Cousin Campout Debrief

I have been microblogging this trip on Instagram, but I wanted to recap the budget.

$279.50 campsites 

$438 Disneyland tickets 

$176 Character Breakfast 

$37 photopass 

$544.22 glamping dining

$48 6/20 CSUN 5k walk, seed bombs craft

$312 6/21 cinnamon rolls, mint juleps, 10k shade walk, Gas and Groceries

$189 6/22 Disneyland food and parking

$106 6/23 dunkin + doctor, Target

$60 6/24 griffith park + zoo

$58.2 6/25 ikea + pool + Chick-fil-A

$267.46 6/26 Costco Gas and Groceries

$132.12 6/27 Zuma Beach, Neptune's Net

6/28 BuyNothing & Garage Party

$314.46 6/29 Groceries & Kidspace museum + McDonald's

$37.73 6/30 BuyNothing pickup, walk to Dearborn Park, 7-11, Manhattan Beach Aquarium

$151.52 7/1 Shell Gas, In-N-Out, Sierra Doughnuts, California Botanic Garden

$5 7/2 Short term parking Burbank airport

$101.15 Photo stuff 

$99.55 food & sunscreen for camping 

$690.84 car repairs

GRAND TOTAL

$4047.75

Now while this may seem like a large number, averaged on a per day basis it is 23 days of entertainment. That averages out to $176 per day for 3 kids and 3 adults. Or you could say LESS THAN $60 per kid per day.

Summer day camps cost between $40 and $178 per day, while sleepaway camps range from $150 to over $400 per day. So I guess it was a good value.

The camping was less than $100 per day. Or less than $34 per child per day.

Disneyland was $840 for one day, or $280 per child.

The in-town part (not including Disney) was $1491. That is about $150 per day, or $50 per child per day. 

I have already forgotten how much daycare costs. I want to say we paid about $63 per day for just one child. So I guess we could say that it was a bargain? Haha mom math.

We had a feeling that the camping was significantly cheaper than being in town, and these numbers definitely bear that out. It looks like staying in town is about twice as expensive as camping.

Instagram is just a highlight reel 🎬 📽 🎞 but...For real, who has been gatekeeping on Carpinteria? It is gorgeous, walkable, accessible by Amtrak. Kid approved. We saw dolphins 🐬 sand crabs 🦀 and pelicans. Surf 🏄‍♂️ and a farmer's market 🍓🍑🥗. Did the kids eat white bread and s'mores for dinner? Yes. And cookies for lunch. But it's summer, who cares? 🌞 Day 1

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZfGjNkOBDS/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Night 2 of tent camping ⛺️ 🏕 went better than night 1 for me at least. Morro Bay SP was super quiet but not near a sandy beach. Morro Strand has all the sand. Leftovers from Carpinteria farmer's market elevated our humble camp dinner. Humidity is the enemy of our clothesline. But the cool temps are so chill. Could not see Morro Rock due to fog 🌫 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZhwlWmF1CB/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Days 3 and 4 San Francisco

We took a tram to Mission Dolores and thrifted at the Salvation Army. A nearby playground was a godsend. Bookended by U-Pick strawberry farms, we feasted on fresh produce including potatoes, carrots, and sugar snap peas. Live Earth Farm's owner Tom gave us an unforgettable hayrack ride.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZlO6_SSLcF/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Day 5 Sunset SB - Pines Hollow and Dunes Camp 

The beach is a short hike away, up and over the dunes. We saw birds, bats, and a huge racoon raided our camp. The homemade sidewalk chalk worked a dream. Go Fish, Tic-Tac-Toe, and Nature Bingo were the camp activities. We stopped at Swanton Berry Farm to restock our strawberry feast. Just a sensible portion of monster cookies for a bedtime snack.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZpblzDG_Sj/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Hearst San Simeon SP - Creek Campground Lower Section Day 6 

We collected so many gorgeous rocks, and found a tiny shrimp. There were so many birds and squirrels in our campsite. We had an amazing dinner with salad, beans, and tamales. Camp breakfast and lunch were burritos, quesadillas, and pancakes. Weather has been great. Lotería, Crazy 8's, and keepy uppy with a beach ball were our camp games. We saw a swallowtail butterfly near our tents.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZs6H7myz26/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Day 7 Pismo SB - Oceano Camp

We had a quick stop in Cambria to mail 📫 postcards and pick up some baked goods. Beautiful drive to Grover Beach. Fun in the sun and soft sand. The campground has an accessible path around the lagoon. We heard frogs all night 🐸. We saw a duck swimming. We flew kites on the beach ⛱️ 🪁. Camp game was decorating the totes with stickers. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZutPSXG7z2/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Point Mugu Day 9 

I wouldn't have wanted to do this trip with anyone else. Driving the CA-1, living the SLO life.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZx6WGtSktO/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Every day was a strawberry feast 🍓 we hit a roadside stand for avocados, figs. 

We had another run-in with raccoons. A mama spider sheltered on our tent. We crossed the CA-1 like surfers. We ate wood-fired grilled zucchini and curried chicken. S'mores were toasted. It was awesome.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZx6-kiScNp/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Expectation vs Reality 🤯 

I thought I would miss stuff like ice. Like a nice cold ice water. I really didn't.

After 2 nights of camping, I wasn't ready to return to a city. After 6 nights of camping, I was done.

The two things I missed most were soap and moisturizer.

I woke up this morning and wished I was still outside.

#summersolstice☀️

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZzrLFUStMP/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

What are you doing for the summer? Camps?

