Nicotine Patch Not as Effective for Strenuous Exercise (Aftermath of Skiing #1)

Sierra at Tahoe was known as Sierra Ski Ranch when I was there the last time. Which meant that I haven't been here since the 1990s. It's a minor resort off US-50 and that's probably why I didn't frequent it. US-50 is not as convenient as I-5, so I don't come this way for skiing too often at the first place.  When I come, I'd continue to Heavenly rather than stopping here. The exile to MECFS land for 15 years certainly didn't help either. But I got a season pass for it this year instead of the Epic Pass because the price for Epic Pass went up to $800. The first Saturday of December was the season opener. I went up on Monday the 11th.

The first day of the season, and I was lacking enthusiasm for some reason. I got up late -- the alarm didn't go off -- and I almost gave up. I was still tired from biking 5 miles and then jogging 4 blocks on the 9th and the thought of skiing didn't excite me enough to get me going. It must've been the been-there-done-that syndrome. It's the 5th season since I got back on the slope and the wonderment has been slowly fading since. This year is a continuation of that. But it sure felt nice to be back on the white mountains under the bright sky once I got on the lift chair.

Only one run was open. One foot of snow the week before wasn't nearly enough to cover up the rocks and other obstacles. But they managed to open one beginner slope with the aid of snow-making machines. The lack of challenging runs was a good excuse to work on my techniques and all that squatting to get my turns in shape was enough an exercise for the first day.  I skied for 2 hours in the morning and then 2 more in the afternoon before coming back. 

As usual, the morning after was fine. I had a bit of head pressure, so I swallowed a Sudafed pill. In the evening, I was full of energy. I was in the kitchen for a full hour rattling pots and pans, whistling all the while. I was in the best condition that I could ever be in. Then the bottom predictably fell out the next day. I slapped on the nicotine patch in the morning hoping that I'd stay on my feet, but that did not happen. The 1-hour nap in the morning didn't help either: I was groggy and horizontal all day long. I bounced back a little in the evening though. I stayed on my nicotine/Sudafed for 4 more days till the 16th. I was back on my feet on the 14th, with an aid of the patch and 2-hour nap in the afternoon, and then crashed again on the 15th. 

Back in 2020, I felt that getting knocked out for a day or two was OK. Now, getting knocked out even for a day seems too much. The more I improve, the more I expect, I guess.

So, is the nicotine patch losing its efficacy? Or was the skiing too hard an exercise to paper over with the patch? Taken together with the 40-mile bike ride after which I was under the weather for a week, the answer seems to be the latter. Nicotine patch helps, but not as much as living on the road or in the wilderness. I was able to backpack 75 miles through Yosemite in 7 days, but I'm keeling over after 4 hours of skiing. Which kind of makes sense. Nicotine is a powerful dopamine generator, but not as powerful as striving in places that you've never been before. But it is still more powerful than Sudafed.

40-mile Aftermath and 15-Mile Ride to REI

I was still a bit under the weather from the 40 mile ride the week before. But I had to test the new saddle. Well, I had to because I was itching to test it, not because of any exigency. 

The Bontrager commuter saddle didn't work out. The padding nicely softened after the first ride and provided ample support. But the cutout was too narrow, and it still applied pressure on my groin. I kept finding myself lifting my butt when going over bumps. So, I got this carbon saddle with flat profile and larger cutout from Temu. It was a bit larger than my butt, but it was only $10, so I figured it was a good way to try out larger cutout. If it works out, I'll get a new one of right size and more padding. Selle Italia Boost Free-flow, perhaps. Turned out, it wasn't too big. It fit my butt just fine. 

I wanted to make it another 40 miles, from Guy West Bridge to Rainbow Bridge in Folsom this time. A better sense prevailed, and I decided to do a run-of-the-mill 15-mile ride. I swallowed a Sudafed pill to get me out of the weather and then rode at a leisurely pace of about 7 mph, with 5-minute break every 2.5 miles.

The saddle was a success. At last, I could leave my butt attached to the saddle when going over bumps with confidence. The saddle hardly had any padding, but that didn't matter: the cutout was THE culprit, not the padding. Now I'm itching to get back on the saddle for a long ride. I'll eventually make it to Auburn and back for 80 mile ride. For now though, the ski season is about to begin -- they got a foot of snow in the mountains this week. So I might have to put away the bike till Spring.

The day after the ride, I went on a nicotine patch. I've been up and running like a busy bee, relatively speaking, for the next 3 days. No crash, in other words, except for a 30-minute nap the day after. If that was a crash, it was the shortest one ever. 

So, 15 miles is a piece of cake with Sudafed and nicotine patch. 40 miles is a bit iffy. The patch 2 days after the ride prevented the crash, but I was left weaker and more susceptible to crash for the rest of the week. That is typical of hard crashes. They leave you weaker even after you recover from the crash, so you have to remain well below your baseline for a while. I managed to dodge the crash, but not the weakness that followed. I may have to be on nicotine/Sudafed for a week after a long ride. A lesson learned.

