Category Archives: Scooter

Ruckus by the Bay

After I posted to the blog yesterday, Donna and I went out in the Sea Eagle kayak. We paddled south along the east side of Mission Bay. As we cruised south, we had a tendency to veer to the right. We tried various paddling techniques, but couldn’t really understand the root cause. After awhile, I told Donna to paddle normally (she was up front) and I would make adjustments to keep us on course.

Old Mission Bay Visitor Center

Old Mission Bay Visitor Center

We paddled past the old Mission Bay Visitor Center, which sadly is no longer open. Budget cuts strike again.

We continued paddling south for more than 30 minutes and reached the Hilton Hotel. We saw a couple of other kayaks out on the bay and a few jet skis and power boats, but all in all, it was a relatively quiet day.

Hilton Hotel viewed from the bay

Hilton Hotel viewed from the bay

We turned around at the Hilton and headed north, back to De Anza Cove. The paddle back was much easier. Our difficulty in holding our course on the way out was a combination of the current (the tide was going out) and wind effect. On the way back, the current helped us and the wind was quartering at our backs from the southwest.

Looking north as we paddled back

Looking north as we paddled back

It was a pleasant cruise on the bay. We spent a little over an hour paddling. I wondered if I would have sore shoulders, but I’m not sore at all this morning.

After we rinsed the kayak off and loaded it in the trailer, we returned to our coach just in time to see the FedEx guy make a delivery to us. I thought it would be my new road bike tires, but it turned out to be three large boxes sent from the Brillo people to Donna. One box contained a new wet/dry mop she wanted to test out and the other two boxes contain 100 packages of Brillo’s eraser sponge that she requested to fill goodie bags for an upcoming speaking engagement.

Anyway, I went online to track my tire package and found that it was sent via USPS. It showed “delivery attempted, notice left.” What? I didn’t have any notice. I clicked on the link for more information. The mail carrier indicated that he attempted delivery on Wednesday at 4:43pm. I was in the coach at that time, no delivery attempted here. I went to the park office to see if a notice was left there. They told me no package or notice was left there.

I rode the scooter over to the local post office on Cass Street. I explained my situation to the guy at the counter and he went into the back to look for the package. After awhile, he came back empty-handed and told me to talk to the office manager. I gave her the tracking number and told her what was shown on the web site. She pulled up the tracking information, then went into the back.

She came back and told me that my address, site 111, isn’t valid. I told her that I received mail the week before that was left at the office, not delivered to the site. This time, nothing was left – no notice, no package. She told me the mail carrier on Wednesday wasn’t the usual guy on that route. Russ, the usual guy had my package and would deliver it today. I thanked her, but I was thinking, is it okay for the guy to say he attempted delivery and left a notice when no such thing happened? She seemed to think it was okay. No accountability. No wonder the US Postal Service is in such dire straits.

On the way back, I saw a USPS delivery truck on East Mission Bay Drive. He turned at the golf course parking lot. I followed him. When he came out of the golf course office, I asked him if he was Russ. He was. I told him what happened. He had my package. He asked me for ID, then he handed it over to me. Whew, problem solved.

It was lunchtime by then. Donna made street tacos from leftover pork tenderloin – they were delicious! I had a few more things on my agenda for the day.

My first project was replacement of the air filter on the scooter. I had received the new air filter I ordered on Wednesday. The air filter is in an airbox on the left side of the scooter. Most modern engines utilize an airbox which not only houses the air filter, it’s a Helmholtz chamber. Helmholtz chambers are resonators. Engineers calculate the mass and velocity of the air and design the air box to resonate at a frequency that coincides with the engine rpm at maximum torque output. This resonance force feeds air into the intake and increases power.

Intake airbox

Intake airbox

Some guys think they’re hot rodding their engine by removing the airbox and clamping a filter directly to the intake to maximize airflow. Not a good idea. This old school, shade-tree thinking actually robs power.

The old air filter was dirty and in need of replacement. It did its job, dirty on the outside but clean on the downstream side. It had 6,000+ miles on it. I think next time I’ll replace it after 5,000 miles.

