Iron Horse Trail - 9/11/2011

On Donnas' 56th birthday, she rode nearly 21 miles on the Iron Horse Trail. Go You!

This multi-use, whole-access trail between the cities of Concord and Dublin follows the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way established in 1891 and abandoned in 1977. The completed Iron Horse Regional Trail will span the distance from Livermore in Alameda County to Suisun Bay in Contra Costa County, a distance of 33 miles, connecting two counties and 12 cities. Representing interagency cooperation and a community-wide effort by individuals and groups, this trail creates an important recreational and commute component for the communities it serves. The 20-foot-wide trail connects residential and commercial areas, business parks, schools, public transportation (BART, County Connection), open space and parks, regional trails, and community facilities.

The developed portion of the Iron Horse Trail begins in Concord near Highway 4. It runs south through Walnut Creek and crosses eastward under I-680 at Rudgear Road near a Park & Ride. From there the trail passes through a rural/residential area to connect with downtown Alamo and the Alamo Square shopping center. Continuing south, the trail follows a greenbelt through residential areas and into downtown Danville. It takes a jog across Danville Boulevard, passes back under I-680, and continues south past Pine Valley Road to the county line in San Ramon extending to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART. The completed Iron Horse Regional Trail will span the distance from Livermore in Alameda County to Suisun Bay in Contra Costa County a distance of over 55 miles connecting two counties and nine communities. The trail corridor connects residential and commercial areas, business parks, schools, public transportation, regional trails and community facilities. Throughout its entire length, opportunities to view the valley ridgeline and landscape features like Mt. Diablo create a pleasant trail experience.

 

Sawyer Camp Trail - 9/6/2011

Sawyer Camp Trail is one of the most popular recreation paths in the Bay Area. On any given day you are prone to encounter roller bladers, cyclists, moms with strollers, joggers, and folks looking for easy exercise. The 6 mile paved trail stretches from the shores of Crystal Springs Reservoir to San Andreas Lake, through protected San Francisco Watershed lands. Sawyer Camp is as close as most of us will ever get to the off-limits watershed property, which is a shame, since it looks pretty from this fenced-off trail.
    

    Markers every half mile make it easy to track your progress as you travel Sawyer Camp Trail. Seasoned hikers will probably prefer one of the other dirt trails in nearby county parks, as walking on this paved trail definitely is not a wilderness experience. But for wheelchairs users and parents with young kids, Sawyer Camp Trail is a good choice for a gentle outdoor outing. It's also a great location to learn (or relearn) to ride a bicycle -- the southern part of the trail is almost perfectly flat, while the northern section has a slight grade.

Benches sit along the sides of the trail in several spots, allowing for rest or lunch breaks. The trail winds through open areas, with toyon, coyote brush, and poison oak common, as well as more shaded stretches where coast live oak and California bay dominate the landscape. Shade is sporadic so bring a hat on a sunny day. You may see (or hear) ducks and other waterbirds, deer, rabbits, and raptors. Sawyer Camp occasionally drifts inland, away from the water for short stretches, but then returns to offer fabulous views across the reservoir to the off-limits western hills. In autumn if you stand quietly along wooded sections of the trail you may see small birds feeding on honeysuckle and poison oak berries, as well as acorns. 

Once past the northern edge of Crystal Springs Reservoir, Sawyer Camp Trail enters an area where coast live oak and California bay mix through Monterey pine, madrone, cypress, and a few buckeye. Willow and dogwood mark seasonal creeks on the left. At the 3 mile mark, a gated and locked service road crosses Sawyer Camp Trail. You may spot coyote scat here, as Canis latrans are fond of marking their territory at crossroads. Dogwood, ash, cottonwood, and poison oak make a dramatic and gorgeous fall statement as Sawyer Camp Trail continues north, putting forth bright leaves of gold and red in early November. At 3.50 miles you'll reach the Jepson Laurel area.
  
      Pass the portable toilets and veer left on a narrow path a few feet, where a plaque heralds the massive bay (there are better views from the edge of the picnic area, to the right). This is the largest California bay tree in the state, and is believed to be over 600 years old. Retrace your steps when you're ready to return to the trailhead.

        -Bay Area Hiker-

S. F. Bay Trail in Hayward Regional Park - 9/6/2001

The Hayward Regional Shoreline covers 817 acres along the bayshore between Hwy 92 and San Lorenzo Creek. It consists of sloughs, marshes, mud flats, rocky shoreline, and former landfills. In 1854, John Johnson built levees here in the salt marshes to create the first commercial
salt production ponds on San Francisco Bay. In those days, salt was used for food preservation and silver mining. The ponds are no longer used for salt production and have mostly been restored to marshland. Landings were built on the shoreline in the 1850's to transport passengers, salt, and farm products to San Francisco. The Bay Trail runs mostly along the Bay here on dirt levees originally built for salt ponds and across newly-built bridges.

