varies.

By the time I hit Minton creek I was doing OK. I passed a bunch of kids and even some road bikes while I was riding Road six. However, the incline heading past Chief was hard. I dechained twice. That was when the derailleur slipped and stopped working well.

I managed to get a few miles experimenting with the gears and standing up. Cars passed both ways. I passed Chief Climbing Parking and Minton Creek Trail.  A bit later I started the big climb to Deer Creek – six switchbacks and I only had four or five gears. I stopped four times. Once to get a picture of Olympic Valley and the other three because the hill was so big. I entered Northstar around then.

I eventually got to pavement at Mount Watson Boulevard and took a rest at Watson Lake. I met a lady who was on vacation from her job at Sugarbowl. Some guy offered me water. I called Olympic Bikes about my derailleur problems and tried to interpret the map.

I rode up to Tahoe rim Trail and over the crest but not to the top of the mountain. On the mountain trail I had just made it to the Lakeviews Trail and was passed by a few people going the opposite direction headed to Watson lake.

I called my hotel in Tahoe City and then descended towards Dollar Estates. Four mountain bike bicyclists passed me. They used really funny language. I heard them mention that some trails that are “flowey” while others are “rock gardens.”  It seemed like three people and a guide but they all seemed like friends. They actually offered for me to come with them when they headed out to the forest road below Mount Watson but I was headed into Burton Creek Park.

This segment was hard. Burton Creek had some signs and I even managed to tweet everything but the cell service was bad. I had a hard time finding the creek which I knew would take me to my hotel -- Basecamp.  I made it into Tahoe City there right at sunset.

I checked in and after I got situated in my room, I went to the lobby and had a beer with the clerk who had a dog. After that I went to the Kat Grill but they were closed so I went to Pioneer and had pizza. 

In the morning of July 2nd, the day that I wrote this, I woke knowing I had to go to Olympic Bikes with my broken bike. I had a coffee at the lobby and went looking for the mechanic I had spoken to the day before. Sadly, they said my derailleur hanger was cracked. So, I spoke to the bike shop in Truckee on the phone and decided to just take the Truckee Area Regional Transit (TART) back to Truckee. The schedule said I had 40 minutes.

In the meantime the wheel had come off the bike. So, I zip tied the bike everything together and waited for the bus to Kings Beach (it was late but that was good). The bike did OK on the rack and I had been really worried about that. I transferred to the bus through Northstar.

The bus driver was overly focused on driving and was frustrated at being late.  In fact, every road next to Lake Tahoe was crammed with cars, even the road to Northstar. I found it interesting that the driver was complaining about the traffic since it was a holiday weekend and that was to be expected.

When he dropped me off, I dragged the broken bike to the bike shop and after a quick look they told me the bike was completely destroyed.  The cracked hanger had caused enough stress to crack the axle. I made conciliatory comments and then left them to do their work and grab a coffee next door.

Later the shop told me that they’d give me a new bike, which was fantastic.  I didn’t even to finish my coffee because I took off at that point on my way through the center of town and over to Safeway where I picked up enough food for a few days – ramen, a small jar of red peppers and two snack bags of olives.

Then I jumped on a TART with poorly organized bags and the bike. At Olympic Valley I went to 7-Eleven to get snacks and whiskey. Then I headed out to Pole Creek Trailhead. The highway was a bit unnerving because there were so many cars but I was relieved when I got to the trailhead.

While riding I posted tweets of the view. Then I had to make several stops as I approached 7000 feet. As I rode the switchbacks, I texted family and friends because I couldn’t tweet photos anymore.

The rest of the ride was mostly just texting photos to people. I took a break every 10 minutes.  It took three hours to do what should have been a one hour climb – gravel, incline and altitude.

When I finally made it to Bradley Hut it was six.  Sadly, the code from the main office at the Claire Tappan Lodge on Donner Summit didn’t work. The guy I spoke to responded to my call and provided some instructions but sadly the cell service was bad. I did get some messages from family and friends though.

I made my Ramen and had whiskey Gatorade. A blue car and a motorcycle both passed me as the sun was beginning to set. I set up a sleeping bag and decided to camp even while still trying to communicate with the lodge. When they responded they apologized but I noted that I was not certain if I would be getting my money back. That was around 1030 at night.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

The Yuba Canyon

On June 30 I wrote that the night before I didn’t go to bed until one in the morning and lay there until three. I was ready to go on my Tahoe vacation bike adventure as best I knew.

I woke up at 630 but got up at seven. I was in no position to get up but managed. I was planning on renting a bike when I got to Truckee but I still had my panniers, for which I had to rig a second bag. I watered the plants and grabbed a coffee cup. I took a 14 to Salesforce Tower and then the Amtrak bus to Emeryville. The train left on time and I got photos until Mount Diablo. I sent family messages.

