Bike Blog and Photos

• Bike Items for Sale - Here's a photo journal of bike parts that I'm trying to clear out of my workshop.

  Shipping is $10 or (actual shipping charges + (optional) insurance charges + delivery confirmation fee), whichever is greater. I will try to find cheapest shipping option (e.g. USPS for US Domestic delivery) or will ship according to your carrier of preference.

  Some of the parts are new, some are used. If you think my item pricing is off or you're buying multiple items, please make me an offer.

  I am selling everything "as is". But, if you buy an item that is dead on arrival, damaged in shipment, or you believe you got a raw deal, please contact me as soon as possible so we can work out a solution. Given the time involved in selling these items I am not making a profit on this and am more interested in seeing components and parts I no longer use but that have remaining useful life to find a home with other bicycle enthusiasts, where they will be used instead of collecting dust in my workshop.

  Contact me at the following . It will help if you include the links to photos of the items that interest you. All prices are in US Dollars.

2023

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	126.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	11240 feet
  Total Time:	8:35:09
  Riding Time:	6:59:07
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.1 mph
  Max. Speed:	29.5 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2213 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1291 wh
  Wh/mi:	10.2
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	42.2
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	17.5
  Peak Forward Current:	21.3 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	30.3 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	86 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	46 C

  Lee Vining to Columbia, October 19, 2023 - From the moment of our rising until our departure from Murphey's Motel was just over two hours. I know from experience that the westbound trip across the Sierra is easier than eastbound because of the net descending along the course. That gave us time to get up, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and get the bikes out of the hotel room and packed without rushing.

  The air was cool when we started, but in the bright sun the air quickly warmed up to comfortable. We started slowly leaving Lee Vining by heading south on US-395, but at the end of town we turned right onto Utility Road and climbed this quiet alternative to CA120 for about 1km before we joined CA120 near the Lee Vining Ranger Station.

  I've always enjoyed starting the day with a climb up the east side of Tioga Pass while the air is still cool enough I can continue wearing long sleeves and the traffic light enough not to be too bothersome. Today traffic was a little heavier than I would have liked heading up to the pass, and I wondered if we'd be delayed by a long queue at the eastern entrance to Yosemite.

  Zach and I stopped a few times on the way to snap photos, especially near the top of the climb, but when we arrived at the park entrance, the queue was short.

  We took the obligatory photo in front of the kiosk before slipping into the queue (with the blessing of the next motorist) to pay our entry fee.

  The ranger in the kiosk wouldn't take Zach's cash—only credit card accepted—so I offered to put it on my credit card. The ranger noticed that he and I shared the same first name and middle initial and must have been distracted enough by that observation to forget that we were two bicyclists not one, ringing us up for one $20 entry. After we rode into the park I noticed the discrepancy, but rather than ride back to the kiosk to correct the error I figured they'd get the balance when we exited on the west side.

  As we started down the cool west side we enjoyed views of the surrounding mountains. Traffic continued to be heavier than I expected but polite, at least at first. I snapped a photo of the Southeast Buttress of Cathedral Peak in profile, framed between two rows of trees on either side of the road, and wondered if/when I might find myself climbing up that classic route some day.

  The road to Parson's Lodge was still open, but the campground, store, and other facilities at the Meadows were closed and already boarded up. The Meadow itself was brown and dry, but the the Tuolumne River held more than a its usual trickle for late October.

  We continued through the Meadows then briefly into the Cathedral Creek watershed before heading down toward Tenaya Lake. We climbed across the broad granite slab west of the Lake to a turnout on the other side of the road just before we got to Olmstead Point so that we could enjoy in solitude the view of the domes and other landscape features that we had just passed through. Then we continued a short distance to Olmstead Point where we got to share a hazy view southwest toward Clouds Rest and Half Dome with about a hundred other tourists.

  After leaving Olmstead Point we kept moving as much as possible as we had now passed by most of the spots worth stopping at. The day was nearly half over, and we had most of the route ahead of us.

  We stopped once near the trailhead for Mount Watkins to investigate an annoying rattling noise that had started up on my bike. I did not find its source. Whenever I do a long ride with Zach always seem to suffer some sort of mechanical issue on my bike. Today was no exception.

  As we resumed I could see that I would have surplus energy today, so I increased my downhill cruising speed to 40 kph. Traffic through Yosemite was frequent enough to be annoying and had unfortunately become occasionally dangerous and rude, and I thought I'd rather get this part of the ride over with more quickly. Although the road was smooth and in good condition, no paved shoulder had been constructed over most of its length through the park. Riding faster meant that Zach would also spend less time waiting for me after long descents.

  As I neared Crane Flat the speed limit reduced to 25 mph (40kph), but motorists still roared past me as I was holding 25. We turned right and started a rolling descent to the Hodgdon Meadow west entrance of the park.

  When we arrived there we stopped for an extended off-bike break to use the toilets and to eat a snack. Then upon exiting the park a sign advised us, "Pass on Through.", so the park never got its extra $20, and it seemed too much of a hassle now to try to remit it, and to be honest, I wasn't motivated. $20 per bicyclist when a car full of tourists is only $35 feels like an overcharge.

  CA120 in Tuolumne County has a wider shoulder that would be more usable were it not for the rumble strip. I took the lane on the descent and held 40 kph on the descent, stopping again where Zach had waited at the "Top of the World" vista point. It was here that I discovered the source of my rattling noise: my lower right fairing had cracked completely through. Probably crossing those damned rumbed strips fatigued the material enough for it to break completely through.

  I got out of the bike and wrapped the broken end in gaffer's tape securely enough to hold it together and to keep it quiet for the rest of the trip. At least I discovered the source of the rattling sound.

  We continued westward over rolling terrain, enjoying for a time a shoulder as wide as a traffic lane, and clean. Then we found ourselves passing through Groveland.

  At the west end of town we turned right onto Deer Flat Road and started up over the low ridge before descending to a junction with Wards Ferry Road. But, we didn't get far before encountering a sign warning that Wards Ferry Road was closed.

  The sign looked old and unofficial, as if some individual might have put it up to discourage tourists from going that way. I've had plenty of experience with roads impassable to motorists but passable to bicyclists to know that not all "Road Closed" signs mean that the road is truly impassable.

  While we discussed what to do, Zach mentioned he had only "two bars" left on his fourth battery. I was surprised he had used so much battery already, but then he can't enjoy any regeneration with his system, so without giving deeper thought I figured that was plausible. Armed with that knowledge and that the short October day was waning I decided we'd return to CA120 and descend to Moccasin and not explore Wards Ferry Road on this trip.

  We returned to CA120 and continued down into Big Oak Flat. When we got to Wards Ferry Road, where it intersects with CA120, Zach was riding ahead of me and turned right. I joined him and he remarked that there was no "road closed" sign here, appearing to confirm my suspicion that the sign we had seen on Deer Flat was perhaps out-of-date or misleading. We changed our minds and decided to give it a try.

  So we climbed up over the low ridge to the south before plunging steeply down toward the Tuolumne River far below. As we passed where Deer Flat Road intersects Wards Ferry Road we encountered a more official-looking "Road Closed" sign. Sigh. I consulted Google Maps and discovered that the next two miles was shown dotted on the map but beyond that it appeared as normal paved road.

  Since Zach was short on battery energy I volunteered to explore to the end of this "closure" to see how passable it was. We had good cell coverage, so I'd call him and report back in 10-15 minutes.

  I continued down Wards Ferry Road, encountering nothing worse than bumpy patchwork asphalt with occasional potholes and tree leaves. The road clearly didn't get much traffic these days. When I arrived at the end of what Google Maps showed as the dirt part, the road continued on without interruption as far as I could see.

  When I took out my phone to call Zach I saw that I had only "1 bar". I could go further, but then I wouldn't be able to place a call. At this point I had plenty of battery energy but I didn't have enough time to complete a full exploration of the road without either committing us to a late afternoon/early evening adventure or a ride back the long way on CA120 and into Columbia in the dark in addition to a charging stop for Zach, taking even more time.

  I called Zach and advised under the circumstances we should return to CA120 and go around the long way, that I didn't have enough time to explore the road and report back and not risk us having to ride in the dark and a stop somewhere for him to charge. If I had known then that Zach was one battery off his count, that he had one more fully-charged battery at is disposal, I would have suggested we explore this together, even if it would have risked an after-dark finish.

  He then returned up Wards Ferry Road on minimum power (to save energy) until I caught up with him. He agreed that that was the prudent option.

  I didn't catch up to Zach again until near the top of Wards Ferry Road, then we both descended to CA120 and started our descent of the Priest Grade.

  Before we started our descent we had just ended an animated discussion on the merits of my recovering maximal energy on the descents, he claiming I didn't need that extra energy today and could afford to go faster without fear of running short and thus decrease the likelihood of our arriving after dark. He had also become annoyed waiting for me at the bottoms of descents then hearing me prompt him to keep moving so we wouldn't arrive too late. I couldn't formulate a reasonable counter-argument. I offered to increase my regeneration and cruising speed, and that seemed to satisfy him for the moment.

  I didn't offer the option of our descending the two miles of average 14% Old Priest Grade mainly because I couldn't vouch for the safe operation of other vehicles on that descent. I always smell hot brakes when I pass the bottom of that hill, and as we're on bikes I wouldn't want to be stuck ahead of someone in a motor vehicle whose brakes aren't up to the task, especially at the bottom where there is no runout. The one time I descended in my van my brakes were visibly smoking by the time I got to the stop sign at the bottom, and I promised myself that I wouldn't repeat the experience unless I poked it all the way down in 1st gear. Climbing I had no such fear, but today we were westbound, not eastbound.

  "New" Priest Grade was smooth and gradual, descending the same 430 meters in almost three times the distance, and when we started down we enjoyed a nice gap in traffic. I held 45kph. Zach followed and didn't try to scoot past, although I suspect he could have gone faster if he had wanted to.

  The descent was as relaxing as it could be, although at the higher speed I didn't feel safe riding one-handed to snap photos of the dramatic scenery of the long drop to Moccasin nor of the steep drop on Old Priest Grade across the canyon. With all the sloughed tire rubber coating the road at the curves I would have descended more cautiously if there had been any moisture on the road.

  As we passed the bottom of Old Priest Grade I could smell the odor of hot brakes hanging in the air. We continued coasting downhill past the turn to Moccasin and onto a long, straight section of road with a shoulder wide enough for Zach on his trike to avoid the rumble strip. After several miles we turned right onto Jacksonville Road and started our rolling climb into Jamestown.

  A couple miles up from Don Pedro Reservoir Zach stopped to make his last battery swap in front of a pen of noisily bleating sheep. They all ran over to us as if we might have something (food?) for them. But, a couple of sheep dogs kept them from approaching us too closely while keeping a wary eye on us. Not once did they bark.

  It was here that Zach discovered he had an extra fully-charged battery, that he had mis-counted the number of swaps today. That made sense to me as I couldn't see how he could have used four full batteries by this point on a mostly-descending course. I wasn't upset with him for unintentionally misleading me earlier about his stored energy status when I decided to call off our exploration of Wards Ferry Road as the Priest Grade descent was almost pleasant under the circumstances, and I wouldn't have ever tried it otherwise. I had ridden Wards Ferry Road in both directions before, so for me that was old ground.

  When we got back on the road we continued into Jamestown, crossed CA108, and climbed Jamestown and Shaw Flat Roads into Columbia, suffering slightly more traffic on this narrow shoulder-less road than felt comfortable, but never feeling like the drivers were unduly impatient or dangerous. We arrived back at Marble Quarry RV Park just before sunset.

  After packing our bikes in the vans and saying our goodbyes, we both drove home, although I stopped at a Subway shop in Jamestown to eat a dinnertime meal as I would otherwise have driven home hungry only to stuff myself at 2200 and go to sleep with a full tummy. The downside of stopping for a meal was that I had to drive home in the dark. I managed.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	123.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	14490 feet
  Total Time:	9:13:16
  Riding Time:	7:31:14
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.3 mph
  Max. Speed:	29.2 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2908 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	2318 wh
  Wh/mi:	18.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	57.3
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	11.5
  Peak Forward Current:	23.6 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	28.6 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	115 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	49 C

  Columbia to Lee Vining, October 18, 2023 - The week before our trip I had been checking the weather report and the availability of lodging for a potential fall Sierra tour. The forecast of a short heatwave late the following week suggested the perfect opportunity.

  We settled on a two-day tour, riding east over Sonora Pass on Day 1, then returning through Yosemite on Day 2. To split the distance we could spend the night in Bridgeport or Lee Vining, but I was more familiar with Lee Vining, having spent the night there several times before while on a tour.

  I watched as available motel rooms slowly disappeared in Lee Vining and decided to reserve one at Murpheys Motel for the following Wednesday night. With both of us riding large bikes I would normally prefer we stay in separate rooms so that we have space for our bikes, but we decided to share a room to save on expense. Murphey's room rates have increased about 70-80% since I last stayed there four years ago. If space was tight we'd somehow make it work.

  We decided not to spend the night before our tour near the start of our planned route as that would require yet another motel stay plus the loss of a half-day or a long, tedious drive in commute traffic heading east out of the Bay Area the afternoon before. Our plan was to rise early and meet as close to 0700 as possible at Marble Quarry RV Park in Columbia where I had secured an informal reservation for two overnight parking spots.

  To get the entire route completed in daylight (while leaving some margin for delays due to breakdowns, wrong turns, road closures, etc.) we had to start early. My preference was to be on the road by 0800.

  I arrived at the start at 0706 just after the sky began to get light. I've done the drive to the Gold Country early in the morning during the summer, and then I only drive in the dark on the freeway portions, but this morning it was essentially dark until I arrived in Columbia. I prefer not to drive at night on busy two-lane highways, especially when opposite traffic is heavy with commuters as it was this morning. This was the first time I had done the morning drive completely in the dark, and I enjoyed it less than I expected.

  I was in the middle of setting up my bike and packing my panniers when Zach arrived. He had less packing and preparation to do than I, but he was still not quite ready to go by the time I was ready. We finally got moving at 0806, an hour after I had arrived.

  Our first climb of the day, the aptly-named Big Hill Road, was still cool as the sun had not yet risen above the ridge to the east. In past years I had done this route in the summertime, starting later in the day and finding the climb warm if not already hot. Today I climbed in longs top and bottom, although by the time I got to the top of the climb I was warm enough to slide my sleeves up my arms to get some cooling effect without stopping to peel layers.

  We traversed along the side of a ridge at just over 1000 meters elevation until we descended to a multi-way junction near Belleview School. Both of our GPS devices instructed us to turn left, but having been this way a few times I knew which left-turn to take. Zach did not.

  At the time Zach was ahead of me. After I turned left I thought I had seen his light flashing ahead, so I figured he had made the correct turn. I continued on Longeway then Middle Camp Road. I climbed quickly to catch up to Zach, but he continued to elude me. The route through Twain Harte is a little tricky to follow even with the GPS unless you have the actual map on the display to check after each turn.

  I finally stopped at the top of a minor rise just past the house with the CA17 sign out front to check Zach's location to make sure he was still on the route—although Zach doesn't like to use real-time trackers we agreed to use life360 to track each other's location while on tour—and I saw that he had turned left on Kewin Mill Road, not Longeway Road. He was only turn instructions but did not have a map on his display. I blamed myself partially for not advising him to do this at least until we were riding on CA108.

  I called him on the phone, and after a brief discussion he was back on course. After one more confusing turn near the three-way junction in Brentwood Park we continued on up the hill to Sugarpine where we joined CA108. The rest of the day would feature only two more turns, so we didn't need the GPS except to record our routes. I left mine running because it also gives me a remaining distance and estimated (remaining) time before reaching our destination, the latter of which is useful this time of year since the days are short, and I didn't want to be riding at night on US-395.

  We continued up CA108 through Mi-Wuk Village to Sierra Village where Zach stopped to make his first battery swap. I waited with him for most of this but then I took off before he was ready to resume riding. The rest of the day we mostly leap-frogged each other. I usually got ahead on the climbs, and Zach got ahead on the descents since I was trying to get maximal regeneration, and the sweet spot for that is when I'm descending at about 32-36 kph.

  Smoke from the downwind Quarry Fire that was being allowed to burn itself out was somewhat annoying over the first half of our trip. Fortunately, I brought a mask with a PM2.5 filter, but it's not as much fun to breathe through it when I'm working hard.

  Traffic on our eastbound trip on CA108 was pleasantly light, especially at the narrow stretch below Bald Mountain. We rode past Summit Ranger Station where we get the last flush toilets, and the Strawberry Store where we had no need. East of Strawberry we mostly had the road to ourselves. Although it's a somewhat boring section of highway it's one of my favorites because the asphalt is good and the traffic light to non-existent.

  Zach stopped somewhere between Strawberry and Donnell's Vista to do a second battery swap, only catching up to me near the bottom of the descent to Clark Fork Road. Donnell Vista is worth a stop, but with our limited time and tough eastbound route I thought it best to save that for another tour when we're riding westbound and have more time for sight-seeing off-route.

  I asked Zach to regroup at the Dardanelle Ranger Station where a water spigot was located in a gap of the fence near the road, but when I got there he had missed it and ridden on. The ranger station was boarded up for the winter, the only thing identifying it was a sign some ways back on the road. This was the water on the route until we got to Lee Vining, and fortunately water was still available. I topped off my bottles that were now empty. I could give Zach some of mine if he ran short.

  After I started up the road I found Zach waiting in front of the entrance to the Dardanelle Store. He was not low on water and he thought he'd have enough to finish the ride. The weather today was almost perfect for biking: no wind, moderate temperatures that varied from 16C to 28C, spending most of the time near 23-24C, warm in the sun, cool in the shade. We weren't likely to run short of water today.

  We continued up Eureka Valley, stopping for some time at a one-way control just past Dardanelle, then started up the steep climb to the Pass that everyone talks about when a discussion of "riding over Sonora Pass" arises.

  I started up first while Zach took photos. I waited for him just above the Rock Window to snap a photo, then we rode mostly together up the next thousand feet until Zach stopped to make his 3rd battery swap.

  I rode on and continued up the Golden Staircase, stopping just above the steepest part so that I could snap another photo of him climbing that section. Although I've ridden up this side a few times running my DD hub motor, getting started on the 12+% grade was tough.

  The motor had been close to overheating before I stopped. After I stopped the cooling systems in the motor ceased to function, so the temperature rose even faster. As I tried to get going a minute later I could only get about 600 watts into the system, and at the speed I was moving most of that was being converted into heat and not forward motion. Yet, with robust leg power I was able to get moving and stay moving, but I had to work harder than I recall having worked the last time I climbed this section.

  It was here when I was working hard that I could feel that I didn't have the "miles" in my legs for this tour. The last long ride I had ridden was the second day of our August tour to South Lake Tahoe and back. Except for a couple of "conditioning" rides in the prior two weeks, I had nearly exclusively been hiking and climbing. My right knee started to hurt a bit after this extreme effort, and the pain persisted until we arrived in Lee Vining.

  Finally above the 9000 foot marker the grade eased, and I was able to relax a little bit as the motor temperature decreased and was able to convert more power into motion and less into heat.

  We stopped again at the Pass to take the obligatory photo, then started down the east side, stopping a few times to take photos. Zach was ahead of me most of the time on the descent, and I think he enjoyed it on his trike.

  After many twists and turns we emerged onto Pickel Meadow near the Marine Mountain Warfare Training Center. I could see Zach ahead, a speck on the road. I increased my speed to catch up, and we regrouped by the time we reached US-395 at Sonora Junction.

  US-395 has been repaved at least once since I first rode through the area. During these re-pavings the shoulder had been widened in most spots, but Caltrans ruined these nice shoulders by pressing rumble strips into them. This was especially annoying for Zach who had to manage three tracks instead of one.

  We climbed up to Devil's Gate Summit as quickly as we could then Zach took off again and descended at his natural speed down the gradual descent into Bridgeport Valley, stopping at the curve near Robinson Creek to make his 4th and final battery swap. This time I waited with him.

  We continued into Bridgeport, but we did not stop. I looked more closely at the Redwood Motel at the west end of town as it was one of the lodging places I had considered if no room could be found in Lee Vining.

  South of Bridgeport we lost the shoulder for the longest such section, then again on part of the climb up to Conway Summit. Fortunately, traffic was not too heavy nor impatient. Although large trucks travel US-395 I find that their drivers by and large exercise an extra degree of skill and caution when passing. The worst drivers are the impatient city folk, but the most frightening are tourists towing trailers, especially wide trailers. Fortunately, we did not encounter many of these today.

  We stopped several times on our way into Lee Vining: once to photograph some colorful aspens off to the right, again at the summit for the sign, then at the sweeping vista of Mono Lake where Zach seemed more interested in the various stickers on the guardrail that had been put there by tourists from all over the world.

  Our last stop was at a one-way control near the bottom of the descent south of Conway Summit. After a rather long wait for northbound traffic to pass, the traffic minder gave us a couple minutes' head-start so that we'd enjoy the road to ourselves for a while.

  Since we were still descending Zach got ahead of me again until we were nearly at Murphey's Motel in Lee Vining, our destination for the night. It was on these last few miles that I noticed that while it was still warm in the late afternoon sun, the moment I passed into the shadow of the mountains the air cooled significantly and actually felt chilly.

  We arrived just before my target time of 1700 at Murphey's, and that gave us enough time to figure out how to get our bikes into our room, shower, then go to dinner in a civilized manner.

  Getting our bikes into the room was easy for me but proved to be a challenge for Zach, a challenge that he met without any physical help from me. At his insistence I only spotted him as he carried his stripped trike sideways through the doorway. Once in the room we had plenty of space for both bikes. We both got our batteries on the chargers.

  After showering and changing into clean clothes we walked up the main street to see if the Basin Cafe was open, but it was not, so we returned to Nicely's where we both ate a hearty vegetable lasagne with baked potato and soup or salad. Even with the long day of riding I was full at the end of the meal and had no room for dessert. Besides that I had been eating energy bars and other sweets during the ride. What I craved most at dinner was fat and salt. My facial expression in the photo Zach took of me doesn't do the meal justice. It was good.

  After dinner we chatted, checked our battery chargers, and checked email before turning out the lights after which we both got decent sleeps, the first time I can recall getting a decent sleep on my first night out on a tour. I got up a few times in the night to use the toilet and to drink water, but I fell asleep in between. Each time I got up I was surprised to see that it was still many hours before our agreed wake-up time of 0700. When I woke up at 0650 I decided to get up and spare us the sound of my alarm.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	109.1 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	9030 feet
  Total Time:	8:30:56
  Riding Time:	5:41:59
  Avg. Speed (moving):	19.1 mph
  Max. Speed:	38.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2300 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1876 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1113 wh
  Wh/mi:	10.2
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	38.5
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	15.6
  Peak Forward Current:	23.0 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	-31.1 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	96 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	46 C

  South Lake Tahoe to Angels Camp, August 9, 2023 - Since we had a somewhat late evening the night before I wasn't interested in getting out of bed until about 0600. Even that felt early, but at this point the rest of the hotel was stirring, and I knew that I wouldn't get any more sleep anyways. Might as well make use of the daylight. I stepped out my door to knock on Zach's to check if he was awake. He was, although he had been dozing. Once awake we prepared our breakfasts and made ready to depart.

  Before starting I checked that all of my batteries were at the same voltage, although I hadn't fully-charged them since we would have a big descent early in the ride. I wanted to enjoy regeneration all the way to the bottom if I could, so I only charged to about 90%. With all the flurry of activity the evening before repairing our bikes, eating dinner, and cleaning up, I had forgotten to advise Zach to leave some capacity in one of his batteries.

  Shortly after 0800 we departed the Budget Inn at the Heavenly Gondola, "Affordable Luxury". Our route took us toward the shore of Lake Tahoe, but we never actually gazed upon its waters on this trip. Next time I will try to route us along its shore at some point, even if we only enjoy a quick look before heading home.

  We zig-zagged past more budget hotels then passed into Nevada before rejoining US50 east of the big casinos.

  Our first climb was NV207, Kingsbury Grade, and we both used maximum power on this 1000 foot climb. We stopped at the summit to take some photos before starting the long descent into Carson Valley far below.

  I had enough regeneration capacity to hold my speed to 32kph and relax a bit on the descent while I snapped photos. Then below about 6000 feet elevation the batteries ran out of capacity to absorb more energy, and my speed drifted higher. I was still able to regenerate, but no longer at a rate that would hold my desired speed. I maxed out around 62 kph and continued down the hill.

  At the bottom of the descent stands a wide park 'n' ride with a bus stop. It was here I realized my front wheel brakes didn't work well, requiring great effort and extra distance to bring the bike to a stop.

  Before the tour I injected new grease into my front hub, but I didn't have time to spin out the excess grease that invariably weeps out between the axle and the seals, then runs down the spokes and onto the rim. Greasing a braking surface is not a way to increase brake effectiveness!

  Soon Zach pulled up behind me. He seemed agitated and slightly upset, then informed me that his heart rate monitor was showing an abnormally high number and wanted to stop until it returned to normal range. It was then I recalled that last night as we were settling in we compared notes on how much each of us drank during the day. Zach had consumed about two liters of water all day while I drank three.

  "Maybe you're a little dehydrated after yesterday's ride", I offered.

  Zach took some electrolytes and drank water from his spare bottle while I spent some time cleaning the grease from my front rim and brake pads.

  When I was ready to resume, Zach's heart still hadn't calmed down. But, he agreed to start, admitting that sometimes resuming exercise snaps his heart back to normal. And, sure enough, as soon as we started he informed me gleefully that his heart rate was back to normal. I was happy that he was feeling better. Having suffered from Afib until 2008 when I underwent a successful cardiac ablation, I know from experience that it's a great feeling when one's heart returns to beating in normal sinus rhythm, although it is at that moment that stroke risk is highest as any clots that may have formed in the upper chamber of the heart are then flushed into the rest of the circulatory system. So as not to spoil the moment I didn't volunteer that last bit of information.

  We agreed to dial up the power and cruise the flat to rolling roads along Carson Valley at maximum speed, 45 kph. We started south on Foothill Boulevard, then Fredericksburg Road. Zach was leading when he missed the turn onto Emigrant Trail, so we ended up riding a few extra miles on CA88. But, traffic was light this morning, and the shoulder was clean and smooth, so neither of us minded being on the busier highway.

  We stopped briefly at Woodfords before starting south on CA89 toward Markleeville, having now completed the northern loop on our tour. The remainder of today's route was a re-tracement of our outbound route from yesterday.

  As we were climbing the hill toward Turtle Rock Park I noticed that my battery energy level was lower than I expected. Moreover I could see that the dynamic internal resistance of the battery was unexpectedly high. Shortly after we passed through Markleeville Zach parked by the road to do a battery swap. While he was doing that I decided to check my batteries.

  I discovered that I had been running most of the morning on only one series string, the other string was still nearly full. I remember while descending about a quarter of the way down the long descent of NV207 into Carson Valley I had noticed a short glitch in the regeneration performance as if the regen brake released for a second, the system cut out completely, then resumed. I suspect this may have occurred when one of the batteries in the problem string shut down due to overvoltage while regenerating, cutting off that string from providing power.

  When I connected what I thought was the problem string as the sole source of power, everything worked normally. In fact, I rode all the way from Markleeville to Angels Camp using only that single string and experienced no further glitches. Later when performing some diagnostics on the batteries I could find no abnormal behavior or condition of any battery or cell in any battery. I suspect a BMS glitch, but I cannot duplicate the problem.

  As we resumed riding we climbed using maximum or near-maximum power all the way up the east side of Ebbetts Pass where we stopped to chat with another cyclist who had arrived just before us and would be heading back to Markleeville.

  Zach led the way on the descent into Hermit Valley. Like yesterday we continued through the valley, crossed the bridge over Mokelumne River and started the steep climb up Pacific Grade Summit.

  About half-way up Zach stopped in front of a boarded-up cabin to swap a battery. It was here that I got slightly impatient with his slow-motion method of swapping the battery as mosquitos and biting flies began to land on my arms and legs. This was the only spot on the route where flies were a nuisance.

  When we resumed we continued steeply up through the switchbacks, then to the Summit itself. This time we stopped for summit photos before continuing on. Again Zach led the way down to Lake Alpine where again we left the road and took the Lakeshore Path to a similar spot next to the lake where we ate lunch and Zach ate his second tin of sardines.

  After starting again we climbed to Mount Reba summit before dropping into Bear Valley. At this point I saw Zach for the last time until I finished the ride. Zach wanted to discharge his fourth battery so it would not be stored fully-charged, and I wanted to see if I could return all the way on the single battery string. That meant Zach would be riding as fast as he could, using maximum power, and I would be holding 32kph to get maximum regeneration on the downhills.

  For a while I kept him in occasional sight until somewhere near Tamarack, but then I decided I'd let him ride his ride, and I would ride mine. The descent into Camp Connell from Cottage Springs ought to be enjoyed at least once at higher speed, and this was Zach's first time down this long hill.

  I maintained my sedate pace until I got into Arnold at which point I checked life360 to make sure Zach was still ahead of me, that I didn't somehow pass him by broken down by the road or off of it a short distance. When I checked the app showed his last location at Cottage Springs, about 11 miles behind me. I sent him a text message asking him to confirm his location. Just after I sent the message, his location updated to downtown Murphys and moving. So, he was about 7 miles in front of me. All was well.

  I continued while increasing my maximum speed to 45 kph so that I would finish not too long after him, keeping him from waiting at the finish unnecessarily. It would also make it easier for me to ride with increasingly heavy traffic heading downhill on this weekday afternoon. Drivers were mostly polite, but there were a few who couldn't abide losing a few seconds behind a bike. I would say drivers in the area are less accustomed to cyclists than Bay Area drivers.

  At about 1630 I rolled up the driveway while Zach snapped a photo of me finishing. He had tracked my progress after he finished.

  We chatted for several minutes while I packed my things and bike in the van. Zach had already packed most of his things by now. I planned to stop at a Subway or Togo's for some quick food so that I wouldn't have to wait to eat dinner at home at 2000, but Zach planned to drive directly home.

  On the road I made pretty good time without having to violate the speed limit as just about every other driver on my tail expected me to do. By the time I reached where I planned to stop for dinner in Lathrop I could see a long queue of cars exiting the freeway and decided I was no longer hungry enough to want to get myself into that mess, so I continued on, enjoying reverse commute traffic through Tracy and Livermore, arriving home at 1940. After unpacking I prepared dinner, showered, then went to bed and slept soundly until the next morning, another trans-Sierra tour completed.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	110.2 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	13230 feet
  Total Time:	8:24:45
  Riding Time:	6:30:35
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.9 mph
  Max. Speed:	24.7 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2300 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2403 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1851 wh
  Wh/mi:	16.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	48.1
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	11.0
  Peak Forward Current:	22.7 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	-23.3 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	92 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	48 C

  Angels Camp to South Lake Tahoe, August 8, 2023 - After riding a number of two- and three-day bike tours that crossed the Sierra Crest over the last several years, I promised my aging parents that I wouldn't do these trips solo again. I had already covered the territory at least once in each direction over the years and didn't feel the need to repeat the routes, at least not on my own.

  Although these trips usually went well, they weren't without their problems. A trip in 2016 had me suffering a gradually disintegrating rear wheel. After I broke the third spoke in the Dorrington area I called the hotel in Markleeville to cancel my room, canceled the rest of my trip, returned to the start, and drove home with my tail between my legs.

  On another three-day trip in 2017 I picked up a cold virus that set in on the last and longest day of my tour, leaving me sick and exhausted for a week afterward.

  Then in 2019 my rear freewheel began intermittently to lose engagement as I rode through Yosemite's west entrance on CA120. Probably a broken pawl, but there was no way I could repair or replace it on the road. On that occasion I decided to continue since I was able to get the freewheel to engage at certain positions, and I calculated that as long as I could make it into Lee Vining that evening using pedal and human power and could charge the batteries overnight, I could afford to suffer a complete failure on the return trip as I had enough battery energy available to get myself "home" without pedaling a stroke. The decision to continue was perhaps unwise, but I was determined not to forfeit my hotel reservation in Lee Vining and to enjoy the benefits of my annual Yosemite Pass that was to expire at the end of the month. I had planned a three-day trip, but I hadn't reserved a hotel room for the second night as I hadn't decided where to stay. With the freewheel problem my decision was easy: I cut the trip short to just an overnight in Lee Vining, returning home through Yosemite the next day and fortunately I suffered no further breakdowns.

  With memory of the aforementioned incidents in mind I noticed this morning as I was packing up to leave home that one of my four batteries was still sitting at half-charge even though all four of them had been charging through one-way diodes all night. The other three were fully-charged. Sigh. What could be the problem?

  Without debugging the issue I quickly put the half-charged battery on the charger at 8 Amps, and the battery began charging normally. I examined the cell-level state of charge, and all looked normal. It would take about two hours to fully charge the battery, but I could get around 80% in an hour and the hour delay would still allow enough time to complete the planned course for Day One. I contacted Zach to inform him of the situation.

  Zach Kaplan and I had been planning a trans-Sierra tour for a couple of years, but something always seemed to get in the way: pandemic, wildfire smoke, weather too hot, weather too wet, too close to other planned trips or events, Zach expecting an important shipment, visit from customer, or not being in possession of quite the right bike for the trip. After some discussion and a little cajoling, Zach and I finally settled on a two-day tour on a course that minimized steep uphill grades as much as possible so that he could ride his HPV Speedmachine with Neodrives rear hub motor and not suffer too often dreaded power rollbacks due to motor or battery overheating. This would be Zach's first overnight tour on an e-bike, and he admitted he was apprehensive that everything would go according to plan. I reassured him that chances were we'd get ourselves back as expected but if something went wrong, then neither of us would be stranded for long as the other would return and perform a rescue. We had each other's backs.

  Our plan was for each of us to drive from home and either meet along the way or at the cabin near Angels Camp owned by one of Zach's customers. We had been granted permission to leave our vans there for the two days we would be out on our bikes. With our late departure, we encountered a little more traffic along the way than we would have otherwise, and we'd miss starting out at the lowest elevations in the cool morning air. Fortunately, the weather was not forecast to be hot, merely warm, and with the long evenings of summer we had some slack in the schedule. Today we used some of that slack.

  We rode alternately together and separately on our first day, but for the first several miles up Murhpys Grade Road we rode together, climbing into the quaint town of Murphys that reminded me of several other tourist towns in California that attract wine-tasting tourists. Then we started up CA4, first enduring the narrow section uphill from Murphys, then through Avery and Arnold. I pointed out the spot off Golden Torch Drive where I had stopped to assess my rear wheel with its breaking spokes in 2016.

  After we passed Camp Connell the shoulder on the roadway widened comfortably while traffic thinned considerably, making for a more mentally relaxing ride. Zach stopped to swap a battery, and I noticed that we'd get several minutes of peace and quiet on the road, followed by a short platoon of autos or trucks.

  As we had been riding I noticed another problem developing on my bike. My rear shifting was sticky, especially in the direction of releasing cable tension. I had noticed this problem to a lesser degree over the preceding weeks, but after checking my shift cable--the usual culprit is a fraying cable--I found nothing wrong. At the time I figured the shifter itself was getting worn but not yet ready for replacement. But, today shifting was particularly bad. I discussed this with Zach, and we agreed that I'd examine it again when we got to the hotel, and if the cable was fraying, I could buy Zach's spare cable that he carried with him.

  We continued up the long hill past Cabbage Springs, Big Meadow, and Tamarack before dropping into Bear Valley. We did not stop at the resort but continued over Mount Reba summit and down to Lake Alpine. We shifted to the Lakeshore Trail and found a nice spot with a view of the lake while we ate our lunches.

  East of Lake Alpine CA4 becomes narrow and steep in places. Zach almost made it all the way to Pacific Grade Summit before his second battery was exhausted.

  We didn't stop for a summit photo but continued down the east side into Hermit Valley. Zach got ahead of me as he had no regenerative capacity in his battery after swapping in a fully-charged battery. We continued through Hermit Valley and started the long climb to Ebbetts Pass. We climbed quickly at first, then slowed down as Zach's motor system reduced power to keep the motor temperature from climbing too high.

  I noticed as we had been riding today that the air temperature stayed pretty constant, almost always between 26 and 28C as they day wore on and as we climbed. While moving the air felt cool, but when we stopped the air felt warm, especially in the sun.

  We stopped for a few minutes at Ebbetts Pass for obligatory summit photos before proceeding down the east side. I let Zach ride on ahead while I held my speed to 32 kph to maximize regeneration. We met up again just before we entered Markleeville, but we didn't stop there. As we climbed out of Markleeville and passed the top of the climb near Turtle Rock Park I felt that the surrounding land looked more like desert than I remember from my first visit to the area in the early 1990s. The burnt trees that stood like dark sentinels on either side of the road lent a wasteland feel to the countryside. Although the forest here was never thick, it still felt like a forest. Today I missed that.

  At Woodfords we turned left and started up Carson Canyon on CA88. Traffic was busier, but the shoulder was decently wide most of the way. I noticed that Sorensen's Resort had been renamed Desolation Hotel, with the original name only applied to the cafe.

  At Picketts Junction in Hope Valley we turned right and continued north on CA89 toward Luther Pass, although we didn't stop at the summit sign for another photo, there being not much space to stop next to the sign.

  As we continued north on CA89 into Meyers Zach got ahead of me again, then on the far side of the broad curve at Big Meadow Creek he came to a stop by the road and appeared to be inspecting something on his bike. He had discovered that his rear fender had been knocked out of position and the stay was rubbing lightly on his rear wheel. The friction fit at the end of the stay allowed him to make an adjustment, but when he looked for his 2.5mm Allen key to tighten it so that it wouldn't get jarred loose again he realized to his horror that he had left his tool kit at home. Fortunately, the fender remained in place until we arrived at the hotel in South Lake Tahoe.

  We continued down the hill into Meyers, then turned right onto US50, then shortly onto Pioneer Trail that we took into the Heavenly Village area of South Lake Tahoe, where we had lodging for the night at the Budget Inn at the Heavenly Gondola, "Affordable Luxury".

  As I rode up to the office, the Indian family that runs the place spilled out into the parking lot, cameras in hand. They wanted photos of us and our bikes. They had been expecting us. I made the reservation through travlu.com but put in a "modification" to request ground-floor rooms so that we wouldn't have to lug our bikes up and down stairs, and that, we were told, had generated at least a few annoyingly redundant reminder calls from the agency to the hotel. Never before had I enjoyed such a welcoming committee at the end of a day while on tour.

  After checking in I set to work debugging my shifting problem. The cable had indeed started to fray at the barrel end inside the shifter, probably due to the extra friction on the system today, so a new cable was in order. While replacing the cable I saw that I had made an installation error when re-mounting my pannier rack months ago. I had placed a strap around the rack and the frame to keep it rigid, but I had erroneously captured the un-housed cable against my frame. This caused extra friction on the cable that was manageable when using a lightweight pannier, but when I was loaded with extra batteries and overnight supplies for a tour, the force on the strap was much increased, leading to the poor shifting I suffered all day today. Now I knew the cause of the poor shifting.

  I cut the old cable and pulled it out, but when I tried to put in the new cable I saw that Zach's spare had a cut end with loose strands rather than the easier welded end. I tried a few times to slide it into the shifter (a cheap SRAM MRX 7sp grip shifter for Shimano derailleurs), but each time it would catch and become frayed. It was at this point I expected to have to visit a bike shop the next morning, but I checked with the hotel to see if they had a wire cutter (to cut back the frayed end) and a 2.5mm Allen key so that I could remove and disassemble my grip shifter and thereby thread the cable through the mechanism.

  In a stroke of good luck, the hotel had a pair of wire cutters and a small Allen key set that included a 2.5mm key they were willing to loan me to make repairs, so I was able to properly install the new derailleur cable, and Zach got his fender stays tightened, too. Kudos to the Budget Inn hosts! All was now well with our bikes as we walked across the street to the Village to get dinner.

  The Village was surprisingly crowded at 1930 on a Tuesday evening when we ordered dinner at Heaven's Little Cafe. The air was still warm, so we ate outside next to the gondola station.

  After dinner we returned to our rooms to clean ourselves and to get on with charging our batteries. Because two of my series-connected batteries were not balanced, I set to getting them to within 0.2 volts so that I could wire them in parallel to continue charging them overnight along with the other already-balanced pair for the next day. I didn't want to have any further battery troubles this trip!

  Because my rear shifter had been so balky today I found myself more often using my front ring to shift and suffering with pedaling uncomfortably high or low RPM all day. This left my legs feeling sore that night, especially my hamstrings. Before I went to bed I took an ibuprofen and a low dose of melatonin. I slept well for the first four hours but thereafter fitfully which is usual for me on the first night out.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
  Distance:	178.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	9755 feet
  Total Time:	13:39:22
  Riding Time:	10:11:26
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	30.6 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2700 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2729 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	2155 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	53.3
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	11.2
  Peak Forward Current:	23.0 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	-29.0 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	92 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	37 C

  Mount Hamilton Big Loop North CW, April 23, 2023 - Zach Kaplan and I had planned to do this ride together two weeks prior. I set up a route that would have us both starting and finishing at our respective homes, which would avoid one of us having to travel the night before (or after) the ride.

  I created a route that had me passing through Hayward where Zach and I would meet up. My route would head north into Menlo Park before crossing the Dumbarton Bridge, then taking direct roads into Hayward. At the end of the day, I would pass through downtown San Jose while Zach would head north through Fremont, Union City, Hayward, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, a corner of Oakland, and then into Alameda. It would be a long day for both of us.

  Highlights: Beautiful weather, favorable winds (most of the day), beautiful green/colorful scenery, malfunctioning tracking app, two angry beasts, and one cranky headlamp that refused to shine where directed.

  Our first snafu occurred when my life360 app appeared not to provide Zach with my current location so he could more effectively time his meet-up. As I was getting ready to cross the Dumbarton I received a phone call from him. I stopped and took his call, then after he informed me of the problem I spent some time rebooting my phone and attempting to get the app working to no avail.

  As I had been trying to convince Zach to use a tracking app for these occasions, this was not an auspicious demonstration of its utility. Later after I had wifi access during our lunch stop, I was able to re-install the app and get it working properly, but by then we had already decided to abandon the idea of using it again on this ride. Further investigation revealed that my 4G network connection was broken during the first half of my ride--I received no email nor map updates as I progressed along my route--and that problem I can lay at the feet of my carrier. So, the life360 app for whatever its detractors might say was probably not to blame for this snafu.

  The first part of my ride enjoyed quiet roads under partially-overcast skies. As I rode through Palo Alto and Menlo Park the sun made an appearance, but as I headed east through Newark, the overcast returned. Closer to the hills along Mission Boulevard the overcast became so heavy that a fine drizzle fell and coated my glasses. I found myself frequently reaching for my handkerchief so that I could wipe my glasses and see properly.

  Zach and I had discussed meeting near Foothill Boulevard and C Street in Hayward, but when I arrived there I did not see him. He had downloaded the route, so I did not wait and continued on. I looked for a good spot to pull over to check my text messages in case he sent me an update about his location, and as I was about to do that I saw him turning onto B Street one block ahead of me.

  After I caught up to him, we exchanged pleasantries then continued over Dubin Grade where the drizzle came down more thickly on Dublin Canyon Road, then down into Pleasanton where the drizzle quickly reverted to overcast then to sunshine. We took the most direct route through north Pleasanton and Livermore and onto Patterson Pass Road, finding ourselves in the midst of riders on the Primavera Century on the lower half of the climb to the pass.

  A steady cold wind was blowing east over Patterson Pass, so we did not stop for long to enjoy the view. When we got to I-580 at the bottom we stopped briefly at the Mobile station rest rooms while I tried in vain to get a working 4G connection (and hence a working life360 app).

  As we continued through Tracy I altered our route on the fly to avoid an unpleasant segment of Valpico Road and instead detoured to West Linne Road that I had taken along the southern edge of Tracy on most of my other trips through the area.

  We quickly cruised east to Ahern Road and then onto CA33 where we began our cruise south into Patterson, a trip that took us just under an hour, including a brief stop for Zach to swap batteries, while cruising near the maximum legal e-bike speed of 45 kph.

  We stopped for lunch at Blue's Cafe. The place still has a funky charm, friendly service, and working WiFi that I recall from my last visit at least five years ago, but the food is not a good value compared to the chains like Togo's or Subway. I like to patronize the "mom and pop" eateries when I can, but if food were my primary criterion I'd look elsewhere.

  After lunch we started west toward Del Puerto Canyon Road on Sperry Avenue, hitting almost all of the red lights just as they started the red cycle. Once we got past I-5 traffic thinned out nicely. Zach missed the turn onto Del Puerto Canyon Road itself and continued pedaling enthusiastically up toward Diablo Grande. I've thought of making this detour myself just to discover what is at the end of this road, but Google Maps shows a gated residential community and golf course. The road itself looks decent enough, but I'm not sure it's worth the trouble of exploring it. It does not later connect to Del Puerto Canyon further up-canyon, so it would be an out-and-back trip.

  The short-lived cherry orchard at the bottom of Del Puerto Canyon is looking even more dead than it was last year in spite of all the rain. Most of the trees could never survive without irrigation, and those that do, cling to life in the gullies and washes, only to maintain limited greenery and no fruit.

  We started with a headwind, but as the canyon closed around the winds died down, and we were able to sustain a decent pace (32 kph) on the gradual climb up through the lower canyon.

  As we started into the upper canyon I came upon a rattlesnake stretched out across the uphill lane of the road. I stopped to try to shoo it off to the side. Traffic was very light, yet the chance of the snake being run over at the pace it was moving was high.

  After I turned around, two cars sped up the hill, but miraculously the snake was still intact. It had moved to the center of the lane, the autos' tires missing it. I tried to use my extended mini-pump as a poker, but that wasn't long enough for me when Mr. Snake coiled himself and started rattling angrily at me. I looked nearby for a longer stick and found the perfect snake-wrangling tool that kept my hands beyond the creature's striking distance. The stick had a small crook at its end that was perfect for scooping a snake off the road quickly and without risk. I snapped a photo of Mr. Snake on stick before tossing him (and later the stick) down the embankment.

  We continued past Frank Raines Park before stopping at Adobe Springs to top off our water supplies. Del Puerto Creek was flowing swiftly over the ford, but the water did not appear to be too high to ride through. Zach didn't want to risk his bike slipping and sending him + bike into the water, so he walked across getting his feet wet. I took a chance and rode through but did not find the ford slippery. Had I fallen into the water I would have been quite unhappy.

  Del Puerto Canyon Road climbs gradually through it's short upper canyon before starting its final steep climb to the summit. This last mile is particularly steep at the bottom. At the top Zach's second battery was nearly depleted, but he continued onto the descent toward the junction so he'd get some regeneration. The descent is short, and with the few short uphills before the junction again his battery was depleted.

  After I told him that heading south there is mostly descending and only a few short rolling uphills, he again continued and managed to regenerate before running flat as we got to the low point in San Antonio Valley, where the road crosses San Antonio Creek.

  We stopped near a gate to a nearby ranch while Zach set to work on swapping his battery. As he started working we encountered our second angry beast. A man's angry voice from inside the ranch at whose gate we had stopped yelled in our direction. We couldn't make out all the words, but the tone was unfriendly, and we gathered that the speaker didn't want us stopped there--"You can't park there!", we managed to hear. We agreed that we were stopped beside the road within the Caltrans/county easement, and that there was nothing illegal about our presence.

  I looked in the direction of the speaker who had momentarily turned his attention to throwing an object for his dog to catch. A minute later his hospitality decreased a few notches with, "Banana Boat, get the f___ out of there!", followed a minute after that, "I'll give you five minutes!" We ignored him, not wanting to egg him on or to rile him further.

  We were stopped just off the asphalt next to the road as one might anywhere along this road for whatever reason. We were not blocking access to his gate, and there was no traffic through it. We were not even touching his fence or gate. In short we were doing nothing illegal. Perhaps he was irritated that our conversation interrupted his solitude for a few minutes.

  The harangue was at once both comedic in its unreasonableness yet unsettling. I have visited this area for many years, perhaps as many as the man had been alive--he looked to be in his 30's--and have ridden my "Banana Boat" bike on most of my visits in the last 20 of those years. I have heard tales of crazy "mountain people" and "survivalists" living in the hills, but expected most of the tales were exaggerations and embellishments added for the re-telling. I have also met some of the people who live in the area on occasions when I stopped for a meal at The Junction Cafe when it was open, finding them decent people. This was the first occasion I had experienced of outright intentional hostility.

  I'll admit the passive-aggressive in me wanted to learn what legal consequences the speaker had in mind should we find ourselves waylaid beyond his deadline. It was the possibility of illegal consequences that concerned me.

  For better or worse we missed the opportunity to call the angry man's bluff. Zach finished his battery swap with a couple of minutes to spare by my count. We were running late at this point so we saw little to be gained by lingering. As we continued south through San Antonio and Upper San Antonio Valley I confess I checked my mirror more often than usual for the next ten miles in case the angry man might have troubled himself to trouble us further. I had made a mental note of the color and age of the pickup truck I saw parked in front of his house. We had few escape options if worse came to worst.

  We stopped briefly again in Upper San Antonio Valley Road to admire the carpet of mostly buttercups covering the meadow. I've noticed that in recent years wildflower displays are mostly yellow while 20 years ago the colors were more varied.

  On the final climb to the summit of Mount Hamilton Zach's motor system rolled back power as the motor was starting to overheat. We considered stopping to let it cool, but in my experience unless the stable speed is too slow to maintain balance, it is faster overall to continue at whatever pace the motor system allows than to stop to let it cool before continuing at a faster pace only to have the motor overheat again, forcing a second stop.

  We finally arrived at the top of the climb at 1800, but we found the gate across the road to observatory had been closed for the day. cutting off access to the rest rooms. We stopped for a few minutes while I donned my longs top and bottom, then we proceeded to descend into San Jose.

  The road down was busier than I would have expected at this late hour. Although we weren't poking on the descent, we were riding slow enough to gain from regeneration. Several cars overtook us. Down at Grandview Restaurant, the place looked packed with cars spilling out onto the side of the road. Then below that several groups of kids in cars were parked to enjoy the sunset. I also saw lots of empties and hoped they'd continue to enjoy the sunset by the road until we could reach the bottom of the hill.

  Zach and I parted ways at Berryessa Road and Morrill Avenue with Zach heading north on Morrill while I continued into downtown San Jose, then onto Guadalupe River Trail to return home on the same route I use when returning from The Studio.

  Near the north end of SJC I stopped on the empty road (here closed to motor traffic) to adjust my Edelux II headlamp that had annoyingly come out of adjustment several times already today. Since the beam of this lamp is shaped it is critical that its aim be held in proper height for the light to be usable. I was unable to get any adjustment to stay put in the presence of road vibration and will be reworking my mounting to find a more stable attachment for the lamp.

  I got onto Central Expressway and zipped the remaining miles home, arriving after 2030 in full darkness, the first time I've ridden a significant distance in the dark in several years. My eyes haven't improved their night vision during the intervening years, and tonight was a reminder of why I prefer to get home by dark these days. But, I got home in one piece.

2022

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	57.9 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	6100 feet
  Total Time:	5:06:22
  Riding Time:	4:06:12
  Avg. Speed (moving):	14.1 mph
  Max. Speed:	27.0 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1129 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	770 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	22.1
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	7.1
  Peak Forward Current:	22.0 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	-23.2 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	69 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	45 C

  Mammoth Grand Tour, June 29, 2022 - Today was the half-way point through our week in the mountains. The first three days we had hiked. They were short hikes but had lots of climbing or difficult terrain. None of us felt like hiking again today.

  Since I had brought my bike this week I thought today would be the ideal day to go for a ride. Frank and Stella spared themselves the trouble of bringing bikes, but in exchange for that convenience they were left with fewer choices of activity. They ended up doing some errands in town and taking a short walk around Lake Mary.

  Tomorrow promised to be a big day scrambling on the crags of Clark Canyon. Although we had only reserved a half-day with the guide service, Ground Up, we did not know quite what to expect, and we all wanted to be rested and in good form so that we could enjoy whatever outing had been planned for us.

  For a number of years I had wanted to ride down toward Bishop and then up CA168 to explore the ends of each road, then touch the Pine Creek Trailhead on my return to Mammoth. Such a ride would require a full day and would leave me drained afterward, even with the help of the assist motor. So, I settled for a Grand Tour of Mammoth, a ride I had done at least once before but hadn't ridden in several years and a route I knew would not leave me exhausted afterward. It seemed fitting to revisit this route.

  I started by heading up to Minaret Vista, taking in the views, then descending to Reds Meadow on the west side of the Sierra Crest. On my way down to Reds Meadow I stopped at a spot where I noticed a lone pay phone sitting in the middle of the woods. Such an odd sight and one that I had not noticed before on my many trips down this road. Not only that, but the phone also had its own streetlight. An abandoned building stood some distance away. It looked like it may have been a store or ranger station, but the place was deserted.

  The phone appeared to be intact, but there was no dial tone, and I didn't want to blow 50 cents to find out if putting money into the slot connected the phone to the network.

  As I continued down to Reds Meadow the temperature increased, and I became sleepy as I descended. Although the road is nice and quiet, especially during the summer when it is closed to day-use auto traffic, one needs to pay attention while descending. A narrow patch runs the length of the downhill lane where a cable had been buried under the road. The re-patching left a lip that can easily catch a wheel. One needs to dodge from one side to the other of the patch as the latter zig-zags across the lane, often occupying the spot where the best line runs.

  At Reds Meadow a small crowd of hikers was congregated near the store, and more were arriving and departing. Although I didn't stop to speak with any of them, I supposed that many of them were PCT and JMT through-hikers. They looked the part.

  I returned up Minaret Road and continued over the pass at the top, descended past the Mammoth Mountain Main Lodge, then down toward town. But, before I got into town I saw that I had time to extend my tour. I turned left on the Scenic Loop (or northern escape route) and descended to US-395 before returning into town on CA203 where I picked up the Town Loop Trail.

  At first I took the branch that went up Main Street, but that ended at a narrow sidewalk near Old Mammoth Road, so I returned to the bottom of town and rode the other way. The southern branch was more interesting, taking a scenic path through desert sage with sweeping views of Sherwin Crest and Mammoth Mountain. Eventually, that trail ended, and I got onto Old Mammoth Road and climbed up to Lake Mary Road, stopping to pay my respects at the White Picket Fence, where the grave of one of the first settlers is preserved to this day.

  I continued up the Lakes Basin Trail to Horseshoe Lake where the water level was as low as I have ever seen it, then returned on the road, adding a loop around Lake Mary but not through the Coldwater Creek Campground before returning to the condo, satisfied that I had covered most of the interesting local trails and roads and had gotten some moderate exercise while saving my energy for the next day.

2021

2020

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	119.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	11150 feet
  Total Time:	8:14:24
  Riding Time:	7:12:09
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	28.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2192 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1232 wh
  Wh/mi:	10.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	41.5
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	18.1
  Peak Forward Current:	21.6 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	21.9 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	113 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	47 C
  Time spent overheated (>100C):	9:54

  South Lake Tahoe to Angels Camp, October 21, 2020 - My second night in a motel room gave me a better sleep than the first. Gone was most of the antiseptic fumigant odor, and by now I was accustomed to the bed and the odd noises one hears in a shared lodging arrangement: appliances cycling on and off, nearby doors closing or slamming, muffled voices, shuffling chairs, footfalls, etc. Given all the noises that keep one awake in a stronge place, I managed to sleep reasonably well without wearing earplugs. I attribute this to the fact that the motel is a block off the main highway, so there is no constant din of passing traffic. I also took 6mg of melatonin, and I found this helped nicely for the first four to six hours, but after that the effect wore off.

  Yesterday I slept in to get a beauty sleep after a long, hard first day riding up to South Lake Tahoe. My ride around the lake had been an "easy" day. This morning I awoke early and was ready to go by 0800. As I stepped outside I was happy to have carried my shell and gloves. The sun had not yet risen above the mountains to the east. The air was cold but not freezing.

  I started on the direct route into Meyers on Pioneer Trail. I rode this in 1993 and found it a pleasant alternative to taking US-50. This morning despite the early hour traffic was moderately heavy. I seldom had the road to myself. I noticed that most of the vacation houses I passed were empty and wondered what traffic would be like on a busy weekend.

  Coldest temperature recorded was at the Trout Creek crossing when I observed 4C on my thermometer. I found that wearing all the layers I had brought kept me just short of feeling chilled as I pedaled lightly, even on the downhill bits to stay warm. When I got to Meyers the sun had risen enough to provide some direct radiant warmth.

  I rode past the rotary at the junction for CA89 and US-50 and continued to Upper Truckee Road where I turned left, south. Turning north would take me through another subdivision and eventually to Tahoe Mountain Road that I had descended yesterday near the end of my ride. At first I thought Truckee Road was an odd name for a road far from its namesake town, but then I considered that the river that both flows into and out of Lake Tahoe, the Truckee River, continues upstream of the Lake itself, through the valley I was about to ride through, even though I was many miles from the town.

  Long and narrow Christmas Valley south of Meyers was mostly forest and meadow, but after some distance on new asphalt I went through an older neighborhood of houses and ranchettes. Beyond these residences the road deteriorated somewhat but was still easily ridden as it passed stands of colorful aspen and willow then started climbing steeply toward Luther Pass. Halfway up this climb I crossed CA89 and continued on the old road that was now closed to motor traffic, although I was able to ride around the gate.

  The old road passes the now closed Luther Campground before rejoining CA89 at the Big Meadow Trailhead. At this point I continued south on CA89 toward Luther Pass. Traffic was light, although occasional hopper trucks passed.

  I thought of taking the old road down to CA88 east of Luther Pass, but I could not find the access point near the pass itself. About a mile east of the pass an alternate road exists, but when I got to it I could see that it was at best half dirt, half asphalt, and by now it was too easy to stay on CA89 to Pickett Junction. I also didn't want to get bogged down on a rough road while I was carrying my full touring load.

  At CA88 I turned right and started heading west again. Its surface was smooth and clean as I passed many stands of flaming aspens on my way up to Carson Pass. One unwelcome observation was that smoke from the Creek Fire had drifted north during the night and was at times thick enough to smell. I stopped to insert a PM2.5 filter into my mask and rode wearing my mask while I was in smoke. For the next few hours I was on the edge of the smoke. To the south the air was thick and hazy, but to the north air was clear. One can see in some of the photos the smoke boundary.

  I stopped briefly at Carson Pass to snap a summit photo before heading down to Caples Lake and beyond. Traffic was light, but punctuated by occasional hopper trucks. As far as I could tell the westbound trucks were empty, and the eastbound were carrying mulch or something similar.

  Carson Pass highway stays above 7000 feet elevation for a long distance west of the Crest before descending into the foothills. On this high altitude section the roadway was pleasant to ride. A decent shoulder was provided most of the way, and traffic was light, aside from the aforementioned trucks.

  I passed Kirkwood Meadows, stopped again briefly for a photo at the last named summit on my route: Carson Spur, and continued past Silver Lake and along the ridge top, enjoying the sight of lodgepoles and whitebark pines near the road for some distance before starting down into the mostly red fir forest to the west. The descent rolled up and down as the road stayed near the ridge top, but the downhills were longer than the uphills. Unfortunately, the usable shoulder all but disappeared for this segment of the ride, making for somewhat more stress when passed by trucks, of which logging trucks had started to appear, or other large vehicles. At one spot a logging trucker pulled out to pass me as a camper was coming opposite, forcing the latter off the road while the truck pulled uncomfortably close in front of me.

  Upon examining a satellite view of the area one can see that the forest surrounding CA88 features a patchwork of clearcuts. Logging is quite active in the area, and the forest near the highway appears to be "well-managed" in that its underbrush had been cleared, leaving only the larger trees

  After passing Hams Station and Cook's Station I found myself descending through more thickly-settled areas near Barton, and traffic got heavier while the road still had no shoulder most of the time. By the time I arrived in Pioneer I was happy to be leaving the state highway to make my way south through the foothills and a corner of California that hasn't changed much in the last 70 years.

  I turned left onto Defender Grade that ascended steeply but briefly over a low ridge then descended sharply to CA26. CA26 itself continued descending to the crossing of the North Fork Mokelumne River at just over 2000 feet elevation where I observed my highest regeneration figure of the day before climbing into West Point.

  After descending to the Middle Fork Mokelumne River I started on Railroad Flat Road and climbed into Wilseyville. Most of the Sierra foothill towns I passed through are located atop ridges and not in valleys (except for ridge top plateaus) or canyons. From Wilseyville I avoided continuing on the new asphalt of the dead-end Blue Mountain Road and made the turn onto rough and bumpy Railroad Flat that was anything but flat as it descended and climbed multiple times and through communities such as Independence, Railroad Flat, Esperanza Valley, and El Rancho Loma Serena.

  Near the Esperanza Fire Station I turned left onto Sheep Ranch Road and continued on new asphalt through countryside that reminded me of the arid oak, grass, and coyote bush lands east of Mount Hamilton near home. After I arrived in Sheep Ranch my road surface luck ran out as the road became a quilted patchwork for the final 9 miles into Murphys. To match the rough asphalt the grades became even more severe, descending and climbing in excess of 10%. Meanwhile the temperature had climbed to 30-31C. My motor started getting into the overheating zone, but the temperature rise stopped just short of where the controller rolls back power.

  As I passed Fullen Road I was back on familiar roads. One more descent and climb to go before it was all downhill to Angels Camp. I rounded the bend at Mercer Caverns, popped over the summit to the south, and had started descending into Murphys when my phone rang. It was Mom (who had been following me on life360) and had not seen a recent update (because I was out of range of cellular service much of the time) and was calling me to check if I was alright. I stopped at a shady spot off the road to answer her call, trying to explain why I might appear "stuck" on the app in one place, and we enjoyed a lengthy conversation.

  After my phone call I continued down into Murphys then turned right onto Main Street that becomes Murphys Grade and descended quickly on new asphalt into Angels Camp without further incident.

  Weather started cold, became warm to hot near the end, but was always within my comfort zone. Traffic was a bit heavier than I would have liked on the lower part of CA88, especially truck traffic. Oddly, I saw only one other cyclist near Meyers.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	83.8 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5260 feet
  Total Time:	6:45:07
  Riding Time:	5:23:07
  Avg. Speed (moving):	15.7 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1202 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	897 wh
  Wh/mi:	10.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	22.3
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	5.9
  Peak Motor Temperature:	54 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	34 C

  Lake Tahoe Circuit CCW, October 20, 2020 - After checking into my motel room the prior evening, I opened all the windows to air out the strong odor of the coronavirus fumigant they had used to disinfect my room—another reason to spend two nights in one motel room instead of each night in a different room—I took a shower, put on clean clothes, then walked a few blocks to a nearby food court to order a takeout dinner from California Burger that I then brought back to my room. Unfortunately, the odor was still strong in my room, and now the air outdoors was getting cold. I left the windows open for as long as I could before closing them and turning on the heat for the night. Although I slept on and off for about 10 hours that night, I awoke with a headache that I assume was from the strong odor that lingered in the room.