This is a common question among working parents trying to piece together care. 🧩

I feel extremely grateful for family @hamer5588 @annehamersky for being brave enough to go out into the unknown with 3 kiddos ❄️

I am thankful for my communities @laroadrunners @fit4mom_west_sfv and my Buy Nothing group for planning events (whether we are able to attend them or not) 🏃‍♀️

Kudos to @lapubliclibrary and @lacountylibrary for the Discover & Go program to help us keep our costs down 📖

I have had the time of my life parenting with you. Thank you for bringing Nebraska out to California. ✈️

https://www.instagram.com/p/DaK_eB6parG/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

When can we do this again? The soundtrack to Disneyland's "Paint the Night" parade.

Of all the things we did on this trip (Disneyland, LA Zoo) the thing I want to do again is camp 🏕

https://www.instagram.com/p/DaLZ3EuuhPe/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

So fun recreating Disneyland recipes at home #disneymagicalmoments 

Juniper juice aka Mint Julep, Main St Cinnamon Rolls, and Grand Californian Peanut Butter Blondie. Made with love during #cousincampout2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/DaQSSz3lBSn/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

FREE visit to @californiabotanicgarden thanks to @lacountylibrary Discover & Go

My favorite part was lounging in the hammock with Albert. It felt like the wind and the trees were caring for us. The weather was perfect ☁️🌬 cool, cloudy, and a slight breeze.

We had a cute picnic at the Tongva Village. It is an absolutely massive park, we probably saw about 20% of it. Toodling at the speed of a 1-year-old is highly recommended.

Honestly, it felt like the perfect bookend to our camping adventure. Native plants, birds, habitat.

#cousincampout2026 #outsideisfree 

#youngandwild

#Faerieswelcome

https://www.instagram.com/p/DaRDPy6geN7/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

To all those trying to recreate 90s summer ☀️

5 parts sunscreen

6 parts watergun

4 parts towel

5 pool noodles

2 life jackets

1 pair of goggles

Combine all ingredients in a wagon, walk to the community pool

Sprinkle in pool toys, some sink, some float, and that's okay

Dilute with pool water

Mix thoroughly

Simmer 50 minutes

https://www.instagram.com/p/DaT9WwWGgt9/?img_index=4&igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

38 week check in

I want to do Xmas photos. I want to send Xmas cards. I want to make a wreath out of Eucalyptus branches. I want to vacuum the floors. I want to clean the oven. I want to clean the bathrooms. I want locks on all cabinets and drawers. I want all furniture secured to the walls. I want about 100 hours of childcare so I can get my work done. I want people at work to stop asking me to do extra stuff as if I have more free time than they do. I want to see my sisters and my new nephew Theo. I would love to see friends and their kids and have them meet my kid. I want to bake and decorate a gingerbread house. I want to keep up eating healthy meals and working out with Fit4Mom. I want to get more use out of the jogging stroller. I want to get back into rollerskating. I want to see snow. I want to sew 2 quilts. I want to organize my son's toys. I want to sing Christmas carols with a group. I want to go on a "holiday lights" drive, bike ride or walk. I want to get something for my husband's birthday. I want to be more mindful and do daily meditation. I want to clean out more crap from the closets and garage. I want to repopulate my garden with edible plants. I want to sweep the garage and mop the laminate floors. I want to bathe the dog and trim her nails. I want to get together with my cousin and do a local hike here in the valley. I want to take my son on public transportation, a subway maybe. I want to read a good book. I want to go camping. I want to iron-on the "MOM" patch I got from my secret bumper to my breastfeeding sweatshirt.

Second Nebraska Trip Packing List

It's the day before my second visit to Nebraska and I'm packing. Or at least I'm thinking about packing. I was doing some last minute digging in the garage and I found my old sound generator, which can provide soothing ocean waves even without wifi.

Looking at the weather forecast, it's going to be cooler there than it will be here. However there is a chance of rain. So I guess I'll be packing an umbrella.

Burchard, NE

Of the events on the list: hang out with uncle, grandma, grandma, sister, sister, aunt, mom and dad. I definitely have to practice my talk. So I'll need a cable to connect my computer to the hotel TV. I'll also need some clothes to wear to the Pawnee County Fair.

South Bend, IN

The weather in South Bend, IN where the conference is also has a chance of showers. I'm doing a "fun run" on Monday morning and then presenting on Tuesday morning. So I'll need running shoes/workout clothes and business clothes.

Besides my sound generator, I want to bring all my other toys (rollerskates, folding bike, etc.) but there's only so much room in the suitcase that I'm bringing (as soon as I decide which one that is). I'm leaning towards a rolling bag this time since it was a bit of a drag carrying my duffel bag last trip.

I don't need to bring the folding bike because: I've rented a car, Omaha has B-Cycle (docked bikehsare, based near where I'm staying) and South Bend has LimeBike (dockless bikeshare). I don't need to bring rollerskates because: that is not the purpose of the trip, they're heavy, and there won't be time to go skating.

We are going to try to squeeze in a dance party, so maybe I can bring something dance-worthy. My brain is driving me crazy because I thought that through organizing the house, I would find some handwritten notes from my days in grad school, unfortunately they haven't turned up yet.

I'm attending my 20-year high school class reunion, so I should bring something to wear for the tour of the school and the social event that evening. Nothing too fancy. Then I'm off to the conference. It would be nice to have some traveling clothes (read PJs) that are comfy.

