Saturday, April 24, 2021

Thinking About An Adventure Vehicle

Saturday: (04/24) Breakfast at the Crepevine Restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. We drove up to San Carlos to Lyngsol Garden Supply but they were closed. The sign on the door didn’t match their website. Of course we stopped at a couple of thrift stores on the way home. Nap time at home. I did measure my little car and there is no way to make a solo camper out of it without removing the right front seat. Better to get a vehicle with room and ground clearance instead. Chili size for my dinner. Lou and Dawn had dinner in Redwood City at a German Restaurant.

Sunday: (04/25) Granola and banana for breakfast. I tinkered in the yard today. We had threats of rain all day. I charged the batteries in three of the outside cameras. Most are supposed to charge by solar, but two aren’t. I put things away here and there and blew the leaves from the walkways. I also removed the bricks from the area just inside the front gate where I needed to dig out and install the baserock for permanent patio. A nice Impossible burger for lunch. I made sauerkraut with potatoes, onion, apple, and pork chops for dinner.

Monday: (04/26) My birthday. Granola and banana for breakfast. I got up and dressed early so I would be ready if the dumpster truck arrived early. The dumpster was picked up about 1030 and returned empty about 1230. After lunch, I headed off to Lyngsol Garden supply and bought my geotextile fabric. I also stopped by ACE hardware and bought some big nails and washers to use to stake the fabric in place and staple the seams. It is only 6 feet wide so I intend to fold and nail the seams. Later, I checked the RV windshield. Lou noticed a chip/crack. I hadn’t seen it yet So I looked and it was across the top of the passenger windshield about 18inches long. I ordered a crack repair kit so I can glue it and stop it’s progression. I also received some USB cables and a charger and installed them on the two cameras that aren’t charging via the solar panels. And I trimmed the other half of the front flower bed geraniums. Super nachos with carnitas for lunch from El Grullense Taqueria. Lou and Dawn went off grocery shopping and Dawn visited the dentist. Leftover dinner from last night with more potatoes and some sausage added.

Tuesday: (04/27) Granola and banana for breakfast. I worked on filling my new dumpster. I finished the first layer of the front patio. I’ll do a final shaving to get to the final depth of 11”. I then started moving the front yard dirt pile into the dumpster. I moved about 1/3rd of it. I picked up lunch from the lucky Chinese Bistro. Lou and Dawn were off to San Jose to pick up something, visit Cecelia and some thrifting. Lou made buttered noodles with mizithra cheese and sausage for dinner.

Wednesday: (04/28) I made ham, egg and cheese sandwiches for breakfast. A relaxing morning before I attended my usual Wednesday webinar. I had my leftover Chinese food for lunch then finally got outside to do some work. I made some good progress on moving the dirt pile into the dumpster. It’s about ¾ moved. Lou made chicken and rice with pineapple for dinner.

Thursday: (04/29) Lou made an omelet in the InstaPot while we took a walk down the street to check on the project activity. They are evidently three weeks behind schedule and will be working Saturday to finish the basement waterproof liner so they can start installing rebar Monday. The street is busy too with the electric crew installing conduit to underground the electrical and remove the two poles near the new building. Then I worked in the morning and finished removing the front yard pile into the dumpster. After lunch, I attended a webinar on the use of the inReach satellite communicator. After a nap, I got back to work and skimmed the front yard patio hole down to a consistent and proper depth. Lunch and dinner were Lou’s tomato, ham, onion, pepper and cheese salad.

Friday: (04/30) I got my breakfast from Happy Donut, my usual sausage, egg and cheese English muffin with a couple of donuts. I tinkered today. I moved the swing out of the way of the news garden spot. I had been intending to work around it in place. I also set level marker stakes on all four corners of the newest garden. I then went to the city compost pile and loaded my buckets with compost. Residents are allowed up to 96 gallons of compost per week when available. I had 10 each 5 gallon buckets so I can do two trips a week. That’s about ½ cubic yard a week. Later, Lou and I headed off for lunch at Aqui’s Restaurant, some beef enchiladas with mashed sweet potatoes and coleslaw. We then found a Harbor Freight with my new cement mixer. We had to drive down to East San Jose to find it. My old mixer reached the end of it’s life with the last batches. Hopefully, this next concrete for the newest garden, the old garden patio and the front patio will be the last concrete work I do. The new mixer will be good for garden mixing as well. I’ll be using it to mix the weak soil I’ve kept with the free compost from the city. BBQ ribs with rice and corn on the cob for dinner.

Monday, April 19, 2021

Four OSP Hike

Monday: (04/19) Dawn made pancakes for breakfast. I worked in the backyard digging out the newest garden. About ⅔ done now. Another super veggie burrito from El Grullense taqueria with a horchata drink. Lou and Dawn were off all day shopping at thrift stores. We went to dinner at Panera bread.

