Jump Starting a Prius Can Be Very Challenging

I was parked at a restaurant, and was ready to drive home.  Press the brake pad, hit the Power button, and all displays light up on the console (it’s not supposed to do that), and the car won’t start.  I thought maybe I had a door ajar, draining the battery.  I checked all of that, and nope … so try a bunch of things, for a good 45 minutes, and nothing.

Bring out the owner’s manual … jump starting the Prius.  Well, this was interesting.  First, where is the battery (aside from the big one in the trunk that you cannot access).  There is a battery terminal, nestled inside the fuse box.  Well that’s good, but they position it in the hood where it’s hard to pry it open.  Finally get it open, and the battery terminal is recessed, in such a way, that it is challenging to get the alligator clips on the jumper cable to clamp onto the bolt.

After jimmying it for about 15 minutes, we finally get it jumped.  Radio turns on, so woohoo.  Oh, but wait … the engine still doesn’t turn.  We go through the same thing one more time, and still, nothing.  We got to the point where we may need to call the tow company in the morning.  We removed the jumper cables, and get ready for the ride.  I try one more desperation attempt, hear the radio, then go in reverse, and the engine turns.  Yes … don’t anyone make any sudden moves!!!!  Well, that was nerve racking!  With a hybrid, you’re not sure if the engine should turn on right away, because it is a hybrid.

Then, yet another message … I get a warning saying that my “P” lock mechanism is not in place, but yet I am able to move.  Screw it … I’m 3 miles from home, I can drive it, so I’m just going to drive with that big warning message.  I made it home, and that’s all that counts.

I shut my engine off, then start it again.  The engine starts, no warning message about the “P” lock mechanism … The computer was probably all confused from the original problem.

Hybrid’s and troubleshooting it, from a consumer perspective, is really different, and can be very stressful.  Now let’s monitor this for a few days.  Wow.

Don’t See This Everyday

I took this 5 years ago during one of my visits to Southern California, and it seems like just yesterday.  This was on our way up Hwy 39, on our way up to Hwy 2, but I never made it all the way (quit about half mile from the top).  This guy did make the trip memorable … I mean how many times do you see a guy doing an epic climb, on a mountain bike, with skis?  And he was going skiing too.  Wonder how he did?

What Would Prevent Me From Riding?

So what would take me away from my daily bike commutes?  Cold … nah, it would have to be in the teens (but even then, I’d probably be foolish enough to ride in it).  Rain … nah, one time I ride the river trail, in a downpour, and rode through the trail, even though standing water would go up to my waist.  Thunderstorm … now that’s a possible … a maybe.

No, that wouldn’t take me away … But getting a stiff neck .. yeah, that definitely would, and it did today.  But here’s the weird thing … I got up this morning, prepared my coffee, breakfast, then all of a sudden, whamo … neck gets all stiff, and moving to my right … really stiff.  How the heck did that happen?  Getting a stiff neck from sleeping in the wrong position … I understand that … but I already got up, and have no idea how I tweaked it.  Oh well … I guess I may not make it to 500 miles for the month after all.

Cramps Really Cramped My Ride

My plan was quite ambitious … was going to climb over Skyline, then down the other side to the coast, then climb on the way back.  It would have been a 70+ mile, and 7000 ft+ ride.  Well, that would have been fine, except for the cramps that I developed over night.  Added to that, I woke up a little later than usual, so I didn’t arrive till about 20 minutes later than usual.

I still felt the effects of the cramps, as my knee felt a little stiff.  It was a little chilly, which typically is not a good thing when you have a cramp in your leg.