BCCE Meeting Schedule

ACS Meetings App is a way to schedule your conference time. It allows selecting concurrent events, so that if there is a cancellation in one session you can jump into another. I found the most fabulous dress at Goodwill, during my shopping extravaganza which will work for both the class reunion and my talk at BCCE.

I'm coming back on the Amtrak. Items that made that part of the trip better included: noise-canceling headphones, a black bandanna that I could use as an eye-mask, a cooler bag to bring my own food (but I might not do that on this trip) and a neck pillow (good for planes and trains).

Amtrak Coach Seat

I had a really great time on Amtrak Empire Builder so I'm really looking forward to the Southwest Chief. We're leaving Chicago in the afternoon, going through a tiny corner of Iowa, reaching Kansas City by evening (Fresh Air Stop #1).

Amtrak Observation Car

My brother-in-law was asking me last night, in all earnestness, why take a train? I tried to explain how you have the freedom to walk throughout the train while it's moving and you can enjoy the scenery from your seat or the observation car.

Amtrak Dining Car

If you want a formal dining experience, you can eat in the dining car. See this blog for some other really helpful tips. Also for humor watch the film Silver Streak. We cross the state of Kansas overnight, waking up on the second day in La Junta, Colorado (Fresh Air Stop #2).

Amtrak Cafe Car

If you don't mind bodega (7-11 a.k.a. truck stop) food then you can visit the cafe car. It's downstairs of the observation car. There's also seating down there, which can be another place to sit. It should be a really beautiful day going through Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

Albuquerque and Flagstaff are Fresh Air Stops #3 and #4, respectively. A fresh air stop is where you can get off the train and walk along the platform. I do some calisthenics and plyometrics to get my circulation going and to keep my metabolism running. 

Since I've never booked a sleeper compartment, I can't say whether they're better or worse than coach. I did borrow these pictures from Google Images since I'm always too shy to take photos of people when I'm on the train. You never know who won't want to be photographed.

The second overnight goes through the desert part of California (Needles, Barstow, Victorville, San Bernardino, Riverside) and hopefully I'll be waking up around Fullerton, CA. We arrive in Los Angeles in the morning around 8am.

Amtrak Empire Builder (Portland to Fargo)

This summer I am taking two long-distance trips on Amtrak: Empire Builder and Southwest Chief. I took a plane from Los Angeles to Portland and the Amtrak from Portland to Fargo. My sister sold her house there and I spent a week with her, helping her move.

Enjoying this #junegloom @wunderground @Metrolink Thanks for the ride to @fly_BUR just $5.50 from #Northridge station on Ventura County line train 104. Clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 83F. 🌤 pic.twitter.com/1CQ8O1Blho

— bikecar101 (@bikecar101) June 19, 2018

It was fantastic to take the Metrolink from Northridge to Burbank Airport. Starting the trip with a train ride put me in a good mood.

Loving how @ridetrimet app includes bicycles

A post shared by bikecar101 (@bikecar101) on Jun 19, 2018 at 1:40pm PDT

When I arrived at Portland airport, I boarded the light rail there to get to the Amtrak station. The light rail (MAX) in Portland was easy to navigate.

Arrived @biketownpdx and ready for @amtrak

A post shared by bikecar101 (@bikecar101) on Jun 19, 2018 at 2:46pm PDT

The Portland Amtrak station is totally cute! There are bikeshare bikes there (and probably in most major cities by now) but the Portland bikeshare bikes are branded with a Nike swoosh.

Onward from #PDX to Washington (state), Idaho and Montana @Amtrak #EmpireBuilder ❤ 🚅 🛤 ⛰ pic.twitter.com/K5sgHZsjDv

— bikecar101 (@bikecar101) June 19, 2018

Empire Builder simultaneously originates in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR in the late afternoon. The individual trains merge in Spokane, WA in the middle of the night. Fresh air stops like this allow you to disembark and stretch your legs. Have a coke, smoke and a joke as my art teacher used to say.

Crossed the Willamette and Columbia rivers 🏞 🚅 🛤 #PacificNorthwest #EmpireBuilder pic.twitter.com/8HuYN3do3S

— bikecar101 (@bikecar101) June 20, 2018

There's a dining car, which is kind of like a restaurant on wheels. There's a cafe car, which is kind of like a coffee shop on wheels. Above the cafe is the observation car, which has floor to ceiling windows. When people gawk at how much time it takes to get somewhere by train, I show them this.

Columbia River Gorge at White Salmon, WA #EmpireBuilder pic.twitter.com/squuM7qiBa

— bikecar101 (@bikecar101) June 20, 2018

The next fresh air stop is Whitefish, MT which is the following morning. From there, expect breathtaking views of Glacier National Park. I saw lots of people white water rafting and I have to say the smells of the people boarding the train here were more fresh & clean than any detergent.

Good morning Montana! #EmpireBuilder pic.twitter.com/Ar8MYkoSQH

— bikecar101 (@bikecar101) June 20, 2018

I met a white water rafting guide who talked me through some of the sights. He pointed out tiny waterfalls and docks where native people fish for salmon using traditional fishing poles made of wood. You get to have great conversations with strangers on Amtrak trips.

#EmpireBuilder pic.twitter.com/cQOwpYRV2O

— bikecar101 (@bikecar101) June 20, 2018

Abruptly, you are in a flat part of Montana. Two fresh air stops, Shelby and Havre, may be cut short if the train is running behind schedule. Havre has an antique steam engine at its station, which is an impressive display, particularly popular with train enthusiasts.

