I pushed myself to complete an epic hike today that took nearly the entire day and all of my effort. 6000 feet of elevation gain. The miles don't even matter nearly as much as that figure. On top of that, the final climb was a rock scramble which was steep and loose. I had to go shale skiing most of the way back down and ride rock slides every once in a while. But oh man was it all worth it.

And on the final descent, A SNEK

Perfect weather with full sun and temps below 70 all but the final bottom areas. And even then it was probably at most 74. Considering tomorrow that same area will have a high of 86, I consider myself lucky. I went through 3L of water plus 0.75L of water with Liquid IV in it. Lunch was a tuna sandwich, protein bar, nuts, and an apple. Now I need to rest my feet and prepare for next weekend!

What is next weekend? Hiking Mt Langley in the Sierras to knock my first 14er off my bucket list. Camping at 4000ft on Thursday and 9000ft on Friday to acclimate. Some mild hiking at altitude Friday to prepare as well. Saturday will be the big day with 5000 feet of climb on a 23 mile hike. Some parallels to today's hike for sure!

Witnessing some musical cars due to Oppo's favorite electrical car owner, @His_Stigness. While I was waiting for him to move some cars around I took some pictures.

I'm a fan of the color on this ID4 although I might also be partial to white as well thanks to my Subaru. And regardless with how clean every car is in this household, any color is gonna look nice! More important though is the DOG TAX.

Are electric cars the future? Probably. There's enough range in these for pretty much anybody now and charging seems reasonable enough. Having just paid $4.11 for 91 this week, I can see the value! Teslas are infinitely more popular but so many other options are now available at much better cost points (and much better build quality).

Ever go on a vacation and wonder what you are doing wrong with your life by going back home? That is certainly what I am pondering as I sit here the last night of the trip in the Airbnb. Every Tahoe trip we have done has been lovely but they've primarily been ski trips where the main activity is being out and about in the winter time. This trip was 100% enjoying the summer time and taking it easy. Our place of lodging is just perfect as well so I quite honestly could not wish for more than this to be home.

Staying in an A-frame cabin that is well appointed and modern inside. Full kitchen, upstairs and downstairs living rooms, 1.5 baths, 2BR, and a great outdoor back patio. With views for days!

The only downsides being that we aren't super close to the lake (about 35 minutes) and the highway noise takes away from the serene quiet you might think youd get out here. The distance isn't so bad since Donner lake is very nice and far quieter too and is sub 15 minutes away. Plus the only restaurants we've actually eaten from are in Truckee anyways so its ideal. And the house has modern windows and insulation so the highway noise is only an issue when sitting outside.

Speaking of that insulation, I'm absolutely astounded how cool the house keeps without any AC. It has been a high of about 80-85 every day here and much hotter elsewhere around the area. Car has reported 90+ every time I get in during the afternoon. But it has not once gotten above 70 indoors. I've seen 48 outside in the morning and I've left windows open overnight, closing them in the morning and it has started at 60F indoors at 0700 and reached 70 by about 1700 before cooling off again. I honestly assumed the house had AC when we first arrived and was surprised when I discovered that wasn't true.

And of course in addition to the enjoying the house, we've gone out and enjoyed nature some too. I brought my bike and did a lovely 28 mile ride to the lake and back to town. And we did a an awesome easy hike at Emerald Bay. Everywhere has been absolutely mobbed with people so it's been nice to come back to the house and be away from it all.

Back to enjoying what is left of this trip before the long drive home. We will get in late tomorrow but I don't care, gonna stay right up till check out just to keep it going as long as possible.

Oh but the one thing I could definitely do without here would be the gas prices. I thought the $4.20 I paid at home was a lot but it's a whole dollar more here! Officially the most I've ever paid for gas (in the US) in my life.

This weekend I set out with a goal of hiking to the top of Mount Langley, a 14,100 foot peak near Lone Pine, CA. Living and working at an altitude of 0 most of my days, I am thoroughly prepared for high altitude trekking right? The goal was to acclimate for a day at 10,000 feet and then just go for it. Well the day at 10k messed me up enough that I knew the hike was not going to go that great. But at the end of the day I am very much a proponent of "shoot for the stars but make it to the moon".