Old, dirty air filter

Old, dirty air filter

Prisitine, new filter

Pristine, new filter

With that job done, I took my new bicycle tires over to our trailer and set up my bicycle work stand. The work stand made it easy to remove the wheels from my bike and install the new tires.

Bike work stand outside the Busted Knuckle Garage (our cargo trailer)

Bike work stand outside the Busted Knuckle Garage (our cargo trailer)

My bike is road ready again!

The last item on my agenda was picking my teams for this weekend’s football pool and turning my sheet in. I rode out of the RV park on Mission Bay Drive. I rounded the curve near the intersection at the entrance to I-5 where there was a concrete island separating the lanes. Just then, I saw a car on my side of the road heading straight at me! I swerved quickly to the right curb as he sped past me, inches away.

When I reached the intersection, I saw traffic backed up as far as I could see in the opposite (southbound) lane of Mission Bay Drive. I wondered what that was all about as I continued north. When I reached the parking lot for the boat ramp, south of the visitor center, I saw police activity. There were at least 20 patrol cars in the lot with lights flashing. The lot was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape and the road was closed. The police were turning cars back, thus the big traffic tie-up.

I turned around and rode the scooter down the center line and took an alternate route. When I reached the tavern, I pulled up the local news on my smartphone and saw what the ruckus was all about.

A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer had stopped a woman in the parking lot. He was investigating a hit-and run accident and had taken her into custody. Details are sketchy, but the report said shots were fired and then the handcuffed woman drove off in the CHP car. More shots were fired by the officer as the car sped away.

The woman drove the stolen CHP car to Friars Road, hitting several cars along the way before she was finally stopped. More shots were fired on Friars Road. I don’t think anyone was killed, but I’m not sure of the extent of injuries at this point.

Today, I want to go out on my road bike in the morning. The temperature will reach the mid 80s this afternoon. I don’t have any other plans.

Good Beer with Great Friends

Donna worked all day Friday, trying to get things done before she left for Orlando. I spent the morning writing a post that probably told you more than you wanted to know about holding tanks. Other than that, I didn’t accomplish much all day.

A neighbor had pulled in two sites down from us the day before. They spent much of Thursday afternoon putting up Halloween decorations. They hung lanterns from their awning and an EZ-Up canopy. Friday’s Halloween forecast called for rain and gusty overnight wind. We saw them take all of the decorations down and pack them into their car on Friday. They rolled the awning in on their coach, removed the cover from the EZ-Up canopy and drove away. We thought they must have originally planned to have visitors here at the park, but changed their plans and went to the home of friends or relatives.

It was cloudy, but warm all day Friday. In the afternoon I went to the Cycle Gear store in Kearny Mesa and bought a cover for the scooter. It’s something I should have done long ago to protect the scooter from the elements. Cycle Gear had a sale on the cover, I bought it for less than half of retail.

Before the rain came, I grilled a pork tenderloin for dinner. Donna made a different marinade this time. It was good, but I think I prefer the sesame-chili oil, olive oil, ginger and soy sauce marinade.

Grilled pork tenderloin with baked yam and steamed green beans

Grilled pork tenderloin with baked yam and steamed green beans

I covered the scooter and rolled the awning in. I made sure all of the windows on the right side of the coach, which is facing west, were closed. We’ve been sleeping with the windows open. The wind and rain would come from the west and I didn’t want rain to blow into the coach.

The rain came overnight as predicted. In the early morning hours the wind picked up. Donna was up early. She left around 6:30am to go to the TV studio. She appeared in a local program called Good Morning San Diego and presented decluttering tips for the holidays. I recorded the show while I slept in.

After she returned, I bought a sausage and egg breakfast burrito from the Snack Shack and we split it for breakfast. Then I drove Donna to the airport for her flight to Orlando, Florida. She’s attending a course there and will return on Tuesday night.

After lunch, I drove up to Carlsbad to the home of our friends, Bruce and Debbie Bednarski. Like me, Bruce likes a martini. I brought a jar of tomolives and a jar of blue cheese stuffed olives as a gift for them. I posted about these martini garnishes here.