Page Mill Road

It’s kinda strange, that I was able to climb Page Mill, especially with it’s 12-15% grades, and I only felt weak when I was climbing 2-3% climbs, where I’m spinning with a higher cadence. We went down the other side of West Alpine, only to the point before the descent would come. I felt the smart thing to do was to turn back, instead of going down far, and having to climb up, with the uncertainty of how my knee would hold up. Instead, we went back on Skyline, over to Alice’s Restaurant for breakfast … 🙂

My knee started to feel better, only after we go down off the mountain, and the sun started to shine through. Perhaps it was a combination of the cramps over night, and the cold air. Well, at least we got in a good 41 miles, and 4400 feet of climbing … not a bad clip, considering. First thing to do, getting home is to stick the heat pad on my knee.

 

Take It Easy

This past MLK Day was a sad one .. this was the day Glenn Frey, one of the founders of the Eagles, passed away.  It came as a big shock to many, and I still think about his brilliance.

They were the first real band that I followed closely, and I grew up listening to them.  I fell in love with their harmonies, the fusion of country rock, and even though none of the were originally from Southern California, us Angelinos adopted them as our own.

One of these Nights was probably what attracted me first, followed by Lyin’ Eyes … but I think I really became a fan when we got the 8-track version of the Eagles’ Greatest Hits .  Yes, you heard it … 8-track.  I love it … there was not a bad track on that.  But then, Take it Easy really caught my ears, and it just captured the sound that we all know and love.

Then, they had the Eagles Live album.  I remember the passage in Take it Easy “Well I’m standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, and such a fine site to see” … and they replaced that with “well I’m standing on a corner in Southern California, such a fine site to see” … and the crowd erupted (concert recorded at Universal Amphitheatre, I think).  When I heard that, I yelled “yeah!!!!”

It’s been a full day now, and I’m still listening to my Eagles Spotify playlist.  When’s the last time you were such a fan of an artist, that their passing away has pre-occuppied your attention so much?  I think the last time for me was John Lennon … Now I’m not going to make the comparison of Glenn Frey to John Lennon, but to me, he was that important.

So to Glenn Frey, we will all miss you.  You are such a talent, and you will be missed dearly.  Take it Easy.

Bike Commuting Night Gear

Some of you may be worried about being able to be seen at night on my commutes home.  Well, I’ll document it here.

So on the front, I’ve got a nice 500 lumen Exposure Sirius light.  It’s very compact, lightweight, and the mount is not a hard plastic mount that will scratch up the handle bar.  In fact, it’s got a sturdy rubber stretchable mount, that is easy to take on or off, and will conform to even most irregular shaped handlebars (which seems to be the in thing nowadays).

Exposure Sirius Handlebar Mounted

I also have my Niterider Lumina 250, which is sufficient to direct the beam towards any dark patches of the road. I typically point the beam downward, such that it doesn’t blind other cyclists or drivers coming towards me. That is only courteous anyways.

 

I then bought some reflective tape, strategically designed to be placed on your spokes, so that if anyone shines a light at you, they’d have to be blind not to see it … especially when the wheel spins. I got these at REI (http://www.rei.com/product/808967/lightweights-for-wheels-power-reflectors)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Under my seat post, I have Serfas Thunderbolt … very powerful rear facing light, about 30 lumens.  It’s also a USB rechargable light.  This can be seen for miles.  Being the lazy ass that I am, I choose the lowest blinking mode, always forgetting to charge them up.

Serfas Thunderbolt

I also have some Blackburn Flea rear facing blinkers.  They’re very compact, and has a tight clip, where you could put just about anywhere.  I usually clip these on the back of my jacket.  Could I use more???  Yes, definitely it’s better to be seen.  But with what I have, I feel pretty safe on the night commutes … Now if only others would be more caring about being seen, that would be great … but I’m not holding my breath for it.

Blackburn Flea

It still amazes me how many walkers, joggers, go out on the multi-use trail, with no reflectors, no lights, and it’s pitch black out there. Not every is like me, with a super bright light. That’s bound to create accidents.

Bike Maintenance on an On Call Weekend

I’m on call this weekend, which means no real extended time on the bike.  So I decided to give my folding bike some love, and do some work on it.  What prompted me to do this, was while on a bike ride to grab breakfast at Noah’s NY Bagels, I noticed the rear was going a little wibbly-wobbly … no it’s not timey wimey .. ha, I got a Doctor Who reference in there!