  In the morning I ate less breakfast than usual, but I spent extra time stretching my IT band that was starting to complain in the last miles of yesterday's ride. I had not brought a bulky foam roll, but I spent extra time doing IT band stretches before I departed for the day. I had worked hard yesterday, but today's ride was easy in comparison. I resolved to soft-pedal most of my way around the Lake and to stop often and enjoy the scenery.

  The air temperature was still a chilly 10C when I got the bike out the door around 1030. I wore long sleeves top and bottom, but no shell or gloves. The air was chilly but promised to warm rapidly under a clear sky.

  Most cyclists will choose to ride around Lake Tahoe in the clockwise direction as this puts the Lake at one's right and means that most turns on the course are right turns not left. I had ridden the loop clockwise in 1993, so I decided to ride it counter-clockwise as I had not ridden it that way before. This meant I'd be starting on the Nevada side of the lake, heading eastbound on US-50 toward Carson City.

  Traffic on this section of four-lane mostly undivided US-50 came in platoons. A shoulder came and went. Asphalt was decently clean most of the time, and passing motorists were mostly courteous. Only one truck towing a trailer and one empty logging truck passed within the three-foot buffer. Since the US-50 portion of the ride is not particularly scenic I rode at 20 mph and did not stop for scenery.

  Soon I found myself at the junction for NV28 near Spooner Summit. I turned left and started down NV28 toward Incline Village. This two-lane highway was fairly busy, but there was no shoulder much of the time. I kept moving, only slowing for scenery as the road dipped closer to Lake level at Sand Harbor.

  I did not realize it at the time, but I should have exited NV28 at Sand Harbor to pick up the Tahoe East Shore Trail that takes a scenic path along the Lake's shore. Some distance north of Sand Harbor I was able to move to the path from the highway. Although the path was quieter and allowed space to stop and take photos, the downside was that other trail users were mostly mask-less, and I would be passing within six feet of many of them. Physical distancing was easier on the road. Pick your poison. I decided to stick with the path for now as it was a smooth, well-graded path with many vista points, while the highway was increasingly busy and narrow.

  I continued along the path as far as Lakeshore Drive. Instead of continuing on NV28 or on the path that became a sidewalk along Lakeshore Drive I moved to Lakeshore Drive itself as I rode through Incline Village, passing a number of large vacation homes nestled among established mountain landscaping and a Hyatt Regency. The beaches along Lakeshore Drive have all been closed to the public, open only to nearby property owners or residents of Incline Village.

  Once back on NV28 I continued into Crystal Bay, climbing up over the narrow ridge that ends at Stateline Point, past the last casinos in Nevada and back into California, shifting to CA28, then into tiny Brockway, Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, Carnelian Bay, Ridgewood, Dollar Point, and Lake Forest. By this time I was looking for a place to stop, get off the bike, eat lunch, and take a break from the busy highway. I saw a sign pointing to public access to the lakeshore, so I turned off at Lake Forest and found the public boat launch pier adjacent to the Coast Guard station. The attendant at the kiosk waved me through, and when I arrived at the boat launch I saw that the pier was open and displayed no sign forbidding bicycles on the pier. So I rode out to the railing and enjoyed a nice break on the Lake in the warmth of the sun and calm air. While stopped I ate lunch, stretched, and peeled down to shorts and short sleeves.

  Refreshed after my break I returned to CA28 and continued a short distance on the adjacent path into Tahoe City, whereupon I regained the highway as I rode through the downtown area where traffic was relatively heavy.

  With the brief moments of unpleasantness of riding US-50 a distant memory I found myself jarred back into the reality of the world and the hardscrabble lives of those who depend on driving from gig to gig for a living.

  I turned left onto West Lake Boulevard, then joined the traffic lane to negotiate the rotary at Lake Boulevard. As best I can tell this action prompted one driver of a beaten-up SUV two places behind me to make the effort upon passing me to sit on his horn and scream a string of expletives in my direction out his passenger side window. The only thing I could gather from the tirade is that he thought I should not have joined motor traffic through the rotary. Had I slowed him down at all? No. I waved back at him.

  Having biked on the roads for many years I am not new to abuse from motorists, but in the Bay Area I experience it maybe once a year at most, and lately I can't recall the last time someone yelled or even honked at me in anger from a passing motor vehicle.

  As I continued south along West Lake Boulevard traffic continued heavily, roughly half tourists in shiny newer cars and half locals in pickups, work trucks, and beaten-up sedans and SUVs. The tourists were mostly courteous and cautious, but the locals had no patience, either passing too close, passing around blind corners (also a couple of tourists too timid to pass when it was safe then got impatient and passed when it wasn't), or passing in the face of oncoming traffic, forcing the latter to pull onto the shoulder or to slow down. I got coal rolled twice by two different diesel pickup trucks. Not in many years had I experienced so much driver impatience, poor judgment, and overall hostility to other road users. And this was all along the western shore of Lake Tahoe. I only mention it because of the extraordinary number of observations of poor driving I witnessed within about a one hour period on this Tuesday afternoon.

  When I got to Tahoma I saw a low-speed bike path on my side of the road, and I decided to take it, even if it was bumpy and slow. I just needed a break from traffic and to recover my enjoyment of the ride. After shifting to the path it diverged from the road and entered the forest, becoming less smooth. Then a sign appeared warning that the path was not maintained in winter. Turns out I had just entered Sugar Pine State Park.

  I continued for some time on this path that twisted its way among the sugar pines before pausing near General Creek for a nature break. Just as I was finishing up a maintenance cart came up the path behind me, and the two guys in the front jumped out and started asking me questions about my bike and where I had ridden. We talked for some time, and I asked them how far the path continued.

  "It crosses the highway then descends to the Meeks Bay Resort. There are some rest rooms down there," one of them added, is if he had perceived what I was up to just before they stopped.

  I continued down to the beach at Meeks Bay and took another short break to enjoy the solitude of the resort now closed for the season. As I was about to leave a maintenance guy drove up in another cart, but he paid no attention to me as I circled round to find the exit. The exit was blocked with a chain to keep out drivers, but I easily lifted the chain and rode out underneath it.

  Soon I was back on CA89 heading south through Rubicon Bay and up the climb to D.L. Bliss State Park. The highway was getting busy again, but it was also becoming more scenic. The road hugged a steep hillside that rose sharply from the water at the Lake's edge. Higher peaks lay ahead and to my right. I began descending towards Emerald Bay.

  I moved to the left-turn lane to exit at Emerald Bay State Park, but I could see the parking lot was full and cars were waiting for a spot. The viewing area was also packed with tourists, so I decided to skip the stop and continued on CA89 past Eagle Creek Trailhead and on up the slope on the south side of Emerald Bay, snapping what photos I could while riding.

  After rounding Emerald Bay the highway does something interesting: it descends atop the ridge line, often called a "hogback", where the terrain slopes down on either side of the road, toward Eagle Point. I stopped at a spot to which I could comfortably maneuver off the tarmac to snap a photo of the S-bend near Upper Eagle Point Campground.

  When a break appeared in the nearly continuous stream of cars on this part of my ride, I continued down to Cascade Creek and further to Tallac Creek before turning right onto Fallen Leaf Road.

  For a couple of years in the early 1970s (and on a couple of long weekends in the 1990s) my parents had taken the whole family to spend time at the Stanford Sierra Camp, my introduction to the Sierras and hiking in the wilderness areas. I was curious to see if any memories would be revived by making a quick swing through the area.

  Fallen Leaf Road was rough and pot-holed along the eastern shore of Fallen Leaf Lake. Just past the bridge over Glen Alpine Creek the road was closed off, the camp probably having been closed for the season. Most of the houses I had passed on the way in did not appear to be occupied. I rode west up the hill to the Glen Alpine Trailhead, the end of the paved road, but I did not recognize the area even though I'm sure I had hiked up this road long ago. I did recognize Lily Lake, Cathedral Peak and Mount Tallac that I had hiked up many years ago. But the area felt tame to me in comparison to some of the places I have visited since then. When I was younger my world was smaller. This corner of the outdoors seemed far removed from civilization. But, today I knew it was a short distance from the sprawl that South Lake Tahoe has become.

  I snapped a photo of an "invisible" pothole, a dip in the asphalt that one cannot see due to the lack of a sharp edge around the hole, and then on the way down past this very same spot I rode right into it. Fortunately, someone had placed some rocks and pieces of asphalt at the bottom of the hole to reduce its depth.

  The sun was already setting behind the Sierra Crest to the west, so I returned up Fallen Leaf Road, turning right at Tahoe Mountain Road to take a more direct route into South Lake Tahoe.

  Tahoe Mountain Road climbs through a pretty stand of aspens before topping out in a small housing subdivision that I remember from the time I rode in the area in the early 1990s. The road then descends through an area burned by recent fire before arriving at Lake Tahoe Boulevard, a four-lane highway surrounded by empty fields. The area appears to have been planned for subdivision at one time, plans that have not yet been realized.

  I descended east into South Lake Tahoe, and the remainder of the ride took a sour turn. Once I got onto US-50 eastbound traffic became heavy again as I passed one strip mall after another. Although a bike lane had been provided, it was allotted the worst of the road where the asphalt crumbles collected and where recessed sewer access points were in the center of the bike lane every few hundred feet. Heavy traffic, mostly pickup trucks, SUVs, and work trucks each roaring as if racing each other from one red light to the next, begrudged my swerving into the right-hand traffic lane to avoid these obstacles and other road debris. At this point I just wanted to get back to my room to get cleaned up and to eat dinner.

  It had been 27 years since I had ridden a bike in South Lake Tahoe. What I recall from then was an experience more like that of riding through the center of Mammoth Lakes, a small resort town in the off-season, not a sprawling suburb featuring strip malls and subdivisions one after another, the roads packed with harried motorists scrambling like squirrels packing away nuts before the onset of winter. I have to wonder if those looking to escape from the pandemic lockdowns in the cities will find here what they seek.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	112.4 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	13690 feet
  Total Time:	7:24:09
  Riding Time:	6:49:11
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.4 mph
  Max. Speed:	25.1 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2460 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1911 wh
  Wh/mi:	17.0
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	48.1
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	10.8
  Peak Forward Current:	23.6 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	28.2 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	73 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	59 C

  Angels Camp to South Lake Tahoe, October 19, 2020 - I had prepared for my three-day Sierras bike tour the week before by going through my packing list and had assembled everything I needed other than food and water. But still sore muscles from hiking the weekend before counseled waiting until my legs were fresh. By the time my legs were feeling ready for three long days on the bike the weekend was upon me and prices for my candidate hotels had jumped from $60/night to $150/night. The cheapskate in me advised waiting until the end of the weekend. Besides that I preferred to enjoy the roads without crowds of tourists.

  Long-range weather forecasts showed cold nights but moderate days for the next week, so I had the luxury of time to postpone my plans. In the end I didn't get going until Monday of the following week as it was only the afternoon of the day before that I had secured a safe spot to park my van for the two nights I would be on the road. Thank you Angels Inn in Angels Camp, CA.

  I had originally planned this tour to start and finish in Columbia, spending the first night in Gardnerville. But with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging I decided it would be safer (and, as it turned out, cheaper) if I spent two nights in South Lake Tahoe rather than one night each in a different hotel. To do that I would have to get to South Lake Tahoe in one day, and to start in Columbia would increase the risk of coming too close to the range limit of my bike with the batteries I planned to carry. But, moving the start/finish to Angels Camp would shorten the first day's route slightly, enough for me to feel I could comfortably complete the day without fear of running short on the last climb up Kingsbury Grade, just when I was most fatigued. Also, by spending two nights in South Lake Tahoe I could enjoy my ride around the Lake without hauling all of my supplies.

  Although I had planned to leave home at 0500 I didn't get out the door until nearly 0530. Fortunately, my drive to Angels Camp was slightly shorter than the drive to Tuolumne or Columbia I had done on prior Sierra tours. I arrived at Angels Inn at 0810 and was on the bike and ready to go a half-hour later. By the time I set off from Angels Inn the air temperature in Murphys was already warm enough (about 20C) for me to start in shorts and short sleeves, and that is how I rode for the remainder of the day.

  My route left Angels Camp by Murphys Grade, the lower part of which started over low grassy hills, and the upper part of which climbed gradually alongside Angels Creek. At no point was the road steep or difficult. Aside from a short construction zone near the bottom, the asphalt layer was new all the way into Murphys, and traffic was light. I had no complaints other than the temperature in the darkest part of the canyon dropped to about 16C, which was rather chilly in shorts and short sleeves. I pedaled harder to stay warm.

  I rode down Main Street through Murphys past wine tasting rooms, inns, and restaurants whose seating had spilled out onto the narrow street, consuming most of the available curbside parking. The scene reminded me a bit of downtown Saratoga closer to home. Murphys appears to be cultivating a wine-tourism economy.

  Soon I found myself at CA4 and onto a familiar part of the route. I climbed quickly through Hathaway Pines, Avery, and Arnold. Monday morning traffic was light, and even where the road narrowed passing traffic was occasional and uniformly courteous.

  East of Camp Connell the road widens enough to offer a consistently-wide shoulder and traffic went from light to sparse. It felt like I only saw other cars, usually in small platoons, once every five minutes or so, but when I stopped to enjoy nature I found that the interval was closer to one minute. In fact it seemed like my stopping to enjoy nature would always occasion the passing of traffic in either or both directions.

  From the start I had set my assist input power level to 600 watts or less (which translates to about 450-480 watts at the wheel), so I was not climbing much quicker than a strong un-assisted and un-loaded cyclist would have been. This also served to conserve my battery energy as the eastbound route with its net 4000 feet of climbing would require the most energy of the three days. The air was warming to a comfortable temperature in the mid-20s C, the air was still, and the sky was clear blue. I labored under no threat of foul afternoon weather as I might on a summertime tour, so I decided not to rush.

  The descent westbound from Bear Valley is a wonderfully long and moderate down-grade that can be enjoyed mostly without pedaling. The ascent requires some effort, even with assist, and takes longer. But the combination of pleasant temperatures and a clean, quiet road was ideal for day-dreaming. I must have lost track of time for I soon found myself passing Tamarack Flat, and then entering Bear Valley itself. I continued up to Lake Alpine, passing the Lodge that was closed for the season. I did not search for a water source as I did not need to top off. The pleasant temperatures on the climb left me with a good supply yet in my bladder and bottles.

  At Lake Alpine the road loses its center stripe, but the asphalt is relatively new and smooth all the way over Ebbetts Pass. I continued through the wilderness zone between Lake Alpine and Silver Creek on the east side, stopping only to snap photos of summit signs and to heed the call of nature.

  East of Ebbetts Pass I passed many stands of flaming aspen trees. Some trees had already lost some of their leaves, and others held yet many green leaves, so the peak must have been near. If anything remarkable could be said about the day's transit from Angels Camp to South Lake Tahoe it was the beautiful stands of colorful aspens and sierra willow I passed along the way.

  The last time I had descended Ebbetts Pass to the east in 2018 was in an afternoon summer thunderstorm under hail up high and cold rain further down. Today I could enjoy the views on the way down and had no need to don any rain gear or to steel myself against an onslaught. The show of colorful aspens continued all the way into Markleeville where I stopped at the General Store for a break and to procure a couple of bananas for my next two breakfasts. The store had none in stock today, but the break off the bike felt good.

  I continued north on CA89 along a part of the route I had not ridden since the late 1990s. I decided not to stop at Woodfords Cafe and Store in my banana search but to press east on CA88 and then onto Emigrant Trail, Fredericksburg Road, and Foothill Road, dropping into Carson Valley and the state of Nevada. A light headwind had picked up, but since the terrain was mostly downhill I did not notice the wind until I had reached Foothill Road where the terrain leveled off.

  Many of the houses featured Trump political signs, and some properties were decked with a sign at each fence post as well as large banners, including one I had seen at several other properties: a blue and white striped flag flying next to the USA flag. It's clear I was in Trump-land, but Biden/Harris supporters were not entirely invisible. A couple properties featured a modest show of signs, and one property in the center of Markleeville featured a Sanders sign that had been repurposed with a heavy black marker into a Biden sign.

  When I turned left onto NV207 to begin my climb up Kingsbury Grade I dialed assist power to 1000 watts (750-800 watts at the wheel) as I could see that my modest power use on the ride thus far had left enough in my battery for me to enjoy a speedy climb over the high ridge to Lake Tahoe. I climbed to Daggett Summit, the final summit of the day, without stopping, passing a few cyclists also making the same climb. One called out asking how much power I was using, but I was too far up the road to reply.

  Descending to the west put me immediately into the town of Kingsbury and then Stateline. Traffic was suddenly heavy. I stopped at a convenience store near the bottom of the hill to inquire about bananas, and found a few overpriced at $0.65/ea. But, they were what I was looking for. The mask-less clerk—the only time I encountered anyone indoors not wearing a mask on this trip—stood behind a plexiglass barrier as he rang me up

  Back on the bike I continued down the hill to US50 then turned left and rode back into California past all the high-rise casino hotels and shortly found my motel for the night.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	107.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	11000 feet
  Total Time:	5:59:55
  Riding Time:	5:29:03
  Avg. Speed (moving):	19.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	28.7 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2155 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1320 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	41.4
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	16.1
  Peak Forward Current:	23.5 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	30.3 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	88.1 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	49.2 C

  Coleville to Columbia, August 14, 2020 - I never sleep well the first night on the road. I should probably restate that by saying I never sleep well the first night in a new place. I remember at the last minute thinking I might bring a melatonin tablet to help me get to sleep. I took it before turning out the light at 2020 the night before, and I remember nothing more until I woke up at 0030 the next morning to pee. Unfortunately, the effect of the melatonin must have worn off. For the rest of the night I tossed and turned, unable to go back into deep sleep. I hadn't even set an alarm, and I was thinking about how early I should rise to be back in Columbia by noon.

  At 0415 I decided to get up and get ready to depart around 0600. My first task was to prepare a breakfast of oatmeal whose dry contents I had packed and carried last fall for a three-day trip that got shortened to two days. For some reason I didn't feel hungry, and I struggled to force it down. The mixture tasted too salty. Had I accidentally doubled the salt proportions? I couldn't remember. I had two more spoons full left in the bowl when I quit. One more would have sent me retching. What I had eaten would have to do.

  I finished packing, and even though I had eaten some of the food I had brought with me, I had a hard time zipping up my packs. The eastern sky was starting to get light, and I could see that it was overcast. As quietly as I could manage, I wheeled my bike out the door, then rode down to the office to drop my key in the after-hours box. It was just after 0600 when I was back on the road, heading north on US395. Temperature was a cool 16C, cool enough that I started with a long top and shorts.

  The highway was quiet. Only a few cars or trucks passed, and the asphalt was clean and smooth (except for the cursed rumble strip). The clouds above were displaying varying shades of red and orange from the sun rising in the east. I set my cruising speed to 27.5 mph.

  It wasn't long before I arrived at the junction with CA89 and the start of the east-side climb up Monitor Pass. Without delay I started the climb. The road starts through a short deep canyon holding Slinkard Creek then comes out into Slinkard Valley. Vegetation is that of a high desert with few trees.

  After I traversed the final switchback on the climb the sun broke through the clouds and cast a pleasing light on Slinkard Valley below. Far to the south I could also see some of the high peaks in northern Yosemite. Then just before I crossed from Mono to Alpine County I felt the sun for the first time today.

  By this point the grade had eased somewhat, although I still had some distance to go yet to the pass itself. But it was not long before I made the final climb into the small grove of aspen trees that mark the location of Monitor Pass, where I stopped for an obligatory summit photo. Temperature was a chilly 13C at the pass, the coldest temperature on the ride. I was happy to be wearing a long upper, but avoided donning long lowers as I knew I'd just be taking them off again at the bottom of the descent.

  To the west I could see Silver Peak (10772ft) rising in the distance. I continued across the plateau to the false pass on the western side, then started down. I stopped a couple of times to photograph the distant peaks as the light changed on the land. Seeing the sun rising on the eastern faces of the peaks made it worthwhile to start early.

  The road levels off a bit at Sagehen Flat near Heenan Lake about half-way down the descent, then plunges down the canyon carved by Monitor Creek to the East Fork Carson River. At the bottom I turned left onto CA4, not even thinking twice about taking my original planned route that would have added 40 hot miles to my day.

  I continued quickly up Silver Creek, past the campground, around the sharp bends on the road hugging a cliff, then up to Ebbetts Pass in step-wise fashion. I stopped briefly at Kinney Reservoir to photograph the reflection of Ebbetts Peak in its water.

  After another obligatory summit photo at Ebbetts Pass, I started down into Hermit Valley. The skies were less overcast to the west, but still the air was cool but not cold.

  In Hermit Valley I stopped to read a new plaque that had been placed there, then started up the steep climb to Pacific Grade Summit, taking several photos along the way.

  As I continued west past Cape Horn, where I could see The Dardanelles from the north, and descended toward Lake Alpine, I encountered my first cyclists riding the other direction.

  Although I did not need water, I wanted to top off my supplies to prepare for the heat at lower elevations. The tap at the east end of Lake Alpine had been shut off, and the fountain at the west end parking lot had been dismantled. Water in the lake was low, but I suspected the fountains had been shut off due to the pandemic. I continued into Bear Valley and was able to draw water from a hose bib at the sports goods store next to the fire station.

  I then started the long descent from Bear Valley to Dorrington and beyond. For the first several miles the road undulates. Not until one passes Ganns does the road descend in earnest. The grade is such that one can coast comfortably for many miles without braking. I set my limit speed to 27.5 mph so that I could recapture some energy. The descent continued unbroken into Dorrington where the air temperature had risen into the high-20s C.

  On the next 17 miles through Arnold, Avery, and Murhpys I kept moving at or near my cruising speed, pausing only a couple of times. Westbound traffic was light, but eastbound traffic consisted of long platoons. Many people were heading into the mountains to enjoy cooler air just as a heat wave was starting in the valley. It was only as I descended through the short canyon above Murphys that the air began to feel truly hot.

  I continued through Murphys and toward Angels Camp, leaving CA4 at Parrotts Ferry Road. By now the temperature was in the high 30's C.

  Parrotts Ferry Road climbs and descends a few times before plunging to its low point across New Melones Reservoir. I stopped at the far end of the bridge to note the temperature on my thermometer, 38C, the highest temperature on the ride.

  At this point there was nothing more to do but climb up to Columbia and my waiting van. I pulled into the 49er RV Park a couple of minutes after noon, and I was happy not to be riding further.

  In the end I felt hotter driving my van than I felt on the bike as I was sitting on the sunny side of the van, and the temperatures at lower elevations in the valley were even hotter than they were in the Sierra Foothills. I only felt the slightest relief as I crossed Sunol summit on I680 and descended into Fremont just after 1500.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	97.9 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	11910 feet
  Total Time:	7:33:53
  Riding Time:	5:49:45
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	30.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2061 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1537 wh
  Wh/mi:	15.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.3
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	10.2
  Peak Forward Current:	22.0 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	23.2 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	111.9 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	51.0 C

  Columbia to Coleville, August 13, 2020 - The end of the second full week in August turned out to be my best window for enjoying a trans-Sierra bike tour. Weather was forecast to be clear, I managed to clear my recurring obligations that later in the month might be difficult for me to do.

  Initially I had three days available, Wednesday 8/12 through Friday 8/14. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic I had trouble making contact with the owners of Marble Quarry RV Park to leave my car parked for a couple of nights, a location I have used a few times before. No one would answer their phone or return messages.

  Due to the delay in finding a place to leave the car I ended up riding only two days, on Thursday and Friday, and I found parking at another RV park in Columbia, 49er RV Park. The 49er RV Park was in the same neighborhood as Marble Quarry, so there was no significant change in distance for my planned routes.

  Just after I had committed myself to the trip, I learned that the weather forecast had added in a chance of thunderstorms on the afternoon of Friday. I could live with this as usually I am out of the high country by the time any weather builds. My main concern is the first day. But, also in the forecast were extremely high temperatures with a "heat advisory" being issued for Friday afternoon.

  Since my planned route was to return west on CA88 then through the foothills along Railroad Flat and Sheep Ranch Roads, lying between 2000 and 3000 feet elevation, I knew that I'd be hitting these short, hot climbs late in the day when temperatures were expected to exceed 38C (100F). Even on an e-bike I'm not keen to be out on a long climbing-intensive ride in that kind of heat.

  I decided to go anyways, since I'd already reserved a room at The Meadowcliff Lodge in Coleville. My first day's route would be from Columbia eastward over Sonora Pass, then north to Coleville. I could decide whether to continue the next day on my planned route or to cut it short by riding west over Ebbetts Pass and CA4, a route I've ridden a few times before and knew could be done comfortably even in extreme heat due to it being mostly downhill on the hot sections.

  On Thursday I awoke at 0330 and was out the door before 0530 to make the drive east to Columbia, a trip that takes about three hours from home. I was ready to ride before 0900, and the air temperature was already warming noticeably. My on-bike thermometer read 26C, and that's pretty much where it stayed all day on the climb to Sonora Pass, varying only a couple degrees either way.

  My route took me east out of Columbia on Big Hill Road, the first big climb of the day up the shoulder of Yankee Hill and through the various communities and subdivisions of Twain Harte. Many of the homes appeared to be unoccupied vacation homes, and traffic was light on Big Hill, Longeway, and Middle Camp Roads. In the town of Sugarpine I connected to CA108 and remained on the state highway the rest of the way over the Sierra Crest.

  Traffic on CA108 was light in both directions on this weekday, and I continued east on the smooth asphalt at 20 mph, stopping only for the call of nature a few times. East of Strawberry traffic became infrequent, and I enjoyed the next 20 miles mostly in quiet solitude.

  When I reached the water faucet at the shuttered Dardanelle forest service ranger station, I was ready for a short break while I refilled my bladder and bottles. I topped off my water as I knew I would be drinking often as I climbed up the west side of Sonora Pass.

  On the steep part of the climb to the pass traffic seemed heavier, although no less courteous. This time I managed to ride without stopping all the way to the pass. Only on the golden staircase near the "elevation 9000 ft" sign did the motor temperature venture briefly into the overheat zone, causing the controller to reduce power about 10%. Although I used maximum power on the steep bits, I dialed it back on the less step sections, giving the motor a chance to cool off before tackling the next steep section.

  Half-way up the west side climb a few downhill skateboarders passed me, no doubt enjoying the smooth asphalt that had been laid down last fall.

  At the pass as I tried to take a selfie in front of the sign without getting out of the bike, a tourist offered to snap my photo. Before I could remember that I should not share items, I had already handed my camera to the gentleman. Oh well, at least I have the photo.

  After snapping a selfie in view of the westbound sign, I started down the east side. At one of the bridges over Sardine Creek, traffic came to a halt at a one-way control due to road construction. As I waited the flagman pointed at me and beckoned. Maybe he'd let me pass through now, I hoped. I rode down to the front of the queue.

  "We're going to have to transport you in the truck," he looked at me sharply, pulling up his mask as I drew near.

  "Why can't I just follow the cars?", I asked trying to hide any hint of whining. I didn't want to interrupt my ride nor have grubby workmen's hands all over my bike.

  "We can wait until my foreman gets here to ask him, but we're not allowed to let bicycles through the construction zone."

  "Is the surface grooved, graveled, or oiled? Is there some special hazard?", I pressed further.

  "It's our contract with Caltrans. We can't let you ride through," he replied.

  A few minutes later the foreman driving the pilot truck arrived. The first thing he said when he jumped out of his truck was, "We'll have to load you in the back of the truck to take you through. We've got equipment all over the road down there, and our contract won't allow a bicyclist to ride through. It's either the truck, or you'll have to turn around." he added with an air that suggested he was not willing to entertain other options.

  I couldn't imagine what hazard could exist in the construction zone that would allow passage of a car but not a bike. The bike was a narrower vehicle, so should be able to pass around any extra-wide equipment. The only explanation I could infer was that some bureaucrat somewhere, probably someone who doesn't ride a bicycle at Caltrans or the construction company's insurance carrier, had deemed it dangerous for a bicyclist to pass through, even in a guided queue of cars. My observation of the road surface in the zone and construction activity only confirmed my suspicion.

  Turning around was not really an option at this point as I would not have enough battery capacity to climb back up the east side of Sonora Pass and ride the 70 miles back to Columbia without stopping and partially recharging somewhere, and that would make the day too long. Besides that, I would forfeit my $100 room reservation and miss my second day.

  "My bike is quite heavy and awkward," I warned in vain.

  "Here. The three of us can lift it onto the truck," the foreman offered.

  I rode around to the rear of the pilot car, got out of the bike, and before I could warn them about not lifting the bike from the fairing, the foreman and the flagman had their hands all over the frame and other sturdy support members of the bike and hoisted it into the truck bed. I guided the front wheel, but spared myself the heavy lifting. With a bit of maneuvering my bike managed to fit perfectly along the diagonal of the truck's bed, allowing the truck's tailgate to close and lock behind it. That gave me some reassurance that my bike wouldn't slip out onto the road.

  I grabbed my camera and took a couple photos. Meanwhile one of the drivers in the queue, likely one near the front who had observed our fussing with my bike, started honking.

  "Hey! If you don't want to wait, turn around and go home!", yelled the foreman in the general direction of the honk. He was in no mood to be crossed.

  "Go ahead and get into the passenger side," he pointed to his truck. I did as I was told.

  He got in and started to turn his truck around to guide the eastbound traffic through the construction zone. I adjusted my mask as a subtle way of suggesting he should wear his, but he was too busy talking to notice. At least the truck's windows were wide open.

  "We're widening the road two feet. That'll give more room for bicycles. We also widened parts of 395 over the last year."

  I told him I appreciated the extra width but that there were still some narrow parts that were not pleasant to ride. I added that I appreciated the new asphalt on the west side of the pass after he mentioned he had worked on that project last year.

  He asked me where I was headed, and other than my answers he talked either non-stop to me or into his radio to warn his workers to move their equipment out of the downhill lane to allow us to pass. He complained that traffic over Sonora Pass was heavier than usual since travelers could not drive through Yosemite on CA120 without holding a Yosemite reservation.

  At the bottom of a sharp S-bend in the road near Leavitt Creek, not more than one mile down the hill we came to the end of the construction zone where a shorter queue of westbound cars had accumulated. We quickly got my bike off the truck, and it took me only a moment to check that I hadn't lost anything and to be ready to continue riding. The only thing out of adjustment was that one of the support hooks for right-side under-seat pack had come off the rack. This can be seen in one of the photos. It was trivially easy to place the hook back on the rack.

  After the long queue of eastbound cars had been exhausted I followed them downhill, enjoying the road to myself all the way to the USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center. Even then only a few cars passed me.

  I turned left onto US395 and enjoyed a nice wide shoulder for some distance. Unfortunately, the wide shoulder did not continue all the way through the canyon. Perhaps the shoulder-widening project is a long-term goal.

  I set my cruising speed to 25mph to get through the canyon quickly. Most traffic passed when they could leave ample space, but a few campers/trailers passed a little too closely for comfort.

  On some of the narrow sections I took it as a challenge to see if I could ride the narrow, 1-2 foot wide strip of shoulder to the right of the rumble strip when I could see that it was free of debris. Since there was a nice tailwind but no gusting cross-winds I did not find this difficult, although doing so encouraged more close passing by other motorists.

  Before long I emerged into Antelope Valley and the town of Walker. I stopped at the General Store to buy a few pieces of fruit for breakfast, then rode over to Walker Burger to enjoy an early dinner of a garden burger, fries, and a 32-oz. root beer on their outdoor patio dining area, tables appropriately spaced. It was not the sort of meal I would prepare for myself at home, but, after a warm day on the bike the salty, deep-fried food and soft drink hit the spot. Temperature was a toasty 31C. Walker Burger was popular at 1530 when I arrived. But, by the time I left the early dinner/late lunch rush had abated.

  After my meal I continued northbound on US395 until I reached The Meadowcliff Lodge nestled beneath the imposing Centennial Bluff. The resort's office was already busy helping two other customers, but after a few minutes I got the key to my room, a bag containing the toiletries that are normally left in the room for guests (new COVID-19 requirements), and an explanation of special rules and restrictions due to the pandemic. The woman behind the counter told me that business had been booming during the summer.

  I was happy to arrive at a resting spot as the day's heat was starting to get to me. After getting my bike into the room, I cranked up the A/C, "yard-saled" my packs, took a shower, and settled down to relax until the sun set with the intention of getting to sleep shortly thereafter so I could start early the next morning to try to be done with my ride before tomorrow's heat advisory took effect.

  ---

2019

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	133.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	13010 feet
  Total Time:	8:08:50
  Riding Time:	7:17:53
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	21.5 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2372 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1171 wh
  Wh/mi:	8.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	44.9
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	22.8
  Peak Forward Current:	22.5 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	19.1 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	81.0 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	41.9 C

  Lee Vining to Tuolumne, October 23, 2019 - My plan for a multi-day bike tour had been to ride for three days, making a triangle with points at Tuolumne, Lee Vining, and Coleville. But, the freewheel problem, fatigue after pedaling too hard on the first day, as well as forecast high winds on the last day of a three-day tour along with a PSPS along my return route had me reconsidering.

  Although I was confident I could arrive at my planned destination on each day even if I didn't contribute a pedal stroke, I didn't want to test the theory. Air pedaling the bike is tedious and can lead to pulled tendons in the groin area if one is not making a conscious effort to pedal smoothly, and I didn't have enough clothing to stay warm at the cooler moments if I couldn't generate my own heat by pedaling the bike. That assumes the freewheel fails by never engaging.

  If the freewheel were to fail by jamming from internal debris while I'm in motion, the chain could get drawn up into the wheel causing a crash or a secondary failure on the bike. I really didn't want to inconvenience friends and family with a rescue should my bike fail completely, nor did I want to be delayed should that occur. The longer I rode the more likely the freewheel could further misbehave.

  Lastly, my Yosemite pass was expiring at the end of the month, and I wanted to get my money's worth, having used it now four times, soon to be the fifth.

  So, I decided to return to Tuolumne via Yosemite on the second day. If my freewheel's misbehavior grew no worse on the second day I'd take the route past Cherry Lake that I had attempted in 2017 when Cottonwood Road was closed due to a washout the prior winter. At least some of the route through Cherry Valley would cover new ground, and the quiet ride through the national forest was always quiet and beautiful if isolated.

  As difficult as the route is when ridden west to east, it is comparatively relaxing when ridden east to west. The major climb of the day up the east side of Tioga Pass is out of the way early. Anyone wishing to ride over Tioga Pass and not sure of their ability would be advised to arrange to ride west on their first attempt.

  Under a bright and clear sky I departed Murphey's Motel at 0830. I turned right on Utility Road, passing a few small groves of flaming aspens before turning right again onto CA120.

  The first few miles toward Tioga Pass are relatively flat, offering a dramatic view of the Dana Plateau. Then after making a gradual right bend the road tilts up, and one sees most of the rest of the climb ahead on the wall of Lee Vining Canyon.

  I dialed in 1000 watts (maximum power) for the climb, discovered my freewheel was still engaging, and pedaled hard on 80% fresh legs.

  About halfway up the climb I encountered the only cyclist I would see riding his bike on the road. (I saw many presumed cyclists transporting bikes in/on their cars.) This guy was fully-loaded and had just resuming his climb after taking on water from a roadside spring just below the rockslide area. I thought of stopping to chat or say "Hi.", but I had too much momentum. So, I settled for snapping a couple of photos.

  The queue at the Tioga Pass Yosemite entrance station was short, and soon I found myself starting the long gradual descent to the west. I donned my longs but not my shell. The air temperature was again a chilly 11C, but the sun felt warm. When pedaling against the regen brake, I stayed just warm enough to keep me from reaching for my shell.

  Near Dana Meadow I saw a coyote cross the road in front of me. Unfortunately, it had disappeared before I could prepare my camera. Not much further down the road a ground squirrel started to cross in front of me by a few feet. It darted back off the road just before I would have run over it.

  I continued past Tuolumne Meadows, through the cold dip at Cathedral Creek, and then down to Tenaya Lake where tourists were already staking out spots on the beaches. Along the rest of the way to the Big Oak Flat exit station I stopped only to heed the call of nature.

  At the exit station I spent some time off the bike eating a sandwich, refilling my water bladder, and emptying my other bladder.

  Upon resuming my ride I continued out of Yosemite and down CA120 to Cherry Lake Road where I turned right, then stopped. I had noted the Summit Ranger Station phone number before I left home so that I could inquire about road conditions out to Cherry Lake and from there into to Tuolumne. I was about to make that phone call when a road crew truck pulled up to the nearby stop sign.

  I asked the driver if he knew whether the road was open to Cherry Lake and on to Tuolumne, but I did not get the impression that the driver or any of the other workers in the truck understood me. None spoke English. I think they thought I was asking for a recommendation, not making an inquiry about a road closure. But, I could not be sure that they misunderstood my question.

  When they heard I was heading for Tuolumne, they pointed back to CA120 and nodded.

  At this point I wished I had just started up Cherry Lake Road without stopping to make inquiries. I doubted that the road was closed. There was no sign warning of a closure. But, I also recalled my ride in 2017 when I rode all 37km out to Cherry Lake before encountering a road sign warning of the closure on Cottonwood Road, forcing me to return to CA120.

  After they drove off I called the forest service number and spoke to Sally, who thought the roads were all open, but could not be certain. She asked for my number and told me she'd call me back with a definite answer after checking with the county and the Groveland ranger station.

  So, I waited in the shade, watching the minutes tick by. I doubted I'd hear back from Sally before too much time had elapsed. But, I decided I'd give her until 1330 to call me back, then I'd make a decision. I was about to get ready to return via Wards Ferry Road at 1329 when my phone rang.

  Sally had done her research and confirmed for me that the roads were all open. Only next week would there be construction near Buchanan Mine Road that might close Cottonwood Road for an interval. Kudos to Sally for getting back to me promptly.

  With that I started up Cherry Lake Road, climbing first into the Gravel Range. At the rim of the Tuolumne River Gorge the road traverses around a low hill before arriving at its junction with Mather Road. I had taken Mather Road last year when I was riding a similar route eastbound. I turned left, staying on Cherry Lake Road that continued steeply down into the Canyon.

  There was a one-way control near the bottom of the descent, but I could see no construction activity upon the road itself.

  After crossing the Tuolumne River at the bottom I continued up the other side of the canyon, then steeply above Cherry Creek, crossing Cherry Creek, then up the Granite Creek drainage, all of which were in the burn zone for the Rim Fire of 2013.

  The climb continued for several miles, and I watched the mile numbers painted on the road tick off. The asphalt had been newly resurfaced, making for a pleasant climb in the warm sun and still air.

  Somewhere after leaving the Rim Fire burn zone the road leveled off as it contoured through the forest above Cherry Creek, finally arriving at its junction with Cottonwood Road.

  I didn't ride the short distance downhill to the right to see the Cherry Lake dam as I had done that in 2017, so I turned left and started up Cottonwood Road, covering some new ground. I had planned to stop at Cherry Valley Campground to check out the availability of water that I had read about elsewhere, but when I got to the turn-off, the road had been gated and the campground closed. I continued on, climbing for some time, then continuing on rolling terrain past Crane Creek before emerging again into the Rim Fire burn zone near Jawbone Creek.

  In some ways I enjoyed more the road where it passed through the burn zone. The air was just a little too cold for shorts and short sleeves in the forest, but the warm sun in the open burn zone compensated, making for comfortable riding. Also, the views were better.

  I continued past Skunk, Bear, and Reed Creeks before leaving the burn zone for the last time near the Clavey River. Following the bridge over the Clavey River, the road climbs steeply and for longer than expected alongside Cottonwood Creek. It always seemed that the top of the climb was just ahead as I could see no higher terrain against the sky, yet the road found a way to keep climbing.

  Eventually I reached the top of the last long climb on the shoulder of Duckwall Mountain. I stopped to tighten my fairing bolts that had started to loosen and rattle, then began the long descent into The Basin and down alongside Basin Creek.

  In several spots near Basin Creek aspens and other similar-colored vines were in full color. On the descent a red-tailed hawk glided above me for a while, long enough to give me the impression that it was checking me out.

  The climb out of the North Fork Tuolumne River gorge on Buchanan Road was short, and to pull my battery state of charge below 50%, I decided to ride this final climb without pedaling even though my freewheel was still engaging.

  Although riding west was the easier direction, the day's temperature varied more, starting at 11C, dipping briefly below 10C, then climbing to a high of 30C. While I used most of a 93% charge riding east, I used about half of a 100% charge riding west over a longer course with less pedaling effort overall.

  Soon I was in Tuolumne, and about five minutes later I was back at the Black Oak Hotel.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	109.8 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	13630 feet
  Total Time:	7:44:36
  Riding Time:	7:07:21
  Avg. Speed (moving):	15.4 mph
  Max. Speed:	27.5 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2245 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1625 wh
  Wh/mi:	14.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	44.2
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	12.2
  Peak Forward Current:	26.7 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	18.8 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	71.2 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	39.2 C

  Tuolumne to Lee Vining, October 22, 2019 - I tried three times to organize a fall Sierras bike tour. The first try was canceled a couple weeks ago when the weather forecast turned cold and likely wet and/or snowy. The second try last week was postponed when SCE planned a PSPS for my overnight city due to windy conditions. Since I must charge the battery overnight to get home, I couldn't plan to stay somewhere the power might be shut off during the night, never mind the minor discomforts associated with visiting a city without electric power.

  Like last year I planned to climb to Tioga Pass from the west, and that requires a full day, even on an e-bike. So instead of rising early and driving out to Toulumne in the dark, I stayed the night before at the very nice hotel at the Black Oak Casino Resort and enjoyed a tasty but overpriced dinner and breakfast the next morning in the Black Oak Cafe. If they don't get you at the slots or the tables, they get you at the restaurants. Unfortunately, there was no dinner buffet on Monday evening, so I had to order off the menu.

  The casino claims to be smoke-free, but it still smelled of smoke, sometimes not so faintly. Although I saw no one smoking, I did occasionally see people puffing outside near the entrances. Fortunately, the adjoining Cafe was relatively free of tobacco smoke odor.

  I awoke a half-hour later than I did last year since my planned route was the shortest approach via Wards Ferry Road. After getting breakfast and packing my overnight gear in the extra space available in my bike's battery bags, I managed to be on the road before 0800. The temperature was a crisp 10C, and since I had to start with some downhill, I dressed warmly.

  Starting a long ride with a significant downhill is problematic on an e-bike designed to do most of its (regenerative) braking using the motor. Starting with a full-charge in the battery won't leave any capacity to absorb energy from the descent. But, with the large amount of climbing on the route I needed most of the battery's capacity to get to Tioga Pass from wherever I start.

  Even a "95%" charge to 4.10 volts/cell would not leave enough free capacity in the battery for a 600 meter descent. I decided to compromise and charge to 4.06 volts/cell or about 92%. It turns out that this was low enough that in conjunction with energy used on a few short climbs along the way, I could use regenerative braking all the way to the Wards Ferry bridge over the Tuolumne River. Near the bottom of the descent I had to slow to 16 kph to keep the current sufficiently low so as not to push the battery voltage above its limit.

  The problem was that by the time I got to the bridge, I had only gained 0.50 Ah more than I started with, even with the 600m descent. That left me with something around a 93% charge to get me to Tioga Pass.

  Would it be enough? I had hoped that unlike last year when I discovered I had mis-wired the batteries and effectively reduced their overall capacity, I could enjoy the climb without working too hard to avoid running short of battery energy before I got to the pass.

  As I climbed through Yosemite I saw my energy gauge dip ominously near Porcupine Flat. I knew the gauge can be conservative in the 25% SoC region, but it still prompted me to use less power, dialing back to about 400 watts, and to pedal harder for the remainder of the climbs. That left me more fatigued that evening.

  Fortunately, I did arrive at Tioga Pass without running the battery flat. I was relieved I didn't have to haul the loaded bike under human power only up the last climb to the pass, where I would be most tired and the altitude highest. I was left with a reinforced impression that the west side approach really is a long tough slog on a bike, E- or otherwise.

  My route, the easiest approach to Tioga Pass from Tuolumne, took me south through the town of Tuolumne and down into the deep gorge of the Tuolumne River Canyon where a narrow finger of Don Pedro Reservoir extends to meet the wild river some distance upstream from the graffiti-covered Wards Ferry bridge. Wards Ferry Road is one-lane on both the north and south walls of the gorge. I encountered only a few cars and one fallen tree that had nearly blocked the road on the south wall of Deer Creek canyon. A prescribed burn was being conducted a short distance upstream in the Deer Creek area.

  Near the top of the climb I turned left onto Deer Flat Road, then found myself shortly in Groveland. From here I remained on CA120 until a mile from Lee Vining.

  Traffic on CA120 was light in the morning but became busier later in the day when I was on narrow Tioga Road through Yosemite. All but one incompetent driver, who was concerned only with not being discomforted by crossing the centerline rumble strip, passed with enough space.

  Although motor traffic was with that one exception polite, I found the frequent passing platoons tiresome. I had hoped that riding mid-week would avoid crowds. But, I should not have been surprised that like me, others would want to be out enjoying excellent fall weather in the mountains.

  Winds were still to slight and the air temperature warmed to about 20C and remained within a couple degrees of that all day as I climbed through Yosemite. On the east side descent of Tioga Pass I donned my windbreaker but did not feel compelled to pedal against the regen brake to stay warm as I had last year.

  Most of the facilities along Tioga Road were closed, and overnight parking along Tioga Road had been forbidden since October 15. But the scenery remains open year-round, and this year as ever it did not disappoint.

  In the end the bike's power system worked flawlessly the entire day and did not let me down. The same could not be said for the human-powered side of the drivetrain.

  After I crossed into Yosemite I discovered that my freewheel was starting to skip, sometimes missing engagement entirely when pedaling forward. I noted that this occurred after I had stopped and let the bike roll backwards, then tried to pedal forward. If I rolled the bike forward first, then the freewheel would usually but not always engage.

  I certainly needed a working human-powered drivetrain to complete the ride east as the battery was insufficient on its own to get me all the way up the west side of Tioga Pass. Starting with a fully-charged battery I figured I could return westbound on battery alone, if necessary, including the eastside climb of Tioga Pass. Since I had already paid for my hotel room in Lee Vining and since the freewheel problem was intermittent, I made the call to continue to Lee Vining in spite of this. If I had been using a mid-drive or crank-drive on my bike, where both motor and human power pass through the rear freewheel, I would have had to cancel the rest of my trip and return immediately. Score one for hub motor drives.

  I arrived at Murphey's Motel at 1530, earlier than I had expected. I had time to check into my single-occupancy room where there was just enough free space for me to wheel in my bike, take a hot shower, then walk up the street for a hearty dinner at the Epic Cafe.

  On my way back to my room after dinner I ran into a couple who were cyclists and had seen me ride in earlier. They were heading out for dinner at the Epic Cafe. I warned them that the place was busy and that they might have to wait for a table. The sun had just set behind the Sierra Crest a few hours ago, and the air temperature had dropped into the zone where eating outdoors would have been uncomfortable.

  That evening I had trouble relaxing, a symptom of having worked out too hard during the day. At about 2030 I took a 5mg melatonin tablet, and I was asleep before 2100, sleeping solidly until 0300 the next morning, whereupon I dozed on and off until 0630. I call that a decent sleep on the first night away from home.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	156.5 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	16230 feet
  Total Time:	10:47:21
  Riding Time:	8:59:56
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.3 mph
  Max. Speed:	21.5 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2819 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1581 wh
  Wh/mi:	10.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	53.6
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	23.4
  Peak Forward Current:	21.2 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	20.2 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	81.6 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	46.4 C

  Lee Vining to Columbia, July 16, 2019 - Day Two of this year's trans-Sierra tour had me up around 0530. I got about 4 hours of good sleep and 3 hours of lousy sleep. I thought of trying for another hour of sleep but just doing the calculations in my head woke me up too much to feel I could capture anything approaching a quality sleep at that point. Besides that, today was to be long, and I saw no point in delaying its start.

  After getting up I set to heating my breakfast that I had taken the trouble to pack with me and carry from Columbia the day before. At least my pack wouldn't be stuffed as tightly on the second day.

  I was carrying four batteries on this trip, two 7s9p and two 7s12p. In each battery pannier I carried one of each size to balance the load, but when wired up I had to run the two smaller batteries in series with each other and the two larger in series with each other, then wire each of those series strings in parallel to the controller for an effective 14s21p battery, or about 2800 Wh altogether.

  I charged the system overnight as it had been wired for discharging. This meant I wouldn't get the utmost energy into the batteries as one of the batteries in series would hit top of charge before the other, leaving the other battery slightly below maximum. This was OK as I expected to have more than enough to get me back to Columbia. Although the route was longer than yesterday, the course had about 4000 feet more downhill.

  The sun had been up for almost two hours by the time I got back on the road. Because of my short sleep I stopped at the local market to buy a Mountain Dew that I might need later in the day if I got sleepy. While stopped in front of the market with the sun beating down on me I decided to remove my longs as I was already feeling hot, even though my on-bike thermometer read only 15C.

  Two years ago I had ridden a similar route starting in smoky air due to the Detwiler Fire that was burning in the Mariposa area. As I climbed toward Tioga Pass I rose above the smoke to see beautiful clear skies. This morning I enjoyed bright clear air from the very bottom of the climb. Traffic was light, and although the road was narrow at some spots on the climb, passing vehicles gave me ample clearance. Water flowed in nearly all streams and rivulets near the road, and much snow covered the ground above about 9000 feet. On fresh legs, fully-charged batteries, and power dialed up to 1000 watts on the main climb up Lee Vining Canyon, it was an enjoyable start for the day.

  It did not appear that much work had been done at the Tioga Pass Resort since my last visit to the area last October, and the main building was still closed and under renovation. But, a work crew appeared to be arriving as I passed by.

  Soon I was at Tioga Pass. I stopped in the median to take the obligatory photo before slipping into the queue before the entrance kiosk. Although the air was cold and still, the sun was bright and warm. After passing into Yosemite I pulled off the road to put on my longs. I almost felt too warm, but I knew that I had more descending than climbing for the next few hours, and I also expected to ride through some cold pockets of air. As I started the descent past the green Dana Meadow and entered the forest below, I was glad I had put on more clothing.

  Riding Tioga Road from east to west is almost too relaxing. The scenery is magnificent, mid-week traffic in the early morning is sparse, and the air is still and clear.

  As I descended past the Mono Pass trailhead I observed my coldest temperature of the trip at 10C. I was glad I had donned my longs. I continued through Tuolumne Meadows, enjoying the greenery that I usually don't see in September when I take my annual hiking trip to the area. Water stood in the meadow in several places, yet I saw few people out enjoying this scenery. Perhaps the mosquitos were too aggressive.

  The only thing I didn't enjoy were the several stops I had to make for one-way controls due to road construction. Most of these controls were at around 8000-8500 feet elevation, the heart of the mosquito zone for this time of year. With the still air the mosquitos found me after only a few minutes being stopped. I hadn't brought any repellent as I didn't expect to spend much time stopped as I passed through the mosquito zone. I could see that the road crews directing traffic were also busy slapping themselves and brushing off the little vampires.

  I hit my first one-way control just before Tenaya Lake, and it was here that I was kept busy slapping mosquitos. Another reason to wear more clothing was that it made the little demons work harder to find a good spot to strike. It was a good reminder why I prefer to take my annual hiking trip in the fall.

  Once traffic was allowed to pass, I continued past Tenaya Lake. The nice thing about the one-way controls is that it kept motor traffic moving in dense platoons. Once a platoon passed I'd have 10-15 minutes of the road to myself.

  As I made the descent to Crane Flat I could see at one point the distant coast range across the Central Valley. Although I have seen the Sierras from high points on the Coast Range, I had never seen the opposite view, and never during the peak of summer. The haze, smoke, and smog have always been too thick. This year the air has been especially clear, and I was glad there were no significant wildfires fouling the air.

  I continued past Crane Flat and descended to the Hodgdon Meadow entrance station where I stopped to eat a sandwich, top off my water supply, and clean a bit of front hub grease that had been expelled onto the spokes past the seals. My front hub has a grease injection port, and I had just injected new grease before my trip. I find it usually takes three to four trips to expel all of the excess grease in these hubs before they stop "bleeding" at the seals.

  Shortly after leaving Yosemite I turned right on Evergreen Road and started my trip out to Hetch Hetchy. Evergreen Road was the roughest of the roads I would ride today. One might think there should not be much traffic on this road given its condition, but several cars, a tour bus, and a panel truck passed me between CA120 and Evergreen Lodge.

  The Lodge itself, spared from the Rim Fire in an island of greenery surrounded by burnt but recovering desolation, was a bustling hub of activity. A short distance beyond the Lodge Camp Mather was busy during its high season. The place seemed to be popular with families with small children. A few folks were tooling about on bikes.

  I turned right onto Hetch Hetchy Road and began the out-and-back portion of my trip to see the valley and its water works. Hetch Hetchy Road is a narrow two-lane road made from older but smooth asphalt built on gentle grades and with comfortable bank angles. Traffic is light enough that a bicyclist can feel he has the road to himself most of the time.

  At first the road climbs gently past the Hetch Hetchy entrance station nestled in a dark oasis of fir trees and ferns. Past the entrance station the road continues to climb for a short distance to a high point before descending over a longer distance to O'Shaughnessy Dam. At this point a sweeping view of Poopenaut Valley and the more distant Hetch Hetchy Valley can be seen. Wapama Falls could be seen in the distance dropping at full flow into the reservoir.

  The gradual descent continued for a number of miles while the temperature continued to climb. In places the road had been carved into the granite cliff. The road itself and the associated stonework had clearly been made during the WPA years and were designed to last for many years.

  The loop road at the end of the out-and-back portion passes by a few residences, the Reservoir, O'Shaughnessy Dam, and then a backpacker's campground. I stopped at the Dam to take a number of photos, including a panorama of O'Shaughnessy Dam. If I had had more time I would have walked across the dam to get a better view of the Reservoir and Kolana Rock. The temperature had risen to a toasty 33C.

  After my visit I returned up the road and back to Mather, dialing in 750 watts for the climb, which kept me moving fast enough to enjoy a slight cooling breeze. As I passed through Mather I thought of stopping to top off my water as it would be the last of roadside services until I reached Tuolumne, but I saw that I still had plenty. So I kept moving.

  I continued mostly downhill on Mather Road as it hugged the top of the southern rim of the Tuolumne River Canyon. Traffic was light as expected, but I did see a couple of semi-trucks (!) and a convoy of vans associated with Camp Tawonga located off Mather Road near Cherry Lake Road (Forest Route 1N07).

  At Cherry Lake Road I turned right and headed steeply down into the depths of the Canyon. This was the steepest road on my route today, and I was happy not to be climbing it in the heat, something I had done in 2017 when I discovered belatedly that the way to Tuolumne was closed. The air temperature at the bridge over the Tuolumne River was 35C.

  I continued up the opposite side as the road passed around Joes Point then down again to cross Cherry Creek. Finally the road started to climb in earnest toward Cherry Lake. I continued about half-way up this climb before turning left onto Forest Route 3N01, a two-lane, well-graded road that cuts off several miles that I'd otherwise have to ride all the way out to Cherry Lake before connecting to Cottonwood Road (Forest Route 1N04). I was retracing the opposite of my outbound route from last October.

  Nothing much had changed since my last ride on Forest Route 3N01. This road passes through what appears to be the center of the Rim Fire burn area. Much of the land is desolate, only a few burnt sticks of trees continued to stand. Yet, there were also pockets of trees whose upper branches only were singed or completely unburnt.

  I made good progress on Forest Route 3N01, and I could see that I had intermittent 3G cell service and once or twice, 4G service, good enough to refresh my online map. Soon I arrived at the stop sign with Cottonwood Road (Forest Route 1N04). I turned left and began the trip toward Tuolumne.

  Near Reed Creek Cottonwood Road was closed a couple of years ago due to damage. The road had now been completely repaved through the damage area.

  I descended for some distance, leaving the burn zone and entering the forest. At the bridge over Clavey River where a number of cars were parked and people milling about. Although I did not stop to investigate, I suspect by the way some were dressed that they were enjoying a dip in a nearby swimming hole on the River. It was the largest gathering of people I had seen since Mather.

  From Clavey River the road climbs in an unrelenting fashion for several miles along Cottonwood Creek before topping out to cooler temperatures on the shoulder of Duckwall Mountain before starting its long descent into The Basin, the watershed of Basin Creek, leading eventually to the North Fork Tuolumne River. On this long descent I set my speed to 20 mph and enjoyed a quiet, scenic and relaxing descent through the forest, barely pedaling a stroke the entire time.

  But the fun ends at Old Buchanan Road, the junction that had confused me on last October's trip when traveling in the opposite direction I had turned right at the bridge over the river and soon found myself on a rough dirt road that I did not expect. Today I knew the way home, so I continued straight and up new asphalt to the top of the ridge and into the outskirts of the town of Tuolumne.

  I continued left on Carter Street then right on Tuolumne Road and pressed on toward Sonora. As I drew closer to Sonora I began to miss the isolation of the forest roads. Traffic was heavy: mostly pickups, SUVs, and rude or indifferent drivers. Where drivers in Yosemite and in the National Forest were polite and un-rushed, passing with overly-generous clearance, drivers between Tuolumne and Columbia were destination oriented and lizard-brained, cutting around me closely and impatiently then jamming their brakes when they found that traffic or signals prevented further progress. The temperature had also risen again to 33C.

  I was ready for a break, so I decided to stop at Frank P's favorite sandwich shop in downtown Sonora for an early dinner and an off-bike break in an air-conditioned space. I brought in my warm Mountain Dew and drank it over ice while I enjoyed my spicy and salty sandwich and some baked potato chips, just what my body craved.

  After dinner I returned to the still-busy streets of Sonora, taking the back way on Stewart Street. Rush hour was still in full swing. Unfortunately, some impatient motorists also had the same idea to avoid the bottleneck through downtown. I took back roads as much as I could between Sonora and Columbia, yet I had to ride for some distance on CA49 and Parrotts Ferry Road where motorists again swerved impatiently and closely around me without losing a second of their precious time. Although I wasn't honked at or a recipient of rude gestures, I can't remember the last time I had encountered so many impatient drivers. One might conclude that people who get around by bike in Sonora are those deserving of disrespect.

  When I noticed that a good number of them were turning right on Sawmill Flat Road that leads past Columbia Community College, the direction I had intended to take, I continued straight on Parrotts Ferry Road, the only time I deviated from my planned route for the day. It was with some relief that I turned right onto Yankee Hill Road, yet even on this quiet road I was followed by a motorist until I turned right into Marble Quarry RV Park, where my van awaited me.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	125.5 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	14260 feet
  Total Time:	8:19:14
  Riding Time:	7:19:15
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.1 mph
  Max. Speed:	27.2 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2709 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	2096 wh
  Wh/mi:	16.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	52.2
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	11.9
  Peak Forward Current:	22.0 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	27.4 Amps
  Peak Motor Temperature:	114.3 C
  Average Motor Temperature:	49.9 C

  Columbia to Lee Vining, July 15, 2019 - The window for good weather in the Sierras was open last week when I had planned to start this two-day tour, but an inopportune sinus infection got in the way. Fortunately, the good weather held into the subsequent week, and I was feeling well enough to go then.

  I did this tour on the cheap by sleeping in my own bed at home Sunday night, then awakening early to drive up the morning of my first day's ride. This year I parked the car at the Marble Quarry RV Park ($5/night overnight parking) as I've done on several prior occasions. I called ahead to check that they had space and were willing to let me park there overnight. If I had had company or were I riding late in the season I would have headed up to the Sonora area the day before so that an earlier start could be made. But traveling solo during the long days of summer I was comfortable completing the route before sunset if I started as late as 1000.

  I arrived at Marble Quarry RV Park at quarter to eight and managed to be packed and ready to go by quarter after. I had managed to stuff everything I needed for my overnight into one pannier, with a few things tucked into extra space inside the battery panniers. But, in hindsight I would have rather carried two half-full panniers than one overstuffed pannier. The zipper on the latter will not last as long with overstuffing.

  I started by heading up Yankee Hill Road, then climbing Big Hill Road, the first major climb of the day. Big Hill Road connects Columbia to the Twain Harte area, climbing from the lower elevation foothills to the mid-level hills of mixed oak and conifer. The climb is exposed and is best ridden up before the sun has had too much time to bake the road.

  After turning onto Longway, then continuing on Middle Camp I rode on sometimes rough asphalt and occasional steep upgrades through rural subdivisions of what are most likely vacation homes, eventually emerging onto CA108 in Sugarpine. From Sugarpine I remained on CA108 as I crossed the Sierras.

  Traffic on CA108 was moderate through Mi-Wuk Village, Long Barn, Cold Springs, and Pinecrest. A number of loaded logging trucks passed opposite, salvaging timber in the area burned by the Donnell Fire last summer.

  I stopped at the USFS Summit Ranger Station at Pinecrest Lake Road, but not before overshooting it some distance before I figured I could stop and top off my water and ask about road conditions on the next day's route while making only one stop. I had originally planned to stop at the Strawberry Store for water as I could not be sure the water spigot at the Dardanelle Ranger Station was functioning. It was turned off last October.

  One might have thought the entire ranger staff for the Stanislaus National Forest was inside behind the counter—I counted seven uniformed rangers. After being reassured that my planned route was open, I thanked them and resumed my ride.

  CA108 between Strawberry and Kennedy Meadow spends most of its time near 6000 feet elevation, with only short gradual climbs or descents. The road surface is only a few years old, although already it is showing some rippling due to too much heavy truck traffic. When I rode it in the opposite direction in 2016 the new asphalt was mirror smooth. Major fire suppression efforts tend to chew up roads faster. In spite of that I still found this section of the ride very relaxing. Traffic was light. I would have a small platoon of motorists pass, then I'd have the road to myself for 5-10 minutes before the next group of autos came by, each of them passing with generous clearance. I almost found myself napping on the bike.

  After Donnell Vista the highway descends to the Middle Fork Stanislaus River where it splits, the Clark Fork heading northeast and the Middle Fork continuing east and slightly south toward Sonora Pass.

  The nice gradual descent ends at Clark Fork Road. CA108 now rolls up Eureka Valley past Dardanelle as far as Kennedy Meadow. The Dardanelles Resort appears to be open for business using temporary buildings, and the water spigot at the ranger station now has flowing water. Dardanelles is a good place to top off water and/or buy a snack in preparation for climbing the Pass itself and to see one through to Bridgeport as between the two there are no services.