The Hayward Shoreline is a great place for seeing how the tides affect the Bay and the inland marshes. The bayshore changes radically, from wide mudflats at low tide, to wave-washed rocky and terraced shores at high tide. On the many bridges in this area, you can watch the tide waters rush in and out to feed and drain the sloughs, creeks, and marshes. At low tide, the marshes are mudflats, covered with scurrying birds probing in the mud for food. At high tide, the marshes are flooded, with birds lazily floating on the surface, wading the shallows, or diving underwater for a meal.

We started at the Grant Ave. (North End)

Coyote Hills Bike Trail 8/15/2011

Coyote Hills Regional Park   The Coyote Hills look like a small group of mountain peaks that got lost on their way to join the Diablo Range. The hills seem to pop straight up out of the Bay, surrounded as they are by flat expanses of water and marshland. Actually, they are remnants of an ancient mountain range. At one time, they were islands, but the channel to the east of the hills gradually filled in and became marshland.

Coyote Hills Regional Park, which encompasses most of the Coyote Hills, is at the northwest corner of Fremont, south of Hayward and Union City and north of Newark, right at the edge of San Francisco Bay. It is just north of Hwy 84 leading to the Dumbarton Bridge. The park, part of the East
Bay Regional Park District, consists of 976 acres of rolling rocky
hills, meadows, freshwater marshes, salt ponds, and Indian shell mounds
and village sites. It got its name in the 1880's for the coyotes that howled
when they heard the whistles from the trains that ran by here. You won't
find many coyotes here anymore, but there's still a tremendous variety
of birds and plants to be found among the hills, meadows, and wetlands. Alameda Creek runs along its northern boundary, flowing into San Francisco Bay. The Alameda Creek Regional Trail follows along the creek banks east to the historic town of Niles. Trails lead south from
Coyote Hills to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which also has trails throug
the hills and along levees near the Bay. The combined network of trails

makes for many miles of bike riding and hiking along mostly flat (if not
always paved) paths, away from automobile traffic. If you like hill-climbing
with a mountain bike, there are some challenging hill trails here too.

The guided photo tour below runs from the southern end of the park at
the Quarry Trail entrance, crosses Hwy 84, follows the unpaved Apay Way
Trail to the paved Bayview Trail, and then to the paved Alameda Creek Trail
to San Francisco Bay.

The official Bay Trail route runs along the Apay Way Trail to the Baylands
Trail and on both sides of Alameda Creek from Union City Blvd./Ardenwood
Blvd. to San Francisco Bay. The
Dumbarton Bridge and Marshlands Road are Bay Trail routes from the
West, which lead to the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife headquarters
in Newark. East of Coyote Hills, along Ardenwood Blvd. is Ardenwood
Regional Preserve, an historic farm. Together these parks and trails
make this area one of the jewels of the Bay Trail. Unfortunately, it is
an isolated jewel. So far, there are no completed Bay Trails segments along
the Bay or any body of water for several miles north of Alameda Creek or
south of the refuge headquarters..

From San Francisco Bay Trails

This is one of our favorite places, it's so lush and beautiful. Donna loves
to bird watch in this park, there are so many varieties to look for.

American River Bike Trail - 9/9/2001

After picking up trikes from in Dixon, CA. We went to the American River Bike Trail.

"The American River Bike Trail near Sacramento, California is a 32 mile paved bike trail along the banks of the American River. The trail connects Old Sacramento and Folsom Lake. The trail was previously called the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail. The trail is well marked and equipped with mile markers, trail maps, water stops, restrooms and telephones.

The trail is very popular with bicyclists, runners and walkers with over 5 million users each year. The trail is well shaded for much of the ride and is relatively flat is except for the section from Hazel to Beals Point. Other highlights of the trail include Discovery Park, the Nimbus Fish Hatchery on Hazel Avenue in Rancho Cordova, the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary in Folson City Park and the annual Eppie's Great Race Triathlon. The trail follows the American River Parkway."
From Rails to Trails -http://railstotrails.us/ca-american-river-bike-trail.html

Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail - 9/9/2011

"Half Moon Bay State Park's Coastside Trail runs parallel to the Pacific Coast along what used to bethe Ocean Shore Railroad. The railroad itself was in operation for just14 years before it was driven out of business in the early 1920s by theautomobile. However, the railroad had a tremendous impact on the Northern California coastline. It opened the area to agriculture,
created new communities along the shoreline, and made the coastal
beaches prime tourist destinations.

