After the run we showered and ate some turkey sandwiches...
.... then we took the dogs out to get their exercise with the tandem bicycle!
The dogs did a great job staying with the bike.
We tired them out!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tandem Bike ride!
After the run we showered and ate some turkey sandwiches...
.... then we took the dogs out to get their exercise with the tandem bicycle!
The dogs did a great job staying with the bike.
We tired them out!
10 mile run!
We woke up on Saturday to a beautiful sunny last day of the year. We planned to run 10 miles because Nicole has a half marathon coming up in January and a 10 mile run was on schedule to run today. So we got on the computer and mapped out an awesome run. We ran around the entire Upper Newport Bay. The campground is on the west side of the bay, so we ran counter-clockwise around it. The first six and a half miles we had a view of the reserve. Here are some pics of that.
The last three and a half miles were full of multi-million dollar homes that sit on the edge of the reserve. Here is a link to the loop we ran:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/62304544/
We were worn out after the run... but not enough, because we went on a bike ride with the dogs!
The last three and a half miles were full of multi-million dollar homes that sit on the edge of the reserve. Here is a link to the loop we ran:http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/62304544/
We were worn out after the run... but not enough, because we went on a bike ride with the dogs!
Biscuit and Zoey
This is Zoey! She is the watch dog of the two. We have something in common, which is eating. She can't wait to eat when she wakes up and knows when her meal is coming to her in the evening.
This is Biscuit! He is the tougher one of the two. He likes to find places to hide under, so the only place he could find to hide under was our dinette table. He also likes to run! He runs up to 7 miles with us.
This is their beds. They look really comfortable.
Meal time! They are really good dogs. They are not allowed to eat until Nicole says its ok. So they sit patiently waiting until she says the magic words.
This is Biscuit! He is the tougher one of the two. He likes to find places to hide under, so the only place he could find to hide under was our dinette table. He also likes to run! He runs up to 7 miles with us.
This is their beds. They look really comfortable.
Meal time! They are really good dogs. They are not allowed to eat until Nicole says its ok. So they sit patiently waiting until she says the magic words.
Happy New Year!
I am ringing in the New Year at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Campground Resort and Marina! I have company this time... my girlfriend Nicole and her two dogs, Biscuit and Zoey! We got into our campsite at around 8pm on Friday December 30th. We were pleasantly surprised by the high class of the campground and the big bay that the campground wraps around. Here is a map of the Campground.
As I was setting up our campsite Nicole was busy making dinner. We ate Salmon with spinach and sweet potatoes. It was really good!
This meal got us ready for our 10 mile run the next day.
As I was setting up our campsite Nicole was busy making dinner. We ate Salmon with spinach and sweet potatoes. It was really good!
This meal got us ready for our 10 mile run the next day.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Magic Mountain Man Triathlon
The venue for the Half Ironman event took place on October 9th in Valencia, CA in a body of water called Castaic Lagoon. The swim was very warm (58 degrees) and clear. The bike portion started and ended here which included 7000 feet of climbing and very rough asphalt. Finally, the run went around the lagoon twice to complete the 13.1 mile long run. This is what the lagoon looks like from my campsite. The race took place on the other side of the lagoon in these pictures.
Here is the Camping area! It was a parking lot in the Park. As you can see there were tents on one side and RVs on the other side. There were 3 parking lots like this one.
I reserved the end spot so I could have a corner of my own.
No one ended up camping next to me so it felt like I had a lot of room.
Since I was on the end, I put out the hazard triangles for other drivers coming in and out of the parking lot.
It was a great view!
I settled in on Friday afternoon. So guess the first thing I did once I got done setting up?.... Made food!!! This is a bunch of grilled veggies. I saved half of it for Saturday.
Here is the inside organization this time. I tried the bikes not on the table this time and I liked it!
Here is a hen with rice and potatoes. I did not eat the entire thing, but I could have. I saved half for Saturday.
Here is my egg breakfast on Saturday morning. I had the whole day of food set up which I planned on because I wanted to be ready for the race on Sunday.
I had a great race on Sunday! I did 9 minutes better than last years time! I came in first in my age group and 27th out of 95 overall!
If you follow the link below, you can see some pictures of me in the event!
http://www.backprint.com/view_user_event.asp?PID=bp%1E%7FFu&EVENTID=85580&BIB=916&S=230&PWD=
Here is the Camping area! It was a parking lot in the Park. As you can see there were tents on one side and RVs on the other side. There were 3 parking lots like this one.
