Annual trip to the Northeast!

It seems there is never enough time

•  Rae and Ale's wedding - really awesome event!
• Annual trip to Ocean Park (OP) and the cottage
• Mix of friends and family
• Good food
• Relaxation
• Beach time
• No bikes 😒 
• A bit of time to make a new video
• New camera for stills and video (Nikon z5ii) and still playing with the settings 
• Eastern Trail in Scarboro Marsh
• Seashore Trolley Museum 
• Off to Amy's the night before the flight 

 

Ocean Park, ME - October 2026

Sara likes to sleep in so I spent some time getting some short video clips in of Ocean Park.  Managed to get quite a bit of footage.  I had considered a title page/graphics with a scripted voice over but after viewing the video, I realized that the video pretty much spoke for itself and the likely viewers (Ocean Parkers) would have figured this video out quickly

Equipment used:

• DaVinci Resolve for the edits and production
• iPhone mini 13
• GoPro Hero 9 and "selfie" stick/tripod
• HoverAir X1
• Electron for the music

Pretty happy with the video results 

 

 

 

Friday 50

Enjoyed a scenic, 51-mile ride from Davis through Winters and along Pleasants Valley Road to Suisun City. With approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes of riding time, the route takes you from the flat farmland around Davis into the rolling countryside west of Winters before continuing toward Suisun City.

Celebrated the ride with lunch at La Cabaña, then head to the Suisun City Amtrak station to catch train 530 back to Davis—a relaxing finish to a day of cycling, countryside, and good food!

 

Austin Getaway: Live Music, Barbecue, and Barton Springs

From August 19 to August 23, we enjoyed an Austin vacation filled with live music, great barbecue, and time to explore. The Downtown Hilton was our home base for a few days of sightseeing, swimming, and enjoying the local food scene.

We explored Sixth Street and caught performances by a few local musicians. One of the trip’s highlights was our Austin City Limits tour, where we saw Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top getting ready for a show. That unexpected sighting made the visit especially memorable.

We also made time to sample the local barbecue, including a stop at Franklin Barbecue. We were lucky enough to get brisket before it sold out for the day—a delicious bit of good timing!

An afternoon at Barton Springs Pool offered a refreshing change of pace. Between outings, it felt good to slow down, enjoy the cool water, and simply be on vacation.

Another highlight was our bat tour from the water. Watching the bats emerge as evening arrived gave us a memorable view of one of Austin’s best-known sights.

We also ventured to Gruene Hall for a beer, taking time to soak up the atmosphere of the Texas dance hall. Back in Austin, a few beverages at the Driskill gave us another lovely setting to relax and talk about the day.

 

Arboretum - nice and peaceful but CRAZY hot!

 

New Braunfels, TX

 

Austin City Limits - would be an amazing venue to see music but sadly, we could only go on the tour (really weren't supposed to take photos but I couldn't resist).

 

 

Gruene Hall

 

 

The Driskill

 

Taking a dip in Austin history at Barton Springs Pool. These natural springs drew Indigenous peoples thousands of years ago, and the city expanded the pool in the 1920s—helping shape the beloved swimming spot we enjoyed today for our time away. 

Our getaway brought together a little of everything: local music, a rock legend sighting, excellent brisket, a swim, and an evening on the water. Most of all, it gave us five days to explore and enjoy time together.

 

Sea Otter Classic 2026: Gravel and Good Company

April brought a cycling adventure at the Sea Otter Classic, where I took on the 30-mile gravel race. Joining me were Sara and our friends Steve and Nancy Kabler, making the event a chance to enjoy both racing and time with good friends.

Steve also raced the 30-mile gravel course and had a fantastic ride. Sharing the event with a friend added to the excitement—and gave us plenty to talk about afterward.

Gravel racing brings its own mix of challenges, from choosing a good line to finding a sustainable rhythm. Thirty miles made for a rewarding way to take part in Sea Otter and experience the enthusiasm of so many people brought together by bikes.

The race was the centerpiece, but having Sara, Steve, and Nancy there made the trip especially memorable. Bikes, friendship, and a little competition were a great combination for an April getaway.

 

 

Eleven Years, Two Bikes, and a Rainbow in Pacific Grove

For our 11th anniversary, we headed to Pacific Grove, California, for a coastal getaway filled with bike rides, wildlife, good food, and time together. The weather gave us a little of everything—sunshine, clouds, and a bit of rain—and rewarded us with a beautiful rainbow.

Exploring by bike was one of our favorite parts of the trip. Riding along the coast gave us the freedom to stop whenever something caught our attention, which happened often. With ocean views around every bend, there was no reason to hurry.

The otters were especially good at bringing us to a standstill. Watching them bob in the water and go about their day was the kind of entertainment we could happily lose track of time enjoying. Above the waves, pelicans put on a different show, air-surfing just over the water with remarkable ease. We did the pedaling; they made their miles look effortless.