Grab those handrails when moving through the train. We will be traveling at 79 mph along the Highline through eastern Montana and across North Dakota. #EmpireBuilder pic.twitter.com/hnVUzFa8rZ

— bikecar101 (@bikecar101) June 20, 2018

In my experience, the dining car is first-come first-served. If you want to be served a sit-down meal in a formal setting, you need to get there right when the meal begins and let them know you will be 'dining' and they will schedule you a time to come back and be seated.

Goodbye #Montana hello #NorthDakota #MissouriRiver #EmpireBuilder pic.twitter.com/JIng84x40H

— bikecar101 (@bikecar101) June 21, 2018

I would not expect the staff to ask you if you want a seated meal, there were a few unhappy 'sleeper car' passengers that missed out on a seated meal because they thought their porter would assist in making their reservation. Nonetheless, they got a hot meal from the cafe car.

#EmpireBuilder pic.twitter.com/5XfJ3mjHqN

— bikecar101 (@bikecar101) June 21, 2018

As for myself, I brought a variety of items listed below so that I didn't have to partake of the dining car on this particular trip. I highly recommend taking Empire Builder if you get a chance. I saw a couple with loaded touring bikes at the Glacier Park station, and I thought 'I would like to try that.'

This is what I brought in a cooler
*2 bags (florets) broccoli
*1 bag (8oz) mushrooms
*8 C honeydew melon
*1 bag (2C) mixed nuts
*1 bag (30) dried apricots
*1 bag (8) small pancakes
*1 bag (4oz) beef jerky
*1 flat cake (900g) banana bread
*3 medium yellow nectarines
*Empty ziploc for ice
*Cooler bag
*Empty water bottle

This is what I purchased at the station or on the train
*2 cans soda
*1 bag each: combos, gardettos
*2 cups coffee: $2 each
*1 tuna sandwich on wheat
*1 Greek yogurt cup: $2.50

Goodbye tiny house

Home gym and shoe rack

There were many things we learned by living in less than 400 square feet for almost 6 years. The (lack of) space will help you realize what is really important in your life (and what you can live without).

I wanted to make a video touring our tiny house, but it was so messy that I was too ashamed to let anyone see how we actually lived.

There were at least two huge piles of clothes on the floor. Usually the oversized dining room table was covered with junk (and stuffed with junk below it in bins). There was no way to clean up because we had nowhere to put things away. 

Every year we gave more and more items away, and didn't buy anything new (except bicycles) but we still couldn't fit all our stuff in that house. We had a storage unit 1/2 mile away for $177 per month, which complicated planning for trips.

If you are considering tiny house living, here are a few photos that show items that made our lives in the tiny house more bearable.

A key rack, mounted to a bookshelf

The spice rack

The coffee cup rack

The vanity bench added extra storage

The hat and coat rack

The lipstick rack + tiny wall-mounted shelf

The sunglass rack

Bike Racks

We got our Smart Car in August 2011.  Since then, we've taken it on many trips.  We've had to do little things to maintain the car in the last year, such as brakes ($427.69) and new tires ($647.35). These we have had done at Boulevard Auto Repair in Van Nuys.  We get regular service (e.g. oil changes) here at Glendale Lube Center.

Photo credit: Anne Hamersky (January 2012)

In academic years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, I was driving 80 miles per weekday!  I'm so glad I don't have to do that anymore.  We got rid of our 2nd car in February of 2015 and thank goodness for that.  I overheard two people discussing the Public Transit Subsidy Program at CSUN, specifically in regards to Metrolink.

CSUN employees who opt to use the bus, rail, or train to campus may be eligible for a discount of up to 60% off the cost of the monthly transit pass. The total monthly discount will not exceed $100.

One person was explaining to the other that the discount really starts to pay off when you become a single-car family.  Now we drive when we have to (or want to) but if we don't want to drive, we take the Metrolink train with our bicycles.

April 2015 we got the rack, June 2015 we got the bike (Fuji)

Free2Go Bike Rack (#FREE2GO) $109.00 + $15.00 via Flat Rate USA = $124.00

Becoming a single-car household wasn't without its challenges.  We had a bike rack for our old 4-door Honda Civic, but we needed a way to transport at least one bicycle in the case of an emergency. The first rack we purchased is the Free2Go.  As long as your bike weighs less than 45 pounds, this rack will work.  In fact, it's even my preferred rack for transporting our beach cruiser bike, due to the shape of its frame.  At around 2 pounds, the Free2Go bike rack can even be slipped into your messenger bag or backpack if you are driving a rented SmartCar.  The car-sharing company car2go operates in 9 US cities, including San Diego, but not yet in Los Angeles.

October 2015 we got the bike (Fix-D), October 2016 we got the rack

Thule Helium Aero 3 Bike $399.95 + $189.95 Hitch (U-Haul) + $60 Installation + Tax? = $697.10

Fix-D 700C Road Bike - Silver/Red (28") = $98.09

This year, we upgraded our carrying capacity with a 3-bike rack, which is kind of ironic since we have a 2-passenger car.  It was pretty expensive to get the hitch installed, but we finally got the car paid off so it seemed like the right time to start making modifications (spending the money we would have put into a car payment).  We're considering where to take this rack.  So far, we've used it to go out to Riverside and over to the LA River Bike Path with out-of-town guests.  At 20 pounds, the Thule rack can be installed by one female (me) solo.  It has a load-capacity of 110 pounds.

