I've recently read about two separate canoe adventures across Canada. The first was chronicled in the book Canoe for Change: A Journey Across Canada by Glenn Green and Carol VandenEngel, a married couple who do their trip both to celebrate retirement and to raise money for the charity Loving Spoonful (which provides healthy food for … Continue reading Two Canoe Adventures Across Canada →

Yesterday was my first combined bike/hike in a while. I rode my Vado (electric-assist bike) to Harvey Bear bike then hiked uphill and rode back down. I tried some side trails I've never been on before which offered pretty smooth off-road surfaces (the Vado is a hybrid, not a mountain bike, with fairly fat tires … Continue reading Back to Bike-Hiking →

Today was "Taco Tuesday Ride" with my group. Our leader was going to cancel because she was away but I offered to pinch-hit as leader so I wouldn't miss my tacos. It was a great ride of 35 miles. It was just getting too hot as we finished lunch because there was no breeze, but … Continue reading Taco Tuesday Ride →

I've decided I need some local challenges to motivate me. One I have done in the past is climbing the Thomas Grade on my bike. This is only 1.5 km, but at an average grade of 9% with a max of 12.5%. I used to be able to do it in about 10 minutes years … Continue reading Scouting Out Some Challenges →

After recovering with a day off followed by an easy day, yesterday I went on a longer group ride. It started 11 miles away in Gilroy so I just rode my e-bike to the start. We headed up into the hills East of Gilroy by what was for me a new route. After some serious … Continue reading East Side Adventure →

I've been overdoing it a bit with my training and my body let me know it last night in an unusual way- sore ankles. So I took today off and will follow it with an easy day tomorrow. I just did a short stroll around the neighborhood to get my "nature fix". El Toro From … Continue reading A Day Off →

http://www.Amazon.com/books Many people who strive to be kind have trouble with assertiveness. Eknath Easwaran talks about it in his book Passage Meditation: we can be calm and try to understand the needs and point of view of others, but as he puts it, that does not mean "being a doormat". This can be a delicate … Continue reading Compassionate Assertiveness →

Today my bike route rode out to Uvas Canyon park at the end of Croy road. Karen and I lived about halfway up Croy for 24 years until 2008 so this was a trip down memory lane for me. This is a pleasant rural route mainly West of Morgan Hill. We had a pretty fast … Continue reading Group Ride to Memory Lane →

Yesterday I went for a two-hour ride mostly to the Southwest end of Morgan Hill and into San Martin. I aimed to keep it at the high end of my aerobic zone which is a heart rate of about 120. My heart monitor confirmed that the pace was about right, although there were some periods … Continue reading Two Hours Standing Pedaling →

Today I finally found the time to try out my idea of riding my e-bike to Vasona Lake and then Kayaking. I did a trial run proving the route was safe last week. Today I made it to Vasona in 95 minutes. The route through San Jose and Los Gatos is fine, but not particularly … Continue reading Bike to Vasona Lake Then Paddling →