We also spent time at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, getting a closer look at the marine world that had been keeping us company along the coast. It was a lovely part of a vacation already shaped by the ocean.

Between our outings, we enjoyed some great restaurants and found a memorable little bar called Pearl Hour. It was a wonderful place to settle in and raise a glass to eleven years together.

What stays with us most is the collection of small moments: riding side by side, stopping for otters, watching pelicans skim the surf, and seeing a rainbow emerge from the changing weather. Our anniversary vacation didn’t need every day to be sunny. Sunshine, clouds, a little rain, and each other turned out to be a pretty great combination.

Two Weeks in Maine: Coastal Days and Carriage Trails

Around Labor Day 2025, we spent two weeks exploring Maine, with time in Ocean Park and a few days in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Bringing our bikes gave us a wonderful way to enjoy the trip, from the Southern Maine rail trail to Acadia’s carriage trails.

Ocean Park was a place to settle into vacation mode. Our stay gave us time to enjoy the coast and slow down, with bike rides adding a little adventure to our days. Exploring the Southern Maine rail trail let us see more of the area at our own pace and enjoy simply being out together on two wheels.

For the next part of our adventure, we headed to Bar Harbor and Acadia. We had been looking forward to riding the carriage trails, and making time for those rides was a highlight of our Maine vacation. Away from traffic, we could focus on the surroundings, the ride, and the pleasure of exploring somewhere together.

Bar Harbor made a lovely base for our few days near the park. Combining time in town with outings by bike gave this part of the trip a balance of activity and relaxation.

Two weeks allowed us to enjoy both places without trying to squeeze everything into a long weekend. Ocean Park brought a slower coastal rhythm, while Acadia gave us memorable days on the carriage trails. It was a fitting way to spend the end of summer: exploring Maine, riding our bikes, and enjoying time together.

 

 Just finishing up Memorial Day

• Out for a nice gravel ride in West Sac with Sara
• Getting ready for the Unbound 50
• Hoping to nice weather and a nice weekend away.
• Sara and I leave Thursday and return Sunday.
  

 Sea Otter Classic

• Fantastic course!
• Expected climbing but not expecting the final climb
• Not DFL and NOT DNF
• Expo was gigantic
• Remainder of weekend was just relaxing in Pacific Grove.

Tried to get photos on the Sea Otter Course but unfortunately were unusable.

Did get some coastal footage with the new Hover Air

Sea Otter Classic

 Just a few more days!

30 miles of gravel in Monterey, CA

A nice weekend in Pacific Grove with Sara to follow!

Raining again!

 

It's been a while since I've posted.  Life is good and no real speed-bumps.  We did have to say goodbye to our 17 year old Moxie.  Typically not much is changing in the day to day but we added a complete doofus of a dog and it has been very nice.  Spending a bit of time walking (side benefit is losing a couple of pounds) him as he is a bit energetic.  

Meet Charlie!

Night Rider

In the heat of Summer in NorCal, I often opt for an night time ride.  Throw a few headlights on and a couple flashing tail lights and usually do at least 15 miles.  We are fortunate in Davis to have a pretty extensive bike path network and access to very straight and typically very quiet rural roads.

Is it dangerous?

• I suppose somewhat as visibility of the road is limited by your lighting system.
• My taillights are *BRIGHT* and they are pretty hard to ignore.
• At 10 o'clock at night, I typically see less than a car a mile on the back roads, and often quite a few less.
• You can see AND hear cars from quite a distance in this rural setting
• As I mentioned above, the bike path network is incredibly extensive for such a small town.  We have a population of about 60,000 and yet you can easily get about a 20 miles ride on bike paths alone (Davis is considered the bicycle capitol of the country).
• Often cooler and a bit less wind on most nights.

Really nice to just see the stars, hear the birds and other animals, and just enjoy the overall quiet.  The whole experience is just... nice.

Winds...

Riding in the Sacramento Valley in Northern California... well, it can get a bit boring.  It can take more than a few minutes to talk myself into going for a ride.  The roads are set up on grid that is pretty much North, South, East, and West with few curves, very little change in elevation, and there really is hardly any terrain to block the wind.

As the winds are almost exclusively from the North or the South, on a windy day, the only options (but part of every ride so they aren't really options) are challenging headwind, nasty crosswind, and a tailwind of bliss.  I never realized that I would have to take wind into account for daily rides but Northern California determined otherwise.  I do my best to be able to get the tailwind home but if your are out for a few hours, the winds often change and you have a headwind for the majority of your ride.  The winds today were 10-15 from the south and was able to time the tailwind of bliss on the way home! No challenging climbs nearby but if you want a workout, I suggest a Norther California headwind.