2026-2027 Travel Plans

 A little early for a post like this but I most likely have just 2 trips left in 2026.  Neither will be epic.  Just a long weekend.  I will NOT be traveling for Columbus Day this year.  Instead, it will be the north Georgia mountains the following week for Cynthia's birthday.  

Veteran's Day falls on a Wednesday this year so I have the option of something big with 2 days off work.  I usually go to North Florida that weekend but I feel like something different is in order this year.  It will be the anniversary of my Dad's death so I'm not sure how I feel about going anywhere.

I considered California, more specifically Malibu and the Los Angeles area.  With El Nino, the water might still be warm enough for a swim.  That said, I was in So-Cal just last summer and have plans to return next Spring.  I also worry about storm surge and unpredictable weather associated with El Nino.  Unlikely.

Galveston, TX is an option.  Drive or fly?  I may not need a rental because there is a shuttle service from Houston to Galveston.  If I drive, a stop in South Loosiana on the way back could be interesting.  

The third option is an Arkansas foliage tour that will extend into eastern Oklahoma.  Overnight options include Fort Smith, Little Rock, Memphis and Tupelo.  The Talimena Scenic Byway is uncharted territory and so is Fort Smith.  I'm leaning towards this one.

2027:

The winter trip will be either Miami and Key West or Puerto Rico.  Been to both but didn't do justice to either Key West or San Juan.  

Will there be a baseball season?  If so, it will be Minnesota in late Spring and Detroit in the summer.  That will leave me with only one to go, which is Las Vegas when the new stadium opens in 2028.  

Of the 4 remaining bucket list trips, 3 must be done between July and September.  The only one that works best in the Spring is Kauai.  I will spend 3 days there then probably a day and a half in Los Angeles to break up the jet lag.  I won't rent a car and will stick to downtown and Hollywood.  

The only one that can be done without too much time off is Niagara Falls.  I can get there from Pittsburgh in just over 4 hours.  Even with a dip in Erie, it's manageable in just one day.  

Pacific Coast Highway- In order to do it justice, you really need 4 days to drive between San Francisco and Santa Monica.  Santa Cruz, Big Sur, Pismo, Santa Barbara and Malibu are must sees along the way.  Add to that, you need almost a full day to get there and definitely a full day to get back.  That's essentially a full week off.

Washington State- Seattle is the hub but there are 3 national parks that are a fair distance apart.  They are North Cascades, Olympic and Rainier.  Again, it will require a full week off.  

There's no way that I can do all of this in one year.  If I make half of it, I'd say that would be pretty good 

More Drama With the Pills

 Last Tuesday (9/15), I had a decent run by current standards (2.5@9:45) but several hours later, something obviously wasn't right.  I felt okay immediately afterwards and added a short cool down with no issues to make it an even 3.  

By mid-afternoon, I had awful leg pains and my knees were especially sore though it didn't feel like an injury.  Granted at my age, I don't expect to recover as quickly from workouts but this clearly wasn't normal.  I did a short little jog in my neighborhood after work, which confirmed that I was not injured but the pace was very slow.

On Wednesday, I decided to run it back with the same formula.  I didn't feel horrible when I woke up but the workout was a disaster.  Passed half mile in a time close to 6 minutes then turned around.  I couldn't even finish 1 Mile and walked/jogged it home.  Something was wrong with my formula.  I know the feeling all too well.  I suspected it was too much Methyl Folate and indeed an extra pill made things much worse.

On Thursday, I reduced the MF and fared no better.  Again, the pace was approaching 12 and I couldn't finish 1 Mile without walk breaks.  Extra Thym Adren made it worse.  Perhaps MF and Thym Adren can't be taken together.  

On Friday in Cleveland, I went with all MF.  I didn't feel good but it was better than the previous 2 days.  Low dose Thym Adren at the end of the day made it worse.  

All MF and no Thym Adren didn't work on Saturday and when I stopped the MF, the need for Thym Adren kicked in bigly.  

Come Sunday, I began to suspect that Probiotics are needed to tolerate MF.  That proved to be correct.  I popped 2 of those pills after I got home on Monday evening.  Much to my relief, mega doses of MF were tolerated.  I then took some Thym Adren.  It too was tolerated.  

MF was never going to be effective until I fixed my gut health.  I may be back on track now.  Today's workout was 2 miles in 19:25 (9:42 pace) or just about where I was before this latest drama.  I'm sticking with this formula but am thinking of adding low dose Zinc and Lithium.

Edit:

Horrible today.  Extra Probiotics helped but it wasn't enough.  Caffeine made it worse.

Cleveland/Pittsburgh Trip Report

 Instead of one epic Great Lakes trip, I decided to break it up into thirds because it gave me an excuse to see my Mom.  The plan was to fly to Pittsburgh on Friday and rent a car.  From there, I would play it by ear depending on the weather.  The forecast in Cleveland looked good on Friday (sunny and 72) but not so good for the weekend.  For this reason, I hit Cleveland first.  This was my preference anyway.  Since the Pittsburgh airport is west of town, it was only 2 hours driving time into Cleveland.  I chose to fly direct out of Atlanta to get in as early as possible.  That proved to be a good call.  My time in Cleveland was a little rushed but I saw everything that I wanted.  If I had landed 2 hours later, I would have had to skip something.  

