Post Birthday Blues

Our baby's 3rd birthday has come and gone. I tried not to hype it up too much. Now it's Spring Break for me and kiddo is in daycare so I can "get some work done" and all I'm doing is sitting here looking at pictures of him from this past weekend.

Sunday, March 19th 

Party City (plates, cups) 33.62, Party City (balloons) 36.99, Amazon (beanbags, speaker, road tape) 50.62, Miguel's 114.70, Von's 41.96, City of Newport Beach (parking) 9.30, Parking Anaheim Gardenwalk 3.00 = $290.19 for the Birthday Party

Monday, March 20th

Pretzels Downtown Disney 12.66, Mickey Pretzel Cart 15.00, Sip & savor pass 54.00, "Juice" vitaminwater® açai blueberry pomegranate 4.74, Steak Fries at Flo's V8 Cafe 4.35, Stroller Cover and Ponchos 33.84 = $124.59 for the Disney Days

Tuesday, March 21st

Element Anaheim Resort Conference Center (2 nights) = $571.96 We ended up staying in the hotel a lot more than I thought we would because of the weather, it was cold windy and rainy. We got to watch the fireworks on Sunday night from our room since we had paid extra for "park view."

So I guess I just have to convince myself that this was all good and fun and everything was done in love and inclusivity of family and Albert will remember with the photos that we took that he was cherished and celebrated on the anniversary of his birth. Isn't that what matters?

Postpartum Part 8: packing

We have taken baby on some good day-trips: Riverside and Ventura. This (Mother's Day) weekend, we will be going down to Newport Beach. Also, we're staying the entire weekend away from our house. I hope it doesn't mess up our breastfeeding rhythm that we've established. Anyhow, I thought I would start making our packing list of what we brought for a day trip and that might help us expand into what we might need for a whole weekend.

Packing list for a day trip

Pump, pump parts
Diaper bag, with 8-10 disposable diapers and wipes
Cooler bag, ice pack
Boppy, my brest friend
Mei Tai carrier, Moby wrap, Didymos wrap
Change of clothes for mom, dad and baby
Burp cloths

Packing list for a weekend trip

Pack n Play, with diapering and bassinet attachments
Sun hats for mom, dad and baby
Nursing bra, breastpads
Storage (freezer) bags for milk
Bottle brush set
Rattle toy(s)
Musical toy

Full list here.

I'm starting to get concerned that Albert is missing his vaccines during this COVID-19 pandemic time. I don't know why I'm so worried about it. Maybe my brain is just overly active and seeking something to worry about. Our next doctor visit is in 1 month and I'm wondering how many shots he will get on that visit.

Pregnancy Part 10

Today dear husband is at a conference. I am at work and grateful to be busy. If I were sitting around at home, I would probably have more time to obsess over symptoms and things that could go wrong. Instead, I am keeping on top of my work and enjoying working with students.

Here goes the symptom roundup:

Week 16 - Sept 23-29 headache, neckache, shortness of breath, abdominal/pelvic discomfort, joint pain, leg cramps, increased thirst
Week 17 - Sept 30-Oct 6 heartburn, nipple soreness, shortness of breath
Week 18 - Oct 7-13 backache, headache, neckache, bleeding gums, tender breasts, increased thirst

We had our 18-week and second trimester screening appointment with the OB last week, everything went well. We had a list of questions that were answered. We heard the baby's heartbeat on doppler, but there was no ultrasound. I gave another vial of blood for AFP testing. I got the insurance stuff all straightened out with the State of CA screening program.

I wrote about the "babycentre" diet in previous posts, part 4 and part 5. I will admit that I have been following it loosely. It does help me see how many times I am eating fast food and not healthy food.

Week 12 - 49%
Week 13 - 26% (one fast food)
Week 14 - 28% (four fast food)
Week 15 - 28% (four fast food)

Week 16 - 26% (three fast food)

Week 17 - 31% (three fast food)
Week 18 - 37% (three fast food)

I don't feel good about these numbers, and I want to get the percentage of "following the diet" up higher, but it requires planning and shopping and with "pregnancy brain" I am really struggling with having the energy to actually sit down and decide what groceries I would need for a week. Then once the groceries are purchased, it is hard to get into that kitchen and cook all of those meals.

Regardless, I am still within normal for weight gained, but I'm starting to be afraid of a 9 pound or larger baby. We have been doing a good amount of walking. I've been monitoring the macronutrients and micronutrients on MyFitnessPal to try to get 40% carbs and 40% fats and 20% protein. More often than not, I end up with 50% carbs, 30% fats and 20% protein. But I am getting all the calcium and Vitamin A that I need.

This weekend we went back to La Quinta in Santa Ana. It was great to escape the smoke from the Saddleridge Fire (thanks climate change). We took our dog to Huntington Dog beach on Friday morning. It was absolute paradise. We went to my nephew's football game at Newport Beach. We went to Crystal Cove State Park on Saturday afternoon with my in-laws. They were escaping some fires that were set in Riverside. It was super to have two beach-walks in one weekend but it did get a bit hot at the end. The baby was kicking on the way down from the parking lot to sea level, but he calmed down once we got out to the area where the water meets the sand. On Sunday, we got to see some old friends from graduate school and spend a bit of time with their two daughters. 

Since I kept track of the items I had wished I had from our last trip, packing for this trip was a breeze. We had a wonderful time away and it was hard to come back. We put down a deposit on our prenatal classes in the Bradley Birth method, which will start around end of October. Tonight is my first prenatal workout class at Bini Birth center in Sherman Oaks. I'm excited but also nervous. I want to be strong when I am in labor. I'm afraid that if I don't work out, I will lose all my muscles that I will need to push this baby out and carry him around both before and after he is born.

Pregnancy Part 7

Today is 15 weeks. I am feeling happy and hungry. Despite eating lots over the weekend, I did not gain a significant amount of weight. It is so easy to get stressed about eating too much, not eating enough, and whether I'm eating the "right stuff."

I am pretty much hungry all the time now. I am a bit concerned because I looked at my lab results from my first trimester screenings and although everything looks good with the baby, it seems like some of my levels are elevated, which points to a UTI. Of course, when I called my doctor's office this morning I found out that she hasn't looked at the results yet because she was on vacation last week. I'm not so upset about her taking vacation, but I hope I will get a call back today with some advice about whether this is something to be alarmed about or just nothing.

