Sycamore Canyon Hike - after days of rain

It has been awhile since I did some hiking. During the recent rains that we had here in Ventura, I considered doing a rain - hike, just to see how miserable it would be. Instead, I went today, which was the first full day of non-rain in several days. Normal place, Point Mugu State Park (Sycamore Canyon). Maybe one of these day's I'll take a close look at the trees, after all, these are Sycamore's.

So, the hike took me down Danielson Fire Road to the intersection with the Upper Sycamore Trail. Then, down the Upper Sycamore Trail to the paved Sycamore Fire Road, then up that Fire Road back to the the parking lot. This time, I took no backpack. Instead, a plastic shopping bag with a banana, granola bar, two waters and a wind breaker. Took along the GPS too.

So as with past hikes, I was sure to reset the GPS so to get good readings along the way. So, this turned out to be a four mile hike that took 1 hour 30 minutes. Really not that bad for time or physical effort. With the rains, the little stream at the valley floor (which was dry last time I did this in October) was flowing fairly nice. It was not a raging torrent of rapids. There were several water crossings and I did end up getting my feet wet. Obviously, there was little dust and it was very moist. Made the trip quite nice.

I'll be sure to do this one again sometime soon.

Kitchen Remodel, Complete

Well, we are close enough to call the kitchen remodel completed. It was a long 45 days with no kitchen. We are pleased and very happy.

The last thing that remains to be done is install the "kick" or "shoe molding" and 1/4 round moldings. Since the weather forecast is rain for the next several days, I fell and hope that work is put off until clear skies. Last thing we need is to introduce the flooring to wet boots, plus, the sawdust that would be mixed in with all the standing water outside.

We have LED lighting that is on a dimmer. That is pretty cool. You know that LED's are said to last for years and years. It does seem the actual floor space has been increased due to the layers of drywall and plaster, plus the cabinets are not as deep as the previous ones.

This was an interesting topic to blog about.

Ergo keyboard follow up

So far so good. The forearm pain is going away. My arms are positioned in a more natural position and my wrists are not angled in at an un-natural angle. About the only difficulty I'm having is getting used to some of the key locations. Overall, it's a good buy, glad I did it and I look forward to typing on it every day.

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day +32

This will be the last post until it's 100% complete. The finish carpenter, who by the way is very skilled, has been installing the crown molding, trim under the counter and installing the drawer and cabinet pull knobs. From this photo it's clear that the counter top, floor and lighting (to name a few) are not yet completed. Those are going in next week.

So next week is a big week. As mentioned above, the counter top and floor is planned for Tuesday, shortly after the electrical and plumbing will get finished off. Is it possible that this will be done on Friday? The project schedule indicated that December 7th / 8th would be the last day. Looks like a slide to the right, not too bad just a couple days is fine.

Some final painting needs to be taken care of over the weekend.

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day +28

Short post for this Sunday. Took some time and painted three walls that were on us to paint. Overall, it went fairly well. Planned ahead and pre-bought the painting supplies and got the taping of baseboards and around the sliding glass door done before hand. Little things like that do help a bit.

Used up the remaining 1/3 left in that can. There was just enough for this area. When it was all done, took a break, had a snack, watched some football, took dogs for a walk, then went to paint store and got another gallon for the ceiling. We'll do that painting once more of the parts has been installed. Don't want to cause a drip on something.

Kitchen Remodel, D Day +27

It's Saturday and the weekend off for us and the guys. The installation carpenter worked on Friday, the day after thanksgiving. He really got a lot done. The doors are on the base cabinets and to the right of this photo are 2 pantry cabinets and the refrigerator enclosure. You heard right, a refrigerator enclosure. It was in the design, but I never would know what it would look like.

There is also a cabinet above the refrigerator. That is also in the design. Seeing these come together is a welcome sight. While the installation carpenter was working, Lowes delivered the dishwasher. It is staged in the family room next to the stove hood. There are quite a few parts needed to be installed.

Next week should be a big one. We are expecting the rest of the cabinets to be installed, the counter top to be measured, maybe the dishwasher to be installed. Other things is the tile and the flooring.

Got some painting to do tomorrow, I don't mind doing the easy stuff.

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

Not sure where my right arm, both shoulders and lower back pain came from, but since I've been typing a lot on tiny crappy Dell keyboards, it is time to try out one of these curved keyboards. I've used these in the past. It was kind of weird at first and very strange. But after a few days, it is really worth it.

With this keyboard, my arms can be extended out just a bit and my wrists do not have to take a funny inward angle. I'm writing this blog entry with it and so far I love it.

It was bought from Office Depot. Normal price is $49 or so. It was $20 off, so out the door it was a little over $30. We will see if it helps with the pain.

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day +23

So here we are, the 23rd day. We got through the paint issues and can move on. As with all paint in order to match it, it's normal just to take a sample of the cleanest old paint from a trim piece (or something) and have the paint store match that. Pretty simple. Lesson learned (re-learned).

The guy who did the painting did a really good job at painting. Not a single run, drip or mess. The ceiling and walls have that fresh coat of paint, it has been sealed with primer coats and is 100% far out nice. There is extra paint so we can do the sections of the room that were not in the contract (although the painter finished up one of the walls - don't tell the boss).

