The view from here

January did not end at the end of January, leaving us with very little time to train for New Zealand. So we decided to cram all of our (pre-New Zealand) riding into one day on Saturday's Tour de Palm Springs.

After the first 12 miles (up hill and into the wind), I was getting pretty worried. Fortunately, as usual, I was able to find a tandem or two (and even a triplet) to draft behind. After the first rest stop, we met up with our Santana friends Mark and Maureen. Mark assured me that the next 50 miles would be down hill, and that the Tour de Palm Springs is the easiest century ever. You would not think it would be necessary to point out that Maureen told me last year they were going to ride one century a month for the entire year...but it is indeed necessary; there is no such thing as an easy century. As a matter of fact, this century was 102 miles long (my flight deck measured it at 104).

Things overheard during the tour (some may have been spoken by me):

"This stopped being fun at about mile 45."
"I've been surviving the last 10 miles on packets of mayonnaise." (I certainly did not say that one.)
"I like peanut M&M's."

Here's a couple of pictures Nico shot from the bike: Mark and Maureen, then a very flexy triplet...I did not really believe in frame flex until I rode behind them. Off in the distance of the triplet, you might be able to make out some windmills. The photo does not capture how fast they were all spinning.



Our times were not impressive; somewhere around 8 hours total and 6 & 1/2 hours pedaling. But we finished, it didn't rain, and we can go to New Zealand next week knowing that we are in 100 mile shape.

In other news, the takealotofdrugs photo equipment has just been upgraded. You'll still probably see some pictures from the point and shoot Sony, as I'm afraid to let Nico take pictures with my new Pentax K20D from the bike. We have not yet decided if the new camera will be joining us on the bike (it weighs over 2 pounds, and would not take kindly to a fall).

I stepped outside this evening to test it out. People are always asking if we can see the ocean from our house. I usually respond: "From the street out in front." Here's a picture of said view, shot with a 50 mm lens (which I'm told is equal to a 75 mm lens on a film camera, which if my memory from high school photography class is correct is about equal to what you would see if you were standing on my street [and looking through a viewfinder without magnification]).


And here's a shot of the harbor from the park across the street. (The size of this picture is 33% of the original.)

It does exist!!!


Well I didn't actually see it moving, so it remains possible that the people at Aptera have just built an impressive looking plastic shell so that I won't ask for my deposit back.

Of note:

1) All dimensions are much smaller than I had been picturing.
2) Aptera does not have a Lexus sized budget for models.

3) I had to bring my own model, but I could not convince her to take off the purple trench coat.

4) Too bad they are no longer making Prowlers. (In case you didn't notice, I'm making fun of the aforementioned purple trench coat.)

The End of Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll

Alternative Title #1: The End of Happy Hour

Alternative Title #2: Wednesday is Now Prince Spaghetti Day

Alternative Title #3: Hey, My Friend Wants to Know Where the 12 Year Olds Hang Out
dubious integrity I may have associated with midweek over the last several years: Nicole has quit the Rainbow business. What's Rainbow, you ask? If I had to describe it in one word, I guess I'd say: "Service". If you gave me more than one word, I'd probably say something like this.

PS: Writing extra titles is fun. I had a few more, but they were even more likely to get me into trouble.

I should have taken some "before" photos...

Most of you have probably seen the before anyway. It was not very impressive. The "after" probably won't be very impressive, either. The "during" however, is quite a sight.

(Disclaimer: This is actually the neighbor's place, but it looks about the same as ours.

Now that I'm management...

Every time I start a new sailing class, I am always surprised at how difficult it seems to be for my students to stay near my flags. Take a look at picture #3 below to see how easy it is to spot one of these flags. They are bright orange; they say UCI on them; and compared to the height of the boats, they are pretty damn big. A lot of thought goes into placing these flags in the water, and if they stay near them the class goes really well. (Sailing 90 degrees off the wind is easy; anyone can do it immediately after getting in a boat for the first time. All other directions are more difficult [or impossible].)


Last week, I made everyone practice going around the flags on the dock. Not sure why neither flag is visible in this picture, but they performed this task flawlessly.


And the "dry" practice seemed to help with the actual sailing.

More January Blues

If the idea of intensive training to get ready for vacation sounds completely foreign, you might want to stop reading now.

Four weeks until New Zealand, and not much time for bicycling (being stuck at work for 60 hours each week has its drawbacks). Actually, that's not true, there is plenty of time for bicycling...just not much time when the sun is out. My four year old headlight is probably obsolete by now, but it is still mighty bright.

Night riding observations:

1) Newport Beach is really cold at night.
2) The tandem appears to shake a lot going uphill with a handlebar mounted head light.
3) Riding downhill at 40 mph is scary in the dark.

My God, that looks like an assembly line.