I made the appointment to speak with Human Resources at my school to get all the information and paperwork for my leave of absence in the spring. I informed my boss that I will not be teaching. It is all starting to get pretty real.

We ended up taking a spontaneous trip to Santa Ana over the weekend. We left school at 3pm and sat in traffic for 3 hours on the I-5 freeway. We listened to the Practical Entrepreneur podcast and This American Life podcast. We snacked on fruit and energy bars. We drank lots of water. It was actually pretty relaxing for me at least. We arrived at our hotel around 6pm, dropped off our little doggie, picked up McDonald's drive-through, and went straight to the football game at Newport Harbor High School. The game was a blow-out. Corona del Mar scored 55 points against Lakewood who scored 7. It was still fun to sit with family and greet my nephew out on the field after the game.

We got back to the hotel around 10pm, ate a bit of snacks and went to sleep. We both slept so well, we decided to book another night! It was so relaxing. I had the continental breakfast at 7am, then went back to sleep for a bit. We woke up at 9am and went to meet family for brunch at Coco's in Anaheim. We went back to the hotel, watched a couple of episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and then the movie Devil Wears Prada on the E! network.

My sister called and it was great to have a long chat with her. We had dinner at the Stonefire Grill and then went for a long walk on the beach. We got back to the hotel in time for dear husband to have a dip in the jacuzzi while I watched a couple episodes of Midsomer Murders on PBS.

Corona del Mar Main Beach

The next morning, we had continental breakfast together around 8am. Then we took Edna Jo for a long dog walk around Santa Ana. There were lots of other dogs and people to say hello to. When we got back to the hotel, we packed up and got on the road home by 10am. Traffic was nice and we were home within 1 hour. We did some grocery shopping and then took naps. A couple loads of laundry and some garlic-butter chicken later, we went to bed around 9pm.

It was great to get away, but we have some plans for next weekend. We plan to do some house-cleaning (bathrooms, vacuuming, etc.). A good thing about getting away is that you come home to see how your house looks compared with a professionally-maintained hotel room. Let's just say that our whites could be brighter. I'm glad fall is coming, I am getting done with this heat. I did sleep with the windows open last night and it was glorious.

The things I was missing on the trip were: flip-flops, shorts, headphones/earplugs, swimsuit and sunscreen. We've perfected our packing routine to the bare minimum from our bicycle travels, but now that we're driving, there's no reason not to bring a few more comfort items. Also, it would have been good to have two sets of utensils. I ended up eating leftover mac & cheese with my hands and then the next morning Mike cut his mouth on the crappy plastic spoons in the breakfast area. There's no reason why we can't bring our own silverware.

Fertility Part 17

It is probably pretty obvious why the image I identify with right now is a pincushion. It is a happy image for me because my mother and grandmother had tomato-shaped pincushions and also grew tomatoes in their yard. For me it is the same. The pincushion represents productivity and creativity, practicality and sentimentality, and tomatoes are nutritious and delicious, especially when vine-ripened in the summer sun.

It is not like I love being injected with hormones every day, but I feel like I identify more now with farm animals that are on hormones and steroids to stay healthy and get "market ready." Dear husband noticed that I am starting to build up a bit of bruising on my hind flanks and I am noticing that the injections are hurting more each day. I almost cried during the shots this morning and I had to rush over to a chair afterwards to sit down, have a cry and rest. I let out a little yelp and tried my best not to flinch.

I have mapped out the items we will need from now until the end of the two week wait (TWW or 2WW). The items circled in red are what we need to go and buy from the store right now. The IVF diet really has been a God-send because we do not have that old argument about "what do you want to eat?" It is more like, Oh that is what is on the meal plan today, Ok let's start making it.

Nephew's High School Graduation

I had a really great time attending my nephew's graduation last week. It was one week ago. Dear husband took the day off work and we went down to Newport Beach. We walked two malls (South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island), had lunch with our nephew (the one not graduating that day) and then attended the ceremony (at UC Irvine) and finally had a wonderful dinner with my in-laws. MIL interpreted the results of husb's bloodwork (lipids, glucose, etc). He is fine!

To pass the day yesterday, I started reading this awesome novel that is an origin story. I have been obsessed with the California Missions for awhile now. I have tried to visit as many missions as I can. The really interesting thing about the first section of the novel is that it puts a lot into historical context as far as geography, history and it is clearly grounded it a great deal of research. I feel particularly connected to the places in the book because I know right where they are, but also the descriptions of how it must have been over 200 years ago are fascinating.

I am doing well and was able to reach my "target" weight prior to the embryo transfer. And now I am just taking it easy and letting all the medicines and foods do the work. Yesterday I was feeling a tinge of nausea. Today I am feeling lightheaded, a little dizzy and also have a heightened sense of smell. Also my areolas seem darker, in addition to my breasts being super swollen and painful. I am doing my best to take 2-minute showers. The idea being that hot water will raise the temperature of the uterus and that is not good for the embryo.

Chia Pudding in the foreground and Tumeric Blast in the blender behind it and to the right

 

It is very tempting to try to read into these symptoms. But I am also enjoying what the IVF diet is prescribing. I am drinking a shake for breakfast every day, eating a salad for lunch every day, and having protein with dinner. It is hard to stick to scientific recommendations and not delve too much into sorcery. I read that you should not let your feet get cold, so during the day I am keeping thick socks on my feet. I read that some herbal tea can be harmful, so I am avoiding that. 

It is very hard to keep from obsessing about what may or may not be happening inside my body, but that was a great revelation that I had this morning right after my shots: MAYBE is also a state of existence. It does not have to be YES or NO. I do not need to rush to take a pregnancy test right now to find out if there is a yes or no for a pregnancy. I can sit in MAYBE for another week (because I have to but also) because I choose to. There is a certain joy in maybe. A glimmer of hope.

insomnia (part II)

I get seasick. I get carsick. I get sick from rollercoasters. I get sick on buses. I get sick on trains. I get sick on subways. This may be a contributing factor to why I love human-powered transportation so much! Bicycling never makes me sick.