The Coastside Trail is truly a destination trail. It offers users sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, access to several beaches, and excellent nature viewing. Bird watching is quite good and a popular activity here. Red-tailed hawks, blue herons and red-winged blackbirds are spotted frequently, and large hawks can
often be seen perched on benches and the trail's split-rail fence. Half
Moon Bay State Beach is also home of the world-famous Mavericks, a
surfing spot near Pillar Point that's visible from the trail. In winter,
surfers can ride waves up to 80 feet high here.

You can park at the Half Moon Bay State Beach Visitor Center for a $6 day-use fee and pick up the trail here. Heading north you follow the paved trail for about 2 miles in total. On your left is the coastline, and on your right, the
equestrian trail. Beyond this trail are views of gorgeous beachfront
properties. A mile into your walk, you reach another parking lot with


access to Venice Beach. The rail-trail continues for about another mile from this point, then merges into Mirada Road. If you continue walking on Mirada Road for a few minutes, you will end up at the Miramar Beach Restaurant, a bar and restaurant that overlooks the ocean. This is a great place to watch the sunset-the Miramar even posts a daily sunset schedule on its website.

Heading south from the visitor center, the Pacific Ocean is on your right and the equestrian trail on your left. Beyond this horse trail are open, green fields. The trail hugs the bluff's edge here. As you head south you see a landscape of
wind-sculpted trees. It is typically windy along the bluff, so be sure
to bring a jacket for this leg of the trail. The rail-trail officially ends about 1 mile in, and the surface changes to dirt. However, you can continue walking south along the cliff's edge, as there is still a path to follow. This path, which the Coastside Trail is also a part of, is a segment of the much longer California Coastal Trail. The Coastal Trail is currently about halfway completed and will eventually run along the entire coast of California." From TrailLink.com"



I only rode about 3.3 miles of it. Donna rode the whole thing. the map and video are of her ride.

Purchase of Trikes and Accessories

FINALLY!

Trikes ordered. We pick them up on Thurs. 8/4/11. Yahhhh!

All the accessories have been ordered also. I bought the GoPro locally so I can document the arrival of the trikes and accessories.

Changes:

Rover will have NuVinci Hubs.

Clipless Pedals for me

      Help keep knee and feet inline and stop "leg suck",  and knee issues.

Sling for Donna

      Stop "leg suck"

Sunlite Alloy Single Speed Crankset - 152mm x 32T

     Shorter crank arm with same chainring, need this for knee issues.

Big Apple Tire for me.

      Cushion the ride for big girls

Our customized flags arrive on either 8/1/11 or 8/2/11.

While I wait..

Tapping foot, checking date, researching accessories, and reading about the pros and cons of short cranks and smaller sprockets.

I have bad knees, so relieving that is my main focus. Three things can help or likewise not help; crank arm length, sprocket diameter, and pedals. There are others but not for the Rover. Also, strengthening your calves and quads with leg exercises generally reduce the stress on your knee (think of it as stronger support muscles around the knee joint).

And that brings us to the subject of this fill-in blog, short crank sets. Imagine the crank arm as fulcrum. The longer, the more capability for powerful action. Therefore you always want a longer crank arm, Yes? No. Because how your body deals with that longer crank is also a factor. Shorter or less flexible legs will NOT be able the take advantage of longer length. Knees will hurt more because you have to push harder and excessive knee flex. You may be more efficient with less length. Besides efficiency, there's is just plain old comfort. Sure shorter cranks means more RPM's, which means more aerobic exercise, and that may be just what you want and/or need.

So question to self, what can I do, harder pump with less RPM's or less pump with more RPM's? The answer is totally subjective and a product of your strength, leg length and knee pain or lack thereof. Also keep in mind that the above question becomes pertinent when you consider hills. If you have bad knees, obviously hills are going to kill you, if you don't choose wisely. If you don't have bad knees, hills will just hurt, so again,choose wisely.

The impact of shorter cranks is much bigger for recumbent riders than for diamond frame riders. Recumbent trike riders need that lower stress spin a lot more because their bikes are usually heavier and  they don’t have the leverage advantage that getting out of the seat provides.