  Since I had topped off water in Pinecrest I pressed on and up the west side of Sonora Pass. The going was slow, and I had to pedal with maximal effort to keep the bike moving. But, I made it without stopping other than a brief nature break and a one-way control for road work near Chipmunk Flat. The motor began to overheat near the top of the "Golden Staircase" section of the climb just above the 9000 foot elevation marker. But, it merely rolled back power to about 750 watts to keep the temperature from increasing, and I did not have to stop until I arrived at the Pass.

  At Sonora Pass I spoke at some length with a scruffy PCT hiker who was attempting to thumb a ride down to Kennedy Meadow to take a one-day break from the Trail. He had started 100 miles north of the Mexican border and was not planning to hike the entire trail this season, stopping somewhere in Oregon or skipping Oregon to finish the hike in Washington State where he had heard the trail is more scenic. He reported that mosquitos in Yosemite were pretty aggressive. I hadn't noticed any mosquitos on my ride thus far. But I had kept moving most of the time, and at the pass a steady breeze was blowing, keeping them at bay.

  After taking a couple photos I started down the east side, glad that I had a robust regenerative brake to hold me to 20 mph while recovering about 4.5 Ah by the time I got to Sonora Junction at US395.

  At Sonora Junction another one-way control was holding traffic for construction on US395. After I passed through the control I had the highway (southbound) to myself almost as far as Devils Gate.

  This section of US395 has only two lanes and only a narrow shoulder, rather bike un-friendly. So, I was happy to have the lane to myself. When the platoon of autos from the next batch overtook me some drivers were probably in a bad mood having had to wait. A couple passed me closely, and one spitefully sat on the horn as he drove by even though he had plenty of space to pass and was not slowed a bit by my presence. Fortunately, my earplugs dull the effect of this abuse. The truckers were all courteous, passing with as much space as they could spare. And when they couldn't pass in the opposite lane, they slowed down significantly while passing.

  From Devil's Gate Summit into Bridgeport US395 has a decent shoulder. During the quiet moments I enjoyed the ride almost as much as I had on the quiet portions of CA108 earlier in the day. I had also been enjoying a light tailwind most of the time since I crossed Sonora Pass

  Bridgeport Valley was green and wet. The temperature was a warm 30C, but I did not feel hot as long as I kept moving. South of Bridgeport the shoulder disappeared for some distance in the valley until the highway started up alongside Virginia Creek where a decent shoulder reappeared. Winds were now from the west, but they did not slow me down too much.

  After crossing over Conway Summit and descending toward Lee Vining, I was treated to the sweeping view of Mono Lake and the entire Mono Basin ahead. Winds were still light but constantly blowing from the west. The windsock warning truckers of strong side winds was unfurled weakly. Traffic was light and courteous all the way into Lee Vining. On the short section of two-lane road without shoulder nearest Mono Lake I managed to ride through without being overtaken.

  Except for the short steep pitches early in the day and climbing over Sonora Pass I pedaled without working too hard, letting the motor do much of the work while getting enough but not too much exercise. I needed to save my legs for the next day. I dialed in 750 watts or less on most of the climbs except for Sonora Pass where I dialed the maximum 1000 watts.

  Murpheys Motel have raised their prices since last year. I decided to try their single-occupancy room with a full-size bed for $85 instead of my usual double-occupancy large Queen bedroom for $130 that easily accommodates me and my bike. Although the bed was a bit small for me, I found this single-occupancy room to be just large enough to accommodate my bike while allowing me to move about the room in a cramped fashion. I was fortunate that no one had parked their car parallel to my door when I had to enter or exit the room with my bike. If someone had parked in front of my door I would have had to remove all bags and tilt the bike up on its rear wheel to get it inside.

  For dinner I went up the street to Epic Cafe and enjoyed a hearty ginger rice and tofu stir-fry, salad, and peach and blueberry pie topped with homemade whipped cream, a fitting end to a full day.

  ---

2018

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	117.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8950 feet
  Total Time:	6:56:52
  Riding Time:	6:17:45
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	37.6 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1861 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1065 wh
  Wh/mi:	9.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	55.4
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	14.8
  Peak Forward Current:	20.8 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	21.1 Amps

  Lee Vining to Tuolumne, October 13, 2018 - I slept in later the next morning. I knew the temperature was freezing outside, and I was in no hurry to rush out into that cold air to start my day's ride. I had less distance and climbing to complete and was confident I could finish well before sunset even with a mid-morning start.

  I thought of walking up the street to the Epic Cafe again for breakfast, but as I had brought breakfast food with me, I decided to eat in and not go out into the cold air other than to the common room next door with the microwave oven. Eating in would also save time and expense and would save me from carrying breakfast back to Tuolumne on the bike. I did not even consider throwing it out to save a measly few hundred grams.

  The batteries had all charged up normally by morning. This time I wired them correctly, connecting the two large batteries in series, the two small in series, then each of these composite batteries in parallel with the other. I probably had enough battery capacity to ride back over Carson Pass, if necessary.

  As I was ready to push off out of the motel parking lot, I nudged the throttle lightly and got no response. Hmm. I had experienced this in the past for a variety of reasons, usually due to a high starting voltage tripping an over-voltage error condition in the controller when spinning up an unloaded wheel. I cycled the controller's power as that clears such errors, but I still got no motor response.

  I then checked the next most frequent error, the motor phase wires having come disconnected. I reached my hand back and with a sense of relief I could feel two of the phase connectors had come disconnected. While rewiring the batteries I must have inadvertently pulled apart two of the motor phase connectors. If one phase wire disconnects the motor will run roughly and with little torque. But, if two or more disconnect, then there is no response from the motor at all.

  I reconnected the wires and all was good. The time was just after 0900, and the air was crystal clear but still cold, about 3-5 C, but the sun was warm. I wore longs but no shell. The only clouds I could see were in the distant south.

  As with the prior day's departure from Tuolumne, today's departure from Lee Vining north on US395 had me descending a few hundred feet to the shore of Mono Lake before starting the climb to Conway Summit. It was on this descent that I saw my maximum speed as my battery was too fully-charged to accept a regenerative charge on the downhill.

  Since I had overexercised yesterday my plan today was to pedal only with enough effort to keep me warm and to let the motor do most of the work. I would save my hard effort for the climb up the east side of Sonora Pass where I knew the motor would need my help. This plan worked well, and I maintained a cruising speed very close to 20 mph for most of the day. I stopped only for nature breaks or the occasional photo opportunity along the way.

  My ride north on US395 passed uneventfully. Traffic was light, and though marred by a rumble strip most of the way, a decently wide shoulder was available for my use. Where the shoulder disappeared or was covered with debris I rode in the right track of the right lane. No motorist took offense at this.

  The descent from Conway Summit into Bridgeport Valley became chilly near Willow Springs as the highway passed into shadow. Bridgeport Valley was cold, even in town. I stopped a couple times to take photos of Sawtooth Ridge hovering in the distance, but I did not stop in the town itself. As I climbed north toward Devil's Gate Summit I was happy to see the road construction I encountered in September had completed, leaving fresh asphalt and a generous shoulder. The temperature also warmed about 10 degrees C by Devil's Gate Summit.

  I continued down to Sonora Junction on an extended section of highway on old asphalt and no rideable shoulder, then turned left and stopped by the road to peel down to short sleeve uppers and ate a sandwich. It was time to eat something before the climb up Sonora Pass. I continued to wear my longs.

  I was pleased to see that the motor did not start to overheat on the first couple of steep climbs up to the pass. But, near the final push to the summit the motor started to overheat, so I stopped for about six minutes at a level spot with a good view of the imposing final climb to let the motor cool to 80C before pressing on. While stopped I watched two Clark's Nutcrackers flying playfully from one tree to another.

  On the final push to the summit the motor did start to overheat, cutting back power to about 500 watts before I arrived at the summit sign. At Sonora Pass one is never in any doubt about reaching the pass as either approach from the west or east is steep and sharp. I rested at the pass for another five minutes to allow the motor to cool before starting down the west side. I planned to make liberal use of regenerative braking on the descent.

  A convenient side effect of having a motor brake for the descent was that I could set the maximum speed to 20 mph then free a hand to snap photos along the way. There was no need for me to use the friction brakes unless I wanted to come to a full stop.

  Precipitation earlier in the week had left more snow on the peaks near Sonora Pass than on those near Tioga Pass. Most of the northern slopes and faces of the ridges and peaks above 10,000 feet had a light covering of snow. Elsewhere aspen trees were in full color, while in a few spots the trees had already dropped many of their leaves.

  Although the motor does not get as hot regenerating as powering, it will get hotter if my speed is too low or the downgrade too steep. Some short steep sections pushed the motor temperature over 100C on the upper part of the descent. Fortunately, the descent leveled off for some distance, allowing the motor to cool before starting the lower part of the descent to Eureka Valley. Only on the lowest part of the descent below the Rock Window did the motor start to overheat. I relaxed the speed brake a little to 22.5 mph, and this slowed the increase in temperature but not until it had maxxed out at 126C. I try to keep the motor temperature under 120C as that is the temperature at which the bearing grease starts to break down. But, I figured I was close to the bottom and would only be pushing the temperature over 120C for a short time.

  When I got down to Eureka Valley I did not stop to let the motor cool as the motor cooled quickly on its own even though I was still gradually descending through the valley.

  Earlier in the summer the Donnell Fire had roared through this valley. Unlike the Rim Fire the Donnell Fire did not leave as much widespread devastation. Some trees had burned, others partially, and some not at all. The fire's destruction had been spotty. The worst affected area appeared to be near Dardanelle's Resort where only the gas pumps could be seen standing. Everything else had been burned to the ground.

  On September's trip through the area I was pleased to see that the ranger's cabin near Dardanelle's was standing, as was the nearby hose bib, a place where I had taken on water when climbing the pass in 2015. I stopped at this hose bib to check and was not surprised to discover that the water had been turned off. Perhaps by next season it will be restored.

  My ride down CA108 past Donnell Vista and Strawberry continued without much to report. The road is mostly smooth asphalt in the forest, traffic passing in occasional platoons once every several minutes, leaving me to enjoy the road in peace and quiet most of the time. Traffic heading opposite was more frequent.

  Once I got past Pinecrest and Cold Springs, traffic heading in my direction became more frequent but never impolite. I was always given at least three feet passing space. As I neared Twain Harte, my left turn onto Tuolumne Road came after the highway widened to four lanes for the second time.

  In 2015 I had ridden up Tuolumne Road, and the road surface was much as it was then: alternating smooth and cracked asphalt with occasional potholes to be avoided. It was not long before I arrived back at the Black Oak Resort where my van was waiting.

  After changing into street clothes and putting my bike and panniers into the van I felt hungry enough that I decided to eat dinner at the Café instead of trying to drive home and then eat dinner after 2030.

  The Café's weekend buffet was $28 with no meatless option available, so I ordered from the menu.

  After dinner I drove home and returned to the crowded roads of the Bay Area.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	125.7 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	17960 feet
  Total Time:	8:58:44
  Riding Time:	8:04:44
  Avg. Speed (moving):	15.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	30.5 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2868 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	2099 wh
  Wh/mi:	16.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	55.4
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	14.8
  Peak Forward Current:	20.8 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	21.1 Amps

  Tuolumne to Lee Vining, October 12, 2018 - In 2017 I attempted to return to Columbia from Lee Vining by way of Cherry Lake and Cottonwood Road, but I was turned back by a closure due to storm damage during the prior winter. This year I made plans to revisit the area. This time I started from the Black Oak Resort, a casino run by the Mi-Wuk Indians in the town of Tuolumne, planning to ride east over Tioga Pass and to return over Sonora Pass.

  Usually I prefer to sleep in my own bed at home then drive out to the Sierra foothills early in the morning, starting my ride around 0900. But, due to the short days in October and the unusually great amount of climbing in the west to east direction of travel on this route, I decided to spend the night before at the Black Oak so that I could get an earlier start and not feel like I'm racing the sun all day. It didn't hurt that the Black Oak Hotel offers a quality lodging experience, probably the best in Tuolumne County, for the price of a modest motel room in the area.

  My quiet hotel room was on the first floor at the end of the hall. Although the room was darker than I like—seems most hotel rooms are too dark—I especially liked the broad console that included a microwave and refrigerator. Obviously, the Black Oak hopes I'll drop some coins into one of their slot machines, sashay over to one of their gaming tables, or eat in one of their restaurants. I obliged them by doing the latter.

  After checking in I made the short walk over to the casino to take dinner in the Black Oak Café. I was able to enjoy a meatless all-you-can-eat buffet for $10, although that option seems to be at the discretion of one's server. The normal weekday buffet price was $15, which was not unreasonable given the selection available. The casino is said to be smoke-free, but I could smell cigarette smoke in a portion of the casino that I had to walk through to get to the restaurant.

  After dinner I retreated to my room to get the battery charge topped off for the big day tomorrow and to get to bed early. Since the hotel, casino, and surrounding grounds are covered by many security cameras I made sure my battery panniers did not have loose wires protruding when I carried them in through the front door, so as not to arouse understandable suspicion.

  The next morning I awoke at 0500 and was checked out and ready to depart by 0715. The Hotel had given me verbal permission to leave my van in their parking lot for an extra day, so I left it parked where I had parked it the evening before. By 0715 the sun had not yet risen over the ridge to the east, although morning twilight was bright enough not to feel like I was starting at night.

  The Black Oak sits at the edge of the Stanislaus National Forest, and as I started out Buchanan Road, in less than a mile from the Black Oak I felt I was deep in the countryside.

  Buchanan Road drops a few hundred feet into a canyon carrying the North Fork Tuolumne River. Since my battery was fully-charged I could not recapture energy from the descent and had to allow my speed to drift higher with occasional use of friction brakes. It was here that I saw my maximum speed of the day.

  At the bottom of this descent an unmarked intersection appeared. (I saw only one road sign along my entire route in the area, and only at one spot along Forest Route 1N04 far from an intersection.) I stopped and checked my online map and decided that a right turn over the bridge crossing the river was correct as the road continuing straight ahead appeared on the map to dead-end a few miles up. The road to the right (labeled on some maps as Buchanan Road) climbed a short distance then turned into rough asphalt and then dirt and gravel. This continued for another quarter mile before I began to think I had made an error. I hadn't recalled a long section of rough gravel road on my reconnaissance drive through the area in 2015.

  I flagged down a motorist passing in the opposite direction to ask, and he told me that I was taking the long, hard way and it would be easier for me to return to the paved road and turn right (what would have been straight ahead at the prior junction), and that the road "had good pavement all the way to Cherry Lake".

  I carefully descended the rough road and turned right on what is labeled on some maps as Fish Hatchery Road. This road had nice, smooth asphalt and almost no traffic.

  Fish Hatchery Road continued up the canyon to a similar-looking bridge (perhaps the source of my confused memory of having traversed the route in reverse by car three years ago) over the North Fork Tuolumne River before changing its name to Cottonwood Road where it started to climb alongside Basin Creek. At a spot called "The Basin" the road leaves the creek and begins a long climb through mixed conifer forest to the ridge to the south. (Note: My entire route on this section of the ride, other than my erroneous detour, was on Forest Route 1N04.)

  The temperature started at about 8 C and varied as high as 15 C at some of the warmer spots along the way. Until I crested the ridge my ride was mostly in shadow, so the air was cool. But because I was exercising I started to sweat a bit. Just as I thought of stopping to peel off an upper layer, I'd hit a cold pocket and was glad I hadn't.

  As I started down the south side of the ridge into the Cottonwood Creek watershed, I found myself in the warm sun more frequently. Soon I started passing parts of the forest burned in the Rim Fire of 2013, a fire that devastated a vast swath of the forest in this area. After I crossed the Clavey River bridge the road entered an area that had been more fully consumed by the fire. Only burnt tree trunks remained, and the land was left more barren and open.

  The road began to climb again as it rounded a sharp bend that offered a wider view of the devastation. Just after crossing the Reed Creek Bridge I came to my turn. My original plan was to follow Cottonwood Road all the way to Cherry Lake, but due to the short October days and my first trip by bike through the area I decided to take the "cutoff" route on Forest Route 3N01 that cuts off the portion of the route past Cherry Lake. The paved cutoff route saves about 1000 feet of climbing and about seven miles. Although I had calculated that I ought to have enough battery energy to do the full route option to Cherry Lake itself, I decided to play it safe by taking the shorter option. Due to a battery wiring error that I discovered later, I had made a wise decision not to try for the extra mileage.

  I started down un-signed Forest Route 3N01. The road descended a couple hundred feet, then climbed again before descending gradually to Jawbone Creek. Along the way I flagged down another motorist traveling opposite to confirm that the road intersected Cherry Lake Road. Then after a short climb, the road descended again to its junction with Cherry Lake Road, Forest Route 1N07, again un-signed. Fortunately, I recognized the road and surrounding terrain from my trip last summer. I turned right and descended.

  Cherry Lake Road descended to a bridge over Cherry Creek, then climbed for a short stretch past Kelly Flat before descending to the crossing of the Middle Fork Tuolumne River near the very spot where water is drawn into the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct.

  On the south side of the bridge the road began the steepest ascent of the day, climbing 1600 feet in 3 miles, or a 10% average grade. It is on this section that I pedaled hardest to maintain speed and to delay the onset of motor overheating. The motor did start to overheat near the top of the climb, but only in the last couple tenths of a mile did the power roll back slightly. On last summer's ride under 36 C heat I endured half the climb at reduced motor power.

  I turned left on Mather Road and began a more gradual climb along the ridge marking the southern wall of the Tuolumne River Canyon. The road offered dramatic views into the canyon and eastward toward Hetch Hetchy Valley.

  Camp Mather was quiet, and all the buildings had been shuttered closed for the season. I turned right on Evergreen Road and a half-mile later found the Evergreen Lodge bustling with activity. I continued without stopping.

  Evergreen Road passes Dimond O Ranch, Ackerson Meadow, Aspen Valley Road and Carlon Trailhead before arriving at CA120 just north of the Big Oak Flat Entrance Station for Yosemite National Park. At the park entrance I purchased an annual pass, then headed for the parking area so I could top off my water supplies and take my only off-bike break of the day. Although I probably carried enough water to see me to Lee Vining on this cool day, I did not expect any services along Tioga Road and wanted to carry a margin of safety with me.

  The climb from Hodgdon Meadow to Crane Flat I expected to be the least enjoyable due to traffic heading for the Valley. I was surprised to find traffic fairly light and coming mostly in platoons. At Crane Flat I turned left and started up Tioga Road. Traffic came in less frequent platoons the further east I traveled.

  From the crossing of the Tuolumne River I had been in shorts and short sleeves. Temperatures had warmed to the mid-teens C. While it was still too cool to sit around in shorts, working hard on the bike I found I was comfortable in them. As I climbed to White Wolf Road at 8000 feet the temperature continued to drop. I considered stopping to don more clothing but decided that I'd do that once I passed White Wolf where Tioga Road undulates on its way to Tioga Pass.

  It was on this climb that I encountered four other cyclists riding from Groveland to Lee Vining for the night. I was pleasantly surprised to see them, the only other cylists I saw along my route the entire day, making a similar journey. I rode alongside and chatted with them for a short while, but when they stopped for a break I continued on.

  After stopping to don my longs—I had stopped climbing, and the temperature had dropped to 12 C—I continued down to the crossing of Yosemite Creek then climbed the eastern side of the creek, passed Porcupine Creek Trailhead, May Lake Road, and arrived at Olmstead Point with its view of Half Dome and Clouds Rest. Since the parking area was crowded I did not stop at the point but further along the road itself where an expansive view of Tenaya Lake and the surrounding peaks and domes, marred only by an ugly storage container parked next to the road, could be enjoyed.

  I descended to the shore of Tenaya Lake, stopping to take a panorama of the northwest face of Tenaya Peak, then continued climbing toward Tuolumne Meadows. Along this narrow section of Tioga Road one tourist towing a camper trailer passed me with about one foot to spare, although he could have waited a couple of seconds for opposite traffic to pass, thereby leaving him more room to pass safely. This was the only time on my tour I had been passed unsafely.

  At Tuolumne Meadows I continued riding, although I snapped several photos along the way.

  As I started up the final climb of the day to Tioga Pass I noticed that my remaining battery energy seemed lower than I expected. As I had been pedaling harder than I had intended all day and was already rather weary and looking forward to a hot shower and a meal, I expected to see more energy in the battery by this point. Fortunately, I had enough to get to the Pass. (I later calculated I had less than 4% remaining in the battery at Tioga Pass.)

  The temperature had dropped to a sunny 7 C at the pass, and even wearing longs I had not overheated on the climb from Tuolumne Meadows. I donned my windbreaker for the descent, and even while pedaling against regeneration for the first couple thousand feet of the descent I got slightly chilled. But, below about 8000 feet elevation the temperature "warmed" about 6 degrees C.

  Lee Vining is less than a mile north of the junction of CA120 and US395, so by 1630 I was at Murpheys Motel. The "No" on the vacancy sign outside was lit. I hoped the motel had not lost my reservation as I did not want to find alternate lodging, especially if it meant riding south to Mammoth. Fortunately, they had no trouble finding my reservation.

  After checking in, I showered in the unusual sunken shower in my bathroom, changed, started charging the batteries, then walked up the street to the Epic Cafe for dinner where I enjoyed their rice and vegetables dish finished with a large slice of apple pie and whipped cream.

  By the time I walked back to the motel after dinner the temperature had cooled again. But, my room was warm and cozy. I spent some time catching up on email and news, but I turned off the light before 2200 as I was quite tired, more tired than I expected to be. My heart was a little jumpy as it sometimes gets after I exercise too hard, and I was expecting to be awakened sharply in the night from leg cramps. To forestall the latter I drank some electrolytes with large servings of water.

  As expected I awoke several times in the night, mostly to eliminate the large servings of water I had drunk the evening before. But while no leg cramps presented themselves, I had trouble returning to sleep.

  It was during one of these wakeful episodes that my mind got to thinking about why my battery capacity appeared to be lower than expected, which explained why I was more tired than usual from having pedaled hard all day.

  Normally for a tour like this I carry four small (25-volt, 23Ah) batteries altogether, two in each pannier. But due to the large amount of climbing on the eastbound route over Tioga Pass I carried in each pannier one large (25-volt, 31Ah) and one small battery so that the battery weight was evenly distributed on the bike. It was then that I remembered I had connected each pannier's battery, the large and small, in series with the other (as I'd normally do with two small batteries), reducing the effective capacity of my large battery to that of the small. I also realized I was at that very moment charging the entire system at 50 volts as one battery in this erroneous configuration.

  With that I turned on the light and jumped out of bed. I checked the charge status and battery voltages. Fortunately, the large and small battery resting voltages were within 0.2 volts of each other, so there was no surge current when connecting them in parallel. I then rewired all of the batteries to continue charging in parallel with each other at 25 volts.

  Although I did not expect to need as much battery energy for the return trip, I wanted to start with a full charge in case I ran into strong headwinds or unexpected delays or detours.

  After correcting my battery wiring I returned to bed and enjoyed a more restful sleep for the rest of the night.

  ---

2017

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
  Distance:	90.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8040 feet
  Total Time:	7:59:49
  Riding Time:	5:38:33
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.0 mph
  Max. Speed:	23.5 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	1525 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1726† wh
  Wh/mi:	14.6
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	34.1
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	8.0
  Peak Forward Current:	22.5 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	18.4 Amps

  Mount Umunhum, September 21, 2017 - I planned my ride to the newly-opened summit as part of a longer loop ride around the south bay area. I had intended to visit the summit only long enough to take photos, then continue with the rest of my ride. I ended up spending almost two hours at the summit in part because I ran into people I knew who were also visiting the summit, so I cut my loop shorter, arriving home just after 1800.

  Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) took 31 years to open the summit of Mount Umunhum to the public. While the restoration of the summit was nicely done and much appreciated by visitors including this one, it should have been completed many years ago. Many older members of the public who worked to preserve the summit, advocated for public access and to surrounding lands, and who in their younger days wish they could have visited, have since died or grown too old to enjoy the long-delayed access.

  Much of the delay was due to MROSD needing additional funds to prepare the summit area for public visitation and to take full public input regarding the restoration plans. But, delay was also due to adjacent landowners who were not supportive of public access to the area.

  The adjacent landowners had enjoyed during the intervening years what was essentially a "private" taxpayer-funded security force to keep the public out of the area and off "their" roads. The Air Force kept the curious public out. When the Air Force vacated the summit, many landowners claimed ownership of the access roads, most of which pre-existed the Air Force base and had been used regularly by the public, pressing MROSD's thinly-stretched ranger force into service as a private security force to accomplish the same.

  Even late in the restoration process MROSD flush with Measure AA monies chose to undertake eminent domain proceedings to acquire easement rights to the right-of-way of the newly-resurfaced Mount Umunhum Road at a cost of about half a million taxpayer dollars paid to the obstinate landowners rather than to undertake legal proceedings to achieve a court declaration of public access rights based on evidence of prior use (pre-Air Force days), such as had been done for a nearby segment of Summit Road in the late 1990s.

  Although MROSD is publicly-funded, it functions legally as a private entity, its decisions only indirectly under public control, so one may understand that MROSD would prefer a legal decision that concludes unambiguously with their sole control of access rights to the roads that cross preserve land rather than one that reverts the roads' status to that of pre-1957, that of a public right-of-way by prescriptive easement, even if the former result is not entirely in the public's interest.

  Even today Loma Ridge Road toward Loma Prieta and Santa Cruz County to the southeast and Soda Springs Road to the west are closed off to the public by landowners who have claimed a public resource constructed at taxpayer expense for themselves and by MROSD policy based on the same rationale. The window on taking legal action to declare these roads public based on prior use is closing as witnesses who may have used these roads prior to the Air Force years are now old and many have already died.

  During the years MROSD took public input on the summit restoration plans, controversy hinged on what to do with the "Cube" (the bunker that housed the radar equipment and upon which a rotating antenna had been installed). I preferred a choice not under consideration: to refurbish the bunker as a public viewing platform on its roof similar to the museum atop Mount Diablo or the tiny viewing platforms atop Diamondhead on Oahu. I suspect the cost of such refurbishment was too great for the available budget, but I think it can still be done should funds become available.

  On the other hand, the Bunker is an ugly box of cracked concrete and rusty metal doors, hastily erected without aesthetic consideration, typical of military construction of the 1950s, that offers nostalgia only for those who worked there or lived and grew up in its shadow. I would not have objected to its being razed.

  After I visited the summit I descended, taking time to enjoy the sweeping view of Monterey Bay from along the road before crossing the ridge and starting the main descent to Hicks Road. I was glad to have a regenerative brake to hold my descending speed to a constant 20 mph. At Hicks I turned right and descended Jacques Gulch to Los Alamitos Road. I continued through New Almaden and then south on McKean Road where traffic was annoyingly heavy. I turned left on Bailey Road and crossed the valley floor. While crossing US101 I understood why southbound traffic on McKean Road may have been heavy at 1500 as US101 southbound was already bumper-to-bumper.

  I took Malech Road to Metcalf, climbed to the off-road vehicle park, then continued around the backside to San Felipe Road. Then I rode north through east San Jose before my last detour up Marten and Clayton Roads, and down Mount Hamilton Road.

  Instead of taking my usual route across northern San Jose I continued north into Milpitas, then picked up the bike path route parallel to CA237 to head back into Sunnyvale.

  ^†Net consumption was (90.6 miles) * (14.6 wh/mi) = 1323 wh.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	88.1 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5230 feet
  Total Time:	6:38:23
  Riding Time:	5:27:25
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.1 mph
  Max. Speed:	47.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1212 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1004
  Wh/mi:	11.4
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	23.7
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	4.1
  Peak Forward Current:	24.3 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	41.5 Amps

  Long Valley Tour, September 12, 2017 - After our adventure on Valentine Peak the day before we were ready for a change of pace.

  Ron and Alice, who were staying at the McGee Creek RV Park, had set aside some time for us to get together. We decided that a relaxing bike ride was the sort of recovery activity we needed.

  I would ride from the townhouse down to McGee Creek. A half-hour later Frank and Stella would drive with the bikes down to Crowley Lake Drive and US-395 and meet me and Ron (and Alice). Then all five of us would ride out and back on Benton Crossing Road, around the back-side of Crowley Lake.

  I started down the town bike path to CA203, then down to US-395 and on to McGee Creek. I met Ron at his campsite, but Alice had already started out on her bike ride. She would meet us as she returned.

  As soon as Ron was ready to go we rode west on Crowley Lake Drive and met Frank and Stella setting up their bikes. Then all four of us headed up US-395 to Benton Crossing Road, then we rode east toward Benton.

  Several miles from US-395 we encountered Alice returning. We stopped to convene a brief meeting. It was then that Ron decided his heart was acting up too much to continue—he couldn't get his heart rate to climb into the exercise zone. (We both suspected that his Afib was acting up.) So he returned to camp with Alice while Frank, Stella, and I continued east on Benton Crossing Road.

  Several miles later Stella decided she had ridden far enough for a recovery ride, so she turned back and returned to the car while Frank and I continued to Waterson Summit.

  After taking our summit photos (Frank, Bill) we descended back to Crowley Lake and returned to US-395 and Stella waiting at Crowley Lake Drive.

  Feeling like riding a bit more, I rode back toward town, taking the out-and-back to Convict Lake, then continued to Mammoth Scenic Loop (escape route, in case of eruption), climbed the Scenic Loop road, then climbed to Minaret Vista to take in the view of the usual afternoon clouds forming, then descended back into town.

  I was going to head straight back to the townhouse for a good soak in the spa when I got a call from Ron Bobb that it was raining "bullfrogs" at McGee Creek. I then returned to the viewspot along the town bike path to see a small but impressive raincloud hanging over McGee Creek to the southeast.

  I then returned to the townhouse, soaked my still sore muscles in the spa, then dressed for dinner at the Good Life Cafe, where all five of us would meet.

  On our way to dinner I managed to photograph a beautiful double rainbow over the meadow near the townhouse, a fitting end to the day's activity. During dinner rain fell hard outside.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	167.4 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	16900 feet
  Total Time:	12:16:23
  Riding Time:	9:59:33
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	22.5 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	3211 wh
  Net battery energy consumed:	1925 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.5
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	61.9
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	24.9
  Peak Forward Current:	26.4 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	19.9 Amps

  Lee Vining to Columbia, July 20, 2017 - On the third and final day of my three-day tour of the Sierras I had planned the longest and most difficult segment. I managed to start off around 0700 as a smoky sunrise gradually lit the sleepy town of Lee Vining.

  My planned distance was about 148 miles, but I could shorten that to 115 miles if personal or battery energy were not up to completing the planned route.

  Fortunately, the smoke cleared as I started up the climb to Tioga Pass. By the time I reached the 8000-foot marker skies above were bright blue.

  The Tioga Pass Resort that is a year-round hub of activity east of Yosemite appeared to be closed due to damage to its main building.

  I rode with maximum power on the climb and speed limit at 20 mph, although only the power limit was binding over most of the climb. Traffic on CA120 was light, and the Yosemite entrance station at the summit arrived quickly.

  In planning my trip I was a little bit worried that my unusual-looking bike might be denied entry into the park on account of not falling neatly into one of the anticipated modes of transportation by a bureaucracy inclined toward a "banned by default unless allowed by specific regulation" mode of thinking. And, when the ranger in the booth appeared to have some difficulty settling on the amount to ring up—"Is that a motorized bike?"—that worry was momentarily revived. But after I volunteered that it was an electric bike, he settled on the bicycle entry fee of $15 instead of the motorcycle entry fee of $30.

  On the climb I wore long uppers but shorts below the waist. This was comfortable on the climb, but when I started to descend through Yosemite my body cooled off—the high country temperature was a chilly 10C (50F)—and I started to feel chilled. While I stopped to don my longs mosquitos found me. I managed to get moving just as they were ready to dig in, and hoped I wouldn't have to stop and fix a flat anytime soon. Not expecting to spend much time in mosquito country I hadn't packed repellent for the trip.

  I continued through Yosemite, stopping only to snap photos or to take a nature break, all while maintaining my 20mph maximum speed. Traffic was light on Tioga Road, and I noticed that few services were open along the way. The lodge was quiet, the pack station empty of mules and horses, the campground was closed as was the store, and the gas station had been shut down permanently a few years ago. Most activity could be found at the popular Cathedral, and further down the road, Sunrise Trailheads and at Olmstead Point. It felt like early season on Tioga Road, yet it was the middle of July.

  Tuolumne Meadows and other spots along the road showed greenery I had not seen in recent dought years. Although I was tempted to stop and admire the lush vegetation, I knew that what made the meadow green also made mosquitos mean, and I did not wish to become a meal.

  New asphalt and light traffic on Tioga Road made for a pleasant ride, and I relaxed and enjoyed the trip across the park.

  I stopped and got out of the bike at the Big Oak Flat information center, where I topped off my water and ate a small lunch. It was here that I decided I had more than enough battery energy and human energy to complete the longer route option past Cherry Lake. All of the descending through Yosemite had given me a bonus of regenerated energy.

  After exiting the park I descended a short distance then turned right on Evergreen Road and descended for another short distance before leveling off in rolling terrain near Ackerson Meadow. The road continued to run in and out of the Rim Fire zone, parts of the land looking particularly desolate and hardly "evergreen". Then I passed a couple of campgrounds before arriving at Evergreen Lodge where the day's activities were well underway with guests milling about, two semi trucks off-loading supplies, and a number of cars parked beside the road.

  I continued a short distance beneath the Camp Mather arch and arrived at a T-junction. To the right the road continued to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, and to the left Mather Road headed west. I turned left.

  I had up to this point enjoyed smoke-free passage through Yosemite and beyond, but as I turned left onto Mather Road I entered the smoke zone again. But because the temperature had warmed, most of the smoke had risen or dispersed, it's main effect being to obscure the view and scenery.

  Mather Road runs atop the ridge that forms the southern wall of the Tuolumne River Canyon, and in several spots I could see the river running 1500 feet below.

  At Cherry Lake Road I turned right and began a steep descent to the North Fork Tuolumne River. On my way down I stopped to chat with a Hetch Hetchy road crew who informed me there were four more spots where the road was under repair and had a gravel surface.

  At the bridge over the Tuolumne River the bottom of the canyon was hot, over 35C. I paused only long enough to snap a photo of the substantial volume of water flowing beneath the bridge before continuing up the other side. But the road does not begin its climb in earnest until after it crosses Cherry Creek in a side canyon. Then the road begins a relentless and shade-less climb through a zone charred in the Rim Fire that shows little life four years later. The area appears to be turning into a desert.

  The climb tops out as it enters unburned forest, then descends gradually for a few miles before arriving at a T-intersection with Cottonwood Road. To my dismay I noticed that the sign indicating the mileage to Tuolumne had been covered by an ad-hoc sign attached with duct tape, indicating that the road was closed five miles from that point.

  I had a decision to make. If I pressed on I might be able to get through on a road that is impassable to auto and truck traffic, as is often the case. Or, I might find that the road is completely washed away at a point that backtracking costs me too much in time, energy, or water. I had no idea why the road was closed. In the end I decided to return to CA120 the way I had come for the following reasons: (1) I was riding alone, and if something happened on the closed section where cell coverage is poor, rescue might be difficult, (2) I had enough provision to make the return trip that would lengthen my ride by about 20 miles and 3000 feet of climbing, and (3) I had no additional information about why the road was closed and whether that suggested foot or bicycle passage might still be physically possible.

  After I arrived home, I discovered that a closure 7-miles long had been ordered by the National Forest Service due to last winter's storm damage to the road. Photos on the relevant web site suggested that foot or bicycle passage through the closed area might have been possible, assuming I could get my bike past the gates likely to be locked closed at either end of the closure. I was not happy that notice of the closure had only been posted after committing myself to a lengthy out-and-back and not earlier on my route where I could have been spared the extra distance and climbing.

  In any case I decided to descend to the Cherry Dam itself and snap a photo to document my arrival before returning the way I had come. Cottonwood Road would have to wait for another year.

  The descent to North Fork Tuolumne River went smoothly, but the climb up the southern wall of the canyon was steeper than the climb up the northern wall. The temperature was about 36C, and my motor temperature shot up into the "red zone" about half-way up the climb, reducing my available power to about 50% and reducing my climbing speed to roughly that of a fit cyclist climbing without assistance and with my level of human effort to match.

  At Mather Road I continued west along the ridge for some distance before descending to the south to rejoin CA120 near the bridge over the South Fork Tuolumne River. I continued on CA120 into Buck Meadows, then stopped at the General Store to enjoy a snack break in the shade and to refill my water bladder with some cool water.

  After my break I continued west on CA120 toward Groveland, but at the last moment decided to explore Ferretti Road to get off the main highway.

  Ferretti Road starts through open forest then as it approaches Groveland it enters an area that might be described as the "suburbs" of Groveland, mostly ranchettes and other rural properties situated on 1 acre or more of land and serves as an access road to the residential development surrounding Pine Mountain Lake. The road eventually returns to CA120 near the center of Groveland.

  I turned right, rode through downtown Groveland, then turned right again on Deer Flat Road.

  Deer Flat Road was never flat. It first climbed to a summit then descended to a junction with Wards Ferry Road. I turned right and continued down the increasingly narrow road to its heavily-graffitied bridge over a narrow arm of a full Don Pedro Reservoir.

  On the climb up the north wall of the canyon my motor again went into the red zone and allowed me only half power on the upper half of the climb.

  Although I felt I had reached the northern rim, the road continued to climb relentlessly on crappy patchwork asphalt. I turned left on Old Wards Ferry Road that took me directly into Sonora, but Old Wards Ferry Road had even crappier asphalt. I am pleased to report that nothing broke or came detached from my bike during the abuse.

  My arrival into Sonora was abrupt as the road condition suddenly improved where I passed the county jail at the edge of town, crossed CA108, and then passed by a Walmart center. I continued on Mono Way then stopped for dinner at a Subway shop before continuing the final leg through downtown Sonora and up the hill to Columbia and Marble Quarry RV Park.

  In spite of my rough experience on Old Wards Ferry Road I continued on the back roads to avoid the main highway as much as possible as the sun was in my eyes and those of overtaking motorists, finishing on Sawmill Flat and Yankee Hill Roads. I was happy to arrive at my waiting van before sundown.

  After unpacking and storing my bike, I put down a hot Mountain Dew I had stored in the van to enable a wakeful drive home and arrived there shortly before 2300, a long day complete.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	97.1 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8220 feet
  Total Time:	6:46:23
  Riding Time:	5:12:10
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.6 mph
  Max. Speed:	25.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1678† wh
  Wh/mi:	12.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	31.7
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	8.1
  Peak Forward Current:	23.0 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	19.8 Amps

  Markleeville to Lee Vining, July 19, 2017 - With only slightly more climbing than descending and the shortest distance of the three days, the second day was to be the easy day, a day I could ride slowly or start late. I chose to do both and add some bonus miles.

  I found excuses to delay my start as long as I could, until about 0900. Starting late gave the smoke that had settled into town with the cooler nighttime temperatures a chance to lift with the heating of the day, making for easier breathing.

  As I rode south on CA89 and began the climb up Monitor Pass, I rose above whatever smoke remained in the canyons. On the climb up to Monitor Pass I passed a few other bike tourists, an older guy riding from Seattle to San Diego who had also lodged at the Creekside the night before, and a couple of bike tourists laden with camping gear.

  As I arrived at the summit I realized I would get to Lee Vining well before the normal check-in time if I continued at my current pace. So, I lingered at the summit listening to the birds and the bees and enjoyed the smoke-free air. I also half-hoped the bike tourists I had passed on the climb would arrive, and I could ask them about their trips.

  But after 40 minutes I decided to wait no longer. Besides that, an idea popped into my head to add a few extra miles by riding north on US395 to the Nevada state line, just to do it. In combination with my 40-minute pause on Monitor Pass I would now arrive at a more reasonable time in Lee Vining.

  As I started down the east side of Monitor Pass I could see that I would be entering a dense pocket of smoke hanging in Antelope Valley. Unfortunately, the smoke neither lifted nor dispersed until I exited the south end of Walker River Canyon some time later. Although this was the worst smoke I experienced on my trip, I did not feel that it affected my breathing too much.

  I turned around at the north end of Topaz, a small community at the north end of Topaz Lake. Having crossed into Nevada I would have to cross back into California to continue my trip. That meant passing through an agricultural inspection station where there appeared to be no expectation of travel on foot or by bike.

  South of the junction with CA89 near Coleville I encountered a long queue of autos and trucks at a one-way control. As I reached the front of the queue, traffic began to move in my direction. New asphalt on US395 was welcome and as traffic that had been queued behind me eventually caught up to and passed me, I had the road to myself on most of the climb up the Walker River Canyon, a benefit that cannot be underestimated in the narrow canyon with narrow or no shoulder and frequent truck traffic.

  As I neared the southern, upper end of Walker River Canyon, the heavy pall of gray smoke suddenly lifted. It was as if someone turned up the color saturation on my vision. Check out these "before" and "after" photos. Air was crystal clear at Sonora Junction, the nearby mountain peaks and their snowfields gleaming brightly against a dark blue sky.

  After Sonora Junction I pressed up to Devil's Gate Summit, stopping to photograph an historical placque and the summit sign before starting down into Bridgeport Valley.

  On this section of US395 the shoulder disappears in a number of places. In combination with truck traffic, this makes for a somewhat stressful ride. But, visibility on the road was good.

  I continued to benefit from the one-lane control near Coleville creating large gaps in traffic, and all of the truckers who passed me did so by moving fully into the opposite lane, creating little wake in their passage. Camper and RV drivers were less considerate, especially those towing trailers, perhaps forgetting that their trailer width was greater than the width of their pickup truck.

  Bridgeport Valley was lush and green. Water stood in many places in its fields. Cattle grazed or lay in contentedly in the grass, having eaten their fill.

  In contrast the town of Bridgeport, Mono County seat, holds little charm or character. Maybe it's because I've always just driven through and never spent any time there. Gas prices here always give me sticker shock, with prices 33% higher than elsewhere. Today, I had planned to stop at the visitor center indicated a half-mile ahead on the left to refill my water, but I could neither find the place nor any further sign directing me to its location.

  As I passed the southern end of town I came upon another one-lane control. This time the entire road was being resurfaced one-half at a time. The southbound lane had been laid, but on the northbound the old asphalt had been grooved and a layer of wet tar sprayed down. I saw the Forest Service ranger station on the left side, but I did not want to ride my bike across wet tar to get there. So I pressed on and hoped I had enough water to get me to Lee Vining. I did.

  After the current platoon of traffic had passed me I again had a brand new road to myself for the next 20 minutes—the most recent one-lane control was especially long. The bulk of the next platoon passed me near Bodie Road, just as US395 tilted up toward Conway Summit and gained an extra lane.

  At Conway Summit I stopped to snap a photo, then started the long scenic descent to Mono Lake. The high wind warning sock was hanging limp, and near the shore of Mono Lake the road shoulder disappears altogether near an old slide.

  I arrived in Lee Vining early in spite of my delays and detours, so I stopped first at the grocery store for some fruit, then at Latte Da Cafe for a blueberry-mango fruit smoothie, an ideal refreshment after a ride through a desert in the mid-day summer sun.

  When I arrived at Murphey's the woman behind the counter sighed with relief after I informed her I had a reservation, telling me she had just rented her last room for the night to the prior couple at the counter. She put me in one of the refurbished rooms at the rear of the motel. The room turned out to be ideal as it left plenty of space for my bike. The only thing missing was a microwave oven. But, one was available for guest use in the community ice room on the other side of the parking lot.

  For dinner I had planned to visit Nicely's, but decided to try the Epic Cafe at the other end of town adjacent to the Lakeside Lodge and some lovely gardens where guests dined. My main course was tasty but too small to satisfy, so I ordered a slice of seasonal fruit pie with whipped cream. What arrived at my table was the largest slice of pie I can recall ever being served. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a photo of it. I also liked that it was not over-sweetened.

  After dinner I walked back to my room and tried to use the wifi, but there must have been too many guests attempting to do the same thing. I managed to read my email, check a few other services that were not data-intensive, and play a few boards of bridge with the BBO robots, but even that became too slow to be practical. Besides I was getting sleepy, and I had a big day tomorrow. I turned off my light at 2100 and slept fitfully until 0500 the next morning.

  ^†Net consumption was (97.1 miles) * (12.8 wh/mi) = 1243 wh.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	86.7 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	10790 feet
  Total Time:	5:26:48
  Riding Time:	4:45:10
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	28.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1957† wh
  Wh/mi:	17.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	38.0
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	8.8
  Peak Forward Current:	23.1 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	24.5 Amps

  Columbia to Markleeville, July 18, 2017 - I had initially planned to embark on this tour a week earlier, but sore muscles and feet due to starting my hiking season the prior weekend counseled waiting a week for the soreness to subside.

  In exchange for waiting a week I got to enjoy smoke from the Detwiler Fire burning near Mariposa. Although the smoke was a factor every day of the tour, making for poor scenery photos and occasionally thick smoke, I was able to avoid being on the road during the worst conditions.

  For this tour I took not only my two large battery bags that were half-filled with heavy batteries carried below the seat, I took an extra pannier that I hung left side behind the seat (but still forward of the rear axle) to carry bulkier items such as a rain shell that I never needed, street pants for restaurant dinners, and lunch food for the three days. I didn't weigh the bike, but I estimate that fully-laden it was around 60kg (132 lbs). Combined with my body weight, the total tipped the scale at over 145kg (320 lbs). I tried to cram everything into the two battery bags as I had done last year for my two-day tour, but I couldn't quite make it work without bursting the zippers on the packs. Fortunately, my lycra sock was old and stretched and could wrap up the bulkier bike for good aerodynamics.

  When I called to reserve a parking spot at Marble Quarry RV Park, Joan told me, "We don't do that." When I added that I had parked there last year, and asked if the policy had changed, she allowed the reservation. But, it appears that the parking is intended but seldom used for the storage of extra cars by folks staying at the campground in one of the camp sites. I have only ever seen my own van parked behind their office.

  By the time I got on the road the time was already 1030. I knew from last year that I could make the trip to Markleeville and arrive before dinnertime without having to start at the crack of dawn, so I allowed myself some extra sleep that morning. The downside was the higher temperature on the lower parts of the climb.

  I could see while I crossed the Parrotts Ferry bridge that New Melones Reservoir was nearly full this year. As I began the climb out of the canyon the air temperature had already crept above 32C. I climbed using maximum power (1000 watts input), and that kept a decent breeze flowing past me most of the time even with the light tailwind present on most of the climb.

  For most of the climb I set power to the maximum and limited speed to 20 mph. On uphills speed was limited by power or to 20 mph, and on downhills and flats speed was limited to 20 mph. This allowed me to make good progress, prevented me from wasting energy fighting wind, allowed me to recover a significant portion of my potential energy on the downhills, and gave me the opportunity to lift my gaze from the road to sight-see or snap photos on the downhills.

  At several places along the climb up CA4 Caltrans had in place a one-lane control where road repairs were underway. Although the delay at these controls was a nuisance, I realized a benefit beyond the control as auto traffic passed in tightly-bunched platoons at roughly 5-10 minute intervals, leaving me to enjoy the road in solutide during the interludes. That in combination with the already light weekday traffic made for a pleasant climb over the Sierras.

  I could see a smoke plume from the Detwiler Fire to the east over much of the climb. By the time I reached Tamarack and Bear Valley, I was squarely beneath but not within the plume. The warmer air of mid-day had the effect of keeping the smoke off the ground, allowing for easier breathing. I could smell smoke, so it wasn't completely absent, but the smoke's presence did not make the climb difficult. As I traveled beyond Lake Alpine I got beyond the main plume where the air was clearer.

  Lake Alpine itself looked bland under the smoky skies, but as I climbed past Cape Horn and Pacific Grade Summit, the sky became bluer. Markleeville itself was relatively smoke-free, but I could see beyond that smoke lay in the valleys to the east.

  I stopped by the water spigot at the eastern end of Lake Alpine, but what had been shut off yet dripping sufficiently for me to take on water last year, the faucet this year had been completely sealed off. It appears that this is no longer a reliable location to get water. Fortunately, I had enough to get me to Markleeville.

  I arrived in Markleeville shortly before 1600. That gave me plenty of time to check into the Creekside Lodge, shower, wash my biking clothes, and relax a bit before heading next door to Wolf Creek Bar and Grill for dinner, where I was pleased to discover that the wifi signal from the adjacent Creekside Lodge managed to find its way through the walls and into the restaurant.

  After dinner I visited the general store across the street to buy breakfast fruit for the next day. Then I returned to my room to unwind by watching a movie on Netflix through the good wifi connection.

  ^†Net consumption was (86.7 miles) * (17.3 wh/mi) = 1500 wh.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
  Distance:	199.9 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	18030 feet
  Total Time:	15:01:24
  Riding Time:	11:54:53
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	40.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy available:	3124 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	3925† wh
  Wh/mi:	14.4
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	75.8
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	20.2
  Peak Forward Current:	22.6 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	21.6 Amps

  Terrible Two, June 17, 2017 - I had reserved a nice Airbnb studio in Sebastopol to rent for the weekend. But, as the event date approached and weather forecasts were predicting temperatures over 38C I was leaning toward canceling as I hadn'tyet had the chance to ride all day in hot weather this season. The first hot weather ride of the season often has me feeling a bit off balance, and I didn't like the idea of attempting what promised to be my most physically-demanding ride of the season on the hottest day of the season.

  As the deadline for a full-refund Airbnb cancellation arrived the weather forecast remained stubbornly hot. I canceled my Airbnb.

  A couple of days later I rode over to Big Basin on a warm/hot day and afterward I felt in better shape than I'd been in a long time. I regretted that I had canceled my Airbnb. A couple of days later I decided to give the Terrible Two a go, and I submitted my late entry.

  My rationale was that I had already set aside the date for this event, I was in good physical condition and apparently well-acclimated to heat. Since I wasn't spending another $270 on the Airbnb I might not feel as much pressure to "get my money's worth" by forcing myself to soldier on to the finish if I wasn't having a good day. The downside was that my Saturday, "pillow to pillow", would run for 24 hours as I would be driving from home to Sebastopol early in the morning and returning home afterward.

  I arrived with barely enough time to prepare myself and the bike then roll to the starting area where I could hear but not see Bill Oetinger deliver his starting line speech. I cought something about enforcing stop sign behavior at a couple of spots in Napa County.

  "...if we catch you blowing through, you're out!"

  He had mentioned to me earlier that he would inform the other riders in the event that I would be on the course, was not competing for Triple Crown or Stage Race credit, and that riders in the event should not draft me, but I missed that part. Later at the lunch stop he told me he forgot to add that to his speech.

  Then at exactly 0530 and without further ado, we were off, paced by a car with flashing lights as we traversed the first few miles west of Santa Rosa. I started at the rear of the bunch, then worked my way forward until I was just behind the largest clump of riders as we passed through the center of the city. Then after getting caught by a red light (and recalling Bill's threat of expulsion from the ride for violating traffic signals) I lost the group and found myself riding alone until I started up the climb on Bennett Valley Road.

  As has been typical of these mass-start rides, I found myself passing riders on the climbs, then being passed on the descent. On the first descent off the east side of Bennett Valley Road, the downgrade was steep enough that the controller could not recapture all the energy without overcharging my battery. My downhill speed could not be held at 20 mph, creeping up to over 38mph, my highest for the day.

  Again on Trinity Road I passed many riders on the climb, and the descent to Dry Creek Road was steep and twisty. This time I could not get enough regenerative braking to negotiate the sharp turns on this rough road, so I used my friction brakes liberally. More energy lost!

  The climb on Oakville Grade Road from Dry Creek Road to its summit was short and its descent into Napa Valley steep and broad. Again I set my speed to 25 or 27.5 mph, but the downgrade was steep enough and my battery still at a high state of charge that my regenerative brake again ran out of headroom. But, since the road was safe at higher speed I let my speed drift higher and enjoyed the descent.

  In both of these cases I was unable to recover as much energy as I might have had my batteries been at a lower state of charge. Fortunately, this was the last time I ran out of regenerative braking headroom due to high battery state of charge.

  The T-intersection of Oakville Grade Road and CA29 was staffed by a course marshall who told me that Napa County required them to make everyone stop at that stop sign as a condition of their permit. This intersection and one later at Silverado Trail were apparently the two stop signs Bill Oetinger had warned riders about during his starting line speech.

  I turned left and began a short stretch of CA29. The shoulder was rough and scattered with debris. I weaved a bit to avoid the worst of roughness or debris.

  As I was cruising at a moderate 20 mph to conserve energy use I discovered others had caught up to me and followed me for a bit, but my erratic riding to avoid shoulder debris must have discouraged them from drafting.

  As a loose bunch we turned right on Rutherford Cross Road. Then after completely stopping at the Silverado Trail stop sign we turned left and began the long trek northward toward Calistoga on the road's clean and ample shoulder.

  The other cyclists followed me initially, but as soon as the road dipped downward for a short distance, they passed me while I pushed electrons back into my battery while holding a steady 20 mph.

  I stopped at the Calistoga rest stop only long enough to give them my number. My plan was to refill water at the top of Geyser Road so I wouldn't have to carry a full water bladder up the hill. Even though I'm riding an e-bike, I notice the extra weight.

  By the time I got to the bottom of the Geyser Road climb the temperature felt hot. I passed many on the climb, and I even saw a few riders descending as I started up the final pitch to the summit. I wasn't too far behind the leaders, but I didn't expect to catch them on this day. With the steep climbing and descending on the course and the heat, I was riding to conserve energy as much as I could. My goal was to finish in daylight and to enjoy the ride.

  At the Geyser Road rest stop I got out of the bike for the first time to refill my water bladder and to chat with the volunteers who appeared to outnumber the riders by a substantial ratio.

  The descent went without incident, although I had to take care on the two short sections of washboard gravel road that took me by surprise while I was climbing. I also paused to snap some photos at a couple of view spots (one, two).

  From the bottom of Geysers Road the course followed CA128 into Geyserville, then north on Geyserville Avenue and Asti Road toward Cloverdale into an oven-hot headwind. I reduced my cruising speed to 17.5 mph and soft-pedaled, letting the motor do most of the work. This kept me from having to breathe hard and become dehydrated.

  The left turn onto Theresa Drive and then onto Dutcher Creek Road and away from the headwind didn't come soon enough. After a short climb up Dutcher Creek Road I enjoyed the mild descent to Dry Creek Road, then the short ride up to the lunch stop at a picnic area near the Lake Sonoma Fish Hatchery.

  I had up to this point used about half of my battery capacity. Finishing the course would be a challenge using only the energy that remained in the battery. I decided that if I could not charge during lunch I would have to skip Fort Ross Road and take the route through Jenner into Monte Rio. I asked a volunteer about an electrical outlet, but there was none at the picnic site, nor were they running a generator with an available outlet. Someone suggested I try the fish hatchery visitor center not far away.

  I rode the short distance to the visitor center and found an outdoor outlet next to the door. After I inquired within whether it would be alright to recharge my bike, I received permission, but the volunteer at the front desk was upset that I hadn't brought a cable and lock.

  "Just last week we had a bike stolen."

  I tried to reassure her that the typical thief would not likely be interested in my bike, but I sensed that her main concern was that she didn't want to be responsible for watching my bike that would have been parked just outside the main door within easy view of her desk.

  After consulting with someone else in a back office, she suggested I wheel my bike into their conference room where it was less-likely to be disturbed.

  I thanked her, wheeled my bike inside, plugged in the charger, then walked the short distance across a grassy meadow to the picnic area hosting the ride's lunch stop.

  I lingered at lunch for almost 45 minutes so that I'd get enough supplementary charge to feel comfortable finishing the entire course. Altogether, including my search for an electrical outlet, I was stopped for about an hour, and I managed to push exactly six amps-hour into the battery, or about 324 watts-hour.

  Upon leaving the visitor center I immediately started up Skaggs Springs Road. The first climb from Lake Sonoma is the most exposed but not the steepest. Unlike most of the roads in Sonoma County, Skaggs Springs Road (later Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road) is in relatively good condition, smooth without potholes or patchwork, and with only occasional motor traffic.

  Although the grade was not the steepest on the course, it was steep enough to slow me down to under 10 mph where the motor begins to operate more like a heater and less like a motor. I had to pedal hard to keep my speed high enough to keep from losing too much energy to heat.

  The climb up Skaggs Springs Road was not a constant grade. I'd see a steep pitch, followed by a less steep section. The motor's internal temperature would climb into the current rollback zone as I neared the top of each pitch. On a less steep section the motor was able to shed enough heat to cool off enough to do it all over again. But on these steep climbs and descents my motor temperature varied between 85C and 125C.

  I paused at the Skaggs Springs water stop near the top of the first climb, but I only chatted briefly with the volunteers before starting down the intermediate descent to the high bridge over Warm Springs Creek. The climb up the western side was a steep pitch that had me slowing to under 6 mph. This time the motor went into temperature rollback that stabilized at about 113C, allowing me about 350 watts of at-the-wheel power.

  After struggling to the top of the second climb I arrived at the Las Lomas water stop. Again I stopped only long enough to chat briefly with the volunteers and Eric House before pressing on.

  Not far beyond the water stop I felt my front tire go soft. I stopped to replace the tube and discovered that a patch had failed. Later I discovered that the patch had not been centered over what was a rather large tear in the tube. The patch had lifted near its center, the air bubble working its way over course of a year to the periphery of the patch where the patch material was weaker, eventually blowing out.

  With a new tube in my front wheel I got back on the road and descended the Wolf Creek drainage to the Wheatfield Fork of the Gualala River. The road followed the river for several more miles. I stopped in a patch of shade at Annapolis Road to take a nature break and eat a snack. A short distance beyond I stopped to snap a photo of the old truss bridge over Haupt Creek. Having ridden this section of Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road in 2009, I knew what lay ahead.

  The climb to Stewarts Point Rancheria was the hardest single climb of the day with a sustained grade over 10%, peaking over 20%. I pedaled hard to keep the bike from stalling. My short rest and snack at the bottom of the climb helped get me to the top.

  At the Rancheria rest stop I parked the bike, refilled water, and chatted for 20 minutes with some of the volunteers. The rest stop appeared to be ready for a host of cyclists, but only a few were present when I arrived.

  Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road wasn't through yet. First came a short steep descent to the Clipper Mill Bridge over the South Fork of the Gualala River (and the San Andreas Rift Zone), then a short climb and descent into Stewarts Point where I was quickly made aware of the ocean's influence on local weather. The cool damp air was refreshing, but the contrast with the hot dry air inland almost hurt. After snapping this photo I put on my long sleeves and headed south along the coast on CA1.

  I set my speed at 20 mph and cruised comfortably down the coast past Salt Point State Park, Ocean Cove, Timber Cove, and Fort Ross. Seeing whitecaps on the ocean almost made me feel cold.

  At Fort Ross Road I left the coast and started up. The Fort Ross rest stop was a short distance up from CA1. I stopped to graze the snack buffet while chatting with the volunteers. I also removed my long sleeves that suddenly felt too hot. The ocean's influence on the weather was local indeed. Only within a half-mile of the water and a few hundred feet of sea level was the cooling present.

  Fort Ross Road is narrow, rough, and steep with sustained grade over 10%. Fortunately it is mostly in the shade. I climbed as quickly as I could. Then after a short traverse atop the ridge the road descends to the South Fork of the Gualala River before a final climb up Turner Canyon where the entrance to Black Mountain Conservation Camp marks the climb's summit. Then the road then descends mostly on rough asphalt into Cazadero.

  "Cazadero Highway" gives Sonoma County road maintenance department too much credit, but it is apparently the fastest way by land to get to CA116 and Monte Rio, where I found the last rest stop.

  I exited the bike, walked around a bit, grazed the snack bar, chatted with the volunteers and other riders, and put down a Mountain Dew.

  After getting back in the bike again, I climbed quickly up Main Street and then Bohemian Highway past Camp Meeker and into Occidental. At Graton Road I turned left and climbed a short distance before enjoying the last longish descent of the day alongside Purrington Creek. As I arrived at the bottom of the descent, the sun was getting ready to set, shining its orange glow on the fields ahead.

  I pressed on to the finish on Occidental Road with it's intermittent bike lane, arriving just before sunset to enthusiastic cheers and applause to which I didn't quite feel entitled.

  After parking the bike I enjoyed a moderate-sized dinner of lasagna, polenta, and salad. I would have gone back for seconds if I hadn't been planning to drive home that night. A full tummy would have made me too sleepy.

  Unfortunately, there was no Mountain Dew at the finish, but I had stashed a can, hot from sitting all day in the van, just in case. That probably kept me awake long enough to arrive home a few minutes before midnight.

  Overall the bike behaved well on a hot day over an extremely tough course. The motor only hit the red zone (>120C) once on a steep descent on Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road, and it cooled quickly on the following climb. It did enter the yellow zone several times, but it always found a stable operating point at a lower power level that allowed me to keep moving.

  In spite of the bike's good behavior I can see now that I lost a fair bit of energy because the grades were steep. A crank-drive system would generate less heat on the climbs, but the friction brakes would then be taxed to the point of dangerous overheating on the descents. Perhaps a hybrid system, crank drive on the steep climbs, direct-drive hub motor everywhere else, would work best. But, that would add more weight to my machine.

  ^†Net consumption was (199.9 miles) * (14.4 wh/mi) = 2879 wh. Without taking on my supplementary charge at lunch I would not have had enough battery energy to see me to the finish had I remained on the official course. Had I not charged at lunch the battery would have been depleted somewhere on Bohemian Highway.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	214.7 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	14800 feet
  Total Time:	14:49:12
  Riding Time:	12:15:52
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.4 mph
  Max. Speed:	42.8 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	3170† wh
  Wh/mi:	11.0
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	59.3
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	15.2
  Peak Forward Current:	XX.X Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	21.8 Amps

  Around the Bay with Tam and Diablo, May 28, 2017 - With the long days and moderate weather forecast for the day, I chose to ride my fourth annual ride around the bay. This time to add some challenge I threw in a climb up Mount Tamalpais in Marin County and Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County, since my loop passes near these peaks.

  I briefly entertained the idea that I might include the more distant Mount Hamilton as the third peak, but I ruled that out as the extra 50 miles and 6000 feet of climbing would require a larger battery or a mid-ride charge in excess of an hour and a half. My goal on these rides is not to be riding at night, and as one could argue that I rode the last half-hour "at night", I would definitely not be able to complete the larger loop without several hours of remote mountain road riding under only my own headlight. Then add in a couple of hours of charging during a very leisurely dinner at The Junction, and I'd be arriving home in the wee hours of the following morning.