This semester was so stressful! (see previous posts eLearning then Checking in) I was so self-involved trying to be extrordinary that I forgot it's more important to keep it simple. In 2018, I hope to leave at least 6 hours each day for empty space and see what happens (how the time gets filled in). Last semester, I was scheduled so tightly that I really had no time that wasn't already spoken for.  It was actually quite ridiculous. Anyway, that's a long way of making an excuse for how I would come home at 11pm (after night lab) and then have to teach at 8am the next morning. So I would dissolve Alka Seltzer Plus Night Cold & Flu in 4 oz of water and crash out. It would help me sleep no matter what.

Then, on dear husband's birthday (see previous post behind the curtain) we boarded the Catalina Express and spent the weekend out driving around in a golf cart and in cars throughout Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange counties. My mother-in-law gave me Dramamine so that I wouldn't get motion-sick. I took the maximum recommended dose in the morning, and then took another dose 6 hours later. I felt just like I had drank an entire bottle of red wine. But also, I felt a similar feeling the next day as I felt when I had taken the Alka-Seltzer Plus Night Cold & Flu, which made me wonder about the active ingredients in each.

Antihistamines and the endogenous ligand

Doxepin at low doses used to treat insomnia due to its binding to the histamine H1 receptor. Meclizine is sold under the name Dramamine II (Less Drowsy Formulation). Doxylamine is a first-generation antihistamine, part of the formulation NyQuil. Chlorphenamine is part of Kirkland Signature Day/Night Time Cold Multisymptom Relief Rapid Release Gelcaps (from Costco). Dimenhydrinate (a combination of diphenhydramine and 8-chlorotheophylline) is Dramamine I. Diphenhydramine alone is sold under the trade name Benadryl among others. In college, after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, I had a hard time sleeping. The student health center recommended Benadryl as a sleep-aid.

Dale discovered histamine,1910

Antihistamines, including diphenhydramine, were introduced in the 1940s. Dale isolated histamine and discovered its role in nerve signal transduction. Bouvet together with his student Anne-Marie Staub synthesized and tested the first antihistamines. These compounds were too toxic; not until 1942 were the first medically useful antihistamines developed by Bernard Halpern.

I have written about the histamine H2 receptor in a previous post. There are histamine H3 and H4 receptors also, but this post is going to stay on the topic of compounds that block the histamine H1 receptor.

Bouvet discovered antihistamine, 1937

Second-generation antihistamines cross the blood–brain barrier to a much lower degree than the first-generation antihistamines. Their main benefit is they primarily affect peripheral histamine receptors and therefore are less sedating.  These are newer drugs, but this post will continue to focus on the first-generation antihistamines, which are available over-the-counter at an affordable cost.

An advantage to the use of antihistamines for treatment of insomnia is that tolerance does not occur during regular use. A disadvantage to the use of antihistamines for treatment of insomnia is impairment of alertness, cognition, learning and memory. Overdose is possible, leading to death via respiratory depression. Diphenhydramine overdoses (0.5-1 g) whether accidental, suicide or homicide, are a common event in the United States. Therefore, poison control centers have guidelines for triage and management for antihistamine toxicity after overdose.

This research and writing has inspired me to devote my next chemistry-related post to drugs that are stimulants of the xanthine class. Dimenhydrinate, for example, is a combination of diphenhydramine and 8-chlorotheophylline. The stimulant counteracts the calming effects of the antihistamine.

Anne-Marie Staub wins Ehrlich Prize, 1969

References

Church, M. K. and Church, D. S. Pharmacology of Antihistamines, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Volume 58, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 219–224.

Mahdy, Amr M. and Webster, N. R. Histamine and antihistamines, Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine, Volume 12, Issue 7, 2011, Pages 324 - 329.

Mitchell, H. A. and Weinshenker, D. Good night and good luck: norepinephrine in sleep pharmacology, Biochemical Pharmacology,Volume 79, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 801-809.

Simons, F. E. R. and Simons, K. J. Histamine and H1-antihistamines: Celebrating a century of progress, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Volume 128, Issue 6, 2011, Pages 1139-1150.

Stojković, N., Cekić, S., Ristov, M., et al. Histamine and Antihistamines / Histamin i antihistamini. Acta Facultatis Medicae Naissensis, Volume 32, Issue 1, 2015, pp. 7-22.

Yanai, K; Yoshikawa, T.; Yanai, A.; Nakamura, T; Iida, T.; Leurs, R and Tashiro, M. The clinical pharmacology of non-sedating antihistamines, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Volume 178, 2017, Pages 148-156.

behind the curtain

This month was an adventure! We headed to Catalina Island for dear husband's birthday, then to Northern California for Christmas.

Catalina Island was full of Smart Cars. This came as a surprise. Upon returning home, I found that a smart car classifies as an "autoette." There are only 1,000 parking spaces in Avalon, so there is a long waiting list to import a car (if you move there, expect to wait 14 years or so). Since the island is space-limited, the Smart Car is very popular. Given that Catalina is known for its eco-mindedness, it is a surprise to me that electric cars are not mandated. The noise of the golf carts alone really disturbed the peaceful retreat atmosphere, not to mention to pollution left behind.

what seems like paradise

The birthday adventure included driving 300 miles in automobiles, 80 miles on a ferry, and 12 miles in a golf cart. Tickets on the Catalina Express are $37.75, unless it's your birthday (which is free).  Best case, gas is $3/gal and we get 40 mpg, so that cost $22.50 in gas (7.5 gal).  Worst case, gas is $4/gal and the inlaws' car gets 20 mpg, so that cost $60 in gas (15 gal).  The boat burned 160 gal of diesel fuel. For the golf carts, estimates range between 10-30 mpg, using a price of $4/gal that would mean we spent $2.40 on gas, but $90 for a 2 hour rental period.

3584 lbs carbon dioxide from the boat
    44 lbs CO2-equivalent GHG emissions from the steak dinner
    30 lbs carbon dioxide from the car
    12 lbs carbon dioxide from the golf cart
3670 lbs carbon dioxide from the weekend (1.66 metric tons)

Weather Disasters are costing us Billions... and devastating events are increasing in frequency!