While the paint was drying, some of the base cabinets have now been un-boxed, and staged in the approximate locations. The pantry was also un-boxed and staged in the location of the old pantry, just like we wanted. The actual installation will need some carpentry to build up bases to which the cabinets will rest on top. This is a skilled process. Many parts arrived, various trim pieces, doors. It's essential that these parts are used where they have been designed in.

On of the good things about this stage is that the nasty ram board can get removed and recycled. The major dust event is done.

Kitchen Remodel, D Day +20

It's Saturday, day 20. The painter came and applied primer to the newly installed and textured walls. When that was done, he painted the areas where the cabinets will be installed. Monday is the base cabinet install day. They want to get those in so the countertop guy can get his measurements and get the counter top done. By the way, the end of week 3 was yesterday. Next week is Thanksgiving week, short one for them. Seems they are behind by a few days.

Yesterday evening we put down some sheet plastic and ram board to have a clean place to walk on. That worked out well. But it was taken down this morning to keep it clean for later reuse.

The washer and drier are working out really good in their closet. With the doors closed, it does muffle the sound quite a bit.

Kitchen Remodel, D Day +19

I just figured out how to keep track of how many days since demolition day, actually it is the day of the month. This started on 01-Nov-10, demolition day. Now, I won't have to keep track counting on my fingers.

It's Friday and this is where we are. The mill work (baseboard molding) is in, good and beefy mdf; the trim around the doors is in, equally beefy and looks good; doors to close off the laundry area are in and the trim is installed around that door too. The washer and drier were removed from the laundry area to allow space for the guys to work. Both of us were running out of clean clothes so this evening, we put the washer and drier back. Using the hand truck / dolly made it much easier. We should get one.

Before moving the washer / drier, we discovered with all the moving of stuff that the hot water faucet (that the washer hose connects to) was leaking from the top. So, it was a trip to Lowes and get two new ones. Got another plumbing toilet thing while in the plumbing area. Back to the faucets, seems like I did not wrap enough white plumbers tape around the threads and it leaked, one drip on the hot and several on the cold. Wonderful, great, just what I needed. So, back outside, turn off the water main, remove both hot and cold faucets, and rewrap with ample white plumbers tape, at least 7 or 8 turns worth, then, back outside, turn on the main, run back in and check for leaks. There were none, yay,

With new faucets installed, the drier was moved first, then the washer. No big deal, it all fit very well. And the best part is when the doors are closed, it really cuts down on the noise - a lot. Funny thing, the two secondary things was wanted (lighting and a laundry area closet) were done first. Laid down plastic sheeting and some additional ram board to give us a clean path to walk and for the dogs to use the doggy door. There was some other random stuff to put in the trash and some sweeping, not a big deal.

The painter may be here tomorrow (Saturday) don't know for sure. Thinking next week the cabinets will be going in.

Kitchen Remodel, D Day +17

Very busy day today. The drywall guy showed up to spray the texture and the cabinets arrived. The cabinets came first. It took the unloaders several trips to get it all unloaded. By the time I got home, they were all unloaded and staged in the family room. It's like a small maze in there. There are many boxes.

The drywall guy arrived and got his gear all unloaded, this was about 1 pm. He got done and was out of here a little after 4. The bare walls have been textured and look great. Mother Nature is giving us cool (moist) weather so I got the space heater in that room to offset the cool. Hopefully it will work.

Tomorrow we hope the millwork (baseboards) will be installed and the laundry room door + jam installation (one piece). They are planning on painting as soon as possible.

Our washer and drier are not connected. We will not have these for maybe 2 days?

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day +15

Here we are, the start of the 3rd week, it's Monday. As promised, the drywall guys were here and did the tape, patch and mud. The drywall guy and myself talked a bit in the drive way (before I left for the morning with Roxy and Randi). Two things, about what time will you be done and has anyone heard from the framer (for the framing in of the laundry room).

Around noon was the first answer and shrugged shoulders for the second answer.

Off Roxy, Randi and myself to Ojai to spend the morning. We went for a walk along that bike / walking path, came back, got them some water. After a cool off, offered dog food kibbles. Only Roxy wanted some, Randi did not. So, back in the car and we drove to a lookout place along the 150, the same place of where and what I have on my desktop (a picture of the Ojai mountains). Enough time passed so we headed back to Ventura, Mc'Dee's for a coffee and two hash browns, then to Marina Park to hang out a bit. Then to watch the boats at the harbor. It was about 11:45 so we headed back slowly home.

To our surprise, the framer was here! He was about 2/3 the way done and kept on charging forward. About 1:15 he was all wrapped up, cleaned up, and he took off. The drywall people will be back tomorrow to drywall that in. If they can get that done and apply the orange peel texture to the walls, it is possible painting can happen by the end of the week. That would be great.

Roxy and Randi go to boarding tomorrow. I don't mind the doggy slobber on the car windows.

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day +13

This is a Sunday entry. The long awaited drywall nailing inspection happened Friday afternoon. There was no progress made other than the drywall guy's showing up at 10 am (Friday). Since no inspection, no work. But they did drop off the materials they will need tomorrow.

I suppose there was work done yesterday. The plywood under the washer and drier was removed and replaced. I'm not sure if it will be good enough for the flooring guy. I wanted a separate piece for the washer and drier. This means there is a gap between the two plywood pieces. It's not a big deal to make a correction on that. It will wait until the flooring guy takes a look and we get closer to that event. I've got extra plywood and the washer/drier will need to be moved anyway.