I'm not wild about the Los Angeles car culture, but there are still some remote areas that are not well-served by public transportation (e.g. Point Mugu) where we would like to camp and bring our bicycles.  I'm still not totally sure what we're doing over the winter break, but it will most likely involve our new bike rack.  Even though we have a really tiny house, we both fantasize about the next bicycles we want to buy.

Slow Mo

I had the best time on my birthday, on foot, taking public transportation.  I took the Glendale Beeline bus to Glendale Community College and walked up Sunshine Drive.  It was a steep hill.  I walked through winding neighborhoods, eating Animal Crackers.  I ran downhill to just miss the NoHo to Pasadena express bus, which was okay because I got a sandwich and ate it while waiting for the next bus.

I boarded the bus at its Glendale stop and got off at Memorial Park in Pasadena just 6 minutes later.  I walked down the staircase to catch the Gold Line and had a nice chat with a friend who also happened to be waiting for the train.  It was only 2 stops to Allen station.  I got off the light rail and walked down to Pasadena City College campus.  I was out all day, and I got a headache from either stress relief or dehydration, but in the end I was glad that I gave myself the time and invitation to slow down and enjoy life for the day.

Last Friday, I took the Metrolink to California State University Northridge.  I rode with a guy who was taking Metrolink for the first time in his life.  He had a career as a limo driver and knew the freeway system better than most people.  In his opinion, the current freeway system cannot accommodate the population of Southern California.  The best we can do is exercise imminent domain, paying market value for people's houses and businesses, to add one or two more lanes to the existing freeway systems.  This will, in his experience, never be able to address our growing population.  The answer, as he sees it, is to get more people taking buses, light rail, and trains.  He also had his bicycle on the train and was planning to get off at Van Nuys and ride about 5 miles to Sherman Oaks.

It was so refreshing to see another person taking transit that seems to "get" the situation like I see it.  I didn't tell him anything about myself, he just let loose with his life experiences.  It was refreshing and part of the reason we think it's so important that cyclists have a dedicated bicycle car on every train. Those recent transit adventures reminded me of Kelly Kearns, who gave up her car for a full 60 days. There's nothing like it to help you appreciate mobility, two legs, two arms, two ears, two eyes, two lungs, and one heart all working together to get you around town.

I've been reeling over a set of maps published in The Washington Post showing our world's natural resources and the effects of climate change.  Los Angeles is part of the SF-LA megacity that drives the gross domestic product (GDP) of the entire United States.  We absolutely need to continue investing in the transit infrastructure to prevent our city from pollution, gridlock, and health issues.  I was meditating this weekend and the only concept that helped me reach a calm, peaceful state of mind was the color green.

Fostering more gardens and less concrete, biking more and driving less, recycling and conservation; these are all ideas that can help us live more sustainably on this planet.  I'm not saying we can reverse the damage we've already done, but I think that there are things we can all do to enjoy what we have now.  We watched the movie Valley Uprising this weekend, about rock climbing in Yosemite National Park.  We also watched some Huell Howser on Starr Ranch in Orange County.  It's difficult to imagine a changing climate that would drive out the plants and animals living in California. Prolonged drought and increased development will lead to such a future where the state I love is no longer habitable.

I hope we can plan an escape for Bike to your National Park day, September 24th.  If you're planning something, let us know where you're going.  Try to completely eliminate the need for a car if you can. Challenge yourself!  Take it slow, enjoy the journey.

Cyclecamping or Cyclocamping?

Whatever you call it, traveling to a campsite by bike is wonderful!  Here's the ride report:

Add to the packing list:
13) Frisbee
14) Folding chairs for the fireside
15) Los Angeles & Orange County bike maps

Subtract from the packing list:
Fewer books/things to do
Maybe fewer socks

I brought a coloring book, colored pencils, belated holiday greeting cards (blank), a journal, and a bunch of pens.  The only thing I really wanted to do was use the colored pencils to make this drawing after sitting on the beach all day.

I loved watching the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) diving headfirst into the water to catch their meals. They also did a funny flapping of their wings on the water, it seemed like they were talking to each other that way. There was also some kind of duck or grebe that was smaller than the pelican which dove under each wave. Seagulls were abundant also, and there were crows around the camp.

We ended up taking an earlier train down to LA Union Station, to give us more time for our "layover."  That gave us time to have a cup of coffee and use the restroom, as well as let our dog walk around outside before the long OC line train ride.  The cost of the train was $25 for two adults.  Our monthly passes only got us as far as LA and we had to pay for the second leg of our journey.  There were officers with canine cops in training, and it was hard for the dogs not to distract each other.

We arrived in San Juan Capistrano and a very friendly man offered to ride us to the check-in for our campsite.  It was great to ride the TRABUCO CREEK and SAN JUAN CREEK TRAILS.  We were able to arrive at the camp without any vehicular cycling.  We passed a pack of dogs at Creekside Park and the trail was shared with walkers, joggers, cyclists, strollers, scooters, and leashed (and unleashed) dogs.  We arrived at the park so early (9:45am) we couldn't check in.  So we ate at Coffee Importers instead.

The original entrance to Donehy State Beach

After a slammin' breakfast bagel sandwich, we rode down towards Camino Capistrano on the Coast Highway Protected Trail. We could have gone a bit further to the San Clemente Metrolink station, but we decided to turn around and hang out at a day-use area on Park Lantern, just south of our campsite. The sun felt warm even though the temperature was in the mid-60s. We hung out there until just before 2pm, when we were allowed to check in to our campsite.

