Monthly Archive: April 2006

bike

Saturday Ride

Great day Saturday.  Along with the thrilling victory in collegiate water polo,  I snuck in a morning bike ride with Steve Vandenbusch while Barb went on a power walk with Vickie V.

Dsc03618 A few weeks ago the plan came up to do an Easter Saturday ride.  Steve  and I exchanged a few emails and settled on meeting at Starbucks at 8am on Saturday morning. With all the rain we’ve had lately its hit or miss as far as whether we were going to have a dry ride or not. We got lucky. Out to Alameda Creek Trail and to the end at mile marker 11.  Cloudy and windy the whole time but pretty dry overall. Dsc03624_1 Always nice to take a break out there. Considering we were only 9miles from home, its about as remote you can get and enjoy 360 views.The 2 miles back to the Coyote Hills loop was crazy with a WICKED cross wind coming off the bay. Whether it was rain, mist or spray, the wind was whipping as we huffed to Coyote. From mile marker 11 it was back to and around coyote hills and a trip up heart attack hill. Back to the creek trail and eventually back to Starbucks for coffee reward.  GREAT RIDE

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LOST

Mando It’s been almost one month since anyone from the Lancero St. men’s association has seen Mando.  If anyone sees or talks to Mando, please tell him to come home. Rumor has it that Mando has left the country, or got a job. Say it ain’t so Mando!!

If you see him, tell him there is a beer with his name on it at Glennard Skynnard’s garage

sports

Let the Games Begin

Kelly and the CSUEB women travel to San Diego this weekend to participate in the WWPA conference championships.  Kick some ass ladies!!!

UPDATE- A dramatic fourth period comeback enabled the Pioneer women’s water polo team to defeat U.C. Santa Cruz 7-6 in the first round of the Western Water Polo Association Championships on April 28. Trailing 6-3, the Pioneers scored a pair of goals by Kelly Flaherty and Heather Campbell to narrow the margin with 3:50 remaining. Campbell converted two penalty shots with 28 seconds and two seconds remaining in the match to give the Pioneers the victory. Catherine Kohs, Katie Foley, and Laura Waterman accounted for East Bay’s three other goals

sports

East Bay What?

Dsc03626 A Great water polo weekend for Kelly and the CSUEB Women. They are wrapping up the regular season this weekend and next. Friday the girls traveled to Santa Cruz for an all important game against the UCSC  Banana Slugs. Winner gets an invite to the Division III national Championships in L.A.  Loser stays home. The Pioneer ladies scored two early goals and never looked back. Defeating the banana slugs 5-3.  Kelly,  who comes from a high school that NEVER won a water polo game, was moved to tears at the thought of going to NCAA Nationals. CONGRATULATIONS KELLY!  YOU ROCK
Dsc03631 To top things off this weekend, The CSUEB girls played their last home game of the season yesterday. The “senior game” honors the out going senior girls with recognition, bouquet of flowers, as well as a “pull around the pool” by the freshman. I guess the tradition at CSUEB is to have the senior girls get into innertubes and have the freshies pull them around the side of the pool to applause by the hometown crowd. The Otters from CSU Monterey Bay, traveled up to play spoiler against  CSUEB. A team that is coming together and playing at a high level, just at the right time. This game proved to be a struggle however.  Kelly had a sweet goal in the 4th quarter to go ahead 5-4. Otter’s tough play resulted in a tie at end of regulation, forcing overtime. Two 3 minute over time  periods. After a scoreless first over time period, the Otters went up on a goal with just barely a minute to play. With 6 seconds to play, we score to force sudden death!!  In sudden death we score and win!! WOW. Will sure miss those senior girls. Especially our goalie, Kimba. The best I have ever seen and the team MVP if you ask me and Barb.
The Girls play thier last regular season game this Friday in Sonoma, then prepare for conference championships in San Diego, Apr 28-30, and National Championships May 7-9 in Los Angeles.
Barb and I have gone to almost 20 games this year. In driving rain, sleet, snow, and even one or two sunny days. These girls have played great water polo. Not like the high school days of just wondering how bad we were going to get beat. Now-a-days, CSUEB is in almost every game and plays good water polo all the time. It been a joy to watch Kelly and to get to know all the girls on the team and only expect great things in games and seasons to come. Even without those seniors that we will miss soooo much.
NOTE: Regarding home games at CSUEB. They’re the best we have seen. Santa Cruz charges people to get in. So does Monterey and a some others. Our games are free, they have player introductions, programs, national anthem, and regular type announcing (who scored, end of quarter scores etc.). The hole operation is very professional. Some we have not seen at any other school. Way to go East Bay!