I left work an hour early on Thursday and got to Atlanta at twilight.  It was a beautiful evening there and I kinda wish I had taken more time.  I could have taken MARTA from the airport into downtown to get some night shots of Atlanta.  However, because of the early flight, I had to settle in early.

9/18- Out the door at 6 AM for an 8:30 flight.  Landed on time at 10:15 and hit the road by 11.  Lunch was just outside of Youngstown, almost halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.  This was historically the boundary between Steeler country and Browns country.  

First tourist stop was Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga NP.  I wish I was there a month later and I bet it's beautiful at peak foliage.  As it is, still pretty cool.  There were several longer trail options but due to the time crunch, I chose the shortest one.  It was only about a half mile each way to the Falls but they could be seen from 3 different viewpoints.  From there, I checked into my fleabag motel and dropped off my bag.  Downtown hotels were $500 so I opted to stay 7 miles south of town and save $400.  I was only there to sleep and it did the job.  

Next, I walked by the Christmas Story house and snapped a couple pictures.  Unfortunately, I did not have time for the organized tour.  I then took a dip at Edgewater Beach on Lake Erie.  It wasn't as impressive as Lake Michigan but still worth a stop.  Yes, the water temperature was still tolerable (probably low 70s).  Waves were small but there were a couple of surfers out there.  I asked my Facebook followers to guess where I was and the answers were hilarious.  California?  South Carolina?  Gulf Shores?  Nope.  Cleveland, Ohio.  

From Edgewater, it was only a 5 minute drive to the Rock n Roll HOF.  I had enough time to do it somewhat justice and spent close to 2 hours there.  It was a 15-20 minute walk to the baseball game but I made a quick detour to Voinovich Park for the iconic Cleveland sign with the skyline.

The stadium was about average but the game was fun.  It was a 5-3 win for the home team and number 27 is in the books.  Getting back to the hotel was a bit of an adventure but I made it and was already on the way back to Pittsburgh.  

9/19- No issues on the drive in and I arrived at Mom's place by 10 AM.  After lunch, we hit the road for about an hour to Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia and toured the University campus.  We went out for a nice dinner then rested.  I was zonked and went to bed early.  

9/20- A more chill day.  Church in the morning then watched a bad NFL game.  We stayed in for dinner but my sister and nephew made it to see me.  

After dinner was the real adventure.  I wanted some shots of the Pittsburgh skyline at night in a neighborhood called Mount Washington.  I got what I wanted but the road were so steep and narrow that I'm not sure it was worth the stress of getting there. 

9/21- No issues on the flight to Atlanta.  Again, I elected not to go downtown because I was too tired.  The best chance to do this is probably the winter.  With shorter days, I can get the night shots without staying too late and still get back to the airport hotel at a decent hour.  That's the plan for next time.  

Thoughts on Cleveland:

This city did not have a very good reputation when I was growing up.  I won't go as far as to say I fell in love with Cleveland but I found it to be surprisingly decent and better than expected.  Probably not a vacation destination but definitely worth a stop for a day or two if you are in the area 

Training 9/14-9/20

 9/14- First run at age 46 was nothing special.  2 miles in 20:54 (10:27 pace).  I'm going with the Paramin.  The Cal/Mag balance is still off but I prefer a gradual shift to wild pendulum swings.  I did have a pretty strong negative split (10:38-10:16) with the last 0.2 at roughly 9:30 pace.

Distance-2.0

9/15- Did an opener in 59 seconds on 3 Paramin and 55 seconds on 6.  Not a game changer but enough to be considered significant.  The Thym Adren is the most needed pill ATM.

Real workout was 2.5 miles on Lakeshore in 24:23 (9:45 pace).  Nice improvement over yesterday.  Another negative split (12:20-12:03).  Just above the Mendoza line but on the right track for now.  Added a short cool.

Distance-3.0

9/16- NOTHING.  QUIT after just 1 Mile at a pace over 12.

Distance-1.0

9/17- Fared no better on reduced MF dosage 

Distance-1.0

Calcium/Magnesium Imbalance

 I have not been tested but all signs point toward a very low Cal/Mag ratio.  This is a common pattern after solving a MAJOR problem as I did with the methylation.  Typically, you see what is known as the "hill pattern" on a hair test.  Cal/Mag is low.  Na/Mag is high.  Na/K is high.  Cal/K is usually low and I am nearly certain that mine is.  

Most people do well on Cal/Mag supplements at a ratio between 1:1 and 2:1 and the Paramin is a 5:3 ratio.  At least for the time being, I need more Cal and less Mag.  I took some extra Cal and had one glorious speed session in which I felt like my old self with a 200 meter time trial in 37 seconds. I  believe that I could have broken 80 for 400.  I wasn't all out and the pace felt sustainable for another half lap.  For a soon to be 46 year old who is essentially untrained, that's a pretty fast time.  The talent is still there and I can get back to respectable times if the chemical balance will ever allow for consistent training.  