The lodge I was planning to stay at on my fourth night, The Claire Tappan in Norden, called to say my reservation at the High Sierra Bradley hut was secure. I noted that the train was waiting at Davis when I wrote this. My family was sending me messages on their plans for the week. My niece was in Lake Almanor and my younger sister had to cancel plans for her own trip to Tahoe to see friends.

Between 11 and 4 o’clock I mostly just sat in the café car. Around Sacramento I switched to another seat. Some girl was sitting across from me at Davis so it was hard to photograph stuff but when she left I moved to the other side and got a picture of the Tower Bridge and the Blue Diamond factory

From Sacramento to Auburn I met a few people. I sat across from a guy from the Isle of Man. He confirmed that yes his island was the model for the island of Sodor from the Thomas & Friends franchise and as they walked away I noted that the kids were dressed up in Thomas the Tank Engine outfits. Some lady from New Hampshire sat across from me. She told me she was a cyclist. We enjoyed the train slowly rolling through the Yuba Canyon.

I had cup of coffee and after the summit I got pictures of Tinker Knob before packing and getting off the train. I walked to my hostel and checked in. Then I picked up some iodine tablets and a headlamp at the sport shop before going to the Alibi, a taproom, for dinner.

 
This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Through Yuba Gap

On June 12 I wrote that that morning I woke to my alarm but fell asleep. Dad woke and said he had to go. I directed the boys to get dressed thinking I’d leave them with Dad but they ended up leaving first. Downstairs we got coffee and my older sister picked us up outback. It became evident the train was three hours late. Dad was feeling under the weather.

Since checking or holding the bags was not practical we left them in the lobby with dad. My sister dropped us off at First and West Streets where we got Italian sodas. We walked around downtown a bit and picked up a paper for dad. Only one of the casinos had any. After that we we returned to find my father in the lobby. A short while later my sister and my nieces showed up.

The train was further delayed by a special short cargo train from California. When we got on board we were further delayed and we were not able to get several seats together so of course they boys were irritating all of the other passengers. I had a window seat and my father had a window seat on the opposite side of the car but in the row behind me. The boys sat next to him straddling the aisle. It was a total pain to barely be able to see them behind me.

Fortunately, we had relocated to the observation car by the time we made it to Truckee. Dad went back to his seat with one of the boys and once we got to the pass he came back and the three of us sat in the observation car through Yuba Gap. My more talkative son sat with some lady near my father while the other stayed with me in the observation car and ate M&Ms.

They switched with one another a couple of times. By American Canyon we were dozing a little so I took pictures of the spectacle of the canyon from my seat. By Colfax, the boys were irritating everyone in the train again but my neighbor went to the observation car so I ended up sitting next to them until they fell asleep. Once they woke up, we all sat together in the observation car drinking beverages through Sacramento and Davis when I started writing.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Winfield Park

On June 11 I wrote that the night before I went to bed pretty easily. I noted that the boys had a hard time sleeping. I got a little extra sleep before they woke. I told them to buzz off twice but dad told me to get coffee so I headed downstairs to the lobby of the Hotel Casino Atlantis by 830. I brought dad coffee and drank it while the boys watched monster trucks on local Reno TV.

The boys left me alone but eventually demanded that I take them to the hotel arcade. I got a second cup of coffee when we went down there and then we went over to the convention center. The route was complicated but we found a place. One of the boys probably set off an internal alarm because he opened a restricted door. I noted when we came back through the same route there was a security guy who spoke directly to us saying that the arcade was in a certain direction. The arcade was OK. There was one moment where the other boy won 500 tickets and that made the “shopping spree” harder.

Later we went to the pool. We saw the girl from the spa on the way. I tweeted and the boys played. One of my boys, the more talkative one, spoke to everyone and I decided I needed to tell him to stop. We swam some laps and then went upstairs. We had been in the hotel a while when Dad stopped in on the way to watch the basketball game and have a sandwich in one of the lounges upstairs.

The boys and I left the hotel and took a bus up Virginia Boulevard to West and at First Street where we had sodas. Then we went to the playground at Winfield Park. We stopped by the Public House to make a reservation before going to a park on Stewart.

Later at Public House my older sister and I collected our father from the bus stop – he was late because the game had gone long. I noted that dinner was really good. My older sister’s family, the boys, Dad and I made eight of us. My nephew - who’s graduation we were celebrating - was nowhere to be found. My niece drove us back to the hotel at the end of the night.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

The Graduation

On June 10, 2022, I wrote that I wasn’t able to sleep until late and the boys beat each other up all night so I had a really hard time but it worked out. When I woke dad was on his way downstairs to the Atlantis Casino and took one of the boys with him. He had left the TV on and when they got back the boys basically jumped on me until I got out of bed. I went downstairs and had a coffee.