  Marin County is pretty, but its roads have become congested with heavy traffic. Many have fallen into disrepair with potholes and rough asphalt, the recent winter's storms not having helped matters in that regard. Even if I had more battery capacity to waste on hard accelerations and higher "between frequent stop sign" cruising speeds, road conditions made for slow going. I spent almost half the day in Marin County on this ride.

  I was ready to go at 0530 but in the fog even the faint glow of sunrise was not yet apparent. I waited until 0600 to get underway.

  Skies were overcast and cool, although the sun poked through the clouds in a few spots. As I rode north the fog density increased, reaching its most dense at CA35 and CA1, a freeway-style interchange where visibility is critical for safe passage.

  To avoid Bay to Breakers I joined through auto traffic on Crossover Road at Martin Luther King Drive, the only bridge over the race course.

  Bicycle traffic near and upon the Golden Gate Bridge was heavy with most cyclists riding the narrow sidewalk as fast as they dared.

  I remained on the usual bike route through southern Marin (County) as far as Mill Valley, where I rode up Miller Ave. to the center of town, then up Molino, Birch, Edgewood, and Sequoia Valley to Panoramic Highway. A nearly continuous stream of auto traffic climbed alongside me. Although I climbed quickly, my speed did not satisfy most motorists who found it difficult to pass me on the winding mountain road. More than once I pulled off to let 10-15 cars pass.

  When I got to Ridgecrest Boulevard, I saw the reason for the heavy traffic. An event at the Mountain Theater was preparing to get underway. Volunteer parking staff and shuttlebuses were busy collecting people for the event. Once I got past the uppermost parking area near the West Peak, the road was again quiet for the remaining mile to the Mount Tamalpais parking lot.

  By the time I descended the production must have gotten underway, and traffic was lighter.

  I continued straight down West Ridgecrest Boulevard, stopping several times to snap photos as the road rolled over the browning knobs of grass that lie atop this ridge.

  At Fairfax-Bolinas Road I descended to the east. On the descent I found 15 mph to be a comfortable descending speed given the poor condition of the road.

  At the bottom of the descent at Alpine Lake I observed my current draw jump to over 250 Amps. Worried that I might have a short circuit somewhere I killed system power, then felt the critical components for evidence of heating. Everything was cool to barely warm. Even the motor itself, subject to the most heating, was within normal temperature range following the long regenerative braking descent.

  I re-powered the controller, and everything proceeded normally, although my energy use statistics were corrupted. (The stats above are estimates based on battery charging statistics following the ride.) I had recently updated the computer with an experimental firmware version designed to filter noise from one part of the system, and I assumed that this firmware had introduced a side effect.

  My route took me through the town of Fairfax, then up Butterfield Road and Fawn Drive to Mission Pass, crossing into Terra Linda and the Marin bike route that heads north to Novato.

  In Novato I found the partially-overgrown CA37 path and started east on CA37.

  Several miles west of US-101, traffic thickened and began to slow. A CHP cruiser swerved in front of me and roared ahead up the shoulder. Clearly there was an incident up the road that required urgency.

  As I approached the location I could see a car parked on the shoulder, and traffic was moving at a crawl. Most of the autos that had passed me earlier I was now passing on the shoulder.

  When I approached the CHP cruiser parked in the shoulder the officer was returning to his vehicle. Before getting into his cruiser he beckoned for traffic to pause, then he drove in front of the stopped traffic to the left lane where two autos ahead were blocking the left lane. They had been in a rear-end collision. Debris was scattered across the road.

  As the cruiser, its light-bar off, made its way to the left lane, I started in the shoulder. Suddenly, the cruiser cut unexpectedly back toward the shoulder as I pulled abreast. We both stopped, and the officer gestured angrily at me. I gestured that I didn't understand what he was doing.

  As I continued in the shoulder, he barked at me over his loudspeaker, "Pay attention!".

  Fortunately, he had bigger fish to fry dealing with the accident blocking half the road.

  East of the accident scene traffic was for a time non-existent, then after a while came by in waves. Although I cruised in relative peace, I still watched the road for sharp debris in the shoulder and to avoid the rumble strip. The wind had shifted from a quartering tailwind to a quartering headwind. To save energy I slowed to 22.5 then 20 mph.

  Then after touching the rumble strip I suddenly felt a loss of power. Glancing at my instruments I saw it reading 3400 watts. But, by this time I was wise to the problem.

  I stopped the bike then killed the power again. Before re-powering I ate a snack and enjoyed one of the traffic-free interludes along the busy road.

  Upon powering up the controller, the problem persisted. With over 3000 watts showing on my computer, my power and current limits would be exceeded, and I could get no power from the motor. Uh oh.

  I powered down the controller again, then considered that maybe the sense leads on the controller's shunt (where the computer senses current going into the controller) were intermittent. Perhaps the contacts at the connector were not solid. I unplugged and re-plugged the connector closest to the controller, then powered up the controller. Everything operated normally again.

  I continued on wondering if I should shorten my ride in case this intermittent problem became a constant problem. I left the question unanswered as I proceeded through Vallejo, across the Zampa bridge, and over the hill on Crockett Boulevard, Cummings Skyway, and Franklin Canyon Road.

  From Martinez I continued into Pleasant Hill where I stopped at Togo's in Crescent Plaza for a late lunch. I was ready to rehydrate and to eat some real food.

  After lunch I felt good and decided to continue on my planned route at least as far as The Junction halfway up Mount Diablo.

  At The Junction I decided to continue to the summit. The earlier problems reading the shunt current caused my calculated energy use to be way off the mark, but fortunately, the computer's battery gauge was voltage-based, and the figure it presented was reasonable and ample: I had plenty of battery energy to complete the climb and to get home before full dark. Yet, time would be tight; any significant delay at this point would push my finishing time firmly into the night.

  I got to the summit without incident, but as I parked the bike the computer again read over 3200 watts consumption. I killed the power and exercised the computer's connection to the controller. It was clear that killing power and/or unplugging the shunt from the computer cleared the problem, at least for a while. It was also becoming clear that power consumption or regeneration, especially in combination with vibration, elicited the problem.

  I started down from the summit, holding 20 mph most of the way. Then as I proceeded through Danville, San Ramon, and Pleasanton, I rode more quickly. I wanted to get through Niles Canyon before dark. After Niles Canyon the remainder of the route proceeded on decreasingly traveled roads and bike paths that I did not mind riding in the dark, should it come to that.

  As I rode the final mile into Sunnyvale's Baylands Park, gnats were thick over the bike trail. I took refuge behind the fairing, but I could hear them striking the top of my helmet.

  When I finally rolled up my driveway 20 minutes later I was happy to be home.

  The next day I attempted to observe the aforementioned electrical problem on the bench by placing a dummy load of 8 Amps through the shunt and then wiggling/squeezing the wiring to the computer and its connectors. The high amperage reading presented itself when I manipulated the connector closest to the computer (of 2 such connectors) that I had not exercised during the prior day's ride. I unplugged that connector, then re-plugged it, and I was not able again to elicit the spurious current reading. So, I think the main problem was an intermittent connection, but I remain suspicious that the new firmware may render the computer more sensitive to noise on the shunt leads. I will continue to watch for a reappearance of the bug.

  ^†Net consumption was (214.7 miles) * (11.0 wh/mi) = 2362 wh.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	211.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	14460 feet
  Total Time:	14:50:15
  Riding Time:	11:04:22
  Avg. Speed (moving):	19.0 mph
  Max. Speed:	41.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	3452† wh
  Wh/mi:	13.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	66.4
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	13.4
  Range extension due to regeneration:	25.1%
  Peak Forward Current:	30.9 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	27.3 Amps

  Central Coast Double, May 13, 2017 - Since April 2000 when I rode for some distance with Brian Stark on the Tierra Bella Century, during which he invited me to ride the Central Coast Double that he organized, I had wanted to take him up on his offer. But a variety of obstacles stood in the way every year until this year.

  This year I had no good reason not to give this Double a try. Weather was forecast to be moderate, I had a free weekend, and I and my bike were both up to the task.

  Over the weekend I experienced only two unpleasant surprises, both of which were ancillary to the ride itself: (1) Friday afternoon traffic heading south on US101 from San Jose was stop and go all the way to Salinas. How do people put up with that commute every day?! The drive to Paso Robles that should have taken me about three hours took me four and a half. (2) When I arrived at my motel, the Inn on Spring, at about 8:00 P.M. in Paso Robles, the proprietor informed me that my reservation had been canceled because my credit card* had been denied and that my room had already been rented to someone else. He had tried to call me, but got only my voicemail. (Although I heard the phone ring, I didn't recognize the number, and I don't answer the phone while I'm driving.)

  I managed to contain my anger as I was unsure whether it should be directed toward the proprietor, my credit card company, or hotels.com. I had no reason to suspect the hotel owner was lying to me. He seemed surprised to see me and apologized profusely, explaining that they frequently have people hold rooms with invalid credit card numbers then never show up. He offered to call his friend who owns another motel in town, to see if they could put me up for the weekend. I expected to take a reaming on price as most hotels/motels in Paso Robles rent for over $200/night. Even the Motel 6 would have run $300 for two nights. Fortunately, they had a room available. Better was that I saved $60 on the exchange.

  My new motel, Wine Country Inn, was a modest establishment in the motel style and was located at the far north end of town, about two miles from the ride start location. When I arrived its proprietor showed me my room. It had a narrow door and hallway, and I'd have to sleep in a Queen-sized bed instead of a King-sized bed, but it had a refrigerator and microwave. Although it faced the main street, it had a private entrance behind the office and the owner's living quarters. The room was clean, although the brown carpet showed a few spots and probably hid a number of others. But, when I checked the bottoms of my white-socked feet I saw no darkening, a sign of having walked a dirty carpet. I suspected this unit was the last one they rented as it adjoined the owner's personal living space, and so it didn't get as much use as the other rooms. I was able to roll my bike backward through the door and into my room where I could prepare it for the next day's ride.

  That night I slept fitfully as I often do before a big ride with an early start. I got maybe three hours of good sleep.

  The next morning my alarm went off at 3:00 A.M. I put it to snooze a couple of times and briefly considered sleeping in and starting late, but I finally got up at 3:15 A.M. I had two hours to eat breakfast, do whatever exercises I could manage in the small room, make final bike preparations, then roll the two miles down to the starting area at the Downtown City Park, where we were due by 5:30 A.M.

  When I rolled the bike out of my room I noticed the wind was blowing strongly enough at this early hour to unfurl the large American flag in front of the hotel. As I rolled down Spring Street, a couple of cyclists turned onto Spring in front of me off 24th Street, where most of the chain hotels are located. Cyclists with headlights and flashing taillights were gathering under the gazebo near the park's center. I rolled up and gave the volunteers my number. Then we all waited for another 15 minutes in the cold air before Brian made his speech and got us started.

  We rolled up Vine Street to 24th Street, then headed west on Nacimiento Lake Drive. At first I hung back, but as the road went up, I gradually passed most of the other cyclists and soon found myself riding alone in the morning light.

  For the next few hours I rode through the undulating terrain in the hills west of Paso Robles, through Adelaida, Chimney Rock, and Lake Nacimiento. Although I wore all of my clothes, I was still slightly chilled, especially at the bottoms of the valleys where the air was undisturbed by the breezes at higher elevations.

  The first rest stop along Interlake Road was located at a turn-out that enjoyed both the morning sun and a view of Lake Nacimiento. It was the first time I felt merely cold and not chilled.

  I continued on Interlake Road, down a steep hill past Bee Rock and then into Monterey County toward Lockwood, where I passed the leader on the course, Justin Too. I turned left on Jolon Road and continued into a mild headwind at 20 mph to the rest stop at St. Luke's Church in Jolon. It was here that I felt warm enough to remove my windbreaker, yet I continued to wear my long sleeves and pants.

  After Jolon I continued into Fort Hunter-Liggett past an empty guard-house and then onto Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. I had last ridden this road in the other direction eight years ago with Ron Bobb when we did our Big Sur/Indians two-day tour.

  Nacimiento-Fergusson Road climbs gradually through broad meadows studded with impressive valley oaks before leaving the base and entering Los Padres National Forest where it climbs through twists and turns along the north bank of the Nacimiento River. Then the road crosses the river and begins the main climb to its summit about 900 feet higher.

  At the 2700-foot summit I paused to check in with the volunteers and to inquire about weather at the coast, wondering if I should put on my shell for the descent. I didn't.

  After a couple of minutes I began my descent. Brian had lectured us not to take risks on the descent due to traffic, gravel, and off-camber corners. He was right. I initially tried to set a speed, but I found that even 17 mph was too fast for many of the sharp corners. Fortunately, traffic was not yet heavy. With CA1 closed both north and south of Nacimiento Road, the only way to get to this part of the coast is on Nacimiento Road.

  I stopped a few times to take photos on the descent, and about 1200 feet above the ocean I enjoyed a longer stop to eat a sandwich I had packed and to enjoy the view north along the Big Sur coast.

  At the bottom I turned left and found the rest stop with its cheerful volunteers at the next highway turnout. I nibbled on some snacks but decided not to take on any water as the extra weight would only require more energy to haul back up the hill.

  The coast was clear and bright, the sun warm, and the wind mild. I wanted to stay longer, but I had a date with a long climb that I wanted to get over. With some reluctance I pressed back the way I had come and began the climb up from the coast.

  On the way up I had been warned about a motorhome descending the narrow road. Occasional auto traffic and more cyclists were also descending, but they weren't so dense that extreme caution was indicated. The motorhome was stopped when I encountered it, and Brian's warning of "heavy traffic" on Nacimiento Road seemed overly cautious to me as traffic was lighter than the typical weekend traffic on most mountain roads in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

  Justin Too visited the Jolon rest stop only long enough to give his number and so he was ahead of me all the way to the coast and almost back to the summit again where I passed him about a mile from the top on my eastward return.

  I slowed at the summit only long enough to give the volunteers my number before commencing the eastern descent to Nacimiento River. After I crossed the bridge at the bottom of the descent and began the long winding course alongside the river I began to see more frequent traffic passing opposite, including one caravan of teenagers, half of whom were hanging out the windows. I was happy to have enjoyed this part of the course relatively traffic-free.

  Back at St. Lukes in Jolon the lunch stop had been set up behind the church. Justin rolled in a few minutes behind me, but he didn't linger. I rolled my bike to the outdoor kitchen where I had been told there were electric outlets for me to take on a boost charge. I calculated I would be very close to running out of juice on the Highland Route if I did not get a boost charge at lunch, so I decided to try to get a charge. If I couldn't, then I'd return on the Lowland Route that was 15 miles shorter and had 1500 feet less climbing. Aside from not wishing to risk running flat before the finish, my battery would be happier not to be discharged to within an inch of its life.

  The lunch stop captain had roped off the BBQ area and initially wasn't keen on my using an electric outlet.

  "If they see you charging, they'll all want to be plugging in their cellphones. We need room to work!"

  But, when he understood I was looking to charge my e-bike battery, he went behind the building and found an unused outlet next to the outdoor refrigerator at the edge of their work area that he said I could use if my cord was long enough to reach. It was. I thanked him for letting me charge.

  After getting my bike parked and plugged in, I enjoyed a nice sit-down sandwich lunch. As I had been fighting drowsiness all morning, I drank a Mountain Dew with lunch.

  It was nice to get off the bike for a while, to reset my body for the second half of the day. The break also gave me an opportunity to chat with some of the cyclists near the front whom I had been leap-frogging all day.

  I was able to take on about six amps-hour during the hour-long lunch, or just over 300 watt-hours. This would give me a comfortable margin for me to take the Highland Route on the return.

  Upon leaving St. Lukes I turned left onto Jolon Road and started up the broad valley toward the pass leading to King City. The Mountain Dew I drank at lunch had successfully banished my sleepy eyes. After crossing the pass Jolon Road starts down a long grade. I set my speed to 25mph and enjoyed the scenery while I pushed 1000 watts back into the battery.

  At the bottom of the hill I turned right onto San Lucas Road, climbed over a low pass, then descended into the upper reach of the Salinas Valley near San Lucas. I saw few cars as I continued on Oasis Road and then up Lockwood-San Lucas Road. Most of the agriculture in the area appears to be for human-consumed food: vineyards and salad baby lettuces especially.

  I hadn't ridden far up Lockwood-San Lucas Road when I saw a large gopher snake trying to cross the road in front of me. I avoided running over it, but I stopped and pushed myself backward, then tried to discourage it from the road. The snake was undeterred by my bike and frame pump brushing against its head. It pressed on, then slithered under my seat and out across the rest of the road. I could not dissuade it from crossing to the other side. Fortunately, no auto traffic came by, except for one SAG driver from the opposite direction who probably was concerned about my stopping on the road at a somewhat blind corner while I tried to manage the recalcitrant creature.

  The road steepened as I pressed up Espinosa Canyon, but the summit came soon enough, and then I enjoyed the descent down San Lucas Canyon into Lockwood. A rest stop had been set up at Harden Square at Lockwood-Jolon Rd. I enjoyed a cold popsicle before moving on.

  At Jolon Road I continued straight onto Interlake Road that I had ridden earlier that morning in the other direction. The Lowland Route went left, but the Highland Route continued straight.

  For the first five miles on Interlake Road I enjoyed a nice tailwind, and I decided to make the most of it by allowing my ground speed to increase so that my wind speed was about 25 mph.

  I could see a rancher on a gas-powered ATV in my rear view mirror, and I wanted to see how long I could hold him off. I managed to keep him behind me until the road tilted upward and the wind slackened.

  He gradually pulled alongside saying,

  "You sure are fast on that thing!"

  He then asked me something, but I couldn't hear well. I smiled and pointed to my ears while shaking my head.

  "Where are you headed?", he yelled more loudly.

  "Paso Robles," I replied.

  "You're taking the back way!"

  He smiled, then continued on ahead.

  When I returned to the site of the morning's rest stop on Interlake Road, everyone was gone. I checked my route sheet, and indeed there was no planned rest stop here on the return trip. Fortunately, I did not need provisions.

  I continued to Nacimiento Lake Drive, then turned left, descending Sulphur Canyon to San Antonio River.

  After crossing a metal grate bridge the road unexpectedly leaves the river, climbing briefly then crossing a broad windswept plateau where I battled the fiercest headwinds of the day before rejoining the Lowland Route at Jolon Road.

  I turned right then entered US101, riding the shoulder for a mile before exiting at Bradley.

  Sam Beal was manning the Bradley Rest Stop. Sam had moved to Paso Robles a few years ago. He said the roads are nice and empty most of the time, but he misses riding with others. I nibbled on some Fig Newtons, but I felt I had enough provision to see me to the end.

  I continued south of Bradley, then turned left onto Hare Canyon Road. Hare Canyon Road makes an undulating climb up a shallow grass-covered canyon. I could see no definite watercourse flowing at the bottom of the canyon, the road appearing to be the lowest point between its gentle walls.

  Several miles from the mouth of the canyon the road departs from the bottom and climbs briefly over its eastern wall before descending sharply into Indian Canyon.

  I stopped at the bridge over Big Sandy Creek to enjoy for a moment the solitude of the spot. The sun was lowering in the sky, and the light shone brightly on the grass-covered hills. Then I turned right on Indian Canyon Road and enjoyed a long undulating descent toward Paso Robles with the aid of a stiff tailwind.

  Near the bottom of Indian Valley Road I encountered the last rest stop. I stopped long enough to check in, but I could smell the barn now, so I pressed on without lingering.

  The tailwind persisted, and as I saw I'd have plenty of battery energy, I continued on River Road at the maximum safe speed.

  A few miles before Union Street I encountered Justin Too again. I slowed so that Justin could draft if he wished. He followed closely for a short while, but then he fell back. I don't offer much of a draft off my tail, so I wasn't surprised he decided to continue to the finish at his own pace.

  A block from the finish I stopped and waited for Justin to have the honor of finishing first among those who rode the Highland Route, then followed in after him.

  We took finish line photos, then proceeded to Plymouth Congregational Church where a post-ride dinner had been prepared.

  The pasta dinner tasted good, but my body wasn't prepared to eat a big meal quite yet. Long rides suppress my appetite for a while afterward. I ate a small portion, then went back twice more for additional small portions while drinking water and soda, topped off with a scoop of Neapolitan ice cream. These went down well.

  After dinner, I began to feel sleepy. The sun was setting, the temperature dropping, and the wind was picking up. I still had to ride two miles back to the motel, and I wanted to do this in the remaining daylight.

  As I rode by a temperature sign, it read 57F, and I began to feel chilled again. It felt good to arrive at the motel, get the bike parked inside, and to take a hot shower.

  On the Devil Mountain Double two weeks ago I had descended with my speed set to 20 mph or slower. On this ride I descended most hills with my speed at 25 mph where this was safe to do. My informal tests during the intervening two weeks were inconclusive about which speed was more or less efficient.

  On a single hill I observed about as much regeneration at the higher speed, which is counter-intuitive. There should be additional loss due to increased air friction at the higher speed and hence less regeneration. But, it is also true that the controller recaptures more energy at higher wheel speed for a given braking force. I know that the sweet spot on most terrain at moderate grades is somewhere around 20-25 mph. A lower speed results in the controller plugging (attempting to drive the motor with a reverse force, consuming battery energy to do so, and heating the motor) part of the time to maintain speed, and a higher speed causes more energy to be lost to air friction.

  If I allow my speed to increase on steeper terrain I can maintain highest efficiency. The problem with that strategy is that most hills with steep downgrades are not straight and broad but twisty and technical, like Nacimiento Road, requiring significant slowing to negotiate corners safely.

  Unfortunately, the efficient operating envelope for the controller does not always align with road conditions. On a long straight down grade of 5-7% that is safe to travel at 40+ mph I get the most efficient regeneration at 20 mph. On a steep often twisty downgrade of 10+% the controller needs the bike's speed to be held above 25 mph, and this is often not safe to do.

  On this ride my range extension was less than I observed on the Devil Mountain Double. This could be due to headwinds present on this ride, my not pedaling quite as hard as I did two weeks ago, or it could be from my descending set speed of 25 mph causing greater aero losses that over a long ride become observable. On the plus side my average speed was slightly higher.

  On my next long ride I will try using 22.5 mph as my set speed on downgrades. In the end I may need to vary my set speeds for regeneration depending on road and wind conditions.

  ^*The credit card problem ended up being due to my carelessness. When I made the reservation I had used my computer's auto-fill, accidentally selecting a card that been canceled a year ago but had similar last four numbers as my intended card, a reminder to check carefully the full credit card number when entering it using auto-fill, especially if one frequently opens and closes credit card accounts.

  ^†Net consumption was (211.0 miles) * (13.1 wh/mi) = 2764 wh. So, in theory I had just enough initial battery charge to complete the Highland Route without recharging at lunchtime.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	198.4 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	15460 feet
  Total Time:	12:15:37
  Riding Time:	10:47:08
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	34.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	3347† wh
  Wh/mi:	12.5
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	64.6
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	16.8
  Range extension due to regeneration:	35.1%
  Peak Forward Current:	24.7 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	28.1 Amps

  Devil Mountain Double, April 29, 2017 - After registering, preparing the night before, waking early, and driving to San Ramon, then setting up the bike in a dark parking lot, my Devil Mountain Double almost ended before it started.

  As a final check of the drive system at quarter to six I spun up the rear wheel only to see the controller shut down. Uh, oh.

  Last weekend I had discovered that I had programmed my upper voltage cutoff slightly too low for a fully-charged battery, low enough that a fully-charged battery would prevent the controller from functioning.

  Since charging a Li-Ion battery to its maximum voltage reduces its cycle life, I typically charge to 90-95% of maximum, and so prior to last weekend's test ride I hadn't actually tested my system when starting from the higher battery voltage. But the length of today's ride suggested that starting with a fully-charged battery would be prudent.

  Since I was starting from home last weekend, I quickly repaired the problem by reprogramming the controller for a more liberal upper voltage cutoff. I figured that I must not have saved the changes to the controller's flash memory and that it "forgot" its new programming when I turned the power off.

  But this morning I was on the road, and I had left my laptop at home. I thought desperately of a way to bleed off the top-charge voltage. I turned on all the lights full-power, but it would take hours to bleed off the top-charge, too late for me to start the course.

  Then I considered that the controller may behave differently with an unloaded motor than with a loaded motor. Perhaps the unloaded motor was sending a sharper back-EMF pulse into the controller, temporarily spiking the battery voltage over the limit.

  I put my foot against the rear tire to create a load and gently nudged the throttle. It worked! The controller did not shut down. The changes I made last weekend must have been saved after all.

  I quickly finished preparing the bike, then rolled over to the start area in time to catch the preliminary speech. A couple of minutes later some 10-12 of us in the six o'clock start group were off.

  At the first few intersections George Pinney paced us in his SAG car, corking the intersection against non-existent cross traffic as we continued through as a group.

  As we rolled over hills on Crow Canyon Road the group stuck together. Then through Blackhawk the group began to split up. I followed the leaders until we were into Mt. Diablo State Park, then I continued to the summit at my own pace.

  The view from South Gate Road as the sun rose over Danville was spectacular. As I reached the upper end of South Gate Road, the wind began to gust. I had to take care not to get blown off the road. Fortunately, the winds did not strengthen as I climbed higher.

  I stopped at the summit rest stop long enough for one of the volunteers to snap my photo, then I began my descent. The air was cold, and I was anxious to get down to calmer air.

  My objective today was to finish before dark. That meant that I needed to keep moving and to ride efficiently. The latter meant keeping speed between 20 and 25 mph on the flat and downhill sections to capture most of the energy that would otherwise be scrubbed off as air friction and to climb at maximum power, applying power where it does the most to increase my average speed.

  Even if I had no desire to regenerate I doubt I would have descended Mt. Diablo much faster due to the gusting wind that threatened at any moment to blow me off the road. Near the bottom of South Gate Road I stopped to snap a photo of a tom displaying his plumage. By the time I reached the bottom I was ready to start pedaling again.

  The course returned to Blackhawk then east on Camino Tassajara and Highland Road, zig-zagging through the fields north of Livermore toward Altamont Pass.

  On Highland Road I encountered Derek Stedman, the human-powered leader on the course who had passed me sometime earlier on the Mt. Diablo descent. For the first two-thirds of the ride we rode at roughly the same pace but never together. I would pass him on the uphills, and he would pass me on the downhills while I was regenerating. Although I was not racing, it was hard not to speculate about when I might encounter him again on the road. It became a habit for me to check my rear-view mirror toward the bottom of a descent in time for me to leave room in the lane for his passage. I'd like to think I gave him motivation, perhaps his seeing me in my machine alternately as a "rabbit" or "devil", depending on whether I was ahead or behind. The cycle repeated six or seven more times that day until I stopped for lunch at The Junction as I was returning to Livermore. He must have pressed on as I didn't see him again. I rarely encounter human-powered cyclists who can maintain my usual pace over a long distance.

  As I started to climb Altamont Pass near Carroll Road I saw other cyclists riding the opposite direction, one of whom looked remarkably like Jason Perez on an upright bike. If it was, he showed no recognition of my bike, and by the time I figured out who it might have been, I was too far past him for me to call out.

  I stopped briefly at the Midway Road rest stop to collect a couple of Clif Bars for the road, then pressed on up to Patterson Pass and back down the west side into Livermore Valley.

  Although California had had a drenching this winter, the wildflower season in northern California has been a disappointment. A few splashes of color here and there, but nothing like the bloom witnessed in southern California. Even absent wildflowers, the green hills were a nice change from the year-round brown we had become accustomed to for the last several years.

  I stopped at the Mines Road rest stop only long enough to give the volunteers my number. I was feeling good, so I pressed on up Arroyo Mocho, passing a rest stop for another organized ride and encountering Bob Walmsley on the road near the top of the second climb before The Junction. He, John Woodfill, and others were riding the Mount Hamilton Loop "backwards". Bob told me it was the first time he had ridden the loop that direction.

  At The Junction I stopped to get another snack for the road then continued on to the summit of Mount Hamilton.

  On my way through Upper San Antonio Valley I spied a small group of cyclists riding up Upper San Antonio Valley Road toward Henry Coe State Park. Maybe it was Patrick Herlihy's Monstercross ride. I must have missed seeing them on the road by a few minutes.

  At the summit I stopped to enjoy the view north for a short time before returning the way I had come. I stopped again at the check point below the summit to speak with the volunteers to make sure they got my number. They had managed to read my number as I rode by on my way to the summit.

  On my way down the backside I encountered Derek nearing the top of the climb and further down, Bob Walmsley, John Woodfill, and others in their group who were climbing.

  Derek must not have wasted any time at the summit as he passed me near the cattle grate on the descent.

  At Isabel Creek I waved at and snapped a photo of the rest stop, crew, and Derek who had stopped to resupply, but I felt I had enough to get to lunch where I would take a longer pause from exercise and to enjoy my "hundred dollar sandwich", so I pressed on.

  Alongside Arroyo Bayo I stopped to snap a photo of a goose family waddling down the middle of the road. Although the road is sparsely traveled, the geese were on the wrong side of a blind corner. I did my best to scare them off the road before I continued.

  When I got to The Junction, I rolled up the driveway to the cafe and parked next to one of the 120 VAC outlets on the side of the building. To dispel any range anxiety I had planned to charge the battery for 45 to 60 minutes while I rested and ate lunch. As I unpacked the charger and power cable I saw that I had packed an IEC C13/C14 extension cord, not the proper power cable. There would be no charge today!

  Fortunately, I tend to be overly conservative with my energy usage. I was fairly certain I could get back to the start without running out, especially if I allowed myself to skip the detour out to Castro Valley and head straight back to San Ramon from Livermore. But, I wanted to complete the entire route, so I rode conservatively after lunch, coasting and regenerating as much as I could.

  It is said that bad luck comes in threes: (1) my scare in thinking the controller would not function at the start, and (2) my having forgotten to pack the correct power cord for the charger. The third was an interval of bloating after lunch, brought on by eating too much, the first long ride of the season in warm weather, body chemistry slightly out of whack, or who knows what. Fortunately, I experienced no heart arrhythmia.

  Bloating while riding an upright bike can be downright disabling, but while riding a recumbent it is merely uncomfortable. I managed to keep moving through it all, although I drank extra water, dropped a Nuun tablet into my 16oz bottle of water, and put down a couple tablets of the "pink stuff" I carry with me for such occasions.

  By the time I reached the Mines Road rest stop I was feeling better, well enough that I resolved to continue along the course. It helped that my net battery energy usage from Eylar Summit to the bottom of Mines Road was about zero, that I regenerated as much on the descent as I had consumed on the various uphill and level sections.

  Traffic through Livermore and Pleasanton was unpleasant, accustomed as I was to the quiet back roads. Prom Night was getting under way at Foothill High School as charter buses and auto traffic full of dressed-up teens were heavy along Foothill Road.

  In spite of the noise of nearby I-580 it was a relief to climb uninterrupted on Dublin Canyon Road. I paused at the rest stop near the summit of the climb and chatted briefly with the volunteers, but I took on no provisions. The end of the ride was near, and I could smell the barn.

  I pressed on into Castro Valley, and as I descended I managed to put down an energy bar with several large gulps of water. The climb up Crow Canyon and Norris Canyon Roads would have been painful but not impossible had I run short of battery by this point. Fortunately, I had energy to spare, enough that I probably could have spared myself the delay from riding in "eco mode" from The Junction to the bottom of Mines Road.

  As I pulled into the Marriott parking lot I saw no one checking in riders at the main entrance, so I rode around to my van to change clothes and put the bike away before finding the check-in station and enjoying a small after-ride supper where I chatted with some of the other finishers, including Tom Mac.

  Overall I enjoyed the ride, as much as one can enjoy riding one's bike 200 miles over 12 hours. The unpleasant memories will in time be forgotten. If I ride next year when the route returns to its usual with an additional 3000 feet of climbing I will have to ride conservatively the entire time or I will have to be certain that I bring the correct power cord for my charger!

  ^†Net consumption was (198.4 miles) * (12.5 wh/mi) = 2480 wh.

  ---

2016

• Low-Key Hill Climbs 2016 - This link takes you to the blog for this year's Low-Key Hill Climb series. Photos are mostly race photos of individuals with some scenery photos thrown in, especially if I did more riding before or afterward. The blog write-up covers technical details from my climb, the ride to and from the climb, technical commentary about the photos, and other related topics.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
  Distance:	175.8 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	13350 feet
  Total Time:	11:48:57
  Riding Time:	8:53:28
  Avg. Speed (moving):	19.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	38.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2625† wh
  Wh/mi:	12.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	49.9
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	8.7
  Peak Forward Current:	24.1 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	35.7 Amps

  Knoxville Double Century (Abridged), September 24, 2016 - I had last ridden the Knoxville Double Metric in 2001. At that time I had missed the riding the roads on the northern loop. Today I would make up for that omission.

  I hadn't signed up for the ride, and I wasn't even sure I was going to do the ride until I managed to get out of bed at 0300 on the morning of the ride. I had planned to get myself to the start in Vacaville by 0700 and be on the road before 0730. This was about 2 hours after the official start time. Zach was riding the entire route on his electric assist trike, and I planned to meet up with him somewhere along Berryessa Knoxville Road north of the Pope Canyon rest stop.

  I carried enough battery capacity to do the entire route, but I wanted to get some sleep the night before, so I decided to cut out the Napa Valley portion of the route, and stick to a simple figure-8 loop by taking the shortest outbound route that got me to the Pope Canyon rest stop. I felt no compulsion to ride exactly 200 miles. 170 or 175 was good enough.

  I was on the road shortly after 0700. It wasn't long before I was warm enough to peel down to short sleeves as I was riding through the sleepy bedroom community of Fairfield.

  I cruised quickly up Suisun Valley Road and Wooden Valley Road. At CA121 I turned right and headed north instead of turning left toward Napa Valley. I quickly found myself waiting at a one-way control for several minutes.

  At CA128 I turned left and cruised north until I reached Turtle Rock Bar & Grill. Just past the Grill I turned right on Berryessa Knoxville Road. About a half hour later I arrived at the Pope Canyon rest stop where I ran into George Pinney, Quack Cyclist, and one of the ride's organizers.

  "Have you seen a guy on a low trike come through yet?", I asked.

  "Oh, you mean Zach?", George replied.

  "Yes."

  "Oh, I saw him some distance back, about 45 minutes from here."

  While I waited for Zach to arrive, I spoke with George about my bike, his velomobile project, and other related topics.

  "Help yourself to any food or water," he offered. "It'll get thrown away if it doesn't get eaten."

  I felt a little guilty taking any supplies from the rest stop since I hadn't registered for the ride, so I declined.

  When Zach finally arrived he was having trouble with one of his batteries, and I discovered he had hooked up an extension cord backwards. After reversing the cord, everything worked normally.

  I was relieved to get back in the bike and to get moving again as I was getting hot standing around in the sun at the shadeless rest stop.

  We proceeded over a long bridge crossing Putah Creek and worked our way north along the western shore of Lake Berryessa. Then as the road lost its center stripe, we left the reservoir for good and started a rolling climb alongside Eticuera Creek, crossing it several times at concrete fords. Several groups of hunters in fatigues, rifles slung over their shoulders, stood by the road or walked along it.

  This remote section of Berryessa Knoxville Road was as rough as a paved road gets, featuring many rocks and unfilled potholes. Although we both managed to proceed faster than the unassisted cyclists, I found myself concentrating most of the time on picking a clean and smooth line.

  As the road started up Knoxville Creek the grade pitched upward and climbed more steeply near the top. Then just before we entered a short tunnel under the McLaughlin Mine the road regained its center stripe. A short distance beyond that we paused at the next rest stop that featured a broad view of the fire-blackened hills to the south and west.

  The rest of the day we would be riding through areas that had burned sometime in the last few years. The destruction looked like a war zone in places.

  Beyond the rest stop the road rolled up and down. Then after crossing into Lake County the road name changed to Morgan Valley and headed down more often than up.

  I used the opportunity put some energy back into my battery by regenerating at a speed between 20 and 30 mph. Faster than that and I would lose too much energy to air friction. Some upright riders and the tandem team zipped past me on the downhill.

  Zach was uncertain if he would be riding the "Highland" route through Cobb or the "Lowland" route. I was going to find lunch in Lower Lake while he would get lunch at the official rest stop. He would call me and let me know which route he planned to take after lunch so we could again hook up.

  When I got into town I looked in vain for a deli or some place I could pick up a quick lunch that I could keep down while riding my bike another 100 miles. KFC and Long John Silver wasn't what I had in mind.

  I circled back through town to the official lunch stop and found George again with whom I inquired about lunch spots in town.

  "Just eat here!", he insisted, gesturing toward the picnic area. "We've got plenty of food. Have a burrito!"

  At this point I gave in and ate a burrito, V8, potato chips, and refilled my water bladder.

  At lunch Zach and I encountered Jason Perez who had just arrived at lunch and had earlier in the season won the recumbent division of this year's Triple Crown Stage Race.

  "You can have my burrito," Jason offered. "I'm not eating."

  After lunch Zach, Jason and Jason's riding companion, Roy, left a few minutes before me. I encountered them again a short distance up Seigler Canyon Road, but I did not ride with them for long.

  As the road pitched up I needed to keep my speed above about 8 mph to keep my motor operating in its efficient zone and not overheating, even with the Hubsinks (hub motor heat sinks) I was beta-testing today. Zach told me later that his motor started to overheat on the climb. My motor got to 95C, not quite to the lower threshold (100C) where my controller starts to roll back current.

  We regrouped at CA175 and started south through Loch Lomond, Hobergs, Cobb, and Whispering Pines. Hobergs and Cobb had seen much destruction from the recent forest fires. The cool, dark, pine forest that had stood here upon my last visit to the area appeared to have been clear-cut by fire, leaving the area barren, dusty, and hot. A number of properties were being rebuilt, but many others had "for sale" signs out front.

  On the descent into Middletown Jason zipped ahead and even Zach let loose on the smooth straight downhill. I regenerated not so much because I needed to but because I could divert my eyes from the road once in a while to enjoy the scenery by keeping my speed around 25 mph. I don't often ride in the Cobb Mountain area.

  After getting through Middletown we started down Butts Canyon Road, stopping for a few minutes at a rest stop near Detert Reservoir, then continued down into the bowels of Butts Canyon.

  It was here that my drivetrain momentarily seized, then functioned normally. It was an odd sensation, as if the cranks had much resistance initially, then became easy to spin once I overcame the initial resistance. At first I though perhaps the kickstand was rubbing the tire or the mid-drive was sticking. I stopped the bike to check, but I found nothing amiss. The problem did not recur.

  After Zach stopped to swap a battery we pressed on into Pope Valley, then Chiles Valley. As we began the descent into Chiles Canyon, Zach passed a group of upright cyclists, but the descent became technical before I could slip past, so I hung back.

  After a short stop at Moore Creek rest stop we continued down to Lake Hennessy, then climbed up Sage Canyon on CA128. It was here I decided that the state highways all had better surface treatment than the county roads. Although I prefer these days to ride during daylight, I decided that if I found myself riding at night I would prefer to be riding the smooth state highways over the rock-strewn, pot-holed county roads of Northern California.

  At my suggestion Zach increased his assist level from "2" to "3" so that he could cruise level ground around 25-27 mph. We moved along the straight highway faster after we passed the Turtle Rock Bar & Grill.

  At Cardiac Hill I again used full power to climb. At first I regenerated at 25 mph on the descent, but since I had just passed other cyclists near the top of the hill, they were starting to overtake me on the downhill. I stopped regenerating manually, and allowed the bike to coast up to its natural regeneration speed, which for the battery voltage at the time was around 39 mph.

  We stopped for a few minutes at the last rest stop before finishing the last 13 miles back to the finish as the sun began to set behind the hills to the west. We arrived at the finish just as it would otherwise have been time to turn on headlights and taillights if they weren't already on.

  I met George at the finish again and asked if I could get dinner in exchange for payment, assuming they had enough food. He insisted I eat but refused payment. Thanks, George.

  After we had finished dinner Jason and Roy rolled in. They had apparently taken a wrong turn down the dead-end Steele Canyon Road, getting significant bonus miles and climbing.

  As we were getting ready to leave dinner and pack up the bikes I learned that Jason had ridden to the start from home and would be riding 60 miles back to Brentwood by bike, then returning the next day for Chuck Bramwell's presentation. I offered to drop him at home so he could get some sleep, and he accepted.

  After dropping Jason in Brentwood I continued home, arriving just before midnight, the effect of my one Mountain Dew starting to wear off. It was 0130 before I was in bed with the lights off, a 22.5 hour day.

  ^†Net consumption was (175.8 miles) * (12.3 wh/mi) = 2162 wh.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	42.1 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5200 feet
  Total Time:	4:01:11
  Riding Time:	2:53:18
  Avg. Speed (moving):	14.6 mph
  Max. Speed:	49.1 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	782 wh
  Wh/mi:	18.6
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	30.6
  Peak Forward Current:	49.0 Amps

  Mammoth Tour, September 15, 2016 - We enjoyed a leisurely wake-up and late breakfast, but as the morning wore on we felt that today was a good day to take a bike ride. Stella was still feeling not quite well enough to go out and about, but Frank's budding illness had not progressed to the point that he felt similarly.

  I floated the idea of riding up to Mosquito Flat to enjoy the new asphalt on Upper Rock Creek Canyon Road, but that meant Frank would need to drive his bike in the car to get closer to the area as the full distance to/from the condo would have been too far for him. After some discussion we decided to stay close to the condo and forego the need for driving a car. We settled on a ride over to Reds Meadow and back.

  As I started down the steep hill into town I discovered that I had neglected to bed in my newly-installed brake pads. My front brakes got more than the usual workout.

  We detoured to Minaret Vista for the obligatory photo, then descended to Reds Meadow.

  I went slowly, alternately dragging and pumping my rear brake to help accelerate the pad bedding-in process. By the time I got to Reds Meadow my rear brakes were working adequately.

  In front of the Reds Meadow Resort General Store we ran into Simone Marzonie who was delivering a couple of through-hikers to the trailhead. Simone and her partner, Scottie, run the Mammoth Taxi service and frequently shuttle hikers between trailheads in the eastern Sierra or between Mammoth and points more distant. She said she could even carry me and my bike if I found myself stuck somewhere in the mountains with no other available transport options. After learning the price ($75/hour—the clock starts when a vehicle is dispatched from Mammoth and stops when that vehicle arrives back in Mammoth) and taking her business card, I told her that her service could be a life-saver, but I hoped never to need to call upon it. We all laughed.

  After we had climbed back to the kiosk at the pass, Frank decided he'd had enough for the day and would be heading back to the condo. I had a little more in my legs, so I added my full Mammoth Tour that looped into town then back up to shrinking Horseshoe Lake before returning to the condo. This time I rode clockwise around pretty Lake Mary as the afternoon sun dipped to the west.

  Near the end of my ride at the top of the steep climb up Davison Road near Canyon Lodge, my motor drive chain popped off its chainring. This had never happened before. Then I noticed my chainrings wobbling. That explained why the motor chain came off. The bike chain has a greater tolerance for error, so it remained engaged. It was clear something had failed at the bottom bracket or in the crank. I suspected the crank freewheel.

  Fortunately, I had only one more short hill to climb on my return to the condo. I was able to reset the chain and get a short distance up Mammoth Slopes Road before the chain popped off again. This time I got off and walked the bike up the rest of the short hill.

  A post-mortem revealed that the crank freewheel lockring had come unscrewed. I had recently replaced the crank freewheel with a new ACS Crossfire whose lockring had not been welded closed. My previous freewheel lockrings had all been welded to prevent precession from unscrewing the freewheel while in use. I was fortunate not to be far from home when it failed.

  Later, I was able to re-tighten the lockring, applying Loctite 271 "red" to the threads. If that doesn't hold, I'll have to get it welded.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	127.2 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	11270 feet
  Total Time:	7:52:41
  Riding Time:	7:08:03
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.8 mph
  Max. Speed:	52.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1882 wh
  Wh/mi:	14.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	71.8
  Peak Current:	35.4 Amps

  Markleeville to Columbia, August 4, 2016 - Upon rising at 0600 after a reasonably long sleep at the Creekside Lodge in Markleeville I checked on my batteries' state of charge. Seeing that all was well, I continued to prepare my bike for departure.

  While filling my bladder from the tub faucet, I could not get cold water to emerge, no matter where I dialed the temperature. I suspect the hotel's hot water recirculating system was back-feeding into the cold or the pipes were run together allowing heat to move from the hot to the cold pipes. The coldest I was able to get was slightly-warmer-than-room-temperature water from the faucet. While this felt fine as a "cold" shower the day before, I would have preferred mountain cold water in my drink bladder.

  At 0700 I finished getting dressed and walked next door to Ali's Cafe for breakfast, who was in the process of opening. I ordered two servings (one after the other) of the Horchata Oatmeal, which was the perfect breakfast before a long day on the bike. Ali kindly charged me only half-price for my second helping.

  After breakfast I made my final preparations, left the key in my room, and was off at 0800. The first five miles in the shady West Carson River Canyon was the only time I wore my longs. By the time I arrived at Monitor Creek I knew I would be too warm on the climb in all that clothing, so I peeled down for the rest of the day.

  The climb up the west side of Monitor Pass is steepest on the segment before Heenan Lake. I tried to maintain about 10 mph, but that would have required too much power, so I settled for 8.5 mph on the steeper parts.

  I stopped only when I reached the stone monument marking the summit where I met Chris Larkin who had arrived just before me. Chris was riding his own "Death Ride" and was busy refilling his water bottles from a stash he had left at the summit the day before. Chris took my photo.

  A slight breeze was blowing up the slope, so my terminal velocity was only in the mid-40's (mph) on the upper part of the descent, but I did peak into the low-50's on the final run near the bottom. It was fast enough. I wanted to be able to take photos on the way down, and I felt uneasy riding one-handed on a high-speed descent and snapping photos, such as this one, with the other hand.

  Up to this point I had enjoyed the road to myself with only a few passing motorists. Once I started south on US395 I would be sharing the road with heavier traffic, including occasional trucks.

  As the day before passing traffic left me plenty of space. Maybe it's my unusual bike that encourages the good behavior, or just curiosity momentarily overcoming impatience in the human driver's lizard brain. Whatever the reason, I'll take it.

  Centennial Bluff looked as pretty as ever in the morning light as it rose above The Meadowcliff where I had stayed on my 2014 tour.

  I slowed a bit as I rode through Walker so that I could check out the motels and eateries. Then I started up the Walker River Canyon.

  In 2014 I remember enjoying a mostly fast descent riding northbound late in the day. Today a slight tailwind helped, but I'd have to power uphill to maintain my target 20 mph speed.

  Less than an hour passed by the time I crossed the Walker River and climbed a bit further to Sonora Junction. Although the Canyon was pretty, I was happy to be turning onto CA108, a less heavily traveled road.

  As I rode south on US395 I had enjoyed a high overcast that had delayed the onslaught of the day's heat. But as I headed west into the full sun, I could now feel it's warmth beating down on me. Still the temperature was a manageable 85F.

  I continued past the Marine Mountain Warfare Training Center after which I saw troops in various spots along the road. As I started up the steep switchbacks above Leavitt Meadow four enormous troop carrying trucks roared past me. I saw them later higher up the road.

  The east side of Sonora Pass climbs steeply in spots but offers frequent respites from the grueling upgrade of the west side approach. It was at one of these respites that I decided to enjoy my first time-out longer than five minutes where I ate half of a PB&J sandwich that I had planned to eat at the summit. Two servings of Horchata Oatmeal hadn't quite gotten me to the summit of Sonora Pass.

  With renewed energy I pressed up to the summit, where I took a selfie in front of the summit sign. Two weary PCT hikers attempting to hitch-hike into Bridgeport appeared disinclined to cross the road to play photographer.

  After finishing my first sandwich I started down the west side of Sonora Pass.

  It was on this section of road that I was most concerned about having a brake failure of some sort. I'm pleased to report that my brakes survived, although they made (again) a disconcerting rasping noise upon release of the brakes after a long stretch of heavy usage.

  I took some photographs (1, 2) on the dramatic descent, but most of the time I was in two-hands-on-the-bars mode.

  While I had seen my coolest temperature of the day (75F) at the summit, by the time I reached Eureka Valley at the bottom the temperature was back into the high-80s (F), and it felt hot.

  I stopped at the Dardanelle Ranger Station to top off my water bladder. I had drunk more than 2 liters of water since leaving Markleeville and would not have had enough to see me to the end of the day's ride had I been unable to refill. Fortunately, the hydrant was fully functional.

  I pressed on alongside the Middle Fork Stanislaus River, then climbed to Donnells Vista where I ate my second sandwich. Having hiked down to the railing to enjoy the best view of Donnells Reservoir, I decided to save time and not to wheel my bike down the circuitous path, contenting myself this time with the limited view from the parking lot.

  The next 10 miles of CA108 west of Donnells Vista is pretty but featureless, the road traversing along a evergreen forested ridge most of the way, dipping and rising, but mostly dipping past the communities of Cascade Creek, Cow Creek, Leland Creek, and Bumblebee. Then after quite some time, the road heads down forcefully, rounds a 210-degree bend and heads into Strawberry.

  Since I had filled my water at Dardanelle I had no need to stop at the Strawberry store, so I turned off onto Old Strawberry Road, retracing my route from 2014. Old Strawberry Road rejoins CA108 west of Strawberry and Pinecrest.

  CA108 continues west through Cold Springs before completely losing its shoulder while traversing below Bald Mountain. It was along this stretch that a polite local towing a horse trailer declined to pass me until the road widened again. Unfortunately, one of the four motorists behind the horse trailer was not so polite at having been delayed by a minute or two.

  West of Bald Mountain CA108 divides into four lanes and descends in earnest alongside Sugarpine Creek. At the base of this descent, I passed through Long Barn, Sierra Village, Mi-Wuk Village, and Sugarpine. At the west end of Sugarpine, I left CA108 for good, heading onto Middle Camp Road.

  No sooner had I begun to feel relief at having left the increasingly busy main highway I was chased by a large though slightly overweight German shepherd, barking and growling. I barked and growled back at it. Fortunately, it didn't show me its teeth, but next time I pass the spot I'll keep a primed water bottle in one hand.

  Middle Camp Road descends about 1300 feet steeply at times along Sullivan Creek through Brentwood Park. The road makes several forks where the correct direction is not obvious. I had to check road signs each time to make sure I went the right way.

  At the bottom of this descent its name changes to Longeway before arriving at a T intersection. I turned right and continued on Big Hill Road.

  Big Hill Road climbs for some distance before descending then traversing further. After it passes an old Sawmill site, Big Hill Road descends for good into Columbia, arriving at another T intersection with Yankee Hill Road. I turned right again, and a mile later I found myself back at Marble Quarry RV Park where the temperature was a toasty 95F.

  After packing my bike and supplies into the van and drinking a Mountain Dew so that I wouldn't nod off during the drive home, I departed, stopping on the way for a quick dinner at the Subway in Jamestown, arriving home at sunset, concluding an enjoyable but challenging—even on an e-bike—trans-Sierra tour.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	86.9 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	11740 feet
  Total Time:	6:08:03
  Riding Time:	5:29:20
  Avg. Speed (moving):	15.8 mph
  Max. Speed:	44.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1572 wh
  Wh/mi:	18.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	59.7
  Peak Current:	28.3 Amps

  Columbia to Markleeville, August 3, 2016 - Two weeks prior I had started this tour, only to have my rear wheel begin to fail at 37 miles out from the start. At the time I decided to abort the tour, overhaul my bike, and try again at the next good opportunity.

  That opportunity came two weeks later, when I could escape for a couple of days mid-week, when the weather was forecast to be clear and cooler than the prior week, although it was still quite hot, and I had gotten my bike working to my satisfaction.

  As before I rose early and arrived in Columbia around 0830. I had been unable to speak to anyone at the Marble Quarry RV Park about parking my van overnight, so I left a phone message, then after arriving I filled out my paperwork at the "night desk" and left $5 for the overnight parking fee, crossing my fingers that this wouldn't be a problem for the campground host.

  As I prepped the bike and my bags for departure, I spoke with a long-term resident, Cynthia, who thought it would be no problem for me to park overnight. She would even speak with the campground staff on my behalf when the office opened later that morning at 1000, after I had departed.

  Riding on new brake pads for my TRP Hy/rd disk brakes I started the descent of Parrotts Ferry Road to the high bridge over the Stanislaus River arm of the New Melones Reservoir. The water level was about as it was two weeks earlier, and the temperature was about the same, mid-80s F, and dry. I climbed quickly out of the canyon to the junction with CA4.

  I decided to ride with about 400 watts of assist power (about 280 watts to the rear wheel) where I had a decent shoulder on the road, increasing power to 600 watts where I didn't. This put my speed in the low-teens (mph) to mid-teens, without consuming battery energy wastefully. Those speeds also allowed me to enjoy the scenery a bit and not have to watch the road at all times.

  As I climbed through Murphys where the temperature rose to 90F and then through Avery, Arnold, and Camp Connell where the temperature dropped a bit to 85F. Traffic was heaviest between Murphys and Arnold where all but two passing motorists left a politely wide buffer space. East of Camp Connell traffic thinned considerably, arriving in sporadic platoons of four or five, then allowing me to enjoy solitude for the next five or six minutes until the next wave arrived.

  From Camp Connell to Bear Valley the climb is a bit of a slog, mostly a continuous moderate grade on excellent asphalt. I remember this as a nearly continuous "no brakes" high-speed descent when I rode in the other direction. Scenery was mostly of the trees, but occasionally a view would reveal itself to my right.

  I was surprised that the temperature did not drop as I climbed, remaining stubbornly above 83F. Not hot by objective standards, but the increasing dryness as I rode east combined with the altitude left me feeling a bit out of balance. The air had a dusty smell to it as if much time had passed since the last rain.

  When I arrived at my favorite water hydrant at the east end of Lake Alpine I discovered that the Forest Service had shut it off. Unfortunately, previously reliable water sources are becoming increasingly unreliable.

  Fortunately, the shut-off valved for the hydrant leaked, so upon turning the red handle at the spigot I was able to get a dribbling flow, enough to fill a 20 oz bottle in about five minutes. It was all I needed.

  From Lake Alpine to Pacific Grade Summit the road is 1.5 lanes wide. Traffic was occasional and patient.

  I stopped at the summit sign to snap a bike photo before heading down into Hermit Valley. My brakes seemed to be working adequately, although after being used hard they continued a metallic rasping for some time afterward. (Later I noted that the outer edge of the inside face of the rotor (Shimano XTR) had eroded, and small metal shavings were caught at the caliper. The "self-adjusting" pads left the outer pad pressing hard against the rotor, creating considerable drag and wearing the brake pads down—after the tour I had less than half the original thickness remaining. Fortunately, I had extra battery energy to overcome this drag.)

  I continued through Hermit Valley and started the final push toward Ebbetts Pass. But before I got far I came upon a one-way control established by Caltrans doing road repair. Once we were let through I continued in peace again until I arrived at the Pass.

  A day-hiker offered to snap my photo next to the summit sign.

  Then I started down toward Markleeville. Although I am somewhat familiar with the road I did not descend fast. Aside from not wishing to be taken by surprise by rocks or gravel on the road, other road traffic, animals, etc. I also wanted to stop for a photo if I thought it worthwhile.

  As I descended the temperature rose again to over 90F, sitting at about 92F by the time I arrived at the Creekside Lodge in Markleeville, my lodging for the night.

  The innkeeper wasn't in her office, so I went across the street to the Deli to order a late lunch, only to discover that they had just closed (at 1500 on weekdays, 1630 on weekends). So I went to the Wolf Creek Bar next door and spoke with the bartender who rang the innkeeper for me. Returning to the Lodge I met Jeannie who showed me my room and demonstrated how to open the windows and work the ceiling fan, since there was no air conditioning in the lodge.

  After a minor struggle to get my bike through the door to my room, I was pleased to discover that the room had enough space for me to park my bike at the foot of the bed without blocking the passage between the door and the bathroom.

  My first order of business was to start charging the batteries. I set up the charger to charge at a slow 4-amp rate that would take 15 hours to fully charge the batteries, which would work perfectly. The slow charge rate is easier on the batteries, especially when they're warm, and reduces the likelihood of blowing a fuse or circuit breaker in my room.

  I could find no accessible power outlet in my room, but the bathroom outlet was easily found. I had brought my long power cord in case of just such a situation.

  After a cool shower I relaxed for another hour and checked email, then went next door to the Wolf Creek Restaurant for an early dinner, a veggie burger with salad and breaded and deep-fried onion rings. The latter was a spur-of-the-moment indulgence. I felt like some salt and fat.

  After dinner I walked across the street to look for some fresh fruit, but only lemons were available. I bought a Minute Maid orange juice for dessert.

  Shortly after I returned to my room I heard a soft knock on my door. I opened it to see a gentleman who was also staying at the lodge standing upon the threshold. He had been told by Jeannie that another cyclist staying at the Lodge had arrived on a most unusual bike. He wanted to see my bike.

  So I gave him a tour, and we talked a bit about riding in the area. Although I don't recall his name, he was from Chico and was accustomed to riding early in the morning then resting during the hottest hours of the day.

  That evening after playing bridge against the computer for a half-hour I turned off my light at 2130, and aside from getting up in the night a few times to drink and pee, I slept as well as I can expect on my first night away from home until my alarm went off at 0600 the next morning.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	179.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8850 feet
  Total Time:	12:27:50
  Riding Time:	10:22:44
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	35.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2206† wh
  Wh/mi:	10.4
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	41.3
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	6.5
  Peak Forward Current:	23.6 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	28.0 Amps

  Around the Bay, May 15, 2016 - My third and probably final long bike ride this spring is one that generated some interest after I rode it and blogged about it last year. A couple of friends had expressed interest in joining me, but one friend had bike problems, and the other was out of town. So, I ended up riding alone.

  Since I had ridden the loop CW in 2015, I rode it CCW this year. Having ridden it in both directions, I find I don't have a preference. Each direction has its advantages and disadvantages.

  Riding CW is perhaps slightly easier overall with less climbing, and "enjoys" the Petaluma River Bridge crossing, where there is no shoulder and poor pavement, in the faster downhill direction. Headwinds are a wash either way. In theory temperature extremes would be greater riding CW.

  I started out under a heavy overcast with occasional blue patches. My trip across northern San Jose was on mostly empty roads, as was my ride north on Calaveras Road. As I ducked in and out of each ravine by the Calaveras Reservoir, I noticed damp patches on the road. The air smelled of ozone as is typical after a brief summer shower. Only a couple of motorcycles passed in my direction, and I saw only a few cyclists out at this early hour.

  As I continued into Sunol and then north on Foothill Blvd. traffic thickened slightly. Most of the traffic appeared to be motorists driving their bikes to the trailhead for Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.

  Pressing north into Dublin and Pleasanton I encountered more cyclists and traffic, although the riding was still pleasant in spite of the multi-lane road in Dublin designed for high auto speeds.

  In Danville the downtown area was asleep but for a couple of breakfast places with long queues of hungry diners. I started to see more groups of cyclist riding south and played leap-frog with a couple of cyclists riding north on Danville Blvd.

  Although I haven't been regularly riding in the area since I lived in Berkeley in the mid-1990s I still know the main biking routes as if I were on autopilot. I had neglected to bring a map, but it turns out I didn't need one. After turning left on Hillgrade/Crest, then Tice Valley Blvd. and Olympic Blvd. I climbed up Pleasant Hill Rd. to Reliez Valley Road and headed up and down the sharp hill into Pleasant Hill and on into Martinez on Alhambra Valley and Alhambra Roads. It was all so familiar, except for the new subdivision under construction in what used to be a large field at Reliez Valley Road and Alhambra Valley Road.

  The Carquinez Scenic Drive veers off the street grid at an oblique angle at the end of an old residential neighborhood in the hills immediately west of downtown Martinez, and somehow I "guessed" the correct turns to get there without backtracking. The autopilot was still working.

  Since the Scenic Drive had been closed and the middle portion converted to a bike/hike trail, the county or state had apparently not budgeted to maintain the approach to the eastern trailhead. Pavement was rough and cracked. In one spot the road appeared to be sliding into the abyss with little other than a temporary patch job to fill the cracks.

  The George Miller Trail is worth suffering the minor discomfort of the approach. I stopped at a few spots along the way to snap photos of the Benicia Bridge and of fellow cyclists, Rinne and Jeff, who had stopped to enjoy the view.

  At the Trail's western terminus I continued on the Scenic Drive, passing quaint Port Costa, and arriving in Crockett, the last city on my tour through Contra Costa County.

  The crossing of the Zampa Bridge went smoothly on the broad and uncrowded walkway. As I descended into Vallejo on Sonoma Blvd. I passed a group of riders wearing GPC jerseys riding in the opposite direction.

  The last two years I had taken the Mare Island Causeway across the Napa River, but this year I looked for a way over the Napa River on CA37, as I had done in 1995 upon my first exploration of the area.

  As in 1995 I continued north on Wilson Ave. past a row of well-kept houses and under CA37. But, when I got to the on-ramp for CA37 I was met with a "Bicycles Prohibited" sign. There was no such sign in 1995. I recalled then feeling a touch of vertigo on my upright bike riding the shoulder of the westbound side of this high bridge beside a railing that rose no higher than my waist.

  I backtracked to the eastbound on-ramp to CA37 and noticed a sidewalk on the edge of the on-ramp. I looked over my shoulder up at the bridge and could see what looked like a walkway on the south side. Perhaps there still was a way across this bridge. There were no signs directing travelers, bicyclists or pedestrians, to proceed on this sidewalk, but I was game for a short exploratory adventure.

  I started up the sidewalk that quickly became overgrown with weeds and ice plant nearly to the curb. But, it did lead to the walkway. The walkway was narrow and would not have allowed enough space for me to turn the bike around in-place if I had found the way blocked. Yet I continued.

  The narrow walkway crossed the bridge, but its western end terminated without fanfare in the weeds, literally. But, it was clear I could press through the tall grass on a narrow use trail and gain the shoulder of the eastbound on-ramp from Railroad Ave. on Mare Island. After riding a couple hundred yards up this shoulder against the flow of traffic, I crossed the on-ramp and took the Walnut Ave. bridge over to the north side of CA37 where I could gain legal access to the westbound lanes.

  Traffic was heavy westbound on CA37 where two lanes reduce to one. Motorists with nothing better to do while stopped in traffic but watch me ride my "banana bike" on the walkway earlier I now passed.

  The shoulder shared the same style rumble strip with the eastbound CA152 in Merced County, but there was no asphalt lip at the fog line, and the area to the right of the rumble strip was mostly clean. I cruised at about 23-25 mph, not wanting to be passing stopped traffic at such a speed that would make an evasive maneuver difficult should some motorist decide suddenly to pull off the roadway in front of me. Wind was a left-quartering tailwind when auto traffic wasn't blocking it.

