Tacos at A Grocery Store

On April 20, 2025, I wrote that the Saturday before I wokeup at five in the morning and left around 6:30 stopping briefly for coffee at Civic Center Station. I missed the Antioch train so I had to ride my ebike from West Oakland to Emeryville Station, where I boarded the Capitol Corridor. The sky was gray all the way to Fairfield. I noted that the area around arrow peak was really cool looking in the fog.

At Davis, I rode my ebike through the university quad and onward through the dorms. I was feeling nostalgic and was having a lot of fun. I crossed Highway 113 and then tried to get to Cowell Street but I discovered that I actually wanted to go up Russell – that’s where the bike path is.

On the way to Russell. I got tacos at a grocery store. Then I rode Russell Boulevard, which has a separated bike path that I had been really excited about. It goes all the way to Stevenson Bridge Road. I passed a lot of cyclists and took photos of the Putah Creek from the bridge when I got there.

I rode Putah Creek Road then. There were so many cyclists in peloton formation. After the 505, I rode back across the creek into Winters and looked around. The town was cute. I rode to the western end of the town and crossed Highway 128 and found some cool greenstone. I rode down 128 to Horseshoe Road and wandered through the orchards, most of which had been cut down. I noted that the shortcut was great but the highway is really terrible.

I was on 128 for a little bit before crossing the creek again and visiting the Lake Solano Ranger Station. While charging my bike, I looked at the campground and had a snack. Then the staff gave me some directions and I back towards winters on the south side of the lake and creek. I took Pleasant Valley to Putah Creek Road and passed the dam where the south canal connects.

I noted that this route was also bad but it was less bad than riding on highway 128. When I got back to Winters, I decided to continue. I looked at the 505, Putah Creek Bridge near 128 and then I took Russell Boulevard back. The traffic makes that route terrible.

Once I got back to the Russell Boulevard Bike Path things returned to being great. However, I was taking photos instead of trying to get back to the train station which caused me to be slightly behind schedule. So, I picked up my speed and was able to catch the 510 train home. The conductor took cash. I was happy about that.

 
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.

Mount Shasta

On April 7, 2025, I wrote around noon on the previous Friday, April 4, I went back to my hotel in Siskiyou County and organized my room. I had been concerned about being really achy from skiing the day before, but my legs felt OK. I looked through the hotel literature. I took its advice and I went to the bike shop across the street. They had a lot of ski stuff but they didn’t have any bikes really. I made a brief stop at the other sports shop but there were no bikes there either.

I walked around the town popping my head in at a couple of restaurants and considered going to the local bike park but around 2:45 I went back to the room for a book and sat at the cafe to read for a little while. The local clientele seemed very interesting. I texted with my older brother. He said that he was a bit more than halfway to Mount Shasta. So, I sat and waited. However, I got it into my head that I wanted a quick walk.

Unfortunately, after putting the book away, my older brother rolled up. I didn’t realize it was him at first as his car was not familiar to me. I was crossing the street behind the hotel and there was a car waiting to turn and the guy that was driving had this look on his face and then I noticed that my children were in the car and it was my older brother and then they parked.

I got them into the hotel and settled.We hung out for a little while and I showed them around the room while we unpacked. We stopped around the corner to get drinks and checked to see when the Warriors game would start. Then we hopped in the car to drive to Lake Siskiyou.

It was a short trip across the railroad tracks and freeway. We turned down the road to Box Canyon Dam, looked at local rocks. The canyon really is box shaped and you really get the feeling for how deep it is as it descends into Dunsmuir and onward.

When we drove back we walked over to the pizza place – Sparky. We got two 12 inch pizzas and the beer selection was poor. My brother was obsessed with the Warriors game. We all sat together and it was nice actually. I was tweeting and everyone was watching television.

Eventually my brother took a seat at the bar to get into the game but we were done eating. So, I took the boys to get dessert. Unfortunately the yogurt shop was closed so we picked up drumsticks at the gas station instead. I don’t remember if the Warriors won, but my brother and the boys went to bed and I was alone until about midnight.

I woke at seven in the morning and we got ready to go to the mountain. My brother had gone next-door to the coffee shop. His pick up, which was a gift from a client of his, was parked right in front. We put our snow clothes on. There wasn’t a lot to eat at the coffee shop because the baker was out. The breakfast sandwich was good though. One of my boys tried it. My other boy had a banana bar. We got coffee to go.

We headed to the mountain because we were concerned about making it when the lifts opened. The drive involved getting a little bit lost at the 89 on ramp. However, the road after that was easy to follow. It was a little bumpy and the engine was really chunky.

We parked and I took the boys to the rental shop. An attendant helped us find skis and after we met back up, we all rode to the top of the Marmot Lift. There was this weird thing halfway through getting on the lift where we discovered that one of my kids didn’t have his card but somehow it was OK .

