Terrible Analogies

NOTE: Updated 7/13/09 with several new pics of trail entry and upgrades, and a link to MapQuest map.
NOTE: Created new post on 5/06/10 with pics of new signs along the Fry Koegel trail.  Check it out here.

Let’s hear it for three day weekends!

With nothing on my schedule I grabbed my Camelbak and sunscreen and headed for Mt. Woodson.  There’s an amazing trail loop that begins at the base of Mt. Woodson from Highway 67 that’s turned into one of my favorite San Diego trail runs.  Over the many years that I’ve run this loop I’ve seen a grand total of one other person on the Old Fry-Koegle trail.  Because of the light usage and low upkeep this section of this particular loop gets, the trail can become a bit technical, so keep your knees up and watch out for loose dirt.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love this trail.  It’s an amazing uphill run, but every time you’re on it the pain makes you question why you wanted be there in the first place.  But you soon realize that the downhill section makes the uphill march a worthy price to pay.

I’ve been meaning to post a photo walkthrough of this particular trail, which throws everything at you in the short scope of seven miles;  you’ll encounter paved roads, steep inclines and declines, loose dirt, narrow trails, rock scrambling, poison ivy, heat, cold, and rocks that I swear jump up and try to trip you.

If you’re up to the challenge, then get yourself to Mt. Woodson and park along Highway 67 next to the other cars that mark the entrance to the path.  Look for the break in the fence that leads you down a dirt trail.  You’ll eventually come across a paved road.  Run (or walk) that road uphill for a grueling 3.6 miles of hell.  Consider yourself hard core if you make it up those 3.6 miles without stopping!  Once you crest the top, continue on down the other side and follow the Old Fry-Koegel trail back to your car.

The sign at the trail head

Follow the trail to the base of Mt. Woodson

Your first glimpse of Woodson from the trail base

Sure, it looks pretty, but after three miles you'll be cursing it

As you near the peak you'll begin to see Pine Trees

Head up and over the peak, following the right paved road as it splits.  This will lead you over to the far side of Mt. Woodson.  Follow the obvious trail down the mountain.

The view from the top of Mt. Woodson. Click to enlarge.

Potato Chip rock

Portions of the trail almost seem to want to push you over the edge...

A standout portion of the trail is running through these giant boulders. This section of the run, with its rolling hills and slopes, really pumps you up.

After the split rock, you’ll continue downhill for another five minutes or so.  What you’re looking for is an unmarked trail that branches off to your right as you descend a few switchbacks.  If you think you’ve gone too far and missed this trail, you probably haven’t.  Just keep looking to your right as you descend the short switchbacks.

Here's where the Old Fry-Koegle trail splits off to the right. It's difficult to miss. Just look for it at the switchbacks roughly 4-5 minutes after you run between the boulders (see pic above).

The Old Fry-Koegle trail split

Another picture of the Old Fry-Koegle trail split, looking down at Lake Poway. Click to enlarge.

This side trail is called the Old Fry-Koegle trail, and it will eventually lead you back to the base of Mt. Woodson near where you parked.

This trail can get a bit technical, so keep your eyes open and your feet up

Somebody has been busy these past few weeks removing weeds and building a set of stairs. Whomever did this, kudos! (7/11/09)

Self-Portrait: Pausing on Old Fry-Koegle trail

As you descend the scenery begins to change...

A section of Old Fry-Koegle trail

Poison Oak warning sign. Man, they ain't jokin' here...

You'll eventually pass this sign (I'm looking back to take this pic) where the Old and the New Fry-Koegle trail merges

Running through the soft underfoot of an oak tree forest

The infamous Poison Oak of Mt. Woodson. It's easy enough to avoid. Just pay attention.

The trail will eventually spit you onto a fenced off horse trail.  From here simply follow the trail, keeping the homes to your left.

Follow the horse trail

When you see this mailbox, you'll know your run is almost at an end

Keep behind the fence and head up towards a golf green

When you reach the golf green the trail will skirt it to the right. Follow this trail all the way to the freeway. You'll soon hear the traffic

After three switchbacks you'll want to look for a small trail on the other side of the fence. Sneak under the fence and follow the trail up and right.

You're almost done! Run roughly 200 meters along the wide shoulder next to the highway to your car. Congrats on a fine run!

Did I happen to mention that you'll get more than a bit dirty on this run?

Mountain Bike Bill has a great topo map of Mt. Woodson.  The loop I run follows the H-O-M-L-J route.  Bill also has a couple 3-D topos of Mt. Woodson, so please drop by his site and check them out.  Kudos, Bill!

Highway 67 in Ramona, California.

The map to the Mt. Woodson trailhead can be seen here.  Note: The pin is generally where I park my car, opposite side of the road from the trail head.  Just look for the cars parked along side of the road for the true location of the trail head (see first pic in this post).

And there you are.  That’s the whole Mt. Woodson loop.  I hope you’ll give this run a shot.  This particular route deserves to see more runners on it.  The challenging climb, the amazing scenery and technical terrain really makes this a special run.  If you see me out there, be sure to give a shout!

Karin and I went to see the Padres versus the Diamondbacks this Sunday afternoon, and it turned out to be the longest baseball game I’ve ever seen in person.  The Padres went though their entire pitching lineup, even calling up an unrested Chad Gaudin to pitch the 16th and 17th innings.  Shortstop Josh Wilson was forced to pitch the 18th inning, and he was doing a pretty solid job, but the game was eventually put away by the D-Backs with a three run homer in the 18th.

This game turned out to be the longest game of the season (so far).