  As CA37 veered toward the southwest west of Sears Point the winds became right-quartering headwinds. I reduced my speed to 20-21 mph so that I wasn't burning too much energy to fight the wind.

  A traffic signal at Lakeville Highway serves to gate traffic into platoons to the west of the signal, providing the benefit of a window for slower bicycle traffic to cross the Petaluma River Bridge where there is no shoulder for about a quarter-mile. This crossing is especially difficult for a bicyclist because traveling westbound the road climbs 50-60 feet to the apex of the bridge.

  As I approached the eastern foot of this bridge, I noticed a large gap in traffic behind me, so I applied full power to climb the bridge quickly. I regained the ample shoulder on the west side just as the lead vehicles in the next platoon arrived.

  One more narrow bridge over Novato Creek remained between me and the rest of my Marin County segment, but this one was easy enough for me to get through without taking extraordinary measures.

  At Hanna Ranch Road I exited CA37, then took the hidden bike path just past the railroad crossing onto Bel Marin Keys, and then across US101 to my lunch stop in the Pacheco Plaza.

  After a relaxing luncheon I proceeded south on Marin County Bike Route 5, and then Route 28 that crosses Mission Pass between Terra Linda and Fairfax. The last time I went this way I remained on Route 5 through Marin County.

  Instead of taking the tedious bike route and its many stop signs through San Anselmo, Ross, and Kentfield, I rode the right lane of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. that was moving at a speed I could match. I switched back to the bike route through Larkspur, Corte Madera, and Mill Valley as the southern section of the bike route has fewer stop signs, and Sir Francis Drake Blvd. becomes a less direct route south.

  As I rode south I saw progressively more bicyclists. By the time I got to Sausalito, the roads and sidewalks were thick with tourists. Some on rental bikes had miscalculated their fitness for climbing the hills and were reduced to pushing their bikes.

  I took the scenic way to the Golden Gate Bridge through Fort Baker, then climbed to the northern approach and rode across, struggling mightily to keep from being blown over as I rounded the southern tower where cross-winds are most treacherous.

  The area around the south end of the bridge was most crowded, but as I continued south into the Presidio and the Outer Richmond, traffic became lighter.

  On this trip I crossed over to Clement St. on 30th Ave. I was hoping to avoid an unnecessary climb past the Palace of the Legion of Honor, but my alternative did not feel any easier overall.

  I rode out to the Cliff House, then started my long trip south along Ocean Beach and the Great Highway.

  Organizers of the annual Bay to Breakers event were still cleaning up their finish line area. But, by this time the winds had picked up and were blowing strongly off the ocean, strong enough to blow sand onto the roadway and into the air. South of Sloat Blvd. enough sand was covering the road that traffic was jammed while trying to pass on the clearest piece of pavement. I pressed in with traffic and was glad I could keep my feet out to the side for stability while I used the motor to propel me forward through the sand drifts. A motorcyclist stopped beside the road appeared to be assessing damage to his bike after being blown over or losing control in the sand. I was happy to get through the area without mishap, and for the next 10 minutes I worked on washing/blowing sand out of my mouth, sinuses, eyes, and lap. The bike's fairing served as a welcome but incomplete shield from the sandblasting.

  Temperatures had been comfortable in San Francisco, but as I rode south and climbed on Skyline Blvd. I rose into the fog. The winds remained strong, but the absence of sunshine dropped the temperature. The coldest part of my ride was through Pacifica to Hillsborough, where I finally broke out into the sun again.

  Further south I found myself on roads I ride frequently. I took one of my usual routes home, arriving home about twelve and a half hours after I started, the ride taking longer than last week's due to the slower overall average speed and the greater portion of suburban riding with frequent traffic signals and traffic.

  In spite of my slower average speed, I enjoyed this ride as much as the others, perhaps more as it included a greater variety of roads and neighborhoods around the Bay Area.

  ^†Net consumption was (179.3 miles) * (10.4 wh/mi) = 1865 wh.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	200.2 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	10390 feet
  Total Time:	12:02:15
  Riding Time:	10:14:23
  Avg. Speed (moving):	19.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	39.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2737† wh
  Wh/mi:	11.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	52.7
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	9.3
  Peak Forward Current:	23.7 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	29.9 Amps

  Mount Hamilton Big Loop South CCW, May 8, 2016 - The day before had seen rain and showers. While the weather forecast predicted little chance of precipitation along my route, the chance was not zero, and it was highest at the furthest points from home. As it turned out the furthest points from home were also the warmest and sunniest.

  I descended the driveway cut in the curb and glided out onto the street under gloomy skies. My route took me south to Saratoga, as if I might be heading over to Santa Cruz or Boulder Creek. It felt strange for me to be starting a trip into the Central Valley by heading toward the coast. Traffic through the city was light but frequent enough to trip most of the traffic lights to red along my route, the lights set to trip "on [instant] demand", as in the instant someone on a cross street demands a green signal, the light turns red on the arterial.

  As I worked my way southeast through Los Gatos, south San Jose, and on past the reservoirs, traffic did not increase. Aside from a few small bunches of motorcyclists, and a bicyclist here or there, I saw no one. Perhaps the overcast skies encouraged people to linger in bed longer than usual. The ride was quite peaceful all the way to the utmost end of Santa Teresa Blvd. and Castro Valley Road when I connected to US101 for a brief transfer to CA25. Even on CA25, traffic was light, although it came in dense bunches, four or five motorists, all but one tailgating the one in front.

  I saw blue skies as I worked my way east on Shore Road, but the clouds closed in again as I started east on CA156 and CA152.

  At the CA156/152 junction, bicyclists are directed to a path that bypasses the CA152 connector. I wouldn't have seen this path had it not been for the sign directing me to a patch of overgrowth beside the road. The path did not appear to see much use and even less maintenance.

  CA152 itself was pleasant to ride upon. Traffic was light, and the shoulder was wide and clean. I cruised up Pacheco Creek Valley past Casa de Fruita at about 23 mph with the aid of a slight tail breeze. When the main climb to Pacheco Pass started I applied full power to keep the motor operating in its efficient zone.

  I glided slowly over the broad pass and started down toward Santa Nella and the San Luis Reservoir.

  Where Santa Clara County had maintained an excellent shoulder for biking, Merced County appears to have given it no thought whatsoever. Although the aerial view map shows no disappearing shoulder eastbound as occurs westbound, it does not reveal some important details. The right-most portion on smooth asphalt was littered with debris, mostly truck treads, rocks, gravel, and other broken auto parts. The center of the shoulder featured a 3-foot wide rumble strip, and the left-most and cleanest portion of the shoulder featured a sharp lip, a resurfacing of the travel lanes having stopped a few inches to the right of the white line.

  For a while I rode on the rumble strip where the asphalt was cleaner. At higher speed the vibration was manageable. But, I finally gave up on that and moved abruptly into the traffic lane (after checking that it was clear, of course). Traffic was light, and everyone had space to move into the fast lane to pass me. Truckers, I noticed were especially courteous about moving over well in advance. It probably didn't hurt that I turned my rear light on full flash mode.

  I did not make any special effort to maximize my energy recapture on this part and allowed the bike to coast up to the speed of natural regeneration, about 40 mph. I figured the sooner I got off this highway the better.

  At the CA33 Santa Nella exit I pulled to the side and took a short break. The sun had made an appearance, and it was time to peel off a layer of clothing.

  As I resumed my trip northbound on CA33, the poor biking accommodation continued. CA33 is a two-lane highway without shoulder. To make matters worse, the surface is broken and pot-holed, especially the right side of the lane.

  Once I got north of Santa Nella road conditions improved. Traffic was less dense, and the road surface became smooth. That trend continued all the way to Patterson as I cruised 26-28 mph into a mild northeast quartering headwind.

  As I gazed to the northwest toward the area through which I would be riding, I could see dark clouds hovering over the hills. Surely, the weather would be worst at the highest point on Mount Hamilton. I considered alternate plans should the weather deteriorate. The alternate routes were (a) to continue north on CA33 after Patterson and return through Tracy and Livermore as I had done the prior week, or (b) to ride to The Junction then return home through Livermore as I might on the usual Mount Hamilton Loop. I would in any case stop for lunch in Patterson, then check the weather report and assess conditions.

  After lunch I decided to stick to the original plan, and leave open option (b). I didn't want to ride the same route I had a week earlier, and although it was cloudy in the hills, it was not raining in most spots. If the rain was only light or showery I might even press on.

  As I climbed Del Puerto Canyon Road, the sun disappeared, but the temperature remained warm and muggy. Hardly a breath of air moved. Ground squirrels chirped, squealing warnings at my approach as they darted heedlessly across the road in front of me, so close I could not see them below the fairing. Traffic was light. Between Diablo Grande and Frank Raines Regional Park, only a few motorcyclists passed in my direction of travel.

  Not much was happening at Frank Raines, either at the park itself or at the off-roaders campground. Most of the campers were packing up and preparing to leave. It was a quiet day in this corner of the countryside.

  The Junction Cafe was open, although only a few customers were parked out front. As I had no need to stop I pressed on. A longer visit to check out the recent changes (new owner and remodeling) would have to wait for another time.

  The cloud cover through San Antonio Valley and the terrain beyond made the riding pleasant if slightly muggy. I stopped for a longer break just past the summit on Seeboy Ridge where I could just see the lookout tower atop Copernicus Peak. I removed my earplugs and listened to the sounds of nature. Without a breath of air moving I could hear birds, insects, and other sounds clearly from all around.

  One mockingbird was engaged in an elaborate routine, while finches chirped, jays scolded, and insects buzzed. Somewhere down the road ahead turkeys gobbled. The sound of tires scraping the rough asphalt could also be heard from a distance, and it was some time between when I could hear the approach of an automobile and when it passed my location.

  After my short break I descended to Isabel Creek then began the last, longest, and most difficult climb of the day up the east side of Copernicus Peak. No view could be enjoyed at the summit surrounded by clouds, but conditions were dry if cool.

  I got out of the bike at the post office and discovered that my kickstand mounting threads had stripped out. Fortunately, the kickstand had not fallen off the bike while I was in motion. And, I was happy not to suffer a flat tire or other mechanical on the entire ride that would have made repair difficult without a working kickstand.

  I knew I had enough battery energy left to get me home without taking special care to maximize energy recapture on the descent, yet I decided to descend efficiently anyways. By keeping my descending speed around 20mph I reduce the potential energy that gets converted into heat due to air friction, converting it instead into battery energy, and I still make reasonable progress. At 20mph or less I can take my eyes off the road occasionally and look around. So, while it isn't as much of a thrill as descending fast, it is less stressful and more efficient.

  At Alum Rock Avenue I continued home on one of my usual return routes, arriving home about 12 hours after I had started.

  This year's ride I found less tiring than last year's in the opposite direction. I suspect I had more favorable winds this year than last with the cloud cover keeping the winds calm.

  ^†Net consumption was (200.2 miles) * (11.3 wh/mi) = 2262 wh.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	167.8 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	9550 feet
  Total Time:	10:48:24
  Riding Time:	9:16:20
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	38.8 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2325 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	43.6
  Battery Amps-Hour Regenerated:	8.1
  Peak Forward Current:	19.1 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	27.9 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	49.2
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1744 wh

  Mount Hamilton Big Loop North, May 1, 2016 - Weariness and a desire to get an extra hour of sleep had me leaving home about an hour later than I had originally planned. In spite of this I was still on-track to finish by dinner time, so I was not overly concerned.

  I took the usual route across north San Jose to Mount Hamilton Road, then climbed to the summit. I did not see many cyclists out on this comfortable and crystal clear Sunday morning, but I did encounter Patrick Herlihy and Company on the final climb to the summit as they were on their way to Henry Coe's back door.

  I stopped briefly at the summit before heading down the east side. I stopped again a short distance from the top to snap a panorama shot of the Sierras shining white through the clear air. Clouds were already forming over the Sierras, and the day would promise to bring violent weather later in the afternoon.

  I rode with an eye toward conserving energy without going so slow that I risked being out past nightfall. On climbs my goal was to stay between 15 and 25 kph where my rear hub motor operated efficiently, and on long descents between 25 and 40 kph where I could maximize energy recapture. Where I had headwinds I kept the speed under 35 kph.

  On the west side climb I stopped to debug an intermittent speedometer sensor. After resuming everything worked fine all the way into Patterson, but after lunch the speedometer reading was fixed at zero and no jiggling of wires or exercising of connectors would restore the readout.

  On the long descent of Del Puerto Canyon, a steady breeze blew in my face. The downhill lessened the effect, and in a few places gravity was able to overcome the resistance and still allow me to move 30-35 kph without my adding additional power.

  Aside from stopping for lunch, my goal in Patterson was to find a good charging location that I might use on a future ride. After relaxing at the local Togo's Sandwich shop I searched the 2-year-old strip mall for exterior outlets and found none. Not even in the nearby plaza were any to be found.

  I then rode across the street to the Subway sandwich shop where I've stopped on prior visits and could not find any exterior outlets in its building. The only outlet I found was one unused outlet next to a Coke vending machine at the SaveMart, some distance from the Subway shop. It was near a small bike rack.

  Once my quest for an outlet was complete I continued east on Sperry Ave. then started my northbound trip on CA33 to Tracy, a straight shot on glass-smooth asphalt with only a few forced stops.

  Winds were blowing lightly from the east-southeast, not as strong as the usual northwest wind, but it made for a relatively quiet and efficient journey. Traffic was moderate between Patterson and Westley, but north of Westley traffic was sparse. All motorists but one passed leaving ample space.

  When I got to Linne Road, I turned left and scooted across the southern side of Tracy to Corral Hollow Rd. Traffic was moderate as far as I-580 but thinned out after that.

  On the final mile of the climb to the summit I went under a cumulus cloud that provided convenient shade for this otherwise hot, exposed climb.

  The descent into Livermore went quickly, the usual wind blowing from the west absent. I stopped at the little league ball park at Concannon and South Livermore Ave. to add some water. Someone had conveniently left a spigot key on the spigot, saving me the trouble of filling a bladder from the drinking fountain.

  I crossed Livermore on Concannon, then took Holmes and Vallecitos Roads to CA84 that I rode over Pigeon Pass. Again, winds were mild at most, although they were more often than not in my face at this point.

  Calaveras Road took me south through Sunol Valley then around the folds of the back side of Mission Peak. The late afternoon, early evening light shined brightly on the west-facing slopes opposite the valley while leaving the east-facing slope in shadow.

  After making the final plunge into Milpitas I rode my usual route home, closing the loop with my outbound route at Montague Expressway and Trade Zone Blvd.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	101.5 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	4860 feet
  Total Time:	4:22:32
  Riding Time:	3:25:42
  Avg. Speed (moving):	29.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	38.1 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2000 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1974 wh
  Wh/mi:	19.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	38.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Regenerated:	0.8
  Peak Forward Current:	25.3 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	22.3 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	46.6
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1480 wh
  Link to:	Results

  Low-Key MegaMonster Enduro, February 6, 2016 - This year's MegaMonster Enduro promised to offer excellent weather, a promise that was kept.

  I arrived in Paicines just before 0700 as the mists over Tres Pinos Creek were receding. Here I met Hui Chen and Sonia Plageman who had stepped forward to help out today, saving the 100-mile route, which would be too hard to support without their help. Between the 100-mile and 100-kilometer routes we had over 120 riders on the road.

  I helped out at check-in, although Hui and Sonia did the bulk of the work. I was somewhat disappointed when I learned that for the first time in several years I would be the only e-biker to be on the road today.

  After everyone had started, I lumbered over to the starting line. At the word, "Go!", I went.

  This year for the first time I was running a direct-drive (DD) hub motor driven by an ASI BAC2000 Field Oriented Controller that informal testing had shown to offer increased efficiency over a typical trapezoidal-wave controller. I knew that the rolling course had no steep climbs and would be close to ideal for an efficient DD hub motor. Yet, I did not expect to challenge my personal best time that I had set the prior year.

  I tried to take photos of everyone on the course, but a few issues conspired to make this difficult:

  1. My speed differential with other cyclists was fairly high, giving me two or three shots at best. Sometimes I got only one shot of a rider, and occasionally I managed to get zero.
  2. I was out of practice taking photos while riding. Many of the shots were mis-aimed. I noticed that my helmet figured too prominently in many, and I suspected that I wasn't raising my arm high enough to clear my head when shooting backwards. I attribute this to lingering stiffness in my left arm/shoulder following a crash I suffered while descending Mt. Diablo on New Years Day, the worst part of which involved the breaking and subsequent healing of three ribs.
  3. I had forgotten to set the camera to shutter-priority mode (1/1000 second or shorter) to get reasonably crisp images. The dial had shifted to aperture-priority at some point, probably when I re-insert the camera into its bag, and changing the back-panel dial in a vain attempt to shorten the shutter instead adjusted the aperture. That and aging eyes made it difficult for me to focus on the small print on-screen to discover my error. The entire outbound trip photos were taken with the camera thus mis-adjusted. In spite of this error, a few of the photos turned out well by giving an appropriate background blur to suggest motion. But, these I attribute to luck rather than skill.

  At the turnaround I stopped and chatted with Kevin for a few minutes, then ate a snack while I enjoyed the warmth of the sun and watched others scurry around quickly to replenish their supplies before commencing their return journeys.

  On the inbound leg not far from the turnaround I came upon Tim Clark who waved and held up a wheel as I approached.

  I considered waving back and gliding past at speed, but then I remembered that I wasn't out to set a personal best today. I had in any case spent too long at the turnaround to seriously consider that I still had a chance to do that. And, I recall that at various times in the past I had been stranded by the road for a number of hours awaiting rescue after I had exhausted my supply of patches and tubes, or after I had broken critical parts of my frame, rendering the bike un-rideable. So, I pulled over and stopped to see what was keeping him by the road.

  Poor Tim had twice gone through a patch of goat head thorns that had put several punctures into two tubes. He was out of fresh tubes—I couldn't resupply him with those as my wheels are a different size. He also needed to borrow tire levers and a pump as he had consumed all of his two CO2 cartridges. I could help him with those, although I forgot to ask him what he did to render his tire levers unusable.

  After struggling with several instant patches that failed to plug all of the leaks, we begged a patch kit and shortly after that a fresh tube off of another participant.

  The fresh tube did the trick, and soon Tim was back on the road heading toward the turnaround. I resumed my ride northward, some 43 minutes after I had stopped.

  I stopped briefly at Bitterwater, then continued on at a brisk pace, arriving in Paicines around 1400.

  Other than stopping to help Tim and the good weather, the ride was unremarkable. But, later I discovered that had I not stopped to help Tim and had I spent half as long or less time at the turnaround I would have set a personal best.

  Comparing the stats above with those of my ride one year ago when I was using my mid-drive, I can see that the efficiency of the DD hub motor driven by the ASI controller was about the same as that of the mid-drive motor driven by an Infineon controller over this rolling course of moderate grades. My average speed was slightly higher this year (29.5 mph vs 29.3 mph) but so was my net energy consumption rate (19.1 wh/mi vs. 18.8 wh/mi).

  Overall it was a good day to be on the bike.

2015

• Low-Key Hill Climbs 2015 - This link takes you to the blog for this year's Low-Key Hill Climb series. Photos are mostly race photos of individuals with some scenery photos thrown in, especially if I did more riding before or afterward. The blog write-up covers technical details from my climb, the ride to and from the climb, technical commentary about the photos, and other related topics.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	54.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	3510 feet
  Total Time:	4:10:13
  Riding Time:	3:22:16
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	44.1 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	785 wh
  Wh/mi:	14.4
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	30.1
  Peak Current:	37 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.5
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	549 wh

  Crowley Lake Tour, September 24, 2015 - After yesterday's adventure that had been longer than planned, we decided not to hike today. Stella wanted to do some shopping and to relax while Frank, who had started the week feeling as if he was not in as good condition this year as last, wanted to go riding. He suggested some variation of Crowley Lake Drive, perhaps with a side trip on McGee Creek and Owens Gorge Roads.

  But Stella wanted the car, and Frank didn't want to ride from the condo as that would add a significant climb at the end of the ride, and we all wanted to be well-rested for our big hike of the week the next day.

  I invited Frank to use my van, and I could meet him at his starting point on Crowley Lake Drive. This plan worked well.

  I departed the condo while Frank was loading his bike and gear into the van. By the time I got down to US-395, I saw the van go by. I continued on at a brisk but not breakneck pace as I knew Frank would need to get his gear assembled before he could ride.

  Frank was still getting ready to ride when I arrived at the spot where he had parked, near Crowley Lake Drive and US-395, where I found him fighting to get into his jersey that he admitted was a little too snug for him.

  We set off on Crowley Lake Drive, passing the remains of the first ski resort in the area, then turned right onto McGee Creek Road.

  McGee Creek Road climbs deceptively steeply in the first mile up the slopes of Long Valley. The road feels steep, yet doesn't look steep.

  The road levels off and rounds a bend that offers a sweeping view of Long Valley and Crowley Lake below.

  We pressed on past a spartan forest service campground and found ourselves shortly at the end of the pavement where we could glimpse up canyon a view of Mount Baldwin and its ridge.

  In 2007 Ron Bobb and I had continued onto the dirt part, riding as far as the McGee Creek trailhead, but today Frank and I had other plans.

  We turned around and descended back to Crowley Lake Drive and turned right. We continued through Hilton Creek and over a low hill past Tom's Place where we found a small traffic jam due to construction on Rock Creek Canyon Road.

  We managed to get past the construction by indicating to the traffic monitor that we were turning left to cross US-395 and get to Owens Gorge Road.

  Owens Gorge Road took us past a small residential community where dwellings are perched or nestled among steep hills of pumice. The road climbed initially, then descended to Crowley Lake at its dam. We crossed the dam and climbed the opposite side of the gorge before turning around at the end of the pavement.

  As we rode back across the dam I caught a whiff of sulphur fumes. The Devil must have been nearby.

  We climbed out of the Gorge, rode back past Tom's Place where the same folks sitting 'round the cracker barrel on our outbound trip were still there, and continued back to the northern end of Crowley Lake Drive, this time with the aid of a nice tailwind. Frank got way ahead of me while I stopped to take photos.

  I started back to Mammoth a minute before Frank, so it wasn't long before I saw him passing me in the van. I continued back into Mammoth at higher speed, taking the old highway into town and Forest Trail around the center of town.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	42.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	4680 feet
  Total Time:	4:50:29
  Riding Time:	3:29:13
  Avg. Speed (moving):	12.1 mph
  Max. Speed:	48.1 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	638 wh
  Wh/mi:	15.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	24.2
  Peak Current:	38 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.9
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	447 wh

  Mammoth Tour, September 22, 2015 - After hiking for two days we decided to go biking today.

  Stella hadn't yet ridden over to Reds Meadow, so we decided to ride there first. If we still had energy, we'd extend the tour up through Old Mammoth to Lake Mary Road, and optionally out to Horseshoe Lake and around Lake Mary. Nice thing about this ride is that we didn't need to drive anywhere in the car to do it, and there were good bail-out options for cutting the ride short.

  Weather was clear and breezy, a contrast from the day before when the air was still and hazy. We enjoyed a razor sharp view of the Minarets and the Ritter Range from Minaret Vista.

  The descent to Reds Meadow is much the same as the last time. The road is narrow and in places bumpy, and even though it was late in the season we still encountered a surprising number of cars, trucks, and campers along the way.

  We stopped for a while at the general store before returning up the hill again.

  When we returned to the top of the hill Stella decided she'd had enough for the day and returned to the condo, while Frank and I continued down the hill into town and beyond to Old Mammoth.

  Old Mammoth Road is a nice quiet climb, once you get past the condos and developments. The road steepens considerably and loses its centerline in the last mile before it reaches Lake Mary Road a short distance uphill from Twin Lakes.

  When we reached Lake Mary Road Frank decided to head back to the condo, while I continued up to Horseshoe Lake and then back the long way around Lake Mary before returning to the condo.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	134.5 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	7740 feet
  Total Time:	12:06:22
  Riding Time:	8:19:29
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	48.0 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1600 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.9
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	62
  Peak Current:	47 Amps

  Davenport July 11, 2015 - Zach sent me a reminder about this ride about a month ago, and I put it on my calendar. But, I didn't click the RSVP button on the Meetup site until the night before.

  Since I hadn't ridden during the week before I decided I'd try to make up for the lost miles by riding to the start of this ride from home on my own rather than fire up the van to haul me and my bike to Half Moon Bay. I left home after 0700 and rode by the quickest bicycling route to Half Moon Bay, arriving at Seymour Street at 0912, where I found Dave Mesa, Neal Oren, Russell, and Christine Moruza already preparing their bikes. Although traffic was heavy on the climb up CA92 from Crystal Springs, I got lucky on the descent and enjoyed a nice gap in traffic from the summit all the way to the traffic signal at CA1 in Half Moon Bay.

  After we (Bill, Zach, Michi, Russell, Neal, and Christine) were ready to go, we set off south on CA1. Fog had cleared early, leaving clear skies and warm temperatures that felt warmer than the mid-70s F on the climbs due to the light tailwinds we enjoyed early in the day.

  We rode south to Stage Road, then descended Stage Road into San Gregorio. While we regrouped at CA1 and Stage Road, we watched many cyclists who wore numbers and appeared to be on an organized ride, pedaling in the opposite direction. Tim Clark (who lives in Moss Beach) also drove by in the opposite direction, although I didn't get a chance to ask him if he was supporting that ride or just happened to be in the area.

  We continued into San Gregorio, stopping for several minutes at the Store where we met Mark Van Nuys and Tim Dolan who were joining our route in San Gregorio. We then continued over the two hills into Pescadero where we met Carol, who was joining our ride. We pressed south onto Cloverdale and Gazos Creek Roads, returning to CA1 at Gazos Creek Beach.

  We turned left and enjoyed a stronger tailwind into Davenport. We encountered several other groups of cyclists riding south, some faster, some slower. Zach found the draft offered by three upright cyclists too easy to resist. And, Russell decided to have fun and hammered most of the way into Davenport. I managed to catch him on the climb out of Waddell Beach, but on the flat portions he was moving in the low-30s (mph), and I made little progress closing the gap.

  We passed several fruit stands as we neared Davenport, and as I was getting hungry, I stopped at the last such stand just outside of town and bought a couple baskets of cherries, the fruit most likely to survive the trip and not turn to pulp in my handlebar bag. The delay was just long enough to allow the others to catch up by the time we reached the Davenport Cafe for lunch.

  As I expected lunch took just over an hour from ordering to departing. The break was welcome and gave us a chance to converse without yelling over the wind or the din of passing traffic. While the service was friendly, if unable to accommodate a pancake order a few minutes past the service deadline for breakfast, and the quantity of food welcome, the quality of the food was not up to a standard suggested by the menu prices. My artichoke burrito was bland, the salsa that looked like a small cup of flavored oil was watery and bland, and my fruit smoothie contained too much cream and syrup, only the essence of green banana suggesting that it might be a fruit beverage. I snacked on a few fresh cherries after lunch.

  As we were making ready to return north again, Neal Oren, who had crashed at the infamous railroad crossing just north of town, chose to remain in Davenport while Dave Mesa would ride back to Half Moon Bay, then return in the van for Neal and his bike. I took a closer look at Neal's fork and discovered it was cracked just below the crown race. Neal hadn't noticed, so it is just as well that he opted not to ride back to Half Moon Bay. Fork failures can suddenly dump an unlucky rider onto the road at the most inconvenient moment.

  Our route started on Cement Plant Road out of Davenport where the second of two rough railroad crossings caught Tim Dolan's wheel, sending him to the ground. Fortunately, we was moving only a few miles per hour, so only his pride was bruised.

  We continued our tour of Davenport by taking the busy side road to the Landing. Then we crossed CA1 and took Swanton Road up its valley, enjoying a respite from wind and traffic, before climbing over the ridge and descending again to CA1.

  We stopped again at the gas station next to the CA1 Brewery where the proprietor seemed unhappy to have so many cyclists visit and use his restroom facilities.

  We continued north on CA1. I rode the detour on Pigeon Point Road while the others stayed on the main highway.

  At Bean Hollow Road we regrouped. Carol didn't wish to return to Pescadero alone and traffic was heavy on CA1, so Russell suggested we head over Bean Hollow Road and then Stage Road to San Gregorio. But, time was advancing, and I still had to ride all the way home. Tim and Mark were going to stay on CA1 as Mark was complaining of leg cramps, and he was willing to endure more miles of traffic in exchange for gentler hills. I decided to join Tim and Mark for a while as I didn't want to be out after dark, and CA1 is much quicker than the inland routes.

  Tim, Mark, and I regrouped for the last time just south of Pescadero Beach where we enjoyed an unusually clear view of the coast to the north and of Point Reyes that appeared as an island in the ocean.

  After this regroup, I bid farewell and continued north to CA84 at a faster pace, then headed east on CA84, Pescadero Road, Alpine Road, and descended Page Mill and Moody Roads before arriving home. I almost got T-boned by a driver exiting a parking lot a split second before I almost got head-ended by a driver making an illegal U-turn in downtown Sunnyvale. Seems the last few miles from home are always the most hazardous! Fortunately, there was no crash or contact in either incident. I'd like to think that my barricade-paint fairing and/or daytime headlight helped. At this point I was too tired to make a scene, although I certainly felt entitled to do so, and I continued home without further incident.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	63.9 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5110 feet
  Total Time:	11:08:42
  Riding Time:	4:22:38
  Avg. Speed (moving):	14.6 mph
  Max. Speed:	45.5 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	700 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.0
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	26.3
  Peak Current:	42 Amps

  Jobst Brandt Memorial Celebration, June 20, 2015 - A long-planned celebration of life for the late Jobst Brandt who passed away earlier this year on the Fifth of May (and about whom I wrote recently in this blog entry), the day's main event was held off Skyline Blvd. near Russian Ridge at the home of a long-time friend of Jobst, Tom Ritchey, who graciously opened his home and grounds as host for some 100 party guests. Ray Hosler volunteered to organize a ride from Jobst's house in Palo Alto to the event, a ride that I might hazard speculation was the first and last "Jobst Ride" on which an e-recumbent rider was present.

  I left home early in the morning and rode via the shortest route to Jobst's house. Since traffic early on a Saturday morning was light I rode the faster Alma Street most of the way through Palo Alto instead of taking the Bryant Street Bike Boulevard, arriving at Jobst's house shortly before 0800 where a number of cyclists and supporters had already gathered.

  As I suspected the 0800 "start time" was set to allow sufficient time for socializing and photo-taking prior to departure, as the ride itself would not take longer than two hours, even with a slow traversal of dirt Alpine Road.

  As we started off I did a couple of sweeps ahead of the group to catch photos of everyone while we were still riding mostly together. But, as we started up Alpine Road through Portola Valley, the group got strung out, the leaders not to be seen again until later at the Celebration.

  If I had been thinking of photography on the ride I would have set my camera for a shutter speed shorter than 1/1000 second to capture crisper images of everyone, but in hindsight, the photos turned out acceptably if seen as the snapshots they are. Although longer shutter speeds resulted in more discarded photos, appropriately-blurred objects in motion lent some sense of speed to those photos whose subjects were otherwise in focus and had usable exposure. Regarding the latter, I shot in RAW mode and compensated in post-processing.

  Panorama shots of groups of people are always troublesome. Unless instructed to remain stationary for the multiple shots necessary to construct the tiles, people tend to move between the capture times of each shot, causing stitching algorithms to dismember or duplicate people or portions thereof. Even turning one's head between shots can cause a "Picasso Effect" as the head from one shot is stitched at an impossible orientation to the body from another. Panoramas from the event took the most time to edit, and I ended up tossing many of them from the final mix after I had struggled with them.

  Not everyone rode up dirt Alpine Road. Some took Page Mill while others took Old La Honda. And still others, the fastest on the ride, arrived the top of the climb with enough time remaining to add a loop down west Alpine and back up the hill through La Honda before arriving at the event.

  I hadn't ridden down dirt Alpine in several years, and I hadn't ridden up dirt Alpine in twice again as many years. On my last trip down I found the old county road so overgrown that it resembled a use trail in places, especially through The Bypass (of the washout from the mid-1980s). Dirt Alpine was one of Jobst's favorite routes to Skyline Blvd. On his own initiative he used to clear brush and culverts on dirt Alpine Road. He was doing just that when I first met him in person back in 1992. Although the road today is passable, it resembles more a mountain bike single track.

  My challenge was to ride up the dirt portion without getting off my bike. I am pleased to report that I managed to do that, although I did have to put my feet down a few times while climbing The Bypass. I had the most trouble at the exit around the gate at Page Mill Road where the sudden change of slope caused my under-seat rack to strike the ground. I had to lift the bike to get past this part. But, technically this was outside the gate and was paved, so was not on "dirt Alpine".

  After pausing at the Russian Ridge Vista Point along Skyline Blvd. to enjoy the view as I was running a little early, I found the correct address for the Celebration. A temporary sign with the single word, "Jobst", and a small bunch of balloons marked the correct driveway off Skyline Blvd. After parking my bike, changing my shoes, and donning my sun hat I joined the festivities.

  For the next hour and a half I spoke with Frank Paysen, Stella Hackell, John Serafin, Jeanie Barnett, Chalo Colina, Bill Preucel, Alison Chaiken, Adrian Brandt, Jim Westby, Jack Newlin, Brian Strom, Piaw Na, Marc Brandt, Richard Mlynarik, and a few others whose names I forgot.

  I couldn't help but notice when standing still that the large rear deck that stood about 6-7 feet above a storage area vibrated and swayed slightly to the movement and weight of about 60 guests bearing down on its timbers. Although the recent balcony collapse in Berkeley was on my mind, I took some comfort that although the wood was weathered, the deck appeared to be solidly-built and its wood completely exposed, leaving little opportunity for dry rot (really, “wet rot”) to take hold.

  Happy Hour continued until Olaf Brandt announced that lunch was ready to be served, and we gradually made our way down the stairs to the luncheon buffet. After filling my plate I found a seat at the table with Alison Chaiken, Piaw Na, Keith Bontrager, and Don Pardo and Chalo Colina, with whom I had dined the evening before. Live music played under a canopy on the deck of the nearby pool.

  As we finished our luncheon Olaf then Adrian took the mic and after each giving his own personal tribute declared the start of an "open mic" session for anyone who wanted to tell a Jobst story or how Jobst touched their lives. I photographed each speaker, although I was unable to identify all of them.

  Half-way through these tributes, we broke for dessert, then returned to hear more tributes and stories. Then shortly before 1600 with the supply of speakers exhausted the mic was turned off, and guests began to break into small conversations or make their way home.

  All in all it was a day well-spent to celebrate the life of Jobst Brandt.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	103.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8270 feet
  Total Time:	10:38:40
  Riding Time:	7:53:11
  Avg. Speed (moving):	13.1 mph
  Max. Speed:	43.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1385 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	26.6
  Regenerated Amps-Hour:	3.1
  Peak Current:	21.5 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	14.1 Amps

  Sequoia Workers Ride, June 6, 2015 - I rode the long route on the Sequoia Century Workers Ride. Zach Kaplan joined me after I obtained permission for him to join us. Weather was pleasant all day: slightly cool at the coast and in the canyons with patchy fog near Half Moon Bay, but warm when the wind died and on the eastern side of Skyline. Short sleeves could be worn most of the time.

  I rode with a direct-drive hub motor that struggled mightily on Redwood Gulch and some of the other steep grades, requiring me to pedal harder where the motor's torque dropped off as my speed dropped below 6 mph. Although few will believe me, I worked hard on today's ride. But, I made it up all of the hills. Zach was riding without his e-assist, so I did my best to ride with him as much as possible. And that meant climbing hills more slowly than usual.

  At Shoup Park at the start of the ride Judy Defranco checked us in and offered us some slices of nut bread. We then proceeded up Stevens Canyon, Redwood Gulch, and CA9 before stopping at the Saratoga Gap Fire Station where a full spread of snacks and drinks were laid out for our choosing. As I had eaten a substantial breakfast and didn't want to fill up on snacks before lunch at our next stop, I only nibbled, sampling a few of the snacks.

  We then descended Skyline and Alpine Road into La Honda for lunch, where Judy had reserved the rear patio behind the restaurant in La Honda. We enjoyed a full lunch spread.

  After lunch Zach, Thomas Maslen, and I headed west on CA84 toward San Gregorio, passing several Pescadero Road Race pelotons riding in the opposite direction and Randall Braun, who was out showing his colors.

  Somewhere along CA84 we lost Thomas Maslen, but Zach and I continued up Stage Road at a moderate pace and continued through the rest of the course taking only short necessary breaks over the remainder of the route, as there was no formal support at the remaining rest stops, until we returned to Shoup Park.

  Weather at the coast alternated between cool in the wind to warm in the protected areas without wind. It was one of those days that was a little too cool for shorts and short sleeves, but too warm for longs. I opted to be slightly cool some of the time.

  Overall we enjoyed our day on the local roads.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	125.7 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8490 feet
  Total Time:	11:18:24
  Riding Time:	8:56:15
  Avg. Speed (moving):	14.0 mph
  Max. Speed:	41.7 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1630† wh
  Wh/mi:	11.2
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	31.3
  Regenerated Amps-Hour:	4.3
  Peak Current:	24.1 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	15.2 Amps

  Mount Hamilton Loop CCW, May 24, 2015 - This was Frank and Stella's penultimate ride of the season. They started in Sunol while I started from home. Frank and Stella rode Calaveras Road together, then Frank continued up Felter Road and down Sierra Road while Stella took the direct path across east San Jose to the base of Mount Hamilton Road. Meanwhile I rode further south through San Jose to the base of Quimby Road before climbing into the hills. The plan was for us to meet up somewhere on the climb to Lick Observatory at the summit of Mount Hamilton.

  As I left home I rode at a moderate pace, using minimal motor power. I was carrying little extra battery capacity today, and I wanted it to last until I got home. Traffic was somewhat heavier than I expected for a Sunday morning, but the holiday weekend probably explained the increased traffic. Frank, Stella, and I could monitor our locations using Life360, and I could see that they were emerging from the cellphone dead zone on Calaveras Road as I started south on Capitol Ave.

  The weather today was perfect, slightly cool in the morning warming to warm and slightly muggy at mid-day when we were east of Mount Hamilton, then cooling again by evening. I was feeling good, so I pressed on south to Quimby Road instead of climbing the more gradual Mount Hamilton Road from Alum Rock Ave. I hadn't climbed Quimby in a few years, and it was overdue for a visit.

  Climbing Quimby would be work for me since I was riding with the direct-drive hub motor that has reduced efficiency when climbing steep hills, and Quimby is steep. To make progress up the hill I'd have to pedal hard.

  Halfway up Quimby I noticed that Stella's location was moving across downtown San Jose. I quickly stopped to text Frank to see if Stella had quit the ride early and was going directly home and to inquire if Frank was planning to continue in Stella's absence.

  Frank quickly replied that her location was false. Probably the location of a cell tower, I figured.

  I continued up Quimby, passing the sharp hairpin bend where race leader on the road, Toms Skujins, (and a few others) took a spill while descending Quimby during Stage Three of this year's Tour of California.

  Finally, after much effort, I arrived at the sharp pass at the top of Quimby Road. I stopped to check everyone's location: Stella was just ahead on the second climb through Grant Ranch Park, and Frank was just starting from Alum Rock Avenue. I continued down the east side of Quimby slowly, regen braking engaged.

  Climbing at low power (about 280 watts from the battery or about 200 watts to the rear wheel plus my pedaling) I slowly caught up to Stella near the top of Grant Ranch Park where she had stopped to take a short break. We rode together for a short distance, but since I was regenerating on the descents, she got ahead of me on the descent to Smith Creek. We did not meet up again until mid-way up the last and longest climb to the summit.

  We leapfrogged some support vehicles for the Mount Hamilton Road Race that had passed through earlier that morning, and we were passed by a few women racers who must have started at a different time from the men or had suffered mechanicals near the start. I spoke with one of the SAG drivers who informed me that most of the racers had already ridden through.

  After Stella and I arrived at the summit we waited for about 15 minutes until I could see a figure that looked like Frank's winding slowly up the road below. After Frank arrived at the summit, we took some group photos (1, 2), ate snacks, used the restrooms, and stretched. Then we began our descent of the east side of the mountain.

  Stella and Frank descended ahead of me while I slowly made my way down the mountain. I descended so slowly while passing one of the aid stations for the road race that a staffer asked if I was all right. I yelled back that I was regenerating^‡, and he seemed to understand what that meant.

  Near the top of Arroyo Bayo I caught up to Stella and Frank. We stopped at China Grade Summit for a snack and stretch and to remove our longs.

  A broad patch of cumulus clouds had gathered overhead. The air was warm and muggy. If the clouds had been thicker or more widespread I might have thought we'd get wet at some point. But, the clouds didn't grow, and the overcast sky kept the temperature from rising uncomfortably high.

  We pressed down into Upper San Antonio Valley then climbed into and through lower San Antonio Valley, stopping at The Junction Cafe for water. Neither Frank nor Stella wanted to stop for a meal, and although I wouldn't have minded eating some real food, the time was about 1430. I would have had trouble arriving home before dark if we had. So, we continued northward on Mines Road after our short break.

  The first climb north of The Junction rises gradually alongside Sweetwater Creek and gains 560 feet, the second climbs out of Blackbird Canyon at a slightly steeper grade with 300 feet gained. We finally arrived at Eylar Summit (2881ft) after which we enjoyed many miles of descent, spiced with a few short uphill bumps to keep our legs from becoming stiff.

  As we worked our way north of Fourteenmile House the road leveled off for several miles as Arroyo Mocho dropped deeper into its canyon. The usual headwind also picked up strength, making this "downhill" feel like a slight climb. But, eventually Mines Road dropped again and more forcefully to its low point where it crosses Arroyo Mocho for the last time before connecting to Del Valle Road.

  After stopping at the ball park at Concannon and South Livermore Ave. to refill water and use restrooms, we took the direct route west through Livermore on Concannon, Holmes, and Vineyard. Then we continued through Pleasanton without stopping, arriving in Sunol just before 1800. Stella and Frank looked happy to be done with their ride. I still had further to go, and as I wanted to arrive home before dark, I didn't linger to socialize for too long while they loaded their bikes into the truck.

  Fog was blowing in through Niles Canyon and sweeping over the shoulder of Mission Peak, and I put on my long top.

  Since I was riding alone and could see that I easily had enough battery capacity to make it home, I rode faster and used more motor. Calaveras Road is pretty in the early morning and evening with the orange glow of sunlight casting long shadows on the land. I appreciated it as much as I could while taking the turns on Calaveras as fast as I dared. Fortunately, traffic was light.

  After dropping into Milpitas I rode the quickest if not the shortest route home, arriving at about 1930.

  I had worked harder on this ride than usual. If I had ridden alone I would have ridden faster using more motor power, but when I ride with others I use less motor power and about the same or slightly more leg power. The main difference is that I'm riding for longer at a slower average speed. Today's ride took almost as much time as my 200-mile Mount Hamilton Big South Loop two weeks ago.

  ^†Total watt-hours used was greater than the nominal capacity because about 220 watt-hours were recovered by regen braking. Net consumption was (125.7 miles) * (11.2 wh/mi) = 1410 wh.

  ^‡When regenerating energy recovery is greatest when speed is slow enough that little energy is lost to aerodynamic friction yet fast enough that the rectified back-EMF sees minimal loss in the controller. In practice this occurs at speeds between 10 and 20 mph (15 and 30 kph).

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	103.7 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	9170 feet
  Total Time:	10:10:10
  Riding Time:	7:56:33
  Avg. Speed (moving):	13.0 mph
  Max. Speed:	47.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1255 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.0
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	47.7
  Peak Current:	30.9 Amps

  Coastal Loop, May 17, 2015 - With Stella and Frank I rode a variation on the classic coastal loop from the south bay to the coast and back. The only remarkable aspect of the day was the unusually cool weather, never rising above 20C, and getting as low as 9C at the top of Tunitas Creek Road. Grass was tall and green along the roads, and wildflowers were abundant. We are lucky to live near such a variety of roads pleasant for biking.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	201.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	10120 feet
  Total Time:	12:41:57
  Riding Time:	10:44:39
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	39.7 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2880† wh
  Wh/mi:	13.2
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	55.5
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	4.2
  Peak Forward Current:	21.9 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	11.6 Amps

  Mount Hamilton Big Loop South CW, May 10, 2015 - Today's ride was to be one step harder than last week's. I had seen the potential of this loop on the map and decided that the combination of weather and my conditioning made today a good day to give it a try. I was also looking forward to a route that had less urban and stop 'n' go riding and more high speed cruising.

  I left home at 0605 under a heavy overcast. The roads were quiet, and the traffic lights mostly green as I crossed Santa Clara and the northern part of San Jose. The parking area alongside Alum Rock Road at Mount Hamilton Road was empty and quiet as I made the right turn onto Mount Hamilton Road and started the climb.

  I passed one cyclist stopped by the road less than a mile up, and I encountered one cyclist descending on the last climb to the summit. I saw no other cyclists on the Mountain.

  As I crossed to the east side of Masters Ridge I rose into the fog, then descended in fog across Halls Valley. The fog wasn't cold, but it was thick enough to condense on my glasses, requiring me to wipe them frequently.

  As I neared the top of the second climb I reached the top of the fog layer. The filtered sunlight cast pleasing beams of light through the mist. As I descended to Smith Creek, I left the fog for good. The third and final climb up the mountain was more enjoyable in the warm sun.

  I was surprised to see not a soul at the top of the mountain. The time was 0830, well after sunrise, the temperature was warm, not a breath of wind, yet no one was about. Even the rest rooms were locked. I rode around the observatory building, then stopped near the flag pole to admire the view west of the Bay Area peaks rising from a massive sea of fog covering the valleys below.

  I paused only long enough to allow the direct drive hub motor I was running to cool a bit before starting down San Antonio Valley Road where regen braking would heat it again.

  I stopped briefly to snap a photo toward the southeast of the fog sea having worked its way up to Pacheco Pass and into the inner canyons of Henry Coe State Park. Then I resumed the descent.

  At the cattle grate about 60% of the way down I stopped again, this time for 15 minutes to allow the motor to cool. Regen braking gets it hot, and I was more diligent this time to keep the motor temperature below 140C. On my last trip down the backside of Hamilton when I pressed on to the bottom without stopping, the motor got to 154C.

  When I arrived at the base of the last descent, the low point on the back side of the mountain, I stopped to remove my longs, both top and bottom as the temperature had warmed. I then continued at a moderate pace along Arroyo Bayo, over China Grade Summit, then down into Upper San Antonio Valley where the grass had gone brown. Near the apex of the curve that sends me northward through the valley I passed an older cyclist going the other direction.

  As I was riding through San Antonio Valley I came upon a cattle round-up. Cattle were being moved on the road in my direction of travel from one field to another. A ruckus of noisy mooing and bellowing could be heard from the herd, and on the road splats of fresh loose cow-patties would need to be avoided. I was delayed about 15 minutes, not long enough to significantly inconvenience my plan.

  At The Junction I turned right on Del Puerto Canyon Road. Del Puerto Canyon Road descends, then climbs gradually at first, then steeper near Beauregard Summit at the Stanislaus County line.

  The descent off the east side is steep for a mile. On my way down I noticed a goldfinch sitting next to the road. I thought it might be injured, but when I approached it took off.

  I continued down into Del Puerto Canyon, passing through the narrow upper canyon, then the somewhat broader middle canyon, and finally exiting into a broad valley, the other end of which was bordered by a fruit tree orchard.

  Somewhere around Frank Raines Regional Park a headwind picked up strength and prevailed all the way into Patterson. This was not a good development as I had anticipated no wind or tailwind on this section. Because of the headwind I rode more slowly than I had planned, using only as much motor power as I needed to maintain a cruising speed in the low-20 mph range, and I pedaled briskly.

  I arrived in Patterson shortly before noon but almost six hours since I left home. I was hoping to be further along by this time and to stop for lunch in Santa Nella. But I had been riding in a relaxed manner so far today, stopping for views, photos, motor-coolings, and cattle round-ups. It had been a very nice ride thus far with very little traffic, so I had little reason to complain. Most of the traffic I had encountered between Frank Raines and Patterson.

  Since I was hungry now, I thought it best to eat now and worry later about getting hungry later. So, I stopped at the same Subway shop I had visited two weeks earlier. This time I ordered a foot-long, with the idea that I'd eat half now and half later. I ate it all now.

  While I digested lunch I called mom to wish her happy Mothers' Day, then I started east on Sperry Ave. After setting my rear flasher to "aggressive mode" I began the journey south on CA33 where the highway seemed to go straight forever.

  Again the wind was not as I expected. A quartering headwind, blowing from the east or east-southeast slowed my progress. I found myself cruising about 25-26 mph when I could feel the wind opposing me and about 29-30 mph when the wind disappeared. I had planned on cruising in the low-30's with a nice tailwind while drawing 350 watts from the battery. Yet, I was happy to have brought the Pursuit with the hard sides as it slips through wind with less resistance than the Gold Rush with the lycra sock. On the downside, the hard-sided bike gets blown around more in wind gusts. But, here the wind was mostly gentle and not gusting. Still, it was giving me no help.

  My trip south on CA33 took me through several small towns: Crows Landing, Newman, Gustine, and Santa Nella. Each town came upon the horizon and required breaking pace just often enough to be a welcome diversion from the tedium of riding flat and straight. Traffic was light near Patterson, but south of Gustine traffic became heavier and was worst between Santa Nella and CA152. The quality of the road surface was inversely proportional to the observed traffic load. Although the road was over most of its length narrow and without rideable shoulder, motorists all passed politely, leaving wide clearance.

  At this point my route turned toward home, west on CA152. CA152 lies on the main driving route between the South Bay and southern California and as such it sees much traffic. I chose to ride my route on Sunday because fewer trucks take to the roads on Sundays, and I worried about being blown around by passing trucks. What I didn't expect were manic motorists, especially SUV drivers, their cars packed with people and other distractions, speeding, tailgating, veering into the shoulder, and a couple of times, passing too closely. The few truckers who were on the road must have understood what turbulent wind can do to a vehicle with high surface area to mass ratio as most moved completely into the next lane before passing me. Those who didn't or couldn't, passed me slowly.

  Headwinds on CA152 I expected. I set my rear flasher to "obnoxious mode" and set my speed to about 20 mph to make decent progress without wasting energy and to make the bike easier to control when the wind gusted. At first the shoulder was decently wide and clean. But, on the climbs, the shoulder disappeared to make room for a third lane, presumably for laden trucks. This occurred for about 1 mile on the climb up to San Luis Reservoir and for the 3-mile climb from the Reservoir to Pacheco Pass.

  Riding in the third lane was not as unpleasant as I thought it would be. Asphalt was smoother and cleaner, and most motorists did not try to pass me in the same lane, moving completely to the adjacent lane. When I rode on the shoulder, I was granted no such accommodation.

  On the segment of highway that circled around the north side of San Luis Reservoir the shoulder narrowed and contained more debris. To make matters worse, a rumble strip had been pressed into the asphalt. This left me sometimes with less than a foot of usable shoulder width. I hoped none of this debris would give me a flat tire as it would be unpleasant to fix it while I was stuck on this narrow shoulder, or worse, prevented by a guardrail from moving off the road.

  To minimize my exposure to traffic I rode hard on the climbs when I was riding in the third lane. When I finally crested Pacheco Pass my legs felt spent. Fortunately, the Santa Clara County side of the pass has a nice, wide, mostly clean shoulder with no rumble strip. I rested and let gravity pull me 1000 feet down to the crossing of Pacheco Creek and did some regen braking on the steeper part of the descent.

  Cruising down Pacheco Creek Valley past Casa de Fruita and the 152/156 split took longer than I expected. A combination of headwinds and spent legs didn't help.

  At the split I took CA156 toward Hollister instead of continuing on shorter CA152 into Gilroy because the latter road was, according to Google Street View, intermittently under construction in such a way that there was only one lane in each direction and no shoulder for significant lengths. The Hollister detour on CA156, Fairview, Shore, Frazier Lake, Bloomfield, and Bolsa Roads, only added a couple of miles and was less stressful, although due to wind, was no less noisy.

  On Frazier Lake Road I encountered my most difficult winds that almost pushed me off the road a couple of times. The wind was broadside and gusting, the worst kind. I was able to make decent speed, low-20s mph, but I had to ride in the middle of the lane to leave room to maneuver each time I got hit with a gust. Most of the way I was tilted left toward the wind, like a sailboat on a windy day on the bay. Overtaking motorists seemed to understand, passing me fully in the opposite lane.

  Things settled down when I got into Gilroy. I stopped for my second out-of-bike break at Chitactac-Adams County Park west of Gilroy at Watsonville Road and Burchell Road to eat a snack and refill my water. It felt good to get up and walk around a bit, but I could tell I was getting fatigued and sleepy. Riding in wind is always mentally fatiguing, and today I had more headwinds than I wanted.

  Now that I was on familiar roads I wasted no time getting home. At this point I could smell the barn and was looking forward to a meal, a shower, and sleep (in that order). I knew that I'd have enough battery energy to get home. I took a route similar to the return route of the Winter Solstice Double Century alongside the reservoirs. At first I had a slight tailwind, but as I started north on Uvas Road, the wind switched to a headwind off and on. The temperature also cooled significantly.

  By the time I got home the temperature felt cold, especially after I got out of the bike.

  Compared to last weekend's ride, today's ride was harder, and I felt more fatigued. I suspect less favorable winds accounted for most of the difference in how I felt, even if today's route was 32 miles longer.

  ^†Total watt-hours used was greater than the nominal capacity because about 230 watt-hours were recovered by regen braking. Net consumption was (201 miles) * (13.2 wh/mi) = 2653 wh.

  ---

• 

  Jobst Brandt enjoys one of his favorite local rides down the coast on CA1 near Waddell State Beach, April 9, 2005.

  Jobst Brandt, R.I.P., January 14, 1935 - May 5, 2015 - I met Jobst in early 1992 not long after I discovered the Usenet forum, rec.bicycles, and began participating in a discussion on Favorite Bay Area Roads. I had a couple of years earlier started getting back into longer distance bicycling for recreation and transportation after a 10-year hiatus following my initial car-driving years while in college.

  In my younger years my dad and I had hiked many places in the Santa Cruz Mountains east of Skyline and a few places west, and we had even ridden our bikes in a few, but so much of it I had not yet explored. Jobst was a fount of knowledge of all areas worth visiting in these mountains, especially those that were suitable for biking.

  As one can see from the exchange in the thread above, Jobst spoke his mind in a direct fashion that did not always sit well with others. He rarely left unchallenged bullshit or opinion stated as fact, especially if posted under a pseudonym, a practice he disliked. Yet, since he was usually correct on the technical points, one couldn't simply dismiss him. One of his brothers remarked, "Jobst could never operate with superficial understandings." It was a quality that was either maddening or endearing, depending on whether you were emotionally invested in prevailing in an argument with him, or whether you were a virtual onlooker.

  After our initial exchange, we communicated by email where he imparted more of his knowledge and history of the area and of biking in general. It was on his advice that I undertook to explore on my road/touring bike all bike-able roads in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

  He invited me on his Sunday rides, and I invited him to join me and my friends as we explored all of these interesting places. But, for some reason we rarely managed to hook up and ride together. I suppose initially I was intimidated by the distances he and his friends rode—I hadn't yet ridden 100 miles on my bike at that time—and he never seemed to be available to join our group that I suspected he thought would be too slow and tedious for him—Jobst liked to keep moving while biking, and back then we stopped often to regroup, chat, eat a sit-down meal, or stare at our navels.

  Later I came to realize that we both wanted to call the shots, to set the pace, the agenda, and the route, in short, to lead the proceedings. I doubt we would have been compatible long-term riding partners without one of us giving up the control to which we were each accustomed. So, we settled into a pattern where we'd discuss a road or route ahead of time online, then I'd discover it for myself on my own terms and write up my observations. He never missed an opportunity to point out additional facts or to critique, even writing style or grammar.

  I learned from him much about bicycle mechanics, how parts fail, and how to build a strong wheel. From him I learned to look up from the road once in a while and take note of my surroundings, to appreciate the beauty, find the oddities, and understand the patterns in nature. One obscure observation was that each false summit along Skyline Blvd. between CA9 and Castle Rock Summit occurs at exact mile intervals on the mile according to the mileage paddles.

  In 1998 a great discussion erupted on the Usenet group, rec.bicycles.misc. "Bents Selling Like Hotcakes!!", screamed the provocative subject. A that time I rode my upright bike on a daily commute that had me fighting a strong afternoon wind for 9 miles to get home. To make matters worse, my blood sugar was typically low at the time, and I always felt I was on the verge of bonking. I sought a solution that didn't have me driving a car every day to work or lugging my bike onto Caltrain for only three stops, a process that took 50% longer overall than riding the distance headwind or no. I had been considering buying a recumbent to ameliorate the Great Headwind Problem, and this discussion drew me in.

  It was no surprise that Jobst came down on the anti-recumbent side of the discussion. Although I deeply respected his opinions and analysis on most topics, I felt that in this case he was extrapolating from observation alone, advancing a position that boiled down to, "I wouldn't want to ride one, so why should anyone else?"

  "The man doth protest too much," or so I thought. Yet, I learned a great deal from this discussion and from other related discussions that were subsequently spawned, and in the end after doing more research I got a faired recumbent for my commute.

  My rebellious, contrarian side wanted to prove Jobst wrong on the viability of riding a faired recumbent as a substitute for an upright bike on the very roads he enjoyed. So, I started riding my faired recumbent everywhere. We argued online about recumbent riding and "recumbentists", but in the end I think he came to see that my choice worked for me, even if he had no interest in trying it himself. Since then I have been riding mostly recumbent, and I have Jobst to thank for unwittingly prompting me in the first place.

  As time went by and in spite of my primary mode of bicycling we maintained our online friendship and we both continued to ride in the Santa Cruz Mountains, though rarely together, exchanging from time to time news about places that had changed: a bridge out here, a road closure or re-opening there, or the loss of a landmark such as the Swiss cottage on Page Mill Road, between Altamont Road and Foothills Park, a charmed structure perched on the outside of an off-camber corner that managed never to suffer being plowed into by an errant motorist. "Philistines!", Jobst exclaimed in dismay, when he learned that a new owner of the property had razed it.

  In 2006 and 2007 when I started dabbling in bicycle "witchcraft", electrifying my recumbent bikes, I did not tell Jobst. I figured that would be a bridge too far from orthodoxy for him to cross. Yet in some way he can take some credit for my experimentations.

  In Fall of 2003 I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (Afib), an episodic heart rhythm malfunction that curtailed my ability to exercise. At first I ignored the occasional symptoms, and they had little effect on my ability to ride. But by 2006 and 2007 the condition had progressed to the point I could no longer ignore my condition. I was forced to reduce exercise or cut back severely on the frequency and length of my bike rides. My Afib was causing me to "gray out" occasionally while riding, forcing me to pull over beside the road and put my head between my legs to avoid passing out completely.

  Jobst had given up bike racing long ago, telling me that over the years the sport had been twisted into a contest of genetic endowment, doping, and marketing of dubious equipment—several times he undiplomatically remarked that the best technical minds had long ago turned to other fields, that there wasn't much in bicycling that hadn't been tried by a previous generation, that bicycles were a mature technology. He rode for the pure enjoyment of the activity and disapproved of contests, goals, or competition, taking me to task a few times when I introduced this slant into my narratives. "We don't need no steenkin' merit badges!", he would tell me.

  He would have taken a dim view of web sites like Strava that emphasize contest and competition with others, although I believe he may have appreciated the benefit of social networking. His philosophy was to ride for the pure enjoyment of seeing the world from a bike saddle and occasionally sharing with others his experiences. If biking became an endurance contest or a tale of hardship overcome, he didn't want to participate or hear about it.

  It was with his philosophy in mind that I sought a way that allowed me to maintain a relatively large circle of biking territory while reducing physical stress on my body, to keep the activity fun and enjoyable without negatively affecting my health. It helped that I was also interested and competent at mixing electronics and bikes.

  When I was dealing with Afib, he told me about his mitral valve replacement surgery and lamented his noticeably reduced aerobic capacity following surgery. He felt that his reduced capacity was caused by being on the heart-lung machine for too long, although I suspected arrhythmia such as Afib that is often a follow-on side-effect from heart surgery. It was one of the few times he complained about his health, probably because it so directly affected his ability to ride bike.

  We both explored old maps of railroad rights of way in the Sierras east of Sonora, exchanging ideas of where the alignments might have been. I suggested we spend a couple days exploring some of these old roads, but he expressed no interest in making a special trip for that purpose.

  He told me about his house remodeling, the inevitable delays and discoveries of extra needed work, the difficulty of living as a long-term guest in someone else's home while his house was under construction, and how he wished he had remodeled it many years earlier, wondering how he put up with his old house's problems for so long.

  Then sometime in 2010 I heard no more from him. Later I learned that he had had a couple of minor crashes from which he quickly recovered. And, once he returned home so late from an all-day ride that he had descended Page Mill Road in the dark without a light, something that would be difficult for a rider with young eyes let alone those of a septuagenarian. I suspect it was his familiarity with the descent, the help of moonlight, and sheer luck in not encountering anything unexpected on the road that brought him home safely that night.

  Then in January 2011 I received news that Jobst had suffered a more serious crash. This time he had started early on a foggy January morning to ride his usual coastal loop to Santa Cruz and back and had crashed while descending Sand Hill Road at Whiskey Hill. I visited him a few times when he was in hospital and several more times while he was under home care. Although the "old Jobst" shone through at times, it was clear he had suffered permanent injury that had changed his personality. He was no longer able to use his computer, so we enjoyed only personal visits.

  The highest moment post-crash came when he sat me down to look over a coffee table book on Sierra railroads. He had remembered our discussions several years prior. And, prompted by his son, Adrian, Jobst gazed with curiosity upon my electrified recumbent without offering so much as a frown, although the version he saw that evening had at least one serious flaw that the old Jobst would have noticed (and that I have since corrected).

  A low moment came at my last visit during a party given at his house in his honor, when he had trouble recognizing some of his friends, even after being reminded repeatedly. He seemed to believe alternately that either strangers were in his house or that he was at a party of people he didn't know and wanted to be taken home. The gathering upset him.

  Not hearing of any more gatherings at his house I suspected his health had declined to the point that social activity was seen as counter-productive. I heard little until this past week when his family sent out notice that Jobst was no longer eating.

  Ride bike! Then rest in peace, old friend, rest in peace.

