A Riparian Adventure and a Baseball Game

This weekend, with Tracy having a rare two days off in a row, I suggested we head out of town for a day hike. With summer creeping up on us, the hiking season is almost over (how strange does that sound!). Our destination was a place called Cedar Creek Falls, a little over an hour from home. Read about the adventure in her blog.

After we got back home, we rushed to shower and change in time to head out to the Padres-Dodgers game at Petco Park. It seemed like it was going to be a sellout, but we figured we might get scalper tickets after the first pitch. We had both been to Petco before, a few years ago, but this time we decided to take the trolley into town rather than drive. This turned into a major production. It started out well enough, as I scored a great parking spot at the transit center. But when the trolley finally came (at this point, it was almost game time already), we could barely fit everyone in -- and we were still several stops from the ballpark! What's worse, (we think) we were supposed to change trains in Old Town. It was hard to tell, since the trolley map showed additional lines operating for "special events". Was the Dodgers game a special event?

When we got to Old Town, the noise on the trolley was enough so that we couldn't hear the announcement. Apparently it said we needed to switch lines to the blue line, and everybody funneled out and crossed the platform. Unfortunately, Tracy and I were the odd people odd, and we had to wait another 10 minutes for a train. This particular train took its merry time on the way to the park, and *finally* we arrived at 7:45, 40 minutes after the first pitch. Doubting there would be any tickets left, we nevertheless went to the ticket office (the scalpers must have already given up). The woman said that she hadn't sold a ticket in 3 hours, but she'd check. Sure enough, two tickets became available! Our luck was getting better! We bought them and proceeded into the ballpark.

Before heading to our seats, we stopped to get some food at the first concession stand. Bad idea. It took at least 15 minutes for the horribly slow service! I have never seen anyone move so slow behind a counter. Never. Eventually, we found our to our seats (they were very nice), but it was already the fourth inning! The Padres were just about to take the lead 3-2, and that's how it would end about an hour later (the game lasted only 2:10). We literally sat in our seats at a baseball game for just over an hour, thanks to our adventures with the trolley and the concession stand lady. Next time I think we'll drive!

Back on the water

This morning, I officially got checked out to take boats out at my new sailing club. After two classroom sessions and a three outings on the water, I was able to convince them that I knew how to handle a boat, tie the necessary knots, follow all the club procedures, and perhaps most importantly, dock the boat under sail. Unlike my boat up in Seattle, these boats do not have engines or a roller-furling jib, which means I'll have to do a little more work. They're also designed for daysailing (as opposed to overnights), so I will need to learn how far I can sail and leave myself enough time to get back in daylight. Naturally, the prevailing winds will be pushing me away from the marina, making estimating a bit harder (going back and forth upwind can take twice as long, if not more). I look forward to getting back into it, needless to say.

After sailing, I was preparing to meet up with a new friend of mine and some of his friends to play softball. Prior to sailing, I gave him a call to make sure we were still on, and he warned me that they might have to cancel due to rain (yes, it does rain here occasionally). Seeing as it was only partly cloudy out, I figured the chances were good that we'd play. But sure enough, on my way back home after sailing, the skies opened up for a nice downpour, and softball was canceled. One of the things I failed to mention on my comparisons between Seattle and San Diego is that when it rains here, it rains. The wind kicks up, and it's a genuine storm that blows through (and is over very soon thereafter). In Seattle, when it rains, the wind often stops blowing, the rain is more of a drizzle that you stop noticing after living in the city for a few months. Occasionally a good storm will come through, but generally it's just "cloudy with a chance of showers". Made me forget what real rain feels like!

On that note, I'd like to note how drivers in virtually every city complain about other drivers who "don't know how to drive in the rain". In the few times it's rained here in San Diego, I've noticed that driving becomes much more difficult, if only because the storms are very localized and chances are, the sun is still shining on the horizon not too far off, creating a glare to add to the spray on the road and the relatively heavy precipitation. It also probably hasn't rained in a while, meaning there's a lot of excess oil built up on the roads, making things slippery. All these factors add up (as they should) to traffic slowing down and people driving more conservatively. Frankly, I've got no problem with that.

The view from my office

Last week, my company moved into a different office within the same building, expanding from about 400 square feet to 800. My view in the old office was quite impressive, looking out over Pacific Beach, palm trees, Mission Bay, and beyond. The view from my new office is even better. Since nobody seemed to claim the corner desk where two windows converge, I decided to take it (at least until we re-configure the office). Now I have the same southern view as before, but I add a western view as well. Since the office is located only three blocks from the ocean, the view of the sparkling Pacific Ocean on a sunny day can be quite a distraction! I'll attempt to embody that in a photo, which surely won't do it justice (click on it to see the full-sized version):

The 1-month comparison: Seattle vs. San Diego

I recently passed the one-month mark in my new home, which clearly qualifies me to make overarching generalizations comparing San Diego to my previous home base, Seattle.

