D minus 10 - Calories

I hesitate just a little to say it was "cold" Thursday, but relatively speaking it was cold....it was in the mid to high 50's most of the day barely breaking 60 mid afternoon.  Compared to much of the nation where it is below freezing it's not cold at all.  Here, however, where it has been in the mid to high 80's for a long time, a 30 degree drop in temperature is noticeable....and....and...for the first time in 52 days rain was forecast.....not much rain, but rain nevertheless.

We really did not have big plans for Thursday.  The biggest item on our "to do" list was to take a tandem ride.  We are both really focused on reaching our individual weight goals before we leave RJRP now that we are nearing the end of our stay, so anything that does not further the attainment of that goal is on the back burner right now.

Due to the sudden drop in temperatures we put off our ride until the afternoon hoping it would get warmer, but it did not, so we bundled up in our warmest riding clothes around 2 and headed out picking up the SART southbound.  

In the past, when significant weight loss was not a priority, there would always be a place on our planned bike route where we could stop for a cup of coffee, or snack, or something, and I'm still up for that, but TLE is all business right now.....burning calories is the primary purpose of riding for her, and the thought of consuming calories during that pursuit of calorie combustion creates a sort of mental dissonance for her, so we just ride.

We both noticed a spur trail the last few times we rode south on the SART right near the end of the trail we normally follow, and decided this time to follow the spur trail to see how far it went, and where it went.....essentially it only went .6 miles further than the regular trail taking us a little closer to the river, but that added 1.2 miles more to our ride bringing us in at just over 25 miles in an hour 47 minutes.

Over the last two miles of the ride the temperature began to drop noticeably, and we were both glad when we reached home base just before 4 pm.

Sometime around 8 pm it began to sprinkle on and off, but never hard, or for very long, but it continued that pattern on and off all night.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 11 - Yeah

When I started out on this weight loss journey I wanted to lose 20 pounds.....at least 20 pounds.  Was I sure I would achieve my goal.....nope.  Did I think it was possible...yep....I've lost 25 pounds before, but over a much longer time (6 months).   I hoped I had the stick-to-itiveness to get there.  Well, two months after I began I have officially passed the 20 pounds lost mark.....am I done....nope!  I know....I know.....this is not the "weigh in day", but I just had to share......Wednesday was just one of those days that leaves you with a smile from ear to ear, and wanting to share good news with anyone who will listen.

Around 10:30 we headed into San Dimas to an eatery/microbrewery we have not visited before, strictly on the recommendation of Yelp's 4 out of 5 star rating.  We were meeting my sister, Jill, and her husband Elliott, of whom I have written on multiple occasions, for lunch.  I think I mentioned previously they come back to SoCal every year at this time to visit friends and family.  After many years of estrangement, Jill and I have finally connected like never before, and now every time I see her it is special....it is as if I was given an extra sibling late in life.  We had such a wonderful lunch with non-stop conversation, which was over way too soon. The great thing is I will see her again this Saturday at my baby brother's (Philip) 50th birthday party.....I guess he is not a baby anymore.

Oh, by the way, the beer and the food was amazing......Clayton's gets 5 stars from us....I had the Grilled Salmon Tacos served "street taco" style, and a Belgian style stout.   TLE had the half Pastrami sandwich with smoked Guda Butternut Squash soup, and TWO, count them, TWO Belgian style stouts!

Around 2:40 I took off on my bike for what started out to be my normal 12 mile ride, but about the 9 mile mark I decided 12 wasn't going to be enough......I just wanted to keep going.....so I added 6 more miles coming in at just over 18 miles for the ride.  Being able to ride virtually every single day over the past 2 months has reminded me of how much I love riding any bike......on pavement, or dirt.....I kind of lose myself for an hour, or so, but it seems much longer than that.  By the time I got "home" it was just after 4 pm, and the day was waning quickly.

After my shower I headed over to Subway to get my footlong......I have never been in a Subway at dinner time (5:30).......that's the time to go.....I was the only one there, and was in and out in 3 minutes.

It was a good day to be alive.......thanks for stopping by!

D minus 12 - Only one more

We are now less than 12 days from departure so Tuesday means there will only be one more Tuesday spent in the Kiosk....there are things now we will do just once more before we heave anchor.  It seems to be getting more difficult getting up at 5 am.....maybe it's the knowing we only have two more early mornings that increases the difficulty factor.
  
Tuesday was a very slow day in the Kiosk......the worst possible scenario when you have a 6 hour shift.  Thankfully we had two cabins to clean, so we used that six hour shift, as we have on several other long Tuesdays, to take turns cleaning the cabins.  It gets each of us out the Kiosk for an hour and a half.....of course it is a little less boring for TLE since she always has a book with her.  I, obviously, could read too, but being interrupted continuously while reading is not my cup of tea, and even though it can be very slow in the Kiosk some days just enough is going on to make it difficult for me.  Once I am deep into a book I don't like interruptions.

I left TLE just after she returned at 10 am from doing her cleaning bit on the two cabins and went to do my part.  By the time I finished it was closing in on 11:30 and time for me to make my daily pilgrimage to a local Subway shop.  I haven't used the new Subway app yet....I should have Tuesday, because Wednesday we are driving into San Dimas to have lunch with my sister Jill, and her husband Elliott who are in town for a month visiting friends and relatives.  My next chance to use it will be Thursday.   In just a few days the annual Janu-any $5 promotion will end......no one can say I haven't taken full advantage of that $2 savings per footlong Club......I have saved over $50 in January.

On the weight loss front both of us are seeing significant differences in our profiles, and having to use notches in our belts that heretofore have not seen use......ever.  Although somewhat annoying, I relish the fact that I have to pull my pants up on occasion.

I took my usual nap after lunch......by the way I read an interesting article, "Finally- Justification for taking a nap!"  It says the perfect nap lengths are either 10-20 minutes, or 90 minutes.....once you get past 20 minutes you slip into a deeper sleep and need at least 90 minutes to complete that sleep cycle.  I'm not seeking "nap converts", just pointing out an interesting article......it is always nice to have your personal experience validated.  I've been taking afternoon naps since the late 70's.

After my 90 minute nap I got dressed for my daily usual 12 mile ride around Fairmont Park, up to the top of Mt. Rubidoux, and home doing the distance in just over 51 minutes.....a new personal best.....Tuesday was the perfect riding day......1-2 mph winds, and not too much foot traffic on the Mt. Rubidoux path.    It really does not seem to matter what the air quality is on any given day....the views as you wind your way along the paved path to the top are always breathtaking.  