  See also blog entries by Ray Hosler, Tom Ritchey, Mike Jacoubowsky,and Piaw Na.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	168.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5820 feet
  Total Time:	11:50:14
  Riding Time:	9:27:21
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.8 mph
  Max. Speed:	40.6 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2087 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	39.8
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	1.0
  Peak Forward Current:	22.0 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	12.9 Amps

  Nine Counties Ride Around the Bay, May 3, 2015 - After last week's big loop ride over Mount Hamilton, I was prepared for this week's ride. Last year I rode a similar though slightly longer loop in the opposite direction. This year I started by riding north on El Camino Real instead of taking Skyline Blvd. and its inconvenient detour in San Mateo to avoid the construction at the Crystal Springs Dam. I'd be starting early enough in the morning that traffic ought to be light.

  I also wanted to explore an inland crossing from southern Marin into northern Marin County. I had last ridden over the Fawn Drive-Manuel Freitas bike path connector sometime back in the mid-1990s, but my memory of that trip was hazy, and I had apparently not taken any photos nor written any notes.

  My third divergence from last year's route was to explore the new George Miller Trail along the Carquinez Strait.

  I wanted to leave home at 0600, but as usual I couldn't get myself ready to shove off until a bit later. As I started I noticed with some annoyance that regen braking was not functioning, yet on my mid-week ride regen braking was functioning. Fortunately, my route was flat enough today that regen braking would not be required to complete the route with the available energy.

  As I headed north on Evelyn Ave. an unusually long northbound Caltrain consist was pulling into the Sunnyvale station, honking its horn far more than necessary given that no one was about. For the next 10 miles I managed to stay with this train as it rumbled north, stopping for an extra-long time at each station. Since my route ran parallel to the tracks on Central Expressway and Alma Street, the train would close the crossing gates at cross streets, leaving Central/Alma with a green signal. I made good time.

  In Palo Alto I shifted to El Camino Real and proceeded north through San Mateo County. At first I enjoyed sun, but as I crossed into Redwood City I went under a fog layer. Traffic lights were too often red with the crossing signal tripped by some ghost pedestrian. I ended up spending quite a bit of time stopped for non-existent cross traffic while watching countdown mark the full 30 to 0 seconds. In spite of these minor frustrations I found riding El Camino early on a weekend morning an interesting experience as it let me see the center of each city on the route north. Traffic was sparse, and few drivers were in a rush. Particularly notable was the strong devil's food cake frosting aroma wafting through the air in Millbrae.

  On this cool day I enjoyed patches of sunshine in unexpected locations such as Burlingame through Colma. By the time I got to Daly City the fog closed in for good.

  I took a route through San Francisco that I hadn't ridden before: Lake Merced and Sunset Blvd. as far as Golden Gate Park. From there I took the most direct route to the Golden Gate Bridge. I saw a few cyclists in Golden Gate Park, but as I drew nearer to the Bridge I saw many more cyclists. The path onto and over the bridge was almost a steady stream.

  Marin County was pretty but crowded as usual. Cyclists on what is effectively the single bicycling route from SF to Fairfax were almost as thick as they were on the Bridge. To add to a cyclist's frustration the route north through the towns of Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Larkspur, Kentfield, Ross, and San Anselmo is Death by a Thousand Stop Signs. No sooner would I regain cruising speed than another stop sign at some insignificant cross street would appear. Although I saw no policemen lying in wait, I also saw no cyclist blow through any of these stop signs. In fact, most unclipped and tapped a shoe perfunctorily on the road before continuing.

  From Corte Madera through Larkspur I found myself pacing another cyclist. He seemed to be out for a quick morning workout. Near Magnolia and Bon Aire the driver of an SUV got too close to this cyclist. Angry gestures followed by shouted words between driver and cyclist ensued. They stopped in the middle of the road briefly. I hadn't seen behavior on the part of either that could have been construed as more than carelessness or incompetence, and besides that I didn't want to get between two hot tempers. Yet the only way I could continue was to pass between them as they shouted at each other over my head.

  I understand how the cyclist might have felt. In the past, especially when I had more of life's stresses pressing on me, I could explode at a driver for passing too closely or honking rudely. After it was all over, I always regretted throwing such a public tantrum, for letting my animal side lash out with yelling, cursing and rude gestures. It always left me in a sour mood for the remainder of my ride, even if upon later reflection I concluded that the hurled invective had been justified.

  Somewhere in Marin County I observed my USB power supply for my phone not charging the phone's battery, that the phone had been running on battery power from the start and would have to continue to do so until I got home. I turned off the display that I usually keep active. I would still probably run short. (I discovered later that I had forgotten that the USB power supply has an independent connection to the main power bus, and I had forgotten to reconnect it after doing maintenance on the bike. User error!)

  Due to the cool weather I had been wearing all of my clothes into San Anselmo. The sun was out as I started up Butterfield to Fawn Drive, and as I started up the steep climb to the trail that crosses Terra Linda Ridge into San Rafael, I quickly got warm.

  Northern Marin County feels different from Southern. The suburbs are more standardized, the housing construction post-WW2, the vegetation more sparse, and the neighborhoods less twee. I also saw many fewer cyclists.

  Last year when I rode this loop counter-clockwise, I was unable to find the bike path between Hanna Ranch Road and Bel Marin Keys and ended up riding through the freeway interchange to Novato Blvd.

  This year I did my homework and found the path. Mid-way along it crosses railroad tracks under construction. This was the only spot I had to get out of the bike and walk it through the ballast rock. It was here I encountered two other cyclists riding the opposite direction who stopped to ask me about my bike. I gave them a brief tour.

  CA37 isn't pretty, and in some spots where the bridges are narrow, it isn't fun. But, after all the traffic and stop and go in Marin, it was a relief to cruise on an open road for a number of miles.

  Except for the narrow crossing of the Petaluma River Bridge where I had help from a nice downgrade, I kept my speed below 30 mph (48 kph), cruising usually in the mid-20s (40 kph). The shoulder was nice through most of Sonoma County, but on the second half of the trip to Vallejo I had to deal with a wide rumble strip and less clean asphalt.

  The northern corner of Mare Island that my route visits hasn't changed at all in the last year. Dilapidated buildings in a state of partial dismantlement remain standing like warnings of a dystopian future. One residential apartment building looked particularly corpse-like, it's doors and windows staring vacantly at passers-by.

  Most of the activity in Vallejo appears to occur near the Ferry Terminal. The rest of the town I could see along Sonoma Blvd. had a depressed look. In between vacant fields littered with trash stood liquor stores and mini marts. A few pedestrians shuffled dejectedly along the verge of the road. Gentrification has yet to reach this corner of the Bay Area.

  Unlike the Golden Gate Bridge, the path over the Zampa Bridge into Contra Costa County was nearly devoid of people. I had the path to myself over most of its length, which was probably a good thing because a gusty cross-wind was blowing from the west, and when one hit the bike I got pushed a foot to the left.

  I was now on the Grizzly Peak Century route as I rode through Crockett and continued onto the Carquinez Scenic Drive, but by this time, early afternoon, all of the riders would have gone through the area. There was no evidence of an event having occurred at the community center, and I saw no other cyclists in the area.

  The eastern half of the Scenic Drive is now part of the East Bay Regional Park District, the highlight of which is the George Miller Trail that had recently opened. Gone was the old asphalt with its painted graffiti. Also gone was the washout that had taken most of the road, leaving only a narrow dirt footpath. In its place was a nice 1.5-lane paved trail. Aside from a few pedestrians I felt like I had the place to myself.

  It was along this section that I discovered that my regen switch had come disconnected from my controller. After I connected it, regen worked normally. The second user error. I scolded myself for not checking for the obvious earlier in the ride.

  At the eastern end of the Scenic Drive the road climbs a short hill past the Alhambra Cemetery before depositing one into a neighborhood of Martinez. I made my way to Berrellessa Street and then onto Alhambra Avenue, passing the John Muir House near CA4.

  I continued on Alhambra Avenue and Pleasant Hill Road, where gusting wind had blown up some allergen that gave me a coughing fit, then zig-zagged through Pleasant Hill and crossed Walnut Creek on Civic Drive and South Broadway, eventually to head south along I-680 on Danville Blvd.

  Few traffic lights, a nice bike lane, copious shade for hot summer days, and clean asphalt make Danville Blvd. a nice cycling road for cruising, although one still needs to observe activity at residential driveways.

  It was near Alamo that I saw a cyclist on a low-racer recumbent riding the opposite direction. It was Michael Cvetich. I hadn't seen him in years. I stopped while he turned around. We both then rode into Danville where we stopped at Jersey Mike's Deli for a late lunch. I needed to eat some real food, and this was a good opportunity to catch up with Michael since it's much easier to converse when seated at a table than while riding.

  While we were at lunch, a small earthquake slammed and rattled the building. It was a "magnitude 3.6" centered in Concord.

  After lunch I continued south and toward home on Foothill Blvd., passing through San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, and Sunol. I continued south on Calaveras Road where my phone battery died.

  Calaveras Road is pretty in the morning or in the evening as the sun is low in the sky. Aside from a few motorists I had the road to myself. I didn't see one cyclist riding either way over the entire length of the road.

  After dropping into Milpitas I rode home quickly on the direct route, arriving home at quarter past six.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	165.5 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	9690 feet
  Total Time:	10:38:37
  Riding Time:	9:14:51
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.8 mph
  Max. Speed:	43.0 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2388 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	46.1
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	3.6
  Peak Forward Current:	21.7 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	11.0 Amps

  Mount Hamilton Big Loop (clockwise), April 26, 2015 - The prior weekend I suffered a bout of influenza (in spite of my having gotten a flu shot last fall). To make up for not riding that weekend, I settled on the Big Loop. Weather would be pleasant, neither too cool nor too warm, and winds, if present, would help push me south on CA33. Frank and Stella rode the Primavera Century the same day, and I thought I'd try to meet up with them along Calaveras Road, where our routes overlapped.

  I left home at 0720 and got lucky with traffic lights until I reached Trimble and Zanker, where the traffic signal favors Zanker when there is no traffic as on a Sunday morning. Even so, I continued to get lucky green lights at most of the rest of the signalled intersections.

  As I rode up Calaveras I joined groups of other cyclists riding the Primavera. The rest stop at Ed Levin Park was busy. I thought of stopping to look for Frank or Stella, but I figured they could just as easily be further up the road. When I left home they were near Warm Springs and Warren, so it was likely they were further along the course. (It turns out that they were, indeed, somewhere in that throng of cyclists at Ed Levin.)

  As I started up the Calaveras Wall I could feel my direct-drive (DD) hub motor laboring mightily. I pedaled harder to compensate.

  On the Power Pursuit I've been running a DD hub motor to experience the change in operating characteristics over my usual geared mid-drive motor. The DD motor is quieter and gives me a nice drag brake on the descents that puts energy back into my batteries. The downside is that the DD motor has about half the torque of my mid-drive motor, making climbs up grades over 7% difficult. The DD motor is about 5% less efficient overall, and about 10-15% less efficient on a typical hilly route in a straight comparison, when not accounting for regenerative braking.

  Today's course has a few steep climbs, but many miles of gradual climbs or flat riding, ideal terrain for a DD hub motor. On flat terrain I figure the DD hub motor has the same or perhaps slightly better efficiency than my mid-drive motor, due mainly to the absence of gears that consume a small amount of energy in the mid-drive.

  My course was nearly the same as last year's that I rode with the mid-drive on the bike. Last year I used slightly less energy overall (13.0 wh/mi) and rode at a higher average speed (18.6 mph).

  For the next 10 miles I rode amongst some of the early Primavera starters as we twisted and turned our way, diving into and out of several ravines, alongside Calaveras Reservoir. At the north end of Calaveras Road I entered I-680 and continued onto CA84 toward Livermore. Today I took Holmes and Concannon across Livermore rather than the scenic but circuitous bike path around the south side of the valley.

  When I got to South Livermore Ave. I could see that I was back on the Primavera course. One rider with a route sheet who may have been the first to start was zipping along on the bike path.

  As I continued east on Tesla Road I came upon evidence of another bicycling event, this time a bike race. I didn't stop to inquire, but it appeared to be a clockwise circuit that included Cross, Tesla, and Greenville roads. I saw two cyclists riding opposite who looked fatigued but were riding hard.

  Continuing on Tesla Road I saw no more cyclists for a long time. A number of pickup trucks and trailers loaded down with dirt bikes, heading for the Carnegie Off-Road Recreation Area passed me.

  Tesla Road changes its name to Corral Hollow Road at its summit. I stopped briefly to snap a photo of the view east. A steady breeze was blowing east over the pass, typical in fair weather.

  As I had been having trouble getting the regen braking to engage early on the ride, I descended the steep downgrade slowly, capturing as much energy as I could to make up for missing some regen opportunities earlier. After I reached the bottom I coasted down the gradual grade past Carnegie, a stiff tailwind being sufficient for me to attain 25 mph.

  As the road bent north to head into Tracy, I no longer enjoyed a tailwind but a quartering headwind. Still, the downward slope of the road allowed me to use gravity to fight the wind. As I turned right onto Linne Road the quartering headwind became a quartering tailwind, and several miles later as I turned right again onto CA33, I enjoyed a straight tailwind, cruising at 33 mph with only modest effort into Patterson, interrupted by only a couple of stop signs on the way. It was nice to cruise at high speed and not have my ears blasted by wind noise.

  I swung through the Circle at the center of town so that I could stop at the drinking fountain in front of City Hall and top off my water. I then continued to Sperry Ave. and stopped for a 45-minute lunch at the Subway sandwich shop.

  After lunch I headed up Sperry Ave. and after crossing under I-5, turned right onto Del Puerto Canyon Road., where I shared the next 16 miles of road with a few motorists and motorcyclists and one lone bicyclist riding the opposite direction.

  Traffic was light to moderate as some sort of motocross event was being conducted on a ranch a couple of miles east of Frank Raines Regional Park. In no instance on the entire ride did I experience rude motor traffic. Most motorists passed fully in the opposite lane (where visibility allowed), or waited until it was safe to do so. Beyond Frank Raines Park traffic thinned out considerably. Only a few small groups of motorcyclists continued further.

  I turned left onto San Antonio Valley Road, bypassing the Junction Cafe. I had no reason to stop.

  While the hills had been solidly brown near Patterson, patches of green could be seen in San Antonio Valley, usually in the shady spots under trees. California poppies were in full bloom, as were purple and white lupine. A few swaths of indian paintbrush in the drier areas completed the wildflower scene.

  The climb up the backside of Mount Hamilton would be a struggle for the DD hub motor. I expected to stop somewhere on the final climb to let the motor cool.

  As I climbed the motor temperature entered the critical range (>130C) at the cattle grate about halfway up. I stopped for about 15 minutes to let the motor cool while I ate a snack. The cattle grate is at the bottom of the steepest part of the climb, and I wanted to start up this section with a cooler motor. I waited until it had cooled to 75C.

  Upon resuming I managed to get beyond the spring near mile marker 3 before the motor entered the critical range again. This time I pressed on as the grade slackens above this point. I've programmed my controller to roll back power as temperature increases, to the point of shutting down when the temperature exceeds 140C. I discovered that the power rolled back to 500 watts (135C) but went no lower on the rest of the climb. The motor had reached a temperature equilibrium. This left me pushing hard to make up for the reduction. But, I was tired of stopping and waiting, and I figured I'd get home faster if I just kept moving, albeit at the slower pace of about 5-6 mph instead of 9-10 mph.

  I rode up to the Observatory, making an obligatory circuit around the building before resting before the railing near the flagpole. The view was hazy and indistinct in the late afternoon sun. I did not remain at the summit for long.

  The descent on mostly new asphalt, a pleasant change from the old bumpy road with subsidence potholes. Still I did not descend as fast as I might have so that I could regenerate. This caused a slight problem at the bottom of the first descent as the regeneration had heated up the motor to 155C, and I could get no power for the climb out of Smith Creek. Again instead of stopping to wait for the motor to cool, I set the desired power level (about 300 watts), then pedaled the bike without power up the first rise. By the time I got to the second rise the motor had cooled enough to allow some power to be drawn. I was getting a workout!

  The rest of the descent went without incident. The second and third downgrades are less steep, so I used less regen, letting gravity pull me most of the way down to Alum Rock Ave.

  I took the southern route home through San Jose on Maybury, Taylor, and Coleman. In Santa Clara on Monroe Ave. I discovered large piles of old household effects dumped in the bike lane. At first I figured a garbage strike or mass evictions. Since I hadn't heard of the former, and the latter seemed improbable, I considered that it was probably an "extra dump day", the one or two days a year when the local garbage collection service allows residents to place large or awkward discards at the curb for convenient pickup.

  I arrived home at 1800, my legs feeling like they had gotten a strenuous workout.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	112.2 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	4850 feet
  Total Time:	9:06:40
  Riding Time:	7:22:06
  Avg. Speed (moving):	15.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	42.8 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1208 wh
  Wh/mi:	10.0
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	22.9
  Regen Amps-Hour Recovered:	1.6
  Peak Forward Current:	21.3 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	23.0 Amps

  Patterson Pass, April 4, 2015 - Frank and Stella started their ride in Milpitas near Calaveras and Piedmont while I was returning from my local farmer's market, after which I rode over to Milpitas and through Fremont and Niles Canyon to meet them in Sunol.

  When I arrived at Calaveras Road and I-680, Frank and Stella were waiting for me, only having arrived a minute ago. We had perfect timing!

  We continued together onto I-680 then onto CA-84 and over Pigeon Pass into Livermore. After a break at Sycamore Park we continued on the south route through Holdener Park in the low hills south of Livermore. At Tesla and Mines Roads we continued east, then took the left onto Cross Road.

  Half way up Cross Road the bungee cord in my seat back snapped. Frank helped hold the knots while I tied off the broken cords to hold for the rest of the ride so that I'd have a seat back to lean against.

  At Patterson Pass Road we turned right and climbed steeply to Patterson Pass where we stopped to admire the sweeping view east. The dark green grass has become lighter, and patches of brown are starting to appear on the hills.

  On the eastern descent Frank and Stella took advantage of the brisk tailwind to enjoy a high-speed descent. I decided not to waste my potential energy to the wind but to recover energy for my battery. We regrouped near the power substation at Midway Road before taking Midway Road to Altamont Pass Road.

  The climb up Altamont Pass is barely a climb, but the headwind was strong. Frank leaned down onto his aerobars and took point while I followed, and Stella sought the most wind-sheltered position behind my bike.

  At the summit we enjoyed a "pedaling descent" into Livermore, given the headwinds and the downslope that barely registers as such.

  Our ride through the center of Livermore was marked by the search for a convenient water spout. After stopping at two municipal parks and finding the water shut off, we pressed on into Pleasanton where Stella decided to stop as we got into town at the Circle K to replenish her supplies. We stopped again at Pleasanton Ridge to use the rest rooms and to top off water before our long trip south on Calaveras Road.

  As we started south through Sunol Valley the weather changed sharply for the cooler. High hazy clouds drifted overhead, and the temperature dropped 10° F. By the time we reached the high point on Calaveras Road I stopped to put on all my clothing for the remaining trip home.

  The ride was mentally tiring due to the lengthy urban sections and headwinds, but we all enjoyed ourselves.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	101.5 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	3870 feet
  Total Time:	8:32:30
  Riding Time:	7:07:27
  Avg. Speed (moving):	14.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	43.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	902 wh
  Wh/mi:	8.9
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	33.7
  Peak Current:	30.1 Amps

  The Reservoirs and Uvas Park, March 22, 2015 - I began by riding to Frank and Stella's house. From there Stella and I rode to Los Gatos, while Frank drove himself and his bike to our meeting spot there. After some indecision we decided to postpone our planned ride over the hills to Santa Cruz since the hills looked socked in with clouds and drizzle. Instead we rode east through Almaden and took a route around the reservoirs of Santa Clara Valley, exploring a few out-and-back routes into the hills, and in the process giving us enough exposure to the wet weather we otherwise avoided by postponing our Santa Cruz ride.

  We returned north over Sycamore Hill, Oak Glen, and then Willow Springs to Santa Teresa (Hale) that we rode north into San Jose, enjoying a quartering tailwind most of the way. At Camden Stella turned right and rode directly home while Frank and I rode back to Los Gatos. After parting company with Frank, I rode directly home, encountering headwinds only on the last few miles home on Monroe/Reed/Evelyn.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	129.8 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	6360 feet
  Total Time:	11:57:13
  Riding Time:	7:50:18
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	44.7 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1667.2 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.0
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	31.4
  Regen Amps-Hour:	2.0
  Peak Current:	21.1 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	12.0 Amps

  Lake Del Valle and Mendenhall Road, March 14, 2015 - Today's ride was an unusual affair. My plan was to ride almost 40 miles to join the Bay Area Recumbent Cyclists (BARC) for a ride in the Livermore area, then ride home afterward. On that ride I'd meet Zach Kaplan who would transfer to me some of the bike parts I had ordered from him. I'd carry these bike parts home on the bike, or at least I'd try. One of the parts was a 559 rim. So, I was combining commerce with pleasure.

  I left home at 0720, when it was just light enough in the sky for me to feel safe riding without a headlamp. I took the fastest route to Calaveras Road, gaining the top of The Wall on Calaveras about 45 minutes after sunrise. The orange glow of sunrise and the green grass on the hills were beautiful. I thought of stopping to snap more photos, but I was on a deadline. It always seems that I'm in a rush to be somewhere when the best photo opportunities present themselves.

  I saw few cyclists on Calaveras Road: a handful climbing the lower section and continuing onto Felter Road, a few stopped at the construction entrance for the dam, and a few more riding the opposite direction.

  At I-680, I took the on-ramp toward Livermore and continued onto CA84 over Pigeon Pass. Traffic was light, but in spite of that some drivers were impatient, especially at the short narrow spot where the shoulder disappears, where the driver of a van passed closely, then proceeded to tailgate the vehicle ahead of him.

  After descending Pigeon Pass I continued onto Isabel Ave., arriving at Jack London Blvd. and our meeting spot for the BARC ride at 0925, five minutes early, and about 20 minutes before I expected to arrive. At 0930 everyone was present except for Zach, who did eventually arrive at about 0945.

  We finally started the BARC ride by touring through a suburb, then onto the Arroyo Mocho Bike Trail that cuts a diagonal through Livermore's Parkway and Robertson Parks. We emerged from the creek bed at Concannon Road, but we remained on the popular bike path until we arrived at Tesla and Mines Road.

  At Mines Road we turned south and began the gradual climb up the broad lower valley of Arroyo Mocho. We stopped twice, once while Zach fixed a flat tire, and again to regroup before starting the climb over Cedar Mountain Ridge on Del Valle Road with the company of unusually heavy traffic. After regrouping at the top of the ridge and enjoying a sweeping view of Arroyo Valle, we began the steeper descent to Lake Del Valle.

  At the entrance kiosk we turned right and rode to the end of the road at the marina where we took an extended break.

  On our way out of the park we rode a path closer to the lake shore. Folks were cleaning up equipment for a running event that had finished.

  We regrouped again at the top of the climb before taking an out-and-back road I had never before ridden: Mendenhall Road.

  Mendenhall Road climbs atop Cedar Mountain Ridge for the first mile, then traverses at an easier grade on the northeast slope of the ridge. Magnificent views into Arroyo Mocho (1, 2) and Arroyo Valle (1, 2) were seen, as well as views back toward Livermore and Mount Diablo (1, 2).

  Zach and I had stopped several times to snap photos, so we were among the last of our group to arrive at the end of the road before the gate of Walker Ranch, almost three miles from Del Valle Road.

  A couple of medium-sized dogs barked within the main gate of the ranch, but even though the gate was open, the dogs did not approach us.

  While Zach and I watched the dogs I noticed the automatic gate to the main grouping of ranch buildings that had stood open when we arrived began to swing closed of its own accord. It was apparent we were being surveilled by someone within who, wishing to make clear that we were unwelcome, had remotely commanded the gate to close.

  "Do you think I can go down to the gate and then turn around?", asked Zach.

  "Go ahead. But, I think someone is watching us."

  Zach rode down the short slope toward the gate, then turned around, where I snapped his photo. While I did this a white figure emerged from one of the ranch buildings behind the fence and walked swiftly down the hill toward us.

  "Didn't you see the sign back there?", a spry old woman hollered crossly as she strode towards us. "It was as big as you!", she pointed an accusing finger at Zach reclined on his trike.

  The old woman cut the figure of one who might have walked out of the 19th century, of someone who had lived and worked many years enduring physical hardship, one who had no qualms about shooing us out of her neighborhood. Even though her ire was directed at us, she reminded me in an endearing way of a neighborhood fixture from my childhood, The General.

  The General lived next door to our family in the late 1960s and 1970s and spent many of his retirement days sitting in his den watching the world go by and other such activity as occurred on our quiet suburban street. When I was young and uninhibited he got after me several times when he espied me traipsing across his front lawn of dichondra. "Don't walk on the dichondra!", he'd thunder out his window. He eventually erected a fortification (fence) to thwart my shortcut. He also had no patience with neighborhood visitors who had the temerity to park or linger in front of his house.

  Once a hapless tradesman's truck had stalled in front of his house. The General, ever the good watch dog, stormed out and started his routine. We could hear him bellowing and see him pointing authoritatively up and down the street. But, it was no use. The truck would neither start nor move on The General's command.

  As if to amplify The General's age and gruff demeanor, my parents often warned me and my sister when as young credulous children we fussed loudly (threw tantrums) such that the neighbors might hear, "Quiet down, or The General will come over with his sword!"

  "We thought the sign was to keep off the land at the side of the road.", replied Zach.

  "Where exactly does the public road end and your property begin; where is the actual boundary?", I asked, hoping for some clarity.

  "You're not supposed to go past the last cattle grate back there.", she pointed back down the road, adding with an air of authority, "A judge lives here!".

  "Then why is there an end of road sign right there?", I asked, pointing to the county road sign a few feet away from us.

  "So! Is that cover supposed to keep you warm?", she asked, changing the subject as we turned around and prepared to return down the road.

  "If the weather is cool, but it's mostly for aerodynamics, to get me through the air more easily.", I replied, hoping to soften her mood further.

  At that point I almost asked if I could take her photo, but I thought she would have become suspicious and refuse. Still, in hindsight I wish now that I had pressed my luck.

  We returned down Mendenhall Road, stopping a couple more times to snap photos of the view into Livermore.

  After a brief regroup and after Neal placed a boot in his tire that he had just noticed was down to the cords, we started down Del Valle Road and Mines Road into Livermore. We regrouped again at Tesla Road and took the bike path south of town through Holdener Park and a corner of Sycamore Park before being guided back to our starting point by Russell on a convoluted route through a newer subdivision that only a Livermore native could recall without error.

  While Neal, Dave M., and Frank wanted to get home, Russell, Dave, Zach, and I decided to eat a late lunch at "84 Teriyaki", the only eating establishment that was serving food at that hour in the small strip mall.

  At the end of our meal the time was 1600, and I figured I had just enough time to get home before dark.

  Zach and I bid goodbye to the others, then after assuring ourselves that my bike parts were securely strapped to my bike, we headed west on Jack London Blvd. into Pleasanton, riding quickly. We then continued up Dublin Canyon Road, still moving at a brisk clip.

  At Palomares Road Zach and I split up, Zach heading into Castro Valley and on up Redwood Road, down 35th into Oakland and then toward home in Alameda, and I heading south on Palomares Road.

  I continued to ride quickly over Palomares, then down half of Niles Canyon into Niles where crowds were attending an antique auto show. I didn't linger.

  At Decoto Road I turned left and then right on Paseo Padre that I rode out to Marshlands Road.

  After crossing the Dumbarton Bridge I took the Bay Trail mostly through Palo Alto and Mountain View, and then Stevens Creek Trail to Evelyn. The evening was warm and humid, yet I was surprised that even at 1900 many people were still riding and walking on the trail as darkness closed in.

  I arrived home at 1920, just as it was getting too dark to be out without a headlamp.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	120.8 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8730 feet
  Total Time:	8:26:41
  Riding Time:	7:40:24
  Avg. Speed (moving):	15.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	38.2 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1802 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	34.1
  Regen Amps-Hour:	4.2
  Peak Current:	18.7 Amps
  Peak Regen Current:	9.2 Amps
  Peak Internal Motor Temperature:	140°C

  Mount Hamilton Loop CCW, February 21, 2015 - After sitting passively on my bike, riding the same loop five times at almost 400 km, I was ready to head out and just ride without trying too much to test things. I chose the Mount Hamilton loop because I hadn't ridden it since last year and because I hoped the rains from two weeks ago might have encouraged some greenery and wildflower growth.

  I saw plenty of greenery, although the grass was shorter than I expected. In many spots the grass was as short as a putting green, and brown earth was still visible in the sparse patches. On the other hand many of the lakes and small reservoirs along the creeks were full or nearly full.

  I couldn't complain about the weather: cool in the morning becoming warm mid-day, then cooling again by the time I arrived home. Temperature varied between 15C and 25C, with little or no wind. It couldn't have been a nicer day to be on the bike.

  I rode again with the Nine Continents M3006RC direct-drive hub motor so that I might get better acquainted with it. I rode at a moderate pace all day, including downhills, where I tried to capture as much energy through regeneration as possible.

  The direct-drive hub motor feels different on the bike from my through-gears motor. Torque and acceleration are mild, especially from a stop. I climbed the western side of Mount Hamilton with its easier 5-6% grades at about 10-12 mph, using typically about 500 watts of motor power to keep my speed from dropping below 10 mph where motor efficiency begins to drop significantly.

  The Nine Continents motor is quiet but not silent. It growls a bit at very low speed and whines softly at higher speed. None of this is as annoying as it may sound from my description. The only time the motor makes objectionable noise is between 13 and 14 mph (22 kph) under power where a resonance in the motor shell causes a moderately loud rasping sound. I may in the future look for ways to eliminate these remaining noises.

  On the climb I noticed the motor temperature climb slowly, starting at 35C at the bottom and rising to 95C by the time I reached the summit.

  I took my longest break at the summit to enjoy the view and to allow the motor some time to cool before I started the steep east side descent, 2000 feet (600m) at 8% average grade.

  From the top of the climb down to Isabel Creek I held down the regen button. My speed never exceeded 20mph, spending most of its time around 15mph. I descended slowly, even by the standards of a typical "white-knuckler". But, I captured a full 2 Amps-hour, and when I got to the bottom the motor temperature was 140C.

  Based on my speed and the amount of energy I recaptured in regen, I conclude that the motor's efficiency as a generator is only about 1/4 its efficiency as a motor. That explains the modest power that is pushed into the battery during regen (about 300-450 watts), and the heat buildup in the motor itself. The controller remains relatively cool. The energy has to go somewhere, and it goes mostly into heating the motor.

  As long as the motor temperature doesn't get too high (>150C), this may be preferable to heating a rim where such heating leads to tire blow-off. But, the thermal rollback feature of the CycleAnalyst V3 (CAV3) only works when using the motor as a motor, not a generator. So, one must keep an eye on motor temperature during extended regen sessions.

  Because I was descending slowly and had not started earlier in the morning, and because I had forgotten to take my headlight battery, I skipped stopping at The Junction Cafe for a sit-down lunch mid-way around the loop as I usually do.

  I was surprised I did not see more cyclists on the road. I saw a few climbing Mount Hamilton from the west, and a few more climbing from Livermore, but no more than 20 altogether on the 70 miles between San Jose and Livermore.

  While riding between Livermore and Sunol over Pigeon Pass I detoured onto the old highway to see if that might be a nicer route than taking the main road with its freeway-speed traffic. It wasn't. The old highway asphalt has been torn up or covered with moderately large gravel or ballast rock. In addition the lane is rutted from poor drainage in a few places. It's clear that the old route is no longer being maintained as a viable alternative. I probably won't ride that way again if only to avoid cutting the side walls of my tires.

  I was pleased to capture 12.3% of my energy through regen braking (at a cost of having a lower average speed), my net energy use of 13.1 wh/mi was noticeably worse than past trips around this loop in either direction, where my energy use varied between 8.0 and 11.3 wh/mi, typically around 10.0 wh/mi. Although I did not do a controlled experiment this time, my legs felt afterward as if they had worked just as hard as they had on those prior outings.

  Although I was trying to get away from testing stuff on this ride, I couldn't help but notice the effectiveness of Cat-Ears. These furry strips attach to one's bicycle helmet strap in front of but not over each ear as seen in this photo and are designed to reduce wind noise. Based on the principle that the fur in and on a cat's ear reduces wind noise to make a cat's hearing more effective, these furry strips reduce but do not eliminate noise from wind passing over a cyclist's ear. I can now hear all the noises my bicycle makes while riding (which is sometimes good), and I can hear other noises around me when riding at speed on an otherwise quiet road. Although I haven't used them yet on a social ride, I expect that they will make conversation with others much easier. They will not reduce the noise of loud Harley exhaust pipes nor the loud rushing of automobile tires on tarmac. But, that annoying and fatiguing noise from the wind is greatly reduced, an especially welcome effect after riding for many miles. I endorse Cat-Ears wholeheartedly.

  Other than my extended break on the Summit and taking brief stops to tend to calls of nature, I kept moving, arriving home at 1720, just before sunset.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	101.4 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	4850 feet
  Total Time:	3:36:02
  Riding Time:	3:27:21
  Avg. Speed (moving):	29.3 mph
  Max. Speed:	49.6 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2000 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1910 wh
  Wh/mi:	18.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	75.4
  Peak Current:	46.4 Amps
  Link to:	Results

  Low-Key MegaMonster Enduro, February 7, 2015 - During the week before the event the weather forecast predicted a wet weekend. I was disappointed because I had planned to ride this year and wanted to try to set a personal best time on the course. That would be unlikely if the roads were wet or the winds gusty.

  Recalling an occasion in 2012 when gusty winds blew me off the road into gravel, resulting in a spill that left me with a broken fibula, I have since been a bit wind-shy, especially in situations where traction is less than ideal.

  The event coordinator, Kevin Winterfield, checked the course by driving it both directions, reporting dry roads and pleasant temperatures the day before the event. This news was promising, since it had been pouring rain all day in the Bay Area.

  It's important to remember that Paicines, though not far from San Jose, is in Central California and is quite far south. Weather that is forecast to strike the Bay Area may not reach Paicines or points south.

  On Saturday morning I left home at 0530 and started the drive to Paicines. I brought my bike and would decide whether to ride after seeing conditions for myself.

  Rain fell intermittently and heavily at times from south of Morgan Hill until just north of Hollister. When I got to Paicines shortly after 0700 the roads were damp but not wet. Kevin and Cathy were waiting expectantly in front of the closed General Store.

  66 had pre-registered, and of those fewer than half appeared. To make up for the shortfall we saw quite a few check-ins who hadn't pre-registered. In the end we had about 50 overall.

  While Cathy and Stella worked the check-in table and Dan and Kevin the starting line, I made myself useful by standing around and idly snapping photos of riders and teams starting.

  Edward Lyen, the only other hybrid-electric entrant, arrived at the check-in. He had emailed me the night before, showing me his bike that he had just then finished setting up for riding in the hybrid-electric class. I scolded him mildly for not giving himself time to stress-test it before the event. With a newly and hastily assembled bike, there is always at least one component that fails, malfunctions, or at the very least needs adjustment. Unfortunately, my fears were prescient.

  I hadn't heard from Edward in the last year, nor had I seen him post recently on the Endless Sphere forums. He was riding a carbon fiber road bike with a tiny controller driving an RC motor connected by pulleys to a friction wheel pressed against the rear tire. The motor runs at about 15 volts, and his battery was probably a 4sNp, where N is a number between 40 and 50 (for a 2 kwh battery), although the battery didn't look large enough to hold a full 2 kwh. He was going for a lightweight and simple drivetrain.

  As the morning wore on the sun occasionally poked out from behind the clouds and the south wind picked up strength. We could see dark clouds to the north but only mixed clouds and sun to the south. Someone mentioned a shower would pass through the area at 1000, and looking north and west one might have agreed that was a reasonable forecast. Yet, looking to the south the sky looked friendlier, and that was from where the wind blew.

  As the last of the participants started off, I changed into biking clothes and readied my bike for the round-trip.

  In 2011 I had ridden the course in 3 hours 45 minutes. My goal today was to beat that time and possibly to finish in less than 3 hours and 30 minutes. In 2011 I carried about 1400 watt-hours of battery and used 1320 watt-hours. Today I had the full 2000 watt-hours allowed, so I figured that my goal was reasonable. I secretly thought I might achieve it while pedaling with less effort than in 2011.

  A couple of issues were working against me. Today the winds were stronger than they were in 2011. As experienced cyclists know, riding an out and back course in constant wind is always harder the stronger the wind. The headwind hurts you more than the tailwind helps, not to mention cross-winds.

  My bike is somewhat less aerodynamic than it was then. Over the years I have had to modify the bike or my position on it following a frame failure and subsequent repair and reinforcement or to allow for more comfort. These modifications invariably increased aerodynamic drag, usually because the fairing needed to be expanded to accommodate the modification. In this case I had raised my seat a few inches and raised the handlebars and fairing height to match. That increased my frontal area slightly.

  Before the event I printed out a "cheat sheet" that gave me a target energy consumption rate in watt-hours per mile (wh/mi) at various points along the course. The sheet's numbers assumed no net wind. In most years I'd find myself with an energy surplus at the turnaround, only to see it quickly evaporate and threaten to become a deficit before the finish. With the strong south wind, my consumption rate would ideally be higher than the target so that by the time I reached the turnaround I would have less than half the energy remaining.

  But, this plan could be derailed if the wind changed direction before I returned to the finish. If that happened I might run the battery flat before I reached the finish (which means pedaling a heavy bike over a few low hills and into a headwind, an experience Zach Kaplan enjoyed in 2012), or I'd have to reduce speed and lose time. Another problem was one of estimating how much energy deficit I could afford to run on the southbound leg with a headwind while still leaving enough on the northbound leg with a tailwind. The ideal is to use up all available energy as I cross the finish line, but in practice it's hard to hit that point.

  Another variable in all of this is my own pedaling effort. There's nothing like competition, even if it's just me and a clock, to give me the incentive to push as hard as I can. I figure I might manage somewhere around 170-180 watts on average, but I hadn't tested myself on a long event recently. And, I no longer have a power meter that measures human effort.

  I decided to go hard on the southbound leg and adjust as needed along the way. It is always best to gain time by first applying maximum power on the climbs, then if there's surplus energy to ride faster and fight the wind on flatter terrain. There is more climbing southbound, and I had about 600 watt-hours more energy on-board than in 2011. I figured I could afford to go hard early and not run short.

  For the first ten miles I ran at or near maximum power. In spite of the wind I made good time, cruising around 28mph. At that speed into a headwind, the bike gets buffeted a bit and can be an armful, especially in a cross-wind. I rode near the center of the lane and kept both hands on the handlebars except when snapping a few photos.

  Taking one-handed photos from a moving bike isn't ideal, but it's the best I can do when I'm multi-tasking. Before starting the ride I put the camera in shutter priority mode with a shutter speed of 1/640 second. Later I used a shorter shutter speed, and I think these photos looked better. But I had trouble viewing the display on my camera while riding to confirm what it was at the time or if I might have misadjusted some other setting. As for the results, some photos turned out better than others.

  I saw no other cyclists on the course until I encountered Edward standing over his bike, facing downhill, on the Willow Creek Grade. He did not look happy.

  I yelled out, "You're going the wrong way!"

  He pointed to his motor, and I caught the word, "failed". I said I was sorry before I was out of earshot.

  Edward rode back to the start under his own power (and with the aid of a strong tailwind), but he decided not to wait for another two hours for me to return so that we could discuss in person what went wrong. I learned later that the sandpaper on the pressure roller had saturated from the wet road and had torn through, leaving the bare aluminum roller to slip on the wet tire. Edward told me later that he had gotten very little sleep the night before and that he was feeling sleepy and with a sore back, and that was the main reason he turned back. When the road and his tire dried, the aluminum roller had enough traction.

  As I passed my first checkpoint I noticed that I was consuming battery energy at a rate of 27.5 wh/mi, and my target was 23.5 wh/mi. I was already in deficit!

  I continued to use full power on the climbs, but on the descents I eased off the throttle. On the flatter parts I dialed in about 600 watts. Did I make the right decision? Could I have gained a minute or two on my overall time by pressing on as before, regardless of consumption, then make up the difference on the final ten miles with a tailwind?

  By the next checkpoint my deficit had come down slightly. I was at 26.5 wh/mi.

  I rolled up to the Bitterwater rest stop, but I didn't get off the bike or linger long enough for more than the briefest exchange of information with Lane Parker. I'm sure the 4H girls had many questions about my bike, but before they could ask them, I was off. There was no time credit for a social call.

  As I flew down Bitterwater Valley I conserved energy, using between 300 and 400 watts most of the time. The terrain was mostly downhill with a slight headwind. The road curves were tight enough in a couple places that I would have wanted to tap the brakes had I been moving faster. A light rain began to fall.

  Speaking of brakes, the MegaMonster course requires the least use of brakes on any 100-mile ride I can recall. Aside from the check points and the turnaround, there are only a couple of spots, (1) southbound on CA25 at Coalinga Road and (2) northbound at a sharp right-hand bend at the bottom of the descent into Bear Valley, where one might reasonably wish to touch a brake, and then only when the road is wet.

  As I pressed south into Peachtree Valley I saw more cyclists, Paul McKenzie and Sarah Schroer enjoying their ride, Alexander Komlik hard at work on his way to break 5 hours, and several teams, some of whom were riding socially rather than with a goal of minimizing time or energy use.

  My 3 wh/mi deficit held until the turnaround at CA198, and I was beginning to worry that maybe I had run a bit too hot over the first half of the course, especially if the wind changed direction.

  I gave Kevin my number, and took a quick nature break. While stopped I noticed that my ears rang from the constant wind noise, even while wearing earplugs.

  I then made a U-turn at CA198 before returning northbound.

  "See you at the finish," I told Kevin.

  As I began rolling northbound I felt the difference between headwind and tailwind in no uncertain terms. My ride was quieter, I rolled faster, and I used less power. The miles rolled by quickly. Even the climb up Bitterwater Valley felt quick and at the same time relaxingly quiet, as if an invisible hand was pushing me. More importantly my energy deficit was coming down.

  Again I paused at Bitterwater opposite the school and yelled out my number, but I did not linger.

  By the time I passed CA146 at Pinnacles I had reached my target energy consumption rate of 20.5 wh/mi. I knew I had a tailwind all the way back, so I rode the remainder of the course with maximum power. Even so, my consumption rate continued to drop.

  The descent down the Willow Creek Grade is the only other spot I touched the brakes, this time because of speed, gusty wind, and my memory of the incident in 2012. In spite of that I still reached my maximum speed for the day on this descent.

  Maximum power on my bike is set to 1000 watts from the battery, which is about 750 watts at the rear wheel. If I add back in my pedaling at maximal effort, that's about 1000 watts at the rear wheel, but for a longer time period I probably get a bit less out of my legs, so maybe 900 watts at the wheel.

  I also set a 35mph maximum speed limit, mainly to prevent me from wasting too much energy fighting wind. But, today with a strong tailwind, my bike wanted to go faster, but the motor cut out when I got to 35mph. So, I cruised at or near 35mph on most of the last 10 miles. In the end it probably wouldn't have saved much time to go faster because the motor is geared to spin out at about 35mph in neutral wind. It would have helped maybe to 36 or 37mph on a day like today with a strong tailwind.

  When I got to the finish I had a small surplus of energy. I could have ridden harder and used up that remaining 90 watt-hours. Hard to say how many minutes of time this might have been worth. Probably no more than a few minutes. The faster one rides the harder fought is that marginal minute to gain.

  I'd like to get to the point where I don't think I can improve my time so that I can then socialize more and ignore the clock. I felt a little guilty about not being a good event host by not stopping to chat with Edward after his motor failure, with Carola Berger after her hub failure, with Lane and the 4H'ers at Bitterwater, and with others along the course.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	56.2 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	4850 feet
  Total Time:	4:06:02
  Riding Time:	3:22:47
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.6 mph
  Max. Speed:	45.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	48
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	899 wh
  Wh/mi:	14.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	17.3
  Regenerated Amps-Hour:	1.4
  Peak Current:	20.9 Amps
  Peak Regenerated Current:	80.8 Amps

  Nine Continents Direct-Drive Hub Motor, February 4, 2015 - Most e-bikers start into the activity by installing a hub motor on their bike. When I started I went straight to a mid-drive, mainly due to the hilly terrain in which I often ride. But, I had always planned to try a hub motor when I could find one of reasonable quality at a decent price and when I had the time to experiment with it. This winter things came together for me to explore the use of a direct-drive hub motor.

  I chose a direct-drive hub motor so that I could have a pleasing answer for the many times I am asked about regenerative (regen) braking. None of my mid-drive bikes has regen braking due to the design of their drivetrains, and I could always see the slight disappointment register on the faces of questioners when I explained why this was so. Aside from that I want to see for myself how much energy can be recovered using regen braking on a reasonably hilly ride, especially a loop ride that I have ridden many times and have statistics from other occasions with which to compare.

  One of the problems with hub motors is that they are "one gear" systems. It's important to choose a motor that gives a satisfying top speed while not getting too bogged down on the hills one expects to climb. Since this was my first foray into using a hub motor, I decided after playing around with the Grin e-bike simulator to go with the relatively inexpensive Nine Continents M3006RC direct-drive motor in the standard winding.

  I chose the M3006RC because it has the lowest passive drag (resistance when spinning it unpowered) of any of the offered direct-drive hub motors for the power capability and because it uses a Shimano-compatible free-hub to allow installation of a standard 9-speed cassette instead of a thread-on freewheel, one of the first on the market to offer this. Although most DD hub motors have reasonably good efficiency these days, the M3006RC's curve was a smidgen better than the others. In addition, Grin has added a thermistor inside this motor, compatible with their Cycle Analyst. The thermistor allows the user to monitor the motor temperature and to allow the Cycle Analyst to perform automatic throttle-back as the temperature rises past a preset threshold.

  According to the simulation, the standard winding would give me a top speed with a 48-volt power supply in the low-30's (mph) on flat ground, matching the top-end performance of my mid-drive systems and would maintain reasonably good if not usable efficiency up to about an 8% grade, enough to get me up most hills in the area. The Crystalyte Crown motor would do a little better on steeper hills, but I felt that its slightly better hill-climbing ability was not worth more than double the price and other trade-offs.

  As I started off I noticed that with my 12-FET Infineon based (a.k.a. Xie Chang) controller the motor cogs or growls a bit from a stop, but as the bike picks up speed over 10 mph, the motor quiets down to a low buzzing or ringing that becomes less noticeable at faster speeds. Still, it's not completely silent as it might be when using a sine-wave controller. But the noise is not nearly as audible as is the gearbox on my crank-drive or the sprocket and chain on my mid-drive.

  At the base of Old La Honda Road, a popular climb in my area of 1300 feet (400 meters) at 7-8% grade, I set my power level to 400 watts as I usually do, and proceeded up the hill. I noticed immediately that my speed felt slower than with my mid-drive in an optimal gear. I was working harder than usual to maintain my usual speed. I could feel a mild vibration/growl from the motor, and I also noticed the motor temperature gradually increasing. My speed was 6-8mph, where it was 7-9 mph with the mid-drive. It was clear that to get the highest efficiency I would need to climb at a faster speed that kept the motor operating higher on the efficiency curve.

  On my second and longer climb, Alpine Road, a climb of 1900 feet (600 meters) at 7-8% grade, I dialed the power up to 750 watts and climbed faster. This time the motor sounded happier and quieter. The motor temperature also increased as I climbed, but not as quickly as on Old La Honda Road.

  My conclusion is that this direct-drive hub motor can be used in the hills, but efficiency falls off when speed falls below about 10-12 mph. If I can hear or feel the motor growling, the efficiency is reduced.

  What about regen braking?

  I set up my controller to use its highest level of regen braking when its e-brake circuit is closed. I could apply the regen brake intermittently to get reduced braking effect, as needed. Although this highest regen level feels strong, it is unlikely on any but the slickest of roads to lock up my rear wheel due to the weight over the rear wheel on my bike, roughly 2/3 of my total weight. Since I already have my e-brake levers wired through the Cycle Analyst, I wired up an unused horn button (momentary SPST switch, normally open) on my handlebars to close the controller's e-brake circuit when I wanted to apply the regen brake.

  I used the regen brake where I would otherwise have used the friction brake to trim my speed. I noticed after a while that the controller limited regen power to about 450 watts, although it felt like quite a bit more power was being dissipated at times, given the force of the deceleration. The increasing motor temperature when using the regen brake confirmed this, although at times it was hard to tell as the motor temperature reading was intermittent^† during my ride.

  Regen braking on my relatively aerodynamic bike (CdA = 0.26) seemed to strike the best balance between forward progress and energy recovery at around 20-25 mph. I might have captured more energy while descending at speeds slower than 20 mph, but regen power declined somewhat, and I began to feel as if I was creeping down the hills. The pleasure of the descent was already being curtailed by keeping my descending speed below 25mph, although it could be argued that restricting oneself thus improves safety. At higher speed I shed my energy to the air through greater aerodynamic losses, leaving less for regen braking to recover.

  In the end I was able to recover about 8% of my energy through regen braking. But, I don't think it was quite enough to compensate for energy lost while climbing hills with the motor working out of it's peak efficiency zone.

  As I see it now, the main advantage of the direct-drive hub motor is its quieter operation and the simplicity of the drive-train. While energy recovered with regen braking doesn't quite make up for losses elsewhere over the course of a hilly ride, I didn't use my brakes as much on the steep descents, saving my brake pads. And, had I still been using rim brakes on my rear wheel, the regen brake would have greatly reduced the likelihood of rim heating leading to tire blow off.

  The disadvantages of the hub motor are slightly lower efficiency overall on hilly terrain, slightly more weight than a functionally similar mid-drive with the latter's additional hardware (gearboxes, clutches, extra chains and sprockets), the requirement for torque arms at the dropouts to prevent axle spinout and to prevent bending a dropout not designed for a hub motor, and additional inconvenience when servicing a flat tire along with the requirement to carry an 18mm wrench to loosen and tighten the axle bolts.

  An ideal hilly course for a direct-drive hub motor might be one with gradual uphills and steep downhills, the converse of what might work best with a properly-geared mid-drive system and friction brakes: steep uphills and gradual downhills. Those who like to descend fast probably won't be happy with the amount of regenerated energy they are able to capture since they already use their brakes sparingly and lose most of their energy to aero drag, but white-knuckle (slow) descenders should be happier with the amount of energy they can recover.

  Despite this mixed review, I plan to ride more with this hub motor and to arrive eventually at a fuller assessment of its qualities.

  ^†I was unable to get solid temperature readings on this ride because my thermistor circuit in the motor appeared to be intermittently shorting out.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	113.8 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	6860 feet
  Total Time:	7:40:18
  Riding Time:	6:34:04
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.3 mph
  Max. Speed:	47.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1207 wh
  Wh/mi:	10.6
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	45.7
  Peak Current:	31.9 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	845 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	598 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1443 wh

  Santa Cruz, January 28, 2015 - Frank wanted to do a training ride to prepare for the upcoming MegaMonster event in February. This was to be the last such training ride, and he wanted to ride the same distance and climbing as the event. I suggested the coastal loop to Santa Cruz via the route that minimizes climbing. He was game but apprehensive about riding it alone as there were no bailouts and it would have been his longest solo ride in many years. So, I offered to accompany him for most of the way.

  Frank started in Los Gatos while I started from home. The plan was for us to meet up somewhere between Menlo Park and San Gregorio. Although I rode with my self-imposed speed and power limits^†, I did not stop except for traffic signals.

  At one intersection, Cuesta and Springer, a four-way stop, I observed a Google self-driving car, probably one of many that I've seen traversing the city streets of Mountain View over the last several years. Traffic had saturated all directions. The car was behaving as if an older, cautious driver were at the wheel. It waited through several cycles before what appeared to be a sufficiently long time gap since the last car to pass through the intersection. What the computer seemed to have difficulty doing was to signal its intention by sticking its nose into the intersection to assert its intent to proceed when other drivers were doing the same.

  I checked life360 every half-hour or so, and Frank was always about 20 minutes ahead of me. Shortly after I left home he was on Junipero Serra Blvd., and as I started up the climb on CA84 he was at Skylonda. Then about a mile from San Gregorio I received a text message stating that he was in Skylonda. Had I missed seeing his bike? I could not believe he would have been delayed for so long in Skylonda.

  I pressed on to the San Gregorio Store where I saw Frank's bicycle parked at the bike rack. My phone had been malfunctioning all morning, not updating my location, not even updating the displayed system time but once every ten minutes, and apparently not relaying text messages to me in a timely fashion.

  Once we were together we proceeded south along the coast. Weather was clear and warm; air was hazy almost dusty. The usual northwest wind was weak. We would not get much help today.

  We alternated leading but we did not draft each other. Frank wanted the pure training effect of riding solo, so I led at some distance ahead or followed a respectable distance behind.

  Later I asked him whether he preferred me to ride ahead or behind, and his preference was unclear, although he did state that when I was ahead he had an occasional tendency to pace himself off my pace which could be alternately too fast or too slow. Even though I can dial in a specific assist power level on my bike and can make finer adjustments by pedaling harder or softer myself, this does not easily match a constant power level for an upright bicycle rider, being generally too slow on uphills and too fast on flatter or downhill terrain.

  Traffic on CA1 was light as far as Davenport then became slightly heavier on the last few miles into Santa Cruz.

  We proceeded through town, getting slightly off route when I failed to continue straight onto Lincoln from Walnut. We quickly regained the route through downtown, then headed east on Soquel Drive to Soquel-San Jose Road.

  We stopped for a water and toilet break at Anna Jean Cummings Park in Soquel before continuing.

  The high point on Soquel-San Jose Road is only slightly higher than Skylonda, and the climb about as gradual as the climb up CA84 from Woodside or La Honda. But, what makes the descent on this road fun makes the climb slightly tedious. Heavy traffic can be irritating, but today traffic was light.

  Frank started strongly after our rest stop, but as we started the main climb I could see that Frank's energy was flagging. I led most of the way on the climb. Although the grade was consistent, I would reduce my power as Frank started to fall back, hoping that he might close the gap. But, Frank seemed happy merely to match my new slower speed. No longer would he energetically pass me if slowed too much.

  We stopped at the Summit Store for a short break. Frank admitted that he was getting tired and was starting to feel the buzz of fatigue after riding for many kilometers, a feeling that I know all too well. Fortunately, most of the climbing was finished, and all that remained were a few miles on Summit Road and the descent into Los Gatos.

  This time Frank followed me down CA17 into Los Gatos, avoiding the Creek Trail. We were a few seconds too fast to catch a gap in traffic to make the left-hand exit onto Santa Cruz Ave. into downtown Los Gatos, so we instead continued flying with a stiff traffic-induced tailwind to the CA9 exit.

  After Frank returned to his car near CA9 and Daves, I continued into Saratoga, then onto Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, arriving home with plenty of daylight to spare.

  ^†20 mph and 400 watts when using the assist.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	93.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	6200 feet
  Total Time:	6:24:31
  Riding Time:	5:38:41
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	42.6 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1090 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	41.7
  Peak Current:	32.7 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	763 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	534 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1297 wh

  Devil's Slide, January 25, 2015 - I left home not having a firm idea of where I was going to ride today. I had considered riding over to the coast and then south to Santa Cruz or perhaps riding a loop through Bonny Doon in reverse of what I had ridden the week before. But, since weather was forecast to be sunny and warm at the coast I chose to head north and visit Devil's Slide, my second visit since the coast side trail had opened last spring.

  Apparently everyone else with access to a car had the same idea. The major roads were clogged with traffic, especially CA1 through Pacifica.

  I spent some time enjoying the warm weather and views at Devil's Slide before continuing south through Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, and Half Moon Bay.

  I continued beyond Half Moon Bay, taking Lobitos Cutoff to Tunitas Creek Road before climbing back over the hill.

  I saw many cyclists out on the road, especially on Canada Road and later on CA1 and Tunitas Creek Road. On Canada Road I played leap-frog with a guy furiously pedaling a very nice-looking fixed-gear bike, my self-imposed power and speed limits matching his average speed, although he would gain on the slight hills and I would gain on the descents. Later on CA1 I leap-frogged a couple of times another cyclist heading south.

  On Lobitos Cutoff Road I stopped to watch three horses gallop playfully in their field, chasing each other from one end to the other. Usually I observe horses, especially those whose backs are swayed from carrying overweight humans, standing dejectedly in their paddocks. These horses looked healthy and happy. The dominant one even approached me after noticing I had stopped to observe.

  Lately I have been using a Magura Venti 203mm disk brake rotor with metallic pads in a BB7 caliper. This combination would cause horrible screeching with other rotors, but with the Venti, the worst is a mild ringing. And, the brakes work well enough to lock the wheel should I squeeze the lever so hard. I notice that with the Venti rotor, the pads are always pressing fully on the perimeter of the rotor and not on the arms or off the edge of the rotor as I observe with most other brake rotors. Also the Venti is about 0.3mm thicker than Shimano rotors.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	106.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5150 feet
  Total Time:	8:31:41
  Riding Time:	6:37:32
  Avg. Speed (moving):	15.9 mph
  Max. Speed:	45.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1184 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	44.5
  Peak Current:	30.0 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	828 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	500 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1328 wh

  Gilroy and Corralitos, January 20, 2015 - In the prior week Frank had asked me advice about a route from San Jose to Gilroy and back that he wanted to ride in preparation of the MegaMonster ride in early February. In the end I rode with him, in part because I needed to buy some metric offset wrenches that were only available at the Gilroy Harbor Freight store.

  I left home just after 0830 and rode through town to Frank's house near downtown San Jose. Frank had planned a route that took the CA87 bike path as far as was practical, and getting on and off the path required some intimate knowledge of obscure side streets.

  As we started down the path I observed one young hawk sitting atop a lamp post on the path. I stopped to photograph it, but as I drew closer to get a better shot, it flew off. We passed the Tamien station and the daytime "parking lot" for the Ace Train. More trash than I am accustomed to seeing on multi-use paths littered the side of the trail, most of it on the freeway side.

  At Curtner we had to get back on city streets again and made one wrong turn in the process, but soon we were back on course. We finally left the path at Hillsdale and made our way over to Monterey Highway at Capitol Expressway. From here our route became simpler.

  Frank went down on his aerobars in time trial mode, and I followed behind. It turns out that my speed limit of 20mph matched closely Frank's preferred cruising speed most of the way south to Gilroy.

  We stopped at Metcalf Park to use the rest rooms, and I stopped again to photograph a dead pheasant lying in the bike lane while Frank continued. We regrouped in Morgan Hill.

  When we got to California Avenue in San Martin, our routes diverged. Frank went west to Santa Teresa Blvd. while I continued south on Monterey.

  When I got to 10th Street in Gilroy I turned left and pressed through heavy traffic to the Harbor Freight store where I found only 1 set of the wrenches where there had been 5 sets in stock the day before.

  Pleased that I had not made a wasted detour, I resumed my ride, getting back on course as quickly as I could.

  I checked life360.com, and it showed me that I was 25 minutes behind Frank. I figured I should be able to catch up to him before the top of Mount Madonna Road or by Corralitos at the latest.

  As I climbed on the dirt part of Mount Madonna Road I could see a couple of road bike tire tracks, one straight and one wobbly. I figured the wobbly track was Frank's uphill track, and the other was some other cyclist's who had descended. At the very least I knew that I hadn't passed him already.

  When I got to the top of Mount Madonna Road I got a text message from Frank stating that he was starting up Hazel Dell. So, he was yet about 7-10 minutes ahead of me.

  I descended the west side of Mount Madonna Road quickly and continued up Hazel Dell, but I did not catch Frank until mid-way down the descent of Browns Valley Road, just as the road breaks out of the redwoods and onto the agricultural plain. We rode together into Corralitos, where we stopped for our longest break.

  Traffic on the lower part of Eureka Canyon was heavier than I expected, but as we climbed higher, traffic thinned considerably. This time of year the sun is low in the sky, even near mid-day, casting a pleasing light through the trees that can only be enjoyed on summer evenings or early mornings.

  At Four Corners, the top of Eureka Canyon and Highland Way, I stopped while Frank continued down the rough descent ahead. The only other cyclist we saw that day (who bore a resemblance to Ben Jacques-Maynes) was just arriving at the top from the other direction.

  We continued on Highland Way, Summit Road, and Old Santa Cruz Highway. Most of the traffic was now flowing opposite. Sometimes I was ahead, but usually I let Frank lead. I either took a longer roadside break and played catch-up, or I followed at a distance.

  At CA17 and Alma Bridge Road we split up for good, Frank taking the Los Gatos Creek Trail most of the way home, and I taking CA17 into Los Gatos--a gap in traffic opened at just the right time to take the left-hand exit into downtown--and then proceeding on one of my usual routes, arriving home at 1708, just as it was getting dark enough to need a light.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	77.7 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5590 feet
  Total Time:	6:44:32
  Riding Time:	4:41:19
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	49.6 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	934 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.0
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	35.1
  Peak Current:	36.1 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	654 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	443 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1097 wh

  Capitola, January 3, 2015 - Laura (sister) had a GroupOn for Dharma's in Capitola that was about to expire, so we arranged to meet there for a late lunch.

  Along CA9 just outside Los Gatos I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a small bird sitting on the white shoulder line. I stopped and backed up to get a closer look. It was a bird!

  I figured it was either stunned from flying into a car or ill, so I scooped it up--it was so light!--and deposited it at the side of the road where it could recover without being flattened by passing traffic.

  On my way up Old Santa Cruz Highway I ran into Alexander Komlik who was driving SAG for his wife Nina, who was riding to Watsonville.

  I arrived at Dharma's at 1330, and shortly afterward Laura, Michael, and the dogs arrived. Laura, Michael and I went in and ordered lunch while the dogs remained in the car. At 1500 after a hearty meal, and after allowing a proper dog-greeting with the dogs, we went our separate ways.

  I rode west through town and returned north via Branciforte, Granite Creek, Glenwood, and Mountain Charlie, one of my favorite routes home from Santa Cruz. The warm glow of sunset on the hills near Mountain Charlie Road was pretty.

  As I crossed to the north side of the ridge, the sun disappeared, and it got cold! I was glad I had donned two socks on each foot, but my hands were still cold. Fortunately, the descent into Los Gatos did not take long.

  I managed to get past Saratoga before nightfall closed in, and I was home before 1800.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	79.2 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	6360 feet
  Total Time:	5:10:29
  Riding Time:	4:49:25
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.4 mph
  Max. Speed:	45.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	925 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	35.7
  Peak Current:	33.2 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	648 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	544 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1192 wh

  Pescadero, January 1, 2015 - Due to the recent cold snap in the bay area, I left home in the middle of the day, after temperatures had warmed a bit. Even so, I felt cold for the first several miles, only felling warmer as my route ascended into the hills. In spite of this I find that I feel warmer overall when I'm out riding than when I'm sitting at my desk, unless I crank up the heat while I'm at my desk.