A carbon offset is a credit that is purchased to negate carbon emissions. One carbon credit is equal to 1 metric ton of carbon emissions. It costs $10 per ton to purchase carbon offset from the Arbor Day Foundation.  I'm thinking about all this because at Thanksgiving, my dear sister-in-law told her recurring story/joke that our low-car lifestyle offsets their carbon-hungry lifestyle.  All the bicycling we do is negated by their dry-cleaning.  And they laugh about this.

$150.00 in ferry tickets (for 4 people)
$300.00 in beef (for 8 people)
$ 60.00 in gas for the car & golf cart (for 4 people)
$ 90.00 in rental fee (for 4 people)
$600.00 total cost

Not only that, but we ate steak for dinner.  It's interesting how eating that steak seems so luxurious.  Well, that's because of what it takes to produce the meat. It was disgusting driving up to Nor Cal and seeing (smelling) feedlots. I'm not sure, but I think it was Harris Ranch, which supplies I-N-Out Burger among others. The smell was so bad, and stretched for miles, I almost vomited. If you're considering a New Year's Resolution, consider that substituting one beef-based meal a week for beans, you can avoid releasing 331 kilograms (730 pounds) of carbon dioxide every year. One quarter-pound of beef results in 5.5 pounds of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

behind the curtain you find this

One mature tree absorbs carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 pounds per year.  This means it would take 76 trees a whole year to consume the carbon dioxide we generated in one weekend.  I'm concerned about this in light of stories I'm hearing about Nebraska farmers cutting down mature trees to plant a few more rows of crops. This is alarming coming from the birthplace of Arbor Day.  So if you want to do me a birthday present, purchase carbon credits and let's stay home and go for a walk.  And I've purchased a pressure-cooker to cook my beans in 1/3 of the time.

While in Riverside, we stopped at our old favorite Winco Foods to buy bulk grains and dried beans.  Then we stopped at IKEA Burbank to get some reusable storage containers for said grains and beans.  Then we visited the $10 Bookstore to find a used cookbook that is all about using whole grains.

$100 at IKEA
$177 at Winco
$  27 at Best Buy (rice cooker)
$  20 at Bed Bath & Beyond (pressure cooker)
$    6 at Bookstore (whole grains cookbook)
$330 for home-cooking

I really hope 2018 is a year of home-cooking and bike riding and car-free travel. Let's make it happen. FYI the 2nd Annual Women's March in Los Angeles is happening on Saturday, January 20, 2018.  Let's remind Donald Trump that we disagree with him.

TRUMP: We’re going to win another four years for a lot of reasons...they basically have to let me win. 

Link to New York Times Interactive

Salty & Sweet Car-Free Travel

We had a fantastic car-free November. Metrolink saved us from sitting in freeway gridlock, and welcomed our bicycles and our dog on board.

Sweet Santa Ana

Our packing list was kept simple: We brought lots of lights for our bicycles, three headlights and three taillights each bicycle.  We had 2 rear panniers each bicycle and 2 front panniers for one bike and 1 dog carrier for the other bike. 
Instead of a purse, I brought my camera bag. I brought two hair bows, which ended up being used as a belt and neckerchief. I had a half-shirt that I wore underneath the dresses. I wore an extra dress and yoga pants on the way down there. I felt like a few things were missing, but we made it despite.

Thanksgiving day, we biked to family's house using the Peters Canyon Trail and the San Diego Creek Trail (10.5 miles mainly on the Mountains to the Sea Trail & Bikeway). It was a bit warm, and the ride felt long, but by the time we arrived we were so relaxed and ready to enjoy catching up with family.

Black Friday we walked to have brunch at the "Yellow Basket" at the corner of Main & Dyer while scoping out the bus and bicycle traffic. We decided to stay inside during the remaining daylight and take OCTA buses to access downtown Santa Ana.

Route 55 took us from Halladay & Dyer to First & Main. The bus fare was $2 per person, if we had planned on being on buses all day, we could have purchased a day pass for $5 per person. We walked West to Broadway and then North to 2nd St and discovered a Promenade (which is where we spotted the map & directory below). We saw Grand Central Art Center, which was not open, but we peeked in the windows. There was a fountain and a few trees were decorated with lights.

There was a cute roundabout at 3rd and Bush street, which isn't even visible on Google Maps Satellite View yet. The upgrade was paid for by Active Transportation (ATP) funds from the State of California.  I definitely felt safe walking there, there were very bright streetlights that had a vintage look and the few cars that were entering/exiting the parking lot were traveling very slowly. There were secure bicycle parking facilities called Bike Huts, which require monthly or yearly membership, probably installed to support residents of the lofts in the downtown area.

We walked East through the alley between 3rd and 4th streets past some gorgeous murals towards the Yost Theater. We encountered another fabulous Promenade called "Fiesta Plaza."

We gave in to temptation to do some shopping and entered R&R Western Wear 'Casa Del Sombrero.' There were the blingingest shirts, belts, boots, and hats that you can imagine! We picked up one belt and 6 colorful bandanas. According to Yelp, R&R has been in Santa Ana for 58+ years! It felt great to support a small business instead of heading towards The District at Tustin Legacy, which we assumed would be packed with people (and speeding cars).  It felt great to do some walking and not have to worry about driving/parking our car, which we couldn't have done anyway since we didn't bring it.

Exiting R&R Western Wear on the North we walked to the corner of 4th and French St to take some pictures with the large decorated Christmas tree at Plaza Calle Quatro. The appearance of some gentrification along 4th Street became evident as we passed Wursthaus and mLovewell and were chased by some people from the Santa Ana Restoration Church asking for cash donations.

We passed The Frida Cinema and ducked into the 4th Street Market to take advantage of the public restrooms and free smells. The market had a cool space on its North side that had what looked like a kid's play area, a DJ and a bunch of picnic tables. I wanted to go in and play with the oversized Jenga blocks and Connect 4, but it was getting late and we had Thanksgiving leftovers to eat back in our hotel room.

There were so many awesome shops, restaurants and cultural venues in Downtown Santa Ana that I could have stayed longer, but we decided to end our walking tour there and took the OCTA 53 bus back to Main & Dyer (the Yellow Hat). I would love to return to Santa Ana on the night of an Art Walk (First Saturday of each month from 6pm-10pm) or the morning of a Farmer's Market (Sundays 10am-2pm on 2nd St Promenade).

