Possible Long Ride Route

750 Babbs Creek Dr, 95020 to

Uvas Rd @37.074766, -121.704556 to:Hicks Rd @37.195788, -121.877446 to:CA-9 @37.230790, -122.149110 to:Summit Rd @37.164914, -122.015219 to:Soquel San Jose Rd @37.114743, -121.937689 to:Browns Valley Rd @36.997720, -121.797885 to:Peckham Rd @36.946945, -121.710811 to:750 Babbs Creek Rd, 95020

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=3043870718377792253,37.074766,-121.704556%3B6087865964309541355,37.195788,-121.877446%3B13653409250702322144,37.230790,-122.149110%3B702721627228176073,37.165810,-122.015850%3B5334720127010777432,37.144340,-121.991090%3B10298672282514498435,37.114743,-121.937689%3B13704009506937805659,36.997720,-121.797885%3B12879176965321258563,36.946945,-121.710811&saddr=750+Babbs+Creek+Dr,+95020&daddr=Uvas+Rd+%4037.074766,+-121.704556+to:Hicks+Rd+%4037.195788,+-121.877446+to:CA-9+%4037.230790,+-122.149110+to:Summit+Rd+%4037.144340,+-121.991090+to:Soquel+San+Jose+Rd+%4037.114743,+-121.937689+to:Browns+Valley+Rd+%4036.997720,+-121.797885+to:Peckham+Rd+%4036.946945,+-121.710811+to:750+Babbs+Creek+Rd,+95020&mra=mr&mrcr=1&via=1,3,4,5,6&doflg=ptm&sll=37.14253,-121.989784&sspn=0.119048,0.210114&ie=UTF8&ll=37.153202,-121.958542&spn=0.238063,0.420227&z=11&pw=2

Motorcycle Ride 2008.07.27

Route

Took my second fun ride. Pacheco Pass/152 to 156 to 101. Nice easy road on 152. Not too much traffic. Winds on 156 moderate gusting with flips to the opposite direction which made for some interesting, somewhat difficult riding. I was going to make a left just after San Juan Batista, go to 101 and then home but missed the turn, so I went straight to 101 then dropped south to San Juan Road and went into Watsonville. Temperatures dropped a good 20 degrees in Watsonville. Came out of there on 129 and moved over to 152 heading home. I stopped by Gizdich Ranch for some Olallieberry Pie a la mode. Yum! Since I was in Watsonville and not able to do any group rides with South Bay Riders Forum Members, I just had to stop. Made it my own pie ride. I really want to do next weeks cruiser ride but it's an all day affair and I just can't get away that long. After my yummy pie, I came over 152/Hecker Pass for the first time. Rode my own pace which worked well with the traffic flow. No problems on any turns except a couple near the beginning. The pavement was kind of torn up and choppy but not a problem at lower speed. The rout shows, I did Santa Teresa on my final leg but, I actually dropped down 1st Street to Church and come home through neighborhoods because of the Gilroy Garlic Festival. I would have been trapped in traffic and forced into the festival parking area if I had gone the normal way. Total time for the ride about 2 hours with pie stop and everything.

Tanner Update

Tanner has been sold to a woman up in Portola Valley. He will be used as a lesson horse. They say he is doing very well. We took a big loss on his sale but it's better than having the huge bill over our heads each month. I'll miss him but no where as badly as I miss Bon Bon.

First True Ride! 2008.07.20

The was my first ride for pure pleasure. Everyone else was basically for practice. The ride was not too demanding but the roads are narrow up in the hills. Some tight 10mph turns with turns with elevation. Some drop offs. Watch for animals, dirt, gravel and rocks on road. No facilities except for a porta-potty at the Henry Coe State Park - South Horse Staging Area. Not for brand new rider. Keep it slow and eyes open.

Route

Tanner Update

He failed his vet check. Slightly off on left front flexion test. X-rays taken on Monday and he has more arthritic changes then the vet would like to see for a horse his age that was going to do barrels/speed events. He should be OK for WP or EP riding. Woman is going to look at him on Thursday. At this point, his price just went down a lot or free to good home. The alternative is not something I want to contemplate. I need him out of training and not paying board on him. It will save $600 a month plus shoes and vet bills and we're going to need that this November. In the mean time, starting in July, I'll have to ride him again.