Bruce and Debbie had invited me to join them and sample beers at the Belching Beaver Brewery. Belching Beaver is fairly new on the craft beer scene. They started in 2012 and have established a loyal following. Their beer can be found in Costco here in San Diego. There are more than 40 breweries in San Diego County now and the list is sure to expand.

At the brewery, Debbie’s brother Jim Taylor and his wife, Rosellen and our friends Rick and Kathy Siordia joined us. It’s been more than 25 years since I last visited with them. We sat and talked and sampled some of the brews for a couple of hours. It was great to catch up with them. It felt completely natural, like we had been in touch all along.

Me, Debbie, Rosellen, Kathy Rick and Jim. Bruce took the picture.

Me, Debbie, Rosellen, Kathy, Rick and Jim. Bruce took the picture.

Last night we turned the clocks back to standard time. This had me up early this morning. It always takes a few days for our body clocks to adjust to the artificial clocks our lives revolve around.

We had more rain in the night. There are a few clouds over head, but I think it will clear. I plan to be indoors watching football in any case. The Chargers are in Miami, so their game will be the early broadcast. There are lots of interesting match-ups today.

Verizon Customer Service

Tuesday, Donna and I each had errands to run. Donna took Linda’s car and drove to Linda’s house to pick up mail she had delivered there. She also stopped at The Container Store to pick up supplies she’ll need this weekend. Donna is appearing on a local television program, Good Morning San Diego, on Saturday morning before she flies to Orlando, Florida to take a 2-day class.

While Donna was out, I took the scooter and rode from Mission Bay RV Resort to the Verizon store in Pacific Beach. We’re supposed to receive a $200 credit for porting Donna’s number from T-mobile to my Verizon account, but I haven’t received the promotional code to claim the credit. It’s been a real hassle. I spent an hour online in a chat session with a Verizon customer service representative. That didn’t help. A week ago, I spent an hour at the Verizon store that ended with them telling me Verizon would contact me via e-mail or text within 48 hours. They gave me a number to call If I didn’t hear from Verizon in 48 hours.

I didn’t hear from Verizon. I called the number they gave me – it was the Verizon trade-in center. They had no idea why I was calling them and said they couldn’t help me. They told me they would escalate the complaint and I would hear back from them. That was last Friday. By Tuesday, I hadn’t been contacted.

I spent 90 minutes at the Verizon store trying to get this sorted out. Once again, it ended with them telling me I would be contacted – this time within four business days. The interesting thing I learned was that the Verizon store in Pacific Beach is independently operated – it’s not a Verizon corporate store. The sign says Verizon Store and the employees all wear shirts with the Verizon logo. If I had purchased our new phones at a corporate store, I wouldn’t be dealing with customer service. The corporate stores can create promotional codes for my account to get my $200 credit. Independently owned stores cannot create these codes – they have to get them from customer service.

While I was out, I stopped at the Pacific Beach farmers’ market for a couple of items. When I returned to the RV park, I saw I had missed a call while I was scootering. My smartphone also showed that an new e-mail was received. I opened the email. It was from a Verizon account manager. Here’s the text of the e-mail:

Dear Michael,

We appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your valuable feedback regarding Verizon’s products and services. Your satisfaction is very important to us as we continuously strive to improve our customers’ experiences.

We have attempted to reach you by phone to discuss the feedback you provided, as well as any questions that you may have. If you wish to discuss this further via phone, or have additional information you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reply to this email or contact me at the number below.

Thank you for choosing Verizon as your wireless service provider. We appreciate your business and we look forward to serving you again the future!

Best regards,
haydee Madera gaytan
Indirect account manager
Locals
619-823-6319

I tried to call the number listed below the signature. It goes straight to music every time. No ring tone. No message. Just music blaring. I tried e-mailing the account manager. No response so far. How’s that for customer service? End of rant.