This walking adventure was inspired by Jonathan Gold's LA Times supplement on the 101 best restaurants in LA. As I was thumbing through the glossy food photos, a phrase caught my eye, "newish restaurant row in downtown Santa Ana" and it must have stuck in my mind because when we extended our Thanksgiving Trip by an extra day, I knew I wanted to explore the area.

We biked from our house to the Northridge Metrolink station along Reseda Blvd and Parthenia St (2.2 miles). We took Train 116 to LA Union Station at 2:52pm. We took Train 686 to Tustin, arriving after the sunset at 4:49pm. We biked along Edinger Ave to Kensington Park Dr to Valencia Ave to Tustin Ranch Rd to Barranca Pkwy which turns into Dyer Rd (4.2 miles). There were bike lanes most of the way. 

Coming home we took Train 663 from Tustin to LA Union Station at 12:25pm. We took Train 265 to Sylmar/San Fernando arriving at 2:46pm. We biked along Hubbard St to Laurel Canyon Blvd to Rinaldi to White Oak to Devonshire to Reseda (8.3 miles). If there were weekend trains on the Ventura County Line, we could have biked fewer miles. Parthenia and Hubbard are not great for cycling, they could be improved with bike lanes.

Salty Santa Barbara

Contrasting the Santa Ana trip with our other November travel adventure, where we visited my sister at UC Santa Barbara on Veteran's Day, downtown Santa Ana is humble in comparison to downtown Santa Barbara.  In both cases we stayed at La Quinta Inn & Suites, due to their welcoming pet policy.

We took our car with us to Santa Barbara because it's not yet possible to take dogs on Amtrak and Metrolink only goes as far North as Ventura. It would be possible (in theory) to bike from Ventura up to Santa Barbara (32 miles) but since our 10 mile bike ride was more grueling than enjoyable, I don't see us biking our dog and loaded bicycles against the ocean headwind anytime soon.

In Santa Barbara, we walked from our hotel to Cantwell's Market & Deli for provisions. We took a short dog walk along State St from Arrellaga St to Anapamu St. In a future visit, I would definitely explore more of State St on foot or on bikes.  The hotel had free bike rental, which we didn't use. We did a longer walk to the Mission Santa Barbara, about 1 mile from our hotel.  It was a great feeling to climb that hill and look out over the ocean imagining what it was like for early California settlers.

We did an epic walk from my sister's hotel to the UCSB campus.  We headed South on Storke Rd and then East on El Colegio to a bike path along Ocean Rd. We passed Pardall Tunnel on the way to a scenic overlook at Ocean Rd and Del Playa Dr. We ate at Dumpling King, avoiding large chain restaurants nearby. Making our way back to the Courtyard by Marriott on Storke Road it was about a 4 mile round trip walk.

I had never fully appreciated the "party school" reputation of UCSB until that moment. This walk was on Friday night, under cover of darkness. We saw students coming up from the beaches with surfboards and students playing beer pong on the lawns of Camino Pescadero. There were bicycles outfitted with cages navigated by older men for collecting the beer cans and bottles left behind by party-goers. There were many students walking from house to house, and others cruising through the neighborhoods on bicycles. A few young people drove through in cars, but they were severely in the minority. For how can one find the party by following the music when car engines interfere?

Another fabulous walk was had the following morning. We tried to rent free bikes from her hotel, but they had only 2 and couldn't locate them at 6am when we wanted to borrow them. My sister and I walked North on Storke towards The French Press, which unfortunately did not open until 7am on Saturdays. We headed West on Hollister Ave and then South on Santa Felicia Dr.

Just past Best Buy, we smelled something wonderful. We thought it was coming from Costco, but as we got closer to the big-box retailer, the smell went away. We turned Northeast and followed our noses to Anna's Bakery which opens at 6am seven days a week. We got coffee, doughnuts and breakfast burritos, all of which were heavenly and fresh. They had outdoor seating and a steady stream of locals came through for their morning fix.

We passed through Girsh Park on the way back to the hotel. Also noteworthy was "Ice in Paradise" a skating rink. Although it would have been great to explore Santa Barbara by bicycle, we sure did see lots of sights on our walks.

If we went back to Santa Barbara, I would know that there are buses that we could have taken from downtown (State St) to the UCSB campus. If Amtrak allowed dogs, or if we were willing to bike 32 miles and travel only on weekdays, we could have done that trip car-free.

In conclusion

It was great to spend time in cities (Santa Barbara, Santa Ana) that have invested in bike lanes and improvements to make pedestrians feel welcome. These cities are walkable and bikeable, as evidenced by the many cyclists and pedestrians we saw during the day AND at night. It was great to be a tourist in these cities and spend some of my hard-earned money on these unforgettable experiences at small businesses. The sights and smells from the plants and sea air are giving me the energy to keep going and finish this semester strong!

Glendale Active Lifestyle Meetup

Ideas for Bicycle Tourism 

At most California state parks, Day Use Fees are charged for parking only. There is no charge to walk or bike into these parks.

Poppy Reserve

(1) Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve (15101 Lancaster Rd, Lancaster, CA 93536) from the Lancaster Metrolink Station (44812 Sierra Hwy, Lancaster, CA 93534) is a 16-18 mile bike ride, depending on which route one chooses to bike from the station to the park.  Best time to visit is in the spring (March).

Placerita Canyon

(2) Placerita Canyon State Park (19152 Placerita Canyon Rd, Newhall, CA 91321) from the Santa Clarita Metrolink Station (22122 Soledad Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91350) 7-10 miles by bicycle, depending on the route from the station to the park.

Santa Susana Pass

(3) Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park (10215-10265 Larwin Ave, Chatsworth, CA 91311) from the Chatsworth Metrolink Station (10046 Old Depot Plaza Rd. Chatsworth, CA 91311) less than 3 miles apart.

Crystal Cove

(4) Crystal Cove State Park (Reef Point Dr, Newport Coast, CA 92657) from the Irvine Metrolink Station (15215 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92618) 14-16 miles depending on which route you choose.