I reserved the end spot so I could have a corner of my own.
No one ended up camping next to me so it felt like I had a lot of room.
Since I was on the end, I put out the hazard triangles for other drivers coming in and out of the parking lot.
It was a great view!
I settled in on Friday afternoon. So guess the first thing I did once I got done setting up?.... Made food!!! This is a bunch of grilled veggies. I saved half of it for Saturday.
Here is the inside organization this time. I tried the bikes not on the table this time and I liked it!
Here is a hen with rice and potatoes. I did not eat the entire thing, but I could have. I saved half for Saturday.
Here is my egg breakfast on Saturday morning. I had the whole day of food set up which I planned on because I wanted to be ready for the race on Sunday.
I had a great race on Sunday! I did 9 minutes better than last years time! I came in first in my age group and 27th out of 95 overall!
If you follow the link below, you can see some pictures of me in the event!
http://www.backprint.com/view_user_event.asp?PID=bp%1E%7FFu&EVENTID=85580&BIB=916&S=230&PWD=
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Level Ground
It is exactly 2 months to the day since I posted my last blog post. This is the continuation of my last post about the jacks. I received the broken jack back from the company about 3 weeks ago. It looks brand new! They replaced a bunch of parts and repainted it! Check it out!
So shiny!
As long as it took me to remove the jack, it took me half the time to install it. Just four bolts, hydraulic line and electrical plug and I was back in business... well I need to try it before I speak too soon....
There she is in action! The picture above shows the right rear jack in working mode. I was able to level the RV in the parking lot I was in. (which of course was Walmart, haha)
Here is a pic of the leveler on the stove top. This is the first time I have seen all three bubbles in the middle!
Here is a pic of the back of the RV. Not sure if you can tell, but the right side is much higher than the left side. I wanted to park it in this kind of setting so I can test the right side of the RV... it is level!
Here is a picture of the remote for the jack system. It shows all red lights for each jack are lit up, which means the RV is level and all four jacks are in working condition. That is awesome!
After I felt great about the jack, I took a hot shower and did some Math homework for the rest of the afternoon. Although, I did fit in a nap too!
UP NEXT! In four weeks I will be taking the RV to Castaic Lake, which is near LA for a half Ironman event that I am competing in. It will be my first dry camping experience. I can't wait!
So shiny!
As long as it took me to remove the jack, it took me half the time to install it. Just four bolts, hydraulic line and electrical plug and I was back in business... well I need to try it before I speak too soon....
There she is in action! The picture above shows the right rear jack in working mode. I was able to level the RV in the parking lot I was in. (which of course was Walmart, haha)Here is a pic of the leveler on the stove top. This is the first time I have seen all three bubbles in the middle!
Here is a pic of the back of the RV. Not sure if you can tell, but the right side is much higher than the left side. I wanted to park it in this kind of setting so I can test the right side of the RV... it is level!
Here is a picture of the remote for the jack system. It shows all red lights for each jack are lit up, which means the RV is level and all four jacks are in working condition. That is awesome!
After I felt great about the jack, I took a hot shower and did some Math homework for the rest of the afternoon. Although, I did fit in a nap too!
UP NEXT! In four weeks I will be taking the RV to Castaic Lake, which is near LA for a half Ironman event that I am competing in. It will be my first dry camping experience. I can't wait!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Hydraulic Jack Update
I headed out of Oak Knoll at about 7:30am. I wanted to get home and unload everything and head to Walmart to work on the RV. I wanted to work on the jack system again.
The last three weeks I have been talking with the hydraulic jack company to figure out why the rear jacks are not working. Each one is not working for a different reason. The left rear one extends and retracts, but it does not kick down. The right rear one is stuck in the extended mode but it does kick down. So there were some trouble shooting tips the technical support helped me out with.
The right jack was the technical supports first concern. First step was to remove the pressure of the hydraulic line on the right side to see if the jack retracts. The jack did not retract. Then I checked all the fuses. There are 6 fuses and they are all good. So they suggested for me to send back the right jack. Here is a picture of the right jack removed. As you can see the silver part is the piston that should be retracted into the black tube. It is stuck out, so I am sending this one back for a rebuild.
The left jack was next. Then they had me release the solenoid to see if the jack would kick down. No luck. The evening before I left to go camping I had my neighbor look under the RV, because he used to work on big semi trucks and has some experience with hydraulics. When we got under the RV to inspect it closer he saw that the cable snapped on the left jack. The cable helps the jack kick down. So at Walmart I took the cable off the right jack (since I am sending that one back anyway to get repaired) and installed it on the left jack. Here is a picture of the two cables. The top one is from the broken right jack and the bottom cable is from the left jack.