FIRST PRE-PRODUCTION ALL-ELECTRIC APTERA
IS COMPLETE; FULL PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY
TO BEGIN IN OCTOBER

The 2e, Aptera’s two-seat, three-wheel vehicle,
gets the equivalent of more than 200 mile- per-gallon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: PCGCampbell – Jeff Green (310) 224-4961 (aptera@pcgcampbell.com)

VISTA, Calif. (Jan. 21, 2009) -- The initial pre-production all-electric model from Southern California vehicle manufacturer Aptera Motors had rolled out the door of its Vista, Calif. production facility. Known as the 2e, the brilliant white two-seat commuter vehicle is the first of a burgeoning fleet of Aptera vehicles that will undergo internal and external evaluations for fit, finish, performance and durability as preparation for full production in October.

The pre-production vehicle is equipped with a lithium-based battery and features a number of vehicle enhancements such as front wheel drive, aerodynamic side-mounted mirrors and wider door openings that make getting in and out of the vehicle much easier than with previous designs. The aerodynamically-inspired 2e will go from zero to 60 in under 10 seconds, top out at 90 mph and get the equivalent of more than 200 miles-per-gallon based on a standard EPA driving cycle. Though the vehicle is still nine months from completion, Aptera has already received nearly 4,000 deposits and the 2e is attracting its share of accolades, including recognition from TIME magazine as one of the “Best Inventions of 2008” and USA WEEKEND’s proclamation as one of “2009’s most intriguing innovations”.

“We’re getting close to finalizing our final prime-time vehicle, but there’s still a lot of work to accomplish to manufacture an ultra-high efficiency vehicle,” says Aptera President and CEO Paul Wilbur, who boasts more than 25 years of product planning and development, marketing and finance experience for Ford, Chrysler and other manufacturers. “Just look at the 2e and you understand that it’s an aerodynamic marvel. We now have to make the final refinements in the upcoming months, squeezing out every ounce of positive performance, and then we’ll have the first safe, affordable all-electric vehicle on the market.”

With an expected cost between $25,000 and $45,000, and a driving range of more than 100 miles-per-charge, initial sales will solely be in California, with plans to distribute the Aptera to the rest of the United States by late 2010.

“With the 2e set to hit the streets later this year, and with additional models already on our drawing board, Aptera will create some 1,500 jobs and more than 100,000 vehicles in the next five years,” says Aptera founder Steve Fambro. “We hope to change everyday driving forever by offering incomparable mileage and innovative technology at prices people can afford.”

Restaurant Week III (part two)

Sunday: Pescadou Bistro. They do a nightly 3 course "blackboard special" for $28, so I'm not sure why we had never eaten there before. (You even get a little chalkboard for your table, in case you have difficulty remembering what the 3 courses are.) I found the food decent, and worth returning for. Nico was a little underwhelmed. Her taste buds may have been influenced by the very loud party of eight a couple of tables over that made the otherwise reserved restaurant sound like an amusement park.

"Very loud" is an incredible understatement. How loud were they? They were so loud that I kept looking around the restaurant for a very loud former colleague. So loud that both the busboy and the two 12 year old boys at the table next to us were complaining. So loud that when Nicole yelled: "This is not a McDonald's!", nobody could hear it.

[Brief pause at work today=time to finish this post.]

Monday: Oysters. The place you drive by all the time, but never seem to stop to eat at. Better than I remembered, and the crème brulée was the best of the week.

Tuesday: Took the night off. Work is exhausting; eating out every night is also exhausting.

Wednesday: Pasta Pomodoro. Far better than any other "budget" Italian. The butternut squash ravioli in brown butter was the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. Three courses plus a glass of wine for the bargain price of $20.

Thursday: Bayside. They never let me down...and to help stimulate the economy, Restaurant Week will be continued for the rest of the quarter! Anyone want to come and join us for dinner?

Don't laugh, it's paid for


That's the four year old photo. I should post some "after" pics, I suppose.

Hey, no car payment until Aptera gets around to building my Aptera. Aptera: Do not take too long, I am not going to be as interested in driving an electric car if gas falls to $1/gallon.

The most wonderful time of the year...

(This post is very poorly titled, considering what I've been up to at work.)

Newport Beach Restaurant Week #3 (I'm too tired to hunt down my reviews of the last two...I'll give you a hint, they were last January and the January before that.

Here's my short list:

Bayside--They don't seem to go all out for Restaurant Week, but it's always pretty good.
Sage--The menu looks a little better than Sage on the Coast. [If you're thinking of going to Sage on the Coast for the cougar action, you're close, but most of them will be across the parking lot at Javier's.
Pescadou Bistro--Not sure why we've never eaten here--it's within walking distance, and they do Tour de France cuisine during the Tour.
Port Restaurant--This is actually Nicole's pick. I'd place it in the "eh" category...
Zov's Cafe--Hey, that's a $20 dinner!
Tommy Bahamas--Apparently, the only restaurant offering wine pairings ($20 extra); this might be the only possible area in which Vancouver is better than Newport Beach.
21 Ocean Front--Always on my Restaurant Week list, but we never eat there. The menu usually looks a little dull, and my Ferrari is in the shop.
Nicole's picks are Palm Terrace and/or the First Cabin. Both are good restaurants and all, but they're inside hotels, and are likely to be empty. Empty restaurants give me the creeps.