New Addition to the Family

We have a new addition as of June 13th. Lisa brought home a lost Mini-Pin. The vet says he's about 3 years old. Very skinny, smart, wants to please, seems OK, with kids. He has his cojones so that needs to be taken care of. He either bounces around or crashes. Likes to be on furniture. Not something I like. Only moderate issue with toys and treats. We'll work on that. They named him Spike.

Dillon is Gone

Well, the day finally came when Dillon's fear caused him to lose his home with us. A friend of Ana was visiting us today and she was instructed how to react around dogs and so on. Everything seemed to be fine. Apparently, she was petting Dillon later on in the day and he snapped at her. I wasn't there and don't know exactly what happened. Unfortunately, he did get her nose with a pin-point scratch from a tooth. Lisa had no choice but to call Kit and find out if she would take him back. She did come for him this afternoon and he will be taken to an animal behaviorist for evaluation. He will not be brought back to us however since we cannot take the chance of him doing something else. Kit will try and find him a home more suited to his liking. It's too bad. This dog had a very sweet disposition but he had some issues that he did not seem to be able to get over. I, personally, did not have much of an attachment to him but I feel terrible all the same. Lisa and Ana however are a different story. They were very much attached to him. It's killing them but Lisa did the right thing. The alternatives were not something we wanted to contemplate.

Back Update

2008.06.13
Much better. Still stiff and sore at times but off of anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxants. May need them for this weekend's part two of motorcycle training class.


2008.06.07
I went to the clinic on Saturday. Sprained back is the diagnosis. Gee, I could have told them that. They gave me a muscle relaxant and an anti-inflammatory which is what I figured I needed. They also told me to soak in warm or cold water, use sports pads or creams like icy/hot and see my chiropractor. Old news to me since I've been working on horse soft tissue injuries for 22 years. I just needed something to calm the spasms down since I need my back to be in reasonable shape for next Saturday.

My Back is Killing Me!

I have a feeling that my back was not ready for 45-50 minutes of steady 65+ mph riding in gusty winds. My back is killing me. I think I aggravated an old injury I got when I came off a young green horse four years ago. It took me 6 months of acupuncture and chiropractic sessions plus another 6 months to get me back to almost normal from that ordeal. I had severely bruised, strained or damaged all my core muscles, came close to tearing my left psoas and displaced my hip. I think between bracing for the winds, nerves, bike vibration at higher speeds and balance fatigue from (3) higher speed forty mile trips in 2 days did me in. I'm on ibuprofen, doing cold showers on my lower back, Olbas oil rubs and a little bit of stretching to help. This means I will be staying off the bike except for small street rides until I can heal up. My class is next weekend and I don't want to have to deal with a screwed up back while taking the class. Too much too soon and I paid the price. I need to get up and walk a little now. If I sit for too long I stiffen up and getting up is painful. This sucks big time.

Horse Update

Well, it's official. Tanner is in training, which reminds me, I need to pay the trainer for this month. He's for sale for $8,500 but that price is negotiable. He was doing fine until some bell boots turned the backs of his fetlock joints into raw meat. He'll be fine but it's a training setback. A young girl is interested in buying him. I'm not holding my breath. Paladin is fine and so is Indy. I rode Paladin on Saturday and my inner thighs paid the price.

Motocycle Update

It's been a month now since I got the motorcycle. I'm definitely loving it. I've put several hundred miles on it between practicing my slow maneuvers, neighborhood street riding and commuting to work a few times. Today was my 4th time riding to work. I'll be taking a motorcycle safety course on June 12th, 14th and 15th from the folks at www.2wheelsafety.com they'll get me started on the right track for learning how to ride properly, how to ride safely, equipment choices and riding strategies. If I complete the course successfully, I will be able to waive the DMV skill test and just have to take the written test.

Each time I get on the bike, I get a little better and more confident. I'm trying to avoid being cocky since this will just get me into trouble. Every ride has a little gotcha that needs me to work on. It might be better start offs where I don't paddle my feet, over rev the engine or stall out the bike when I release the clutch. It might be that slow u-turn that I can't quite make without almost coming to a stop or coming to a stop too short or far from the stop line. Little things like that. The big one I need to watch out for is taking a curve too fast and wide. That one can land me in a ditch or into another lane. The rule is slow down! Since I'm taking the bike to work once in a while, I get lot's of practice on 40 one way miles of commute. I also found out I needed to get some different equipment.