Now the second part of this equation is the size of the sprocket. By the way, the cranks and sprockets are called crank sets. Since the Rover uses an internal hub on the rear wheel for gear shifts, we'll only work with the front gear, of one.

Which do you think is easiest to pedal? The smaller diameter one (22T) sprocket. Mind you, there is a LOT more to all of this, but what's here are the high points. So far, we will get shorter cranks and smaller sprockets.

Last but not least are pedals. Clipless pedals help knees in several ways; they help you keep your feet an knees in the correct alignment, they keep your feet in the position for maximum force, the ball of your foot.Toes should point relatively straight ahead to equalize the forces generated on knees when pedaling. For trike, your foot slipping off the pedal ("leg suck"), can cause very serious injury.

IT Bands and tendinitis bands help with pain by preventing the offending tendon from snapping back and forth across the bone.

Make An Orthopedic Wedge

Using rubber, make wedges which fit into your shoes and raise the outer front portion of your foot, correcting pronation and causing you to ride somewhat knock-kneed (but not too much; experiment with the height of the wedge). For a while I tried riding knock-kneed without the wedges, but actually putting them in resulted in a surprising increase in power (more than 1 mph average speed) not to mention reduced IT band pain.

Summary:

Lasco 152mm Short Triple Crank Set
   Shorter cranks - 152mm
   Smaller sprocket - 22T

Clipless pedals, cleats and shoes
    Shimano PD-M520L MTB Sport Pedals
    Shimano SH56 SPD Cleat Set
    Nashbar Ragster II Cycling Sandals
   
IT Bands and tendinitis bands - Pro-Tec Athletics Knee Patellar Tendon Strap and IT Band Compression Wrap
   2 on right
   1 on left

Trike Workout Plan

First Few Weeks:

    For the first week or so, pedal on the trike at, medium to high gears on flat ground. Interval training, or short periods of intense speed or resistance, push you beyond your comfort zone, increasing your endurance and strength thresholds.Begin by doing interval training for 30 minutes at a time, at least three times a week. Work up to highest gear until that gets easy, go to "little hill".

Little Hill:

    Find a hill (hill workout on Iron horse Trail). 

Ideally, it will take you 4 to 6 minutes to ride up it. Doubleback and do 1 to 2 hill repeats as able. Again, at least three times a week. Continue to add repeats until riding up this hill is like riding on flat ground. Increase resistance and  increase times a week until a 20mi ride is a walk in the park.

Yes I'm getting very impatient, I have to wait a month. I want my trike!!!

 

In Answer to your Question, Phil

"The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." ~John Howard

Yes, we can get to Monterey by bike from your house.

Goals and Reasons

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. " ~H.G. Wells 


Portion Control

How long can you "diet" and gain back you weight before you begin wonder if you can do it at all? How long will you lose and gain, lose and gain before your body takes exception? How can an industry that has only a 3% success rate tell you anything about how to lose weight and more importantly, keep it off? Why do diets fail time and time again? Clearly diets don't work for the long term. You must do something that you can 'live' with.

It started with Weight Watchers. I was on their points system and doing well, than one day I become obsessed with eating a "Twinkie". First you must understand, I don't like Twinkies. The last time I tasted one I was 11 years old and I have never thought about them until that day. Of course, I wanted to know why I was obsessed with a Twinkie. So I started  thinking about this obsession.

First question was why? I figured that I was feeling deprived. Solution: don't get deprived. Next question: What can I do? This took longer to answer because I had to figure out, what changes did I know I could do. I finally realized that I could reduce my potions without feeling deprived. This I know I can do. Not try to do, but I knew absolutely that I can do.


I leave a little on my plate, once I get use to that size potion, I reduce it some more. It takes a while before you actually start to lose weight, but it comes and you hardly feel it. But more importantly YOU DON'T FEEL DEPRIVED. 

1 Hour Around the House
I have been sedately and cocooning. Not wanting to go anywhere or do anything. I have to change this behavior. I want to FEEL like going out to ride, I FEEL like going out. I want to do things. This starts with moving around the house and not putting things off. 

Walk Hill 5 to 6 Times a Week
I have a schedule for walking the hill. Right now I'm on 2 to 3 times a week. This "hill walking" strengthens my legs faster than a flat walk and I feel a difference in my knees the next day.

 

Test Ride

"Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling." ~James E. Starrs 


Today Donna and I did a test ride. I just love it, so comfy and fun. I couldn't be happier.
After my ride, Donna says, "That looks like fun." I thought to myself, 'Oh Oh'. So she takes a spin, and fell in love. Now Donna wants a Rover, too. LOL! And she will have it. I am deliriously happy she will be joining me for rides. 