TLE and I watched an old 1957 movie we had recorded a few weeks ago off TCM called "12 Angry Men" starring Henry Fonda, and numerous other notable actors.  It is a black and white movie, and if you have never seen it you should.  The entire movie takes place inside a jury room as 12 men deliberate the fate of an accused murderer.  You cannot help but be moved.

We finished the evening watching a current epiosode of "Justified", and another recorded show from Monday night...."Intelligence", as well as a few recorded "Fraser's".

Well, our 2nd to last Tuesday is in the books, and it is on to our second to last Wednesday.....thanks for stopping by!

D minus 13 - P.E.T.

I woke up around 7:30 to find TLE had been up for a while.....this is an occurrence like worlds colliding, pigs flying, rainwater becoming beer......it happens so rarely that when it does happen I think something must be terribly wrong.....maybe the phone rang with bad news.  Nothing was wrong.....it was just a rare reversal of roles.

We planned to utilize our bike rack for the first time on the VW by hauling our single Cannondales up to the Pacific Electric Trail in Rancho Cucamonga.  This is a "Rails to Trails" project that follows the old Pacific Electric Right of Way for 21 miles from Claremont to Rialto.  Presently there are over 13,000 miles of these kind of bike paths in 48 states.  TLE hasn't ridden her single Cannondale in a long time, so we decided to ride a 7 mile segment starting at East Ave. in Rancho Cucamonga east to the current trails end at Maple Ave. on the Rialto Border.....the round trip ride would make it an even 14 mile ride.

Segment in Fontana

Starting out in Rancho Cucamonga

Before putting the bike rack on the car I used the opportunity of a rare rain shower during the preceding night to wipe down the VW.  There has rarely been a dew overnight as it has been so dry....I think the last time it rained was in late November.  As I was finishing up that task I was approached by a few of our neighbors, one at a time, asking questions about the Newell, our lifestyle, being a camp host, etc.  I never turn down an opportunity to talk about the Newell, but those three conversations delayed our departure by at least an hour.

Finally the bike rack, and the two bikes were mounted, and we headed off to the bike trail arriving just before Noon.  Unbeknownst to me TLE had done some research and located a Subway shop just off the bike path where it crosses Cherry Ave. in Fontana, and, of course,  we would stop there on our way back to the trailhead.  

The ride went smoothly, and we pretty much had the trail to ourselves for long stretches on this Monday morning.  There was a slight breeze pushing us as we rode eastward....so slight we didn't really notice it until we made the turn around at Maple and felt it in our faces for the first time.  While we averaged about 14-15 mph on our way east, the wind slowed us to 9-10 mph on the way back.  Nevertheless, the ride was very pleasant, and it was great to ride this trail once again.  Before we left on our fulltime, nomadic journey we rode this trail from end to end on many occasions.  It is a great resource for the local communities along its route.

We stopped at the Subway on the way back.....TLE ordered the Veggie Salad......you know what I ordered....and we took a break and ate there.....then it was only another 1.5 miles back to the car.

While we were in Rancho Cucamonga we decided to head over to my son's office to pick up a couple of Amazon Prime items that had been delivered on Saturday.  One of the items was a new key fob for the VW.....the one that came with the car had no way to attach a key ring for other essential keys like a house key, etc.  The original owner had cut off the ring, so I ordered a replacement on Amazon for $7!  What a killer deal.....it came with its own tiny phillips screw driver for removing the single screw that holds the two parts of the key fob together, plus a replacement VW badge.  The arrival of the new key fob was very timely as the battery had just died in the old one, so after transferring the chip and key from the old fob to the new fob I just installed a new 2032 battery....and NO it didn't take me twice as long as it should have, although I am surprised it didn't.

Not much else to report on for Monday......Tuesday is our second to last early Tuesday at the Kiosk, so we were in bed early.  I am beginning to look forward with anticipation no longer having to get up early any day if I do not wish to do so.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 14 - Rhythm

Sunday, just as it has been since we arrived  back in November, was Kiosk day for us.  This was probably one of our busiest Sunday's for fishermen entering the park since we have been here.  Most likely it was due to the fact the two lakes had been stocked with trout on consecutive Friday's in anticipation of the Fishing Derby the day prior.  At any rate the stream of car carrying anglers began at 7 am, and did not let up until after 8 am....by let up I mean only 2, or 3 cars at a time as opposed to a line all the way out to the street.  TLE worked the register while I interfaced directly with the customers collecting money and dispensing fishing tickets.....we had quite a rhythm going and were able to move the line right along.  

The car tidal wave begins

When we stay busy the 4 hour duty seems to fly by, and as has been the custom, Carolyn dismissed us 30 minutes early at 10 am.

Over the past couple of weeks I had purchased 3 new bike tires online.....one to replace my front tire on the Cannondale Bad Boy, and the other two for the tandem.  My "Bad Boy" tires were about 7 years old when we arrived here in RJRP, and the tandem front tire the same (the rear tire on the tandem was replaced about a year and a half ago in Washington State)......just like motor vehicle tires, after 6-7 years it is time to replace tires no matter how good they look.  I had replaced the back tire on the "Bad Boy" back in November as it was worn out....the back tire always wears out faster than the front on bikes.  Since the tandem was already on the bike rack I tackled it first replacing both tires, then rolled it out of the trailer and got to work on the "Bad Boy" front tire.....it all went soooo smoothly until I rolled the "Bad Boy" outside and discovered the front tire on the tandem was flat....what?  That is the "Hockwald Way" .......everything takes twice as long as it should.....so I remove the front tire again, pull the tube out, find the hole, fix it, and then replace the wheel.

Mike's Trek bike

Once the new bike tires were installed I did a little work on Mike's Trek bike like adding a kickstand that I had been carrying around for a couple of years, plus added an extra PlanetBike cyclocomputer I was not using anymore, and re-adjusted the front axle as it was a little loose.....one more bike resurrection complete.

Then it was time for lunch, and the second half of the Club I bought on Saturday, followed immediately by a nap.....these early mornings are getting to me!  Around 2 pm I took off on a solo 24 mile bike ride down the SART (Santa Ana River Trail) to California and back.....took me about 1 hour & 42 minutes, and I burned 1,488 calories according to my trusty Garmin Edge 205.  As I was getting on my bike to take my ride I just happened to glance over at the tandem and saw that BOTH tires were now FLAT......come on!  I was baffled until I began to realize I had not replaced either inner tube on the tandem with a new one....they are obviously just as old as the tires.....doh!  So when I returned from my bike ride I again put the tandem back on the rack and replaced both inner tubes.....there is a reason why they call "it" the "Hockwald Way".