We setup our tent and got a sense of the campground.  We walked to the nearby AM-PM and the Carl's Jr to get snacks and dinner, respectively.  Since we were on foot, we didn't buy firewood there.  Around sunset, we looked for the camp host to get some firewood.  There were no hosts on site, so I rode back to the AM-PM to learn that they were out of firewood.  Luckily, the Albertson's on Del Obisbo was only 1.5 miles away.  I strapped two bundles of firewood to my rear rack and coasted downhill back to the campsite.

Pedestrian Bridge over Coast Hwy: A new entrance

The nights were cold.  Sleeping on the ground is uncomfortable.  I thought there was condensation on the inside of our tent when I woke up at sunrise.  Regardless, it made our house feel so comfortable when we got home.  It was nice sleeping in until the tent became a sauna.  We definitely didn't emerge until around 9am.  We walked up Goldern Lantern to the Coast Hwy, which had great views coming back down the hill.  It was nice to work up an appetite. 

Looking back towards the water

We had a great breakfast at Denny's.  I had the Lumberjack Slam, which was more food than I could finish and bottomless coffee!!!  It was so hearty, I wasn't hungry again until it was dark.  They were also cool with our dog, Edna Jo, hanging out on the patio.  We spent the mid-day and afternoon at the beach.  I brought some yoga sequences, which we practiced once our bellies had digested the brunch.  We returned to our campsite after the sun was telling us that night was falling.  I sketched the image in this post right at this point.

Mosaic on the Pedestrian Bridge

That night, we located the camp host and got three bundles of firewood.  At some point, we took showers.  We fed in a $10 bill and got a big handful of tokens.  Each token was 2 minutes.  I used 4 tokens for a great shower.  When you live in a tiny house, the campshower seems huge and luxurious.  On one side of us, there was no campers, but on the other side was a huge group of friendly, happy people.  It was great to share the space with such a positive bunch.

We walked to the Del Taco and got a Fiesta Pack.  There was outdoor seating and it was well-lit.  We ate burritos and tacos with our dog, Edna Jo.  We ate everything we could and then walked back for our our second fire.  

The great thing about our site was that it was a straight shot to the restroom.  I didn't hesitate to get up several times in the night to use the facilities.  They were clean, well-lit, and well-stocked with TP.  The RVs around us had motion-sensors on them which lit up when you walked by, which one might find annoying but I found it comforting.  

A word of caution: we were warned about a "homeless problem" so we locked our bicycles securely to our picnic table.  We also put all our gear inside the tent when we weren't around.  We did receive a visit from the sheriff (3 squad cars) that evening, but we never really got the details what was going on.  We speculated it was regarding non-paying visitors to the campground.

Beach access from our campground

The next morning, we realized that there were only two options for us to get back to LA.  One train was at 7am and the other was at 4pm.  We didn't wake up until after 7am so we planned to hang out and pack up by noon, when we were required to check out.  We went over to the McDonald's for a late breakfast, now that a limited breakfast menu is served all day.  That was the perfect fuel we needed to head back to San Juan Capistrano.

We let Edna Jo run around at the dog park for a bit.  Then we hung out at the Metrolink station.  It's right by the Mission and there are lots of boutiques and cafes.  It was a great spot for people watching.  We saw a wedding party and many people came over to pet Edna and chat the hours away.

San Juan Capistrano Amtrak/Metrolink Station

In conclusion, it was a great trip.  I would highly recommend cyclecamping at this site to anyone.

Doheny SB ~ Packing List

So, we're doing our first bicycle camping adventure!  It's not a full-on wilderness campsite, being just 1 mile away from the urban center named Dana Point, and less than 4 miles from Laguna Niguel, San Juan Capistrano, and San Clemente.  I wanted to write about what we plan to take in order not to over-pack.

1) tent
2) sleeping bags
3) yoga mat
4) cycling shoes
5) swimsuit?
6) long underwear
7) matches/lighter for starting fire
8) towels
9) camping lantern/headlamps
10) bike tools (pump, tire irons, patch kit, etc.)
11) reading materials (coloring book, colored pencils, journal, yoga poses)
12) hat/sunglasses/sunscreen

It's hard to bring many electronics that would need to be recharged.  Obviously we need to bring our Metrolink Monthly Passes.  Our plan is to take the Ventura County line train 104 (departs 7:37am from Glendale, arrives 7:50am at LA Union Station) and Orange County line train 600 (departs 8:00am from LA Union Station, arrives 9:23am into San Juan Capistrano).  After the train trip, we will ride 3.7 miles from the station down the San Juan Creek Trail to our campground.

Loaded with Christmas Cheer

We did a big Christmas ride loaded down with gifts to practice riding with loaded bikes.  It was a great way to explore the Pacific-Electric trail.

IE Metric Century: total ascent of 2600 ft 

It was also fun to ride Historic Route 66 through Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Claremont.  We picked up the trail at Monte Vista Ave.  It ended at Cactus Ave where we dropped down to Rialto Ave, cruised by the Rialto Metrolink Station, and dropped into Riverside on Riverside Ave.  The journey took us 9 hours and we never stopped to have a sit-down meal.  We did use the restrooms at the Taco Bell (140 W Huntington Dr, Monrovia, CA 91016) which were clean!  That was about 17 miles into our trip (2 hours) and we got a burrito and a Dr. Pepper.

I definitely don't want to bring a camping chair strapped to my back to Doheny, we will have a picnic table for sitting.  There are areas to explore, well described here.  We have all day today to pack and get the house in order so we can come home in the new year to a clean tiny house.