Here is what happened after the 40-mile ride on 11/27. (I recorded it as 35 miles because I didn't account for the detour through the city):

The "Total" column is the number of hours I spent lying down the following day. The total of 3 on the row for 11/24, for example, means that I lied down for 3 hours on 11/25. 

On 11/27, the day of the ride, I had to rest in the evening after 40-mile ride. So, I ended up with 4 hours spent lying down on 11/27. The next day, I only spent 2 hours lying down. That's an excellent performance. Then I spent 4-5 hours lying down starting from 11/29, 2 days after the ride, till 12/3. I colored 12/2 red because spending 5 hours or more (on 12/3) constitutes a bad day. That meant I spent 5 days under the weather. Again, I should stay on nicotine/Sudafed for a week after a hard exercise the next time and see if I can stay out of the weather.

40 Mile Bike Ride

Time to test the new set of Conti 5000S TR. Last Monday, I set out with the goal to get to Sunrise Recreation Area along American River. It would've been 45 miles round trip if it went with no hitch. But the construction work on the levy between REI and Guy West Bridge forced me to take a detour and get lost in the city. I ran out of time and had to turn around at Harold Richey Bridge. I skirted the construction on the way back by riding on the other side of the river. There was a construction around Hwy 99 overpass too, but I snuck in through the construction site and made it to Sutter's Landing on the other side. Including the detour, it was about 40 miles in 5 hours total.

I knew I'd be fine the next day. The dopamine from a heavy exercise would last another 24 hours. I slapped on the nicotine patch on the second day to prevent the bottom from falling out. It seems to have worked. I managed for 3 days without crash. But then, I had to pace for the rest of the week because I became more susceptible to PEM. I may have to stay on nicotine/Sudafed for a week following a heavy exercise, not just for a few days.

So, did I avoid crash with nicotine? It may have. But then, I usually manage without crash at the new season of any activity for a few weeks. So I can't tell with this sample of 1. I'll have to repeat a few times in a month or two and see.

Nicotine Patch Trial

It came to my attention that people's been trying nicotine patch for MECFS and long COVID. The theory goes: the virus antagonizes the nicotine receptors, impairing cholinergic transmission. I don't buy the theory. If the theory is true, people should recover once the virus is gone. Besides, no neuro-impairment does explain Post-Exertional Malaise. But nicotine turned out to be strongly dopaminergic. And dopamine is what downregulates activated microglia. So, I figure it should work at least as well as Sudafed. 

I bought a box of no-name nicotine patch from Amazon and tried 35mg for 6 days. As expected, the effect did not last long. It was effective exactly for 2 days. It was super effective though, while the effect lasted. It's not a viable long-term treatment, but I could use it tactically: with Sudafed, I may be able to keep PEM under control for up to 3 days. My PEM these days usually last less than a day. 3 days at the most after a backpacking, which resembles a normal recovery. (It's more like between normal recovery and PEM). If I can keep PEM under control, I should be able to exercise to my heart's content at home. I already tried it after biking to REI on the 21st, and it appears to be successful. I'll continue the tactic and see if I can keep PEM under control for good.

Bike to REI

The bike stood standing all Summer long while I was busy backpacking Yosemite, Trinity Alps and South Yuba. The tires went flat and wouldn't inflate because the tire beads went off the rail. I took the wheels to the shop, and they wanted to $80 to get them cleaned, reseated and inflated. I figured I might as well get a new set of tires instead spending money to fix the old ones. I've been meaning to upgrade them to 28mm anyway. I got a set of Continental 5000 S TR for less than $100 on sale on Amazon and got them installed myself. I was all set to take out for a test-drive. Then the front derailleur broke. I turned the LH adjustment screw too far and it went off the metal plate. The plastic underneath it wasn't able to hold up the tension without the metal plate and it broke. So, I got a new derailleur for $35 and now it rides like new. I was on the roll: I figured I'd get a new saddle as well. REI had Bontrager commuter saddle on sale, so I went to pick it up yesterday. 

15-mile bike ride in 2018 was a milestone. Now it's a non-event. I just hopped on the bike and I was back home 2 hours later. Back in May, I still struggled for a few days after the same ride. This time, no post-exertional struggle. The difference? probably the pollens. I was struggling throughout the Spring pollen season and the ride did not help. 

Oh, I almost forgot: I slapped on 3.5mg of nicotine patch on the second day. I'm usually flush with dopamine on the first day after a heavy exertion, so I didn't need an aid on the day after. I just took 30mg Sudafed just in case. I got off nicotine patch on the 3rd day and I felt a little sluggish. Nothing I'd classify as a crash though. So, maybe it is the nicotine that prevented the crash. 