TLE watched cooking shows most of the afternoon while she worked in the kitchen, and around the coach.  Some have asked how she is doing on her own personal weight loss program, and I am happy to report she has lost over 12 pounds so far, and is also seeing read outs on the digital scale she has not seen in a few years.  She keeps promising to contribute a post, or two, but so far she has not been sufficiently inspired to do so.  I know she wants to relate her own weight loss story.  We are both glad we are both trying to lose weight because it gives each of us some accountability, and certainly the encouragement we need to reach our individual goals. 

So here we are just two weeks from departure and resuming our nomadic life, and getting excited in anticipation of what awaits us down the road.  There is so much to do before we leave, and we have gotten so much done.  This Saturday, February 1st, is our three year anniversary of living full time in our Newell, and our two year anniversary of traveling full time in our Newell.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 15 - 12.5 pounds

Saturday, oh Saturday.....Fishing Derby day at Rancho Jurupa.  Our day started at 5:45 am....a long time before sunrise.....way too long before sunrise....what is that all about?    Every year on the 4th Saturday of January RJRP has a fishing derby, and why not?  They have two fishing lakes here at the lovely RJRP....the lakes are stocked with 1500 pounds of trout on Friday, and Saturday morning the anglers flow into the park  at 6 am with dreams of catching the big one and taking home 1st prize.  Well, on this particular Saturday the "big one" was a 12.5 pound trout caught using hot dogs as bait....wait, what?  Hot dogs?  No lures, no Power Bait, no worms, no night crawlers?  Hot dogs?  Yep, hot dogs!

On days like this every camphost is required to work, so TLE and I were on the line at 5:45 armed with an apron with $50 in cash to make change for those who had not pre-purchased their tickets.......then they opened the gates and the rush started as hundreds of hopeful fisher type people rushed into the park to stake out their favorite fishing spots with hopes of winning the prize for the biggest trout caught.

By 7 am when the horn sounded starting the Derby the traffic had dwindled to a trickle.  We work anyway on Saturday, but normally from 10 am to 2 pm, so even though we were dismissed around 7:30 one of us had to come back to the Kiosk by 10 am.....for our normal shift...we decided that would be TLE, and then I would come back and relieve her at Noon taking the last 2 hours of the shift.

I went back out to the trailer and began putting the Trek bike (Mike's bike) back together and tuning it up......I found out talking to Mike that he has had this bike for 20 years, and rode it to and from work 6 of those years, but has had it in storage these past 5, or 6 years.  He was thinking it was "dead" until I offered to restore it for him.  Amazingly I only had to replace one small length of cable housing for the rear derailleur, otherwise everything else works.  I did have to re-pack the grease in both hubs as well as the bottom bracket, but that is just normal for a 20 year old bike.

Finally it was time to walk over to the Kiosk to relieve TLE and do my time.  It continued to be busy from Noon to 2 pm, which helped the time pass quickly, and I was back "home" a little after 2 taking  a nap.

This weekend is the 73rd birthday of Neil Diamond, the prolific song writer, and performer, so XM Radio dedicated channel 17 to nothing but his music the entire weekend.  TLE and I spent the afternoon and evening listening to that channel and were transported back in time for a few hours.  The words from one particular song, "If you know what I mean" struck home:

"And here's to the songs we used to sing.  And here's to the times we used to know, It's hard to hold them in our arms again, but hard to let them go"

We spent a few hours holding those tunes in our arms and singing the words we know all too well, and were treated to an amazing, almost Cedar Key like sunset.

Saturday was my day off from dieting so we grilled some filets to which TLE added asparagus and broccoli.  Since Sunday is another Kiosk day we were off to bed by 10 pm.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 16 - Weekly weigh in

A week ago on the 18th I was at 195.4.....one week later I am at 192.4!  Another 3 pounds in the lost, but not found department.  I was hoping to be at my interim goal of 190 by today's weigh in, but I've got to be happy about 3 more pounds lost in just a week.....just 2.4 more pounds to go.

Friday started out very slow.....I received my new Samsung Note 3 phone from Verizon on Wednesday, and had tried to activate it by just turning it on.....that is the way it is supposed to work, but for whatever reason it never works for me.  My record is intact....every single phone I have ever gotten I have either had to go into the Verizon store to get activated, or I have had to call the dreaded "611" number and talk with technical support to get the deed done.  Don't get me wrong here.....the technical support people always get the phone activated, and are always extremely helpful, and knowledgeable.  The problem is I always know setting up a new phone will take a big chunk of my day, and that is what happened once again.   From downloading all the odd little applications I like, many of which aid us in our travels, to getting the hotspot setup and working, to reconnecting our wireless HP printer with that new hotspot, etc., etc., etc.  It all takes time, and is rarely ever seamless.  I guess it is a necessary evil we must suffer through on occasion to have the advantages of this amazing technology, but I dread the loss of hours from my day.

The Samsung Note 3 - about 1/3 larger than my HTC Rezound....BUT lighter!

I did spend an hour, or so working on my friend, Mike's Trek bike, but didn't get nearly as far into it as I had wanted before I had to head over to Subway for my daily 12" fix.  By the way, I just downloaded a very cool app from Subway that allows you to order your sandwich online, pay for it online, and then just pick it up from the local store....how cool is that?  I did not use it yesterday as I did not have enough time to learn how to use it, but it looks like a time saver....no waiting in line anymore!

Late in the afternoon I realized I had not mailed out the two Seiko Automatic watches that closed on eBay Wednesday.....can you believe I received over $310 for those two watches?  Those watches are one of the few investments I have made over the years that appreciated in value.....my basic investment philosophy, although not intentional, has been to buy high and sell low....lol.  I originally paid less than $100 total for both watches.  I was hard to pack them up knowing I would never see them, or wear them again, but at least someone else will be able to enjoy them and wear them on a regular basis.  Now I am down to 3 working Seiko Automatics.  I have a fourth that needs the stem reattached, but I may save that one for parts for the other three.

I got back from the USPS about 4 and decided to squeeze in my bike ride.....one hour until sunset!  I quickly changed into my riding clothes and took off.  I decided to change it up a little and headed directly for the Rubidoux summit.....I hadn't taken a shot at my old time of 22 minute 15 seconds for several weeks, and I felt strong, so I went for it.....I must report a new personal best....20 minutes, 54 seconds!  After summiting I finished by riding through Fairmont Park, around the lake, and home for a total mileage of 13.54 in 58 minutes.