Tuesday: (04/20) Granola and banana for breakfast. I worked on the newest garden dugout all day. Just a little more then on to the other dirt removal projects. I also renewed my AlphSoftware subscription. I keep thinking of ending it but then I’d lose the 75% discount. I’ve been using Alpha for over 40 years. Lou made pizza for lunch. Shrimp polenta for dinner. Justice prevailed today. George Floyd’s killer cop was convicted.

Wednesday: (04/21) I got my breakfast from Happy Donut, my favorite sausage, egg, and cheese English muffin with a maple bar chaser. I headed off to Russian Ridge for my 9am hike. This is the first hike I’ve scheduled since last march. The San Jose Mid-week Hikers just started scheduling small groups of hikers the past couple of weeks since most of us have been vaccinated. These hikes require all hikers to have had their shots. 9 fellow hikers joined me on this 8 mile hike through Russian Ridge, Coal Creek, Monte Bello, and Skyline Open Space Preserves. We started and ended the hike in a little fog but enjoyed nice views in between. After the hike I picked up lunch at Lucky Chinese Bistro then stopped at Smart And Final market for a few things. Back home I relaxed after a nice shower. Leftover Chinese food for dinner.

Thursday: (04/22) Granola and banana for breakfast. I finished digging out the newest garden spot. Tomorrow I start the front yard patio. Lou’s enchilada for lunch. Dawn made a beef stew over rice for dinner.

Friday: (04/23) I started digging out the area for the front yard patio. I need to add about six inches of baserock under it. I managed to fill the dumpster leaving a little of the patio area left to remove. The dumpster won't be picked up and returned empty until Monday so I’ll be doing some other things this weekend. I made egg, ham and cheese breakfast sandwiches for all this morning. A nice Impossible burger for lunch. Lou made Asparagus with fish and rice for dinner.

Monday, April 12, 2021

Ohlone Wilderness Hike

Monday: (04/12) Granola for breakfast. We were off early to pickup my fellow hiker Art in Sunnyvale. We then headed off to Lake Del Valle where Lou and Dawn dropped Art and I off to start our hike of the Ohlone Wilderness Trail to Rose peak and Mission Peak ending in Fremont. I had tuna and cheese tortilla wraps for lunch. We took a side trip by Murietta Falls even though it was dry. I was much slower than I expected so we didn’t make it to our reserved campsite at Doe Horse Camp. We stopped near Stewarts Camp for the night. I tried a hikers prepared meal with some enchiladas I got at REI. OK.

Tuesday: (04/13) I prepared a breakfast skillet dish for breakfast. Pretty good. We continued up the mountain through some burned areas to Mt Rose. We continued on toward Sunol Park. We stopped at Doe camp for water. I had tuna and cheese tortilla wraps for lunch again. We continued on stopping for the night at Eagles Aerie Camp in Sunol Regional Park. Not where our reservation was for but nice. Quite windy though. I had another package dinner, Beef Stroganoff. It was quite food.

Wednesday: (04/14) Granola and bacon jerky for breakfast. We headed off toward Mission Peak. We had lunch on the way up. We stopped at where we were supposed to be camped last night at Eagle Springs. Our camp last night was better. I had tuna and crackers with bacon jerky for lunch. We then hiked down from Mission Peak after taking photos. We exited at Stanford Avenue in Fremont and Art’s daughter picked us up and drove me home. Nice hike. My cell phone died yesterday so not too many photos. I had some of Dawn’s split pea soup for dinner. It was nice to have a nice shower.

Thursday: (04/15) First job was to setup Ernie’s ramp and porch for use. It’s been drying while I was away. Lou and I went to the Country Inn in Cupertino for breakfast. We stopped at REI for a new flag for Lou’s scooter. Then visited a couple of thrift stores on the way home. Back home I emptied my pack and hung the tent, sleeping pad, ground cloth and sleeping bag out to dry. I cleaned up some other items. I ordered a dumpster for our dirt pile disposal. It arrives tomorrow. I started getting rid of the weeds on one of the areas to be dug out. My dirt must be clean or the disposal costs twice as much. Then I screwed down the plywood on Ernie’s ramp and porch. It is now complete except for an anti tip brace and his porch roof. I received Art’s photos from the hike and uploaded them to Google photos. Not sure when I’ll get the photos from my camera before it died. I had some ramen with spam for lunch. Lou made roast chicken with coconut rice and a carrot raisin salad for dinner. .

Friday: (04/16) Dawn made oatmeal for breakfast. I relaxed inside looking for a new phone online. I also showed Art’s photos from our hike to Lou and Dawn. We went outside later and tinkered. Lou and I did some trimming of trees and the geraniums in the front yard. I was hanging around for the delivery of the dumpster for the dirt. They arrived about 1100. Lou and Dawn were off to the thrift stores. I headed off to look for my phone. Between the T-Mobile store and Best Buy and then confirming online prices and specs, i settled on a Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. It cost a bit more than I’d like but it has good specs, good battery capacity and is waterproof to 3 feet. Unfortunately, the stores don’t have protective cases for it so it’s coming from Amazon tomorrow. I spent the afternoon and evening setting it up and learning how to use it. I got lunch while out at Lucky Chinese Bistro. It was also dinner.