  Lately, I have been riding with my power capped at 400 watts (in^†) and speed under power limited to 20 mph. I find this encourages me to keep moving, uses battery energy more efficiently, and gives me some additional exercise. Even though I'm getting help from the motor where I need it most on the climbs, the outing feels more like a bike ride and less like a moped or slow motorcycle ride.

  Temperatures were cold in the shady canyons that see little sun this time of year. There was even some frost on the ground along Moody Road. Temperatures at the coast were more comfortable, approaching 60 F.

  The golden glow of sunset on the green hills made for a pretty background as I climbed Alpine Road.

  The descent of Page Mill and Moody Roads was so cold that my fingers and feet were numb by the time I got to the bottom.

  I stopped only as nature demanded, so I was able to get home not long after sunset.

  ^†...which translates to about 280-300 watts of power at the rear wheel, added to my pedaling effort. My total weight (bike + body) ranges from 110 - 135 kg.

2014

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	137.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	4780 feet
  Total Time:	9:17:16
  Riding Time:	8:18:18
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	48.2 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1577 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.5
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	59.8
  Peak Current:	44.0 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1104 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	466 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1570 wh

  Winter Solstice, December 21, 2014 - Years ago the Winter Solstice Double Century (WSDC) had been held on the weekend closest to the winter solstice. In recent years, the ride has kept its name but the date has shifted, most often into January when the usual suspects' schedules are less busy. This year Jim Kern sent out an email to ride on the Solstice itself a slightly modified route starting and ending at El Toro Brewery in Morgan Hill instead of Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy or Ken Holloway's house in San Jose. It was a good compromise as it allowed us to start at the comfortable hour of 0800 and finish just after sunset, with subsequent dinner near at hand.

  Starting from Morgan Hill (not including myself) were Tim Woudenberg, Jim Kern, and Roland Bevan. All three of them were on "high racers", Carbents or Bacchettas. I rode my Gold Rush. Tim called me "CalTrain" on account of my high-visibility striping on my front fairing. Our plan was to ride south on a route that took us past Christmas Hill Park in case anyone else showed up starting from there, then on the usual WSDC route to Pinnacles and back.

  Not more than a few blocks from the start my speedometer failed. The signal from the pickup was intermittent. I stopped to debug it while the others continued ahead. After struggling with it for a few minutes, it was clear I would not get it working on the road, so I used my backup speedometer, the GPS (that also occasionally fails), for the rest of the ride^†.

  We cruised at 20-22 mph most of the way south on Santa Teresa Blvd. then regrouped briefly at Christmas Hill Park before continuing on. Not long after we left Christmas Hill Park Roland stopped to adjust his bike, while Tim and Jim disappeared ahead. We didn't see them again until shortly before we reached Paicines.

  We got a few sprinkles and misted glasses, but otherwise the roads were dry, fortunately. Many of the farm roads were covered with dried mud, and a wet day would have meant riding on mud-slicked roads.

  Roland and I cruised at a relaxed pace of 19-20 mph on the flat roads, slowing as needed when climbing Santa Ana Valley Road. A heavy fog hung overhead, but since our route stayed in the valleys, we did not get wet or misty. Unlike my last visit to the area, I saw green grass everywhere. The recent rains had changed the look of the land.

  After Roland and I caught up to Jim and Tim we pedaled on to Paicines where we stopped for water and a snack. At this point Roland and Jim decided to cut short their ride and take Old Airline and Cienega Roads north while I and Tim, who was in remarkably good off-season condition, pressed south to Pinnacles with the aid of a slight tailwind.

  I tried to offer Tim whatever draft he could find off my tail, but most of the time he chose not to ride close to my tail but several bike lengths back. I think my being a pacing target on the road ahead was what he wanted more than a draft. Only a few times he caught up and started to nose past me, issuing the comment, "Pace is much too comfy," after which I increased speed only to see him drift back again.

  We stopped briefly at the Pinnacles Visitor Center before starting back, climbing up Bear Valley toward a low and heavy cloud ceiling that lay just above our highest altitude at the Bear Valley Fire Station.

  On our way up Bear Valley I noticed that an Aeromotor windmill that had been turning lazily not more than an hour earlier was now spinning fast, indicating a stiff headwind for us. Still we managed a respectable pace until we turned off onto Old Airline Road.

  Cienega Road offers a wind-sheltered route north at the expense of a few short hills. Traffic at the southern end of the road was nonexistent, but after we passed the motorcycle park, traffic was frequent, almost all of it pickup trucks with dirt bikes in the rear bed.

  As we emerged onto the plains around Hollister we were again exposed to the wind. This time Tim spent more time in my sweet spot to avoid the worst of the wind. We made good time heading north on CA25 and Frazier Lake Road, and enjoyed the tailwind on Shore Road as we made the traversal.

  We discussed whether we should return the same way we came or to take a more direct route north on Monterey Highway. We decided to return on our outbound route.

  As we crested the top of Santa Teresa Blvd. I snapped a photo of the heavy fog bank that looked like a roll cloud coming off the mountains.

  When we got to Watsonville Road I suggested we return to Morgan Hill by the back door on Sunnyside, West Edmundson, and De Witt, that had us then drop down West Main Street and back to our cars just before "full off" dark. In hindsight I might have taken our original route back as these back roads have no shoulder and were crowded with more traffic than I expected. We arrived at El Toro about one hour after Jim and Roland had returned.

  Overall the ride went well, and I felt worked. Had I been riding alone I would have ridden faster and spent less time on the road. But, it was fun to ride with others for a change.

  ^†After the ride I could find no apparent reason for the intermittent connection. I could find no fault in the wire. Perhaps the high humidity and the wheel magnet clearing the pickup by a generous 5-6mm, barely within range, led to the intermittence. I moved the pickup closer to the magnet. The speedometer worked fine on the next ride.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	123.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	7190 feet
  Total Time:	6:36:12
  Riding Time:	6:05:12
  Avg. Speed (moving):	20.1 mph
  Max. Speed:	53.2 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1620 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.2
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	63.4
  Peak Current:	42.2 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1134 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	542 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1676 wh

  Tailwinds from Santa Cruz, December 14, 2014 - The day promised to be dry with a slight chance of a passing shower and wind from the southeast. This would be a good day to ride my Santa Cruz coastal loop clockwise, riding north along the coast with the aid of a tailwind. I was not disappointed.

  I rode from home over to Santa Cruz via the quickest route. Daylight was limited, and even though I have a head and tail light I aimed to be home by 1700, preferably earlier. I also didn't want to be slowed down by poor road conditions due to the recent storms on some of the back roads. I rode at moderate assist power levels, 400 watts on the climbs, less on the rolling and flat parts.

  Traffic seemed slightly lighter than usual for a Sunday, especially on CA1, where I felt like I had the road to myself between the infrequent platoons.

  After I got through Santa Cruz, I left my assist power at 400 watts. This was sufficient to cruise in the high-20/low-30 mph range much of the way north on CA1. The usual coastal wind had reversed and was now helping. I saw a number of cyclists riding south who appeared to be working hard against the wind.

  Interesting and varied clouds filled the sky as I rode north. A small intermittent creek flowing off the ridge near Waddell Beach made for a pretty waterfall that was, unfortunately, partly obscured by the retaining fence along the highway. The combination of greenery from the recent rains, interesting clouds, and roiling sea reminded a bit of Hawaii. Only the temperature was too cool. But, I wasn't complaining.

  My original plan had been to duck inland at Gazos Creek Road and return via Pescadero, Alpine, and Page Mill Roads, but traffic on the coast was surprisingly light, and the wind favorable. I had plenty of battery left, so I pressed on. It was too much fun. CA84 was my second "bail-out" option, but as I passed the junction I decided then that I'd continue all the way to Half Moon Bay before turning toward home.

  My ride over CA92 was nothing special. Ride fast in traffic for the first 4 miles, then get over the ridge and down to Canada Road without delay. Once I got onto Canada Road I went into slow mode—it was Bicycle Sunday—and took it easy the rest of the way home, arriving a half hour before dark.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	72.9 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5420 feet
  Total Time:	4:55:10
  Riding Time:	4:33:01
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.0 mph
  Max. Speed:	41.7 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	861 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	33.3
  Peak Current:	31.9 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	603 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	472 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1075 wh

  Clouds and Rain, December 1, 2014 - During a break between storms I took the afternoon off to go riding. My goal was to get some exercise, maybe see some interesting clouds, and to stay out of the rain showers. I satisfied the first two of those goals, but failed the third.

  I had intended to climb Page Mill Road, then head north on Skyline to CA92 before looping back toward home. When I got to the Foothills Park entrance I could see rain obscuring Windy Hill and decided that riding along Skyline Blvd. would offer few views in exchange for a good soaking. So I headed down Page Mill and took the low land route through Portola Valley and Woodside, then north on CA92 to do a small loop in San Mateo before heading south again.

  I wasn't able to avoid the rain, getting caught in a couple of showers. Even though I forgot to bring my rain shell, I did not chill in the warm rain wearing a short-sleeve wool jersey.

  It was on my trip south that I observed the parting of the clouds as the main band of showers I had been caught in earlier, began to move away from the Santa Cruz Mountains and head across the Bay.

  When I got to the base of Old La Honda Road I saw that I'd have just enough time to climb to Skyline, head south to the Russian Ridge Vista Point where I stopped to enjoy the contrast of light and dark at the edge of the cloud band, then head down Page Mill and get home before dark. Everything was dripping wet but in a good way. It was nice to see a wet forest after many months of uncharacteristically dry weather.

  I got home at about 1700 just as it was getting uncomfortably dark. The bike needs a good cleaning, but it was worth the trouble.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	93.1 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5520 feet
  Total Time:	6:12:14
  Riding Time:	4:30:29
  Avg. Speed (moving):	20.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	51.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1277 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	48.1
  Peak Current:	33.8 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	894 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	325 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1219 wh

  Pizza Century, November 9, 2014 - According to my records I hadn't ridden the Pizza Century since 2009, but this year the event was held on Sunday, I wasn't too pooped from riding the day before, and the weather was expected to be nice.

  I arrived at Phil Plath's in Half Moon Bay about a half hour before the appointed start time. I was early, but that gave me time to chat with Phil and others who began to arrive. It appeared that we wouldn't be starting until closer to 0900. I didn't mind as we had plenty of time to complete the route before dark, and in any event I had head and tail lights.

  A couple of days before I had talked Zach Kaplan into riding his e-Scorpion trike, advising that he would have enough battery capacity to complete the ride as long as he rode at a moderate assist level.

  Zach and I rode together on the way down. I had limited my bike to 750 watts (in) and a maximum speed of 20mph when assisted as a means of conserving energy. Zach brought his charger with him and planned to partially recharge his battery during lunch. We'd ride with my self-imposed restrictions on the southbound leg, then see what battery capacity we had before deciding if we'd have more fun on the return leg.

  Weather was pea-soup/fog-on-the-deck for the first ten miles, thick enough to condense on my glasses. By the time we got to Pescadero the fog had lifted somewhat, and after we rounded Pigeon Point we broke out into the sun for the rest of our southbound trip.

  While 20mph felt slow on the flat parts, we were able to make up time on the uphills. On the downhills we coasted as fast as gravity allowed. Overall we made good progress, overtaking most of the others on the route that day by the time we got to Santa Cruz, although I don't doubt that we would not have overtaken the go-fast guys had they been hammering. It was a good pace for relaxed riding and sight-seeing.

  While we paused on the bluff over Waddell Beach, Chris Cooper on his Carbon Aero whizzed by. After we got started again, we passed him on the climb south of Waddell Creek. For the rest of the trip into Santa Cruz we could see Chris gaining on us gradually on the flat and downhill parts, then falling back on the uphills.

  A few miles outside of Santa Cruz we overtook Dana Lieberman and Jim Kern who both looked pleased to be out riding their bikes on this fine day.

  At Upper Crust Pizza (West Side) we ran into Steve Purcell who was out riding his own brevet-style ride without assist. He was not returning up CA1 but would be continuing to Corralitos before heading home.

  After splitting with Zach a cheese-less gluten-free pizza that was quite a bit less filling than I expected, we began our return trip. Since Zach was able to restore about 30% capacity of his first battery, he decided to have more fun on the return trip. I told him it was his turn to set the pace, to ride as fast as he wanted. I'd follow behind. At times he got well ahead of me.

  Of the un-assisted riders, Greg Thomas on his carbon fiber Quest was able to match our pace on the flat or downhill sections. We leap-frogged with Greg a few times. On our final encounter Zach helped while Greg worked to free a chain jammed between his chainrings.

  After we all arrived back at Phil's we enjoyed Happy Hour on his driveway, then around 1700 we headed over to Spanishtown Mexican Restaurant for a hearty dinner.

  ---

• Low-Key Hill Climbs 2014 - This link takes you to the blog for this year's Low-Key Hill Climb series. Photos are mostly race photos of individuals with some scenery photos thrown in, especially if I did more riding before or afterward. The blog write-up covers technical details from my climb, the ride to and from the climb, technical commentary about the photos, and other related topics.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	95.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8400 feet
  Total Time:	6:25:03
  Riding Time:	4:38:29
  Avg. Speed (moving):	20.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	54.2 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1974 wh
  Wh/mi:	20.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	77.2
  Peak Current:	42.0 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.5
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1382 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	244 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1626 wh
  Strava:	Mammoth to Lee Vining
  Strava:	Tioga Pass
  Strava:	Lee Vining to Mammoth
  Strava:	Minaret Summit

  Tioga Pass and Minaret Vista, September 17, 2014 - We worked out the same arrangement today as we had yesterday: I would ride out to the base of Tioga Pass and meet Frank and Stella on the way up the climb. They would drive the boring bits in the car. The only difference was that we would all leave the condo at about the same time. Yesterday they had given me a head start, and I ended up waiting for them while they prepared their bikes. Although Lee Vining was further than the southern June Lake Junction, we figured it would work just as well for me to meet them on the climb.

  Frank and Stella parked at the Lee Vining Ranger Station at the top of the first climb up from US395. Stella would start her ride up the pass from here, but as Frank wanted to get full credit for the climb he rode down Utility Road into Lee Vining then returned up CA120 from US395. It was while he was riding this short loop that I arrived at the base of Tioga Road and ended up getting ahead of him.

  After coasting CA203 through downtown Mammoth and getting all green traffic lights I turned left and headed north on US395. Like yesterday's ride I treated this portion of my ride as something to be done quickly. Today I had not been given a head-start by Frank, and I fully expected to see both of them well on their way up the climb. I rode at or near maximum speed that still allowed me to pedal easily, letting my stoker do most of the work. The pleasant mild tailwind made for a quiet 35mph.

  When I got to CA120 I started up the first part of the climb at a more relaxed pace, wanting to savor the experience. As I rode past the ranger station I could see Frank's car in the parking lot, but Frank and Stella were nowhere nearby.

  I continued on the mostly level warm-up part of the climb and saw no other cyclists. I did not see any cyclists until I was on the lower part of the climb and could make out a small cyclist ahead. As I drew closer I could see that it was Stella. Another cyclist was a short distance ahead of her. “That must be Frank,” I thought.

  I passed her and took her photo and that of the next cyclist who I thought at first was Frank. Later after speaking with this cyclist I learned that he had flown out from Virginia the day before and would be leading an Adventure Cycling bicycle tour in the area over the next week. Today he was getting in a warm-up ride and adjusting to the altitude.

  Since I hadn't slowed long enough to have a conversation with Stella, I assumed that Frank was ahead of her, so I pressed on so that I might catch him before he reached the top. I passed a couple more cyclists, but still no Frank. I thought that Frank must have been feeling really strong that day or was making a serious effort to place well on the Strava ranking.

  Finally I stopped at a turnout next to the Green Bridge and radioed down to Stella to ask about Frank. She told me then that he had just passed her, and at that moment I figured out why I hadn't seen him on the road.

  While I waited until they both reached the Green Bridge, I enjoyed being entertained by a chipmunk who had evidently learned how to elicit a treat. Although I was sorely tempted to give him or her a nibble of an energy bar, the only food I had, I firmly resisted that temptation. After Frank and Stella passed I resumed my climb and rode with Frank up to the pass, where we both waited for Stella.

  We took each others' photos in front of the Yosemite gate (Frank, Bill, Frank and Stella) and then began our descent. I rode ahead as I would proceed straight back to Mammoth and meet the two of them at Forest Trail and Minaret Road for a climb up to Minaret Vista.

  My descent went well, and the wind was mostly a tailwind, but occasional gusts counseled moderating my descent speed. I allowed my speed to creep into the mid-40's, but the rest of the time I kept it in the mid-30's. Having descended Tioga Pass on my upright bike many years ago under windy conditions I knew that one moment could be calm, and the next a gale-force gust could blow me into the weeds or worse.

  As Frank had done earlier I descended Utility Road into Lee Vining before heading south on US395.

  My ride south toward Mammoth enjoyed a mammoth-sized headwind. Probably not more than 15mph with gusts to 25, but it felt like a gale compared to the morning's trip north. I would use much more battery energy to ride south, and my average speed would be lower.

  As US395 began climbing to the southern June Lake Junction I passed another cyclist who appeared to be struggling into the wind. I slowed and offered him my draft, but he declined. He did mention that he had planned to take CA158 but discovered the road was closed due to the fire.

  I stopped just south of the southern June Lake Junction to photograph smoke from the small wildfire that had erupted near the June Mountain Ski Resort, the wildfire that had closed CA158. Just then Frank and Stella whizzed by in their car. My radio crackled with Stella's voice asking if I was OK. I replied that I was and that I'd see them again in Mammoth.

  I pressed on up the hill to Deadman Summit, then coasted for the first time in a while down past Crestview, taking the right-hand lane on the highway to give myself more options should I get pushed laterally by the wind that was still gusting.

  As I made the turn onto CA203 to head into Mammoth the headwind seemed to change direction and follow me as I climbed into town.

  I got to The Village, called Frank and Stella by radio, and got a reply that they had stopped at the condo but were on their way down to meet me in a few minutes. After some length they arrived, and the three of us proceeded up Minaret Road.

  When we got to the ski resort Stella decided she had had enough riding. We took a group photo under The Mammoth, then Frank and I continued up to Minaret Vista while Stella returned to the condo.

  After enjoying a short break at the vista point, Frank and I returned down CA203, enjoying the smooth curves on the descent.

  On the last climb up Mammoth Slopes Drive, Frank made an attempt to beat the best Strava time on the segment. He had a little encouragement from a motorist on his tail, but after he uploaded his track to the website he discovered that he had only achieved fourth place.

  As I was loading my bike into the van I discovered that I had melted the inboard adjustment dial on my rear disk brake, probably while dragging it most of the way down Tioga Pass.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	87.4 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	6910 feet
  Total Time:	5:46:35
  Riding Time:	4:44:24
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.4 mph
  Max. Speed:	55.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1361 wh
  Wh/mi:	15.6
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	51.5
  Peak Current:	40.4 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	24.4
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	952 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	325 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1277 wh

  June Lake Loop and Minaret Summit, September 16, 2014 - On our third full day in the mountains we decided it was time to have an "easy" day by getting out on the bike. The June Lake Loop offers scenery without a huge amount of climbing and fits the requirement.

  Our plan was for me to ride from the condo out to the June Lake Junction and meet Frank and Stella who would drive their bikes to that location. All three of us would ride from one end of CA158 to the other and back again, then I would ride back to Mammoth.

  Since I was essentially commuting I rode near maximum pace on the run from Mammoth out to June Lake, making no attempt to hold back my speed on the hills.

  Frank and Stella passed me at Deadman Summit, but when I met them at their parking spot, they were still preparing their bikes.

  After some delay we got under way. We stopped briefly at the June Lake Slot Machine at Oh! Ridge. In 2005 when Zach, Ron, and I came this way, a rickety wooden tower stood at one end of the parking lot from which I took a photo of them. I was not surprised to see the tower gone, only its foundation remaining. That thing did not inspire my confidence to bear our weight even in 2005.

  We continued on CA158 through the quaint town of June Lake that had the hint of a resort feel without the development, commercialism, and size of Mammoth Lakes to the south.

  Our route then began a long descent alongside Reversed Creek, past June Mountain Ski Resort, through groves of aspen, and finally alongside Silver Lake. The wind was at our backs, and it felt good to spin the pedals, go fast, and not have to work hard.

  We continued alongside Rush Creek through more open scrub lands and one aspen grove before climbing up above the shore of Grant Lake, the northernmost and largest lake on the Loop. Grant Lake was lying depressingly low in its basin. A wide dry plain stretched across its upper end.

  As we crested the pass north of Grant Lake we began a sharp descent into the desert plain and to US395. We all recorded speeds in the mid-40's (mph) before stopping at the Mono Craters viewpoint where Stella waited while Frank and I completed the Loop by riding down to US395 before returning in the opposite direction.

  On our ride back we became aware of the wind that had been at our backs on the outbound trip. Yet as we rode alongside Grant Lake Stella got inspired to ride off the front. After we regrouped on the gradual climb to Silver Lake Stella started to flag. As we passed the Rush Creek Trailhead again, Stella gave notice that she wanted to stop for a rest. I picked a spot in front of the Silver Lake General Store.

  At this point Stella decided she had had enough riding for a rest day and wanted to save her energy for tomorrow's activity. She decided to wait near the store or on the shore of Silver Lake while Frank and I returned to the car. Frank would drive back to collect her while I rode back to Mammoth.

  Frank and I continued up Reversed Creek opposite our outbound route until we drew even with the June Mountain Ski Resort, where we turned left onto Northside Drive. Northside Drive would take us around the north side of June Lake and would avoid going through town a second time.

  Traffic was light on Northside Drive, and the road itself climbed and descended more than CA158 would have, yet it was an interesting alternative. We rejoined CA158 at Oh! Ridge, where the rickety old tower stood. From there it was a short run back to the car.

  After Frank started back to collect Stella, I got on US395 and zipped back to Mammoth, returning up the Scenic Loop to Minaret Road. Instead of heading directly back to the condo I climbed up past Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort to Minaret Vista to stop for the view of The Minarets. Then I descended back into town on the marvelously smooth asphalt surface that allowed curves to be taken near the limit of traction, although the gusty winds at the time suggested I leave some margin for error.

  As I yet had more legs left, I did not return directly to the condo. At Lake Mary Road I turned right and zipped up to Horseshoe Lake to check its status where I discovered that the lake was almost dry. On my way down the hill I detoured the scenic way around Lake Mary before descending to Davison that I climbed up to Canyon Lodge before heading back to the condo nearby.

  Overall it was a good day on the bike. Lots of scenery, some fun downhills, comfortable temperatures, and not too much exercise—I only contributed about one-quarter of the total energy. I wouldn't need a rest day tomorrow.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	82.4 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	7070 feet
  Total Time:	9:44:19
  Riding Time:	5:34:02
  Avg. Speed (moving):	14.9 mph
  Max. Speed:	51.0 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1064 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.9
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.0
  Peak Current:	32.8 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	745 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	570 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1315 wh

  Bicycle Traffic School, August 28, 2014 - The letter from Santa Cruz County Superior Court gave me a few choices: I could post bail, $196, and request a court date, or I could plead "guilty" or "no contest" and request a payment plan, community service, or bike safety school. I called the court to request a Trial by Written Declaration, which was granted. The idea was to plead "not guilty" and hope the citing officer doesn't submit evidence, leading to a dismissal. After a finding of "guilty" in a Trial by Declaration one can request a Trial de Nuovo, an in-court trial before a judge, and then hope the officer doesn't show, leading again to dismissal. Each of these steps requires an increasing commitment of time. I knew that I would not win my case on the facts.

  By now you're probably wondering what was my offense. CVC 22450(a), "Failure to stop at posted stop sign". Where? Hames Road and Freedom Blvd.

  It was an unlucky confluence of events. I was riding with Ron Bobb, who was ahead of me at the time. We were both descending Hames Road westbound, approaching the intersection with Freedom Blvd. Ron blew through the stop and onto Freedom Blvd., I suspect, as he usually does. I slowed slightly to look over my left shoulder to check for conflicts, but otherwise treated the Stop as a Yield. Ron and I were both riding socked Gold Rushes at the time, bikes that tend to draw attention when ridden singly. Two of them together constituted a parade and couldn't be missed. This time we drew the attention of a Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputy who just happened to be driving opposite to our direction of travel on Freedom Blvd. It was no Stop Sign Sting.

  Upon seeing the opportunity for a twofer, the deputy pulled a U-turn on Freedom and caught up to us at Day Valley Road, where Ron had stopped to take a quick break. When the deputy asked us if there was a reason we had blown through the stop sign, Ron impertinently asked the deputy, "Do you ride bikes much?" Probably didn't help our case. I answered that I was looking for conflicting traffic, hoping to score a bonus point that might incline the deputy to issue a warning. Of course, I knew there was a stop sign at that intersection even if I didn't see it on this occasion. Neither of us admitted guilt.

  The deputy recounted our behavior, noting that I had at least slowed down to look. But, that didn't get me out of a citation.

  Ron paid his fine after his courtesy notice came in the mail. I considered fighting it through court procedure and hope for some luck. After doing some research, I learned I had about a 30% of succeeding with that strategy in a busy county, probably worse odds in Santa Cruz County where the courts are not backlogged--I was always able to get through to a live court clerk within a couple of minutes of when I called--and law enforcement officers are not working as much overtime.

  While I had initially dismissed the idea of attending traffic school, I learned that in Santa Cruz County, the fine is suspended if one attends Bicycle Traffic School, unlike Traffic School for a motor vehicle moving violation. The cost to attend Bicycle Traffic School is $35, and the time commitment is one two-hour class held at the Santa Cruz County government center on Emeline Drive.

  So, I could try to fight the ticket through court procedure (i.e. requesting extensions, submitting motions as late as possible, serving discovery with the county DA and hope the request is ignored, and possibly spend one or more days at the courthouse, etc.) and still have only 30% chance of dismissal (expected loss: 0.7 * 196 = $137) at best. Or, I could attend Bicycle Traffic School for $35 and spend only 2 hours of my time. After further thought I considered that I could ride my bike from home to Bicycle Traffic School and bring some pleasure to my punishment.

  The choice was clear. I submitted a request to the Court to attend Bicycle Traffic School. The request was granted.

  Santa Cruz County Bicycle Traffic School is an in-class presentation by an LCI and discussion that covers the typical topics: rights and responsibilities, advice on street riding behavior (lane positioning, signaling, etc.), and information on resources for bicyclists in Santa Cruz County. The tone was positive and while most of the material was not new to me, I'm sure much of it was new to some of my classmates, some of whom were new to urban biking having had their licenses suspended. Most had been cited for stop sign or red light violations, a couple for riding on the downtown sidewalk, and one for riding the wrong way. The two hours went by quickly.

  I left home shortly before 1400 and started my ride to Santa Cruz, taking a somewhat indirect route to avoid what appeared to be an early start to the afternoon commute over the hill. Traffic on Summit Road and Soquel-San Jose Road was heavy, and I altered my route on the fly to avoid traffic.

  As I was running early I took Schulties Road and Redwood Lodge Road to avoid a nearly continuous stream of traffic on Summit Road. I got lucky descending the fun part of Soquel-San Jose Road, having the road to myself, topping out at about 45 mph coasting, neither overtaking traffic nor being overtaken, until I got close to Casalegno's. I turned right on Laurel Glen and climbed to Rodeo Gulch Road that I descended into town. Even Laurel Glen had much traffic traveling opposite.

  I made a short detour to eat a quick dinner before taking Soquel Drive into Santa Cruz and then to class.

  By the time class finished at 2000 nightfall was nearly complete. I took one of my usual routes home, stopping a number of times on the climb up Mountain Charlie Road to snap some night photos. On my way down Old Santa Cruz Highway I noticed that one of my tires was developing a lump.

  At the bottom of the descent my front wheel fell into a rather deep crack in the road, a crack that appears to have widened since the last time I rode by this spot as the road surface slides or subsides into a dry Lexington Reservoir. I lost control for a moment, but managed to keep the bike upright. But, I could feel the front tire bottom out on the edge of the crevasse as it climbed out, and the rim momentarily rode on asphalt for a short distance. I stopped to roll back and photograph the offending crack, as wide and deep as any gap at a railroad crossing, only this one was in line with the road and right where a bicyclist might be riding. I recall this particular hazard from my daytime visits, but I didn't have it foremost on my mind on this occasion. Had it been daylight I could have avoided it by maneuvering myself early to the left of the lane, but at night my range of visibility was reduced.

  I pressed on past Lexington School, but just beyond I noticed my front tire going flat. Pinch flat, no doubt. I stopped to repair the flat and noticed that the rim had a nice dent in the side wall and the tire now had two large patches of tread peeling away. Maybe that ticket was going to cost me the full $196 after all.

  I continued down into Los Gatos, opting for the Creek Trail instead of the fast descent down The Chute on CA17, given the condition of my tires. Fortunately, I got home without further trouble or delay, although shortly before midnight was much later than I had planned. My ride home was more of an adventure than I had expected, but not quite rising to the level of "epic".

  Post-mortem: Rear tire was bulging. I've had several Kenda Kwest tires that start to bulge (ply separation) after about 3000 miles. This tire was no exception. Front tire had about 3500 miles and was now too damaged to continue to use safely. The new large rubber divots peeling away from the cords revealed that the outer layer of cords was also cut. Time to replace that tire, too. The rim suffered a dent on one wall at one location and a sharp-edged gouges on the hook distributed around the entire circumference of the rim, probably from riding directly on asphalt for a short distance. I was able to straighten the dent with a large crescent wrench and to file smooth the sharp-edged gouges. The only way to tell visually that the rim wall isn't perfectly flat is to observe the reflection of a bright object in its polished surface. A couple of tiny ripples can be seen, but no large excursions. I will wait and see how it brakes before concluding that it, too, needs replacement. I'm hoping I can still use it for a while.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	52.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	4610 feet
  Total Time:	3:19:20
  Riding Time:	3:00:35
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	46.1 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	964 wh
  Wh/mi:	18.5
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	36.8
  Peak Current:	35.3 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	704 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	0 wh
  Total energy delivered:	704 wh

  GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	52.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	4720 feet
  Total Time:	3:19:28
  Riding Time:	3:05:42
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.0 mph
  Max. Speed:	48.1 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1032 wh
  Wh/mi:	19.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	39.4
  Peak Current:	31.4 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	753 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	0 wh
  Total energy delivered:	753 wh

  Effortless Rides, August 2014 - As I make my annual shift from riding to hiking my muscles and joints often experience aches and pains. Aside from having sore calves after doing a hike with lots of climbing after a long period of not hiking at all, I occasionally get right knee pain.

  Recently while my right knee was bothering me slightly I still wanted to get out on the bike rather than stay at home and sulk. An idea struck me that I hadn't really tested my hybrid-electric bikes by riding them as low-powered scooters over an entire ride of non-trivial length. I decided to perform an informal experiment.

  I chose a loop route to La Honda and back that I had ridden many times that offered a mix of climbing and flatter terrain, although the climbing density was still fairly high at about 90 feet/mile. I rode this route twice on each of my two hybrid-electric bikes at roughly the same time of day when weather was consistently pleasant on two different August afternoons.

  Both bikes would be limited to power input of 750 watts (yielding about 550 watts at the rear wheel, given electrical and drivetrain energy losses) and would allow motor power to be applied only when speed was at or below 20 mph. These restrictions kept both bikes within the common definition of a "low-speed electric bicycle" in the United States and would give me a baseline energy consumption rate when using 100% motor power. When using motor power I would ride both bikes with "full-on" throttle, conditions permitting.

  My first trial was on the Power Pursuit with the hard side panels, a slightly more aerodynamic bike that yielded a slightly lower consumption figure and higher average speed than the Power Gold Rush that I rode second. See the tables for the complete stats. I have always assumed that my Pursuit was about 10% more efficient than my Gold Rush, and while the energy figures show a 7% difference, the average speed is also less on the Gold Rush, suggesting that the energy use on the Gold Rush would be greater if the average speed were as high as it was on the Pursuit.

  I learned several things from this experiment:

  1. If I ever find myself needing to continue a ride under motor-power only (e.g. bonked, dehydrated, or injured to the point that I can control the bike but cannot pedal) I can safely assume a consumption rate of about 20 watt-hours/mile to estimate my range. A flatter course will require less energy, but 20 wh/mile is probably a safe assumption in my usual hilly riding area.
  2. Even when I'm not pedaling, I can still rotate the cranks without engaging the drivetrain. One might think this is useless activity as it contributes no forward motion, but I found that it works my glutes and adductors more than normal pedaling. I observed that pedaling against no resistance causes the legs to "snap" twice per revolution at the bottom of each pedal stroke. I suspect that this snapping places a high load on the aforementioned muscles, which contributed to some soreness in those muscles for a few days afterward. So, even when I'm not exerting myself aerobically, I can still get some exercise on a "no work" ride.
  3. When riding without working I found that my sense of smell was more acute than usual. I suspect this was because I was more consistently breathing a normal volume of air through my nose and not breathing heavily through my mouth. Also, I found my anxiety level lower, requiring less mental preparation in connection with anticipated physical exertion. I experienced my ride more in the moment.
  4. Since I wasn't exercising (much) on the bike I needed to wear more clothing to avoid chill.

  While I don't plan to make "no work" rides a habit, I was pleasantly surprised that I could still enjoy an outing on the bike, perhaps get a little isometric exercise by soft-pedaling, and not feel guilty about it.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	55.1 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	3250 feet
  Total Time:	8:01:56
  Riding Time:	4:41:14
  Avg. Speed (moving):	11.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	39.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	434 wh
  Wh/mi:	7.8
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	15.7
  Peak Current:	22.4 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	304 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	449 wh
  Total energy delivered:	753 wh

  Panoche Inn, July 2, 2014 - Ron Bobb and I rode from Paicines, CA out to the Panoche Inn for lunch, then returned to Paicines on the same road. We met Ron's friends, Gordon and Sue, several miles east of Paicines and again for lunch at the Panoche Inn. Gordon and Sue had ridden to the Inn on their motorcycles.

  Weather was in the high-70s F when we started in Paicines, then warmed to a toasty 102 F by the time we reached Panoche Inn. On our return ride, the temperature cooled to 71 F by the time we arrived in Paicines shortly after 1800. We had anticipated cooler weather with the forecast of stronger on-shore winds. While the winds were present, we discovered that the air warmed as it pushed over Panoche Pass and down into Panoche Valley.

  We had two mechanical incidents. Ron's rear derailleur cable came loose from its stop, and upon our departure from Panoche Inn I discovered a front flat tire on my bike. That tube had a leaky valve stem, and the first replacement tube also had a leaky valve stem. Fortunately, I carry two spare tubes for each wheel, and that third (and last) tube held air.

  Everything looked dry. Even the buckeye trees are turning color as in early fall. The meadow grass looked like close-cropped brown astro-turf from a distance.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	103.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	9140 feet
  Total Time:	9:20:12
  Riding Time:	6:17:14
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.3 mph
  Max. Speed:	50.0 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1290 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.5
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	49.5
  Peak Current:	43.6 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	903 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	705 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1603 wh

  Sequoia Century Worker's Ride, June 7, 2014 -
  Sequoia Century Worker's Picnic, June 8, 2014 - I rode the Sequoia Century Worker's Ride and attended the picnic the next day at Rengstorff Park. I rode alone over most of the course, riding only in a group on segments where I could provide a consistent wind break for others.

  The route was altered slightly from the official route due to our not wanting to interfere with the Pescadero Road Race, so we did not go through Pescadero. Then at the end of the day, I skipped the loop up Elena Road and took Purisima Road instead. But, I got 100 miles by starting and finishing my ride at home, and I got plenty of climbing.

  Weather was cool in the canyons but never cold, warm on the ridge tops and comfortable at the coast in the afternoon where fog hung at the shoreline. It was a good day to be on the bike.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	111.4 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	11370 feet
  Total Time:	7:57:33
  Riding Time:	6:13:47
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.8 mph
  Max. Speed:	52.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1500 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.5
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	57.4
  Peak Current:	38.1 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1050 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	695 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1745 wh

  Monitor Pass, Ebbetts Pass, and Pacific Grade Summit, May 26, 2014 - After a fitful but physically restful night's sleep, I awoke just after 0600 as sunlight was streaming through a crack in the blackout curtains. My legs felt like they could ride another hundred hilly miles at somewhat reduced effort from yesterday. I resolved not to push myself quite as hard as I had the day before. The room was cold as the nighttime temperature had dipped into the 40s F. Without wasting time but without feeling rushed, I went through my morning preparations, breakfast, stretches, and re-packing my panniers. I was out the door just after 0800.

  Weather was warm and clear. Not a cloud could be seen in the sky today.

  The first several miles of today's ride had me continuing north on US-395 toward the Nevada state line. Again most motor traffic on the highway was heading southbound. The highway offered a nice view over the north end of Antelope Valley as it rolled generally downhill, dipping to about 5000 feet above sea level before rising slightly to the junction with CA89.

  It was here that my legs would endure their first test on the most difficult climb of the day, the east side of Monitor Pass.

  CA89 climbs at first through a narrow canyon formed from the outflow of Slinkard Valley, then continues climbing the ridge ahead in open terrain. I stopped several times to enjoy the expansive view of Slinkard Valley, Antelope Valley, and the Sierra Crest, and to snap photos. I stopped again at Monitor Pass for the obligatory summit photo and a once again on the west side descent to snap more photos.

  My descent of the west side was not as fast as I had enjoyed previously mainly on account of a significant headwind blowing from the west and up the canyon on the lower descent alongside Monitor Creek, where speeds are usually fastest.

  When I got to the CA4 junction I turned left and started up toward Ebbetts Pass.

  The climb up Ebbetts Pass starts with a slowly rising meander alongside the East Fork Carson River that was flowing nicely. At Wolf Creek Road CA4 turns toward the west, loses its center stripe, and pitches up slightly as it climbs alongside Silver Creek. It was along this section that I encountered the first recreational cyclists I had seen in the last two days. Several small groups were either climbing or descending the road. I learned that most were staying in the Woodfords or Markleeville area.

  The climb begins in earnest just before passing the Silver Creek Campground and climbs several long switchbacks. Unlike Monitor Pass east, the climb up Ebbetts Pass east is a varied affair. As the road rises it enters a region of classic Sierra granite and lodgepole pine. Although the climb has about the same vertical feet gained as Monitor Pass East, the variation of the terrain and views help make the climb seem shorter and less tedious.

  After passing Kinney Reservoir I found myself at the Pass in short order. One of the cyclists who had been riding hard on the climb took my photo in front of the summit sign while he waited for the rest of his group to arrive. They were planning to ride down to Hermit Valley before returning over Ebbetts Pass.

  The descent into Hermit Valley and the North Fork Mokelumne River enjoys a reasonably even grade and good sight lines. The downside is the occasional tree root pushing up the road in a number of spots. These root "heaves" are hard to see in the speckled shadows. I stopped a couple of times on the descent to take photos, one looking west down the valley and across to the opposite ridge.

  The road doesn't spend much time in Hermit Valley. After crossing the River it climbs steeply to Pacific Valley and then up a series of short, steep switchbacks to Pacific Grade Summit. In spite of the steepness this was the easiest of the major climbs today.

  At Mosquito Lake I stopped for more photos. I neither saw nor felt any mosquitos but did see a surprising amount of snow on the ground along the southern, shady shore of the lake. Maybe it was a bit too early in the season for mosquitos.

  West of Mosquito Lake the road contours along the slope to Cape Horn, where a nice view across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness of the nearby peaks and the distinctive Dardanelles can be enjoyed.

  West of Cape Horn the road plunges to Lake Alpine where I saw many tourists enjoying a sunny Memorial Day holiday at the lake. One man and his daughter had driven up from Oakdale where "...it was 98 degrees yesterday!"

  I topped off my water bladder at the faucet adjacent to a pit toilet. The faucet was labeled "Hydrant Sanitary", I suppose, to reassure those who might think drawing water from a spigot located near a pit toilet to be an unappealing proposition.

  I continued westward, stopping to take two photos of Lake Alpine, one without and one with a polarizing filter, rode past the Lake Alpine Inn and up over a low pass and down into Bear Valley. At the pass the road regained its center stripe and considerable width.

  The next 40 miles I expected traffic to be somewhat heavier as it would be the last afternoon of a holiday weekend and tourists would be on their way home. I was pleasantly surprised to have this substantial highway largely to myself for the next 30 miles, as far as Arnold.

  Aside from a few minor up-grades, CA4 descends comfortably for miles at a time, one of the longest almost-continuous descents I can recall enjoying. Terminal velocity was about 40mph, which was comfortable on my fully-loaded bike. I'd get an occasional cross/head wind, but with the wide road, nothing strong enough to spook me into dragging my brake to control my speed, except at a few curves where the wind was gusting unpredictably. Along this stretch I saw one cyclist climbing the other direction and wondered if I might wish to ride this loop someday in the opposite direction.

  The road narrowed again through Calaveras Big Trees, but the surface was smooth and the curves banked, allowing progress at speed.

  The fun ended as I entered Arnold. Traffic was getting heavy and passed me in long bumper-to-bumper platoons of cars and pickups loaded with camping/picnicking gear and passengers. Through town the highway had a nice shoulder, but as I descended to Murphys the shoulder disappeared. Fortunately, most motorists did not complain when I moved into the lane moving at a speed slightly slower than motor traffic. West of Murphys traffic thickened further into a nearly continuous line of cars heading home from vacation. I slotted in behind one such platoon and rode quickly to my turn onto Parrots Ferry Road. When I made the turn I was glad to be off CA4.

  Parrots Ferry Road rolls over moderate hills before plunging to its low point at a high bridge over New Melones Reservoir. This was the low point on my loop.

  On the opposite side of the bridge I felt the heat for the first time. Temperature was 96F and I was moving slowly now, climbing the hill into Columbia.

  I detoured around the restored old town in Columbia, but I decided not to ride my bike past the sign that read "Horse Drawn Carriages Only" to get closer to the buildings, and I didn't really want to get out of my bike and walk.

  The ride from Columbia to Sonora was quick. I passed through downtown Sonora, passed by the Inns of California Sonora, where I could see that my van was still in the parking lot, and continued on to the Subway Sandwich shop I had seen on my way out the day before, where I ate a late lunch.

  After lunch I returned to the hotel, put the bike in the van, checked into my room, got cleaned up, and ate another sandwich I had brought from home. I considered checking out early and driving home, but that meant joining all the other tourists on the highways heading back to the Bay Area. Aside from that I noticed that I was feeling a bit tipsy when I went out to get something from the van, that driving as fatigued as I was was probably not the best idea.

  In hindsight, I probably would have driven home that evening, especially if I could avoid paying for another night in the hotel. A couple of Mountain Dew's would've set me right for several hours. But, I felt I had to stay at least one night before I could ask them if I could leave my van in their lot for an extra day. Traffic on Tuesday late morning (1030) was still bumper-to-bumper at Altamont Pass—how does anyone put up with that?—, and although the hotel room had a shower that had no flow restrictor and a comfy bed, the room had no ventilation, smelled of anti-smoke cleaning solution, and the complimentary breakfast the next morning was barely adequate.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	102.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	11480 feet
  Total Time:	8:09:45
  Riding Time:	6:42:01
  Avg. Speed (moving):	15.3 mph
  Max. Speed:	49.2 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1491 wh
  Wh/mi:	14.5
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	56.5
  Peak Current:	31.7 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1044 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	874 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1918 wh

  Sonora Pass, May 25, 2014 - Weather promised to be excellent, neither too warm nor too cold, and without precipitation. Moreover, I had just last week ridden the Davis Double and felt in better shape than I had in years. Although it was a holiday weekend, I believed I could avoid the worst of the holiday traffic by shifting my schedule slightly and enjoy light traffic on my route by riding on Sunday and Monday, returning home on Tuesday late morning. The iron was hot, and this weekend was a good moment to strike it.

  I awoke from my bed at home at 0300 to make my final preparations and was out the door and on the drive to Sonora shortly after 0500. I arrived in Sonora before 0800. After parking my van in the parking lot of Inns of California Sonora and confirming this with the on-duty manager, I was on the road a half-hour later.

  I decided to take a peek at Tuolumne City and to avoid the busiest section of CA108 between Sonora and Confidence. Tuolumne Road headed east over rolling but mostly climbing terrain before dropping into Tuolumne.

  If I had had cellphone data connectivity I could have consulted an online map and discovered that the old downtown was a few blocks off my route to the right. But I had no data at all in the Sierras until I came within sight of US-395, so I was flying blind, and the old Krebs map I had brought as a backup lacked detail in this area. Not wishing to delay my transit over the Pass I snapped a photo of the plaque and the Catholic church, turned left on Carter Street, and headed for the Pass. Downtown Tuolumne would have to wait for another trip.

  Shortly after I joined Tuolumne Road North I passed the enormous Mi-Wuk Indian casino complex with its six-level parking structure. I don't like casinos, but when indian tribes were granted permission to operate casinos on their reservations I couldn't help but think that was a bit of poetic justice: a century later the indians would fleece the descendants of the white settlers who drove them onto reservations and attempted to stamp out their culture.

  I had devised a route to delay my entrance onto CA108 for as long as possible by taking a series of back roads. But, while climbing Tuolumne Road North I wasn't paying attention and missed the first junction with Cedar Springs Road. When I hit the second junction I turned right and when the road veered south again I thought I was in error as I had recalled my route continuing north on Cedar Springs. Had I taken the first junction I would have continued north. And, had I continued south from the northern junction of Cedar Springs that I was on I would have found Confidence Road. But, without a detailed map I lacked the confidence to explore further, so I turned around and returned to Tuolumne Road North.

  A short distance later I found Little John and Robin Hood and thought that they might go through, but these roads went nowhere, so again I turned around. At this point I was just guessing, so I decided to join CA108 and not spend more time backtracking or exploring as I had yet many miles to go.

  As it turns out Tuolumne Road North joins CA108 only a half-mile downhill from Confidence Road in Twain Harte. I continued climbing through Sugar Pine, Mi-Wuk Village, Sierra Village, Long Barn, and Cold Springs. Then I hit my last detour of the day off the main highways: Old Strawberry Road.

  I descended the bumpy road and discovered that one of my pannier hooks had come off the rack. I checked the other hooks, but while I was checking the left pannier I carelessly stuck my fingers into my rear wheel spokes. The result could have been much worse. I cursed my carelessness and stupidity. I've never done that before, and I hope I never do that again.

  After the initial smarting pain wore off, I continued down the hill to the old bridge over the South Fork Stanislaus River, where I asked a passerby to take a photo of me on the bridge.

  Just beyond the bridge I came to the site of the old Strawberry Flat House. Then I climbed back up the other side of the canyon to CA108.

  Between Strawberry and the Donnell Reservoir Vista the highway rolls along a tree-covered ridge without views or description, each curve looking like the last. Traffic came in platoons, and although there was little usable shoulder to ride upon most of the time, motorists were uniformly courteous, passing only when visibility allowed moving completely into the opposite lane.

  I stopped briefly at the parking area for the Vista, but I decided not to venture down the trail to the railing as I often do when driving this route in a car.

  After returning to CA108 I began a 500-foot descent into the Middle Fork Stanislaus River Canyon, a descent that ended at Clark Fork Road. I continued to the right.

  The road proceeded over lumpy terrain for the next several miles past campgrounds and picnic areas: Boulder Flat, Brightman Flat, Dardanelle, Jack Hazard, Pigeon Flat, Eureka Valley, Douglas, and Baker. I stopped to top off my water bottles at the Brightman Ranger Station.

  Proceeding onward I shortly reached the base of the steep climb to the pass just past the turn off for Kennedy Meadows. After shifting into my small ring that I almost never use for a paved climb I started up.

  The road climbs quickly, but I moved slowly, about 5-6 mph. It felt hot, although when I checked my thermometer it read only 83F. The wind was rising up-canyon at my speed.

  Even though I have an assist motor on the bike I kept the power level low. I did not want to go so fast that I might not wish to stop for a good photo spot, I wanted to conserve battery energy, and I wanted to ride as if I might have the company of an unassisted cyclist.

  I stopped at a popular turnout just past the Rock Window for the first such opportunity. Then several more times I paused briefly to take photos, stopping long enough to get out of my bike for the first time when I reached Sonora Pass, where another tourist snapped my obligatory photo in front of the sign at the Pass.

  Air temperature at the Pass was cool, in the 60s F, but not quite cold enough for me to don more clothing given that I continue on before chilling too much.

  The east side descent starts with a steep drop to Sardine Creek, then a short uphill followed by a sharp right bend. If the drop is taken at full speed, full brakes must be used on the short uphill to avoid the unfortunate scenario of being unable to make the right bend while staying in the downhill lane. The rest of the eastern descent is similar: straight sections followed by sharp bends or chicanes, and a few up-grades. The uppermost of the two long switchbacks above Leavitt Meadow make for a good photo spot (1, 2) where one can see the distant snow-capped Sweetwater Mountains, Leavitt Meadow, and the road snaking down the hillside below.

  Soon I was passing the Leavitt Pack Station. At this point the road climbs a bit before dropping into Pickel Meadow and passing the US Marine Corp Mountain Warfare Training Center. No one appeared to be about today, but in past years I had always seen troops nearby, presumably training in the high altitude terrain.

  The highway leaves the West Walker River just before it reaches US-395 at Sonora Junction. At the junction I turned left and began a long scenic descent through Walker River Canyon at a pleasing speed that varied from 25 to 40 mph in spite of the slight headwind. The river to my right was flowing swiftly in spite of the light snowfall year in the mountains. It was nice to be descending to the end of the ride. The highway at this point varied from wide shoulder with rumble strip to no shoulder. I did not want to be on a no-shoulder section when the next truck came through in my direction. Fortunately, I saw little traffic going my way. Most traffic seemed to be heading south, including several trucks, Class A motorhomes, and motor coaches.

  Before long I was out of the canyon and entering Walker. I stopped at the Walker General Store to buy some fruit for dinner and breakfast the next morning as there were no stores near The Meadowcliff where I was staying, three miles north of Walker, and I had brought food for all of my meals.

  The Meadowcliff, presumably named as it sits at the base of Centennial Bluff and adjacent to a nice pasture, offers an RV park and lodge. I was staying one night in a room at the lodge, and I found my room clean, spacious, and comfortably equipped, and even had a nice view through the large sliding patio door. Best of all I was able to open windows on either side to get a cross-breeze. No stuffy motel room smell! The only downside is that the on-site restaurant is only open for breakfast and early lunch but not dinner. Although it took extra space in my packs, I brought my own dinner, breakfast, and on-bike food. The management could not tell me the day before I arrived whether the restaurant would be open for breakfast on the day of my departure.

  The room was quiet, but I had worked too hard on the bike the day before and found myself over-stimulated when it came time for me to sleep. I slept fitfully.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	207.4 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8400 feet
  Total Time:	13:34:25
  Riding Time:	10:29:04
  Avg. Speed (moving):	19.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	55.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	4000 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2684 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.9
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	100.0
  Peak Current:	40.3 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1879 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	1241 wh
  Total energy delivered:	3120 wh

  Davis Double Century, May 17, 2014 - I had mixed memories from riding double centuries (200 miles) earlier in life. Most of the memories were of complete and utter exhaustion, followed by several days of 10-hour sleeps, aches and pains in various parts of my body that took at least a week to go away, and occasionally upset tummy. So, it was with some trepidation that I committed to ride the Davis Double this year, my rookie year^†.

  I did not sleep well the night before. Perhaps I ate something that disagreed with me, or perhaps I was having a mild thyroid storm of the sort that sent me to the emergency room in the 1980s when the doctors were baffled by my symptoms, inclined to believe either that I had some serious malfunction in my gut or that it was “all in my head”. Fortunately, at the time they were inclined to believe the latter, and I avoided exploratory surgery but not another slightly invasive procedure that is best discussed some other time.

  During the night I had similar if milder symptoms, crampy gut, feeling hot and feverish, strong palpitations, with anxious thoughts racing through my brain, and an inability to sleep soundly. These episodes tend to occur during hot weather, and the anticipatory stress of the event could have helped things along. It was not an auspicious start to a long day on the bike.

  But, when my alarm went off I got up and started my morning routine. I was tired but the activity got my mind off whatever anxious thoughts had been racing through my head the night before. Somehow I managed to eat some breakfast, although not as much as I usually eat before a long ride. I would need to start eating earlier in the ride than usual and to dose my nutrition throughout the day to avoid the bonk. At the very least I was determined to start the Double and get my money's worth on this trip, avoiding a tedious day in a cramped motel room.

  Zach Kaplan and I had carpooled and shared a room. He got up later but had done more preparation the night before, so he was out the door 45 minutes ahead of me. I took longer than I would have liked to get out the door, having a couple of false starts before I finally got my act together and was on the road.

  We both missed the access to the bike path to downtown (that we later observed was at the on-ramp for I-80 westbound off Mace Blvd.) and took 2nd Street instead, a route that might have been quicker than the bike path as it put us immediately on the north side of the railroad tracks and deposits us at the east end of the downtown street grid. In any case, there was no traffic to deal with at 0530.

  I rode through a quiet downtown, quite a contrast from the bustle of activity the evening before. I continued to 3rd and B Street and turned right, starting the course at about 0540. I noticed that a few other stragglers had started onto the course a minute ahead of me. I could see their blinking tail lights in the distance. As soon as I was able I would try to catch up to them so that I would not get lost in the maze of turns through the valley at the beginning of the route.

  As I rode north on Sycamore I finally caught up to the group and followed them for a while until I realized that all of the turns were staffed by someone with a large orange flag indicating the correct way.

  I moved to take the lead, and for the next several miles I offered my tail to allow the others to draft me at about 20 mph.

  After we turned left onto Road 24 the three fell back and I continued at a slightly faster pace, eventually catching up to Scott McKinney who drafted me until we met up with a large group at the I-505 overpass. At this point I hung behind the group and followed them as far as the Farnham Ranch rest stop, where they stopped. Not yet needing a break I continued on.

  After I turned onto Road 25 I stopped to peel off my longs. The weather this morning was cool and slightly overcast, but not cold. Nevertheless I felt more comfortable initially wearing all longs. Now that I was warmed up these could come off. As I started up again I felt slightly chilled, but not cool enough to want to put the longs back on. Surely, it would warm up as soon as the sun broke through these clouds.

  I turned right on Road 89. On the first part of the ride I was cruising at about 20 mph, but now that I was on the open road not riding with other riders I cruised at 28-30 mph until I entered Winters.

  I turned right and headed up CA128 toward the hills. A strong cold headwind was blowing downslope. I started passing more riders on the road, then several large groups of riders on the climb up to Monticello Dam. It was here that the bulk of the riders appeared to be. A dense stream of cyclists could be seen on the road for some distance ahead in several spots.

  On the climb up Cardiac Hill I encountered Lane Parker and Jim Kern, and a couple other guys riding recumbents (1, 2).

  Descending Cardiac Hill I took more care than usual as I was carrying a greater load of batteries so that I could be certain I had enough to see me to the finish. The bike was not handling well when it hit dips in the road, especially on curves. It felt like I was being hit with a side-gust of wind.

  I stopped briefly at the Capell Valley Fire Station to nibble at the snack table and to snap a photo of the rest stop and its activity. A couple of miles down the road I stopped again to debug the handling problem. It was then I discovered that in my rush to get started I had neglected to fasten the bottom strap of the left pannier to the rack, allowing the heavy pannier bag (~30lbs) to swing on the rack. This explained the poor handling when hitting bumps or dips in the road. After the pannier was fastened the bike handled as well as could be expected when carrying a 60-lb load on its racks.

  I pressed northwest on the outbound course through Capell Valley, Chiles Valley, and Pope Valley. The road through these valleys saw an increasingly rough surface with occasional hidden potholes. Cyclists were repairing flat tires at several spots. I rode at a moderate speed, taking care to avoid the worst of it, and occasionally I stopped to snap a photo.

  I stopped at the Pope Valley Rest Stop to nibble some more and to pick up a few packaged fig newtons for the road. I continued on after a few minutes of stretching. It felt good to get off the bike briefly to stretch and to reset the muscles, but I did not hang around the rest stops for long.

  Perhaps it has been too long since I rode an organized bicycling event, but it felt to me at these early rest stops that the mood was unexpectedly grim and determined. Few words were spoken among the riders, and although rest stop staff were pleasant and even cheerful, riders did not appear to be in a festive mood. An undercurrent of mild destination anxiety floated in the air, that we had to keep moving. This was understandable given that we all still had 2/3 of the course to complete, but it felt oddly stressful to me.

  I was feeling better than I felt upon rising, but my slightly crampy gut was still twinging occasionally. Fortunately, I had some appetite, and I seemed to be tolerating food. I didn't want to dip into the Hammergel until the second half of the ride, after I had eaten lunch. The weather was now warm enough for me to feel comfortable removing my long sleeves.

  At this point the course continued northeast past the turnoff for Ink Grade and past Hubcap City that seemed less extensive than I had remembered from the last time I was here in 1997 on the Tour of Napa Valley. Once we passed Aetna Hot Springs I was on roads I had never ridden.

  We continued up Butts Canyon Road into terrain that was drier than Pope Valley. This area looked like the lands in the rain shadow of Mount Hamilton, barren iron-rich soil, creosote bush, blue pine, and far from civilization. Then as we crested the climb and descended toward Middletown, glossy-white plastic fencing bordering alternating pasture and vineyard appeared on both sides of the road. We shortly passed the grand entrance to Langtry Estate on the right and broad Detert Reservoir on the left. Then not long after we entered Middletown where I stopped at the Rest Stop to nibble again.

  Here I saw Zach on the road for the first time. He was getting ready to leave, so I snapped his photo quickly.

  Again, I limited my time at this rest stop. I suppose I appeared just as grim and on a mission as everyone else this morning, and it was probably a good habit to acquire so I wouldn't waste time lingering.

  Big Canyon Road starts with a steep climb, then a gradual descent on a dusty but well-graded dirt/gravel road. For the next four miles we would be on this dirt road, the worst part of which was the dust stirred up with the passing of the few motor vehicles that came through while I was on this section. I rode carefully, not because the bike was handling poorly, but because I didn't want to stress the bike more than necessary given its load. Besides that I didn't want to miss a photo opportunity by riding too fast.

  When the road became paved again I increased my speed as I followed the winding road up Big Canyon. Then the road began to climb out of the Canyon. I encountered Zach again near the Big Canyon Rest Stop. We both pressed on, although I stopped several times between the Rest Stop and the summit to snap photos. This was the one of the few places where the route offered a dramatic view down upon surrounding terrain.

  Once over the summit I descended next to an old airstrip to a T-junction with Siegler Canyon Road. I turned right and began a pleasant descent into Lower Lake, a descent that was at just the right downgrade to encourage coasting without braking or pedaling, the curves tight but nicely banked.

  Once I got into Lower Lake I continued directly to the lunch stop at the local high school. Here I met up again with Zach who had also just arrived, and we ate lunch at a picnic table with only one bench under the shade of a large tree.

  I spent the longest time off the bike at lunch, somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes, although I didn't measure it exactly. My digestive system was gradually recovering. While I didn't eat a huge meal, I did eat enough to maintain my energy. It felt like the right amount of time for an extended break.

  The route after lunch headed north on CA53 through Clear Lake (the town) on a wide highway bordered by fields and slopes covered with wildflowers, mostly California poppies and blue and purple lupine. An electronic highway sign warned drivers of a biking event on the road ahead.

  At CA20 our route turned right and we began heading back in the general direction of Davis. First up was a short hill followed by a fast plunge to Cache Creek with the aid of a stiff tailwind. Here I saw my fastest speed of the day, and that included dragging my rear brake to keep my speed from getting out of hand in the gusty wind.

  The highway doesn't spend much time along Cache Creek. A look at the map suggests that continuing the highway along Cache Creek would have required a highway with a lower speed limit or the building of tunnels to avoid the tight meanders of the canyon, not to mention disturbing the canyon's natural features.

  CA20 climbs Grizzly Canyon alongside Grizzly Creek, a climb that has earned the nickname "Resurrection". The Resurrection Rest Stop is near the summit of this climb, but I pressed on without stopping, over the summit and down the second shorter descent into Harley Gulch, this time with a slight headwind. The highway then climbs to a low summit across the Colusa County line before plunging again more steeply down Lynch Canyon to Bear Creek, again with a neutral to slight headwind.

  At the bottom of the descent the route turned south on CA16 and began the long rolling descent alongside Bear Creek and Cache Creek, passing through the lower end of Cache Creek Canyon. Here I passed several small groups of cyclists most of whom appeared to be having fun now that they had crested the majority of the climbs and were on their way home.

  As I descended deeper into the canyon I passed various facilities for Cache Creek Regional Park. A sign of the multi-year drought we've had in California, the creek itself contained water but had very little flow. It would not be difficult to find a place to walk or hop across with dry feet.

  After emerging from the bottom of Cache Creek Canyon I found myself in the comparatively broad and long Capay Valley. By now the temperature was hot, mid-90s F, and although I had been mostly descending and not working hard, it was likely I was drinking water at an increasing rate.

  Somewhere between Ramsey and Guinda my 3-liter bladder ran dry. I had underestimated my requirements when I skipped the Resurrection Rest Stop. Fortunately, the Guinda Rest Stop was only a couple of miles further down the road. I stopped to eat more fig bars—fig bars seemed to hit the spot for me today—and to refill my water.

  As I got back on the road I maintained a high cruising speed, passing “Winners” Way at the Cache Creek Casino, an enormous complex that looked out of place so far from a metropolitan center or a freeway.

  We had been instructed to ride single file between the casino and our next turn and encouraged to make all haste to pass this area before nightfall. As I rode east I noticed with some relief that most of the traffic was passing in the opposite direction.

  The remaining miles into Davis went quickly. I skipped the next two rest stops at Farnham Ranch and Plainfield Fire Station, the latter on Road 95 where a fierce headwind was blowing.

  Just after Farnham Ranch I picked up my last and strongest drafter who was all business and seemed keen to the finish quickly. At first I kept the speed moderate, about 21-22 mph, but it was clear he had more in the tank. He was jumping to lead after each turn. So, the next time I found myself in front I gradually increased speed to 30 mph, and in the wind shadow of my bike he managed to hang on for a few miles. But, then suddenly at one point he was back in the distance, having dropped off. I slowed to allow him to catch back on, but he declined the invitation, so I resumed my ride to the finish.

  In spite of my poor sleep and upset tummy in the morning, I finished well. To be sure, I was tired and hungry at the end. The pasta and beans tasted good. After eating two dinners at the finish line I rode back to the motel, got cleaned up, then turned on the TV to see what I might find while I waited for Zach to return. Whatever I found on the TV must not have been interesting because I found myself nodding off. I turned off the TV, put my head down on the pillow, and promptly fell asleep just after 2000.