The ride on the lift was great but when we descended to Coyote Lift my slower son actually could not do it. He had a real problem with the angle of the slope. I should’ve taken his fear seriously. My brother and the faster son took off, so the two of us found our way down the slow way. When we made it to Coyote Lift, we stayed separate as my brother and the faster boy went off together.

When we got to the top of Coyote Lift, the two of us stayed at the top while the other two – the “fast team” – grabbed some powder. I realized later that there were other ways down, but I ended up taking my son down Sugar Pine, which was an intermediate slope. The boy initially tried to “snowplow” but then started having problems.

Obviously, with my boy exhausting himself and me trying to be supportive, our communication was coming under strain. I knew I was making mistakes in the way I was treating him and was upset about it. He was mostly refusing to listen and just lying there. I couldn’t shoehorn the problem, so it just continued to devolve.

Eventually, he started to step down bit by bit and that worked. He wasn’t getting anywhere though so I had him contour as he was coming down as well. We made it halfway down the hill doing that, but things were not great. However, at this point he was able to manage. We got to one spot where he knew the goal and knew what to do. Once he started "snowplowing" again we started to get along again.

We followed the cat track and “fast team” passed us a second time on the slope. When we were back at the bottom, we made our way to the lodge and sat down to think about food. When the others appeared, I bought my brother a beer and the boys had sodas. We ate chicken strips and fries.

After that, my brother and I traded – as a way to address the fact that “the slow team” had not gotten along through much of our single run. This time I took the faster boy to the top of Marmot Lift and we did about four runs together. The slow kid did about two runs with his uncle and actually did alright.

We all met back up in the locker room. When we dropped off our stuff at the rental shop, the attendant was very concerned about my son forgetting his lift pass earlier in the day and I was very excited to speak to her.

We loaded into the car and drove back to the room. My brother immediately started doing his own thing. I gathered everything the boys and I needed to return to San Francisco. I noted that I am always frantically packing, but I also noticed that I have less trouble packing if there is enough space in my bag. It kind of indicates that I need a bigger bag sometimes.

We were alone together for about an hour and then at 6:30. I took the boys to Yaks Restaurant while their uncle got some time to rest. I noted that my old college friend had sent me a message saying that he had just arrived at my apartment in San Francisco and would see us when we arrived.

Everywhere in Siskiyou County, there are young people and Yaks is no different. They gave us a tag which said “Hollywood” on it. Every time they called out, I couldn’t tell if it was ours. The burgers came with gummy bears and I had to make sure both of my kids got the same amount. Later we went to the pay binoculars and viewed Mount Shasta, the headwaters of the Sacramento River, White Ridge and Porcupine Ridge. We also got yogurt from Jax. The lady behind the counter was really busy.

We walked to Sissou Park, which has a great view of Shasta. The boys didn’t really understand that Shasta is a volcano, but when we were done walking to the park, I had explained it to them and they were very excited to look at it. We finished our yogurt then and when we got to the room my older brother was asleep.

It wasn’t very late, but because the train was departing at midnight from Dunsmuir a few miles down the canyon, he needed a nap. I rotated his laundry and put the bags in a good place. I put the boys to bed and then I wanted to go to the Vet Club, a bar down the street, but decided to just go to sleep instead.

At 11:30 I woke up and checked the train status and it was early. I got everyone up. As I had already packed, it was easy to get in the car by midnight. The train passed us at Lake Boulevard while we were trying to get down to the train station at Dunsmuir. While this made us nervous and gave us the impression we were late, the reality was that the train has two giant switchbacks to make as it descends into the Sacramento Canyon which the freeway simply goes around. I wasn’t really worried but we rushed anyway.

When we got to the station, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that there was a cargo train waiting in the way of our train. The boys took to chatting with a through hiker and his friend who was sleeping. I noted that the Pacific Crest Trail is near the station.

When the train arrived, we said bye to my brother and we settled into our seats. I gave the boys books. I read my book and then all three of us pretty much fell asleep right then. I woke up a few times– in Chico and Sac, etc. – but basically we just got up for coffee at Martinez and then got off the train.

The busses home were easy enough. I should have brought a bigger bag for myself. I got pictures on the 14 bus. The boys were not happy about carrying bags.

My old college classmate was at the apartment when we arrived. He had flown in only a half a day earlier. He was just walking out of the house, but hung out with us while we were unpacking. We wanted coffee. So, we walked to Mercury. The view was great. There was jazz. We drew pictures and then we walked to Duboce playground, looking at the Safeway mural and steel chairs at Fillmore on the way.

We chatted about our trips – he had just completed his own ski adventure in Utah. We watched the kids at the playground and the parents everywhere. My boys had found a hula hoop near the swings. When we were done at the playground, we climbed up Duboce to Buena Vista Park.