Anyway, it's been a while since I wrote. I haven't been writing because I've been distracted with video. I decided to document my trips with video this year and have produced a few. It takes quite a bit of work to produce video, though. Not only you have to film, but you also have to spend a lot of time editing and narrating. It may get easier eventually, but for now it's been sucking up a lot of my time. 

I'll probably go back to writing after this season. Writing, not film making, is what I enjoy after all. It's also something you can do just with your laptop. No camera, no script, no narration. But films definitely have an advantage in documenting your life: you will get to see how you were, years from now.  Your life on YouTube will still be there with the way your look when you turn 80.

Yosemite Waterfalls Trip

I didn't quite make it to Clouds Rest. I got showered with ice water for 30 minutes on the way to Vernal Falls and I was hypothermic by the time I got to the top of it. I knew I was going to get soaked but I severely underestimated and left my waterproof jacket in the car. I was shivering and cramping all over while laying in the sun at the top of the fall. Shivering stopped only when I started moving again. That took a lot out of me, and I decided to turn back at Nevada Fall. I had to get to the summit by 3 PM at the latest in order to get back before the sundown. It was already past noon, and I was still miles away from the Clouds Rest Trailhead, let alone the summit. Slogging through the snow at above 8000 feet would've added a couple of hours to the trip as well. So I had to turn back. I took a detour via Clark Point on JMT on the way down to avoid getting soaked again. It's the route I'll take the next time on the way to Clouds Rest.

I was going to take a rest the next day and then attempt Clouds Rest again on the 3rd day. But I ended up doing 10 miles again. In the morning, I went to Mirror Lake following Merced River to North Pines campground, and then Tenaya Creek up to Mirror Lake. The trail adds an extra mile to 1.5-mile Mirror Lake Trail, but it was more scenic. It ran along the creek through the woods from the campground and then joins Mirror Lake trail at the Tenaya Creek bridge. It is a beautiful path and I highly recommend it over the regular Mirror Lake trail.

Normally sedate Tenaya Creek was roaring too. It was a full-blown river, not a creek.  I wonder what it would look like in a few days when they expect the rivers to crest once again, thanks to the warming weather. June has been unusually cool and that kept the snow melt to the minimum. Record snowfall and slow snow melt; It's been a perfect combo to quench California's drought. 

In the afternoon, I went to document Yosemite Falls and I got soaked again. Not nearly as bad as Vernal Falls, however; it was more like a spray than shower. I was going to take a shuttle to Yosemite Falls from Trailhead Parking Lot walk to Happy Isles bus stop.  The stop #15 between Curry Village and Happy Isle would've been closer, but I wanted to get some water and use the bathroom at the Happy Isles stop. There was a long line for the shuttle. Happy Isles is one of the most popular hiking areas in Yosemite and people were returning from their hikes in droves. I walked back to the parking lot and took my car to Yosemite Village. I ended up parking at the far end of the village, a couple of miles from the falls. After all was said and done, my fitbit registered 32,000 steps for the day. I was pretty tired and didn't think I was going to be able to walk 20 miles up Clouds Rest the next day. I returned home instead waiting till the next morning to see how I feel.

I went to Yosemite to make my first film, about the epic snow year. The snow on Clouds Rest would've been the highlight. Since I didn't go to Clouds Rest, I'll have to make do with waterfalls and raging rivers. I have no idea how long it'll take to complete it. I'll have to start processing the footages and putting them together into a coherent film. I hope I'll finish it before I go back to Yosemite on the 25th, for a 50-mile backpacking this time. 

I originally planned an 80-mile trip circling Yosemite, but Tuolumne Meadows is not accessible because Tioga Road is not open. I stopped at the Wilderness Center and rejigger the permit away from Tuolumne Meadows and circle the west of Yosemite Creek instead. But I may change the plan yet again and go down to Tuolumne River Canyon. You can move freely in the wilderness as long as you enter through the entry reserved on your permit.

There is non-zero chance of an accident or worse, of course. This is a high snow year and the snow is melting. Which means walk on the snow will be treacherous. It may crumble under you and you may slide into something that you didn't plan on sliding into, possibly into a creek or cliff. I'll go as far as I can safely and then turn around if I feel unsafe. I'll certainly turn around if I encounter a creek that I have to cross. You can pretty much count out fording creeks since the water will be raging. I'll just have to play by the ear. 

15-mile Bike Ride and the Aftermath

I'm still struggling, but I can't escape this slump because my car is still in the shop. All I can do is go out for a walk when I feel restless and listless. It is a good thing then that the neighborhood is walkable. The tree-lined streets make it easier to walk out and ramble on whenever I feel like. It doesn't bring me the Novelty Effect -- I've been in this neighborhood for over 5 years now -- but it still improves my mood, however briefly.