Edit this

“Editing is the very edge of your knowledge forced to grow--a test you can't cheat on.”
― S. Kelley Harrell

I've been up to so much since my last post, and the more time that passes makes it more impossible to summarize everything I've learned in one post.  But procrastination is the enemy of productivity and I may have to go on a ramble to get caught up with myself.

November almost didn't exist.  I was so focused on the activities of October.  National Chemistry Week (Oct 18-24, 2015), for example.  We went to San Diego Miramar College.

"Chemistry Colors Our World"

I still need to do a write-up of all the hands-on activities visitors to our booth were invited to interact with.  Many of the items involved recycled materials, we really kept our costs down this year.

After the ChemExpo, we headed to Downtown San Diego for the bike summit (Oct 25-28), which I did summarize in a previous post.  What I didn't discuss was my play-day in the bay.

"Cat" Niki de Saint Phalle (1999) 

I have always loved the Niki de Saint Phalle's work and it was a real treat to walk along the bay with my dog, Edna.  I had an idea to walk to Cabrillo National Monument, which I didn't quite make.  I got as far as the USS Recruit and hopped on a BikeShare bicycle to ride back to where I started.

After that, it was time to prepare for the American Chemical Society Western Regional Meeting (Nov 6-7, 2015) in San Marcos.  It was a real treat to visit another CSU campus.  I saw a handful of friends, old and new, and it was a good retreat from the everyday teaching life.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

After the meeting ended, I drove up the coast to Dana Point.  While waiting for the check-in time for my hotel across from Doheny State Beach, I visited the Mission San Juan Capistrano.  It was gorgeous!  I had made it a goal to see the California missions in a previous post.

It looks like camping at Doheny State Beach costs $35/night for up to 8 people, 2 vehicles.  The campsites are right on the beach.

Pedestrian Overpass (33.458311, -117.672942)

There are restrooms and showers and a place to get firewood.  This is definitely something to consider for a bicycle camping adventure.  There's a Ralph's grocery store in Dana Point.

I wanted to start this post off with a quote about "editing" because I feel like that's what my life needs right now.  There are so many opportunities to "say yes" to various activities.  Just like with one's wardrobe, it can be tempting to put on every neckalace, bracelet, watch, ring, and pair of earrings but good outfits need editing.  The same is true with writing.  The same is true with life.  I feel like my New Year's resolution this year will involve editing.  Learning how and when to "say no" to various activities will prevent me from feeling overcommitted and exhausted.

CalBikeSummit

Breakfast Plenary Session

Tony Dang, California Walks
Michele Hasson, Counsel for Justice & Accountability
Chanell Fletcher, Safe Routes to Shool National Parternship
Estuardo David Mazarigos, TRUST South LA

TD: We have to remove the financial strings attached to getting involved in advocacy
Case in point: I had to pay $200 for a one-day attendee registration fee!

MH: There's no data to use in proposals b/c safety issues are not accurately reported

Lead Organizer Estuardo Marzariegos

TD: Walking plans are in place for only 50% of communities, plans should be community-driven rather than consultant-driven.  Residents should define where they want to go.

EDM: Create a community that can stand up for itself.  Host bike rides.  Survey at the street level.  Recruiting people in this way will empower them.  Collect their stories.
Hold press conferences.  Visit Councilmember's offices.  Make inequity clear.
Out of 123 surveys, 38% of people have been in accidents, 67% use a bicycle as a primary form of transportation.  Collecting the voices of constituents (mothers, workers) has been convincing.

CF: Complete streets need reporting; climate health, equity.  If the project doesn't collect data the funding will be pulled.  The new idea of "Low Carbon Roads."

MH: When a continuing dialogue is ongoing with politicial leaders, it's easier to push when the time is right.  Continuing education at every interaction.

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Best Marketing & Promotion Practices

Cory Wilkerson, City of Santa Ana
Ryan Johnson, Alta Planning + Design
Nathan Wheadon, Orange County Transportation Authority

CW: $150,000 grant for direct education (school assemblys, bike rodeos), marketing & design

RJ: Community surveys conducted including key stakeholders (police, engingeering & public works, city staff, Spanish language translators)
8 month funding cycle, which took 3-4 months to secure contracts
Survey results were translated into word clouds (Wordle): the prompt was
"How would you describe Santa Ana in 1 word if it were a person?"
Goals of the image campaign: not graphically violent, not humorous b/c humor can be lost in translation, more simplistic/positive/uplifting, the expectation is "Travel Safely"
How a single person in a single day can be all 3: pedestrian, cyclist, driver

Outcomes: 12 bus stop posters (3 months, $17,000)
36 pole banners placed in areas of high bike-ped collisions
Printed brochures, safety sheet, webpage http://www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/bike/

jenny@graphikdeziner.com

18 school assemblies during April/May

"Safe Moves" coordinated the bike rodeos

10 new League-Certified Instructors were inducted in an LCI seminar

1000 helmets were distributed

NW: A SWOT analysis is a way to begin a project, decide what/when to say something, choose a relevant/topical message, the audience is educating drivers

The best teachers use humor, voices, antics! If you can come up with a campaign and get the support of the more conservative board members, then it may eventually be approved.

Next campaign [B]right... be safe, be seen.

The video should be less than 60 seconds, educational, entertaining, positive, funny/creative.

The video should NOT be inspiring fear or victim-blaming.

The video can be distributed using social media (digital), at events (face-to-face), through email marketing, through print media (magazines, local newspapers) through a formal press release, and through your own network of contacts (city staff and bike advocates) ask them to share it!