The boys raced us up the hill. At the top they were displeased (because they were tired). I got a bunch of pictures of the view. We headed over to the playground. The boys nearly missed the playground because they were sneaking around in the brush. I sat and rested while the boys played.

I got a picture of our guest pushing the boys around on a giant tire swing that goes in circles. I made a GIF of it. I sent it to mutual friends. We went and had another coffee then before walking down Page Street.

Page Street had many high points with the boys, jumping and telling stories. At Fillmore I introduced my guest to an acquaintance with Page Slow Street. We checked out the standing yard sale there. We walked to Waller steps for a photo.

We spent enough time at the apartment for our guest to have a snack and pack. Then we walked him to BART. When we got back to the apartment I made ramen and after dinner we ate ice cream and started a new Avengers animated series before bed. I was exhausted.

 
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 Train in Dunsmuir

On April 4, I wrote that the previous Wednesday I finished up work around the same time I normally would and walked home and packed and caught a bus to Emeryville Station and confirmed my train's arrival.

I was repacking before the train arrived and was frazzled because I had made a few mistakes timing my departure. However, my feelings improved as I put my bags away though. I took my books to the café car to have a snack and read my book until midnight.

Sometime before arriving at Chico Station, I settled in for a nap. I woke up at three in the morning, right before arriving in Redding. Then, as we entered the mountains, I willed myself to dress for the cold and eventually headed downstairs. I set up in the “lounge“ area – basically a powder room with a double vanity – I was disappointed that it had no bench, but I managed.

When I was ready, I stood with the conductor near the train’s exit watching light glinting off the the snow covered forest. We passed my remaining twenty minutes on the train with light conversation as I drank a can of coffee. I was the only one to get off the train in Dunsmuir. The town was quiet and inactive at 5:10 in the morning. I dug through my bag across from the town’s only motel for a phone charger before hitching a ride to the town of Mount Shasta.

The guy who picked me up told me that he shuttles the UP crew around the region for a living and that he had just completed a drop off. However, he noted that he also occasionally works for the local taxi service in the neighborhoods. So, as we sped up the interstate above the Sacramento Canyon, I decided to give him money when he dropped me off in town since I had basically just hailed an independent cab. I felt the need to acknowledge that he had just picked me up in the middle of the night from the middle of nowhere…

I went to Starbucks and I sat there until seven drinking coffee. I was really bummed out when I discovered that the bus to McLeod had just passed me. I had consulted the bus timetables weeks before and had concluded that the case for taking the bus from Dunsmuir to the ski resort was actually fraught and had given up on the idea. However, there was one segment that matched my schedule, and I had not really considered the possibility that I would be able to use it.

I collected my things and I went to the hotel that I had booked. I knew that they would not be open yet. So, I just looked through the window and I checked out the coffee shop

I walked across the street to Shasta Boulevard to hitch another ride. I had a sign that said Ski Shasta. Some guy picked me up. He told me that he worked at a small ski resort in Oregon and would snowboard at other resorts in his free time. He told me that he had to visited Shasta with a bunch of his friends. He had a big van filled with his life in it… Basically he was living out of his van. It was a nice van though.

When I got to the resort, I rented skis and got ready in the locker room. Everything fit in the locker. I took Douglas Lift. It had no safety bar and the seat was narrow, and that was disconcerting. I got to see the weird statue at the top – The Luminarians. I descended to Coyote Lift. Riding that was easier – it was less narrow. Then I tried to descend to Gray Butte but it didn’t work. I had to walk the cat track and it sucked.

Gray Butte, which is technically the backside of the resort, really made me giddy though because it was so fun. I rested a bit at the bottom and then I did three or four runs there. Then I experimented with a route I had seen on the previous run. I descended from the top of Gray Butte lift on the far right side of the runs until I found the flagging which marked the route..

As I descended along a path, I noted that it wasn’t really good for snowboards, but it was OK for me because it was pretty straightforward and clearly marked. While riding through the first time, I found a sign that said “backcountry cabin.” From there, I noted that the other direction would’ve taken me back to the Gray Butte Lift.

I followed the higher run which proved fruitful. The lower runs all converged on the cat track at the bottom. I noted that it probably would’ve been better to go that way since they both go over to the front side.

I descended to the Lodge for fries and a Dr Pepper before taking the Marmot Lift on the kiddy slopes, which also didn’t have a safety bar and gave me nightmares. The kid left was terrifying for me! I ascended Coyote again and this time road closer to the cornice on the backside, and though I made the left without hiking, it was not very effective either. I determined that I actually needed to go around the chorus and descent towards the backcountry cabin (although it’s not possible to get to the cabin on this route). I ascended twice more sedate this time.