Saturday is the annual fishing derby here at RJRP, and that means Saturday morning will be (is) even more iniquitous....we have to be at the Kiosk at 5:45 am as the gate opens at 6 am, and the derby begins promptly at 7 am.  We only have one more weekend of Kiosk duty after Sunday, so our time here is short.  

We were in bed by 9 pm Friday night.....thanks for stopping by!

D minus 17 - Dealing with loss....

Until yesterday my weight loss was just a number on a post-it-note on the cabinet above my work station.  Over the past 2 years I have gotten used to acknowledging the 20+ pounds of weight gain, and how most of my clothes were uncomfortable.  I resisted, to some degree, buying bigger and bigger pants, because I felt I would be giving up if I did.  Even the pants I did buy were for someone with a 36" waist, and that was not me, so they were uncomfortable.  I could wear them for an hour, or so, but by then my body was screaming to be set free from them.  I was reduced to wearing shorts with an elastic band, which was pretty much what I have worn for the past two years.  

I had plans......many different plans.....to start losing weight over the past year.....working at Amazon was one of those plans.  I figured 10-12 miles of walking per night couldn't help but melt a few of those unwanted pounds away.....the problem was there was always another micro-brewery to visit....another interesting restaurant.  I did lose about 8-10 pounds, but within a couple of weeks of arriving in Cedar Key I had gained most of that back.  Of course, we know the key to losing weight long term is to eat LESS and move MORE....."move" being regular exercise.  It was easy to continue eating out a lot, and drinking a couple of pints of beer with a meal, because we were spending our time where the weather was pleasant most of the time and I could just wear those shorts with the elastic waist band.  I stopped weighing myself, and stopped looking in the mirror.....well, I snuck a peak once and a while.  Whenever someone would be taking a picture I would suck in my belly.

Well, each and every one of those "plans" came to naught.....I just could not get started, or I could not sustain any effort for more than a few days.  That is one of the downsides to changing your view all the time.....it is difficult to establish any sort of routine, or habit.  Finally, on November 25th.....10 days after arriving at RJRP I took a good look at my naked profile in the full length mirror.....who is that fat old man staring back at me?  Then I got on the scales and closed my eyes.....I didn't want to see the number that would register on the digital read out......finally I opened my eyes to see a number I thought I would never see.....

211.5

.....that number was higher by 6 pounds than I had ever weighed in my life.    About 5 years before I had gotten up to 205.5 before starting on a 6 month effort to get back down to 179 through vigorous daily gym workouts, riding my bike, and eating less.  I was able to maintain my weight in the mid 180's for a couple of years, but then, gradually, I began to move less and eat more again.

Sure, I was disappointed in myself, but the problem was  I had set such a high bar for myself on the kind of workout I did every day that I could not sustain it.....my body just wore down.  Of course, in order to eat what I wanted, and drink the beer I wanted with no weight consequences I had to work out hard to keep my metabolism at a level where I could burn off those calories.  

Seeing that number made me feel numb all over.....how was I going to lose that weight again?  Six, or 7 months is such a long time, and I didn't see how I was going to sustain a diet for that length of time traveling as we do.  

When I was 19 I ate all the time, and thought nothing of drinking an entire six pack of beer in one sitting.  It had very little effect on my weight......however, I am no longer 19.  I have been active all my life.  Before I severely broke my right ankle in 1978 I ran for exercise, and we snow skied a lot.  After that I took up bike riding as it was easier on my ankle.  In the late 80's when the mountain bike craze struck I bought a mountain bike and rode pretty much every weekend.  In the mid 90's I became a professional soccer referee did as many as 6-7 matches every weekend, as well as indoor soccer during the week.  It was then, also, that I met my good friend, Paul Hood, who took mountain biking to another physical level.  We have ridden mountain bikes a few thousand miles together.  All that combined helped me maintain my weight in the mid to high 190's for a long time, but eventually my metabolism began to slow, even with all the physical activity, and I eventually found myself north of 200 pounds at the aforementioned 205.5.

This time I had to figure out how to eat less, but not MISS all the things I love to eat......not spending every day craving the things I love to eat.....bread, meat and cheese.  Plus I had to figure out an exercise regime I could sustain.....all while losing at least 22 pounds in a relatively short period of time.  If you have been reading my blog for the past 2 months you know I found my answer.  I started eating a footlong Subway Club sandwich every day, and started riding my bike.  I was so out of shape when we arrived in RJRP I could not sustain riding more than 8 miles on my bike, and then only 3-4 times a week.  I had to build up my stamina again.  Eventually I got to where I could do a 12 mile ride 6 days a week....I give myself one day off a week from my diet, and one day off from riding.  Recently I've taken to riding 20+ miles a few times a week....sometimes by myself, and sometimes with TLE on the tandem.  We've done a number of 20+ tandem rides over the past few weeks, and just yesterday rode over 26 miles on the tandem.  If for some reason I cannot ride on a given day I would normally do so due to weather, or too much to do I take a walk with TLE.

Anyway, the bottom line is I found a routine I could sustain.  I love the Club sandwiches, and I love riding my bike.  The trick is once I get to my target weight what will I eat every day, and how will I get in the exercise I need to burn at least 800-1000 calories through exercise at least 6 days a week?  I'm still working on that, because at some point I need to return to a more normal, balanced diet, plus figure out how to exercise every day on the road.

Yesterday, for the first time my weight loss became more than just a number on the wall....I stood in front of that same mirror and could see the results of my hard work....a much flatter stomach.  I can wear pants again for hours at a time, and I am pulling pants out of storage I thought I would never wear again.  My shirts hang loose around my torso.....I wear a belt with pants again.......I can bend over and tie my shoes without having to hold my breath.

On a side note Thursday was a very pleasant day....I heard from Rich that he had set aside two boxes for me, so I ran over and got them, then packed up the last eBay item, the wheelset, and delivered it to the USPS.  I installed new handlebars on the tandem for TLE, and she loves them much better than the old.  We rode 13 miles north on the SART to San Bernardino, had lunch at the local Subway, then 13 miles back.  For the nightcap we headed over to Riverside Plaza Regal Theaters to watch "Gravity" in 3-D.  What an amazing movie, and what a great venue to see it at!  It is just over 90 minutes long, but I'm not sure I we could have taken more than that with the intensity level as high as it was for pretty much the entire movie.

I can't believe yet another week is coming to and end.....in less than 17 days we will be rolling our wheels again.....we both agree we are ready to do so, but the gravitational pull of this place is strong, too.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 18 - Hither and Yon

This has been a very good week for weight loss.....I'll leave it at that, except there is an outside chance I may be reporting a weight on Saturday that is very, very close to my interim goal, if not at my goal.....it looks like my body has skipped past the plateau it was hovering around for a couple of weeks. 