By the end of this coming week, I think this is what will happen: drywall is mudded / sanded; washer and drier will be framed in, having doors installed would be a plus. That is all I can think of. The cabinets might be in and those will be stored here.

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day +11

Veteran's Day, one of the demo guys (utility man) came by to lay some Ram Board, a thick cardboard paper roll on the plywood floor. He came as I was just finishing up nailing down that 4X8 1/2 inch plywood. Ran out of nails, so I went to Stock Building Supplies (not sure if that is their actual name) and got another box. That Ram Board is good stuff. It will keep things clean.

Started a little after 8 am this Veterans Day morning. Once the nailing was done, I turned to part two of the day. Part two is to get the needed pieces cut to go by the sliding glass door and for the washer and drier area. Thought it best to remove the pieces that the washer and drier are removed and replace with new. So, with these pieces cut, the weekend work go much quicker. I did not do the "dog room" - yet. That is more cutting.

During these plywood cutting adventures, I've utilized the "snap a chalk line" method to give a straight line the full 8 feet of a sheet. Works out fairly well. In other news, tomorrow we hope that the city inspector will be coming by to inspect the nailing of the drywall. Then, they can seal and mud this. Then it will be very dusty for awhile. The sheet plastic with zipper door seems to be working fairly well.

My circular saw needs a new blade.

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day +10

There were no visible changes yesterday however there was a significant milestone. That milestone is that the city's electrical inspector passed the electrical improvements. So, there was no photo taken. Yesterday, our project manager let us know that the drywall person would be over to hang the drywall once the electrical has passed.

Well, here we are, Wednesday, and there you have it, the drywall is up. You might be able to see the wires hanging out, those are the upgrades, unlike the kitchens of long ago. We will have some good power in here. On Friday, the inspector will be here to check the drywall nailing and sign off on that. Then, it would be drywall sealing and mudding. It will be a very dusty next couple of days.

Things that I need to do is nail down the plywood floor, change out the plywood that is in the washer / drier area, plywood down the area by the sliding glass door and the dog room. I'll work that tomorrow.

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day +8

Significant progress today. The demo guy came and got serious about removing plaster, from floor to ceiling. In come cases, there was drywall on top of plaster. The big thing that bothered me was the show stopper, that darn floor. It needed 1/2 inch sheet plywood (previous blog said 3/8). So, the project manager lent me his V8 Nissan and off I went for 7 sheets.

By this time, the demo guy was done with one wall and a fair way into that second wall. Around lunch time, we took some of the larger pieces and tossed in the back of the Nissan, he kept at it. A little after 1:30, the plaster removal was done, so it was now my turn - plywood time.

A few hours later, the plywood is down, but I did not nail it. Did not want to make any more noise, I need a break. That Sears circular saw has cut a lot of plywood and it continues to work fine. Significant progress, tomorrow the electrical inspector (I hope), then the new drywall goes up. Things do look better with new plywood down.

Kitchen Remodel, D Day +7

It's Sunday. Last week Sunday, it was day before demolition. Since that time, the cabinets are gone, the Pergo floor is gone, the kitchen floor is gone (down to the 2x6's). Tomorrow it is hoped that the Project Manager (construction supervisor) will show up with 7 sheets of 3/8 plywood.

The plywood is for me to nail into the sub-floor (the 2x6's). This way, the laminate flooring will have a nice clean level surface to float on. This is a neat photo, it shows the plumbing, some electrical, and the bare floor. That is what will be covered with plywood.

In terms of construction day's it is +5. Weekends don't count in the schedule.

Kitchen Remodel, D Day +6

Here we are, D Day +6, its Saturday. I woke up, had my bowl of cereal. There were some issues with the remodel place as to who will remove the old plywood floor, 3/8's sheet. So, I took the bull by the horns, grabbed two hammers, screwdriver, pick axe, and later a pry-bar and got to work. You know the space is only about a 12 by 12.

About 2 hours later, the old plywood floor was gone and all left was to get it all swept, final nail removal and vacuumed up clean. The time was just about noon. Started a little after 7, done by 12. Not too bad for an old guy. The two brown tarps I washed again and re-layed them down on the actual floor. Called the Project Manager, let him know the status.

Phew, my clothes were soaking wet with sweat and I sweated so much I got some dehydration effects. So, I'm watering up now.

In other news, we went to a tile place and selected our back splash tile. Plus, looked at dish washers.

Kitchen Remodel, D Day +5

Ok here we are, D Day +5, its Friday evening. No noticeable changes other than the plumber installed a white water tube that is to route water to the refrigerator in the case the 'fridge has an ice maker or water dispenser. Our has neither, but it is good to have installed anyway. The plumber also moved the gas line closer to the wall. You know what that means.

It was a good thing to check the water heater, yup, when the plumber turned off the gas to move the line, he did not check water heater pilot light. So, it is a good thing it was checked. Else, I'd be outside in my underware at 9 pm trying to get that darn thing lit. Good news is it has a one of those electric starters so no open flame was needed.

The next discussion will be the demolition of the old kitchen floor. That seems to be the next issue at hand.

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day +4

Demolition day happened on Monday. It went pretty well. The guys moved the stove in the garage for storage and the refrigerator
is in the living room with it's friend the microwave. Not a lot of cooking going on for the next month that is for sure.

So here we are, at +4. We'll start from the floor and work our way up.

