The edge of Christmas Eve

As Christmas quickly approaches we find ourselves in familiar territory......waiting for last minute gifts to arrive via USPS, UPS, or FedEx.  TLE is running around town looking for boxes to fit some of the larger gifts.  The slight downside to all of this is until the presents are presented to the designated 'giftees' the Newell and trailer are a little crowded.  

Whilst TLE was out dodging traffic all over Riverside I remained home to dump the black tank, and thoroughly flush it....that is one of the downsides to dumping your black tank using a macerator pump......it is very difficult to get all the gunk out unless you repeatedly fill the tank up with fresh water and pump it back out maybe 5, or 6 times.  Typically I can get our tank flushed and running clear water in just two fill ups with the regular sewer hose we use.  While the tank was filling, then being pumped empty I was busying myself with getting some of the bike items being sold on eBay that have 'sold' by virtue of having bids on them in their boxes so all I have to do is insert a packing slip, then apply the USPS postage label.  Being able to use the USPS flat rate boxes enables me to buy the postage through eBay, and really speeds up the process.  Typically about 80% of the parts I ship fit in the Small Flat Rate Box.

All of the foregoing took me into the afternoon, and by that time TLE had returned empty handed on the box front, but there is always Christmas Eve, right?  Around 1400 I decided it was time for a long bike ride, so I suited up and headed out to ride the SART trail northeast to its terminus in San Bernardino....just over 10 miles each way.  This is the first time I've done a 20+ mile ride since my aborted ride around Lake Tahoe last June (aborted due to my serious finger injury, which you can read about here).  The weather was in the high 50's....actually quite chilly as I began the ride, and being late in the afternoon would only get chillier.  I reached the terminus at Waterman Ave. in about 55 minutes averaging just over 14 mph, but that was with with a slight wind at my back....the 10+ mile home would be mostly into the light wind.  I arrived back home about 1620 having averaged 13.5 mph for the entire 20.05 miles incinerating some 1270 calories in the process.  I've missed those 20 mile rides, and am looking forward to a few more over the time we remain in Riverside.

The evening was spent reading until about 2030 when I turned on the TV and watched the 1982 Rambo: First Blood on Netflix.....not exactly a Christmas Movie, but one of my favorites.  I was in bed by 2230 and off to dreamland shortly thereafter.....

Thanks for stopping by!