It's been over 2 months by now since I ran the car into a ditch. They finally got all the parts they need and about to begin the repair work. But they are not in hurry. They have all the business they can handle, and they are taking all the weekends and holidays off. Then they shut down the shop for 2 days last week to remodel the floor. The upshot is that I'm not likely to get my car back for at least another week.

I've been doing my best to stay in shape with 4x1 block jogging ever since the ski season was over in April.  I had to give that up because I was struggling through the pollen season. Then I finally got out of the pollen-induced struggle in the middle of May, and it was time to over-do as I usually do whenever I feel better. I went on a biking, thinking that I'd go Tower Bridge by the river. Then I remembered that REI had a sale, and that was a good excuse to ride all the way. I kept going with only one break in Discovery Park. I returned with nothing to show for it, again with only one break. The 15-mile ride took only about 2 hours. That's about 3 times as fast as the first 15-mile ride I did back in 2018.

The recovery from the ride was typical of the recent pattern: I stayed upright and functional the next day, and then the struggle started day after. On the 3rd day, I got tired of the struggle and went out for a walk, thinking that maybe I could exercise my way out of the post-bike PEM hole. I ended up walking 2.5 miles. Then the struggle continued for 3 more days after that. The more things change, the more remains the same: it was obvious that I still can't exercise my way out of PEM. That extended my Spring struggle from April to end of May with only a few respites.

I'm eager to get back on the road. I'll hit the road running, hopefully, as soon as my car comes back from the shop. I have already bought most of the things I need for the new season -- no idea why I need more stuff every season, but I do -- and now I'm debating if I need a drone. I'll be telling my story with film this time and drone footage would add a visual interest to the story. Investing $1000 just to tell a story seems an overkill though. I still have a few more days at least before my car comes back. I'll think some more and decide. 

April Struggle

 Since Apr 3, I've been crapping out in the afternoon, practically every day. 21 days out of 30, to be precise. In March from 3/3 to 4/2, on the other hand, I was knocked out only in 10 afternoons.  I've been struggling twice more often in April than March. If I compare it to the period from 3/7 (when I recovered from skiing in Heavenly on 3/2) to 4/2, it is 3 times the struggle. 

So, I went over the data going back to 2018 to see if this has been the pattern. In 2018, there had been quite a bit more of red days from late April to Early May. In 2019, it was the first half of April. In 2020 though, the pattern wasn't as discernible. I think that could be because I skied hard at Sugar Bowl, and I was crapping out starting in January/February. Then the struggle continued into March/April pollen season. Still, there were more of red day in Mar/Apr than there were in Jan/Feb.  Then, in 2021, it was red all over in March.  

2022 was again inconclusive. The Electric Hobo Season 1 was concluded in November 2021 and then the Season 2 started in April of 2022. That may have overpowered the effect of pollens in 2022. The Season 3 could have started in April this year also, if the car weren't in the shop. It's been almost a month since it went in, and they are still waiting for the parts. It'll be 2 more weeks before I get it back.

So, yeah, there appears to be a pattern: I do worse in March/April/May compared to January/February/March. That coincides with the pollen allergy season. The pollen this year is particularly bad, thanks to so much Winter/Spring rain. That could explain why the MECFS struggle this season has been more pronounced.

Season Analysis

 This year saw a vast improvement. A month into the season in prior years, I struggled for full 3 days even after cutting back both the skiing intensity and hours by half. This year, I continue to ski hard at the end of the season.  And yet, I'm spending less time in the dog pound, and it is mostly in the afternoon that I struggle, not the whole day. 

When I started to struggle two months into the season, I decided to hit the road for a shot of dopamine. I went to Park City, Utah and skied for 3 days in a row. That seems to have reset the season and I was able to ski hard for the rest of the season. Here is the post-ski recovery data:

At the first glance, the pattern looks random. But the first half of the season becomes discernable if you remove the first day of skiing which resulted in a long struggle because of deconditioning. Then the recovery time increases gradually from 1 day to 3 days over the period of 2 months. The pattern repeats in the second half after the trip to Utah and a break of 1 month following the trip, if you remove: 1) #11 which resulted in a struggle after a month-long break due to deconditioning and 2) #12 when I skied hard 4 hours nonstop because the storm was coming at 1PM and Here is pattern with those adjustments:

I've been skiing hard from all season long from the get-go. That probably explains the long 4-day struggle after the first day when I wasn't in shape. That is normal. What is not normal is the progressive worsening. Healthy people should struggle less as the season progresses and they get into shape. The worsening can be explained only with fading Novelty Effect: as the newness of skiing fades, so does the dopamine level. The post-ski struggle, which gets suppressed by dopamine, gradually takes over and the struggle worsens.