After dinner, Donna and I watched Breaking Bad. This is our second time watching the entire series. We both agree that we see it differently the second time around. The first time, we felt sorry for Walter White and cut him a lot of slack. Yes, he did a lot of bad things, but he was very likely dying and wanted to do what he could to help his family, which is how he was able to justify his actions. He didn’t set out to be a bad guy, but one bad thing led to another. This time, we could see almost from the start that he was like a sociopath in the way that he used family and friends with little regard for their safety or well-being.

While we were watching TV, I opened a beer I’d never tried before. It was from Belching Beaver Brewery in Vista (north San Diego County). The beer was peanut butter flavored milk stout. I split it with Donna. We both found it to be delicious – a dessert treat. It’s like a Reese’s® peanut butter cup in a glass!

Peanut butter and chocolate in a bottle

Peanut butter and chocolate in a bottle

Yesterday, I rode my mountain bike in San Clemente Canyon again. I tried a few different trails in the canyon. Some of the trails are challenging. One of the trails I was on had a short, steep climb up the canyon wall. I didn’t notice a tree root across the top of the climb until it was too late. I popped the front wheel past the root, but I lost too much momentum. When the rear tire hit it, I was stopped dead in my tracks. Before I could react, I fell heavily on my left side and slid partway down the hill.

This is the steep section that i crashed on

This is the steep section that I crashed on

After I picked myself up, I got on the bike and started riding back home. My left hip and elbow were sore. I wanted to get back before my hip stiffened up.

I haven’t crashed on a road bike in years. I’ve had a few spills on the mountain bike though. When I got home, I ordered a set of tires for my Orbea road bike. I think I’ll get back out on the road to work myself into better shape.

Around 5:30pm, Donna and I drove over to Sport Rx on Santa Fe Street – the same place that puts refreshments out front for bicyclists. The Cyclo-Vets bicycle club was holding a “kit fit”  meeting there and Donna wanted to try on club cycling clothing. The Sport Rx facility is a cool, friendly place. They sell sport glasses and some clothing and helmets. They had a keg of pale ale on tap – just ask for a glass and help yourself!

From there we stopped at Sushi Ota. We thought we would have sushi for dinner, but they had a 90-minute wait! We went next door to Lanna Thai instead. I’d been craving pad thai anyway. The food and service was excellent – I’d give them 4.5 on a scale of 5.

Last night, I enjoyed a fun beer from Stone Brewing called Lukcy Basartd – that’s not a typo. It’s a spin-off from their popular Arrogant Bastard ale. We watched the final episode of Breaking Bad.

Stone Lukcy Basartd

Stone Lukcy Basartd

Donna has a doctor appointment today to get her annual physical. If it’s not too windy, we might take the Sea Eagle kayak out later.

 

 

 

The Solution

I haven’t posted since Sunday morning. This wasn’t due to laziness on my part – well maybe it was a factor. I just didn’t have much to say. My Sunday was consumed with NFL football. I watched the Chargers lose a nail biter when Kansas City kicked a field goal with 30 seconds left in the game. Donna went out for an easy spin on her bicycle, then spent the rest of the day taking care of business.

On Monday, I puttered around while Donna worked on her book revision. I did a lot of hand exercises with therapy putty and wasted time on a computer game called 2048. It doesn’t seem that hard until you try it. Then it becomes an obsession to score the 2048 tile. I have yet to get past 1024.

Yesterday, Donna went out on her bicycle at 8am to meet up with a training group on Fiesta Island. The group is part of a cycling club called Cyclo-Vets. This is a San Diego-based Masters Racing and recreational bicycling organization. Its members include dozens of national cycling champions and gold medalists in the Senior Olympics. The Tuesday morning ride is coached by a time trial coach, but is open to anyone wanting to improve speed and fitness. Donna learned some new techniques. They did intervals and high-cadence spinning over the 30-plus mile ride. She came back excited to join the club and plans to continue training with them every Tuesday morning. These coached sessions will surely help to increase her speed and racing confidence.