Later the boys badgered me endlessly about the arcade and the pool. I taught them about the arcade and then we went to the pool which was great. We just spent a lot of time enjoying it. I asked the girl at the spa about the bridge over Virginia Boulevard. I got some photos of stuff around the area. A short while later, after the boys and I had gone to the far side of Virginia to have a snack at a trashy diner, my brother showed up and we caught a bus to my nephew’s graduation from Reno High.

On the ride I discovered there was a brushfire on the west end of town and that slowed the bus considerably. It also put the boys to sleep because it was so hot outside. However, we made it soon enough and excitedly crowded into the auditorium and prepared for the graduation. Many of my older sister’s friends were there with family and in-laws. There were also a lot of my niece’s friends and my father who had somehow made it on his own.

By the time my nephew’s name was called, the boys had already demanded I find them popcorn so had to quit and go outside. My sister’s ex-husband – my nephew’s father – appeared then. He told me a sad story about his airhorn being confiscated because he used it when his son’s name was called.

When the giant crowd came out, I bailed on everyone because I was tired of my brother-in-law harassing me. I quickly found the bus back to the Atlantis and my brother miraculously got on at the last minute. He let us know that we had missed the all-family group photo.

He was distracted by the very important warriors game and quickly ditched for the restaurant as soon as we got to Atlantis. I tried to catch up – through the bridge over Virginia – but went to the room instead. One of my boys found a lava rock in the parking lot (along with mudstone).

Later, back downstairs, I let the boys sit with their cokes away from me and I chatted with my niece. I also tried to tax my father‘s drinks. I thought my nibblings’ friends were really nice. The girl from the spa came to the party - ironically she went to Reno High too. The boys had a good food selection but I thought that the risotto was terrible. I bonded with the party over it. Recounting the whole meal was not worth the effort but I got to know my brother-in-law’s family.

I put my boys to bed after the meal had ended and when I returned downstairs things were winding down. I tried to interest my nibblings in getting a beer but everyone was busy.

After everyone had said goodbye, I walked out to Virginia and had a beer at the place I had fond the night before, Jox.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

The Observation Car

On June 9, 2022, I wrote that I woke up at 5:30 and 630 to get ready for a train trip to Reno. I made the boys cereal and myself coffee. We were all packed so getting dressed was the only hard part. My father was pretty much waiting at the door when my younger sister showed up to drive us to our bus bridge. Getting into the car turned out tricky because I always think I’m forgetting something and my kids always need help with sweaters and shoes. However, once I had my bag and thermos, she made sure we were all packed in the car.

My sister mentioned I didn’t need to use the Amtrak bus bridge from Salesforce Tower but I had scheduled it due to miscommunication anyway. I realized I was blessed that she was so helpful. She even had boosters for the boys, who were super well-adjusted during the drive. They pointed out how their mom takes them to school on Buchanan and I take them on Octavia.

We found a great spot near 555 mission and my sister gave the boys hugs and said bye to us. My father and I thanked her before she drove away. When we got to the bus stop. I immediately made friends with a woman and her kid who would end up sitting near us on the train.

On the bus I put on my KN95 and the torture began. I managed the boys and dad was able to sit alone. The bus circled the tower on city streets and climbed up on to the bridge. The boys pointed at all the stuff they knew. I shared a video about the Bay Bridge with them. I also showed them the new railroad pedestrian crossing in Emeryville.

We set up at the station when we got off the bus. Dad got coffee and I took one of the boys across the street so I could get an espresso. The Coast Starlight came and went and then we boarded our Zephyr train. I tried to get the most forward set of seats.

It took time to get checked in but then we went to the Observation Car. The lady downstairs in the concession liked the boys. We sat until Benicia and then returned to Dad who seemed comfortable. He went to get a hotdog and we followed.

When we were done I found a window with a view and sat with one of the boys while Dad went back to his seat with the other. However, they didn’t stay together very long as that one somehow miraculously reappeared next to us. I told him that’s not OK because little kids aren’t allowed to be unaccompanied on the train. Ironically, I later had to give him a Band-Aid because of a minor cut he could not stop talking about.

I missed taking pictures of Sacramento because I had left the phone with Dad. So we had to go back and check on him. Later we ate another snack in the Observation Car and I teased the boys. As we climbed up the canyon to Soda Springs, we sat with the lady and her daughter who we had met on the bus. However, near Donner Pass, we were speaking a lot less as we focused on getting pictures.