An old college classmate sent me pictures of his trip as he was skiing in Park City. The pictures were honestly amazing. However, I sent him pictures that were pretty great too. Eventually though, the snow was really heavy and I wasn’t loving it so I took the cat track to Coyote. I noted that the backside of Coyote is the only real way to get to Gray Butte. I was really tired when I got to the lodge. I had a beer and a Jager shot and then dumped my equipment and walked in my socks to the locker room where I packed to leave by 3:45.

I got one ride to the town of Mount Shasta. The person who picked me up turned out to be an old coworker, who was stunned to find me hitchhiking. I got to meet his children. The last time I had seen the younger one he had been in a stroller, so it was pretty eye-opening. He and I had worked together at City College and had met up at Car Free Happy Hour and Geobeers a whole bunch of times. We lived in the same neighborhood.

They were headed to pick up his wife in Dunsmuir. I was able to convince him to drop me off at my hotel, which has 12 rooms and no staff. When I got to my room, it had only just become available. All the locks are keypads. The room was huge.

I was really lazy for a while but later I walked Mount Shasta Boulevard to a Mexican restaurant, which turned out to be closed. Some guy on the way told me that the south end of Mount Shasta Boulevard is dead. I honestly should’ve borrowed the guy’s bike since I ended up walking back to the center of town where I found a Mexican restaurant.

I noted that Mount Shasta Boulevard has a bunch of shops and restaurants and that I really wanted to explore the rest of the town. Unfortunately, I had not slept in at least 20 hours and was dead tired. So, I told myself that I could look around the next day and I walked back to the hotel room and quit at about 830.

I was able to get comfortable despite the aches from my ski adventure. I got up at 850 and a short while later went to the coffee shop inside of the hotel. There was a lady who was bothering everyone. The staff there wouldn’t acknowledge that I had ordered everything for here and they gave me all this paper bags and stuff. The baked goods were OK though.

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.

Butter People

On March 13, 2025, I wrote that the day before I went home from work and prepared for a rainy Butter Lap. Once I was packed, I rode Market Street to the Ferry Building and got myself empanadas as a snack. Then I sat with people I knew from the ride and the other Butter people until it was time to go.

I ended up buying batteries at fisherman‘s wharf because my lights weren’t working. I also felts silly since it was obvious there were no rain concerns. I climbed up to Pacific Overlook as the one other person from the group passed me and it was just us there for a while. SOme others were there with a few people a bit later. As we descended to Lobos Creek it was freezing. I chatted with a couple of the new people. We passed the strongest fixed gear rider. When we were done climbing to Legion of Honor, I shed my rain clothes.

One of the riders had cake because it was her birthday and that was most of the reason why I was there. One of the other riders offered me mulled rum which was really nice. Everyone seemed to disappear a short moment later so I took 30th to Golden Gate Park and ended up chasing riders I thought knew who I had found on JFK. However, they got away and later on I realized that they were not from the ride because the fastest rider turned up behind me and he’s usually first in the pack. I rode to Stanyan then and took my raincoat off. I was really hot at that point.

I accidentally went down Duboce not remembering I was going to Benders. I took Capp and Van Ness. I passed a bunch of the riders then. At the bar I chatted with the people. THe bike party people I knew on the ride – particularly the East Bay people – had left after Legion of Honor. I sent some of them pictures. We played pool. I left at 1:30

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 Stood at The Top Tree

On March 9, I wrote that I wanted to attend SFBP.

I took a bike share to the apartment to find out where Bike Party would be. I rode to ferry building and got empanadas and beer.

When the ride left, the flag circled ballpark and Mission Bay to Dogpatch. I chatted with participants along the way. I saw others I knew. We took Chavez to Potrero del Sol and I got to know some new people. SOme people I had known a long time were there too. New people got to know each other, and there were a lot of people in a big group.

We rode up 24th. A butter Lap person was nearby so when I spoke to her. We chatted about being Car Free and having motorist friends. The new people slowly faded away. I saw them again on Sanchez though.

At Duboce Park the group and I stood at the top tree and looked at everyone. I found a friend with a front loading cargo bike. I had some of his mescal. We all shared our social media. I saw It was there that I saw many of the people I know from Lower Haight and I kind of had a lot of feelings about it because I like everyone together like that. However, sometimes being around a lot of people you like gets you down too.

I spoke to the ones I got a lot with best for a bit. I noted that they had been with the East Bay Bike Party people celebrating Ragbai.

I went home when everyone had left.

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.

Down the Ravine Headfirst

On March 1, 2025, I wrote that I got up at 6:20 in the morning of the day I wrote this and got my seven year old boys up and out the door by seven. The three of us rode the cargo bike to San Francisco Station and at 740 we boarded with no problem. The boys played iPad and drank smoothies and hot cocoa. I had a pastry. At San Jose Diridon Station, we transferred to the Green Line.