While there has been a great improvement, the post-exercise fatigue still remains excessive.  While may take several days even for a healthy person to recover from a hard skiing, the fatigue should not be debilitating. But I still conk out in the afternoons during the recovery. It is a problem that still needs to be fixed for the full recovery. Maybe One more season of Electric Hobo will take care of it.

Kirkwood, Skiing #14

It's been a banner year. The Sierra got 60 feet of snow and several resorts will remain open till July. I sure am getting my money's worth out of Epic Pass that I paid $430 for. I've skied 14 days so far and I probably can squeeze in another 5 days till May. If my body holds up, that is.

And I am holding up, so far. It's been a vast improvement over the last season when I was succumbing to post-ski sickness a month into the season, just like previous years. I started struggling 2 months into the season this year. Then I traveled to Utah for 3 days of skiing, and survived it without post-ski struggle. It must've been the Novelty Effect from that trip. Since then, I've been skiing with minimal post-ski struggles. The last trip to Kirwood on 3/25 was harrowing -- I rolled off The Wall for about 100 feet, and then had to get my car towed to Sacramento after running it into a ditch off hwy 88 -- and I ended up with cold sore on my lip. Still, I've recovered from it after 4 days without getting sick. Maybe I suffered a little more fatigue than I should've, but it wasn't much worse than normal recovery after a hard skiing for healthy people of my age.

Another atmospheric river hammered California on the week proceding 3/25, for the umpteenth time this year. Then the weather broke on 3/24 and I had to go up the mountains. Since the problematic Hwy 88 was clear this time, it had to be Kirkwood. I planned to spend the morning in the backside and then I came back to the front side via Eagle Ridge. I remember the route from the company ski trip in 90s when the snow was waist deep and one of the guys got buried and gave up. I also remember it when I led a Stanford group there: one of the girls went over it by mistake. I had to ditch the Swede I was skiing with and then follow her to make sure that she didn't get lost. 

I ended up spending the first half the morning on The Cornice. The snow there was soft and jumping off the top was surprisingly easy. I did a few runs there and then went to the backside and spent the second half of the morning on the Sunrise before coming back to the front side via Eagle Ridge as planned.

The Wall looked scary as I looked up from the below. The fall from the top looked about 20 feet. The steep part where the shadow of the wall ended was about 40 feet. But I had The Cornice under the belt and the path to the left of The Wall looked easy enough. When I got up there though, I decided to check out the path to the right where the cliff was. The Cornice was soft, so maybe I could tackle this one too if it was soft. It wasn't. The Wall was icy, and the soft portion started only where the wall ended. I hesitated for a good 5 minutes and then finally jumped off. I leaned back thinking the snow would grab my skis like it did on The Cornice. The skis instead skidded on the ice and I ended up spun around. I then rolled a good 100 feet and lost all my skis and poles. My goggle also got separated from my head and ended up a few feet below me. It got filled with snow and ice, and I was no longer able to see through it.

The rest of the run was synch once I got back up and picked up the pieces. The wide and soft bumps were a hoot to ski. After the top portion, I took the gulch back to the chair. And no, I didn't go back up. One yard sale was enough for the day. As it was, I ended up with a whiplash and my neck was sore for a few days.

I stopped in Jackson to refuel on the way back home. It should've been a smooth sailing from there. Just before hitting Hwy 16 however, I hit a hitch. Hwy 49 through Drytown is usually bad enough without shoulder and a ditch right next to it. Then the road eroded, and the white line crumbled into the ditch. My front tire hit the crumbled white line, lost control and I ended up in the ditch. The car bounced back out and then swerved into the oncoming traffic. Luckily other cars slowed down and I didn't hit anybody. But rear passenger side wheel and the front undercarriage got trashed. The wheel well lining got all crumpled and stuck between the car and the tire. I was thinking I could drive the car to Sacramento if I removed the crumpled lining. No such luck. It took me a while to get the lining removed -- the plastic pins were bitch to remove and I didn't have a right tool -- but the car still wouldn't drive. The wheel was tilted and made hideous sound when driven. I had to get it towed.

The tow arrived in 40 minutes, and I dropped the car at Kniesel's Autobody. It was Saturday evening, and they wouldn't open till Monday. But I didn't want to have it towed again, so I just left the car there over the weekend despite the danger of break-in. Now I'm still waiting for the estimate. It'll probably another a few weeks before I get my car back.

I don't know what it is with this car. I haven't had at-fault accident in 40 years, and then 3 accidents with this Tesla. This interstate cruiser does not have good visibility and it doesn't have steering feedback. All my previous cars were small and fun to drive; this one is big and numb. I think that is what's been causing all the accidents. I'll have to get rid of it and get into a smaller, sportier one. The freedom of free fuel is hard to give up though. Maybe I'll just rely on FSD, when it becomes usable enough, and not drive. In the meantime, I'll have to have Autopilot on more often. It doesn't work too well on twisty roads, and that was probably why I had it off on Hwy 88 and 49.

