Adventures in Onionism

I wasn't feeling Henry Coe. By doing a long day trip instead I'll be able to get more work done and I probably covered more miles than I would've with a pack (and without the commitment device of having to make it back to the truck.) So I ran a 35 or so mile loop I've been thinking of for a while--Redwood & Chabot Regional Parks and EBMUD land over Rampage Peak and all the way around Upper San Leandro Reservoir. Lower trails were annoyingly muddy, but it was a beautiful day.

I did a long run on the Ohlone Wilderness trail east of Fremont last weekend. It was 40 degrees and raining with high winds, but I didn't die of hypothermia, so I consider it a success. I'm headed to Henry Coe State Park for an overnighter tomorrow in the few predicted days of sunshine this month.

Yesterday I rode my bike over to the Headlands to watch some of The North Face's 50 miler. There was significant prize money at stake, so it was quite a spectacle as far as trail runs go. I got there right as friend and fellow long distance backpacker Andrew Skurka (pictured) finished. I then went backwards on the course looking for Tattoo Joe, but I didn't want to ride home in the dark, so I turned back without running into him. Today I went to the workshop and replaced my bike chain. It recently started slipping, and when I inspected it today, there was an obviously bad link that was the cause. I also replaced a spoke and trued the wheel yet again. The ride home (in the rain) was silky smooth, so all is well. Why is working on bikes so much more fun than working on cars?