The floor is down to the plywood the layer above the sub-floor. The walls in the family room are intact, no changes to that room other than additional lighting that we could not afford way back then. More later. The walls in the kitchen have many holes, large gaping holes. Electricians ran new power, lots of new power on on two dedicated circuits (breakers). The kitchen ceiling has had five can lights installed - a rough install. The old fixture is gone, so there is a hole there, and where the fixture in the family room over where the table goes, that is gone too. The best part of this are those five new can lights in the family room. They are in and they work great. Put out lots of light and will meet our needs for the future.

Back to electrical, they are installing those GFI electrical fixures (plugs). This is a welcome improvement. The plumber was here yesterday and did some initial work though the kitchen water lines will be squared away and improved, modernized.

No post for days, 1-3, way too tired.

Kitchen Remodel, D-Day -1

And we reach a time of home ownership where it is time (or past time) to remodel the kitchen. Having lived in the house for nearly 20 years, the kitchen was in fairly good shape when we moved in. It offered ample storage and was a big change from apartment living and duplex living, plus it is ours. Well, it's time to get a new kitchen with modern cabinets, LED lighting, a hood over the stove, nice counter top and stainless steel sink. This is all just weeks away.

So here we are, demolition day - 1, meaning, tomorrow the guys show up to remove the cabinets, move the stove in the garage, and the refrigerator to the living room which is now our kitchen. Each cabinet has been emptied, the pantries are bare. All nick-nacks removed. Even in the family room which had the big tv, DVR, filing cabinets, work area, modem, router, lamps, dinner table, futon, pictures on the walls, it's all stored away for the month.

Tonight I'm typing this from the bare family room looking at a kitchen that will be gone tomorrow. The typing on the computer keys echo's in this room. It is that bare. It starts at 8:00 tomorrow morning.

Addition to this post, the photo shows how the kitchen looks after demolition.

Ok, I tried something different

Last work blog described the morning routine when I get to work, not in any specific order, it was turn on the computers, log on, check the email. Those things are part of the routine that can't be changed. But I did try something new.

It was not the walk around the parking lot as I had hoped. What was different was that I had brought in a couple Dr Peppers. This was a nice change from the routine of having to go to the soda machine and buy one - with the chance of the machine not having any. A little cheaper too.

A walk around the parking lot will be helpful, and next time, I'll try it.

Daily morning routine

Things I do when I get to work: get a cup of water, turn on and log into one computer, then, log onto another computer. Then, open Outlook on one computer. Then, secure log into that first computer and open Outlook on that one.

Phew, then I go through the emails that came in from 4pm yesterday until 7am today (or current day). I've done this for years.

Not that I'm tired or anything like that, it's just that morning routine thing that you do five times a week. It used to include making a pot of coffee. But I quit that due to stomach problems. So now, a cup of water is fine. A Dr. Pepper is ok too, once the fizz has gone away. The taste is good, has caffein like coffee and is easy on the tummy.

I'd need to change my routine a bit. Maybe, get those machines turned on, then go for a quick walk around the parking lot to relax before the email.

Upper Sycamore Canyon Trail to Sycamore Canyon Fire Road

Total distance is 4.38 miles. I chose this because I've never been on the Upper Sycamore Canyon Trail, though have been on the Sycamore Canyon Fire Road. The Fire Road is a well paved road that is popular downhill with cyclists. The Fire Road descends fairly steeply to a steel and wooden bridge spanning the seasonal river bed. Once past the bridge, I took the left turn onto the Upper Sycamore Canyon Trail. Going straight will bring you to a Ranger Cabin and eventually to the beach. So, taking that left turn, the Upper Sycamore Canyon Trail follows the seasonal river bed and winds its way on a gentle upslope. On thing in particular interest is a iron pipe that follows the seasonal river bed. It seems to be in good shape and intact. It got me wondering of the difficulty it was laying that pipe, from point A to point B along the riverbed, as straight as it is.

I found going down hill on that Fire Road was more difficult than going up since you need to be aware and apply your "leg breaks" the whole time. The gentle upslope, then the harder upslope on the other hand I found physically easier. Overall difficulty is more on the La Jolla Canyon than the Chumash Trail. The distance is good, 4.38 miles and took just about 1.5 hours. So you won't spend all day huffing and puffing. There was some good sweat and the temperature was in the upper 80's.

Using this as a conditioning hike for Kauai would work well for the Waipoo Fall's hike because it does have the distance and tolerable terrain elevation changes. Although, Waipoo Fall's Canyon Trail does have steeper areas. Overall, this would fit well.

The gear list was standard: backpack; gps; camera; 1 liter of water (two 500 ml bottles); small gatorade. Those Nike hiking shoes were rendered useless and tossed, so I used 10 year old combat boot's which have served me well. They do fit and I had nothing else to use. There was some foot pain that followed. I'd think new inserts are in order and I'll give that a try.

By the way, I did remember to reset the trip computer on the gps.

Fun with Netbeans

Netbeans is a GUI tool used to write Java programs. Every now and then I like to dabble in Java, writing small programs to improve my Java knowledge. For the past couple of day's I've been thinking that I need to dust off my Java and write something that is useful, relevant, and instructional.