I almost missed buying a last beer as we approached Truckee. Then I sat with dad and sleepy kids as we slowly approached Reno. I got them organized and everyone on the train said bye to the boys as we deboarded.

When my older sister picked us up at the station, she told me she was driving my older brother’s rental car - he was staying with her. She dropped us off at the Atlantis. Dad checked us in and I immediately took the boys to the pool.

When we were done my older sister returned and took all of us to her West Reno house where we ate pizza. Her mother-in-law was there along with my nibblings, brother-in-law and brother. We played corn hole and made plans for the weekend as my nephew was graduating from High School.

Later when it was time to go my older brother tried to smuggle the boys out – it seemed like the switcheroo. Back at the hotel I put the boys in bed.

I walked to Virginia and went looking for a beer.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

River Bend Park

On May 16 2022 I wrote that we woke up in Rancho Cordoba Area on our bike trip around seven. We went to eat at the hotel breakfast room. They had complementary waffles and cereal. We finished by 9 o’clock and stopped for coffee across the street by 11.

We rode to the path and had to stop a lot. At some point I decided to take a shortcut to Hagan Community Park because the bike path tended to meander too much and I was a bit overwhelmed by the way the boys were lagging.

The boys played in the playground at Hagan before we continued on to River Bend Park where we stopped for a snack. At this point I was getting nervous about the boy’s speed and their relative abilities but I decided to just take a chance and go. That the boys kept lagging far behind was not encouraging but I noticed when I got them in front it worked.

The bridge at River Bend Park was great. I got the boys up on the levees from there and due to the straight nature of the paths there was able to get them to move a bit faster. We stopped at Watt, Howe, Capitol freeway and Highway 160. We also stopped near the California Exposition Center.

Admittedly, our whole experience at this point was fueled by my anxiety over having tiny kids in the middle of sundrenched nowhere. I tweeted everything - including my excitement at seeing the west bound Amtrak Zephyr crossing the Sacramento around 330.

Later, when we stopped for a rest at the Blue Diamond Factory on D in Sacramento, I noted that pushing to get to the station had had exhausted the boys, and I assured them that we were nearly done. We rode the 14 blocks to the station then and I bought some Gatorade at a liquor store on 16th St.

When we boarded the 5pm train to the Bay Area, I did what I could to make them comfortable before getting them some refreshments.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Granite Bay

On May 15 2022 I wrote that when my old college classmate showed up with his kids at our campsite at Beal’s Point, my brother-in-law was making delicious chicken tacos. Later we wound down for the night with everyone settling into their own tent. Then we walked around the lake parking lot talking about work.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I woke up at five and six. I got a Claritin at seven from my sister and then I lobbied for coffee. After that I bot the boys up and broke the tent down. Then a few of us got ready to ride out towards Granite Bay. We met at the parking lot. I was riding a borrowed bike. He went out on the levees and all of the boys fell off of their bikes.

When we were back to the campground cleaned up and bandaged, we said bye to everyone. My sister had everyone sign a card for my birthday and mother’s day and we sent a picture they took to the boy’s mom.

Later I rode with the boys to Rainbow bridge. They were fine with the ride. I got them ice cream and had a coffee. Then we went through Mississippi bar until Nimbus Dam. I got us a room at the Hampton. We refreshed ourselves and did laundry.

After that we went to the spaghetti factory and ate in front of the Fort Brock Brewery. The ride over Hazel was hard but the bike pedestrian crossing was really nice. I let the boys watch HGTV until bedtime.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Stop in Historic Town

On May 14, 2022, I wrote that I was with my boys at Sacramento Station. We missed a train because of the ticket machine. Then we had to lift the bikes inside. The ride was easy. Some lady sat next to me and she told me about how many bikes were allowed. The boys had to push the buttons on the doors.

The ride was OK. We got off at Iron Point and that weirded everyone out. We went to Dad‘s hotel where I got some Haribo gummy bears. I canceled his room because he was sick. Dad spoke to me on the phone. The ride to Safeway was hard because it was in the sun and uphill and the boys had to deal with a terribly build car oriented city infrastructure. The store was easy enough but it took too long.

We found a rail path and took Diggins Drive like normal. We had to stop in Historic Folsom to recharge with quesadilla and juice. The bridge was easy but we broke some rules. The climb was easy at first but the boys had to stop twice – they were upset. At the top we were ready to collapse.

My younger sister was already at site 34 and 32. I took 32. My older sister arrived as we were winding down. I fed the boys a sandwich and some Haribo gummy bears. The tent was up as my nephews started building their‘s. That night my boys went to sleep fine and I sat with my sisters after we ate. I only had to check on them twice. I sat with my sisters’ families until late and when nearly everyone went to bed I sat with my nephews until two in the morning.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I woke up really early. My kids got up fine. We sat with my brother-in-law, who had made coffee. Later I took the boys off for our morning routine and then we had a meal with some cousins who live nearby. The boys played trucks in the sand in our site.