Unfortunately, I overshot the balance point and for several days, I had to go back to Magnesium.  I made it a point NOT to overload on Mag.  I sought to keep the ratio at 1:1 and only once or twice did I go slightly lower (3:4 ratio).

That once again swung the pendulum back to a need for extra Cal.  By the time I left Colorado, I was completely intolerant to Mag and even the 5:3 Paramin ratio provided too much Magnesium.  Extra Cal was an immediate help.  Unfortunately, I know that if I keep that up, it will swing the pendulum back to a need for Mag.  

The problem is that the Cal pill that I have been taking contains 600 mg while Paramin provided 100 Cal and 60 Mag per pill.  If I took 2 Cal and 3 Paramin, that would be 1500 Cal/180 Mag.  Again, most people who are relatively balanced do well on a ratio between 2:1 and 1:1.  That's 8.3:1 and a massive overreach.  Thus, I really shouldn't be surprised by what happened.  Even if I loaded up to 6 Paramin and just 1 extra Cal, I'm still getting 1200/360, or 3.3:1.  Even that may still be a tad high.  I'd like to try about 2.5:1.  

Two other observations:

Zinc helped me tolerate Cal in the past.  Today, it was a non-factor, which I consider good news.  I was noticeably stiffer after drinking a Pepsi.  Abstinence from sugar can only help.  

Update:

Just 3 days on stand alone Cal flipped me to the other side.  It's going to be Paramin only.  No extra Cal OR Mag.

Improved from 11:40 to 10:47 in the Mile.

Next day- 1.5@ 10:16.  I'm going with this formula 

Colorado and Utah Trip Report

 I had 2 stressful SNAFUS just before the trip.  I got a fraud report on my debit card and my cell phone was having issues with the charger.  I took care of both issues but left in a rush and forgot to pack my passport.  I feared the worst but fortunately, since it was a domestic flight, I only had to pay $45 and did not face additional scrutiny.

9/2- 

No issues on the flights.  There was a tight connection in Denver but I made it to the gate just before they began the boarding process.  I was on the road just after 1 PM local time.  From Grand Junction, it was about 2 hours to Moab.  I stopped a couple of times but still made it before dinner.  I drove through Canyonlands really just to check it out and plan for tomorrow.  It was a little rushed but I got to Dead Horse State Park just after sunset and still saw some nice colors.  

9/3-

First stop was Arches NP and a repeat of the Delicate Arch hike from 2020 (3.2 miles round trip).  I wanted to do that before it got too hot.  It was worth it.  The weather was pretty good overall.  Sunny to partly cloudy most of the time.  Depending on the elevation, the temps ranged from the low 60s to the mid 80s with low humidity.  Canyonlands is a little cooler than Arches because the elevation is about 1,000 feet higher.  I did one more short hike at Arches then went back to Moab for some pizza.  

Next, it was a proper tour of Canyonlands, which was uncharted territory.  No big hikes but several stops at pullouts.  The highlight was a short hike of about a half mile to Mesa Arch.  It was awesome.  I left Moab about 3:30 and it was slightly less than 2 hours southeast to Cortez, Colorado.  As planned, I skipped the 4 corners monument because it was 45 minutes away and is not actually located at the exact border.

9/4

Mesa Verde then lunch in Durango.  I do vaguely remember being in Mesa Verde as a teen but that was 30 years ago.  It did not disappoint.  I skipped the organized tour so I only got a quick look at the dwelling but the overlooks were worth it.  It was about 40 minutes to Durango and lunch was Texas BBQ.  From Durango, I took a 20 minute detour south to the New Mexico border.  

In the afternoon, it was the Million Dollar Highway up to Montrose.  Yes, there were a few spots that were a little scary with a big drop off the road and no guardrails.  However, compared to 340 in Maui, it was a piece of cake.  I made one stop in Ridgeway State Park, which had nice mountain lakes.  I arrived in Montrose around 5, which gave me enough time to sample Gunnison.  I was told that we went there as a family back in 1996 but I have no recollection of being there before.

9/5-

Proper tour of Gunnison with several short hikes to a deep canyon with a river running through it.  I had a close call with a deer but my luck held.  

From Gunnison, I took a scenic byway to Mesa, a small town just 30 minutes or so from Grand Junction with more beautiful overlooks.  I got a very good burger there.  It was too early to check in back at Grand Junction so I checked out Aspen, which was about 2 hours away.  I wasn't overly impressed with Aspen.  I'm sure the vibe is very much different in the winter but IMO, Breckenridge is the better ski town.  Even still, the scenery on the way made it worth it.  It was already dark by the time I got back to Grand Junction.

9/6-

Had time for an underrated park called Colorado National Monument just 20 minutes west of Grand Junction.  This was much better than expected.  Still in Colorado but some definite Utah vibes.  No issues on the flight home but glad I didn't have to work the next day (Labor Day)