So, I chose to do a very small project that has two jLists, three jButtons, and a jText for output. One of the jLists contains the names of several Hawaiian Islands, the other has "737-1, 737-2, ,737-3, 737-4". jButton one is for "go", the second jButton is to "clear", the third jButton is "quit". The jText area is to display various textual items while the program runs. What the output should look like is:

Kauai 737-1

Oahu 737-1

Maui 737-1

Lanai 737-1

Molokai 737-1

Hawaii 737-1

Then, repeats with the other 737's, -2 through -4.

Using the Netbeans GUI, it is fairly easy to create the GUI, create and populate the jList's, add and rename the three jButtons, and add that jText area. Using the "Properties" for each of these elements, having Netbeans add in the EventListener code is not that straight forward and to master Netbeans, this would take a lot of repetition. The jList EventListeners took the longest to figure out. Well, once the GUI and EventListeners were up and running, time to move to part two. Being able to get those selections from the jList's and do something with them. That turned out to be a challenge.

Seem's (which is fine), the EventListener code that is generated are of type,

//private void ClearButtonActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt).

The private void functions are just that, private functions. The various data inside them are private to that function. Well, the information I need is in that function, just how will I be able to access these strings and take them out of this function. Answer is, use a Vector data type that is defined outside of all private functions. Using Netbeans, the only place to put publicly accessible datatypes such as a Vector is outside all called functions. So I created the below Vector datatype, so I can load in all the information (Strings) from both jLists into a a vSite and vSat Vector. These code snippet's do not capture everything, I hope you can get the idea. It's fairly straight forward.

//Vector vSite=new Vector();

So, now, the Vectors have been created. Not quite done yet. In order for that "private void" to put information into the vSite and vSat Vectors, the below function needed to be written,

//public void addSiteSatObject(int i, Object o){

//System.out.println("addSatObject:"+"type: " +i +" "+o);

//j++;

//String s;

//s=o.toString();

// sites is the 1, sat is the 2

//if(i == 1) vSite.add(s);

//if(i == 2) vSat.add(s);

//System.out.println("addSatObject:"+"type: " +s+" "+j);

//}

then invoked from inside,

//private void ClearButtonActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt).

With that up and running, continued on by putting together a function to dump the contents of both Vectors to the System.out.println.

//public void dumpSiteSatObject(){

// v.size() inform number of elements in Vector

//System.out.println("Vector vSite Size :"+vSite.size());

//System.out.println("Vector vSat Size :"+vSat.size());

// get elements of Vector

//for(int i=0;i

// System.out.println("Vector Element "+i+" :"+v.get(i));

//}

//for(int j = 0; j < vSat.size(); j++){

//for(int i = 0; i < vSite.size(); i++){

//System.out.println(vSite.elementAt(i)+" "+vSat.elementAt(j));

//}

//}

//}

Overall, the biggest challenge was figuring out the EventListeners for the jList's, then, being able to access the data from the jLists which are inside private voids. There is still a problem. I'm getting duplicate Islands. So if I choose one Island, my output has two of the same, like "Kauai, Kauai". But that is cool, we'll get that one next time.

JAVA and MySQL

For some time now, I've been wanting to create a simple java application that will connect to a mysql database, do a simple select (from a table) and insert into (a table). As a programming challenge, that is really at the simple end of the scale. After looking at some sample code out there on the web, typing in a few lines of java, and that it, right?

Well, I'm in a UNIX environment which assumes I know a lot more than I actually do. So, after typing in the sample code and making a few small adjustments like the database name, user, password, url, stuff like that, issued the javac compile and it compiled just fine. When I went to run it, the program threw an exception that it could not find a necessary path. Painstakingly, I went through each line of java source code and compared to the sample, plus making sure those other things were correct. They were, it compile's fine and at run time it still throws an exception. Not one to give up, just put it aside for a while.

So, couple hours later, picked it up again. I made a good effort to consider other possibilities. Remembering a coworkers conversation about the CLASSPATH environment variable, I took a look at some other java code that is in production, specifically, to answer the question, just how does this thing start up. And what do you know, I was not defining the CLASSPATH variable. The most fundamental of all things java. A quick setting of that guy inside of the terminal window, then re-ran the code and it worked. In order not to forget such a critical thing, I went ahead and places those "setenv" lines into the source code as comments, (would not be executed at run time - or ever) to serve as reminders. I built upon that success and also coded in an INSERT INTO statement too.

I have that code saved off in my $HOME/dev/src directory to serve as an example for the future. I may end up giving that sample code to my fellow engineers in the case they would need it for their coding assignments. That's cool, I don't mind prototyping stuff either.

The Three Kauai Hikes

Overall, my mission was accomplished. Set out to hike these three trails and no one got hurt. The two conditioning hikes (La Jolla Valley and Chumash Trail) were actually not enough. There should have been more of these. Lung capacity and upper body strength are essential when there is climbing involved. A good core and not too much overall weight would be helpful too. The gear I brought along worked out well, no changes needed there. GPS is handy, advance planning is a good thing. I chose to take pictures on the way back, not on the way in. That worked out ok. On some trails expect not to have any cell phone coverage at all. Be careful, if your unable to walk, you will be stuck until someone comes along, plus the time needed to either hobble to safety or to a clearing for a helicopter. Either of those could be miles away and not a good thing. Leave early so you have the rest of the day to enjoy. Be safe and don't take risks.