  When Zach returned to the motel he said I was sound asleep with the windows wide open while kids outside were running around, banging on doors, and making a racket. I did not awaken until 0600 the next morning.

  I took more photos of riders, but the ones seen in the online album are the best of the bunch. I discovered that when I take photos one-handed while riding I frequently mis-adjust the dial that sets shutter speed or mode in the direction of slower shutter speeds. This resulted in a number of blurry photos.

  ^†Yet this year is likely to be my last year. A few days after the event I received an email from the ride organizers expressing consternation that I had discovered a loophole in the ride rules—there was no prohibition of a cyclist riding an e-bike—and was told that the rules would likely be amended in 2015 to disallow e-bikes. "We never imagined anyone would use a motor." Although the ride is informally timed and is officially not a race, these times are taken more seriously than the event literature would have a newcomer believe. I had been reported by another cyclist whom I had passed on an uphill while grinning. Apparently, I wasn't suffering enough!

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	28.2 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	3370 feet
  Total Time:	3:10:59
  Riding Time:	2:03:45
  Avg. Speed (moving):	13.6 mph
  Max. Speed:	35.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	329 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	12.4
  Peak Current:	32.2 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	231 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	263 wh
  Total energy delivered:	494 wh

  Tour of California Stage 3, May 13, 2014 - I headed over to Danville, meeting Zach Kaplan at East Dublin/Pleasanton BART, to do a short ride up Mount Diablo as far as we could, then return down the mountain again to find a shady spot to stop and watch the race go by. About the only excitement was being allowed to continue up the road by the officials as we arrived at the bottom of South Gate Road at 1400, the hour at which the road would be closed to additional traffic. We made it under the wire, so to speak.

  I rode ahead of Zach on the climb at his urging, although we both made it to the point at which they were not allowing bicyclists to continue. I rode down to an unoccupied spot I had noticed on the way up on a steep section of road below Juniper Campground. I was able to get a few good photos from this location.

  Zach was not quite able to get back down Summit Road to where I was stopped due to the arrival of the race. But, after the broom wagon went by, he proceeded down, and then we both joined the mad dash to the bottom.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	176.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8040 feet
  Total Time:	12:13:56
  Riding Time:	9:46:53
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.0 mph
  Max. Speed:	53.8 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2359 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.4
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	89.8
  Peak Current:	43.1 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1652 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	1202 wh
  Total energy delivered:	2854 wh

  Around The Bay, May 3, 2014 - For a while I've thought to ride a loop around San Francisco and San Pablo Bays without being shuttled across any bridge or through any tube. I have ridden most of it at one time or another over the last 22 years, but a few segments are new to me, mostly in Marin County, where new bike paths have been constructed since my prior visits.

  I started early under overcast skies. The day promised to be cool to warm and breezy.

  After riding through sleepy Milpitas I climbed up Calaveras Road into fog that was hugging the ground at the top of The Wall. The fog lifted some as I traversed the ridges and canyons west of Calaveras Reservoir. Then after I descended into Sunol the sun finally came out for the rest of the day.

  I saw only one cyclist on Calaveras Road, but as I rode north on Foothill Blvd. and San Ramon Valley Road I saw more and more. Several large groups rode by in the opposite direction, and I encountered a number of small groups and individuals heading north as well.

  Then, on Danville Blvd. somewhere north of Stone Valley Road the driver of an SUV who apparently didn't know how to use his right-side mirror, right-hooked me. I was prepared, but I did have to execute an emergency braking maneuver. At the time I had two fast roadies on my tail, and this made matters tricky. At first I thought the driver was going to wait for us to pass before turning right, but just in case, I stopped pedaling and touched the brakes lightly as a signal in case my followers were in "heads-down" mode. If I had been alone I probably would have played it safe and braked harder. A moment later came the right hook. I was too busy braking with both hands and skidding my front wheel to yell out or snap a photo of the offender. Fortunately, the two roadies had their heads up, saw trouble coming, and were ready to take evasive action. They did the yelling, not at me, but at the driver of the SUV. Only nerves were frayed this time. The driver continued on oblivious.

  After that excitement I turned left on Hillgrade and made my way through the southwest corner of Walnut Creek and over to Pleasant Hill, reaching my fastest speed of the day descending Taylor Expressway to Withers Road.

  I stopped along Reliez Valley Road to enjoy the morning sun on Alhambra Valley near Briones Park. Then I proceeded into Martinez, making it as far as the rusty BNSF trestle before I started a long gradual climb up Franklin Canyon Road to Cummings Skyway. I stopped several times along Cummings Skyway to enjoy the view as it had been over 20 years since I had last ridden there.

  On the north side descent I experienced some confusion at Crockett Blvd. The bike route continued on Cummings—it had been closed to bikes 20 years ago. I was heading for Vallejo but by bike, not car. So I consulted my maps before deciding to head down Crockett Blvd. The ride through town would be more interesting and slightly shorter than the ride on San Pablo Road, but either way would have gotten me there.

  On my trip over the Zampa Bridge I encountered one other cyclist and four pedestrians. It was nice having the path mostly to myself.

  Once in Vallejo I continued down Sonoma Blvd. and Curtola Parkway to the waterfront, passing the Ferry Terminal before heading over the Mare Island Causeway. On my last trip west from Vallejo I had taken the CA37 bridge over the Napa River and found the railing on the north side to be uncomfortably low given the height above the water.

  I headed north on Railroad Avenue, passing a number of abandoned, dilapidated buildings, then joined the traffic heading west on CA37.

  This part reminded me of riding north on CA25 from Hollister. Flat, two-lane highway with a center wall, heavy traffic, and a stiff headwind. Although I kept my speed in the low-20s (mph), I was glad I had help on this part.

  What made CA37 worse than CA25 was the wide rumble strip, about twice as wide as usual, leaving me to ride on the right side of the shoulder that contained occasional weeds and other debris. This segment had my full attention.

  As I neared Marin County, CA37 became less bicycle-friendly. The Petaluma River Bridge at Black Point is a tall 4-lane affair with no shoulder. Fortunately, traffic at Sears Point (CA121) was being gated by a traffic light, so I waited until the current platoon of vehicles had passed, then I used maximum power (both leg and motor) to get over the bridge before the next platoon arrived.

  One more narrow bridge over Novato Creek required a similar approach, but this bridge was shorter in all ways and was easier to slip across between platoons.

  My last obstacle to overcome on CA37 was at Hanna Ranch Road. A sign directed bicycles off the highway here, but once I was off the highway I could not find any way out other than to return east on CA37, which I wasn't about to do. I saw no "bike route" signs or any other indication other than the return loops to CA37 east and west and the dead-end Hanna Ranch Road with its "Not A Through Street" signs, two of them on either side of the road, as if for emphasis. I had come through here in 1995 and recalled taking a path or trail beneath the CA37/US101 interchange, but now my memory was failing me. I looked in vain for a path on the other side of the railroad tracks below the tangle of concrete above, but I saw only weeds. I even tried to bring up Google Maps on my phone to plot me a bike route out of there, but I was instead directed to head west on CA37 and onto Novato Blvd., in defiance of the posted signs.

  If I had explored the Not A Through Street of Hanna Ranch Road I would have soon discovered the path I had taken years ago heading left just west of the railroad tracks. But, today I was getting cranky with the delay and the misleading signage or lack thereof. So, I returned to CA37 and headed west to Novato Blvd., picking a moment to thread the overpasses when again there was a break in traffic.

  I soon found myself at the northern end of a posted bike route from Novato into downtown San Rafael. This route starts with a path alongside US101, then exits into a hotel parking lot. After winding around a small business district I was on Ignacio Blvd. and then on Alameda del Prado. My memory was returning as I had ridden here about four or five years ago while traveling in the other direction.

  Then it was onto another bike path past the old Marin Independent Journal building that appeared to be falling into disrepair, the brick facade crumbling brick by brick.

  At Miller Creek Road I headed west then south on Las Gallinas and Los Ranchitos before getting back on a bike path that took me into downtown San Rafael, dumping me at Fourth and Hetherton. Again I turned to my maps to find the best way south.

  Getting through Marin alternated between relaxing and frustrating, the relaxing parts on the bike paths, the frustrating parts on the streets between the bike paths. The bike routes appeared to be set up for bicyclists traveling between cities but not through cities. I could find no signs directing me from the San Rafael bike path to the start of the path to Larkspur. I knew it must cross Anderson Drive, so I forded through heavy traffic around the Transit Center and turned onto Anderson Drive and in the process heard a sharp Fwump-tick-tick-tick sound coming from my rear tire as I made the turn.

  I stopped to check the rear tire, and discovered a nail sticking out of it.

  After replacing the tube I continued down Anderson Drive and shortly encountered the path to Larkspur.

  I recall reading about the grand opening of this path a number of years ago that refurbished an old railroad tunnel to ease the way through the ridge separating San Rafael from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. This was my first trip through the slightly claustrophobic confines of the bike path tunnel.

  With my most recent trip to this area fresher in my mind, I crossed Sir Francis Drake (SFD) Blvd., zigged through the Ferry Terminal parking lot, and got onto the sidewalk on the south side of SFD Blvd. Then I found the path to the US101 bridge over Corte Madera Creek. A sign instructs bicyclists to walk, but that would render difficult the task of passing opposing traffic on this narrow path. As it happens I did pass another opposite cyclist, a pack-laden tourist, at the apex of the bridge, and we both had just enough space to pass each other slowly and carefully while mounted.

  I continued through Corte Madera and onto the Mill Valley Bike Path where I stopped to refill my almost-empty bladder. I had seen almost no cyclists as far south as Corte Madera, but from Mill Valley south I saw many recreational cyclists.

  I continued into Sausalito among increasing clumps of cyclists and tourists, both on foot and upon rental bikes. Sausalito was pretty as usual but was crawling with cops hiding behind parked cars, just waiting to nab an unwary cyclist or motorist not complying with stop sign or crosswalk rules.

  As I approached the Golden Gate Bridge humanity reached the peak of its density that did not begin to abate until after I had ridden well south of the Bridge.

  I was slow on the Bridge itself due mainly to heavy crowds and a stiff crosswind that wanted to blow me into the path of oncoming traffic, especially at the circulation of the bridge towers. I stopped once at a pull-out to take a photo. The in-camera panorama stitcher does a good job editing out traffic and sidewalk crowds.

  My traversal of eastern Marin County had taken far longer than I expected. Route-finding, traffic, frequent stop signs, gusty crosswinds, and a flat tire each took their toll. From San Francisco southward the route was more straightforward, and as I passed south of the City increasingly enjoying the prevailing northwest tailwind, I was able to cover ground more quickly.

  I have to admit it was nice to get back onto Cañada Road, home territory, as it were, and have some room to cruise without worrying about squirrelly tourists at close quarters. Although San Francisco, Sausalito, and Marin are picturesque and worth a visit every so often, I'm afraid I'm spoiled riding the relatively quieter roads of the south Peninsula, south, and east bay.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	80.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	7680 feet
  Total Time:	7:35:27
  Riding Time:	5:40:33
  Avg. Speed (moving):	14.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	44.6 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	863 wh
  Wh/mi:	10.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	32.5
  Peak Current:	31.6 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	604 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	666 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1270 wh

  Pescadero, April 29, 2014 - Frank Paysen met me at my house and from there we rode one of my usual routes west toward the Santa Cruz Mountains, to begin a classic coastal route. We left mid-morning, and already the temperature was warm enough to start in shorts and short-sleeves, the first time this year. In fact, temperatures on the entire ride were warm enough to remain in shorts and short sleeves, even at the coast or in the deepest redwood dell.

  I've discovered that the best time to ride in the local hills is mid-day on a weekday. Weekends are busy with tourists, and early mornings and late afternoons busy with commuters in certain directions (toward the valley in the morning, and into the hills in the afternoon). But one has the roads to oneself mid-day during the week. And so it was today. We saw very little traffic once we left the urban areas. While the temperatures varied from comfortable to warm, winds were absent except near the coast.

  We stopped for less than a half-hour at Archengeli's in Pescadero to share a couple of bakery items, then proceeded to the coast at Pescadero Beach. We rode north on CA1, stopping briefly at San Gregorio Beach, then turned onto Tunitas Creek Road and stopped again at The Bike Hut.

  I hadn't stopped at The Bike Hut in over a year, maybe longer, mainly because usually I need neither the break nor the provisions. But today was warm and not uncomfortable to sit on the bench outside under the sun. I nibbled some chocolate-covered sunflower seeds while I chatted with "Matt" who owns a framing business in Sunnyvale and who was also resting at The Bike Hut on this fine day.

  After climbing Tunitas Creek Road we descended Kings Mountain Road into Woodside, then rode around the Portola Valley Loop before reintroducing ourselves to heavy traffic on Arastradero Road. We continued into Los Altos Hills, then took Purisima and the O'Keefe Path from Robleda to O'Keefe alongside I-280 before taking usual roads back to my place.

  Today I rode with the bike's assist system limited to 750 watts power input and 20mph maximum assisted speed, and I found that the speed limit, in particular, acted as a leash of sorts, preventing me from getting too far ahead of (or too far behind) Frank on the flatter parts of the course and kept me working harder than usual.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	164.8 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	9880 feet
  Total Time:	11:04:23
  Riding Time:	8:51:02
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.6 mph
  Max. Speed:	43.0 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	2143 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.0
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	82.1
  Peak Current:	41.9 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	1500 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	910 wh
  Total energy delivered:	2410 wh

  Patterson, April 20, 2014 - This weekend's ride was the next step in my conditioning myself (and taking advantage of my new batteries) for longer rides. Today's was a loop I had always wanted to ride from home but until now lacked the battery capacity to finish (and before I started riding hybrid-style, lacked sufficient desire to punish my body). I had last ridden to Patterson starting and ending in Livermore in 1993, but today's route followed more closely my ride in 1992.

  Some areas haven't changed much in 22 years (Tesla Road, south Tracy, CA33), but Patterson has quadrupled in size with new developments, strip malls, widened roads (although inconsistently), and increased traffic, at least in town.

  The first quarter of my ride was on roads I had recently ridden, but as I passed the turn-off for Mines Road and continued straight on Tesla Road, I began covering territory I hadn't visited in many years.

  I stopped part way up the climb on Tesla Road to reboot my phone when I noticed that the GPS had stopped recording. The climb to the pass is not steep but felt longer than I remember. At the top I continued down Corral Hollow Road on the east side without stopping, the descent technical for the first mile and a half, then abruptly flattening out alongside the Carnegie Off-Road Park. The typical wind was blowing consistently, and gave me a nice push most of the way, although the wind shifted to a side wind blowing from the left for part of the trip down the canyon.

  I continued toward Tracy, turning right on Linne Road that would skirt the southern edge of town and avoid most of the in-town traffic. At Bird Road my GPS died again. This time I deleted a few suspect Apps from my phone and rebooted. The GPS functioned properly for the rest of the day. I hope I've gotten rid of the problem.

  I turned right on Ahern Road (CA33) and began a fast uninterrupted trip south to Patterson. It seemed appropriate to cruise at 33mph on CA33, but the road was not entirely flat. At one point it rose ever so slightly, but enough for my speed to drop to 31mph. At first I thought I had lost my nice tailwind, but upon hitting the complementary downslope I saw my speed touch 35mph.

  I had thought I might encounter much traffic on CA33. On my 1992 trip we saw more traffic. If traffic had been unpleasant I would have detoured east a couple of miles to Kasson and River Roads, but this morning traffic was light. I counted 25 motor vehicles passing in my direction the entire distance, and most of them passed me as I neared Patterson.

  Once I got to Patterson I rode around the central circle looking for a place to top off my water. I thought of stopping at the public restroom in the central park, but I was dissuaded by a group of sketchy-looking characters hanging about. At the side of City Hall a drinking fountain stood. On the bench nearby "Ray" was seated eating a sandwich. I stopped here and chatted with him while he looked over my bike.

  I had planned to stop at Blues Cafe, but the establishment was closed for Easter Sunday. So, I rode down to Sperry and headed west toward the strip malls in the new part of town.

  I found Togo's (also closed for the day), then a Subway Sandwich inside the windowless Walmart. Fortunately, it was just inside the front door, so I didn't have to wander through the enormous building. Unfortunately, I could not watch my bike while I was seated inside, so I ordered "to go" and walked outside to eat.

  Neither benches nor curbs of any kind were near the front door of this Walmart. Even the small pedestals on the exterior walls were sloped at an uncomfortable angle as if to discourage sitting. The only outdoor activity appeared to be parking and walking to and from one's car and the store's front door. Feeling like a pigeon considering a structure upon which spikes had been installed to discourage perching I walked around to the side of the store and found a spot with a curb where I could rest undisturbed while I ate lunch.

  After lunch I began my long trip home, heading west on Sperry Ave., passing more developments and an Amazon fulfillment center some distance from the road to the north. The last time I had ridden here Sperry was a rough two-lane road leading from town to I-5. Now it is four lanes that unexpectedly narrow to what appears to be the old two-lane road just before I-5. Looks like the city was unable to get the developer to foot the bill to widen the road all the way to I-5, forcing most traffic in and out of town onto a short two-lane stretch that crosses both the Delta Mendota and California Aquaducts.

  Although this past winter season saw much lower than normal rainfall, the hills west of Patterson still showed green. In June 1993 I had snapped a photo from almost the same spot.

  At a couple spots along the lower portion of the canyon, groups of cars could be seen stopped by the road. If I looked down toward the creek I could see large groups, extended families, perhaps, enjoying an Easter Sunday picnic by Del Puerto Creek that was more often than not narrow enough to be leapt across.

  Further up the canyon I passed Frank Raines Regional Park that was filled with many large group picnics. On past trips up this way I would stop at the park and refill water, but today I had enough so I continued past without stopping.

  Above Frank Raines Park the vegetation changed. More blue pines and chaparral, less grass, and fewer oaks. Soon the back side of Red Mountain came into view. Red Mountain is the mountain that stands at the head of Mines Road. Not much further I arrived at the abrupt start of the steep climb to the county line at Beauregard Summit.

  I passed a few splashes of color beside the road on the descent to The Junction.

  At The Junction I did not stop at the cafe as I had already eaten lunch and was doing fine for water. I turned left and south on San Antonio Valley Road, stopping in Lower San Antonio Valley to photograph the most colorful of the wildflower displays I had seen this year.

  As the road bent west again I climbed over China Grade Summit, descended alongside Arroyo Bayo, and then started up the climb to Copernicus Peak, cresting just before 1600, three and a half hours after I had left Patterson.

  I did not stop at the Observatory, having visited many times before.

  On the descent I had the road to myself, but the bike felt heavy and sluggish in the curves. I was carrying more batteries than usual, and there was an occasional gust of wind, so I figured heavy bike plus wind was the cause.

  Earlier on Del Puerto Canyon Road I had stopped to check my rear tire when it provided a bit too much floatation over the cattle grates but had found the tire hard, so I did not worry about it. But, I couldn't get the thought of a soft tire out of my mind. If it was going flat, the squishiness and side-slop in the corners would get worse with time, right? But there was no change to the feel. And, I didn't want to lose my momentum and my having the road to myself by stopping to inspect the tire. If it was going flat, I'd know soon enough.

  Finally at Alum Rock Ave. I stopped and felt the tire. Hard. But, it deflected too much when I sat on the bike. So, I got off, took out my pump, and checked the pressure. 30psi.

  OK, it had lost air, and the sluggish handling in the corners probably was largely on account of the soft tire. But how had it lost air? I had pumped it to 85psi the night before. Maybe some kid at the Walmart had let some air out while I was inside the Subway ordering my sandwich. I was hoping it wasn't a bad patch as that would reflect on my competence. Since the leak appeared to be slow, I decided to add air now and investigate later. I was almost home.

  I got home in good shape just before 1800 and removed the rear tube to check for a leak, and I found a leak and the cut in the tube and tire, as if a shard of glass had gone in and out. The puncture was quite large, so I was surprised the tire held any air. The leak behaved like a leaky patch that would allow air to escape above a certain pressure but would be airtight at lower pressure. I regretted not investigating and repairing the flat on the road so that I could enjoy the descent of Mt. Hamilton, the longest technical descent in the bay area, but I felt better knowing that it was a true puncture not incompetent patchwork that caused the leak.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	92.8 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5750 feet
  Total Time:	6:12:48
  Riding Time:	4:57:46
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.6 mph
  Max. Speed:	50.6 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1053 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	39.5
  Peak Current:	42.9 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	737 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	564 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1301 wh

  Devil's Slide, April 16, 2014 - The day was forecast to be warm and clear with light breezes at the coast, an ideal day to head north to explore the new recreational trail at Devil's Slide.

  I rode quickly on a direct route to Montara, a route that had me taking CA92 over the mountains, a short and easy climb followed by a quick but short descent into Half Moon Bay. Traffic was heavy going over the hill, but it moved at a speed at which I could keep up and not have impatient motorists try to pass me on the relatively flat but narrow road into town.

  I rode north on CA1 from Half Moon Bay into a constant moderate headwind, maintaining a cruising speed in the low-20's (mph). As the highway narrowed north of Montara State Beach traffic lightened considerably, I was able to get most of the way to the traffic signal for the southern end of the Devil's Slide Trail before the southern tunnel portals without having motorists breathing down my neck. I waited through one cycle before I concluded that the left turn signal into the parking lot did not respond to my bicycle. Perhaps Caltrans do not expect cyclists to arrive at the trailhead by bicycle.

  I continued on the new trail that was the old highway along the dramatic right-of-way perched on crumbly cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean below. I rode over the high point and down to the northern parking area before returning south to stop at all of the view spots.

  At the highest of these viewpoints I chatted at some length with Larry Carr from Ross (Marin County) and his daughter, Lorrie, visiting from Orange County. They were both out enjoying the new trail on a nice day.

  After I reached the southern trailhead again I turned left onto CA1 and rode north through the tunnel and then down into Pacifica before heading up Sharp Park Road and turning toward home on Skyline Blvd. and other familiar roads.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	117.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5500 feet
  Total Time:	7:19:28
  Riding Time:	5:59:41
  Avg. Speed (moving):	19.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	46.0 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1300 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	49.8
  Peak Current:	46.1 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	910 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	668 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1578 wh

  Aromas, April 13, 2014 - It took me a while to settle on a route for the day. I would be riding the PowerPursuit that I had recently reassembled with under-seat battery mounts, and I was eager to test out the rig. I finally decided to head south toward Gilroy and a bit beyond before returning home, a route that would provide me with the opportunity to get used to longer distance and longer pulls between stops. I also felt like riding in warmer rather than cooler weather. I'd head to the coast after the fog had time to burn off.

  Stops were hard to avoid for the first 12 miles as I rode through downtown San Jose, where every other block was a red light with a long wait, and then on Almaden Expressway where the traffic lights were not cutting me any slack. Moreover, my GPS quit on me a few times and had to be restarted. Finally, I got out on McKean Road and was able to get into a groove as I flew past the reservoirs.

  Once I got past Gilroy I continued south on US-101 as far as CA129. Instead of taking CA129 through Chittenden Gap I detoured into San Benito and Monterey Counties on some back roads in the hills near Aromas: Brown, Cannon, Anzar, and Carr. I had recently corresponded with Joe Biondo, a fellow e-bike builder, who told me he lived on Cannon Road and operated a small nursery. I thought of stopping at the only nursery I saw along the way, but aside from not having set up an appointment I didn't have time for a visit if I wanted to maintain a high likelihood of arriving home before dark. I wasn't equipped with a headlight today.

  After descending the hill down past Driscoll's on San Juan Road I crossed the Pajaro Valley on Murphy Crossing, CA129, Carlton, and Lakeview before skirting the edge of Watsonville on Holohan Road before heading toward home on Freedom Blvd.

  Since Laura wasn't in Santa Cruz this weekend and was unavailable for a visit, I decided to avoid Santa Cruz and instead rode through Corralitos and up Eureka Canyon Road. A few miles up the road from Corralitos I stopped to repair a rear tire that had been punctured by a nasty piece of sharp metal that was difficult to remove without tools.

  Eureka Canyon Road is a quiet, pretty climb alongside Corralitos Creek and higher, but the road surface hasn't improved much in the last few years, full of bumps, potholes, cracks, and crumbly bits. It was a good test of my battery box latches to see if they would hold under harsh vibration. They did.

  I continued on Highland Way, pausing only once at Mt. Bache Road to heed the call of nature before continuing on Summit Road and then down Old Santa Cruz Highway and onto CA17 where traffic ran slightly above capacity. Traffic was moving slowly through the Chute, but this was OK as it makes for a less stressful merging onto the highway at the bottom of the Chute and allows for the left-hand exit into downtown Los Gatos.

  From Los Gatos I continued home on one of the usual routes.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	78.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	7900 feet
  Total Time:	6:39:28
  Riding Time:	5:28:12
  Avg. Speed (moving):	14.3 mph
  Max. Speed:	45.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1055 wh
  Wh/mi:	13.4
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.8
  Peak Current:	43.1 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	739 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	662 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1401 wh

  South Butano and Old Haul Roads, April 9, 2014 - I got started shortly after noon, on the late side for a ride this long and with so much of its distance (about 20 miles) on dirt roads. I fully expected to be finishing in the dark.

  My departure had been delayed by my needing to take care of desk work in the morning and upon my discovering a dead Cycle Lumenator headlamp on my bike. Fortunately, I have a second head unit that I was able to install quickly. But the discovery was unsettling as I did not want my second light to fail suddenly on me on a dark country road.

  I rode with all deliberate speed south to Saratoga then up CA9, barely pausing at the stop sign at CA35 before heading down to CA236 and into Big Basin. At China Grade Road I turned right and began a steep climb up to the high point on the ridge that probably would be a named peak given its prominence in the greater region, standing as it does at the apex of ridge lines heading east, south, west, and north, if it weren't for the fact that its summit at 2359ft is forested and nondescript and easy to miss when riding along China Grade Road.

  I continued onto the dirt road, following signs for BSA Camp Cutter, continued past Johansen Road descending to the left. Then, just as the road began descending toward Camp Cutter, I veered left onto a faint fire road marked by a small sign that read "South Butano". It was here that I encountered the only other human activity. A Ben Lomond Fire Company truck was slowly climbing the hill in the opposite direction.

  Recent rains had left drainage ditches down the middle or edges of the road, but there was little dust and only a few muddy parts. Only once did I pass standing water.

  Since my last visit to this road in 2012 I could see that someone had been working to clear brush. Perhaps that explained why the Ben Lomond fire crews were seen so far from home. The road could function as a fire break today, but on my last trip in 2012 it was overgrown with Scotch Broom in many places.

  I continued past the turn-off for Olmo Trail and soon I was out of the forest crossing the abandoned airstrip. After a short forested climb I began a long gradual descent on mostly smooth crushed sandstone as the road continued west along the ridge. After the road plunged again into the trees the temperature dropped about 10 degrees F. I stopped to put on another layer.

  The last mile down to Cloverdale Road is the roughest, the two dual tracks being rutted enough to be stream beds. I rode on the mound at the center of the road.

  Once back on Cloverdale Road I headed north into a stiff cold headwind, then east on Pescadero Road. The old Loma Mar Store appears to be closed again. I remember stopping for lunch and outdoor entertainment here years ago.

  I turned right on Wurr Road that passes along the southern edge of Memorial Park, then turned right on Old Haul Road.

  I saw no one the entire time I was on Old Haul, and again I had the place to myself in Portola State Park where the park HQ building was dark and shuttered. A few campers occupied the campground, but I saw no people about. The rangers' residences appear to be abandoned, although a faint hum could be heard emanating from one of the cabins.

  I rode quickly uphill from Portola State Park, stopping only once at the top of Alpine before descending Page Mill and Moody Roads and heading directly home, arriving comfortably before darkness. And, my headlight was still lit.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	62.7 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	10140 feet
  Total Time:	6:36:11
  Riding Time:	5:04:37
  Avg. Speed (moving):	12.3 mph
  Max. Speed:	54.0 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1182.3 wh
  Wh/mi:	18.7
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	45.1
  Peak Current:	43.1 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	828 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	827 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1655 wh
  Link to:	Nifty Ten Fifty Web Page

  Nifty Ten Fifty, April 6, 2014 - I managed to talk Zach Kaplan into joining me on the Nifty Ten Fifty this year, riding his new electric-assist HP Velotechnik Scorpion fs26 s-pedalec.

  I left home at 0645 and arrived at Cerrito Vista Park in El Cerrito about an hour and five minutes later, with enough time to chit-chat with others, take a few photos, and set the bike up without being rushed. While I was setting up Zach arrived at the start, having ridden without the motor from home in Alameda.

  Our first climb up Moeser Lane starts the ride with a bang, or rather with an "Ugh!". Some riders were seen tacking across the road.

  Almost as difficult as the physical challenge of this ride is the route-finding challenge, especially on the first few trips up and down the hill in El Cerrito and later in Oakland, where streets are narrow and in many cases unmarked, and where turns come quickly in succession. I found myself holding the route sheet in my hand much of the time.

  Zach's electric trike uses an efficient direct-drive rear hub motor that is all but silent compared to the whirring of my crank-drive motor and has very little drag when spun unpowered, allowing him to pedal for extended periods using no motor power. It is able to partially-recharge the battery (regenerative braking) on descents, provided descending speed is kept below about 28mph.

  But, Zach discovered while climbing at a low assist power level on the early climbs to increase his likelihood of not exhausting both batteries before finishing the ride, that the motor is happiest when kept at speeds above about 10 mph. He climbed faster on the second half of the ride, having a better idea of his energy usage. In the end he was able to finish the ride on the roughly 1kwh of battery capacity he carried with him, swapping batteries once at the refreshment stop at the Island picnic area in Tilden Park.

  Zach suffered one major mechanical that almost ended his ride. Not far from the summit of Lomas Cantadas his chain over-shifted and wedged itself between the cassette and the hub motor. After struggling with it for a half-hour we managed to free it, reconnect the chain, and continue the ride without further mechanicals or misfortune.

  Since we were running behind we skipped the stop at Peet's and pressed on up Claremont and Grizzly Peak, to the summit of Vollmer Peak where we could just make out the faint white snow line atop the Sierra Crest through the Central Valley haze.

  After we returned to Cerrito Vista Park, Zach rode home while I took a short nap in the van before heading over to Lanesplitter Pizza in Berkeley where I was unable to find the post-ride pizza group†. As I was hungry I decided to stay and order a Vegan Calzone rather than drive home on an empty stomach. What arrived at my table was an enormous half-crescent of pizza dough stuffed with veggies and vegan cheese that extended beyond the boundaries of the plate. The waitress brought unbidden a take-out tray along with my order. Much to my surprise I managed to clean my plate just as I began to feel full. Probably the vegan cheese was not as filling as mozzarella would have been.

  ^†It turns out the group was in the rear garden, and although I went out there to look for them, I did not recognize anyone, especially since they were in street clothes.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	87.2 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	3530 feet
  Total Time:	7:04:10
  Riding Time:	4:51:26
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.9 mph
  Max. Speed:	51.5 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1000 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	39.2
  Peak Current:	39.3 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	700 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	582 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1282 wh

  Coyote Hills with BARC, March 30, 2014 - This morning at the last minute I decided to join the Zach Kaplan and the BARC (Bay Area Recumbent Cyclists) ride on the Alameda Creek Trail and around the Coyote Hills.

  I left home just after 1000 and rode via the fastest route to Menlo Park up Central Expressway and Alma, then Willow Road and over the Dumbarton Bridge to the trail leading over the bridge above the toll plaza and onto the Apay and Bay Trails around the Coyote Hills. I got to the Alameda Creek Trail about one hour after I left home. I called Zach, and he informed me that he was not far away, having made gradual progress from Niles Canyon toward the bay.

  I started riding upstream, but it was not long before I encountered Zach and one other rider ahead of the rest of the group. I turned around and followed them back toward the bay.

  After regrouping we all continued out to the end of the levee where Alameda Creek joins San Francisco Bay, where we took a short break. A dirt trail that continues on the levee beyond the end of the paved trail reconnects with Coyote Hills or the eastern end of the Dumbarton Bridge. I made a mental note to explore these options sometime when the top of the levee has seen many weeks of warm dry weather.

  We returned up the paved trail, then rode a circuit around the Coyote Hills, reversing my route from the morning. When we got back to the Alameda Creek Trail we turned right and pressed upstream on the trail.

  At the Isherwood bridge we stopped to regroup before some of the riders left the group. While we were waiting Gary Suplick happened by on his new Mango velomobile. We all gathered around to gawk at it.

  After we arrived at the eastern trailhead at the mouth of Niles Canyon, Zach and I split off from the group, Zach returning to BART and home, and I heading up Niles Canyon to complete a longer loop home via Calaveras, Felter, and Sierra Roads.

  I rode quickly through Niles Canyon but slower on Calaveras, Felter, and Sierra, stopping a few times to snap photos of the green landscape and the interesting cumulus and nimbus clouds hovering overhead.

  When I got to the top of Sierra Road it was clear that a large raincloud was dumping moisture over south San Jose. Fortunately, the wind was blowing the weather away from my location. Even so, I didn't linger long.

  After descending Sierra as quickly as seemed prudent with debris having recently been washed onto the road in several spots, I returned home across San Jose via the south route on Maybury and Taylor, passing through San Jose just north of downtown. This slower route was more congested with more frequent traffic signals, but it was an interesting alternative from my usual fast route across north San Jose on Montague and Trimble. I arrived home shortly before 1800.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	120.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8870 feet
  Total Time:	8:42:54
  Riding Time:	6:53:25
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.4 mph
  Max. Speed:	43.0 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1358 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	52.1
  Peak Current:	43.5 Amps
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	951 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	905 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1856 wh

  Mount Hamilton Loop Clockwise, March 23, 2014 - I had hoped to get an early start, but I discovered before leaving home that only one of my two batteries had fully charged in the night. I quickly wired three chargers in parallel to charge the second battery quickly. This took about an hour.

  So, I set off on my usual route across north San Jose on Central, Trimble, Montague, and then through Milpitas to Calaveras Road.

  On Calaveras Road I saw few cyclists going my way, and only a few more riding the other way until I was riding north through Sunol Valley, when I saw a large group riding the other way.

  I entered I-680 at Calaveras Road and got on CA84 to ride over Pigeon Pass instead of riding through Pleasanton. On my way over the pass I made a mental note to ride someday the old two-lane highway that is now closed to traffic but runs parallel to the new highway. Gates at both ends appear to be passable by someone on foot or bike.

  In Livermore I stopped at the ball field at Wente Avenue and South Livermore Avenue to top off my water. As I stepped into the rest room at the ball park I discovered a sink running into a clogged drain that was about to overflow. I quickly shut off the water, but I wondered why someone would have left the water running to cause a flood in the rest room, not to speak of the wasted water during a drought.

  As I pressed on up Mines Road, motor traffic was heavy heading up over the hill to Lake Del Valle. On Mines Road the main traffic were motorcycles, an occasional pickup truck, and several small groups of cyclists riding the opposite direction. The air was clear and warm and the hills green yet sparsely-covered with new grass.

  I continued up over Eylar Summit with the aid of a slight tailwind, then down through Blackbird Valley and over the second ridge before coasting quickly down to The Junction Cafe for a sit-down lunch.

  The cafe appears to be under new ownership or management. They were just coming off a power outage but were able to grill a veggie burger, an unusual patty made from what appeared to be potato or flour and diced mushroom and/or eggplant. I ate lunch with a couple, Sean and Sherrie, who were building up their mileage for a charity ride they were planning to do later in the year. They had ridden from Livermore.

  After lunch I pressed on into San Antonio Valley and Upper San Antonio Valley before climbing over parched China Grade Summit, then along nearly dry Arroyo Bayo before starting up the big climb of the day to Copernicus Peak, broken only by the short descent to Isabel Creek just over one mile into the climb.

  Near the top of the climb I came across a CHP cruiser and CDF truck, yet no one was about. As I rounded a couple more bends I looked back on that section of road and saw why. Apparently, a motorcyclist traveling uphill did not make the curve and flew off the road and down the embankment. The wrecked motorcycle was lying 30 feet below the road edge next to an old oak tree. The CHP officer and CDF guy had been down at the wreck. The motorcyclist was nowhere, probably taken to hospital.

  I did not climb to the summit of Mount Hamilton, but continued down the west side, stopping only to don an additional layer of clothing. I then rode home along my usual route.

  I rode the entire day using torque pedal assist, where motor power is added in proportion to my pedaling effort. The only time I did not run the motor was on significant down-grades where cruising speed was over 25 mph. But, the assist level was moderate at most, to enhance the conditioning effect. By the time I got home my legs had had enough.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	93.7 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	8740 feet
  Total Time:	8:57:06
  Riding Time:	5:42:04
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.8 mph
  Max. Speed:	45.8 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1140 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.2
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	43.6
  Peak Current:	43.4 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.4
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	798 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	733 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1531 wh

  Visiting Luke At Zero, March 20, 2014 - I started from home and rode quickly to Saratoga, then up CA9 and down the south side into the San Lorenzo Valley. I had given myself only just enough time to get from home to Scotts Valley via CA9, so I rode without delay.

  By the time I got to Ben Lomond I saw that I had enough time to take the longer but quieter route over Quail Hollow Road into Felton rather than stay on CA9 that was increasingly crowded with impatient traffic. I arrived at Zero Motorcycles in Scotts Valley a few minutes after noon.

  After meeting Luke "LiveForPhysics" Workman, he changed into his biking gear—wearing just enough to be legal—and got his bike. His front hub motor was still not working, and his two other work colleagues who were to join us had pressing obligations in the office, so the two of us set off. I dialed my assist level back so that I could match Luke's speed on the climbs.

  We rode up Glenwood and Mountain Charlie, stopping a few times to take photos, enjoy the view, or chat about his work—as much as he could divulge—, bikes, e-bikes, hydration, nutrition, and life philosophy. At the top of Mountain Charlie Road I showed Luke a fun little climb up Riva Ridge Road. We looped back to Mountain Charlie Road via Summit Road and began the bumpy descent. Some parts of Mountain Charlie are due for a resurfacing.

  We rode straight back to Zero where I met some of Luke's colleagues including Patrick ("methods") whom I first met at the Maker Faire last May.

  As I was preparing to leave for home Rando Pikner of Stigo came by to demonstrate his folding e-scooter, a personal transportation device that could be quite handy for someone commuting by bus or train. I took a short spin around the parking lot and was reminded when I briefly broke rear wheel traction that small wheels result in greater torque. That little scooter has plenty of oomph, perhaps too much.

  I left Zero at 1630 and returned up Mountain Charlie, this time via Bean Creek Road. I then proceeded down the north side of Mountain Charlie to Old Santa Cruz Highway and thence into Los Gatos via The Chute, where I got a lucky break in traffic and took the Santa Cruz Ave. exit.

  From there it was a quick ride into the wind mostly against commute traffic as I rode north on Quito and Lawrence, arriving home just before 1800.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	69.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	6770 feet
  Total Time:	4:56:05
  Riding Time:	4:06:36
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.9 mph
  Max. Speed:	46.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	856 wh
  Wh/mi:	12.3
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	33.2
  Peak Current:	41.9 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.3
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	599 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	592 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1191 wh

  Big Basin, March 11, 2014 - For today's ride I switched over to the Gold Rush that I hadn't ridden in a while. The Gold Rush employs a fabric fairing with a hard nose, is somewhat less aerodynamic, but is easier to handle in windy conditions. Today was windy. My Gold Rush also uses a torque-reading bottom bracket that allows me to monitor my own (human) performance more closely, and since I had set up the assist to be proportional to pedaling torque, I would get immediate feedback from the bike when I worked harder or slacked off.

  As I climbed up Redwood Gulch and continued up CA9 to Saratoga Gap I noticed that I was slacking off my effort more often that I expected. My legs felt tired, and I couldn't maintain the 150-200 watt effort for the entire climb. My legs hurt. A mile from top I couldn't take any more and switched the assist mode to PAS (fixed motor power).

  Riding the Pursuit with its assist mode that added fixed (instead of proportional) motor power when the cranks turned had lulled me into practicing lazy pedaling technique. I knew that I wouldn't enjoy riding the Butano loop I had planned, so I decided to take a slightly shorter route and make the best of the training opportunity.

  After switching back to "torque assist" mode I descended toward Boulder Creek, taking a bit more care than usual due to the wind gusting over the ridge. I continued onto CA236 and climbed up along the ridge separating the San Lorenzo River and Pescadero Creek watersheds.

  On my descent into Big Basin I took North Escape Road, stopping several times to take photos. At the bottom of the descent a tree had fallen across the road, but I was able to find a way around without getting out of the bike.

  Once I got to the Park HQ I turned right and continued through Big Basin toward Boulder Creek. As I passed the Boulder Creek Country Club I briefly considered climbing Jamison Creek Road, then descending Alba or Felton-Empire before making my final climb over to Los Gatos or Saratoga, but I remembered my legs from earlier and decided it would be best not to overdo it.

  From Boulder Creek I climbed Bear Creek Road. Bear Creek Road is the most popular route over to San Jose from Boulder Creek and is often busy with impatient motorists driving too fast and not happy to encounter bicyclists on the road where there the shoulder often disappears. Weekdays mid-day are not too busy on Bear Creek Road.

  Again I considered turning left at Skyline Blvd. and heading over Castle Rock to CA9 before descending into Saratoga, but by this time I was tired. So I pressed on down Bear Creek Road toward CA17. I thought I was making pretty good time—a little too good at one point where my front wheel slipped on some gravel—but near the bottom I got held up by a one-lane control where road crews were clearing debris from the side of the road.

  I continued onto CA17 into Los Gatos, unable to take the Santa Cruz Ave. exit due to traffic, and again opting to take the CA9 eastbound exit instead of the usual cloverleaf westbound exit when I saw a long line of motorists entering the freeway.

  After stopping to collect some contact lenses at For Eyes in San Jose I continued home while observing gradually-thickening traffic, especially opposite my direction.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	83.0 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	1970 feet
  Total Time:	8:05:03
  Riding Time:	5:26:38
  Avg. Speed (moving):	15.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	48.3 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	711 wh
  Wh/mi:	8.6
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	26.4
  Peak Current:	42.1 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.8
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	498 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	371 wh
  Total energy delivered:	869 wh

  Bay and Creek Trails and Calaveras Road, March 8, 2014 - When Lisa Antonino announced she was planning a Bikeaholics ride for today, I considered that the weather was forecast to be nicer on Saturday than Sunday and that I hadn't ridden with this group in many years. I'd have to get up early enough to get to Peet's in Menlo Park before 0800, and I'd have to skip the nearby farmer's market that I usually visit every Saturday and instead visit Mountain View's farmer's market on Sunday morning.

  I was out the door at 0715 and on the road shortly afterward. I rode quickly on the most direct route to Menlo Park: Eveyln Avenue and Central Expressway/Alma Street. Traffic was light, and I rode moderately fast but not at maximum speed. I had good luck with the traffic signals, getting green lights most of the time.

  When I arrived at Peet's (at University and Santa Cruz Ave.) Lisa Antonino, Tom Lawrence, and Ken Straub were enjoying their continental breakfast al fresco. As I pulled my bike onto the sidewalk, a dog waiting nearby while its owner was visiting Peet's got spooked at my bike that to a dog must have smelled human but looked like something entirely unknown and vaguely threatening.

  We started off by heading northeast through Menlo Park, taking the bicycle/pedestrian bridge over US-101 between Willow and Marsh Roads. We then zig-zagged through east Menlo Park to Willow and Bayfront Expressway, then started on the bike path alongside.

  After we got to the other side of the bridge we turned left onto Apay Trail, crossed the bridge over the toll plaza and then toured around the western side of the Coyote Hills. We continued onto the Alameda Creek Trail and rode as far as Old Canyon Road, dodging a fair number of pedestrians along the way. At this point we got onto CA84 and headed up Niles Canyon, riding quickly to minimize our exposure to traffic on this road.

  We stopped briefly in Sunol before continuing on Calaveras Road, stopping three times to regroup before Lisa led us to a Vietnamese noodle shop that was still in its grand opening phase for a hearty lunch.

  After lunch Tom led us through Milpitas to Dixon Landing Road and onto Coyote Creek Trail and other trails and minor roads to Alviso.

  We continued home on the Bay Trail behind Moffett Field and then crossed US-101 on the Permanente Creek Bridge, an example of how a bicycle/pedestrian bridge should be built, inline with the direction of travel to minimize distance traveled, with the exception of obstacle courses at each end and the glaring omission of a crossing or curb cut across Charleston Road on its northern approach.

  At Middlefield Road we split up to head home, Tom and Lisa heading north, and Ken and I heading south.

  ---

• MegaMonster Enduro, February 8, 2014 - After being ill over most of the three weeks since I had ridden the Winter Solstice “110” and having a lingering cough I decided not to ride the event this year. But, I was still able to help out. So, at 0530 I left home and drove an hour and a half in the rain/drizzle, certain I would be spending the day in similar conditions, to Paicines to meet Kevin Winterfield and the other volunteers.

  The first significant rain in over a year had decided to visit the Bay Area on MegaMonster Weekend. While rain was steady and significant the further north one went, rain had so far only dampened the roads south of Hollister. We saw less than half the usual number of riders show up. Weather reports were not promising earlier in the week, but the night before Kevin scouted the course and discovered dry roads and a forecast of clouds and 20% chance of precipitation. Precipitation occurred at times but was light and sporadic, not enough to keep a hardy cyclist off the road. Moreover, temperatures were not too cold at about 60F at the peak of the day.

  After photographing most of the starters, Christine Holmes and I drove my van south along the course, ready to help a cyclist in need. We had no customers, leaving me little to do other than to drive and snap photos of riders along the way.

  We stopped at the Bitterwater checkpoint to visit with Lane Parker and some local families that had come by to help out and see what all the fuss was about.

  We continued on to CA198 where Kevin was waiting at the turnaround point. After visiting with Kevin we drove back to Paicines, stopping briefly at Bitterwater again.

  On the course the wind was mostly blowing from the south, not the usual direction. But, later in the day, the wind changed direction on the northernmost ten miles, becoming a headwind for most cyclists on their return leg just when they were most fatigued.

  I was pleasantly surprised to see a hybrid-electric bike entry this year from Paul Daniel, Brammo Motorcycles’ chief battery engineer.

  Paul’s ebike was a converted cross-bike. His battery was made up of rejected or test cells of what I can assume is the latest battery technology from his work at Brammo, constituting a 2 kwh battery in four 500 wh modules. One module was mounted to the handlebars, one mounted to the bicycle frame, and two attached to a rear rack clamped to the seat post. The weight distribution of the battery resulted in some “interesting” handling of the bike at times. With a single 500wh battery mounted to the frame, the bike has better road manners, I am told.

  The power system was a 750-watt Bafang 8FUN crank-drive motor and reduction that served him well. Paul finished the 100-mile course in 3:52, the fastest time of the day and the second-fastest time in the hybrid-electric division in any year by less than 7 minutes. He consumed 1872 watt-hours with an average motor power of 482 watts.

  In 2011 on my faired long-wheelbase recumbent I completed the course in 3:45:20 at an average motor power of 352 watts. The 130-watt difference in average power illustrates the advantage of aerodynamics, even with my bike+body weight being about 100 lbs greater than Paul’s.

  Joining Paul on a non-functional electric bike was Luke “LiveForPhysics” Workman. Luke, chief battery engineer at Brammo's competition, Zero Motorcycles, had planned to ride a tall Lemond road bike with a Bafang geared front hub motor and a single battery pack mounted behind his seat. Unfortunately, Luke’s motor malfunctioned late the prior night while testing it—I see that the custom of testing and assembling the night before a big event is common in the e-bike world—with not enough time to debug before the event. He discovered afterward that his front brake rotor was cutting into the motor’s Hall sensor wires.

  Yet he is due at least as much credit for “suffering” as Paul as he rode his bike unassisted (without battery) on the 100-km course, having started too late to ride the full 100 miles.

  The last riders finished the course at 1715 and seemed happy to have completed the event on a day with sub-optimal weather.

  After enjoying mostly dry weather under a varying sky, I drove home through rain most of the way. Even though I didn’t ride this year, I was just as weary by the time I slipped into bed, falling asleep before 2100.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	111.5 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	4220 feet
  Total Time:	7:07:03
  Riding Time:	5:56:38
  Avg. Speed (moving):	18.7 mph
  Max. Speed:	51.6 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1325 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1129 wh
  Wh/mi:	10.1
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	44.2
  Peak Current:	41.2 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.1
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	790 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	605 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1395 wh

  Winter Solstice '110', January 18, 2014 - My body must have an internal clock. When I awoke at 0343, my alarm was set to go off two minutes later. I had slept well but not long enough, and I wanted to go back to sleep. But, I knew that the day would be a good day to ride and temperatures would be comfortable if not warm, so I continued my morning routine, then headed down to Gilroy's Christmas Hill Park, the starting location for the Winter "Solstice" "Century" (held this year a month late due to scheduling conflicts and 110 miles long).

  After a couple of false starts and having to return to the start to retrieve some forgotten item, I was off. I wore all clothes initially, but as soon as I was south of town I warmed up enough to take off my windbreaker and long sleeve top.

  While I was busy changing by the road Jim Kern and a couple other double-century riders, Peter Morrissey and Vidas Placiakis, rode by. Jim was on his Bacchetta Carbon Aero and had found a good draft behind the other two upright cyclists. As soon as I had packed up my stuff I took off in pursuit.

  My goal today was to ride at a moderate pace, using motor power most of the time so that my human effort was never excessive. I spent a couple of minutes closing the gap to Jim and the others by adding about 180 watts of motor power to my own effort. When I caught up to them I dialed back the motor power to about 100 watts. This was about the right amount to stay in contact on flat ground.

  The four of us continued down Bolsa Road, then turned left on Bloomfield and right on Frazier Lake Road as we crossed the county line and continued through dry and fallow farm lands between Gilroy and Hollister.

  Although I got ahead of the group a few times to snap photos, most of the time I hung back at the rear adjusting motor power instead of human power to maintain contact. Peter and Vidas seemed happy to set the pace up front.

  We stopped for a short break when we got to the bottom of the first climb up Santa Ana Valley Road. Later on Quien Sabe Road I stopped by the road to deal with a messy energy bar wrapper, and the others got ahead of me. I caught up again on CA25 near Paicines, but a few miles later I stopped again to mend a rear tire puncture. A small piece of glass appeared to be the culprit. It was here that I noticed that the temperature had climbed into the high 70s F, and I was getting warm just standing by the road.

  I peeled off my remaining extra layers and resumed my southward journey on CA25. Since I was playing catch-up I dialed the motor power up to about 450-500 watts and cruised up the road at about 24mph. I did not catch Peter and Vidas until the Pinnacles Junction, and did not see Jim until the lunch stop.

  Lane Parker single-handedly supported the ride and had a generous lunch spread including Subway sandwiches and other sweet and salty snacks. In exchange for lunch we each got our mug shots taken.

  I ate two six-inch veggie sandwiches and was back on the road again within a half-hour.

  On the climb north on CA25 out of Bear Valley I passed Peter and Vidas and was told that Jim was fifteen minutes ahead. I set the assist at 150-180 watts of motor power and figured I'd catch Jim if or when I caught him.

  Although it was fun to cruise quickly down the "new" Airline Highway part of CA25, it was a relief to turn left onto Old Airline Highway and leave the fast traffic behind. Most of the traffic was still heading south to Pinnacles, but the park itself was more crowded than I had ever seen it on a winter weekend. Old Airline Highway was rough and full of potholes, but I was still able to move along quickly.

  Not long before I got to Cienega Road I could see another cyclist ahead who appeared to be pedaling feet first. It was Jim. I almost caught up to him at the top of the first climb on Cienega Road, but he got ahead again when I stopped for a quick relief break.

  For the next several miles I could see him ahead but only made slow progress catching up. It was almost as if he pushed a little harder when he saw me begin to overtake. Yet I did not give in to the temptation to use more motor power. Then not far from the school on Cienega Road I finally caught up.

  We rode together the rest of the way, sociably on the climbs, traffic permitting, he in front on the descents, as he likes to pedal with constant effort up to 35 mph while I prefer to let gravity do the work, and I on the flat parts into and across the head and cross winds.

  We arrived back at Christmas Hill Park two minutes before 1500.

  I was pleasantly fatigued at the end, but on the drive home I fought drowsiness. My sleep deficit from the early-morning wake-up was catching up with me.

  ---

• NTS Works 2x4 e-Cargo Bike, January 15, 2014 - After our ride to Seaside, Ron Bobb and I visited NTS Works where CEO Neal Saiki and his wife Lisa were showing off their new electric-assist "2x4" cargo bike to friends and potential investors.

  The bike is unusual in several ways:

  1. The load is carried primarily above the front wheel.
  2. Steering uses a linkage between the handlebar/headset and the front fork. I counted seven (7) pivots altogether, including two for the headset.
  3. Front tire is ISO 507, while the rear is ISO 559, although a quick glance at the bike might miss this detail.
  4. Battery uses pressure contacts to connect the cells, making battery shipping and servicing easier.
  5. Connection to the battery uses a proprietary connector with a key and magnet to prevent reverse polarity hookup.

  I observed a slight shimmy at certain speeds with a full load on the bike, although for me this shimmy was well damped and never felt uncontrolled. Not surprisingly the bike resisted sudden steering attempts at speed with a full load up front. Aside from feeling a bit cramped in the cockpit and occasionally striking the kickstand with my toes—the bike is sized for a smaller rider, I found that it rode surprisingly well.

  The motor is a geared Bafang "8FUN" run at 36 volts limited to 350 watts. The three settings on the handlebar control appear to set the speed at which constant motor power is cut off (low, med, high), not how much motor power is added. E.g. At low speed switching from "low" to "high" does not increase the motor torque. The cranks are fitted with a PAS ring and pickup so that motor power is only applied when pedals are turning.

  The SunCycle model of the bike includes a cargo hood atop which is installed a solar panel that is said to produce about 60 watts under full sun.

  A couple of concerns I have are the long-term reliability of the complex steering system, how long the pivots will run without play, and the two different tire sizes. This latter point is not obvious to the casual observer as the front wheel is hidden by the cargo bed. The front wheel size ISO 507 is not common. I wonder if the use of the more common ISO 406 front wheel had been considered, thereby allowing a deeper cargo bed and a wider selection and availability of front tires.

  The bike itself is built from aluminum. Welds are clean and even. I was impressed by the design of the battery that allows the user or dealer to service it by separating the cells from the battery for shipment, if needed. Designing a compact, energy-dense and reliable battery to power an e-bike is not a trivial problem.

  Neal and Lisa seem to have done their homework and designed a good system for a cargo e-assist bike. They also have several patents pending on their bike and battery design, have studied the market and believe that the time is right for adoption of the concept in certain sectors, mainly delivery and cargo shipment in congested urban areas and/or where green transportation alternatives are enthusiastically embraced.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	53.3 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	940 feet
  Total Time:	4:56:14
  Riding Time:	3:48:52
  Avg. Speed (moving):	14.0 mph
  Max. Speed:	36.1 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	900 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	366 wh
  Wh/mi:	6.9
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	14.3
  Peak Current:	43.4 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.7
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	256 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	344 wh
  Total energy delivered:	600 wh

  Seaside, January 15, 2014 - Ron Bobb and I rode from his place in Watsonville south to Seaside and back.

  The weather was warm already, and I stripped down to shorts and short-sleeves, the first time I had started a ride like that since August or September. Later during the day the temperature rose to about 85F, warm even for summer in this area.

  On the southbound trip we rode the scenic way down Elkhorn Road and then to Castroville before picking up the bike path that would take us through Marina and the Fort Ord Dunes on the way to Seaside.

  We rode south on the Fort Ord path and returned on the CA1 path. When we got to Nashua Road we continued over CA1 onto Molera Road and then after a short stop where Ron massaged his foot and removed his leg-warmers, to CA1 that we took past Moss Landing.

  After we crossed Elkhorn Slough my front tire punctured rather noisily and suddenly. At first I thought something had gotten in my wheel, but as I slowed I could see my front tire nearly flat.

  I pulled off the highway and repaired the tire and replaced the tube. By the look of the rubber that had been peeled off the tire, it looks like I ran over a piece of glass or sharp metal object. Fortunately, the hole in the tire casing was small, and there was no bulge after I reinflated the tire. So, I think with the boot installed it will hold for a while.

  Ron Bobb had continued on ahead, and so I found myself with an opportunity to open the throttle to catch up to him. I caught him on Salinas Road just beyond CA1.

  We rode back through Pajaro and Watsonville, arriving at Ron's place after 1500.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	36.4 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	3580 feet
  Total Time:	2:35:37
  Riding Time:	2:11:50
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.5 mph
  Max. Speed:	36.9 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	900 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	588 wh
  Wh/mi:	16.2
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	23.4
  Peak Current:	42.8 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.3
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	411 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	258 wh
  Total energy delivered:	669 wh

  Black Mountain, January 8, 2014 - After a busy morning, I managed to get out for a quick mid-afternoon ride. I had planned longer routes and an earlier departure but had to settle for the climb over Black Mountain since I didn't have enough daylight for anything more ambitious.

  I rode quickly to the edge of the city, then headed south on Stevens Canyon Road. Since I wasn't riding far today I used the motor liberally (as can be seen from the "wh/mi" figure above), although I did take care not to ride so fast that I would upset the popular Strava segment rankings.

  On my way up Montebello I explored Peacock Lane but found the Swiss Creek Lane gate shut, so I continued up Montebello. At the Montebello gate I continued to the summit of Black Mountain where I did not sit long as it was a cool 48F and I was dripping with perspiration from the climb.

  On my way down to Page Mill Road I rode through the Backpacker's Camp and then down the Bella Vista Trail. Bella Vista Trail appears to have received lots of use this season. I hoped (vainly) that the light rain last night had washed away some of the dust.

  The trail itself was more rutted and undulating than I recall from my last visit. It was as if someone had recut the trail to include more whoop-de-doos and "carved" corners, where the bicycle tire tracks have ridden up on the embankment in the corners.

  When I got to Page Mill Road I turned right and descended to Altamont Road, then through Los Altos Hills and eventually to home.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
  Distance:	92.6 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5110 feet
  Total Time:	6:15:44
  Riding Time:	5:09:29
  Avg. Speed (moving):	17.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	45.4 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1100 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	1012.5 wh
  Wh/mi:	11
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.3
  Peak Current:	43.3 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	20.7
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	709 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	555 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1264 wh

  Henry Coe State Park, January 5, 2014 - My last visit to Henry Coe State Park in 2012 was for a long hike through the western region of the park. My last ride up to the park HQ was in April 2009, so it had been a while since I had ridden up East Dunne Ave.

  I started my outing by taking the direct route through downtown San Jose. I rode the first six to seven miles under human power only, until I felt sufficiently warmed up to off-load some of the effort.

  My quick calculation suggested I should be able to do the ride with only the main batteries. But, that assumed I wouldn't mind using human power on most of the flat stuff and that I was using new batteries. My batteries are older, retaining about 93% of their original capacity, and I knew my legs wouldn't be happy plugging away for the first two hours of the ride down to Morgan Hill.

  So, I packed a spare battery. This would give me some headroom to have some fun and cruise in the mid- to high-20's (mph) on the flat stuff.

  I got to downtown Morgan Hill at 12:30 then proceeded up East Dunne Ave., arriving at the Coe Park HQ an hour later. The climb was as I expected: the hills dry and Anderson Reservoir low, so low that the bridge was over dry land.

  Once I got past Anderson Reservoir and started up the main climb traffic was light. Only a few cars passed me on the climb. At the park HQ I rode down to the campground and rested for about half an hour to enjoy the view and to eat a snack.

  As I was getting ready to head home a guy on a motorcycle arrived and wanted to check out my bike. So we chatted for about 15 minutes.

  I stopped a few times on the way down to snap some shots of the view. The descent was tricky on account of the rough surface, cracked and potholed in a number of spots. The final plunge into Morgan Hill is rougher than it looks and had a couple of invisible heaves that almost launched me into the air.

  Once down into Morgan Hill I headed over to Hale and Santa Teresa Blvd., then cruised north to Bailey Road that I took over to McKean. I then proceeded home on the usual route for the Reservoirs ride through Almaden, Los Gatos, and Saratoga.

  My battery reserves were getting low as I climbed Kennedy Road, and I was happy to get through downtown Los Gatos with power available.

  I continued home at a good clip on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, arriving shortly before 1700 and the onset of darkness.

  ---

• GPS track:	GPX
  Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
  Distance:	68.2 miles
  Cumulative climbing:	5000 feet
  Total Time:	7:18:17
  Riding Time:	4:11:50
  Avg. Speed (moving):	16.2 mph
  Max. Speed:	41 mph
  Nominal System Voltage:	24
  Battery energy capacity:	1100 wh
  Battery energy consumed:	810.7 wh
  Wh/mi:	11.9
  Battery Amps-Hour Used:	32.2
  Peak Current:	43.8 Amps
  Min. Voltage:	23.5
  Motor energy to rear wheel:	568 wh
  Human energy to rear wheel:	508 wh
  Total energy delivered:	1076 wh

  Mount Hamilton on New Years Day, January 1, 2014 - I rode the usual way through north San Jose to Penitencia Creek Road. Instead of taking Toyon and McKee to Alum Rock Road I continued up Penitencia Creek Road into Alum Rock Park and then climbed Crothers Road, that although it is closed to motor vehicles due to roadbed subsidence, it is still easily passable by bike.

  When I got to Mt. Hamilton Road I turned left and started the long climb to the summit. At this point I did not notice that my GPS had stopped recording. I only discovered the omission after I arrived at the summit.

  The temperature inversion boundary was at about 1200 feet, and the air smelled fresher and breathing was easier as I climbed above it. The temperature climbed from the 50s to the 60s F, and with the sun shining, the air felt warm.

  I expected to see more cyclists on the road. I passed several small groups, but at the summit most of the tourists appeared to have arrived by car or motorbike. On my descent I saw more cyclists climbing. Maybe they got a late start after a long night of revelry.

  I climbed using about half the motor power that I used on the recent Low-Key Hill Climb on Thanksgiving Day, and my legs noticed the increased work.

  After spending an hour at the summit relaxing near the Jeanne Meadows Bench I started down.

  On a whim I descended a side road to cut off the long switchback near the top of the mountain. This steep road was essentially a driveway that serviced a few houses down the northwest side of the mountain. Sand and gravel had been applied to the surface to improve traction in icy conditions (but not in warm, dry conditions). I rode carefully. At the bottom I arrived at a closed gate. Fortunately, I was able to ride around it without stopping. Then, I was again on Mt. Hamilton Road.

  I descended into San Jose and took my usual return route with the exception that I continued on Montague to San Tomas Expressway into Santa Clara before heading west on Monroe to return home.