It was kind of cold. At Campbell Station we went to the coffee shop nearby. I filled up our cups and ate a bagel. Then we headed out to Los Gatos Creek path. We tried the east side of the path this time. The ride to the lower reservoir was good and fast. At Vasona Lake Park we stopped at the parking lot to watch the train. We sped up to Lexington Reservoir then.

In Los Gatos, I chose to go through the baseball stadium to avoid some gates. I just zipped through the narrow section of the creek. The boys hiked up the Lexington Dam without me. I enjoyed the fresh air alone. We ascended to Alma Bridge together. Only one car passed us. We parked near Moody Gulch and walked along the path which became less clear as we progressed.

Eventually we were making our way through brush and steep hillside. There were toppled trees, but I had my eye on Ryland Dam which I could see. I was thinking too much about my objective and less about getting to it, and I should’ve spent more time thinking about it. We were basically traversing the side of the fault and because it was a fault there was active erosion going on.

The three of us were holding hands, but we were above a ravine filled with stinging nettle. I slipped and accidentally pulled one of my boys and he felt straight down the ravine headfirst. He was really upset when he got to the bottom.“I’m sorry“ I said to him over and over “I’m sorry!“

I made sure my other son was on stable ground and then I descended to check on the one who had fallen. He was on the shore of Los Gatos Creek. I found he had light scrapes and I made sure he was not panicking. Then I went up and got my other son.

We washed up with creek water and rested. The boys were OK but upset. I gave both of them, hugs and apologized a lot. The foliage was mostly stinging nettle and blackberry. I had concluded that there wasn’t any poison oak for the most part. We followed some sand bars and under redwood roots in the middle of the creek there.

Because it hadn’t rained recently the creek was actually pretty low and traversible. We should have descended to the creek earlier and just picked through the rocks, but I just thought that there was no way through. We forded a puddle and landed on a muddy bar which we were able to avoid sinking into. We balanced on a tree while gripping willow shoots. Then we picked our way across wet stones. The stones were a mixture of Franciscan church and Salinas granite with a variety of other materials.

At this point we were right below Ryland Dam. We climbed the salmon ladder to the south side of the spillway. The ladder turns at the top and then there is a catchment up there but the creek no longer fills the ladder since the water is now piped down from the upper reservoirs. I picked the boys up and placed them on the cat walk there and we climbed up on top.

We inspected the pipeline bridgeway and then, instead of trying to get back across the creek and onward to Aldercroft side, we followed the pipe to a street nearby named Assiniboine. It was a climb which I decided not to do. On my previous visit to Assiniboine I had discovered that there was a telephone line or a powerline that crossed the creek from the old hwy 17 side of the creek to the Aldercroft side and from the pipeline itself, I could see that power/phone line crossing 100 feet above us and Assiniboine street and Chemeketa neighborhood were about 40 feet above the ravine through thick foliage.

On the way back, the boys debated on how to cross the creek. We decided to scramble back down on the hillside next to the salmon ladder and then ford the creek because the pipe bridge was gated. When we climbed up to the other side to the Aldercroft side of the bridgeway we followed the pipeline road, which was old railroad tracks and walked to Aldercroft.

The boys and I made lighthearted comments about falling into the creek, etc. When we got to Alma Bridge, I saw some bike tourists and I asked them a bunch of questions. They said that they were taking old highway to Summit and Soquel, but they considered Mountain Charlie to be an option. They were uncertain which way they were going.

A bit later the boys and I returned to our cargo bike bike and we rode it back to Lexington Dam with no trouble. We descended to Los Gatos Town and back to the baseball field. Then we returned to Vasona Reservoir where I got tickets for the Jones Model Train. The boys liked it in the end. It was smoky and misty. They sprayed us with steam mist from the engine as we rode through the park.

Latter I made sure we cleaned up from our trip to the forest. After that, we rode to Campbell Station and waited before riding to San Jose station. We stopped at Whole Foods and got some food before boarding Caltrain back to SF. The boys played iPad until we got back to the Mission via BART.

I was writing in my note book while riding the train. One boy was sleeping in my lap and the other was kicking me. The next stop was Balboa and we were getting off at 16th.

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.

Down the Ravine Headfirst

On March 1, 2025, I wrote that I got up at 6:20 in the morning of the day I wrote this and got my seven year old boys up and out the door by seven. The three of us rode the cargo bike to San Francisco Station and at 740 we boarded with no problem. The boys played iPad and drank smoothies and hot cocoa. I had a pastry. At San Jose Diridon Station, we transferred to the Green Line.

It was kind of cold. At Campbell Station we went to the coffee shop nearby. I filled up our cups and ate a bagel. Then we headed out to Los Gatos Creek path. We tried the east side of the path this time. The ride to the lower reservoir was good and fast. At Vasona Lake Park we stopped at the parking lot to watch the train. We sped up to Lexington Reservoir then.