First of all, I changed helmets. The salesperson started me off with an open face helmet. That's what he wore. Closed faced helmets make him claustrophobic. I wear glasses and full face helmets can be a pain. It was OK when I was only riding up and down my street. The first time I commuted with it, I knew that the helmet was not going to work out well at 5:30 am with sub 50 temperatures. Also, it was a little big, noisy, not as safe as I wanted and oh, did I mention I froze my face off? I immediately got a face shield. That was better but not good enough. I ended up getting a very well made closed faced helmet from Shoei. It solved all my problems except one. It fogs up when you're not moving but then so do my glasses. I have a potential fix for the face shield and I need to look into something for my glasses. My gloves were too thin and not windproof. I got some better gloves but they were not lined. Frozen fingers. I got some new gloves that are much better. Problem solved but I may need a size larger. I have one pair for the morning and one for the afternoon.

The bike is in excellent shape equipment wise. I'm learning how to fill the gas tank properly and trying to remember it has a fuel shutoff valve I need to turn back on when I start up. I've gone down the road a few times and had the engine almost quit on me before remembering I didn't turn it on. It's also good to know how to switch it over to reserve when your main tank it out. I got 55MPG on the last tank of gas but I suspect that was too high. I'm not sure if I filled it right. I have to avoid filling it too much or I can damage the evaporative fuel system. It does need a few things for my own safety concerns. One thing is passing lights and mounts. The better people can see me the safer I will be. I still have to ride like other drivers never see me. I'm "invisible" to them. That's one of the riding strategies I have to adapt. The other piece of equipment is new tires. I have stock Bridgestone D707/D703 on the bike and I'm switching them to Pirelli MT66 tires. I feel that the original tires while not having many miles on them might have been sitting around too long and don't have the performance characteristics I would like to see. The most important piece of equipment on the bike is your tires. Don't ever skimp on them or settle for poor performance. The next item is cosmetic. I want chrome tips on the fenders. OK, that's cosmetic but they look cool and they will hide the two scrapes on the bike. One on the rear fender that was there before I bought it, somebody was sitting on it and backed it into a concrete retaining wall. The second scrape is on the front fender where I had to lay the bike down in a sand patch the very first time I rode it. This was right after I stalled it out right in the driveway. Talk about embarrassing! Oh well, lesson learned. Did I say they were cool looking? The last item is chrome light covers. OK, they are just cool. I can't justify them any other way.

Other than that for equipment, I where jeans, a thick cowhide leather jacket that has zipper vents and places for armor inserts, the aforementioned gloves and helmet and finally some sturdy, no slip, rubber soled, cowboy boots to give me support and protect my ankles. For added protection and warmth I can always wear my cowhide leather horse riding chaps. I'll smell like a horse but I'll have some protection!

Now back to riding. I've gotten to the point where I can put my daughter on the back and give her a ride up and down a parking lot. She needs a better helmet though. I can ride on a highway since I can comfortably do 65 mph. Legally, I need to wait until I have my license before I actually get on one. We have a few high speed roads around here that are not highways. My riding restrictions are no passengers, no highways and no riding at night. I'll be glad when that is over. It'll still be a while before I'll give full rides to my wife and daughter. I'm getting much better but I still have a lot of newbie issues and I'll probably will for a long time. Like I said, the big one is slow down enough for a curve! Oh, and proper start offs. More practice. I went down to the DMV parking lot on a Sunday to see if I could do the skill test when nobody was around. It took some work but I finally was able to do it right a few times. It's really hard putting a 650lb 1100cc bike into a really tight circle to the left and right. That's why the put you on 250cc bikes during the training classes. I was able to get on a parkway a few times with 55mph speed limits on the way to work. I wasn't sure it was technically a freeway until I found out the recent construction completed last year did turn it into a freeway for part of the way so, I guess that rules that out for now. When is my class done and I get my certificate so I can get my license? I figure by the end of this month I'll have git'er done. I can't wait. In the mean time. Practice, practice, practice and save up some money to get my lights, tips and covers. Safety and looking cool. I can live with that. I can also live with the 50+ MPG if that holds up.