We arrived to the campground at 0930 on Friday morning after leaving sea level at 0500. Camp was set up at 10,000 feet and then a "short" 7 mile acclimation hike to 11,300 feet was accomplished over the next few hours.

Back at camp, it was nice and warm in the upper 50s with mostly full sun. That hike though was a bit much considering my complete lack of elevation preparation. I was fully out of it the rest of the day and the headache never quite went away no matter how much water I drank. Full on altitude sickness set in by bed time, short of any of the dangerous symptoms. Just brain fog, headache, tiredness, and general discomfort. But at least it was a pretty afternoon!

I went to bed at 2000 assuming that the real hike was going to get scrapped. Considering how I felt about doing strenuous activity at 10-11k, adding another 3-4000 feet to that was bound to be dangerous. I was straight up depressed and didn't sleep well, but I still managed enough sleep to wake up rested.

Woke up at 0400, made some tea and oatmeal, packed the car, and got on the trail super late at 0600. With a 23 mile hike with almost 5000 feet in gain in total, you really gotta start by 430 or so to make it back to the car before sunset. But I was just happy to be moving at all as how I felt the night before meant even a 5 mile hike sounded dubious at best. I knew if any of those symptoms came back, I was going to stop and head home for safety sake.

We made it to the first lake though before 9am about 6 miles into the trail and were feeling pretty damn good. This was the first sighting of the peak off in the distance and man were the views amazing the whole way. Cottonwood Lakes is just a spectacular place to be under any conditions. I was still a little bit loopy but feeling high spirited and not in pain so onward we went.

The next task was to make it up to the top of New Army Pass which is at 12,300 feet and involved an innumerable amount of switch backs from the final water refill spot at around 11,000 feet just below the pass. I had set the goal for the day to make it to the bottom of the pass without dying so goal was achieved. But I was able to push myself through the hard work and struggle bus my way up to the top! Goal exceeded and dizziness setting in, it was the end of progress for me on this hike for sure. Some people may push forward and I suppose I could have too, but my self preservation and risk aversion definitely said NOPE.

I was so happy just to have made it there. 9 miles in and lots of effort to make it to the top of that grueling pass sure felt like success to me. Just getting a closer view of the peak and seeing the trail to the top was good enough to me. My friend continued on and bagged the peak but he was a mess afterwards for sure. He's got better altitude conditioning than me but he's also the guy who broke his back when I skiied with him in the past so risk taking is certainly his thing.

Anyways, an absolutely amazing day and while I didn't make it to the peak, I sure did get some good altitude training for the next time I attempt it. It was a perfect day for it with temps in the 40s the whole time, partly cloudy morning, mostly sunny afternoon, and not too much wind. Mentally and physically exhausting but that always describes an excellent sort of adventure to me!

Sea level at home feels so nice now too. My heart rate is actually at a normal level while resting and eating food is totally not difficult. I don't recommend altitude if you're not used to it but it sure is an experience. And now I can just rest and enjoy this long holiday weekend, maybe getting some biking in tomorrow after I recover a bit. I'm sure I'll be able to bike harder at sea level now considering all that extra oxygen there is.

Aside from the teeth chattering chill of riding down the hill at the top, this was an excellent ride. I am very glad I brought a thermal layer to make it bearable but riding through pea soup fog is bound to cool a person off a bit.

It was just overcast most of the way up but the last half mile or so was nice and thick like that. Thankfully there was more than enough climbing involved to warm me up plenty but my sorely needed lunch break got me back down to not warm. Anyways, this ride was not just a slog and actually rather fun. I had more than enough water and food to make it end to end thanks to the cooler weather. Total ride was 84 miles but I accidentally turned the app off for a couple miles of riding.

The bike performed great and the only issue I had were the tubes wrapped on the bar came untied a couple times. I could zip tie em but I hate having to cut zip ties if I actually need a tube. None of the bags got in the way and the new tire on the front felt great. Very happy with the shifting too after the recent tune, it rides better than ever.