Later we all went up to the lake on our bikes. The view was really great even with the water so low. I swam with my boys. A college classmate stopped by with their 2 1/2 year old. When we finished we rode back to the campsite and I noted another college classmate was planning a visit.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Pictures of The Train

On May 13, 2022, I wrote that I walked to the coffee shop with my two boys. Then we went to 16th Street BART in preparation for our bike trip to Folsom Lake. In the station and on the train, I showed the boys pictures of building the Transbay tube. They followed the map and I pasted pictures to Twitter. At MacArthur we quietly boarded on the Emory go round. Then we went to the Amtrak station in Emeryville. There we retrieved our bicycles from the station agent and I got the boys re-packed. We took pictures of the train as it approached and once we were on board we found a four seater. I bought them some candy and a Coke. I also got myself some coffee. We had just passed through Davis when I started writing.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Mountain House

On May 7 I wrote that I was tempted to drink the keg the night before but I had a can in my bag so drank that instead and went to bed late.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I woke at six and managed to get coffee after the café opened. I drank 2 cups and woke up before I paid my bill and packed my room to go. Then I rode to the tracks and started on my walk to Cloverdale along the NWPRR.

I went under the freeway, passed through a vineyard and walked an orchard path parallel to the tracks. I decided to walk for the most part, dragging my bike along. The going was hard.

As Mountain House separated from the track, the landscape became a bit wild but then I approached a couple houses as the road and tracks came back together. Most of the crossings were dead ends but they sometimes had stop signs. Some man at the red barn said hi from his truck.

After that all the crossings became locked gates, one of which I crossed near the last Mountain House Road access (near 17301). I happened upon a rattlesnake there and that really worried me. As the rails followed the river, I took a nameless dirt road on the track’s south side which was not on the map but is visible in the satellite imagery. It was clearly used by cattle and traversed the cliffs between the river and a mountain to the south, which doesn’t have a name but it is attached to the Forest Ranch property.

The path was useful but I ended up too far from the track so I crossed the large riverside field to the north to get back on the track. Here the track was blown out, overgrown and was difficult to impossible to traverse. There was a vineyard on one side at some point but it was inaccessible behind barbed wire and dense foliage. I could see workers in the field – the map indicated that they came in via a pontoon bridge.

I saw a second rattlesnake then. I was covered with bushes and leaves. I also was really nervous. However, from here I had only a short distance to Tunnel Nine. So, I pushed through despite the risk and the tunnel appeared almost immediately. I walked right through.

On the far side the track was way easy but this only compounded my worry about Tunnel Eight beneath Frog Woman Mountain. Amazingly, when I got there it was also easy and I made it through. For both tunnels, the bore made seeing light at the other end easier when viewed from the northern end.

From there I was able to Tweet again. I walked quickly to Commiskey Creek, where I had to back track because I went the wrong way crossing the river. The 101 turned out to be an OK bike ride. From Echo Valley Road, I rode up Geysers road to the RV park but sadly they had no water.

I ended the day at Pick’s Drive-in where I had a sandwich. After that I started writing at my hotel with plans to go to The Sawmill.

I copied this from my notebook on 050722.This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Thatcher Hotel

On May 6, 2022, I wrote that that morning I was up at 6:30 and school drop off was really easy. I went straight home and send a few quick work emails before getting ready to go on a new adventure – this time to the town of Hopland in Mendocino County.

I shut the computer down and got a cup of coffee at my local cafe before boarding a Golden Gate Transit 101 bus to Santa Rosa. I had been worried about the transfer but it turned out just fine.

On the way to Mendocino County, I took photos of Preston and Frog Woman Mountain before arriving at Thatcher Hotel and checking in. The place was really nice. I logged into a work conference and sat through the whole thing in the lobby drinking coffee.

Later on I discovered the town closes really early. Both of the local restaurants turned me away at around 815. Thankfully I was able to have a snack at the hotel. I also did a little shoping at Hopland Farms.

After that I just hung out at the hotel bar. They were OK people but only the bartender was interesting. When the bar shut down and everyone went to bed the hotel lobby was mine for the rest of the night.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

A Protected Bike Path

In the morning of April 30 of 2022, I wrote I was up at 8:30. The boys were watching TV. I helped dad and had coffee. Then I collected everything and the three of us rode up 45th to Vicente and over to Wawona. The traffic on 45th was bad but Crestlake behind Sigmund Stearn Grove was OK – the area across from the reservoir on 22nd was destroyed from a landslide from the Hetch Hetchy supply had ruptured.