Update 2008.05.16

I'll give a quick update as to what has been going on. Work has been extremely busy and not getting any easier. I had my review written by the Vp of Finance because my boss retired two weeks ago. It wasn't great and the VP was part of the problem. Mother's Day was a disaster due to some family issues. On some bright notes, my shaves have been around 4.5/5.0 for the last couple of weeks. I have not bought anything except a few soaps and it looks like I will be concentrating on collecting a few more Merkurs and soaps only for the rest of the year. The Yamaha Silverado 1100 has been awesome. I'm getting the hang of it more each day. My training class is next month. I should be able to start riding it to work (38 miles/traffic) in another few weeks. I can't ride at night or on the freeway so I have to take back roads.

I had to come to a decision about horses recently. From both a time and money perspective, I am phasing out of horses for myself. My wife will still maintain her level of activity. Because of work and family obligations, being almost 50 and the sole family monetary provider, horses have become more of a job than a passion. This is not new, It's been going on a quite a while and I've been thinking about it seriously for about two years. I am going to sell the 5 yr old gelding since he needs to be ridden 5 times a week at least and I'm lucky if I can ride 3 times a week. The old guy (26) is going nowhere but he will continue to be used as a kid's lesson horse. The trainer will pay for 1/2 his upkeep. If I need a horse fix, and I surely will, I can get on him or my wife's 7 yr old horse any time I want. Actually, my wife would like it if I trained him on trail some. This was not an easy decision for me, I've been heavily into riding and showing horses for over 20 years but one I'm pretty sure it's the best all around.

So, there it is in a nutshell. I'm still here and I'm trying to cope with everything as best I can. You can't get rid of me that easy. I almost feel like what Rocky Balboa said to his son in the last Rocky movie. Something about it's not about getting punched. It's about taking the punch and still moving forward.

Oh, and I hope David Cook wins American Idol. I can't stand David Archuletta and I think Syesha Mercado was this year's Rodney Dangerfield. She got no respect. And, do you think Amber is going to croak on House and what the hell was she doing on the bus with House?

Motorcycle - 20 Years of Waiting

2005 Yamaha XVS1100AT-C

After 20 years of waiting and dreaming, I finally broke down and bought a motorcycle. The deciding factor was the recent huge upswing of gas prices with no end in sight. The money I'll save in gas pays for the bike and then some. It will be delivered to the house today since I just got my permit and I need to practice, practice, practice. So here it is.

2005 Yamaha V Star 1100cc Silverado light metallic gold/green with black and chrome accents, custom Corbin Dual Tourer Seats and a rear chrome luggage rack. It has 2024 miles on it. Price = $7,500 including tax and license.

Modifications:
Pirelli MT66 Tires
Yamaha Passing Lights & Mounts
BrakeAway Throttle Lock
Baron's Oil Filter Relocation Kit
Baron's T.O.R.K. Smooth Cover
Yamaha Small Engine Bars
Kuryakyn Run/Turn/Brake Controller #4612
Kuryakyn Rear Turn Signal Light Lenses #2267
Kuryakyn Passenger Wing Pegs and Mounts #4452, #8811

Other Related Items:
Leather Jacket XL with vents, liner and armor
FirstGear Kilimanjaro Jacket XL (Black/Grey)
FirstGear WR-1 Goretex Thinsulate Gloves Size Large
FirstGear HT 2.0 Overpants Size 42
Olympia All Season 1 Gloves S (Need Bigger Size)
ATV Gloves
Shoei RF-1000 Helmet Anthracite L w/extra Light Smoke Shield
Pinlock Clear Shield with Clear Insert
HJC CM-14 Helmet Black w/shield XL (Too Big)
HJC CL-15 Helmet Black M (Daughter/Wife)
(2) Motion Pro Helmet Locks
McCuff Gas Filler Device
Clymer Yamaha V Star 1100 Service Manual
Sears ATV/Motorcycle Jack
Misc Metric Tools
Plexus Cleaner/Polish

Want to Get:
Yamaha Fender Tips (Front/Front, Front/Rear, Rear/Rear)
Yamaha Plate Frame (STR-5PX27-01-01)
K&N Air Filter YA-1199
K&N Oil Filter KN303C

Pancakes

Pancakes

4 cups reduced fat Bisquick
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dried orange peel
2 cups non-fat or low-fat milk
1 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Meatball Grinder

Meatball Grinder

For some of you from New England, you know what a grinder is. It's a baked sub sandwich. The pizza parlors make them in their pizza ovens. Here's what I use. You can substitute Italian sweet or hot sausage for meatballs.