Perfect biking weather since I never got overly hot even on the worst climbs. No wind either and the gradient was rather doable most of the way. There was nearly no shoulder to ride on the climbing bit but traffic was rather light. Only the occasional normal car driving past or motorcycles. No fart cannon touge squads today so I never felt highly at risk. Downhill was really nice and after the cloud layer part, was a good temp the rest of the way. Very happy I always wear my gloves otherwise my hands would have fallen off.

Now it is time to rest and enjoy the sun down here at home. Didn't see the sun until the last 10 miles or so which felt opposite of usual. But I ain't complaining. My lunch on the ride was actually satisfying enough that just some snacks are in order before an earlier dinner. Too many other rides I've eaten whole extra meals due to subpar ride lunch.

So I went for a bike ride this morning. I started out yesterday with a plan to drive to Ventura and do a nice 37 mile ride with a decent hill climb in the middle.

Certainly not an easy ride to begin with but only a little bit further than the longest ride I've been on. Well I woke up this morning and had the bright idea to just bike from home instead of driving to the trail head, adding 30 miles round trip to the adventure. Granted there was no wind today and that section is 100% flat. But man it makes me laugh to think about 30 extra miles being something I casually signed up for last minute. Either way, I made through it and found it to be a wonderful 70 mile adventure for the day.





Lunch time was around 1030 at Lake Casitas park and was about 40 miles into the trip. I had a peanut butter sandwich, apple, protein bar, and some homemade peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Good fuel along with my liquid iv laced water. After refilling the water bottles, I got back on the road for the final 30 miles, thankfully with no more hills to climb. Unfortunately I promptly had my front tube explode like a damn gunshot.

It had obliterated itself well enough at a high enough speed that I didn't need my tire tools to get the tire off. Thankfully I had a spare and so it was a quick swap to get me back on the road. I only had one spare though so I stopped at a local bike shop about 12 miles down the road and picked up a couple more. I then made it home and began the process of eating everything in my fridge. I need a nap!

Beautiful clear day up in the hills and not too hot either at around a high of 78. Love this time of the year when the wind isnt howling. And now back down at the beach there's a marine layer so I actually need a jacket to chill outside at home. This was certainly a record for me in terms of distance, max speed, and average speed for any considerable distance as well. Idk how accurate my gps is but those numbers of 35 max and 15 avg sound about right.

After many months the miata finally works. Registration is still in flux because I don't have a damn sticker. And ooh boy did I ignore some important flight safety checks..

Word of advice, if you have a car in some state of repair for 5 months, make sure you check things like the lug nuts! What was supposed to be an easy day to just go get the car to set the monitors, smog, and register turned into an adventure. Thankfully I called a friend and we resolved the problem. I'm still missing a lug nut but at least the rest are tight. Car is not driving until I fix that! Thankfully it's parked for the weekend though so I'll get the sticker and some lugs and then it'll be good next week.

But anyways, I missed this car! Official last time it was road legal and in driving shape was November 11th. So many miata posts and driving adventures incoming! So be prepared.

On the short list now that the car is running beautifully, is also the top. Black top will be installed! While I like the red tops that are available, it'll probably clash with silver and limits my future color choices if I paint or wrap it.

Thankfully its that time of year where it doesn't rain for 5 months though.

Today, like most days I go biking, was a climbing day. I'm currently operating on a recently acclimated to high altitude advantage so I figured I'd make use of it today. I was a bit worried about holiday crowds in Malibu, but it was not bad at all. A wonderful ride to also include a quick stop for Memorial Day respects.

The F-14 Tomcat is a badass airplane. And the naval aviators who flew them are amazing individuals. I respect the sacrifices the warfighters make every day just so that I can do as I please and live a good life. Definitely took a moment to contemplate that before continuing on to the climbing.

And climbing I did! Almost a mile straight up while making it through the 62 mile ride. The weather varied quite a bit between the thick marine layer at the coast and full intense sun up in the hills.

After finishing the first big climb and the descent, I had to stop at Neptune's Net for a nice "medkit" to get me back to full health for the next climb. A bit expensive but at least it was tasty.