I knew Wednesday would be a very full day, but I had no idea it would not slow down until almost 6 pm.  There were still a dozen bike parts to box up, so I got to it before 9 am.  I also learned something new about eBay.....if you print shipping labels (includes postage) using eBay you get as much as a $1.00 discount on the Medium Flat Rate Box postage....wow, who knew?  In order to take full advantage of the postage discount I need to obtain a small postal scale so I can weigh those items not going in flat rate boxes, but are going Priority Mail....then I will get the discount on them also.....but I have to know the weight.

Around 11 am I took all the flat rate boxes I had pre-paid postage on over to the local USPS and upon return TLE helped load the rest of the boxes in the VW around 11:30.  We decided to take them into the Rancho Cucmamonga USPS since I needed to stop by my son's office to pick up a few packages....4 to be exact......1) a new front tire for my bike, 2) two new tires for the tandem, 3) the receiver hitch riser, and 4) my new Samsung Note 3 phone.  

We stopped off at Subway to have lunch, then a trip into Costco to order our new eye glasses.  I got the progressive lenses again, and added transitional to them.....the lenses will darken when exposed to sunlight.  We should have them back in 10 days, or so.

Then it was up to Chris' office to gather the packages.....while TLE sorted through some more stuff in the warehouse I drove my packages across the street to the USPS to use the automated postal machine.....I love this particular USPS because they have four of these machines, plus people on staff whose whole purpose is to tutor people in how to use the machines.  I wish every USPS had these machines, and people showing you how to use them.  I was done in about 30 minutes.

From there we headed up to the LBS (local bike shop) to pick up a frame box, and wheelset box......I think this is the first time I have not been able to come up with a box a this store.....Rich said if I had been there 2 hours earlier I could have had my pick, but several people came in looking for boxes, and got them.  Rich will set aside two boxes on Thursday for me.  Nevertheless, I needed to ship the Trek Fuel 98 frame out Wednesday as I had promised the buyer I would, so we headed over to another bike shop I used to frequent quite a bit when we lived in Ontario, and was able to score at least a frame box.  

By this time it was after 3 pm, and I needed to have the frame box over to the local FedEx office before 5 to be sure it went out Wednesday.  We hurried home and I went straight to packing the Trek frame.  I finished around 4 and loaded the box into the Beetle then headed off with TLE to the FedEx/Kinkos over on Magnolia.....while I processed the box, TLE went into Ralphs for some grocery items, then we both headed over to Trader Joe's for a wine run.  We're already mapping out Trader Joe's on, or near our planned travel route the next few months......we have gotten so spoiled having a TJ's just a few miles away.

As we drove up Magnolia I noticed the local Goodwill and suggested we stop in to browse for a few minutes.......I came away with 3 sports shirts I will use for riding....you know, those kind that have the "coolwick" material.....they are really great for exercising, and I do have room for them.  TLE found a nice pair of capri style pants.  By the time we got in the car the sun had set.   

We arrived back home just before 6 pm, and for the first time in weeks had to enter the gate code to get back in the park.  I'm sure you noticed one important thing missing from my description of Wednesday......no bike ride.....there just was not enough time.  As a substitute TLE and I took off on a brisk, fast paced 1.6 mile walk around the walking path here in the park about 7:15.....had to give dinner a chance to digest first.

It was a very full, busy day, and I am sure many of the remaining days here in RJRP will be the same as we complete tasks that must be done before we leave....our eye glasses were one of those things to do.

I also have another bike (owned by one of the camp hosts, Mike) to resurrect from disuse, and it will be a lot of fun to take it apart and put it back together again so it can be enjoyed.  My friend, Carmello, came to pick up his bike a couple of days ago, and is going to start riding it, plus he promised to keep it in doors, and not out in the weather.  Apparently a number of people here in the park, and readers of the blog have been inspired by my riding and Subway sandwich consumption.....there is a lot more bike riding going on, plus a couple have actually bought bikes to ride.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 19 - Just enjoy it, okay?

My sister Jill and her husband, Elliott, flew into SoCal yesterday from Michigan (or maybe the day before....I'm not sure) and she wrote this on Facebook on Tuesday: "It just occurred to me: I have no idea how to dress for this weather. I don't think I even own shorts! It's going to be 83 degrees here today."  Where she came from it is 6 degrees right now.  It is humorous how it is human nature to talk/complain about the weather......here I sit in that 80 degree weather complaining about how warm it is....I think I will just close my mouth now and enjoy the wonderful weather we have been blessed with this winter so far.

We were greeted with a spectacular sunrise Tuesday morning as we walked to the Kiosk around 6:30.....it is not possible for my phone camera to capture how amazing it was.  We had a typical Tuesday after a trout stocking.....steady business all morning.  Around 8:15 I headed off to do my part of cleaning cabins 1 & 2....TLE had done her part Monday afternoon.  I was back at the Kiosk by 9:50 and "let" TLE go until 11.  She came back right on time as she always does and I headed off to buy my daily Subway sandwich.

I'm still playing catch up on my sleep from the weekend, so I took a nap after lunch again and slept until after 2 pm.  I hadn't taken my bike ride yet, and I know that if I let up for one day there will be an excuse the next day, and the day after.  I have a time frame within which I am working to achieve a goal, and my goal is within sight.  All that being said I saddled up and took off on my ride bucking a slight head wind.  It's funny.....it would have been easy to take the day off as most of it was gone, but 2 minutes into the ride I found myself back in the "zone" and glad I was on my bike.  You hear all the time about motorcycle riders loving the feeling of "being in the wind" .....well, on a smaller scale that is what I love about riding my bike.......feeling the wind on my face, arms and legs.....for me there is not a better feeling, especially when the air is so balmy as it is right now.  Each time I crest the summit on Mt. Rubidoux and take in the magnificent view to the west and south I am renewed......I feel the endorphins coursing through my body providing a mental "high" as I edge over the summit and begin the daily 3 mile plunge down that black  ribbon of pavement as it wends its way down, down, down....hugging every bend and curve....dodging in and out of small pockets of hikers coming to, and going from the summit...we exchange greeting as I pass....I can see they love being on this mountain just as much as I.

It took me just over 55 minutes, even with the breeze, to arrive home again.....I took a shower, and then headed out to the trailer to do some more packing....by 5 I had everything packed except the wheelset, frame and a few small parts.  They will be finished first thing Monday morning and then off to the USPS.