San Clemente

(5) San Clemente State Beach (225 Avenida Califia, San Clemente, CA 92672) is 3 miles from the San Clemente Metrolink Station (1850 Avenida Estacion, San Clemente, CA 92672) and 2 miles from San Clemente Pier Metrolink Station (615 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente, CA 92672).

Lake Perris

(6) Lake Perris State Recreation Area (17801 Lake Perris Drive, Perris, CA 92571) is 20-25 miles from the Riverside-La Sierra Metrolink Station (10901 Indiana Ave., Riverside, CA 92503).

Carlsbad

(7) Carlsbad State Beach (3901-3915 Carlsbad Blvd, Carlsbad, CA 92008) from the Oceanside Metrolink Station (235 S. Tremont St., Oceanside, CA 92054) is 4 miles.

Torrey Pines

(8) Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (12600 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037) is 6 miles from the Solana Beach COASTER train station (105 North Cedros Ave. Solana Beach, CA 92075)

Point Mugu

(9) Point Mugu State Park (9000 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265) is 12-14 miles from the Oxnard Metrolink station (201 E 4th St, Oxnard, CA 93030).

Emma Wood

(10) Emma Wood State Beach (Park Access Rd at Pacific Coast Hwy, Ventura, CA 93001) is 7-9 miles from the East Ventura Metrolink station (6175 Ventura Blvd., Ventura, CA 93003)

September 26, 2015 is National Public Lands Day.  On this day, the entrance fee to all national parks will be waived! 

Cabrillo

(1) Cabrillo National Monument (1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive, San Diego, CA 92106) from the COASTER train station (1050 Kettner Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101) is 10-13 miles.

Metro's Active Transportation Plan needs your input!

Good advice lasts.  I remember hearing a talk in November of 2008 entitled "Leading Professional and Institutional Change through Subversion, Revolution and Meterology."  The speaker was Debra R. Rolison of the U. S. Naval Research Laboratory. She told us about the Rule of 18, which states that when you take a new research direction, it will take 18 months to get yourself up to speed in the [new] area.

Last week I attended an Open House Workshop about active transportation in the San Fernando Valley. I didn't study transportation planning or urban design in school, so it has taken some time to learn the ins and outs of the transit system here in Southern California.  I will try to explain some of the basics here so that you can take part in the conversation, too.

Metro is the major operator of bus and rail service in Los Angeles County, California.  Metro hosted the first round of Open House Workshops as part of the development of the Active Transportation Strategic Plan.  Active transportation refers to any form of human-powered transportation – walking, cycling, using a wheelchair, in-line skating or skateboarding. There are many ways to engage in active transportation, whether it is walking to the bus stop, or cycling to school/work.

Councils of governments (CoGs—also known as regional councils, regional commissions, regional planning commissions, and planning districts) are regional governing and/or coordinating bodies that exist throughout the United States. The Open House Workshop we attended was co-hosted by Metro and the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments (http://www.sfvcog.org/).  The SFVCoG represents parts of Los Angeles County: Burbank, Glendale, San Fernando and Santa Clarita. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the nation's largest metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties, 191 cities and more than 18 million residents.

When we arrived at the open house, there were posters on the perimeter of the room and Metro provided copies of the posters in 8.5" x 11" format.  We scanned them and some are posted here.  The pillars of Metro's Active Transportation Strategic Plan are:

• Acess to transit
• Physical activity as an integral part of transit
• Enhancing safety
• Promoting clean transit
• Improving public health
• Nurturing equitable/sustainable communities

The objectives of the strategic plan are to (1) identify improvements to 661 Metro transit stations (2) create a regionally-integrated active transportation network (3) develop policies that support education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation (4) to propose a funding strategy so that local jurisdictions and community partners can work together with Metro to enhance the overall quality of the transportation network.

The "First Last Mile" concept is used to describe difficulty in getting people from a transportation hub (rail or bus) to their final destination. When people live and work in lower-density suburbs that are not within walking distance to existing public transportation options, transit use is less practical. Population density in suburban areas promotes a reliance on cars, which results in more traffic congestion, pollution, and urban sprawl.  Metro is aiming to help more people access Metro stations more safely and more conveniently, as well as making bus and light rail station improvements.

Complete Streets is a transportation policy and design approach that requires streets to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation. Complete Streets allow for safe travel by those walking, bicycling, driving automobiles, riding public transportation, or delivering goods. Complete Streets offer improved safety, health, economic, and environmental outcomes for ALL roadway users.

Every subregion has its own mobility plan.  Metro's responsibility is to weave these together to maximize efficiency and reduce redundancy in planning. Measure R was a ballot measure during the November 2008 elections in Los Angeles County that levied a half-cent sales taxes increase on each dollar of taxable sales for 30 years in order to pay for transportation projects and improvements. There are currently 12 transit and 16 highway projects underway.  Also, 5 rail lines are under construction.

California Senate Bill 743 gives us an opportunity to promote sustainability, improve air quality, reduce city congestion by encouraging car owners to walk or bike instead.  Miguel Nunez emphasized the demand for a bicycle network that can attract a variety of cyclists, by creating safe routes that traverse the LA county subregion.  He noted that active transportation projects can be completed more quickly and at a lower cost than highway improvements.  Metro is looking to maximize their return on investment.  Some ideas: parklets (for pedestrians to stop and rest in the shade), and bikeshare programs (for bike-curious residents that do not currently own bicycles).

Metro has compiled 0.5 mile radius and 3 mile radius "walkshed" data.  One such compilation is shown here.  These data will be publicly available so that cities can use it when applying for grants.  After this, the workshop split into Breakout Sessions: (1) Potential Collaborations and Strategies to Overcome Barriers to Implementation of Active Transportation Plans (2) Regional Network Desire Lines.  Tham Nguyen of Metro encouraged all attendees to take an online survey and share the link. 

 http://www.metro.net/projects/ati-survey/

metro.net/walkbikeroll

Metro hopes to answer questions like:

• What are the gaps in the transit network?
• What would it take to get residents out of their cars?  