Later I noted that Ocean was a little hard but getting to Urbano – Eucalyptus and Moncada - was OK. We took Montfort and Ocean to my uncle's house but he wasn’t there.

I took the boys to the cafe on Ocean and picked up some beer while the boys explored the playground. We rode around City College. One of the boys fell off his bike at Genesee but he did OK. He actually fell off of his seat and dragged his feet sitting on his top tube.

We took Hearst to Circular and crossed to San Jose. The boys managed well but I was very surprised it happened. The freeway crossing there has a protected bike path but it’s still insane.

At Randall it was really hard – I had to get ahead of them and make certain they know where to go. We rode up Tiffany and then onto Valencia. Some driver yelled at us.

We found the group I was looking for waiting at Elizabeth Street. New people were there but there were quite a few people I knew. One person, who had put on events I had participated in had come with a friend. I had to take the boys for a walk twice but it turned out great. A noted archivist had came too.

The boys were happy when even more people we knew showed up. However, they got crabby so we left. The boys rode Valencia and were really good. They had ridden nearly 15 miles around SF. At home getting inside was hard but OK. We were alone together. We had TV and pizza. We had ice cream and then went to bed.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

I found Tunnel Six

In the morning of April 23, 2022, I wrote that I got up at 10 and eventually was packed well enough that I was able to go to plank coffee. It turned out that the citrus fair parade was on that day so the high school band and fair trucks were lined up on the boulevard.

I had 2 cups in the morning air and rode to Ace hardware. The streets were OK to navigate – weak street system barriers. The guy who helped me at the hardware store could not open the display. The cashier didn’t get my humor.

I rode to First Street and through the park. Cops had blocked the road for the parade. Geysers Road was quick. I got a photo at sulfur Creek and drank water at the RV park.

I decided to visit tunnels seven and six so rode to Echo Valley and up to the overpass. The objects I had left were still there. I witnessed two cars.

I walked to the freeway bridge and left my bike. I climbed up to the freeway and, from that view point, tried to gauge the topography around Comiskey Creek. A short while later I descended to the bike. I was not prepared for tunnel 7 when I got to it. It was big and open with graffiti. Walking through was easy enough. On the other side I soldiered on preparing my lights for a long walk.

I encountered some downed trees – greenwood – eventually I found tunnel six. The entrance on the northside in front of me was caved in. It was still visible but only barely from the top.

I turned around and militated against myself climbing to the freeway. My thought process was that had I been younger I probably would’ve ventured out of curiosity but experience dictated that I avoid doing that.

The ride to Echo Valley after I passed through tunnels seven and came down from the trestle was fast. I live tweeted the whole thing. I had wanted to explore the 101 to Comiskey but rode to the RV park instead.

I rode back to town quickly and checked back into the Wine Country Inn before heading over to Wolf’s Bar and Grill.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Climbing Mountain Charlie

On April 3 of 2022, I wrote that the night before I went to Santa Cruz’s The Jury Room Bar which I noted was near the Hampton where I was staying. Later I stopped at the donut shop across the street before going to bed.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I had just woken up when a local acquaintance texted and a short while later we met behind the hotel. We rode to the market in the middle of town and he bought me some coffee. We sat in the market and talked about how we know each other, Twitter, our personal lives and children. We noted the people that we had in common.

We also discussed some travel stuff, getting between places. It was nice to connect with someone I had interacted with for years on Twitter but had never met.

We rode over to Lulu‘s and I noted that we were able to connect a bit better. A short moment later his friend showed up and we talked before I said goodbye and rode back to the hotel. Then I rode up Plymouth Road to Scotts Valley for a coffee. I went to the Lulu‘s that he told me to go to. A short while later I rode over to Glenview and took a short break before starting my climb.

When Glenview topped out I caught my breath. I had to descend to Bean Creek and then I started climbing Mountain Charlie. Some ladies rode past me. I stopped every 20 minutes. The views were spectacular. I really enjoyed myself. At the top I made a few stops but kicked myself for not bringing food. When I got to old Santa Cruz Highway I pretty much wanted to go home.

I had a few stops after that but was racing for the VTA. I ended up following a lady at one of the reservoirs. She had a pink basket.

I took a green train to Diridon. Whole Foods wouldn’t let me bring my bike inside. I had a beer on Caltrain while tweeting.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Soquel Road

On April 2, 2022, I wrote that the day before I met an acquaintance on 14th after filling my tires. We went to 17th and Folsom and met Bike Party. A bunch of people I knew were there. A few people were passing out flyers. I bumped my ankle on my pedal and screamed in agony in front of an acquaintance. It was awkward.