It takes 2 months from the concept for a video to a publicly posted video, 2 weeks of filming

5 videos were made at a cost of $20,000

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On the Cutting Edge of Quantifying the Public Health Benefits of Bicycling

Dan Gallagher, San Diego Association of Governments
Sherry Ryan, San Diego State University
David Flores, Casa Familiar
Peter Jacobsen, Public Health Consultant
Sean Co, Toole Design Group
Carla Blackmar, Public Health Alliance of Southern California

DG: The built environment effects community behaviors, correlations between the geographical environment and health factors were calculated and used to prioritize infractructure projects
Active Transportation (trails, parks, sidewalks), Injury Prevention, Nutrition, Air Quality
all granular data fed into the model... Compared San Ysidro versus all San Diego County
Partial Correlations Analysis used to determine which factors had the most impact on health
http://sandag.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/?appid=fc149b3233eb48e796dd8e40d7e6eac4

SR: the percent difference between San Ysidro versus San Diego city was used to identify ramps and lighting, landscaping, traffic calming, new parks, wayfinding, crosswalks, bike lanes that could improve the health of San Ysidro

http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1933_18945.pdf

DF: promotoras are community leaders of health that volunteer to boost community awareness
they receive in exchange for their leadership training in first aid, zumba, which builds their skills.

PJ: He was a contributor to the Bike Plan for the City of Pasadena and noticed that the amount of cyclists in a city actually decreased the risk of injury (collisions b/w cars and cyclists)
If you double the # of cars, you double the # of collisions b/w cars but the same is not true for cyclists/pedestrians "Safety in Numbers"
The reasons for this are twofold 1) physiology 2) psychology
Physiologically we evolved to understand a 15 mph pace, beyond that our minds simplfy situations and ignore some of what is going on.  This is a learned behavior
Psychologically, rare events are hard to detect.  When there are fewer cyclists, drivers simply don't recognize them or "see" them.  If cyclists are commonplace, they're easier for drivers to "see"
Driver education alone is insufficient/unsuccessful, it's better to encorage more people to bike/walk

SC: Montlhy pass riders in Washington DC choose to take BikeShare instead of walking (35%) or taking public transportation (45%), but ~13% of them would have otherwise taken a car or taxi.
The motivation was for time savings (73%) and exercise (41%) even though 23% admit the BikeShare is more costly than other means of transportation.

CB: Public health benefits are important to measure and will be required as a part of future proposals for funding.  Active Transportation has a greater impact on quality of life benefits when compared with "Low Carbon Driving"  Water infrastructure should be a part of complete streets plans

Active transportation accounted for a 7% reduction in depression and 5% decrease in breast/colon concer, a 13% reduction in cardiovascular disease and diabetes, a 9% reduction in dementia

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Modeling Benefits & Costs for Equity & Connectivity

Sherry Ryan, San Diego State University
Laura Cohen, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Michael Jones, Alta Planning + Design
Eric Anderson, City of Berkeley
Brett Hondorp, Alta Planning + Design

We rode past this counter on Wed 10/25/15

SR: $300,000 investment to monitor 37 sites in San Diego County
24 bike-only counters (in street) Class II, III bike infrastructure
9 bike/ped counters for Class I bike infrastructure
4 ped-only counters (sidewalks, urban)
Goal: track trends over time as the bike network was built out

SR: when a buffered bike lane opened, the # of cyclists per month jumped from 1000-1500 to 1800-3000 per month, which is roughly double.  On a scatterplot this data looks awesome.
New "rules of thumb" found that 16.5% of cycling activity occurs between 4-6 pm regardless of whether the counts were done in San Diego or Maricopa counties
http://www.eco-public.com/ParcPublic/?id=681 is the link to live count data
Class I bike paths were more used on weekends, whereas Class II and III were used on weekdays

LC: Trail Modeling and Assessment (T-MAP) tool
3 year $1,200,000 effort to collect data, model the data, and disseminate the info to the public
"Trail Score" likened to Walkability score.  The question is "What % of the population can get to a majority of their destinations using a low-stress route?"  The goal is that by 2020, 90% of Americans will live within 3 miles of a trail system

MJ: National Bike & Pedestrian Documentation (NBPD) recommendations stipulate that if you do a bike/ped count only once per year that it happens on the 2nd week of September.  You may consider 4th of July the peak and try to count on both weekday and weekend.
Rather than choosing random placement of counters, consider relevant places within your transportation network. http://bikepeddocumentation.org/
Key Findings: 76% of walking trips and 29% of biking trips are for work or essential activities
70% of respondants biked once per week

MJ: Alta Benefits Cost Model (ABC) takes into account reduction in greenhouse gases
Property values (of real estate) increased $2,200,000 within 500 ft of bike/ped projects

BH: Strong & Fearless = will ride no matter what; Enthusiastic & Confident = need bikeways; Interested but Concerned = the majority of people; No Way, No How = won't ride anyway
To reach all people there was a random sampling by zip code and a door-to-door survey on a tablet showing streets in their community with either: no markings, sharrows, bike lanes
The streets shown in the mock-ups were residential all the way to arterial streets
A segregated cycletrack was preferred and least desirable was a 4-lane arterial with fast traffic

Note: this graphic was re-created in Google Sheets based on percentages presented in the session

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Coronado Bike Tour

Mariah VanZerr, City of Coronado Transportation Planner

John Holloway, KTU+A Planning + Landscape Architecture

Met some good people on this outing!

http://www.recreation.ucla.edu/bike-shop-routes

If you ride from Los Angeles to San Diego, it can be done in 2 days, camp at Doheny!