The deadline for responses has been extended to September 30, 2015 so there's still time to participate.  Please share the link with your friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

The first breakout session I went to was about barriers to implementation of active transportion infractructure.  The conclusions boiled down to (1) lack of leadership at the local level (2) lack of oversight at the local level, cities are not held accountable to make proposed changes (3) lack of community support for "road diets" (4) lack of feasability studies, there is a need for data showing that active transportation infractructure actually enhances communities (5) generalized resistance to change at the neighborhood level.  Some of the solutions proposed were: 

• educate anti-bike lane folks that we're not taking anything away, just using leftover space
• being "strategic" in the implementation of projects, doing community outreach first
• call something a "pilot program" so that if it REALLY doesn't work, you can remove it, but people are more willing to be open-minded to change if it's not going to be permanent, when they see how the change improves livability then they won't let you undo it
• get signatures from the community members (both "for" and "against" projects) compare numbers
• propose projects as a "bundle," putting cycletracks together with lighting & sidewalks so that residents either get all-or-nothing
• Metro (or their hired consultants) could attend city council meetings to present proposed projects, as a non-biased community outsider, the data showing decrease in accidents and slowdowns might be more convincing than an angry resident or crazy bike person
• designate a regional spokesperson who can attest to the improvement in safety, economic development/revitalization, and quality of life for communities with "complete streets"
• CicLAvia is one of the greatest agents of change because of its transient nature.  It's a demonstration of what protected bike lanes could look like.  It shows businesses how increasing cyclist access actually impacts their bottom line

The second breakout session I went to was about regional network desire lines.  I spoke with Mark Seinen about regional routes from Glendale to Pasadena and Claremont (East), from Glendale to Northridge and Chatsworth (NorthWest), from Glendale to Venice Beach (South), etc.  The Hyperion bridge may not go the way of cyclists, but we marked it as a "Desire Line" anyway.  We noted that certain scenic routes were better candidates for a cycletrack than other more straightforward routes.  Understanding that these plans are for the next 30 years, we heard that there may eventually be a cycletrack along the Ventura County Metrolink rail line that would be a more direct path to CSUN from Glendale.  Of course, we don't know where we'll be living by then so our input was for the greater good of residents from all corners of Los Angeles County.  In retrospect, events like CicLAvia have given us the opportunity to ride throughout the region.  Being dedicated to car-free travel, regardless of the distance, before we really learned how to use the light-rail, gave us insight into desirable regional connectors.  When you bike the landscape, you get to know the landscape.

A second round of workshops will be in Fall-Winter of 2015 and round three will be in Spring 2016.  Since this is a long-term project plan, we may not see immediate action, but it would be good to have a diverse range of community input.  Metro cannot prioritize enhancements to our neighborhoods without feedback from the residents who live and travel through them.

Freedom Ride ~ Report

This ride was designed to liberate participants from their cars, instead riding bicycles through Los Angeles and Orange Counties, returning via Metrolink train.  We accomplished this goal with a small group of riders, which was good since it was our first time planning and leading such a ride.

We prepared for the ride by, of course, riding.  We rode ~40 mile rides many weekends in May, and ~50-70 mile rides in June, to be ready for this ride.  We started discussing it in March and set the date about a month ahead of time with a few of the riders who were really dedicated to riding it.



We planned a good amount of water/bathroom stops and regroup points, even adding one at 301 East Coast Hwy, Newport Beach, CA 92660 (Chevron/Subway) which had a very clean restroom and a great soda fountain with water/ice.

We cut the trip short of the routeslip by catching the train at Tustin instead of Irvine, but it worked out perfectly.  We learned that there's a Jack-In-The-Box and Subway/CircleK/76 to get snacks for the train.  We were only about 10 minutes early, but the train was a little late.

We met some new "bike people," other folks who enjoy freedom on two wheels as we do.  Altogether, the trip was inexpensive ($10 day pass for the train) especially since many of us brought our own snacks.  We got someone riding Metrolink that had never done it before.

OC Half Marathon ~ Race Report

Our training schedule looked like this:

02-01-15 Training Run #1 = 7.52 miles (16:44 pace)

03-01-15 Training Run #2 = 9.41 miles (15:44 pace)

03-28-15 Training Run #3 = 11.34 miles (15:41 pace)

05-03-15 Race Day = 13.53 miles (14:59 pace)

The course was GORGEOUS:

Not strictly along the water, but we had enough cool ocean breezes to help us towards the finish line.  This was not a particularly hilly course, with a 450 ft elevation gain.  We trained on the course for Training Runs 2 & 3.  I think that really helped.  Training in the outfit that I actually wore on race day was a good idea.  Races are fun because you don't have to carry anything.  There were plenty of water and bathroom stops.  My three favorite cheering groups were: (mile 6) a K-Pop Drill Team, (mile 7) a band playing under the PCH, and (mile 11) where there was a short 5% grade.

Some people run to win, some people run for charity, but this run was for family.  I wrote in February that my goal was to run a half-marathon pain-free.  Well, that didn't happen.  Right now (two days later) my toenails still hurt.  But it was a great day to be outdoors and together with people that I love.

Christmas in Death Valley

This year's winter vacations were EPIC to say the least.  We spent time with family in the great outdoors, which gave me perspective and filled me with gratitude.

I took the train to see my sister at Cal State Fullerton.  Her team (NDSU Bison Women's Basketball) played against the Tritons of CSUF.  I got a bit lost coming off the platform at Fullerton and ended up on a big horseshoe to get to the hotel.  A 3 mile bike ride quickly turned into an 8 mile tour with 400 ft of climbing, but it was a great way to become familiar with the area.  Bastanchury Rd was not the best choice but it was pretty to pass by Vista Park and fly down State College Blvd.

My sister and I also went for a run, which was fantastic!  We ran along the south edge of campus, through some really cute neighborhood and straight up into the foothills.  It felt really good to strap on my running belt again and climb a steep hill to get a great view.  It's always awesome to run with a buddy, to have a conversation, and to go somewhere together.  On the way back to the hotel, we snagged an orange straight from the tree.  We did a bit of a walk through campus and some yoga on the hotel lawn, which was a great way to get grounded and lengthen our muscles after our little jaunt.