We rode 17th to Texas. We rode through the dog patch. I interacted with a couple of cool people until we went across the Illinois bridge. Some lady fell on the tracks. A guy we knew was looking for her boyfriend.

At Heron’s Head park I got to know some of the younger new people. I saw some old acquaintances and met their friends. A person we knew had had a fall and was recovering.

We rode on Cargo Street and Illinois. One of us wanted to take another way but the leader was intent. We headed through the port and set up at Pier 50. I sat with a couple I knew for a beer. That one guy gave us donuts. I spoke with another new face for a long time. I was making phrases from New Jersey.

We rode down the Embarcadero to the cruise ship terminal then. I stood with really cool people. I really connected with some of them. I let the ride leader know I was impressed. Several of us got together for the ride home. I said bye to everyone at ninth and market.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I woke at 6:30 but got up at 7:40. I made it to Townsend by eight and got coffee. I boarded at 8:28 and the trip to Diridon was OK.

Unfortunately VTA was very quick so I was not able to get coffee. I went to downtown Campbell and got coffee there.

I rode through Vasconia Reservoir and onward to Lexington reservoir. I took too many stops but I made it OK just fine. I got confused at the helipad. I climbed away from the reservoir and thought it would take forever but I found out it was OK.

I stopped at least five times before the top. I was warm and it felt like spring time.

I stopped at Mountain Charlie and got water. When I got to old Highway and Summit I was done climbing. I noted that summit was hard because I had to start slowing cars.

I thought that I could take a shortcut on Miller Street but it turned out that it went down into the creek. At Soquel Road I descended on the far side of the creek. The ride was really good. Near Soquel I had a hard time because it was flat. I also had to manage the traffic.

I checked in at my hotel and then I went to the Board rock. Then I went to a Thai place and finished the night off at blue Lagoon.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Van Ness Red Lanes

On April 1 of 2022, I wrote that the night before I rode to Van Ness and market and met a whole bunch of people. We rode the length of Van Ness Red lanes and back. I took pictures of us.

There were metermaids at two spots. An MTA representative was setting up for a press conference at Geary. I noted that the ride up was hard but way easier when there are no cars. The far side was fun. The turnaround was hard at Chestnut because the lane ends. When we passed Geary there were more people getting ready for the press conference.

At the Veterans Memorial buildings I spoke to a couple of acquaintances who were part of an environmentalist group. We discussed my old coworker. We drank beer. I spoke to a couple of old school people too.

A small group ascended to the press conference. We kind of rolled into the cameras. The whole thing ended pretty quickly but the MTA Director and some people from the board spoke.

Unfortunately a guy in a Ferrari showed up and started acting rude. A bunch of us conspired to disrupt his situation. The guy assaulted a cameraman and a cop showed up.

A number of us were itching to go so everyone not involved went to Benders. We actually tried to go to Zeitgeist but it didn’t work out. Everyone else showed up later. Apparently the Ferrari guy got arrested.

We chatted over tots until 9 o’clock when they kicked us out of the parklet. I went home then.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Rio Vista

In the morning of March 19, 2022, I got the boys dressed and fed. Then after I got stuff for dad from the store and had a coffee and the four of us packed up and got in the car to visit the town of Rio Vista.

The trip was OK. Dad thought Lincoln Way was cursed so he drove up Portola. On the 80 he drove too fast and I yelled at him. By Fairfield he had calmed down.

The Western Railroad Museum is a bookstore, library and four warehouses. It also has a yard and a short line. We looked at the books and then a few of the SFMTA trains. There were also key line trains and some others like the Sacramento Northern Railroad.

A while later we got on a San Diego Trolley and headed down the track to the town of Pantone. The whole thing was exciting. It was an SNRR right of way. Back at the museum we looked at SNRR locomotives and other cars before I gave the boys a snack.

The ride home was on Highway 12, 160 and four. We went through Lafayette and back to the bay bridge. Back in the city Hayes Street was not very fun but the rest was OK.

Back home I made a trip to the store and Dad made us spaghetti and my niece came by to babysit because I had plans for attending the Midnight Mystery Ride. I noted also that I would need some luck.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

At Conservatory of Flowers

On March 5, 2022, I wrote that the night before I got the boys from their gym class and took them home. I made them a meal and let them watch TV. Eventually I got us ready for their first Bike Party. I had to yell a bit and needed to run up and down the stairs for our shared cargo bike a few times but once the three of us got going together on it, the ride up Dolores was great. At the park I was really happy to see a bunch of people I knew including a lady I had met only a few weeks earlier. An acquaintance had her son and a neighbor’s kid too and that was comforting. The ride left and I took a shortcut. A number of us climbed 18th st and we spotted some others we knew as we climbed the Wiggle.