There are obvious similarities between the two: each is is west coast city located on the eastern shore of an U-shaped inlet from the Pacific Ocean; hilly, and yet bike-friendly; with I-5 as the main north/south highway running through he city; known for it's water recreation; located about 2 hours south of a larger metropolis, and short drive from the international border; relatively dry summers and relatively wet winters; reputations as a "nice place to live".

There are even some not-so-obvious similarities: JACK-FM on the radio airwaves; incessant commercials for engagement rings courtesy of the Robbins brothers; a decent amount of Kroger, Safeway, and Albertson's grocery stores; and strong ties to the aviation industry.

And then there are the differences: San Diego is a city that seems to be built around a freeway layout while Seattle seems to do whatever they can to make getting around as difficult as possible; while Seattle has a relatively mild climate (mostly staying between 40 and 75 degrees), San Diego has re-defined mild (50 degrees is cold and 75 seems to be hot, with most days ranging from 55 to 70 year-round); the rain (although it is raining as I write this); the primary color around Seattle is green, while the primary color around San Diego is sandy brown; wearing beanies year-round is pretty typical in Seattle, while I have yet to see anyone wear one in San Diego; and lastly, not surprisingly, there seems to be much more technological innovation going on in my field in Seattle than in San Diego.

So which one do I like more? For someone with my interests, the early returns suggest that Seattle is a better place. While I certainly appreciate the warm and sunny days, I really miss having an outdoor place to spend them (like the mountains). Going skiing, snowshoeing, or sledding from Seattle is quite easy, and you have a range of options from which to choose. From San Diego, it's much more difficult and farther away. And I do miss the rain. Somehow, I am able to appreciate sunny days much more when they have a few cloudy or rainy days (or even months) mixed in. Here, a sunny day isn't much cause for celebration, or "I feel like working outside", or "today's a good day to go for a bike ride", feelings which I definitely felt in Seattle. Heck, even the wind here is so consistent (blowing from the north at 10 knots, rising from morning to evening), that picking out a good sailing day is much less interesting. It used to be that being blessed with a sunny and windy weekend day in Seattle added that extra je ne sais quoi to a Seattle sailing experience. Maybe those days exist here, but it takes some cloudy, no-wind days to appreciate them.

But I'm not down on this place at all. It really is quite nice, and very easy to get into a feel-good groove where each day mimics the last. While faster-paced than Seattle, it's not nearly as bad as LA, New York, or Boston. People have been very courteous (another similarity to Seattle), and overall it's been an easier transition than I had expected.

Update on my life, plus an exciting bike ride

So life is getting steadily better for me. After a few awkward weeks on the new job, I finally began feeling comfortable and productive. Tonight, I joined a sailing club after going out for a test drive with them on Saturday. I've also decided to put aside my fears of a hilly 15-mile commute on my bike, and just go for it. I tried it round-trip for the first time last week, and it was one of my best and worst days -- all rolled into one -- since I've been here.

It started with a sleepless night, since a friend from out of town was staying the night and he got into close to midnight. After that, I kept worrying about getting enough sleep, since I had to get up a little earlier than usual to ride in, and then put 30 miles of biking in after not having ridden more than 8-10 in a really long time. I got out the door on time, and biked quickly bike the six downhill miles to the highway entrance. The way my route is set up, with canyons in the way, I'm supposed to take the highway one exit before taking surface streets toward a bike path into Pacific Beach.

Unfortunately, the highway entrance was closed this day, causing a lot of confusion for a few bikers and lots of cars. There isn't exactly an easy way to get out of this canyon. My two choices were to go north (away from my target) or south (toward a dead-end road that allegedly led to a dirt trail). Since I didn't know where north would lead me, I chose the latter, and before I knew it, I was on a trail fit for a mountain bike or ATV. I had a road bike. So for about a mile and a half, I labored on a slight uphill grade, unsure of where I would end up, or where to go from there (Editor's Note: Precious few roads in San Diego go straight. Many change names for no apparent reason, and others end and pick back up across the canyon.) As I was ascending, I noticed my quick release on my front tire getting loose, but I didn't stop to fix it. For this I would pay a price later on.

After a few wrong turns and lots of downhill, I found the bike path and was well on my way to PB. Once the trail ended, I had to cross a busy intersection that required me to press the walk button. When the signal changed, I clipped in and turned to cross the intersection, and then FLOP! My front wheel came off and I fell flat on my face on the sidewalk. It must be truly funny to watch a clipped-in rider fall on his face.

Fortunately for me, I had only a few scrapes and snapped a zip tie for my trip computer. The last 2.1 miles of the ride was a little uncomfortable, but by the time the day was over, I had logged about 27 miles and couldn't wait to get back on the road again!