In Los Gatos, I chose to go through the baseball stadium to avoid some gates. I just zipped through the narrow section of the creek. The boys hiked up the Lexington Dam without me. I enjoyed the fresh air alone. We ascended to Alma Bridge together. Only one car passed us. We parked near Moody Gulch and walked along the path which became less clear as we progressed.

Eventually we were making our way through brush and steep hillside. There were toppled trees, but I had my eye on Ryland Dam which I could see. I was thinking too much about my objective and less about getting to it, and I should’ve spent more time thinking about it. We were basically traversing the side of the fault and because it was a fault there was active erosion going on.

The three of us were holding hands, but we were above a ravine filled with stinging nettle. I slipped and accidentally pulled one of my boys and he felt straight down the ravine headfirst. He was really upset when he got to the bottom.“I’m sorry“ I said to him over and over “I’m sorry!“

I made sure my other son was on stable ground and then I descended to check on the one who had fallen. He was on the shore of Los Gatos Creek. I found he had light scrapes and I made sure he was not panicking. Then I went up and got my other son.

We washed up with creek water and rested. The boys were OK but upset. I gave both of them, hugs and apologized a lot. The foliage was mostly stinging nettle and blackberry. I had concluded that there wasn’t any poison oak for the most part. We followed some sand bars and under redwood roots in the middle of the creek there.

Because it hadn’t rained recently the creek was actually pretty low and traversible. We should have descended to the creek earlier and just picked through the rocks, but I just thought that there was no way through. We forded a puddle and landed on a muddy bar which we were able to avoid sinking into. We balanced on a tree while gripping willow shoots. Then we picked our way across wet stones. The stones were a mixture of Franciscan church and Salinas granite with a variety of other materials.

At this point we were right below Ryland Dam. We climbed the salmon ladder to the south side of the spillway. The ladder turns at the top and then there is a catchment up there but the creek no longer fills the ladder since the water is now piped down from the upper reservoirs. I picked the boys up and placed them on the cat walk there and we climbed up on top.

We inspected the pipeline bridgeway and then, instead of trying to get back across the creek and onward to Aldercroft side, we followed the pipe to a street nearby named Assiniboine. It was a climb which I decided not to do. On my previous visit to Assiniboine I had discovered that there was a telephone line or a powerline that crossed the creek from the old hwy 17 side of the creek to the Aldercroft side and from the pipeline itself, I could see that power/phone line crossing 100 feet above us and Assiniboine street and Chemeketa neighborhood were about 40 feet above the ravine through thick foliage.

On the way back, the boys debated on how to cross the creek. We decided to scramble back down on the hillside next to the salmon ladder and then ford the creek because the pipe bridge was gated. When we climbed up to the other side to the Aldercroft side of the bridgeway we followed the pipeline road, which was old railroad tracks and walked to Aldercroft.

The boys and I made lighthearted comments about falling into the creek, etc. When we got to Alma Bridge, I saw some bike tourists and I asked them a bunch of questions. They said that they were taking old highway to Summit and Soquel, but they considered Mountain Charlie to be an option. They were uncertain which way they were going.

A bit later the boys and I returned to our cargo bike bike and we rode it back to Lexington Dam with no trouble. We descended to Los Gatos Town and back to the baseball field. Then we returned to Vasona Reservoir where I got tickets for the Jones Model Train. The boys liked it in the end. It was smoky and misty. They sprayed us with steam mist from the engine as we rode through the park.

Latter I made sure we cleaned up from our trip to the forest. After that, we rode to Campbell Station and waited before riding to San Jose station. We stopped at Whole Foods and got some food before boarding Caltrain back to SF. The boys played iPad until we got back to the Mission via BART.

I was writing in my note book while riding the train. One boy was sleeping in my lap and the other was kicking me. The next stop was Balboa and we were getting off at 16th.

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.

Ride up Mount Diablo

On February 10, I wrote that the previous Sunday an acquaintance had been staying with me in the Mission District. I had suggested we accompany a group of cyclists to Mount Diablo and at around 7 am we rode the bikes to Civic Center and onward to Walnut Creek BART where we got coffee.

A short while later we met up with at least fifteen people for the ride. We started off using Ironhorse Trail from Broadway and a little while later rode up El Cerro and through a few more turns to the State Park Gate Road.

After taking a group picture at State Park Gate, we continued. I caught a glimpse of someone from the group with a flat, but the group helped them out. Sadly, my companion and I were dead last after that. When we got to the park entrance gate, he revealed that he wanted to quit. However, I was able to convince him to have a snack at Rock City a few miles up the road where we looked at elephant rock and a few other sights before heading back. The descent was nice.

Going through the Diablo Country Club and that actually made things a lot easier. I noted that El Cerro is a terrible road. We continued without any problems to Walnut Creek BART then. I noted when headed back to San Francisco that the ride had gone well but it was a stretch.