Hanakapiai Trail

This is both a well known and a very popular trail on Kauai. What made this appealing to me was, I had never done this and many others have. Distance wise it is close to 2 miles from trailhead to Hanakapiai Beach. The trail has and elevation change up to 800 feet, then gradually descends to sea level. That gradual climb can be tough at times, but with the clean blue ocean on the right makes the pain go away. The trail is in excellent condition and there were contract workers making improvements along the way. Doing an Internet search and choosing photo’s is a nice way to view the scenery. Expect these 2 miles to take just over an hour, expect mud and please don’t try to stay clean. I started up the trail at 6:15, the sun had not come up and it was dark. Nothing was open along the way so I had no coffee to start the morning. That was a bummer.

Along the trail to the beach, there were sections of big bees buzzing around and pollinating various flowers, smaller waterfall’s with streams flowing across the trail and lots of mud. Half way to the beach, it got light out. Since this is on the North Side of the island, I did not actually see the sunrise. That happens over on the east side. No worries though, having light was good. About 45 minutes later, the trail transitioned to a downward angle to the beach. Once at the bottom I surveyed the surroundings.

I chose to make a river crossing in the water and not hop from rock to rock in order to get to the other side. Once there, the shoes came off, wrung out the socks, rested for a few minutes, suited up and continued to Hanakapiai Waterfall. This took just over an hour to go these additional 2 miles as the going was muddy, water crossings, though the trail not as steep. Along the way, there are bamboo groves, kukui trees, guava trees and I believe breadfruit trees also ginger. Lots of vegetation. It dawned on me, why after a hard rain, kukui nuts are all over the beaches. Reason is they are washed down these rivers. The tree canopy is fairly thick so GPS was dropping in and out, unless I held it in a certain position. GPS came in handy on the way back.

Words can’t describe Hanakapiai Fall’s. I chose not to proceed into the danger area as was indicated by a sign. It mentioned that falling rocks can be dangerous. Since those falling rocks have the potential to drop from 1000 feet, it’s a no brainer. After taking some photo’s and resting, I started back. This was pretty uneventful, took several photo’s, enjoyed the sights. By this time, there were more people on the trail. Because I started out before dawn, I was actually the second person to reach the falls that day. Leaving early does have it’s advantages as I had the remainder of the day left, and it was about 11:30. Oh, by that time, there will be no more parking at Ke’e Beach.

Remember to reset the trip data before starting

The numbers barely visible on the top right say 25.2. That is in miles and is the trip odometer. Why does it say 25.2 miles. Well, I had not reset the trip computer prior to departure. So I'm afraid there is no accurate measurement on how far the Sleeping Giant hike was.

The books and trail guides say its about a 4 mile round trip. Had I reset the trip computer, we would know this for sure, right? Guess what, I can't recall if I had reset this for the Waipoo hike either.

Conclusion, make sure to reset trip computer before you start on a hike. By the way, for Waipoo, the books and trail guides say the round trip is no more that 4 miles. Based on how long Bill and I took, our distance was less. I'd estimate Waipoo is a 4 or just over a 4 mile round trip if you park off of Waimea Canyon drive and Halemanu road. In case your wondering why the photo has been taken this way, a geocache is there, hidden in the background.

Nounou Mountain also known as Sleeping Giant

Ok, that last blog entry of Waipoo Falls was way too long for a normal blog. I suppose there was history involved, it was the first of three hikes and finally, I did not want to make a wrong turn. Sleeping Giant hike was fairly extreme in terms of elevation gain. This elevation gain is similar to the Chumash Trail. Sleeping Giant made me work for each of the 1300 feet of him. My concern for this hike was actually finding the parking area near the trailhead. Preparation and committing the surface street route to memory was essential. I parked at 6:00 A.M. and started at 6:15. The trailhead is very close to a residential area so I was very quiet. With gear and GPS on, I started up the trail.

Internet sites describe other established trails that intersect into the trail heading up sleeping giant. This is what I did not study up on and to make matters worse, the tree canopy caused GPS to loose signal. You guessed it, I did not make the turn and continued along the base of the mountain. Although the scenery was interesting, I was not gaining elevation as much as I expected. After 15 minutes, I halted in a clearing allowing GPS to acquire. Checked the Internet printout and consulted the book. None of this gave me a clear answer, though the Internet printout showed there was a trail along the mountains base. I figured I was on it. So, turned around and made best speed back the way I came, only with eyes on every detail.

There it was, the fork in the trail along with a small sign fastened to a galvanized pole at shin level. I did recall seeing that the first time, though in my rush to keep going, glazed over it and plowed forward. This time, I followed the sign, which indeed led up the hill, all 1300 feet of it. Chumash Trail was equally difficult, only here I took the liberty to find a soft spot and lay down to water and rest. I did this several times. It was still early, the birds were out, cool winds blowing, and this is all under a canopy of very tall pine and other very green trees. Continuing on, there are many openings that frame Wailua, Kapaa , and the ocean with lush green nature. Once on the top, maybe 1200 feet or so, it kind of levels out for a bit, then takes a sharp rise to a pair of covered picnic tables. I rested here for a good 15 minutes and took in the scenery then was surprise by a lady busting through some bushes on her daily walk! She gave me directions to Sleeping Giant’s head, which was just another 20 minutes or so. One wrong set, and it’s a long way down. I proceeded to that actual summit, approximately 1300 feet and took in this unreal view of Lihue, Wailua, Kapaa, and the ocean. Took several photos and video. It was just unreal. Then started down. By the way, this last part was done on hands and knees, I loved every minute.

