Taming the Wild Beast

Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to ride a dirt bike. For one reason or another, there was never any opportunity to do so. Something always stood in the way of my ambition: money, time, lack of equipment, etc.

Finally, after doing the Intro to Dirt Two-day riding workshop with Brian Garrahan, I decided to purchase my own dirt bike. What I didn't realize was how much additional gear would be needed for this new hobby of mine.

First, I needed to figure out whether or not to get a dual-sport, a green sticker, or a red sticker bike. California has strict emission rules for exhaust, and most off-road motorcycles have one of these three designations.

Dual-sport vehicles can go on or off-road but are not well suited for either. Green sticker motorcycles can be ridden year-round and are usually bikes manufactured before 2002 or newly manufactured but meeting specific California emission standards. The green sticker bikes come with headlights and tail lights (and can be transformed into dual-sport).

Red sticker bikes cannot be ridden from June through September except at specific locations. Lake Tahoe area has no restrictions on "red" sticker bikes; however, popular riding spots like Hollister Hills SRVA and Metcalf do restrict red bikes.

Initially, I wanted to purchase a dual sport - like a Yamaha WR250R. However, it was pretty heavy (300lbs) and tall when I sat on it. It would not be an ideal off-road bike for me. I also looked into the Honda CRF250L, but reviews of the motorcycle were not very encouraging (at least for off-road use). With a dual sport, I could ride from my home to Metcalf without transportation.

I checked with my buddies on South Bay Riders, and most riders were adamantly opposed to dual-sport bikes and instead recommended getting a dirt-only bike (green or red sticker) and a vehicle to tow it. Since I had a Toyota Sienna minivan, I decided to install a trailer hitch. I had my local Foreign Affair independent Toyota shop do the complete install.

Since I did not want to tow a trailer, I purchased a hitch-mounted bike carrier - specifically the aluminum AMC-400. It had excellent reviews, and I found a decent deal for it online at Summit Racing.

Once I received the hitch carrier, I installed it with the accompanying anti-sway module. The anti-sway module would prove to cause me some problems, as the supplied bolts were too long, and during one ride in my Toyota Sienna minivan, two of the four screws bent. I had them replaced with higher-quality bolts.

Now, it was time to settle on the exact motorcycle. I really wanted a "green" sticker bike to ride it year-round, but there were few used "green" bikes. I found one 2007 CRF250x but decided against it after learning about the numerous valve problems.

I finally found a great deal on a 2013 Honda CRF250R and decided to go for it! It was in excellent shape, and I decided that I could live with "red" sticker limitations. I could not ride it from June through September at specific popular locations. It is usually sweltering in the summer anyway, and I would be doing other sports like windsurfing or sailing.

I picked up the motorcycle on Sunday, December 6th, and took it to have it looked at by my local motorcycle mechanic, Jeff Morris. Jeff suggested adding Cycra handguards (to protect the brake and clutch levers), a plastic bash plate (to protect the engine), and a kickstand installed.

While my bike was prepped, I focused on acquiring the best safety gear. 

For the head, I chose the Shoei VFX-W Reputation off-road helmet. I always liked helmets made by Arai and Shoei (having used both when I rode my Honda VFR800 and CBR1000RR). The Shoei fit my head really well.

For knee guards, I chose the Fox Racing Titan Pro. These looked and felt very sturdy and well-made. I got the Fox Titan Sport jacket for body armor, which has lots of armor for both the chest, back, and elbows. I chose the Fox Racing Race pants for off-road jerseys and pants (which have built-in protection).

In addition to all of the riding gear, I needed to purchase a pressure washer - an AR Blue Clean AR383 - to wash the bike after riding, a chain degreaser and a DRC MX stand to service the bike. This hobby sure requires a lot of items!

I look forward to finally riding the wild beast at Metcalf and Hollister Hills.

I picked up my Honda CRF250R from Jeff Morris, which was prepped on Thursday, December 17th. Jeff found a lot of issues with the bike and did the following repairs and enhancements:

• Changed engine oil and filter with Lucas Synthetic Blend 10/40 motor oil (0.69L) engine
• Changed transmission oil with Lucas Synthetic Blend 10/40 motor oil (0.68L)
• Serviced air filter
• Found upper tank strap bracket open (replaced)
• Checked valve clearance (off LI.18, RI.12, LE.23, RE.24mm). Corrected/re-shimmed
• Flushed and bled front and rear brake fluid
• Adjust brake pedal height
• Re-positioned shift lever 
• Installed new Pro Moto Billet kickstand
• Set fork parallel
• Aired tires to 13 psi
• Installed new Hardline hour meter
• Installed new front and rear sprocket set
• Cleaned rear wheel and greased with waterproof grease
• Established new RK-520 Gold HD UW-ring chain
• Lubed hand and foot controls, adjusted clutch
• Installed new Cycra racer pack handguards
• Removed OEM engine guard and installed new Acerbis plastic skid plate

Read More

Review: nVidia Shield TV

Having been an active user of Home Theater Personal Computers for many years (running Windows 7/8.1), I was looking for a front-end device that could replace the cumbersome keyboard and mouse. I prefer to have all my media on a separate NAS, like the Synology DS1815+, instead of a big, noisy PC.