So, why did my post-ski sickness improve this year? I think it goes back to my theory that the remaining 5% of the exertion-hypersensitivity was still getting triggered at the same threshold and wreaking the same havoc. It's now down to 3%, and the post-exertion sickness is finally starting to improve. It's like murky water. You get close to the bottom, but you still can't see the bottom through it. Then, as you get even closer, you suddenly see the bottom. I think that is where I'm now. I may not be 100% yet, but I'm starting to see the end through the remaining 3%. One more season of Eletric Hobo, and I'll be 100% recovered, I think. I hope.

Ski Bumming in Utah

Elko was bitter cold. Being inland desert must have made it vulnerable to quick heat dissipation in the winter just as it is vulnerable to heat buildup in the summer. But I was not stopping too long over here. The Chinese takeout that I ate the last time I was here was conveniently located in the shopping center, but it was only 4 PM and I was going to eat when I get to Salt Lake City. I was only stopping to charge my car and I was moving on. 

So, I made it to Utah, after all. The snow forecast in Donner Pass on Friday 2/3 looked iffy and it appeared that I'd have a good chance to make it back over the pass on Saturday. (Turned out, there was only a slight flurry on Friday Morning and the road was clear by Saturday morning.) So I packed up on 1/30 and headed west the next day.

Who knew Nevada in winter was so beautiful? During the summer, the brown mountains look more like extensions of the desert: they are hills rather than mountains. In the winter, their peaks turn white and majestic making them look a lot bigger. The never-ending white peaks make you realize Nevada is indeed the most mountainous state.

The cold weather shrank the range of my Tesla. I could see the battery draining about 25% faster than normal. In the summer, 70 mph would consume 280 wh/m. In the cold of Nevada, it was more like 350 wh/m.  I had to charge 150 miles and then stop after 100 miles for recharge. After what seemed like a half dozen stops (Lovelock, Winnemucca, Elko, West Wendover, Tooele), I was finally in Salt Lake City after 9PM. King Chinese Buffet that I drove so long for closed at 10PM, so I went to a hole-in-the -wall place called Little World instead. It was the worst Chinese food I've eaten, bar none. The vegetables were raw and sauce absolutely tasteless. After that, I went to Tesla store, charged the car and then slept there. 

The next morning, I went through the usual commotion of Electric Hobo -- stop at Mcdonald for coffee, $1 McMuffin and bathroom. Then I was on my way to Park City. Being there for the first time, I suspected I would end up spending a lot of time finding my way. And I did. The main lot of the park city now required $25 for a single driver. You have to have 4 people in the car and reservation for free parking. I had to drive back to Canyon Village side to find a free parking. To make it worse, they botched the signage to the parking, and I ended way up in the gated village. I came back and managed to find my way to the free parking. By the time I on the slope after taking the standing gondola to Pine Express and and Pine Express gondola to the bottom of Saddleback, it was 10AM.

I spend the first day on the Canyon Village side. Park City was a big mountain and just going over to the main side and coming back would take a half a day. I figured I'd go over to the main Park City side on the second day and then spend the 3rd day on the Canyon Village side again before driving back in the afternoon. 

That's right, I spent 3 days skiing Park City. I originally planned to take the second day off and spend time in Salt Lake City. But then, I drove all the way and I had to get my money's worth. I didn't spend any, to tell the truth, but the time and distance were as valuable as money. I was naturally apprehensive as I haven't done back-to-back skiing in 15 years. The 3 days of skiing in Whistler in 2017 knocked me out and nobody in the group wanted to ski more after that. And back-to-back judo practice used to trigger overtraining syndrome that eventually turned into MECFS, and 3 days of skiing could bring it back. But then, I've been doing find with back-to-back hiking and the apprehension never materialized. So, the chances were, I'd be fine.

That was a lot of skiing. I was all over Tombstone on the Canyon Village side, Dream Catcher in the middle mountain and then Motherlode on the Park City side. The second day was a full day that started at 9 AM and ended at 3 PM. It wasn't as hard, however, as I spent half the time practicing short turns on groomed runs. Still, full day skiing was exhausting, and I needed refuel. The lunch hour was over when I got to King Buffet, so I couldn't load up. I went to Ramen Bar in downtown instead -- I felt like warm broth after all day skiing anyway -- and had Donkatsu Ramen that hit the spot just right. It was getting dark by then and I drove to Super 8 by the airport to sleep. I slept in the car for 2 nights by then and I needed a shower. And some comfort after the hard day of skiing.