Low and behold the left jack works!
Here is a close up of the left rear jack extended and working. I will need to bleed the system (which means put more hydraulic fluid in the lines) once I get the other jack returned to me. I am hoping to get the right jack sent out this week.
The last three weeks I have been talking with the hydraulic jack company to figure out why the rear jacks are not working. Each one is not working for a different reason. The left rear one extends and retracts, but it does not kick down. The right rear one is stuck in the extended mode but it does kick down. So there were some trouble shooting tips the technical support helped me out with.
The right jack was the technical supports first concern. First step was to remove the pressure of the hydraulic line on the right side to see if the jack retracts. The jack did not retract. Then I checked all the fuses. There are 6 fuses and they are all good. So they suggested for me to send back the right jack. Here is a picture of the right jack removed. As you can see the silver part is the piston that should be retracted into the black tube. It is stuck out, so I am sending this one back for a rebuild.
The left jack was next. Then they had me release the solenoid to see if the jack would kick down. No luck. The evening before I left to go camping I had my neighbor look under the RV, because he used to work on big semi trucks and has some experience with hydraulics. When we got under the RV to inspect it closer he saw that the cable snapped on the left jack. The cable helps the jack kick down. So at Walmart I took the cable off the right jack (since I am sending that one back anyway to get repaired) and installed it on the left jack. Here is a picture of the two cables. The top one is from the broken right jack and the bottom cable is from the left jack.
Low and behold the left jack works!
Here is a close up of the left rear jack extended and working. I will need to bleed the system (which means put more hydraulic fluid in the lines) once I get the other jack returned to me. I am hoping to get the right jack sent out this week.
East Grade Road
After the General Store I headed down East Grade Road to check out how that climb was. When I got to the bottom I turned around and headed back up. It was much hotter at the bottom of this climb. There were much less trees at the bottom and it felt more like a desert compared to the South side. This was a 12 mile climb that had an elevation gain of around 3500 feet with an average of 5% grade.
I was ready for Rick Clemson this time! I knew he was there, so I turned to him and smiled! (even though I was in a lot of pain during this climb) haha
Here is the view for the East Grade road. Lake Henshaw is at the bottom of this climb.
Very beautiful lake.
Another view...
The third day was a repeat of this day, so I do not have any pictures for the next day.
I was ready for Rick Clemson this time! I knew he was there, so I turned to him and smiled! (even though I was in a lot of pain during this climb) haha
Here is the view for the East Grade road. Lake Henshaw is at the bottom of this climb.
Very beautiful lake.
Another view...
The third day was a repeat of this day, so I do not have any pictures for the next day.
The top of Palomar Mountain
On day two I rode up South Grade road to the very top to the Observatory. The observatory is home to five telescopes that are nightly used for a wide variety of astronomical research programs.
So I walked into the gate and over the trees I caught my eye on the dome. The dome was completed in 1949 and has been used on a regular basis ever since.
I got a nice person to snap my picture.
A close up!
I was told you can go inside and look at it, so I kept walking...
It is so massive when you are up close next to it. The top opens up at night so the telescope can peer out into the sky.
When I walked up the stairs, there is a viewing area to look into the main room.
This is a picture through the glass. The telescope it above this picture.
I found this picture online. It gives you a better idea of the size of the telescope.
Here is a picture I downloaded to show you how the roof opens up at night.
After my education and fascination with the Observatory I was ready to ride again. I headed back down the mountain. Half way down there is a little general store and a vegetarian restaurant. All of the motorcycles like to stop there and chat it up. I stopped there to buy more water.
So I walked into the gate and over the trees I caught my eye on the dome. The dome was completed in 1949 and has been used on a regular basis ever since.
I got a nice person to snap my picture.
A close up!
I was told you can go inside and look at it, so I kept walking...
It is so massive when you are up close next to it. The top opens up at night so the telescope can peer out into the sky.
When I walked up the stairs, there is a viewing area to look into the main room.
This is a picture through the glass. The telescope it above this picture.
I found this picture online. It gives you a better idea of the size of the telescope.
Here is a picture I downloaded to show you how the roof opens up at night.
After my education and fascination with the Observatory I was ready to ride again. I headed back down the mountain. Half way down there is a little general store and a vegetarian restaurant. All of the motorcycles like to stop there and chat it up. I stopped there to buy more water.
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