I checked the time at the picnic tables to see how long it takes to get down. Proceeding on the decent, I guess folks were up and about as there were several couples and groups of folks making the acent. Stopped to chat just a bit and I found out several of the people live “down the hill” and it was their daily stroll. Can you imagine that. On the way down I tried to absorb as much of the nature as possible. At the base, I checked the time. It took 20 minutes. An hour up, 20 minutes down.

Kalalau Lookout

No one goes to Kokee and does not go to Kalalau lookout. This is truly the top of the world.

Waipoo Fall's

The Waipoo Fall’s hike was the first one in a series of three planned hikes while I was on The Garden Island. This waterfall is generally seasonal, thought during the dry season, there is normally some water, however not the volume as during the rainy season. I would think during the height of the rainy season, it would be not safe to venture beyond a certain part of the trail.

Waipoo Falls has significant personal history with me. While in scouting, we hiked to this waterfall a few times during which it felt like it was miles and miles through the deep Hawaiian jungle, threading ourselves through endless miles of thick ginger and thorny berry bushes. In reality, it was most likely 50 yards or so.

In terms of preparation, there was a lot of time spent doing Internet research including mapping, blogs, and hiking sites. I really did not want to make a wrong turn and find myself going in circles. There was no time for that.

So, I picked up Bill, a childhood friend and fellow Boy Scout, who lives on Oahu, at the Lihue airport early Friday morning around 6:20. From there, we proceeded directly to Waimea Canyon. We stopped at Kaumakani Bakery to pick up some breakfast and coffee. This bakery has been around forever. It was fairly still early in the morning as there were many high school kids waiting for the school bus. Bill and I had our quick breakfast and coffee, then got back on the road to Waimea Canyon, Kokee. Proceeding up to the canyon, we stopped at Panini’s lookout for a quick look at the Waimea and Kekaha plains. Niihau is out there in the distance, pretty blue Pacific Ocean, early morning trade winds. We stopped at all of the lookouts along the way to take in the sights, sounds, smells, snap a photo or two, then arrived at the departure point, Halemanu Road.

We elected to drive down Halemanu Road. There is ample parking just off the Waimea Canyon road. By driving down Halemanu, it did help to save some time. It was about ½ mile down a slight inclined and bumpy dirt road. In the rainy season, that would not be advised. A half mile later, we got to a point where there was a sign pointing to the direction of the trailhead. We parked off the dirt road, geared up and started off down another dirt road toward the actual trailhead. It was clearly marked and fairly impossible to go in the wrong direction. Still, the advance preparation was not in vain.

Approximately ¼ mile from where the car was parked, the dirt road opens into a large clearing with additional signs pointing the way to the Canyon and the Black Pipe trail. This clearing also serves as a junction point where footpath access to a lookout is possible. That particular footpath is the end point. It actually starts at Pu’u HiniHina lookout. Starting the hike from here would not add that much to the overall distance, you would just start from a different location, maybe with more outstanding views. From this clearing point forward, we were on a well-maintained and clearly marked trail. So, we proceeded following the Canyon/Black Pipe trail. This was late August and with little rain, there was a small amount of dust kicked up by normal walking. The morning was turning into mid-morning. There are no flat areas, either we are climbing a slight to moderate grade or descending a slight to moderate grade. In either direction, the amount of climb or descend is not that far, not even 50 - 100 yards before it starts in the other direction.

Trails have many forks. The first fork on the Canyon/Black Pipe trail is actually straight ahead. Proceeding straight will lead you to a canyon lookout. Going to the left is the Black Pipe/Canyon trail. Now, I did mark the waterfall location in my GPS. It never or rarely showed its distance being over 500 yards, a par 5 from the longest point. The winding paths were sure to make the distance a bit further. So, we proceeded left and continued up a slight grade then down into a valley with lots of tree cover canopy and kept on going. Still the trail is in good shape. There is no sounds except nature. One of the landmarks along the way is a deep stream with steep sides. It is too far down to touch the stream. Because of the tree canopy and denseness of the forest, this whole time we are actually getting closer to the canyon, but you really can’t tell. The trail continues up the other side of this valley, then twists through and straightens out to another sign which reads, Black Pipe trail (left) or Canyon Trail (right). The GPS pointed in the direction in-between at 200 or so yards. At this point the preparation came in handy. We stopped and discussed which way we should go. I recalled printing out trail literature specific to Waipoo Falls. I took it out to review it. Sure enough, the literature said, go right along the Canyon Trail. Chalk one up for preparation. Incidentally, the word “falls” was also scratched in the sign as well. Guess we got pointed to the correct direction.

Proceeding right, it gets kind of steep in a downward direction. Its just a few minutes going forward before the dense forest and tree canopy opens up and there is a 270 degree view of Waimea Canyon. From this point, it is a simple, maybe a 10 minute walk on a wonderful red/orange ridge that is easily visible with Internet mapping software. Of course, going too close to the edge and slipping will result in (at least) a 2000 foot plunge below. After 10 minutes of incredible views, the trail to the waterfall is just ahead on the left. From that point and the floor of the waterfall is perhaps a 100 foot or so elevation change (down). Not much further. So we proceeded forward and downward. There you land at a fork, a junction to upper and lower Waipoo Falls. Time has done nothing to this area.