My first significant replacement came with my adoption of Roku 3, which, combined with Plex, could do most of the Home Theater duties reasonably well. Roku has some limitations - it cannot play many movies directly and requires Plex to transcode many high-def films into a format it can display. Besides, it does not support speech recognition (the new version does) and is sometimes slow.

My first attempt to replace it came with my dismal attempt at using Amazon's New Fire TV. I could never open the remote's battery compartment and send it back to Amazon.

I decided to try it with a promising Nvidia Shield TV. Although I liked the idea of the new Apple TV, I did not like the fact that Apple's device did not support 4K TV standards, nor specific foreign channels like etvnet.com

During Black Friday, I noticed that Nvidia's Shield TV with remote - generally priced at $249 - was offered at $149. I decided to give it a shot.

The Shield is an Android-powered box with a nice TV remote and a gaming controller.
It had Plex and Netflix already pre-installed. It could even run Kodi (XBMC), which I used on an HTPC for many years.

Although it had fewer channels than Roku, the Shield was very responsive to button presses, and speech recognition even worked with Plex! Searching and navigation were far easier with voice. However, voice search does not work with Netflix.

I have tried a few games on the Shield, but they are not appealing yet. However, as a streaming box, the Shield is great and can replace my HTPC forever.

Read More

Review: Emma at Lucille Packard Theater

Today, we saw a musical version of Jane Austen's Emma in the Lucille Packard Theater. The music and lyrics were written by Paul Gordon. The stage was beautifully designed.

Miss Emma Woodhouse, played by Lianne Marie Dobbs, acted delightfully as the ingenue matchmaker, whose initial success in matchmaking is overshadowed by her later failures. Although obsessed with romance, Emma is clueless about her feelings.

The entire cast was quite splendid, and I enjoyed the show much more than I expected.

Read More

Relaxing at Solage Spa in Calistoga

We have always enjoyed dining at the fabulous Solbar Restaurant in Calistoga, especially when we spent time at the Indian Springs Resort. We have never stayed at the Solage Spa, but Inna wanted to try it, so we booked the "Just the Two of Us" promotion for the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and checked in. The drive from San Jose to Calistoga was uneventful, and we especially enjoyed the fall colors. Deciduous trees were turning yellow, red, and all colors in between. After checking in at Solbar's reception (and enjoying some chai tea), we changed and took a short swim in Solage's mineral pool.

After enjoying a relaxing swim in the mineral pool, we split up. I went to the men's steam room and jacuzzi while Inna went to the women's section. The mineral pool is restricted to adults 18 and older, so Alex could not stay there for 30 minutes.

However, we enjoyed time in the pool, then returned to our room to prepare for dinner at Solbar.

Since it was pretty cold outside, we decided to eat inside. I ordered a soup, "Butternut Squash Velouté," to start my dining adventure, followed by "Slow Roasted Engrilled Lamb Shoulder."

Both dishes were simply fabulous. The lamb shoulder was incredibly delicious! I cannot recall eating a better-cooked lamb dish. This dish makes Solbar a Michelin 1-star!

Inna started with a "salad," followed by "Seared Day Boat Diver Scallops."

Both dishes were really fantastic.

For dessert, we decided to share a few dishes. I ordered "Butterscotch Rum Pudding" to share with Inna, and she called it a "Chocolate Marquise."

The butterscotch pudding was divine. I wish I could eat it all over again.

Alex ordered some "Dulce de Leche" ice cream with chocolate syrup on the side.

After dinner, we went back home and played a few games. We played Words with Friends, and I won, with Alex coming in second and Inna coming in third.

Saturday, November 28

In the morning, I decided to work early in Solage's gym. The gym is not very big but has all top-of-the-line exercise equipment (except rowing machines and stair masters). I decided to exercise for 30 minutes on the jogging track and 20 minutes on the stationary bike. I also did a few bench presses. As it was getting late for breakfast, I rushed back, and we returned to Solbar for our delicious breakfast.

Inna ordered "Mt. Washington Eggs". They were exceptional!

I ordered the famous "Lemon Ricotta Pancakes." They are my favorite pancakes, and I always come to Solbar for breakfast!