Here’s a stitch pic I took from our seats just prior to the first pitch.  Click to embiggin:

After six hours of fresh air and sunshine I’m simply beat.  Tomorrow I’ll be running Mt. Woodson, then I’ll be replacing the panel overlay for my MAME arcade machine that got lost in our house purchase/move last year, so I better get some rest.

On the day I learned that David Carradine died of what’s looking more and more like a session of autoerotic asphyxiation gone horribly awry, I also learned that the burgers I’ve been enjoying since childhood contain less than 15% actual meat.  

According to this study, what you’re eating isn’t all that appetizing:

Meat content in the hamburgers ranged from 2.1% to 14.8% (median, 12.1%). The cost per gram of hamburger ranged from $0.02 to $0.16 (median, $0.03) and did not correlate with meat content. Electron microscopy showed relatively preserved skeletal muscle. A variety of tissue types besides skeletal muscle were observed including connective tissue (n = 8), blood vessels (n = 8), peripheral nerve (n = 8), adipose tissue (n = 7), plant material (n = 4), cartilage (n = 3), and bone (n = 2). In 2 hamburgers, intracellular parasites (Sarcocystis) were identified.  Approximately half of their weight is made up of water. 

Great.  Just great.  I’ll never be able to look at my burger with the same childlike, glassy-eyed, pseudo reverence again.  Now I know how these fast food joints can sell their food so cheaply and yet still manage to make a profit.  

And I fear that whenever I do sneak a burger it’ll forever remind me of David Carradine and Michael Hutchence.  I can see it now.  There I’ll be, sitting in a greasy booth with my fellow coworkers, the skin of my forearms fused to the sticky surface of the faux marble table top, eyeing my bone chip, arterial matter, and connective tissue burger when I not-so-subtlety blurt out, “So, did you know that some people get off by choking themselves?”

This day has irrevocably changed my life for the worse.  Thank goodness it’s Friday…

I was on autopilot driving to work half awake this morning when I finally noticed that the make and model of the car I had been blindly following for the past five miles was a Toyota Avalon.  ”Avalon, huh?” I thought to myself.  ”Interesting name for a car.”

And that got me thinking, what other odd or unusual things are cars named after?

Browsing through Edmunds and cross-referencing online sources I managed to cobble together this small list of automobile makes and models:

Buick Enclave
Enclave: An enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it.

Buick LaCrosse
LaCrosse: The game of the hooked stick

Buick Lucerne
Lucerne: Latin meaning “circle of light”
Also: Capital of Lucerne canton (small territorial division of a country) in Switzerland

Cadillac Escalade
Escalade: An Act of scaling especially the walls of a fortification

Chevrolet Aveo
Aveo: To strongly desire, to crave something or somebody
Also: Latin form of salutation

Hyundai Sonata
Sonata: A composition of one or more solo instruments, one of which is usually a keyboard instrument

Kia Forte
Forte: Something in which a person excels
Also: A strong part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt

Kia Rondo
Rondo: A musical composition built on the alternation of a principal recurring theme and contrasting episodes

Mercury Grand Marquis
Grand Marquis:  Marquis = a person who ruled on the lands situated on the border of a realm.  

Mitsubishi Galant
Galant: Russian hygienist
Also: French – 18th century musical term to describe a simpler, elegant musical style favored by, for example, Bach and early Mozart

Porche Cayenne
Cayanne: A plant bearing very hot and finely tapering long peppers

Saturn Astra
Astra: Latin for “star”

Toyota Avalon
Avalon: In Arthurian legend, an island paradise in the western seas to which King Arthur went at his death

Toyota Camry
Camry: Phonetic transcription of the Japanese word kamuri, which means “crown”

Toyota Corolla
Corolla: The whorl of petals of a flower that collectively form an inner floral envelope or layer of the perianth

Personally, I’d feel odd about driving a Cadillac “Wall Climber” or a Toyota “Flower Petal”.

I’ve been to a few eateries in San Diego that aren’t quite fast food joints, but aren’t quite full fledged restaurants.  When you arrive you queue up in a line and order your food at a register, from which you’re given a number and you proceed to sit down at a table of your choosing where a server eventually delivers you your food on a plate along with silverware and napkins.

I’m not quite sure what proper tipping etiquette is for establishments such as these, but I tend to err on the side of caution and typically drop a couple of bucks on the table when I leave.  The way I figure it, some minimum wage employee is not only bringing your food out to you, but also cleaning up your dishes after you leave, and that deserves at least the smallest bit of recognition.

I don’t want you to think that I’m being guilted into leaving behind a tip.  I believe these types of establishments provide a somewhat niche service that allows for a more civil way to enjoy a meal that’s half a step above fast food.  It’s not first class, but it’s not coach either.

I try to pay attention to the people around me as they leave, and I notice that very few seem to leave behind any sort of a tip.  Now, I understand a waiter didn’t usher you in, describe in detail the chef’s special of the day, tuck a nappy into your shirt collar and coo over your wife’s appearance, but show some heart.  Some poor guy brings you your food and cleans up your mess after you leave.  In the end it’s only a buck or two.  Show them that you at least acknowledge their efforts.  ”But….they aren’t being forced to work there,” I can hear some of you say.  Yeah, I know, but think about this; how would you feel if the shoe was on the other hand and you were the one serving and cleaning up after total strangers all day long?  Wouldn’t finding a couple of bucks left behind for you every once in a while make you feel better about your current situation?

Ahhh…perhaps I’m just over thinking this whole thing.  If so, then so be it.  I’m no Mr. Pink.  I’ll continue to tip because I have a bit of empathy for my fellow human beings.