While Donna was out on her bike, I retrieved a ladder from the trailer and went to work cleaning our coach. We aren’t allowed to wash the coach with a hose and bucket of suds here in Mission Bay RV Resort. I did a waterless wash with a product called The Solution. This product was recommended by our friends and fellow Alpine Coach owners, Dave and Lynda Campbell. I purchased it at the FMCA Convention in Redmond, Oregon, but hadn’t tried it until yesterday.

The Solution waterless wash

The Solution waterless wash

The Solution comes in a gallon-size jug that contains a few ounces of a concentrated formula and an empty spray bottle. I added distilled water to the formula to make a full gallon. Then I poured The Solution from the gallon jug into the spray bottle. I applied a fine mist of the product to small sections of the coach and wiped it with a microfiber cloth. I used a second, clean microfiber cloth to buff the area. I cleaned the entire coach, from the roof line to the bottom of the basement compartments.

The Solution worked really well. It was a matter of spraying an area and wiping it clean. It took me two and a half hours and a little over a quart to clean the entire coach. I’m really pleased with its appearance – the coach is gleaming. Now it will be a matter of seeing how well the shine holds up. The Solution claims that waxing isn’t necessary when this product is applied.

Clean and shiny

Clean and shiny

Later, I rode the scooter to the Verizon store. I wrote in my last post about a discrepancy in the credit that the Verizon salesman, Christian, told us we would get for Donna’s old phone and what the Verizon customer service support person told me. Christian said we would receive a $200 credit while a one-hour chat session with the support person resulted in an offer of a $17 credit. I told Christian what had transpired. He said he would straighten it out and that we would definitely get $200. He got on the phone with the Verizon trade-in center. He was on the phone with them for 50 minutes!

It turns out the trade-in center was supposed to e-mail a promotional code to me. With this code, we will qualify for $200 versus the “normal” trade-in of $17. They said I would receive my code within 48 hours. There went another hour of my life dealing with Verizon.

After I left the Verizon store, I stopped at the Pacific Beach farmers’ market. I picked up San Diego wildflower honey for my daughter, Shauna. She has pollen allergies and wants to try the honey therapy. I also bought more Rickaroons. We love ’em. And I picked up a couple of bottles of extra virgin olive oil from a local family-owned business.

By the time I got home, it was time to go to the Offshore Tavern and Grill for my free football pool drink. Donna and I didn’t fare too well in our football picks, but at least I got a free drink.

Donna saw an Alpine Coach pull into the park while I was out. We also saw a Kymco Downtown 300i scooter, identical to ours, in one of the sites. Last evening, we took a walk through the park and introduced ourselves to the Alpine Coach owners, Marvin and Donna. Their coach is a 40-foot mid-door triple slide like ours, but it’s a 2008 model.

Marvin owned a construction business that specialized in building horse arenas, race tracks, rodeo and fairgrounds. He traveled throughout the country operating his business. Over the years (since the 1980s), he’s owned 13 different motorhomes that he used to travel to the construction sites. He’s owned his Alpine since 2008, when he bought it new. Like most Alpine Coach owners, he’s enthusiastic about the brand.

He sold his business and retired at the age of 50. They have a home in Boise, Idaho but do a lot of traveling. They come to San Diego several times a year. His wife, Donna has rheumatoid arthritis and gets regular infusion treatments here at Scripps. They agree that San Diego has the best doctors and medical facilities.

This morning, I broke out the ladder again and finished cleaning the windows on the coach. When I washed the coach yesterday, the front windows were too warm to clean them. I got on it early this morning before the sun heated them up.

Clean glass

Clean glass

We have another beautiful day ahead with temperatures in the mid 70s. I think I’ll ride my bicycle to the beach this afternoon.

Friends and Family

I rode the scooter to Dr. Leek’s office Friday morning. He examined my hand and removed the stitches. He said it looked good and now I need to work on motion and hand strength. We set another appointment for four weeks out. He told me I could cancel the appointment if everything is going well three weeks from now.

I knew Donna was busy on her book revision, so I didn’t come straight home. I rode the scooter to Ocean Beach and stopped for lunch. I kicked around the beach. It was a beautiful day. The north end of the beach near the jetty is called Dog Beach. It’s one of the few beaches in the county where dogs are allowed on the sand.