Words will not do the rest of this blog justice. Upper Waipoo falls had a decent amount of water coming down and into the pool. It was easy and safe navigating and climbing around the large rocks. Not too slippery or other dangerous areas. Lower Waipoo does have a danger area which is an 800 foot drop. So we were careful not to get too close. We just hung out there a bit, talked about scouting, made some phone calls, and enjoyed and absorbed this special view.

Chumash Trail, conditioning hike #2

Chumash Trail conditioning hike #2 was just that, a conditioning hike. I had done this before but never took it all the way to the legendary flagpole at the top of Mugu Peak. The elevation change is 1300 feet up a very steep and narrow trail. This hike gave me a good idea of my overall physical condition (poor?) and how well my gear load would work while in Hawaii. The elevation change pushed me quite a bit, the weight of the gear was a non-issue. I had to stop many times to catch my breath and rest. The gear worked well, several year old hiking boots held up, long sleeve shirt as cover from the sun and sticky bushes. Overall, it took just over an hour to go approximately 2 miles up a steep grade to 1300 feet. This was a good experience and is a great conditioning hike. At the top of Mugu Peak, there is a great 360 degree view of the ocean, Laguna Peak, La Jolla valley and the other mountains viewed south. I also got a geocache while up here at the flag pole. Two people came by running this trail, both up and down. Not me.

There is another thing which I hope to (re) learn while hiking, related to conditioning. An answer to the question, how far can I go? The Chumash Trail offers a 1300 foot elevation change which is not gradual. I did not plan to break up the elevation into any increments, just go until I’m tired, then rest. In the future, I don’t think that is the way to handle this. Plan for elevation, plan in rest.

La Jolla Valley, conditioning hike #1

This La Jolla Valley hike was in preparation for three planned hikes on Kauai. I needed to evaluate how well my gear would work, to include an evaluation of my physical conditioning and to answer the question am I bringing along too much (weight wise). This trail was chosen due to the close proximity, the gradual elevation change and there were a few geocaches along the way. Below is the sign at the trailhead. As you can see, distance wise, it does not look too tough. This was the first time I went on this particular trail.

This is a popular trail. Knowing how hot it can get in these canyons in early August, I chose to get going around 7:45 a.m. Once I got going, the gradual incline was not too bad and the physical part is was just enough so I could concentrate on my gear load (packup) situation, location of GPS unit, weight of the water, evaluation of my Nike hiking shoes (several years old but holding up). I wore a long sleeve cotton shirt to protect from the sun and bushes. From the above sign, (and not really knowing where I was going) I eventually ended up at the La Jolla walk-in camp. Turned around and came back.

What makes this trail, or can make it interesting is the seasonal waterfall. Since this is the dry season, there was no water. At this time, it was pretty much all dried up mossy stuff and a few various and random insects. From the placement of the rocks, when this is flowing, it could be a challenge to get across.

So, overall, the distance traveled was between 4 to 5 miles. That accounts for where I parked out on PCH, a wrong turn or two and not taking the most direct route to the walk-in camp.

How did the gear work out? I found that the 2 liters of water was enough, the weight of my gear load was a non-issue. I never felt weighted down. The long sleeve shirt worked ok, it offered protection from the sun and bushes. My Nike hiking shoes held up well, lots of grip, the tread pattern did not accumulate any noticeable amounts of debris.

The way I fastened the Garmin Venture GPS to a lanyard (on one end) then to a D-ring (on the other end), worked out well. It is long enough to drape over a shoulder, and undraped to be hand held while navigating or getting close to a cache. There was initial preparation as this trail was evaluated by using the Internet to view satellite imagery, topographic maps and other informational sources like blogs, state park information, and other personal web sites.

Conditioning hike #1 complete, gear checkout passes the hike test.

What I pack and why

Well, it is all about preparation. I have a Bugout Gear Brand of backpack. It can hold quite a bit of stuff. The shoulder straps are comfortable and there is also a waist belt that I have removed, but stowed inside of a pocket. For hiking, I’ve never filled this backpack completely. Each zippered pocket has a specific use. Its better that way, as it separates and organizes water, maps, GPS, car keys, etc. At first, the thought of having a backpack with so much spare room kind of bothered me, all the extra space. I had also considered getting a camelback type system with the extra pouches. After a year of daily use, I’m pleased with the Bugout product. Normally I will pack no less that 2 liters of water, bring a bag of good trail mix, granola type bars, several paper towels in a quart size Ziploc type bag, an extra Ziploc bag, Garmin GPS Venture (with any Geocaches or special points of interest pre-loaded), and if available a map, usually sourced from the internet. In the case of the Kauai hikes, I’ve packed “The ultimate Kauai Guidebook” because it has various maps and other information that has been very useful.

Hiking Introduction

I have not always been a hiker. I suppose my motivation for hiking is part the physical part, part GPS data collection and of course the feeling of reward once achieving a goal. The rewards are found on a hopefully well maintained trail, in the great outdoors, with all the sights and sounds that mother nature has to offer. Some positive team building experiences were while attending military NCO academies on a land navigation courses, finding waypoints using only a map, compass and pace count. So a good hike fills that need. In recent history, my longest hike has been an 8 mile round trip, and the shortest about 2 mile round trip. In both cases I’ve packed 2 liters of water. The shorter hike, 2 liters is too much, longer hike (8 miler RT) I ran out ½ to the end. Lesson learned, good thing I was at the end. Another liter will not add that much more weight.