We had slowed down by the time we were at the Panhandle. We found one of our acquaintances and her companions and my boys shared the truism that “birds are dinosaurs.” From there we rode together as a group and got to know each other which was nice. Once we got to the Conservatory of Flowers one of my kids told me he wanted to go home which made me sad. I left them with a couple of acquaintances and quickly said hi to everyone.

The three of us rode home through the rain after that as it was getting wet out. The boys didn’t even want ice cream. They just wanted to go to bed – being generally unhappy about the cold.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Visit Peacock Gap

On February 21 of 2022, I wrote that the previous day I woke at dawn to hear coyotes barking. Later on when I woke up again someone told me that the raccoons had trashed the campsite even though I had tried really hard to minimize the damage they could potentially cause.

We I got up, I had the boys to run across the way and I got the boys dressed and fed. I wanted to get them oatmeal but there were many steps between. The tent was wet so I had to dry it. Someone had made coffee and then I told several people I wanted to climb over to the country club and they all‘s seemed interested. Some one made eggs which I offered to the boys but they only wanted the bacon.

I ate and drank in between putting stuff in bags for the day. In the meantime all of the kids in China Camp it seemed were out riding a loop up to the upper campsites. I think they rode around on their bikes four times. When I was done putting everything away I made oatmeal and then took them on the upper campground loop myself. Then everyone got on their bikes and we took the coastal trail. Unfortunately a section – the ADA – was not finished yet so we had to go on the road for a short bit. The rest of the trail was easy.

The only hard part was my cargo bike was really big and inappropriate for the trail. Unfortunately, it was not possible to get off the trail until the Visitor Center. One of the kids on the ride had a mishap with his bike, which turned out all right but I had to leave him to go forward in the column. When I found his mom she headed back to return to the camp to make sandwiches for everybody.

The rest of the group had gotten ahead of us and were waiting for us to catch up. At the visitor center we all got on the highway to China Beach - the park’s namesake. Once there we had beer and a special visitor everyone knew showed up.

When the sandwiches showed up I fed my boys. I also did a little walk to the pier with a few from our group. We also saw the group from the neighboring camp site who were going stand-up paddle boarding.

When we finished at the beach, the rest of the people decided to go back to the campsite but I packed up the bikes on the GSD because I wanted to visit Peacock gap. A few of us went to a spot on the ridge and then took a trail down to the country club. I bumped my knee. We had french fries and cheese sandwiches. Later on we climbed through Peacock Gap and took the coastal trail back. The ADA was closed so we took the perimeter trail and cheated back to the camp. I discovered that the ADA actually wasn’t off-limits.

From there I had a limited time to prep dinner and got the boys and sleeping bags. Someone in the group had made paella but I still dinner for the boys and at least one of them put effort into eating it. There was also roasted kale with which I added to my ramen after eating the paella. I also had a bratwurst in a bun. I added my horseradish and some mustard.

I took the boys aside twice to tell them to be good. The boys at least once attached themselves to members of the group so I let them sit next to each other at the fire. The fire was really big because someone had told all of us to get extra wood after we got back from our bicycle ride.

New people from the East Bay and the city showed up. I got the boys situated and eventually they went to bed. I sat with the group by the fire then. We had a lot of controversial discussions. Then fire got overly large. We pointedly asked each other about controversial topics then and later a few of us put food away. One of our group was wearing a full body sleeping bag.

I probably slept four hours. I woke at 5:45 and was up at 6:15. I started the fire again and set food out for the boys. Then I started breaking things down. I took the fly off the tent and the boys got up. They were dazed but not too wet. I broke up everything into piles after the tent came down. My neighbors at the campsite packed faster than me because they had an appointment to keep in Larkspur. They left at 8:45

I had instant coffee and soldiered on with the mattresses first before doing the sleeping bags. and I paced myself based on their civic center smart trip. Two people offered me coffee which was nice.

I left at 9:45 and took the boys riding their own bikes on North San Pedro to the train station. It had a sidewalk after the first real uphill. We made it to the Smart Station nearly 10 minutes before the 10:26 train came in. We found our companions in Larkspur. They had just finished their appointment.

I got coffee and snacks at Starbucks before we boarded a boat for San Francisco. The boys were hard to get along with at times. At the ferry building we all rode to Polk Street in a group. As it was late we said goodbye really quickly. Octavia was hard and I noted that I need to rethink about how to cross that intersection.

I gave the boys Pepsi when they came home and later that we rode to get some burritos. Ironically, we saw some of our campsite companions riding through the Wiggle as they had returned on the next boat.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.