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  From the time that I got here, I had a good feeling about San Jose, even in the early hours of 4am. Even though I arrived several hours before I thought I would on Sat. morning (everyone told me that 10 hrs. was impossible unless I was speeding, but they were wrong-10 hours and 30 min., no speeding), which required me to drive around the town for about an hour, and then begrudginly eat at a local Denny’s to pass some time and later take a nap in a parking lot since it was still 6am. I say begrudginly since I had asked a gas station attendant if there was any other place to eat than the Denny’s across the road. Easy question, I thought, but since there was a 10 inch glass window between him and I, he couldn’t hear me. But then I thought, “does he hear anyone?” What if I needed to buy a candy bar? Or some penzoil? So I asked again, and he played his “I can’t hear you game with a slight shrug of his shoulders”. After a third time, I left, frustrated, but not before I gave him a parting word or two. What? Exactly, he couldn’t hear them anyway.

I wasn’t sure if my gracious hosts were awake yet, so I figured that I would allow time for their morning to begin before I barged through the doors. After Denny’s I read part of the morning paper, and then headed to the BOA parking lot for a nap. It was cold for sure, so after about 20 minutes I put the heat on and slept for about 30 min. When I awoke, startled, I looked at my gas gauge. Empty? I flipped out. How could my car have gone from full to empty? Had I slept for 5 hours? I hadn’t filled the tank since 10:30pm Fri, but in my stooper I had forgotten that major fact. Truth, I later saw 3 other people sleeping in their cars in SJ, and not idiots like me. Normal people, outside of a shopping center. Clearly that is a trend in the area, and I just happened to pick up on it rather quickly.

 I have had a good time here in San Jose. I love the sun, and the warmth, two items of which there is no shortage. I haven’t made it to downtown yet (both chances I balked at, mostly since I was tuckered out from the day’s activities), hopefully Monday or Tues. The pace is nice, surely slower than San Fran. What I like the most are the outdoor options, of which there seems to be an endless amount. Even during my one questionable “biking” experience, I still was glad the sun was shining, although at the moment I almost puked, I really wasn’t.

The drive was just fine. I enjoyed the scenery in southern oregon(even in the dark I could make out most of it), some nice mountains in Shasta in northen Cal(the siskiyus?), and the traffic was not a factor once I got outside of Corvallis. I hope that the next few days in San Jose continue as the first two, with some good views of the hills and they bay area, and some local eating destinations as well. The best spot was a place called Aqui, just south of SJ. The downtow of Campbell, (bordering sj) was very sophisticated, which made we wonder how I fit in there, but all kidding aside, the prices were very resonable. Most plates were $7-$10. The agua fresca was spectacular, and the guac and hummus are super fresh. The food was terrific. They call it “cal-mex”. Not sure what the difference is other than the presentation, perhaps more selection and less picante(some asian fusion also), but it was great to be able to eat outside in the warm outdoor patio too.

So far, I have done a lot of walking, which I enjoy. There are several places within 1-2 miles, and when it is warm and sunny, there is no exuse not to walk. Plus, after you eat a great meal, no better way to top it off than to walk off the meal, so you feel that you have somehow earned the right to pig out. I have been able to take some short drives to catch glimpses of the bay from afar, and I also went on the most difficult venture that I have taken in a while: a bike ride. This ride was no joke. About 1 mile uphill. I hadn’t been on a bike in over 8 years, and this was my reintroduction. Needless to say, I wasn’t too happy for most of the time. I was mostly mad at myself because I couldn’t complete the task. I struggled at shifting gears, and several times dismounted the bike and walked. My heart rate hadn’t been that high since doing sprint workouts in my late teens. I had to stop for about 15 minutes. The sun, the intense hills, and my lack of conditioning were all leading to the same path: defeat. Finally deciding to turn back, we cruised downhill, which was no easy task in itself, especially for a novice trail rider, but I made it through…barely. I have the utmost respect for trail riders. This was some introduction to trail riding. Next time, maybe I’ll just recommend the pool instead.

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