After seeing my sister, I got picked up in Fullerton by my husband and we drove down to the beach to see his family.  We parked the car (and bike) and walked around Balboa Island.  I found a great hat for hiking that has 360 degree coverage, a wide brim, and it is 100% cotton (washable) in a soft yellow color.  Hey, there's nothing wrong with looking fabulous while preventing skin cancer.

We headed back to our house in Glendale and loaded up the car for our camping trip.  We used the same packing list as the previous trip.  We have a long list of items that we would add to the list for next time, but we had a phenomenal experience.  We left the house in good condition since our friends were coming there to stay while we were gone.  Sadly, we took our dog Melle in to the vet and found out she was suffering from kidney failure and possibly a cancerous growth on her eye.  Bless her heart, she spent 12.5 good years protecting me and although it was difficult, we had her put to sleep.

Heading out to the desert, with our bikes and our dog Edna in our old car was the only way to distract ourselves from the pain of being separated from old Mel.  We arrived too late to check in to our campsite, the guard shack closes at 4:30pm.  But our names were listed on the board of late arrivals, so we set up our tent and went to buy firewood.  Our first night in DV was horrible because our air mattress had a slow leak.  At some point in the middle of the night, I felt like I was sleeping in a giant egg crate.  I had Edna stashed in my sleeping bag and it was very uncomfortable to move around.  Lesson learned!

Day 1 of DV was a sweet bike ride.  We climbed for about 5 miles to Zabriski Point, which had just closed for repairs on December 1st.  It was a bummer not to be able to climb out on the overlook, but we decided it was enough adventure for our first day and turned back to camp.  We went for a short walk along Airport Road and near the visitor's center before returning to the store for more firewood. My aunt and cousin arrived and set up their tent, which doubled the fun!  Our second night was better because we slept on top of the deflated air mattress, a thick Mexican woven blanket, and used an extra-thick yoga mat to pad below our shoulders & hips.  Basically we slept on the ground.

Day 2 of DV was a SUPER SWEET bike ride.  We rode across the valley toward the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.  The majority of the ride was below sea level with one long gradual climb to just above sea level around the base of Tucki Mountain.  It was absolutely peaceful riding single-file (because the ranger told us we had to) on the shoulder of a recently resurface highway.  There were so many miles to cover and so little daylight.  We did a little yoga at the turnaround and ate some POWER NUGGETS!  This batch was made using a roasted, mashed Carnival Squash and a cup of Chia Seeds.

http://www.everytrail.com/guide/golden-canyon-and-gower-gulch-loop

Day 3 of DV (Christmas Day) we opened gifts around the morning fire.  We packed up and hiked from Golden Canyon, around Manly Beacon, and through the Badlands towards Zabriski Point.  We didn't hike up to the point this year and we avoided hiking along Gower Gulch, going back to Golden Canyon the way we came.  It was stunning and there was no need to go a different way back because the changing angle of the light changed the way the canyon looked anyway.  I believe we turned back at the far end of the Badlands Loop.  It was so fun hiking with family, and although it was windy, the canyons provided both shade and a wind-block.  We also learned (I think) that no dogs are allowed on this trail.

Day 4 of DV the winds were so bad and the blowing sand and dust reduced the visibility to the point where we decided to leave one day early.  It wasn't so difficult to make that decision since everything was covered with dust, we couldn't keep Edna's food and water clean, we couldn't sit down to a nice meal, and our tent was shaking all night long (and not because of us).  We pulled out of Furnace Creek around 10am and drove through Trona. I've always wanted to go through Trona, named after the mineral Na5(CO3)2(HCO3)×2H2O, which is a source of sodium carbonate. Lucky thing we were able to get there, we almost ran out of gas! Note for next trip: When you are sitting at a gas station (Panamint Springs) for 20 minutes doing nothing, just pump some gas into your car even if you still have half a tank. Cities in the desert are very spread out!

Instead of going home to Glendale, we took the 118 to the 23 (Moorpark Fwy), cut across the 101 in Thousand Oaks for just one exit, and cut through the mountains on the 23 (Decker Rd) to get to the 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). We were using our Rand McNally Road Atlas (very anachronistic I know) to navigate, which I found to outsmart the digital Garmin GPS when it came to locating campsites. We arrived at the first campground on the right side, Leo Carrillo State Beach. Campsites were $45 per night. Firewood was $8 per bundle. Each campsite had a wooden picnic table and a tall fire-pit.

We realized quickly that our equipment was lacking. We had propane and a camp stove, but no pots and pans. We had food and instant coffee, but no silverware or dishes. We had a tent and sleeping bags, but no camping chairs to set around the fire. I want to use the word pathetic, but I don't want to be too hard on myself. We were so happy to be out of the wind in DV, we staked our tent and headed to the nearest grocery store (Vintage Grocers) to see if we could buy any cookware. Unfortunately they didn't carry any so we decided weakly that we would return in the morning to the nearby Starbucks for our morning meal. That sounded better than using the dog's water dish to boil some water.

Not to be forgotten, the winds picked up overnight in Malibu. Looking back at the weather reports, we survived 34 mph gusts. In the morning, we woke up and went for a walk after breakfast. The campground has beach access through an underpass and one of the beaches is completely dog-friendly. This was great news and Edna Jo was in good company. We scouted out campsites that we might like to visit again. We even proposed the idea of taking the train to Ventura on a Friday night and biking in to Leo Carrillo for a night. We could ride home all day Saturday or Sunday. Definitely keeping this in mind for 2015.

Another great thing about Leo Carrillo, even though they are not cheap, is that they have showers (for a small cost) and you can have 3 cars (8 people) per site. Due to the winds, we decided to take one night in a hotel. We returned to a Residence Inn we had been before in Camarillo, so we knew it would allow dogs. They have bathtubs, a pool and jacuzzi, it is near a large park (Pleasant Valley Fields) for recreation. We took a family shower to rinse off all the desert dust that wasn't blown away by the winds in Malibu. We slept well and ate the continental breakfast at the Inn. Again, this stay wasn't cheap. The room rate is $150 and there is a one-time pet fee of $100. That would make sense if you were staying for a week but for one night it was kind of a bummer.

Now it's back to business as usual. I will try to make a separate post with our revised packing list. For now, it's time to focus on the new year ahead. We'll ring in 2015 by riding our bikes to the rose bowl parade. Happy New Year!