Memorial Day 66 Miler

You know sometimes when it comes to food your eyes can be bigger than your stomach? That was me with today's bike ride. With food you can just stop eating. Riding a bike you pretty much have to finish what you bit off.

I normally do 40 milers with regularity so I was not too worried about this one going in and it would have been okay if the route was flat or had rolling hills. The climb before and after Alpine Lake had me cursing out loud. Once I made it up to Ridgecrest and Panoramic I knew I would be okay, especially after Pantoll Ranger Station because then it is downhill to Mill Valley.

Beautiful day though with some great vistas along the way. The photo is looking back towards Bolinas and the Pacific Ocean. You can check out the route by clicking the title.

Thank you!

From The Presidio National Cemetery. The GGNRA refurbished a trail behind the cemetery complete with benches overlooking the bridge. It is a touching place of reflection.

Heart Rates and Checkups

46 beats per minute. That is what registered during my annual check up today. "Is your heart rate normally that low?" asked the nurse. I felt a bit embarrassed telling her I was disappointed in the number. I was hoping for something around 42. "You're in good shape." she said while making a strong arm gesture.

For an adult, a normal resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). For a well-trained athlete, a normal resting heart rate may be as low as 40 to 60 bpm. It has been reported Lance Armstrong has a resting rate of 32-34.

Just because one has a low heart rate does not necessarily mean that person is in good shape.

A better measurement of physical fitness is checking your heart rate after exercise and see how long it takes to get back to resting rate. This is called the recovery rate and is much more important when looking at how fit you are.

After exercising, your heart rate should drop below 120 bpm 2-3 minutes after stopping your cardio workout.

Presidential Visit

It is not everyday you get to see The President. Okay, didn't actually see him but saw his car. He was having a dinner/fundraiser at the Getty House on Billionaire's Row (Broadway and Lyon) about 1/2 mile from my humble apartment. Do you think they have enough motorcycle officers?
Notice the gray car parked on the far side of the street in the first photo? That is a Tesla Roadster. A 100k car just parked on the street.

Enough with the Fees

I thought complimentary meant free. When did the meaning of this word change? Was it part of the stimulus package? Recently stayed at a place up north and had to pay for complimentary services.

This was part of disclaimer on the bill: All prices quoted is US Dollars and are PLUS, applicable taxes, recovery fees, eco-fee of $ 6.80 per room, per night and resort fees of $ 25 per person, per stay. Resort fees offset complimentary services and amenities, including our outdoor hot tubs, free local & long-distance phone calls, private hot tub access, high-speed wi-fi internet, parking, spa lounge, full service breakfast and more.

The fee offsets complimentary services. Huh? Here's my advice to all businesses: don't charge me a fee, just raise the price and include the fee in that. Fees only make consumers feel like they are being nickle and dimed for everything. Especially when you claim certain items are complimentary.

As for the 'eco-fee', I asked what it did special to warrant this fee and was told they along with other properties are trying to be economically efficient but was given no specifics.

Needless to say this will be the last stay here.