Normally Tuesday is our "triple header" night, but none of our regular shows were running new episodes....we watched two recorded shows from Monday night (Intelligence and Castle), then TLE was off to bed....I followed a little after 10.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 20 - Flying Time

Hard to wrap my mind around the fact that we have less than 20 days now before we change our view again....we have been in RJRP for 9 weeks.  TLE and I were remarking Monday how it seems winter has not arrived in SoCal yet.  The last two days we have had to turn on the A/C it has gotten so warm.....I hesitate to use the phrase "too hot", but it feels that way....at least for this time of year.  I just checked the 10 day forecast and the temperatures will remain in the mid to high 80's for the entire 10 day period.

First thing Monday I finished up a couple of jobs I had started on Sunday.....while we were riding the tandem Friday I thought I heard a spoke pop, and sure enough when I went to check it Sunday there was a broken spoke.  The last time I had to replace a spoke on the tandem was in Twin Falls, ID back in September of 2012.  At the time I had the presence of mind to buy three of them, so now I have used 2 of the three.  On Sunday I removed the rear wheel, removed the drag brake, removed the tire and tube, and put on the new spoke.  Whenever a spoke breaks the rim has to be trued again.  I started that process Sunday, but ran out of time, so I finished that up before finishing the tune up of my friend's (Carmello) mountain bike, then it was time to fix the Honda generator.  My son had borrowed it a week, or so ago, and the rope you pull to start it broke.  Fortunately it broke right near the end so I was able to rewind the spring, and re-attach the pull handle in about 40 minutes.

I headed out to buy some shipping and packing supplies at Staples around 11 am.  I've got about 22 things to mail out in the next few days, and was out of bubble wrap, and those styrofoam pellets I like.  On the way home I picked up my Subway Club. 

I received an interesting call while I was in the checkout line at Staples from a Scott Lingren (sp?) who works for Express Employment Professionals....at first I thought he was calling to see if we were going to come back to the sugar beet harvest next year......he started out the conversation saying he had just spent an hour reading my blog about our experience at the Sugar Beet Harvest.  He complimented me on my account of the "good, bad and ugly" of our experience, and wanted to know if I would give him some feedback on what they could do better......you just never know who is going to end up reading your blog.  Anyway, I spent about 20 minutes on the phone with him talking about our experience on the Factory night shift.  Scott had just returned from Quartzite where he helped set up a booth for Sidney Sugars, so they could recruit fellow RVers to  come work the sugar beet harvest every Fall.   He said the temperature there in North Dakota was -10 degrees......I'll take mid 80's over that any day.

Just after I returned home TLE headed out on some errands of her own, while took a short nap then got dressed for my 12 mile bike ride.  It was probably the hottest, driest day for riding that I can remember since we've been home.  I was having to take a drink of water about every 5 minutes as my throat was drying out so quickly.  I've pretty much got this ride down to about 52-55 minutes.

After taking a shower I headed out to the trailer to begin the packing process, and got about half the items ready for mailing.  I'll get the rest done Tuesday and then ship them out by Wednesday.  I have to ship the frame all the way to Pennsylvania so I'll need a sturdy bike box to be sure it arrives in good condition.

By the time I finished with that it was just about sunset, and time for the second 6 inches of my daily Club.  I'm hoping to be at my intermediate goal of 190 pounds by the end of next week.  Then I will work on finding a way to maintain that weight level while returning to a more normal diet.  Ultimately I want to get down into the mid to low 180's....I think the key for me will be to establish a regular, daily exercise plan.....something I can sustain on the road.  The exercise is really the key for me in keeping the weight off!

We watched a 1957 color movie called "Silk Stockings" with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse, which was typical of the Hollywood musical comedies of that era, and we enjoyed it.

That was our Monday.....thank for stopping by!

D minus 21 - Ahhhhhh!

We were up way too late Saturday evening.......or Sunday morning as the case may be.....knowing we had to be UP at 5 to be at the Kiosk by 6:30......four and a half hours of sleep does not work for me on any level.....not even when I was younger.  It was as if I had just laid my head on the pillow for a short nap when my eyes opened at just 5 am.  As much as I like to say that every day feels like Saturday when you are retired, Sundays and Tuesdays DO NOT feel like Saturday when you have to get up at 5 am, even if you had the sense to go to bed early, let alone if you did not have good sense.  All that being said, I would not trade one second of the time I spent with my kids and friends Friday and Saturday nights.  Those memories will linger at the front of my thoughts for a long time.  It was precisely for those moments we came home for almost 3 months.

Kiosk duty went own as expected.......a nice sunny day, freshly stocked trout, and modest temperatures draw a lot of people into the park when the gates open at 7 am on a Sunday.  We were pretty busy for the first 90 minutes, then it began to slow down a little.  TLE let me off when Carolyn came on duty at 9 am, and she stayed until almost 10.....thank you honey!

By mid morning our kids were dropping by to say their "until next times", and by 11 my son was pulling out of site # 257....it was perfect having him, Rochelle and Christopher right next door the entire weekend.

Sunday the NFL held their two conference championship games.....the Broncos and Patriots were up first at Noon. I have made no secret about my interest in the success of the Broncos, and Peyton Manning.....I even have TLE on the bandwagon now.  We were both in our seats by Noon, and hardly budged for over 3 hours.  The Broncos played error free football and won 26-16.....now on to the Super Bowl.  In the 3:30 game we had split loyalties....TLE was for the 49ers, and I was rooting for the Seahawks.....the 'Hawks held on to win a close one 23-17.

Needless to say there were no bike rides this weekend, and the diet was only partially adhered to, but it's all good....I will get to my goal of 190.....I am so close.

The rest of my bike items closed on eBay Sunday morning and the final numbers were pretty good....I spent $350 to acquire the Trek Fuel 98 full suspension bike, and took in $750 and change...more than double my investment.  Over all I've earned a profit of $1,020 in just a few weeks of doing something I like.  Now I'm looking for the "next" bike, and am hoping I can do at least 2 more bikes before we pull anchor.