Back in the city my companion and I enjoyed some delicious Thai food on Divisadero. I noted a funny moment where we happened upon some people from the ride earlier. I waved at all of them and they were happy to see me. Apparently, others had dropped out of the climb as well.

After that, we took in the sights and I also saw a coworker outside of a store on 9th avenue. My companion and I went to the Shamrock. Everyone was there for the Super Bowl.

 
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.

Bike Party at The Panhandle

On February 8, I wrote that an acquaintance of mine borrowed one of my bikes and we rode to to Baker to meet Bike Party at the Panhandle. It was muddy, but the ride was leaving so we didn’t hang out in the mud. I saw a lot of regular riders. I also saw some people from my neighborhood. There are a whole bunch of other people there.

We rode up Golden Gate from Lyon and over to Anza at Lone Mountain. At about 27th Avenue we rode up Geary and headed to Sutro Heights. My companion and I stood with the regulars and said hi to people. I took pictures.

The group rode down from the Cliff House and up MLK. It was so cold I needed gloves. At JFK at Prayerbook Waterfall there were cop cars everywhere. We were at Conservatory of Flowers for about 25 minutes. I saw a bunch of people I hadn’t seen in a while. It was a real party. My companion and I followed the ride leaders Page Street but split off to the apartment.

 
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.

Santa Cruz

On January 31, I wrote that I had visited Monterey with an acquaintance to see a show the night before. In the morning we went to a coffee shop nearby and we had waffles and pancakes.

I oriented myself on the map while we drove to Santa Cruz. I kept thinking how similar it was to Santa Barbara. We visited Verve in Santa Cruz and then we walked Pacific Avenue. I noted that there was a bookstore and a card shop and a tchotchkes shop.

As we drove out of Santa Cruz, I put Paco de Lucía on. We drove through Davenport and I looked at the Sand Hills – they seemed calcium rich. I oriented myself as we crossed Waddell and Gazos Creek. We also looked at the pie shop but we weren’t impressed with the pies. Later we went to Pescadero and got coffee. I asked the Bike Shop about routes up Pescadero Creek. I noted that the rest of the drive was easy and it started raining in Half Moon Bay.

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.

Monterey

On January 30 I wrote that I traveled to Monterey with an acquaintance. As we drove through Pacifica heading south I focused on biking routes in the mountains. We stopped in Princeton by the sea to get coffee. There was traffic in half Moon Bay. I paid close attention to San Pedro Mountain during part of the ride.

I didn’t notice much until Pescadero. I was struck by the Gazos Creek and Scott Creek canyons. We had a short stop in Davenport. Between Santa Cruz and Elkhorn Slough I discussed Jevon’s Paradox with my companion. We also discussed induced demand, housing, automobiles and other things like Caltrain. All the while, was on the watch out for clues on ways for crossing the Santa Cruz Mountains by bike.

In Monterey, we visited the butterfly sanctuary but we only saw one butterfly. After that, we went to a café in Pacific Grove before heading to Cannery Row for the sights.

After we had checked in at our hotel, we headed straight to the marina for a drink and a view of the bay. I noted that one can see the Salinas Range pretty well. I also noticed that Fremont Peak is a little far away. By 6 o’clock we had had tacos at the hotel restaurant. We ordered the octopus and it was pretty impressive. I was really happy with the trip.

The rest of the night from there we were at the Golden State Theater. I enjoyed all of the music immensely. The lead singer’s brother and a friend were also playing with him.

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.

Cerritos Plaza for Bike Party

On January 12, 2025, I wrote that left the office and I went home a few hours before I took my bike to the empanada place and continued to Cerritos Plaza for Bike Party. An acquaintance wished me a happy new year and I said you too. Later I met a guy with a cargo bike like the one I had at home with interesting handlebars in the back. When the ride left, I chatted with a few regulars along the route. They told me about their lives. One of them had broken up with his girlfriend. I heard a funny story about crack.

We rode north and then to the east. We took 20th and Cutting and then we went south into the Ferry Point Tunnel. We headed over to Brickyard Cove. The waterfront was cold but easy and at the park I was looking for friends for a while. I went to the pier, but there were no Cyclists there. I was actually kind of surprised to find that there were other groups spending time at the park.

There was a great view of San Francisco. Someone set off some fireworks. I hung out with a few of the older regulars and then we all rode to Shoreline Park. I chatted with some of the ride leaders a few times. I had to put on my jacket while we were riding and that was hard.

One of the ride leaders drank a beer with me, but I was drinking water. Then the group I always ride with organized and we all left bike party behind and headed to the Bay Trail. We followed Hoffman Channel to Plaza Bart. On the train I fantasized a lot about going to bed. I realized that this was brain fog. I noted that the group thinks I am cool and a few of us covered our ears when we were in the tunnel.