After eating my lunch and watching motorcycles pull wheelies down the PCH and somehow not kill themselves, I got back on the bike and rode on. I must have really liked the first climb because I was repeating it a second time. I veered off about halfway up though for a different climb up to where I used to live. Another steep and arduous climb resulted in so much more elevation gain and access to a really fun and fast downhill.

Somewhere along that downhill I hit my max speed of 52mph so I was FLYING. I kept within the double yellows though so I didn't quite max out the whole way like this guy did:

Overall an amazing day! Now it's time to cook some chicken thighs and mashed potatoes and corn on the cob for a solid dinner. Legs are a bit dead but it's a good feeling for sure.

That same guy from above did the other descents I did today as well so you can check those out. He definitely rode at a WAY greener time of the year.

Nobody asked but I figured I would detail my day today as it was a very typical Sunday that best describes my life. I will make sure to include pictures since words are boring.

0700: Wake up having fallen asleep on the phone with my girlfriend. She is overseas in Amsterdam and is very much a morning person, so my night time is the best time to talk. I had a busy outdoor day on Saturday though so I was absolutely wiped out by 2300 when I passed out. Got up with a new energy though, determined to do "something" outdoors but not a plan in the world. Made a three egg omelette with leftover sausage and some sauteed onions/green pepper/garlic and a little bit of cheese, black pepper, red pepper flake, and salt.

Topped with tapatio and served with a steaming cup of tea, green today. Delicioso!

0900: Take my sweet time with breakfast and reading a bit but finally get out the door with a rough plan of hiking at La Jolla canyon at the North end of Malibu.
0920: Arrive at the trail-head and promptly take some photos of the car because that is always my first priority.

Also just not a bad place to take pictures of things anyways! Even with the overcast day, the shoreline is always breathtaking here.
0920-1000: Get through the first couple miles of hiking where I finally had to decide where I was going next.




So where am I going next? Looking at that peak in the distance, I for a moment considered. I had enough water to make it there and probably enough to make it back considering the weather. Could use more snacks than what I was carrying but from there, idk about 28 miles round trip? Sanity check says no, please dont do that! Crisis narrowly avoided I instead set a course for Laguna Peak about 6 or 7 miles away from there instead which would mean another 12-14 miles round trip.
1000-1200: Hike a few miles, trail abruptly ends, keep going anyways, and end up at a different peak than intended but enjoy lunch there anyways:



1230: Enjoy my lunch of peanut butter and honey on whole wheat along with some crackers. Since I had hiked to a peak via a topographic map instead of a trail, the rest of the hike was follow the ridgeline until I made it to a real trail. Made it through the gauntlet of half masked people down to the bottom and back to the car around 1420. Today was done on a new pair of boots so the downhill steep sections felt like I was glued to the ground!


And why did I get a new set of boots? Just look at the old ones:

I learned the hard way that I waited too long since on Saturday playing disc golf heading down a hill to chase a disc, I ate it pretty hard on my ass. Thankfully didnt break anything but I immediately swore off wearing boots down this far ever again!

1500: Made it home and some banana bread and a protein shake

Rest of the day now is just recovery, more snacks, and eventually dinner which will be a pile of leftovers of some sort. Here is the trail map of where I ended up:

The original plan was to turn around at the peak and go all the way back but that would have been a big waste of my time so I made my own trail to connect to a different trail down to the PCH. Walking along the PCH is noisy but still scenic in its own way. Overall a great day and I am pooped yet again! Thankfully the new boots mean no foot pain and so come tomorrow I will be ready to bike to work and enjoy that ride.

And with that, a day in the life is complete! Bonus shot from yesterday:

After three nights roughing it, I am finally settled into my hotel for the fourth and final night of this trip. Since I was lacking cell service I didn't provide an update for yesterday so I will start there.

I came back to the same trail that broke my mountain bike last time so it was payback time! I was going to defeat this trail on two wheels and not have to walk one bit! That ended up being partly false...