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Dodging Raindrops

040406_1714a_1 Barb and I took out to Alameda Creek Trail after work yesterday.  The creek was running as fast and wide as I had ever seen it. Muddy brown torrent flowing out of Niles Canyon towards the bay, taking trees, trash, anything and everything with it.  All the rubber dams are down and good thing. No dam could hold this water back. Took this pic with the camera phone at the Bart Tracks that cross the Creek.

sports

Come again some other day…

Had a pretty nice weekend. We were lucky enough to have Staci’s pup Emma come stay the weekend while Staci was in Tahoe. Emma, a rambunctious, exuberant pupper, keeps us all on our toes while she is around. A “bundle of energy” descibes her well. The weekend started with a rain soaked swim meet at AHS. We were PELTED with hard driving rain while watching the swim meet.  The things parents do to watch their kids play sports. CRAZY!

Saturday Barb and I headed to Monterey to watch Kelly and the CSUEB women play  a couple of water polo games.  Early overtime win against division Rival Chapman was great!  In between games Barb and I went to The wharf and had a nice lunch at the London Bridge Pub and Restaurant then came back to the pool to watch our girls lose to Cal Baptist. CBU was real good but we could have beat them. Turned out to be a pretty nice day in Monterey. Sun shining with few clouds and just a little windy. 

The rain didn stay away too long. Sunday was cloudy and windy all day and then more rain in late afternoon.  RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!!!!!

flashbacks

Tierra Bella – 2006

Tierra_bella_2006 Barb and I completed the 100k Tierra Bella yesterday.  With morning showers in the forecast we woke up at 5am to clear skies and hopes that we would have a dry ride. All packed up and on the road to Gilroy by 6:20. Pulled into the start point at Gavilan College and were checked in and on our bikes by 7:30. With 62 miles ahead of us we tried to keep an even pace. In what earlier in the week looked Dsc03605like bad weather for the ride, turned out to be just right. Clear and sunny in the morning with increasing clouds in the afternoon.   We passed the spot around the 5 mile mark where Barb had a fall two years ago.  At mile 7 I got a flat. Rear tire. Hate the rear tire flat! Having planned on this but hoping we wouldn’t need it, I packed two tubes and one tire along with the patch kit and tools. Took only 10 minutes or so and we were back on our bikes. Took a break at Uvas reservoir and fueled up. Excellent banana bread ( Barb liked the blueberry),  pb&j on wheat, yummy!

Dsc03607 After that we were back on the road, cruising the MOST beautiful parts of the greater Gilroy area. Next rest stop was at mile 24. More fuel and restroom break, then the long haul to lunch at Gilroy hotsprings. A 21 mile stretch that took us over highway 101, across the farmlands of Gilroy. At around mile 35 I got a second flat!!! Just my luck and couldn’t believe it!. Whipped out the other spare tube and did another rear tire roadside change. Dsc03611 Upon extreme close inspection of the tire, I found a piece of glass imbedded in the tire. Since I had a spare tire in my bag I decided to go ahead and change that too. OK, back on the bikes and ready for the hardest part of the ride. After 40 miles we begin the 4 mile up hill to Gilroy hot springs (and lunch!). They had changed the route since we did this two years ago so the first part of the uphill was new to us. Steep at the beginning and cutbacks up the hill made it slow going for Barb and I. We picked up where we were two years ago at the most difficult section of the climb. The final mile, STRAIGHT UP! Well, its feels like it anyway. At the top we cruised a nice down hill into the back side of the mountains. Streams running full and everything so so green. This is the reason to ride. Absolutely beautiful. The lunch stop at mile 44 is the best. You’ve just done 40 miles then a 4 mile climb, and you only have 18 or so to go. With a great downhill to boot!

Dsc03612 Anyway, We hung out at the lunch stop for a while. Love the potatoes they serve. SO good!  Walking back from the restroom as we were getting ready to go, Barb greets me with the news, “I HAVE A FLAT!”. What Luck for us!. Barb’s front tire picked up a piece of glass and finally deflated as we were eating our lunch. No more spares so it was repair time for Barb’s tire. Put on the patch, said a prayer and we were off. Another 5 miles of rolling hills brought us to the top of the crest and a 4 mile downhill. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Like last ride, the most difficult is the last 10 miles. Pretty good head and cross wind greeted us Dsc03615 as we came back down into the valley. Back over 101 and through Gilroy and FINALLY back to Gavilan College. 62.5 miles later. SWEETNESS.  A great feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. A great ride for Barb and I (our first organized ride where it was just us). We talked all day about how lucky we were to have a great weather day amidst a rainy rainy early spring.