The 3rd day was meant to be a half day, but I ended up skiing till past 1 PM and was back in Salt Lake City at 2. I charged the car and then was at King Buffer for $13 all-you-can-eat lunch. I then had to stop at Tesla Service to see if they can quickly fix the trunk latch that refused to close again. They couldn't -- it would take several hours for them to get to it and then fix -- so I left fruitlessly at 4 PM for Winnemucca 400 miles away. It would be well past 9 PM when I plugged the car in and climbed the back to sleep.

The Utah in winter was an absolute stunner. I didn't get to see it on the way in because it was past 8 PM by the time I crossed the borderline from Nevada. On the way out, however, I could see Wasatch mountains in my back mirror and the peaks spilled over from it in the front. Then it was the desert leading to Bonneville Salt Flat. The flat was flooded and frozen: it reflected the distant peaks in perfect symmetry. 

In all, The Utah expedition was a resounding success. I discovered Nevada and Utah in winter as well as skiing for 3 days.

Utah Dreaming

My Epic Tahoe Pass allows me to ski in Utah and Colorado for the total of 5 days. I've been watching the weather so that I can get to Utah: I need 5-day window in weather to get to Park City, ski for 2 alternating days and then come back. It is clear this week for 4 days, from Monday to Thursday. Then there is a slight chance of snow on Friday. So, I've been thinking that I could go and then come back on Saturday. I'd sleep at Tesla station in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, ski Park City on Wednesday, rest on Thursday in a motel, ski Friday and then drive back to Winnemucca on Friday night. I would then drive over Donner Pass on Saturday morning on route back home. The thought of driving to Salt Lake City and sleeping in my car there got me all aroused and my fatigue lifted. I was struggling a bit from reinstalling the inverter yesterday morning. 

Then, I decided not to take a chance. The road still could be slippery on Saturday morning, and I didn't want to incur another repair bill. So I gave up on the trip. The fatigue came back, and I was knocked out for a few hours after lunch. 

I'll have to get back on the road. Skiing Tahoe is swell, but the novelty is gone and I'm struggling 4 days after skiing. I should turn myself into a ski bum and travel from resort to resort all winter long rather than making day trips from home. But I can't do that in my slippery Tesla. I'll have to procure an AWD and turn it into a camper. Maybe next year if they come up with a truck or SUV for $30 after the subsidy. If not, I'll get a cheap a used AWD for $10k and retrofit it. I'll then hopping from resort to resort all over the West. Vail, here I come.

Northstar, Skiing #7

It's nothing but blue skies for the next 10 days. I was still under the weather from skiing #6, but I figured dousing my brain with dopamine just might get me out of it. I know, hope springs eternal. It's been more than a month since the season began, and I was struggling after skiing because the novelty wore off. I wasn't going to get enough dopamine from skiing now, I know that. It was just a wishful thinking that more skiing could get me out of the struggle. But I finally got my car back from the shop, so I was anxious to hit the road again anyway. 

I went to Heavenly for the last two times, so it was going to be Northstar or Kirkwood this time. Kirkwood felt dreary for some reason. It was the same process as how I choose my path when I come to a crossroad while on my walk: one path feels better than the other for whatever reason. Maybe it's light. Maybe it's the curb appeal. Or maybe it's just that I haven't been on that block for a while, and it feels new. I look down the streets and take whichever pulls me stronger. Northstar felt better the same way for whatever reason. I also planned to cut down on the intensity and amount of skiing since the high-dopamine period at the beginning of the season is over, so Northstar with more easier slopes was a better choice anyway.

Snow as all packed by now and a bit icy on groomed slopes. The freshness of 10 feet powder was all but gone. Consequently, I stay off the groomed slope in preference to moguls most of the time. As such, I ended up skiing harder that I planned and ended up doing 5 runs of 2 sessions instead of 4 runs.  On my last run, I went to Rapids off Backside Express chair. It turned out to be longer than Gun Barrel in Heavenly and just as steep. So much for the plan for easy skiing. The outcome was that I struggled for 3 days after that. It wasn't a bad struggle though. Mostly I got knocked out in the afternoon and then recover in the evening.

That has been the pattern lately: struggle in the afternoons, in between refreshing mornings and evening recoveries. All my red days has been that way since I returned from the Electric Hobo season 2.  It must a transitory state on the way to full recovery from MECFS. Perhaps the struggle in the afternoon will go away too after the season 3. 

Heavenly, Sking #6

They keep giving me these "upgrades" whenever I rent cars. First, it was a civic when it was supposed to be an economy class. Then it was HR-V AWD. And then finally Optima. I was mighty impressed how fun it is to drive these little cars, I've been thinking about getting one to either replace or supplement my old Tesla Model S.  Tesla Model S is good for interstate cruising, but it is not dopaminergic. It just doesn't connect you to the road -- you don't know that you are drifting when you are in the COVID-induced blur in wee hours. It's no wonder I got into an accident in Taos. So, I went to the dealerships and test-drove a few subcompact CUVs to see if I can find one that is fun to drive and that I can take to the mountains. I need some off-road capability as well since I'm not taking my Tesla off-road anymore. I'm done with trashing it and causing $10k damage.