While the bike did not break this time, the part of the trail that I bypassed last time ended up being a total sand pit. There were lots of fun rideable sections to make up for it but I still ended up walking the bike uphill for a good 1/2 mile in total. Beats the 4 miles last time but man did that sand suck! Anyways, some photos from the rest of the ride.

After the tiring ride and some lunch enjoying the early afternoon sun, I made my way to camp and enjoyed a pretty cool spot for the night. I even got a chance to make a camp fire, ride the road bike shortly, and enjoy the sunset. I made sure to get plenty of rest to prepare for the ski day coming up for Sunday.

Waking up Sunday morning I was greeted with some actual cold which was a good sign I was getting closer to the ski mountain. I made the 45 minute drive to the mountain after packing up and was ready for first chair. It was an excellent spring skiing day with minimal wind, tons of sun, and just the right snow consistency to be a blast.

I even managed to record with Strava this time and always find the statistics neat. I do wish I could just filter out the lift rides but I can still get an idea looking at the graphs at least.

If the app is correct that was 28 runs for the day with around 33,000 feet of vertical. I'm not sure if that for some reason included all of the uphill so I will have to check that. I for a moment contemplated taking the road bike out after checking into the hotel since it is so nice out. But yeah my legs told me to fuck off so relaxing and eating it is. I have a whole second day of skiing ahead tomorrow and the long drive home so no need for extra leg death lol.

I also found it neat how they were starting the snow mining/farming operation up at main lodge. Mammoth stays open until Memorial day even on a light snow year like this one. But they only achieve this through piling up snow that would otherwise go to waste and move it around the mountain to keep stuff open. Today was the last day for the bottom areas and with good reason:

Looking a bit Vermonty in that area and it only got worse as the day went on. I had a couple of last runs dodging rocks in the middle of the trail on groomers that I blasted through at full speed earlier in the day. Granted it's late April and this was below 8000 feet so I'm not surprised.

The top at 11,000 feet should last a bit longer though with temps like that.

Overall an excellent birthday trip and I'm very glad I came!

@lunaticpants said in I don't want to go home:

In the picture of your bicycle, off in the distance you can see the smoke from the Tamarack fire, which is about 10 miles from my home. As a result, been staying in our family place at Tahoe (Incline Village).

Glad you are enjoying all the great things up here and sorry about the bad (Summer crowds!). Little secret, come up after Labor Day. Perfect weather and barely an out of town soul to be found.

Oh yeah saw that giant volcano looking cloud on day one. Hope the smoke isn't too bad for you, I'm just glad it didn't smoke us out all week.

@vincentmalamute said in I don't want to go home:

@wrong-wheel-drive That view is amazing! The traffic noise would be annoying quickly.

It's something one can get used to. I grew up the same distance from a major highway so it's kinda like a soothing waterfall at times, until a Jake brake goes by of course. I recall going to my grandparents house a few hours away in rural PA as a kid and actually having trouble sleeping because of the quiet. But yeah now it's only thanks to the good windows that I've slept well on this trip. I'd certainly find that highway white noise annoying having been away from it so long.

@longtime-lurker said in I don't want to go home:

@wrong-wheel-drive said in I don't want to go home:

Ever go on a vacation and wonder what you are doing wrong with your life by going back home?

Isn't that how every vacation works?

The majority of my vacations are spent in the woods without running water. As much as I enjoy camping I certainly wouldn't want to do that full time. Or I'm on airplanes far too long which isn't ideal.

@jminer said in I don't want to go home:

@wrong-wheel-drive Man that looks amazing! We’ve been wanting to get up to the Tahoe area for a few days too and this just cements that as a thing we have to do.

Whatever you do, don't go on a weekend in the summer. It's insane to me how busy it is midweek here. Like yeah I get it weekends are busy, that's the same everywhere. But I did not expect this many people around on Tues-Thu. Having to do things before 10am to beat the crowds was the solution but I was surprised it was necessary.

@aestheticsinmotion said in I don't want to go home:

@wrong-wheel-drive modern windows are amazing things. All those shade trees go a long way too. I'd be curious to see what kind of insulation the A-frame is packing...