 
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 Temptation 12 Inch

On December 21, 2024, I wrote that the night before I got on my Raleigh and went to Brother's Pizza. I attached my fleece to the rack because I knew it was cold but bearable out. The pizza was OK. At Riptide my beer and Fernet was too expensive but the bar was playing a bunch of cool early 80s music. I asked the DJ about the Temptation 12 Inch he had played by New Order.

I woke up hung early the next morning. My father asked me to make him coffee and once I had brought it to him I went back to sleep. Later that day I went to Gus‘s and got us some sandwiches which we ate when I got back home.

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 Bartender Put Janis Joplin On

On November 22, 2024, I wrote that I met my older brother at Civic Center and we caught an L train to the sunset to meet our sister who was with our dad at his house. We got on the phone with our older sister sat on speakerphone in the dining room to discuss the estate of our uncle – our monther’s brother, who had recently passed away.

During the family meeting, we got signatures for the mortuary and settled on the date in December for the memorial. Afterwards, I got in my sister's car and we drove to our uncle’s house. It wasn’t hard getting in but after doing a few things we decided it would be a while before we’d be able to settle the estate.

We fed the neighbor's cat and locked up the house. In the car, we had a brief legal conversation before she dropped me off at West Portal. I rode an L Train to Church Station – texting with my other siblings.

When I got home, I was able to drop off the paperwork from the day's activities and walk over to Sycamore. I wove a sad story about my uncle’s storied past as a motorcycle owner, climber and local ruffian from the 1960’s to anyone who would listen. Tom, the bartender, put Janis Joplin on for me-that was nice.

I finished my sliders and beer before walking home and going straight to bed. I had restless sleep.

The next day, I packed to return to the house and my older brother let me know he would meet me. I dressed for rain and stopped at Four Barrel. I took BART and had made it to Phelan when my brother let me know he was waiting for me. I caught a 29 bus.

While there, we found basic paperwork and discussed coming back in a few days. I noted that the cat had not eaten anything, there was garbage and we needed to pay the utilities at some point. Then the two of us walked to Ocean Avenue through the rainy air chatting about how to share the path forward with our sisters and what to do about our younger brother.

At Phelan, he took a 43 back to the sunset and I took a 49 to Bart because I had to go to The Mortuary.

I noted that walking is hard when you’re in suburbia at times. However, my meeting with the funeral director was easy enough. When I got to Civic Center, I caught a five from Van Ness and I took a 22 to pick my boys up.

My brother was waiting there for us when I arrived and my boys were enthusiastic about spending time with him. was there. They got on a 24 and headed out to our father’s house and I took the bus to work, getting coffee on the way. Then, once I had dried off from the heavy rain and got ready to attend a work function.

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 Lake Merritt I met the Bike Party.

On November 10, 2024, I wrote that after work the previous Friday I took a bus to the bike shop on Cortland to get my cargo bike. Then I got a burrito and went home to put the cargo bike away and get my Surly out.

I rode to Civic Center and boarded with a few other cyclists. At Lake Merritt I met the Bike Party. I spoke to an organizer and saw a few others. I walked around. One of the people I knew pretty well was with his other tall bike.

The Bike Party rode down to fourth and headed to Mandela. The group was huge. I went half speed and it took til 40th to watch the whole group pass. I spoke to the sweep. We went to the new development off Horton where the new bridge is. The park has a bike path which passes through a building. I hung out with the organizers until people I knew well showed up and sat with them for a while. A lady with a sweet Raleigh was there. It was green and probably was a mid 70s model.

We rode Mandela to 12th and I hopped a BART train home. The ride home was easy enough and once I got home I was asleep pretty easily too.

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.

My Phone Catches the Comet

On October 17, I wrote at the day before I make it out the door by 6:30. I ate an empanada at the ferry building and then I joined Butter lap.

There was a guy on an E bike and a coule of other guys who seemed slightly familiar. I also saw a few people from bike party. I left early and found some of the regular “Lappers” waiting for us at Fort Point. There was a lot of talk about “the comet,” Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the sky, but I didn’t see it at that point. I got water and then we all headed out to Pacific Overlook. I managed the climbs pretty well. I noted that I found if I ride easy, I can sustain a sprint for at least a mile.

At Pacific Overlook I caught my breath and discovered, to my surprise, that my phone catches the comet if I use delayed snap. I left early and a bike party person I know from social media and I were first to Legion of Honor with that one fixed gear Butter Lap guy who is always first. I chatted with the crew as everyone started arriving and eventually the people I knew best said we should leave. I skipped doing laps around the VA and descended to Ocean Beach.

I found to my surprise that everyone was behind me because of that. I ended up sprinting up JFK after Cliff house with the ebike guy and we found a couple of regulars I know well as we were passing the bison paddock. We rode together to the Conservancy. I went ahead at Stanyon and descended to Benders Bar alone. I had a beer and chatted with the ebike guy and bike party people until late.

 
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.