Saturday: (04/17) I made corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. We enjoyed breakfast in the backyard before I got to work. I stripped off the sod in the new garden area. The dirt in my dumpster must be clean, no sod or concrete. Lou took some starts for the good lawn grass that used to be in the front yard and planted them in the bare spots under the oak tree. I worked a while knocking as much dirt for the leftover sod and disposed of the plant material in the compost bin. Too much weight to get it all this week, so I have another pile to do next week. The dirt I get from the sod will be good to backfill the outside of the new garden edge strip after I do the concrete. Then I started digging out the dirt and loading it into the dumpster. Lou made hot chicken sandwiches for lunch and chicken pot pie for dinner. I received the protective case for my new phone today and installed it.

Sunday: (04/18) Leftover corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. After watching the usual Sunday morning TV, I headed outside to work. I finished a 4 foot wide swath of the new garden area, now about half done with the garden dugout. For lunch, I got a super veggie burrito for El Grullense taqueria down the street. We had tomato soup with toast for dinner.

Monday, April 5, 2021

Rancho San Antonio Hike

Monday: (04/05) Granola and banana for breakfast. I headed off early to meet some fellow hikers at Rancho San Antonio County Park for a hike. This is my first hike with some of the folks I used to hike with in over a year. Many of us are now fully vaccinated for Covid 19 and waited the two weeks post shots. Nice 10.5 mile hike with Alex, Bianca, Danny, and Tara. Nice weather was partially cloudy and breezy. After the hike I stopped by the Lucky Chinese Bistro for lunch. Back home I showered and napped. Art and I are planning to hike the Ohlone Wilderness Trail next week. Art confirmed he got our camping permits for the hike. Later, I headed off for some shopping. I stopped at REI for a couple of backpacker meals. I’ve never used them before, even on my PCT hike so I thought I’d try some. I also stopped at Walmart for some other food items for the hike. Tuna salad envelopes and string cheese. I’ll use those for lunch with tortillas. Breakfast will be granola and bacon jerky. I also visited Lowe’s and bought some plywood for Ernie’s ramp. WOW, plywood prices have jumped during Covid. Now ¾” plywood is $60, was $24 before. Dawn made a fish raisin tomato stew over rice for dinner.

Tuesday: (04/06) I made ham and eggs with leftover potatoes for breakfast. I started fabrication the cross support pieces in the morning. I also had to check on the construction project down the street several times because they were placing gravel on the basement slab with a 130’ conveyor boom struck. Next phase after this gravel placement will be rebar and concrete. I had leftover Chinese food for lunch. Lou and Dawn went out to lunch in Menlo Park. I welded in the cross supports later. I also made a run to ACE hardware for some galvanizing paint. I had a ham and cheese sandwich for dinner.

Wednesday: (04/07) Granola for breakfast. I attended my usual Wednesday AlphaSoftware webinar. I also spent some time working on my pack load for next week's hike. Cottage cheese and fruit for lunch. I welded legs on the ramp and levelling bolts on the ramp and platform then painted them with a galvanizing compound. An artichoke for an afternoon snack. After a shower I tinkered in the mancave until dinner. Lou and Dawn made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.

Thursday: (04/08) Granola for breakfast. I spent the morning cutting the plywood for the ramp and porch floors for Ernie’ ramp. I made a run to ACE Hardware for some screws, longer bolts and glue. A nice torta from Los Altos Taqueria for lunch. Leftover corned beef and cabbage for dinner.

Friday: (04/09) Granola for breakfast. I removed the platform and ramp plywood and set them up on sawhorses for Lou to paint. A tuna green salad for lunch. I worked on the taxes all day. Lou and Dawn also worked at weeding the front yard a little. Corned beef sandwich for dinner.

Saturday: (04/10) Lou made strawberry waffles with bacon for breakfast. I spent the day preparing my pack for Monday’s hike. I carefully weighed each item and added them to a spreadsheet. There was still a 5 lbs error. The sheet says it weighs 31 lbs., my scale, the same one I weighed the items with, says it weighs 35.5 lbs. It’s still way less than my PCT pack load of 65 lbs. Lunch at Harry’s Hofbrau in Redwood City. We dined on their outside tables. Chili size for diner.

Sunday: (04/11) Leftovers for breakfast. Mine was vegetable soup. I spent the morning updating our tax return. Lou reviewed it then I eFiled the returns about 1530. An expensive year. I had a trail snack tuna salad with crackers for lunch. Lou painted Ernie’s ramp boards with anti-slip paint from West Marine. After they dried somewhat we placed them back on the ramp supports. They’ll dry a few more days then I’ll put them in place. Nothing more needs to be done except worry that I have everything is ready for my hike tomorrow. Dawn made macaroni and cheese with sausages for dinner. After dinner, I gave myself a hair and beard cut. I don’t want to chew on my mustache on the hike.