Oh yeah I'm sure the trees make a massive difference too. Even on a 8am walk around the neighborhood, the difference between in the sun and in the shade has been astounding. At 6500 feet, there's enough altitude for the sun to just be more intense and really burn through your soul.

Ever go on a vacation and wonder what you are doing wrong with your life by going back home? That is certainly what I am pondering as I sit here the last night of the trip in the Airbnb. Every Tahoe trip we have done has been lovely but they've primarily been ski trips where the main activity is being out and about in the winter time. This trip was 100% enjoying the summer time and taking it easy. Our place of lodging is just perfect as well so I quite honestly could not wish for more than this to be home.

Staying in an A-frame cabin that is well appointed and modern inside. Full kitchen, upstairs and downstairs living rooms, 1.5 baths, 2BR, and a great outdoor back patio. With views for days!

The only downsides being that we aren't super close to the lake (about 35 minutes) and the highway noise takes away from the serene quiet you might think youd get out here. The distance isn't so bad since Donner lake is very nice and far quieter too and is sub 15 minutes away. Plus the only restaurants we've actually eaten from are in Truckee anyways so its ideal. And the house has modern windows and insulation so the highway noise is only an issue when sitting outside.

Speaking of that insulation, I'm absolutely astounded how cool the house keeps without any AC. It has been a high of about 80-85 every day here and much hotter elsewhere around the area. Car has reported 90+ every time I get in during the afternoon. But it has not once gotten above 70 indoors. I've seen 48 outside in the morning and I've left windows open overnight, closing them in the morning and it has started at 60F indoors at 0700 and reached 70 by about 1700 before cooling off again. I honestly assumed the house had AC when we first arrived and was surprised when I discovered that wasn't true.

And of course in addition to the enjoying the house, we've gone out and enjoyed nature some too. I brought my bike and did a lovely 28 mile ride to the lake and back to town. And we did a an awesome easy hike at Emerald Bay. Everywhere has been absolutely mobbed with people so it's been nice to come back to the house and be away from it all.

Back to enjoying what is left of this trip before the long drive home. We will get in late tomorrow but I don't care, gonna stay right up till check out just to keep it going as long as possible.

Oh but the one thing I could definitely do without here would be the gas prices. I thought the $4.20 I paid at home was a lot but it's a whole dollar more here! Officially the most I've ever paid for gas (in the US) in my life.

@mastermario the fireworks. It's one thing when it sounds like a warzone on 4th of July, that's okay and honestly welcome. But it's literally every night. Some people must really like wasting money.

And weed smoking. First of all, smoking of any kind should be banned when you are in a condo living area (it is actually in the HOA bylaws). I could care less if it's cigs or weed, both are fully legal but both I don't want to smell second hand in my living room.

@dawrx I've found I run into this issue MUCH more often with my STi than with my Miata. Because sedans are dumb, it's always just hard to get in through the openings. Sheer volume, yeah the Miata gets beat every time. But large bulky things, like my bicycle is infinitely easier to just put it in the passenger seat with no roof. Like yeah I have a bike rack so that negates that problem now but without it it's a major pain to fit it.

@highlander said in Off to Tahoe this week, first stop San Jose:

@wrong-wheel-drive Just an FYI there is a big ass fire in Markleeville. If the wind shifts Tahoe will be inundated with smoke.

I almost always take HWY 50 to tahoe. If it's open I highly recommend taking the Mormon Emigrant Trail (MET) from Pollock Pines to 88, then go to south lake via 89. There will be far less traffic and the scenery is stupendous.

Hmm that fire seems problematic for that portion of the drive for sure! Maybe we should just come in via 80

@nickhasanexocet said in Off to Tahoe this week, first stop San Jose:

@wrong-wheel-drive If you have the time, you should drive Mines Rd in Livermore on your way out of town. Or just drive over Mount Hamilton and take some pics at the top. You can continue over and hook back up to your route.

Looking at the map, there's probably time for it but i think it'd be a little bit too twisty for my girlfriend's sake. She was popping Dramamine yesterday for the PCH and while that made it fine, actual canyon carving might be a bad idea. A scenic detour through farmland and stuff between Sacramento and Tahoe is probably more in the cards.