 I think I need shorter cranks. I think I'm going to ride the trike for awhile and see.

Doesn't she look like she's lounging on the patio?

There it is! "The recumbent trike smile"

We couldn't stop talking about the trikes on the way home, we are so excited. Now we can do wonderful trails together. Like Coastside Trail at Half moon Bay, Iron horse Trail (right around the corner), The Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Trail, The San Francisco Bay Trail, The Contra Costa Canal Trail, etc..

We were there yesterday and Donna walked the trail and loved it. I looked at the trail and wished I had the Rover.



Next Accessories 

I Want a Trike!

"The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart."                              

~Iris Murdoch, The Red and the Green



I started this blog, so I can share the process of finding, buying, modifying, and riding a trike. And losing weight and getting in shape.

After I had my knees and hip replaced, I wanted to get back in shape. I never thought that gyms were the way to go, if you REALLY want to change you fitness level you need to do something that you love. I always enjoyed riding. When I lived in NYC, I loved ride out to Riis Beach, just to hear the surf and smell the sea breezes.So I bought a Electra Townie, figure the flat foot technology would help with my knees.

When I test rode the bike, I felt a little shaky, but I thought it was because I hadn't ridden in 30 years and I would get used to it in time. Boy was I wrong! I am scared. After all the years of knee problems and my atrophied leg muscles, I'm terrified of falling. I just didn't feel comfortable. I kinda gave up for a while.

I don't think I can honestly tell you why I started look at trikes. But after reading about how comfortable they are and how much fun. I thought to myself, "Self that's what you want and need".

Research Mode!

 Part 1
 

Which one to buy?

What physical characteristics do I need in a trike?

Well, I had two knee and one hip replacement. I'm overweight and out of shape.
After searching the web for awhile, I found a site called BentRider, which has a fount of information about recumbent trikes: why ride 'em?, are they safe?, and last but the most important, are they fun? YES! to all questions.

Needs:

High Seat
High weight rating
Cheap - I found most Trikes are around $2000. Yikes!

BentRider to the rescue! Check out this article:

TRIKE OF THE YEAR

"TerraTrike Rover – The TerraTrike Rover isn’t the prettiest trike that came out in 2010. It’s also not the most technologically advanced. However, the simple fact that it is a truly good trike available at a price point that was complete unheard of a year ago, makes it an easy choice for Trike of the Year. The Rover handles well, is easy to get on and off of, comes apart for easy transport and is highly customizable… all for a starting price of just $799. TerraTrike reports that a vast majority of Rovers are being sold to first time recumbent riders. And they’ve sold A LOT of them. Will this be a trike we look back at and call a “game changer”? I don’t know… But I do know that it is very worthy of this award."

        from BentRider Online

Sounds like a winner to me. So off I go TerraTrike.com. I spend a lot of time looking up reviews and testimonials. The biggest selling point for me is the seat height of 18.5 inches, since it's still difficult to get up from a sitting position. And of course the price.

I hope to lose weight, get fit and strengthen my legs. I will post my progress here.

So decision made. I will buy the TerraTrike Rover 8 ( 8 speeds) for $999.

FEATURES

Higher Seat - Easy On and Off


Fully Adjustable Seat & Frame


Easily Transportable


Direct Steering


Tighter Turning Radius


Extremely Quiet


Disc Brakes


Single, 3 or 8 Speed


One Size Fits Most


Decal Pack Lets You Pick Color


Steel Frame


Nylon Seat Cover


For Riders Up To 400 Pounds!

Part 2 

Goals to accomplish before I get the Trike


I have been sedately for so long, I'm concerned about weather I'll WANT to out to ride. So I have come up with some pre-goals.

1. Devote 1 hr a day to working around the house.

2. Follow plan to walk up the hill - 5 to 6 times a week
   
We are near Las Tramples park, which has several trails, one which (Rocky Ridge Rd.)  starts very steeply. I have been walking the steep trail more frequently and farther each week. I started 0 to 1 times for 2 weeks, 1 to 2 times, and so not until I get to 5 to 6 times a week, than I'll work on  going farther until I can get all the way the ridge, which is 1.1 miles and 2023 ft elevation.

3. Continue Portion Reduction

I have been reducing the size of my meals, each time I get use to the reduced amount, I reduce it farther, until I get to my ideal weight of 150-160 lbs. Along the way I will add more soup and salad meals, more exercise (riding trike, hiking hill) and anything else I know I can do.

Next Test Ride