The pancakes were outstanding, as expected! I really enjoyed them.

After our delicious breakfast, we had many appointments lined up. Inna booked a couples massage and a mud treatment (which I have never tried before).

From 10:30am to 11:30am, we experienced a very nice couples massage. Inna and I shared a room while the two massage therapists applied pressure to relieve stress. I felt fantastic!
After the massage ended, we had another hour before the next treatment, so we went for a short swim in the nearby mineral pool. It was so lovely and refreshing.

At 12:30 pm, we came back for our mud treatment. Each of us was handed a bucket of volcanic mud flavored with perfume (that we selected). We were guided to a private room, where we applied the volcanic mud all over our bodies and waited 20 minutes for it to settle. The volcanic mud is supposed to detoxify one's skin. I felt great afterward, but I can't say I felt any different.

After the beautiful mud treatment, we were guided to a soaker tub, where we relaxed in warm water for 15-20 minutes. After the tub, we headed to another private room, where we took a long nap while listening to relaxing music. We had a wonderful, relaxing time at the spa and would love to return.

After the spa treatment, we returned to our room to check on Ale, then headed to lunch at Sam's Social Club, a new restaurant at the Indian Springs Resort.

Sam's Social Club has attractive interior decor, reminiscent of the quaint olden days of California.

I ordered a "Mushroom Scramble," which was not bad.

Alex ordered a "Margherita Pizza," which he enjoyed a lot.

Inna ordered an "Egg in a Hole." She really liked it.

After lunch, we decided to go for a bike ride in downtown Calistoga. It was a bit late and cold, so we did not bike far.

We returned to Solage in time to rest and play a few board games before heading for dinner at Bouchon Bistro in nearby Yountville.

We have been coming to Bouchon whenever we head for Napa/Sonoma wine country. However, we were not as impressed on this visit (as in previous visits).

I ordered a "Salade de Cresson et d'Endives au Roquefort, Pommes et Noix". While it looked pretty presentable, it was nothing special.

Inna ordered a "Salade Maraîchère au Chèvre Chaud". It was also nothing special.

We did not order wine (because it's usually overpriced in these restaurants).

I ordered lamb (to compare it with the most delicious lamb at Solbar). Unfortunately, Bouchon's lamb was vastly inferior to Solbar's. I don't think Bouchon deserves a Michelin 1-star anymore.

Inna ordered a "Pasta with Lobster" special entree. While it was delicious, she was not ecstatically happy about it.

Alex was not very hungry, so he just ate some French Fries.

I was looking forward to trying a delicious dessert, but I was headed for disappointment again.

While the cake looked inviting, it did not taste exceptional.

Alex ordered some ice cream but was unhappy with the small scoops.

We were not very happy with dinner at Bouchon. I hope Thomas Keller gets his act together because I would rather eat at Solbar (which is vastly better).

Inna was also upset about one other aspect of Bouchon. After returning from the restroom, she commented about the filthy state of the ladies' restroom. A Michelin 1-star restaurant should be better than that.

Sunday, November 28

Morning greeted us with some frost, and we dressed warmly before heading for breakfast.

The steam from the heated swimming pool was rising.

We had another delicious breakfast in Solbar. This time, Inna and Alex ordered the famous "Lemon Ricotta Pancakes"! Everyone loved them!

After breakfast, we decided to enjoy the mineral springs pool some more.

We enjoyed a swim in the pool, followed by some time in the steam room.

We had a very relaxing morning.

After breakfast, we decided to try out the local Foosball machine. Alex and I played three games, and I lost 2 to 1.

It was time for lunch, so we decided to try the local New Orleans-themed Evangeline restaurant.
I ordered the Chicken and Waffle combination. It was perfect, but not as spicy as I had expected (having lived in Houston, Texas, near Louisiana).

Inna ordered the "Rosti" dish.

After lunch, we stopped by the V. Sattui Winery briefly, where we usually buy our wine for the year (since it's not sold in stores). We purchased a case with six bottles of Gamay Rouge and six bottles of Muscat - our favorite wines.

We had a great getaway to Calistoga and hope to be back someday.

Read More

Review: "Riverdance" at San Jose Center for Performing Arts

Inna purchased two front-row tickets to Riverdance at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts for my birthday.

I didn't know what to expect, as I had never seen it before and knew Michael Flatley no longer danced in this show.

We had a great view of the performance from the front row and enjoyed the dancers' energy. It was well-performed and enjoyable. I especially liked the Flamenco Dancer and the drummer (who played with great enthusiasm and energy).