In addition, over the next three weeks I will be finishing up some maintenance, upgrade, and repair projects on the coach, because once we start moving again, it will be difficult to these things done.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 22 - Familia

Do you ever have that dream where you forget your schedule, or some other really important stuff, and then suddenly remember what you forgot and have to make a mad rush to get to where you're supposed to be?  I had those dreams, and they used to involve me forgetting my high school locker combination and being late for class, and then after college, forgetting my class schedule for an entire semester.  Yesterday it involved forgetting we were supposed to be at the Kiosk at 6:30 am on a Saturday........normally we are supposed to be at the Kiosk at 10 am on Saturdays, but remember, this week it is different....about 7:30 I get a call from Ranger Robyn wondering where we are......TLE looks at the schedule on the wall and says "Clarke, we were supposed to be at work an hour ago".....uh oh.....then ensues this mad rush to get dressed and over to the Kiosk.....this being the Saturday after the Friday trout stocking......the morning when a few dozen cars are lined up at the gate waiting for it to open at 7 am so they can make a rush to the lake and start fishing.....the Saturday when it is important we be ON TIME, and here we are sitting enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee.  Of course, the "leisurely" part ended abruptly as we rushed to get dressed and over to the Kiosk.

We arrived to a line of cars and for at least another 90 minutes it continued....I don't think I ever got into a rhythm the entire shift.....this is why I like to be early....I like the time to get my head into whatever I am doing.....I don't do "late" very well at all.....and this was a 6 hour shift, not the normal 4 hour shift with no pressure.    Around 8 am Carmello (of Integrity Mobile Detail) dropped off his mountain bike for me to breath life back into.....it appeared it had been sitting outside in the weather for a couple of years.....just the kind of bike project I love.

Around 10:30 I left to go buy my Subway Club leaving TLE with the lovely Marie and Ranger Robyn. 

The second round of eBay items closed while we were at the Kiosk and, again, all the items did well.....one more round on Sunday and it will be time to start packing them up for shipment.

After eating the first 6" of my Club I headed out to the trailer to start working on Carmello's Specialized mountain bike.....like most bikes with good components, it cleaned up quickly....the worst problem I had was the totally rusted chain, but it was no match for WD-40......I carry a gallon can of WD-40 around with me in the trailer, and TLE had a large jar I filled half full with it to soak the chain in for a few hours.......around 3 pm I pulled the chain out and it was pretty much rust free.  I had the bike back together by 4 and it looks like a new bike.

During that time my daughter, Meredith, arrived for the night's festivities and had a few things she needed done on her car like replacing the drivers side mirror that had been damaged, as well as changing the air filter.  Her brother, Chris, helped me with the mirror, which involved going on YouTube to watch a video of how to remove the door panel....what would we do without YouTube for stuff like that?  I would never have figured out where the two "hidden" screws were without YouTube.

All the kids, along with their significant others (Nick....Kate's boy friend, and Laila....Tim's girl) began arriving around sundown, along with several of their friends we have long called honorary Hockwald's.....Shonda, Chris, and Keith.  We sat around the fire for hours laughing, and singing along to old songs.......I'm always impressed when my kids know the words to songs that were released a couple of decades before they were born....and even more impressed when their "significant others" know the words too.  TLE managed to drag herself away from the festivities well before midnight, but I did not hit the sack until 12:15 am.......we have the early shift again on Sunday, so that means less than 5 hours sleep for moi......I'll leave it at that for now......

Hanging with my oldest....Chris

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 23 - Weekly weigh in

Made a little more progress in my efforts to lose weight.....and not find it again.....this week's number is encouraging.....194.6!  First time under 196, let alone 195!  I'd been holding steady in the 196's all week.  Down from last week's weight of 196.2.....another 1.6 pounds gone MIA.

Finally on Friday the Santanas had retreated, and the clear blue skies were calm, so we re-deployed the new sunscreen TLE made last week, and spent more time outside.  We knew the temp would climb into the high 80's so we decided to leave on a tandem ride just before 10 am while it was still cooler.  Our goal was to do at least 20 miles, and we ended up just under 22 miles.  We ran the SART southward down to its terminus and then back to Van Buren where we turned north to Limonite.  We stopped off at the Subway on Limonite for my footlong and then headed for home arriving just after Noon.  TLE is getting stronger, and used to sitting on the bike seat for extended periods of time again, so it's all good.....glad to have my riding partner back in the saddle.

Looking west toward Mt. Rubidoux

Looking north

These pictures were taken at the top of Limonite before we descend back to the river valley and RJRP at just over 900' elevation....you can just see Mt. Rubidoux in the first picture.

We were expecting my son and family in mid afternoon for the weekend, and they arrived around 3:30.  On Saturday the rest of our kids and significant others will be here to spend the night.

I had the first 6 eBay items I had listed closing around 3 o'clock and did really well on those,  6 more close Saturday, and the final 7 on Sunday....still on track to at least double my money on this bike!

We spent a lovely evening around , fire chatting until almost midnight with Chris, Rochelle and a friend of Rochelle's, Rhonda......I think we burned five bundles of firewood over 6 hours.  The temperatures were very pleasant and I was able to get by with a short sleeve shirt the whole evening.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 24 - You only get one guess

No....I'm not going to tell you yet.....keep guessing.....

You will recall we had no Kiosk duty last Sunday because we had our day switched to Thursday to accommodate another camp host who was going on "vacation" this week, so Thursday saw us rising yet another morning at 5 am.  The problem (for me, not TLE) is I am not a switch hitter.....my body clock cannot go back and forth between 5 am and 7 am.....with so many 5 am wake up calls my body clock is now stuck on 5 am.  No, I don't get up at 5 on days when it is not required, but I am awake.  I usually get as far as 6 am when the coffee maker stops perking......then it is the aroma of freshly brewed coffee that calls to me ever so sweetly......"....go ahead, get up.....something good is waiting for you....".  Her call is ever so seductive, and cannot be refused.......so I get up.  And what greets me every single day (other than the wonderful coffee)?  Another clear blue sky day prefaced by the golden glow of a rising sun coming from the east.

We ambled over to the Kiosk at just after 6:30, and whilst TLE counted out the dinero for the cash drawer I did my duty and raised the three flags......there was not a breath of wind at all......it seemed that our bothersome Santanas had returned to whence they came.  Okay, guessing time has expired......within 15 minutes the Santanas returned evidenced by the three flags flapping ferociously in the wind from the north.  I waited about 10 minutes to see if our tormentor would retreat, but it did not, so down came the flags.

The Santanas would prevail for the entire day with gusts up to 25 mph, which I am sure were not appreciated by the multitudinous fire fighters fighting fast moving fires in both Glendora and Azusa.  I know if you live out of state the news reports may make it appear that all of Southern California is ablaze, but that is not the case.....we are quite safe, and at least 25 miles from the nearest conflagration.

Our shift was from 6:30 to 12:30, but owing to it being the day before another trout stocking of the lakes, and the windy conditions it was quite unbusy in the Kiosk.  Around 11:30 I left to buy my footlong with TLE remaining behind to finish out the shift.  I was hoping the wind would abate so I could ride my bike, but it only got worse as the afternoon wore on.