I tested Crosstrek and CX-30, two top-rated CUVs. Crosstrek wasn't fun and neither was CX-30. I figured I might as well test a hatchback while I was at the dealership, so I hopped in a Mazda 3. It was fun as expected, but I can't take it off-road without lifting it a couple of inches. So, it appears that I can't have cake and eat it too: I'll have to give up either fun or off-roading. Will that be worth $30k? Maybe not. Maybe I'll stick to my Tesla for a while longer and then replace it with another electric that is capable of off-roading, when they have AWD available for less than $30k after the EV subsidy. Wait for an electric version of Crosstrek, in other words. An electric version will be more fun to drive since EVs have lower center of gravity, not to mention the instantaneous power.

So, I drove an Optima this time, to Heavenly. And, this time, all lifts were open. It was an absolutely gorgeous day with turquois Lake Tahoe below reflecting the blue sky above. I warmed up on Powder Bowl lifts for a while, and then skied Canyon Express before going over to Nevada side via Skyline trail. There, the snow-sprinkled desert of Nevada spread out below. On sunny days, the views from Heavenly is, well, heavenly. I left my phone in the car unfortunately, so I didn't get to take the picture this time.

It's been over a month since the season started and I was running out of dopamine by now. It's the same pattern: a month into the season, I'm less excited and less talkative. I knew days of struggle was coming after the skiing, but I still skied hard. Then, on my way back to California side, I got lost and got into woods: I ended up tree-skiing into a ravine unintentionally. It took a quite a bit out of me. My right knee was cramping on my way back home, I had to pull over and stretch. All that twisting motion to avoid trees must've taken the toll.

So, rotating to different resorts did not extend the novelty effect by much. And the aftermath after skiing #6 was as expected: I struggled for 4 days afterwards. From this point on, I'll have to cut down on both intensity and duration by half. That means 2 sessions of 4 runs on blue slopes. I'm yet to get my moguls down pat though, so the plan may not go as planned. Which means I'll be struggling well into February at least.

Heavenly, Skiing #5

There was a break in the weather for a couple of days and this was my chance to make a dash before the rain resumed. Thursday the 12th was a better day of the two -- rain was to come back in the afternoon of Friday -- but the road would be clearer on Friday morning. I rented the car, drove to Heavenly and made it all the way this time. 

It must've been 20 years since the last time I was here. I didn't come here too often even when I was healthy. It was further away than others and expensive -- Heavenly and Squaw are two biggest resorts and therefore proportionally expensive.  Driving on scenic US-50 was also a pain as it becomes 2 lane highway in the mountains: it's not that fun getting stuck behind a truck or RV when you are in hurry to get to the mountain or get back home. It's no wonder I don't remember much of it except for Gun Barrel and the view of Lake Tahoe from the top. 

I actually was at the resort at 8:30AM. I knew the snow was coming around 1PM, so I started out early so that I can finish early. But the lift didn't open till 9AM so I had to wait for a while. The upper mountain was closed because of the wind, and everybody was crammed into Power Bowl on California side. After spending a couple hours on Power Bowl, I got tired of the long line. I moved to Gun Barrel.

It was exhausting. Gun Barrel was not only steep, but it was also long. I had to make 5 or 6 stops to make it down to the bottom. Do that 3 times, and anybody would run out of gas. I quit and I returned to my car at 12:30. It was only about 3 hours of skiing for the day. But I did it almost nonstop except for a brief lunch break. 

The aftermath followed the same pattern: high for 2 days and then struggle for a day. I was back up and running by the evening of the 3rd day and I did ski exercise for a few minutes. The next day I was bed ridden for about 5 hours in the afternoon. I should've given full 3 days of rest, I guess.

Skiing #5 is usually when the novelty effect wears out and I start to struggle. But I'm still alive and kicking. Rotating to different resort must be extending it. Will it last for the entire season? We'll see.

House-arrested by Bad Weather

It's been raining for 3 weeks in a row. That meant too much of a good thing in the mountains: the snow piles up well over 10 feet and it's been few and far in between clear roads free of chain control. I rented a car and attempted to go up last week, only to be turned around by chain control at near Kyburz, 30 miles before reaching the ski resort.

And that meant I've been house bound, save the failed attempt to get to Heavenly. The occasional walk or jogging ended in the struggle the next day. My exercise tolerance has been shrinking just like it did in 2020 when I was house-arrested by Coronavirus and wildfire.

The storm train is lined up in the Pacific and the rain will continue at least for another week. I'll have to figure out a way to escape. There is a brief break tomorrow. The road may be open on Friday morning, and I might be able to make my dash for it. Cross fingers.