According to Wikipedia:

Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. Featuring Irish dancing champions Jean Butler and Michael Flatley, and with a score composed by Limerick native Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval performance act during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. Shortly afterwards, husband and wife production team John McColgan and Moya Doherty expanded it into a stage show, which opened in Dublin on 9 February 1995. Since then, the show has visited over 450 venues worldwide and been seen by over 25 million people, making it one of the most successful dance productions in the world.

Read More

Windsurfing Coyote Point

I usually don't windsurf in November due to the cold weather and lack of wind.

However, yesterday, I saw a forecast for 25+ knot winds, and I started to get tempted.
The air temperature was 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and I noticed the Pacific water temperature was also about the same (unusually warm).

I tried it and drove to Coyote Point, my closest windsurfing destination (about 45-50 minutes). Since I haven't windsurfed this year, I didn't want to drive too far.

When I arrived at around 13:00, the wind was gusting to 30 knots, and a few crazy souls were out there on their 4.2 sq. m sail and trim boards. I rigged my old (ancient) Ezzy Wave 4.2 sail and took out my old but trusty Mistral Ecstasy (84-liter).

I recorded parts of the crazy session on my GoPro Hero in high def:

When I launched, I was surprised by the gusty wind. I was catapulted a few times until I could finally get in the straps and scream across the bay.

After about 45 minutes of this intense windsurfing, I was totally beat. I must be really out of shape!
I had a great session, and I am happy to have been able to sail in mid-November.

Read More

Biking Saratoga Gap and Peters Creek

As the weather was sunny and mild, I decided to try to mountain bike the Saratoga Gap and Peters Creek trail in Saratoga (starting at the Vista Point parking lot at the intersection of Highway 9 and Skyline Boulevard).

Initially, I wanted to ride this trail with the South Bay Mountain Bike group on meetup, but there was no space (8 people had already made reservations, and I was placed on a waiting list). I decided to ride anyway, as I had the map and my iPhone 5S for GPS and tracking.

I arrived just before 10:00 am (right at the meetup time) and was surprised that most of those 8 people did not attend. I decided to go along with the rest of the crew.

I was on my 20-year-old Specialized Ground Control complete suspension bike (about to be retired) for a new-to-me 2011 Specialized S-works FSR.

The trail started with an easy climb to a single track with an excellent green tree cover. I recorded a GoPro video of my ride on this nice Saratoga Gap trail.

The ride took about 2.5 hours, and we stopped a few times to wait for everyone to catch up. I really liked this trail - it's not as tiresome as Quicksilver - but it is more scenic with many different sections of single track and technical descents. I hope to ride it once again.

Read More

Specialized StumpJumper FSR

I have been riding my old 1997 Specialized Ground Control on all sorts of trails for 18 years. It cost me $1,399 back in 1997 when I lived in Sacramento and biked on nearby trails and near Lake Tahoe.

Recently, when it came time to do maintenance, I took it to the nearby Summit Bicycles. The mechanics there told me that my bike was completely obsolete and that everything needed replacing. I would be better off getting a newer bike.

My old Specialized came with V-brakes - while today's mountain bikes all have hydraulic disc brakes. There were many modern suspension improvements as well.

My long search for a replacement bike began. At first, I considered buying a brand new one, but the bike prices have appreciated dramatically. At the local shops, decent bikes with carbon frames were going for over $3k. I decided to look for a nice used bike on Craigslist.

After many fruitless searches, I found a decent bike - a 2011 Specialized Stumpjumper S-Works FSR Carbon Full Suspension in Pleasanton. It came loaded with all Shimano XTR and SRAM X0 components and looked in proper condition. After some price negotiation, I decided to buy it.

Frame: Full Carbon
Size: Med
Fork: Fox FutureShock w/ Brain
Rear Suspension: Fox FutureShock w/ Brain
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X0
Front Derailleur: Shimano XTR
Shifters: SRAM X0
Brakes: Shimano XTR (ICE Tech Rotors)
Cranks: Shimano XTR
Chain: Shimano XTR (replaced with Shimano XT)
Cassette: Shimano XTR (replaced with Shimano XT)
Headset: Cane Creek
Stemp: Thompson Elite X3
Handle Bar: Specialized Carbon
Seat Post: Rock Shox Reverb (Dropper Post)
Seat: WTB Pure V
Grips: Specialized Body Geometry (replaced)
Wheels: Roval Control E5
Tires: WTB Weirwolf 2.3

Once I purchased it, I took it to my local Los Gatos Bicycles bike shop for a thorough evaluation. The mechanics found the chain, cassette, and two chainrings worn out. I had everything replaced, but it cost me another $400.

I tried out the new-to-me specialized FSR and liked it a lot. The disc brakes are more responsive, and the dropper post helps going downhill.

Read More