Around 2 we drove into my son's office to retrieve some packages and mail and finalize the transfer of my insurance business to him, which technically happened on January 1st, and to return the signed purchase agreement to him.  It's hard to believe that after 42 years I am putting another part of my life behind me.....I am now officially 100% retired!

Around 7 the winds began to calm, and Mr. Santana once again retreated back up, and over Cajon Pass where we hope he will remain for the remainder of our stay at RJRP.

Thanks for stopping by!

D minus 25 - Wed-nes-day

Moonset this morning

The Santanas winds were gone when we woke up on hump day, so we re-deployed the awnings, and sun screen, only to be hit by them again around 11:30.  I don't know about you, but wind just wears me down.  You really can't do much in the wind except wait it out......bike riding is no fun......in fact, not many things you would do outside are fun when the winds are blowing.

After finishing with the awnings I set about my favorite weekly task of dumping our black tank once again.  As always I am grateful for the great water pressure here as it reduces the time I must spend chaperoning the process.  While I'm waiting for the tank to be flushed I usually check on the repairs I had to make while we were in East Glacier back in July at the time of our  black tank "incident".....all repairs remain solid....no leaks.

Since the winds were not blowing at 10 am, and I didn't expect them to return so soon, I headed out on my daily bike ride planning to ride at least 20 miles......originally TLE and I were going to ride the tandem, but she opted for a walk instead.  I did my normal ride around Fairmont Park and up to the Rubidoux summit, but continued south on the SART after the descent, instead of north to RJRP, riding all the way to Van Buren Blvd., then back north  to Limonite, and northeast along Limonite where I found a Subway shop and got my daily Club.  Just as I hit Van Buren the wind hit me in the face like a prize fighter going for the knockout.....just about flung me off my bike with its force as I bobbed and weaved over the bridge spanning the Santa Ana River.

As mentioned, I stopped off at the Subway on Limonite to acquire my twelve inches of dining pleasure, then continued my ride home into the unexpected Santanas.  I threw myself into the gauntlet hoping I would burn more calories with the extra work.  At the end, when I arrived back at the coach, my Garmin Edge 205 recorded 1,321 calories incinerated, and just a tenth of a mile over the goal of 20.

I took a nap around 2, and then began listing the last of the watches I am selling on eBay in an effort to get down to a manageable number.....I started with 12 and after selling the two Seiko 6139 Automatics I'll be down to 6 watches.  I may sell one more....we'll see.  These older vintage Seiko's are very popular with collectors, and within minutes of listing the two Seiko's there were bids on them.....now it's just a matter of seeing how high much they go for in the end.

It seems as if the days are beginning to fly by......here is it January 15th, and we only have 25 more days to tarry.  My son, Chris, and his family are bringing their Class A diesel pusher here for the weekend, and the rest of the kids will be here for a fire Saturday night, and possibly Friday night.....barring anymore Santana winds!

My contract is up on my cell phone Thursday so I'll be phone shopping......I have really enjoyed my HTC Rezound phone, and still like it, but technology continues to move on, and it's time for an upgrade.  I'm thinking about the Samsung Note....we'll see.

Thank for stopping by!

D minus 26 - 3 in a row

Tuesday, for the 3rd day in a row we were up before the sun.....Tuesday being our 6 hour shift day at the Kiosk.  It was decided early that I would do the first part of the shift up to 10 am, and TLE would "let" me go home, but she came with me to open up the Kiosk.....TLE's first task is to get the cash out of the safe  for the cash register, count it, and log in.  I normally put up the flags but on days like Tuesday with Santanas howling, we don't put them up.......why, you ask?  The winds can get pretty fierce here, and the flags get torn to shreds in no time, so to ensure the longevity of the flags (U.S., State and County) we do not raise them during Santanas.

One of the side benefits to Santanas is the local skies are swept clean of haze and smog and you get morning shots like this one......and one of the down sides is I wasn't able to do my usual bike ride due to those same high winds.  Also, along with the strong offshore winds we get higher temperatures, and Tuesday saw our high at near 87 degrees with more high 80's temperatures guessed at for the balance of the week....however, it didn't feel like 87 to me.....the air is soooo dry right now it seems to moderate the "feel" of the high and low temperatures.

TLE left me on my own at the Kiosk around 7 am, and returned at 10 am as promised.  the first 3.5 hours were uneventful for moi, but I understand from TLE the last 2.5 were quite busy for her.

I spent some time puttering around the coach, assembling my bike rack, checking the status of my eBay auctions.....and they are all going quite well!  With only 2.5 to 4.5 days to go in the auctions I am already going to see a profit on the latest bike just based on the current bidding.....in fact I'm up about $27 over my initial investment as things stand right now.  I'm on track to at least double my investment, if not more.

By that time it was after 11:30 and time to make my Subway Club run to beat the lunch crowd, and be back before TLE returned from Kiosk duty at 12:30.....I did beat the crowd and was back by 12:15.

Around mid afternoon I found out, based on UPS tracking information, that the receiver hitch adapter I wrote about will NOT arrive here by Friday as promised by the seller, but on Monday, so this news necessitated that I run over to the U-Haul place to buy one so I can use my bike rack before then.  I was able to pick up a 1-1/4" to 2" adapter for $24.  I will probably need that anyway as I will need the extra 6" extension in order for the riser adapter to clear the rear bumper of the VW.

As you can see, I will need the 4.5" riser to get the back of the bike rack far enough off the ground so it won't scrape if enter a driveway, or drive over a dip, or speed bump in the road.  I will eventually add the second bike mount back to the bike rack, but for now all I need is the one.

After going through all that to be sure I could transport my bike to the trailhead this Saturday I remembered my son, Chris, and his family were coming in their motorhome this weekend, so I will need to take a rain check for next weekend.  Note to self.....work on that memory thing!

That evening TLE and I played catch up on several shows we had recorded Sunday night and Monday night.....Mentalist, Almost Human and Intelligence, then it was time for the Tuesday night triple header....NCIS, NCIS L.A., and Person of Interest.....yep, you're right, that's a lot of TV viewing in one night...fortunately we were able to watch the first three shows commercial free before settling in for the evening shows.

The wind continued to howl until after midnight sometime....then around 1:35 am we had a 4.5 magnitude earthquake in Fontana.....not that far from us, but we felt nothing.....probably because the wind was still buffeting our coach, which kind of feels like an earthquake at times.

Thanks for stopping by!