Italian Sub Rolls
Home Made Meatballs (Or store bought)
Home Made Marinara or Pizza Sauce (Or favorite jar sauce - I like Muir Glen)
Sliced Provolone Cheese
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Fire Roasted/Steamed Red or Green Bell Pepper cut in 6ths.

Preheat oven to 350

Heat the Meatballs and Sauce together in a pan. Take Meatballs out and set aside. Slice the rolls on the side most of the way and the meatballs in half. Spoon a little sauce on the top and bottom of the roll, add the meatballs flat side down and add a little more sauce on top. Place slices of roasted peppers and then slices of provolone on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Place in oven on a sided cookie sheet or a large baking pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Crust should be crunchy but not burnt. Enjoy!

Lamb Shepard's Pie

Lamb Shepard's Pie

5 lbs lamb shanks (we substitute beef chuck roast, too, sometimes)
EVOO
Vidalia or other sweet onion, washed, trimmed and quartered (NOT peeled)
1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled.
Thyme
Rosemary
1/2 c red wine
1c demi-glace -or- beef broth
1c chicken stock
3lb russet potatoes
8 slices bacon
1/2 c sour cream
grated cheddar (or sub any sharper cheese)
salt
milk
6-10 carrots, sliced
celery
flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Season lamb or beef with oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Add onion wedges in roasting pan. Roast at 400-450 for 1 hour. Add garlic, wine, demi-glace, stock and 1/2c water, cover tightly and braise until tender (about an hour) Remove meat, drain, and retain the cooking liquid. Remove and discard onion skins.

While meat roasts, bake potatoes for about 1 hour. Fry, drain, and crumble bacon. Cool potatoes for 15 minutes, halve lenthwise and remove flesh. Mash with salt, pepper, 2 tbs butter, milk to a stiff consistency. Add cooked crumbled bacon, cheese and sour cream. Cook carrots in salted water until tender.

Deglaze roasting pan with wine. Melt remaining butter and sprinkle in about 1/4c flour to make a roux. Add braise liquid and liquid from roasting pan slowly and whisk until thickened. Cut meat into bite-size pieces, and add to gravy along with onions.

Spoon gravy mixture into 3 quart casserole. Add carrots and celery. Top with mashed potatoes, spread evenly to edges of dish. Bake at 350 until top begins to brown and filling is bubbling (about 1 hour)

Serve hot!

Books & Movies of the Month

2/9/2008
Mr. Bean's Holiday

1/20/2008-2/9/2008
Been watching a bunch of Godzilla movies.

ItemName
#21 Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla/# 22 Godzilla vs. Destroyah
#23 Godzilla 2000: Millenium
#24 Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
#25 Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
#26 Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
#27 Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
#28 Godzilla Final Wars

1/8/2008
Book - David Drake "Queen of Demons" - Book 2 Isle Series

1/3/2008
Movie - National Treasure: Book of Secrets. OK, throw out the logic and the winks at the camera and you have a very entertaining movie. The critics aren't too keen on it but the heck with them. The clues are even unbelievable. The logic jumps are too far to be even partially believable. So what? Go fo the ride and enjoy. It's no Indiana Jones but Nicolas Cage actually has some personality in these movies and that makes up for a lot of things.

1/1/2008
Book - Dean Koontz "Cold Fire" - A man who suddenly drops everything when told to save a life by some mysterious entity. Is it God or something else?

This Past Weekend

Kind of frustrating weekend. The horse trailer was damaged by the South Valley Disposal truck sometime in the last few days. The jack stand, the dressing room door, part of the door frame and side and the roof were damaged. Tire tracks lead right from the dumpster to the trailer.

I was trying to upgrade the Dell 350 main hard drive. I imaged the drive onto a new Seagate tat had been used as a secondary drive previously. All went well until a second reboot was done. Could not access the operating system. Not good. I tried twice. Finally, I had to give up and use the new drive as a permanent second hard drive and moved My Documents to the new drive. I have Acronis doing daily backups to the Seagate external drive.

Dillon is going to be a life long project. He continues to beat up Jackie and show aggression to other dogs. Indy has a slight problem on right front. Tanner's foot is doing much better. Pali is being used as a lesson horse.