So I get the rear wheel off … no quick release levers here … just old fashioned nut on a threaded axle … Wow that was a pain to get off.  On closer inspection, what do I find … Suntour … Suntour?  Wow, do I even have a tool that can remove this?

Actually, it’s the same shape as the shimano cassette, and I was able to get that off, with no problem.  I spun the wheel, and it didn’t feel like it was rolling very smoothly … so taking the axle apart, I find this does not have sealed bearings … ugh, how did we maintain our bikes before sealed bearings?

I go ahead and clean out the bearings, put it back together, and what do you know … I misplaced a couple of balls.  All the preparation in the world, and you still manage to lose them.  Quick run to the LBS, getting a nice set of replacement ball bearings, and I’m ready to go.  After re-packing them, I found the missing ball bearings … it was inside the axle of the wheel.  I guess I didn’t poke it enough to find it.

The challenge in doing this (something I haven’t done in a long time) is remembering which part goes where.  This took a lot longer than it normally would, but I don’t mind … this is all just to spend some time away, while I’m on call.  The only drawback is, if I get a call, I’ve got greasy grimy hands.  Luckily, no one called while I was maintaining the bike.

So that’s how my exciting weekend is being spent … how about yours?

Days Starting to Get Longer

Are The Days Getting Longer?

Is it me, or are the days getting longer? I know, it just turned New Years, but when I get out a little after 5 pm, it does seem a little lighter than before. That’s something to get this bike commuter excited about. As if getting off work isn’t excitement enough, but commuting by bike, and having it not quick so pitch black … it’s something to smile about.

Today was the first day it was fairly dry since the weekend.  We’ve had 3 days of pretty heavy constant rain, and waking up in the morning, to see it not rain was exciting.

I went on the Stevens Creek MUT today, and it was pretty eerie, because it was just me, and a few other joggers on the path.  There were no other bikes on the MUT at all.  Usually I’d see 5 or 6 others, but tonight, it was just me.  I mean, it wasn’t raining, so that couldn’t have scared everyone away, would it?  I was just happy to be back on the road commuting again.

It might not rain until Friday evening, so looks like I’ll be commuting again tomorrow.  I gotta do something to trim down for the coming season.

The Problems of Working From Home

Due to some office re-configuration of office space, I’ve been working from home for the past 3 weeks.  Now when you think about that, you’d think that’s great, but there are some changes in lifestyle pattern which make this a little undesirable.

First, I don’t get to commute to work.  Well, you’d then say just get up early and do a hort loop before you start work?  Well for whatever reason, I can’t get motivated to do that.  Part of it could be it’s been raining, or its been very cold, and doesn’t really gives me motivation to do that.  I guess I just got really lazy.

Second, no free coffee at home.  First few days, I went to Starbucks in the morning before starting my shift at home … Plus it breaks my normal routine of going down to the cafe, getting my free Peets coffee, and my favorites from the grill.  Lately I’m just brewing my own pot of Peets, and making some scrambled eggs.  Just not the same.

Third, there’s the leaf blower.  I’m just glad I’m not on a really intense call while they are going off.  It does get pretty annoying.

Fourth, there is the lack of office camaraderie.  I like the live social interaction, and being cooped up at home is torture.

Probably the only good thing is that I get to do things around the house that I normally wouldn’t have been able to do (because I’m on the road commuting back home).

I don’t see how everyone does it, but I don’t like working from home.  For those that do, more power to you.  I finally get to go back on the office tomorrow, so that will be cool … And then re-acquaint myself with my new office space, yet again.

Happy New Year Everyone

Courtesy hotlatest.com via Pinterest

Happy New Year.  Welcome 2016.  Have a safe year everyone.  And hopefully I’ll be over this cold soon … Sucks having a cold on New Year’s Eve, but at least that’s an excuse not to be out on the road.