Dog Beach

Dog Beach

I made another stop at the Model Yacht Pond. Two guys were sailing their model sailboats on the pond. The sailboats are interesting. The boat in the photo is about 40″ long. Servo motors with clever linkages are used to trim the sails. A servo operating a block-and-tackle on the stern applies tension on the carbon fiber mast. This is used to keep the mast from whipping about in gusty winds. The model sailboats are cool, but I’m a motorhead. I’ll come back to the pond next Sunday to see the power boats.

Radio controlled model sailboat

Radio-controlled model sailboat

Last week, when we bought our new smartphones, Christian (the Verizon guy) told us they would send return packaging via mail in 10 to 14 days to return our old phones. On Thursday, I received an e-mail from Verizon with a USPS label attached and instructions to return my phone by October 24th. This confused me. I went online to the Verizon site and started a chat session to ask what I needed to do. I had two phones to return but only one label, and if I waited to receive the packaging that Christian said we would get, I would miss the October 24th deadline.

I spent an hour online chatting with a customer service representative who didn’t understand my issue. She was also the slowest typist ever. I would sit and stare at my screen which said a message was being typed for several minutes before I would receive a one-line question. I finally came to the conclusion that we have two returns with different instructions. My old Samsung S4 needed to be sent with the label that was e-mailed to me. Donna’s old Samsung SII will be sent when we receive the packaging for it. There’s still a disparity in the credit amount we should get for the old phones. I need to go back to the Verizon store and straighten that out, the customer service representative had me going in circles until I gave up and ended the chat.

On Friday night, Donna’s sister, Linda joined us for dinner. I grilled a Morrocan-spiced rack of lamb which Donna served with a brown rice pilaf and sauteed zucchini, peppers and onions. Later we watched an old movie – My Cousin Vinny. It’s a great movie. Joe Peschi and Marissa Tomei are both outstanding in this comedy classic.

Morrocan Spiced rack of lamb

Morrocan-spiced rack of lamb

Saturday morning I rode over to the Pacific Beach post office and mailed my old phone. At 11am, my daughter, Shauna, picked me up. We made the 90-minute drive up to Menifee to visit my stepdad, Ken. We stopped at the Kentucky Fried Chicken near his place and bought an eight-piece meal to have for lunch with Ken. Ken loves Kentucky Fried Chicken. I can’t even remember the last time I had it.

Anyway, we sat and talked for a couple of hours before we headed back. On the way home, we stopped at Trader Joe’s in the La Jolla Village Square. Donna had sent me a text message with a long list of groceries to pick up there. I’m glad Shauna was with me because the store was a zoo and she knew where to find everything.

Donna and Linda were in Lakeside at a country music festival with Mona. They made plans to attend this event a few weeks ago when Mona told them she had two extra tickets.

Linda, Mona and Donna at the country music festival

Linda, Mona and Donna at the country music festival

Last night I watched an entertaining Moto GP race race from Phillip Island, Australia. I won’t spoil the results in case a reader has it recorded. Donna came home from the festival around 9:30pm, halfway through the race.

The Mission Bay RV Resort has the usual weekend crowd with lots of kids in the park. Today is NFL football day. I think I’ll do some hand exercises while I watch the games. I broke out my number 14 Dan Fouts throwback jersey –  I hope to see the Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs and go 6-1.

 

50,000 Hits

Yesterday marked a milestone for this blog. We had our 50,000th hit! It’s gratifying to know people check in on us and find the blog interesting enough to come back from time to time.

Once again, the skies cleared up by noon. I was finally able to get a sock and shoe on my right foot. The toe healed and is fine. With shoes on my feet, I put on my helmet and took my mountain bike for a ride by the bay. I left De Anza Cove and rode south along the east side of the bay. Near the Hilton Hotel, I saw an interesting water toy. It looked like an oversized tricycle. It seats two and the rear wheels are paddle wheels. I saw two of them out on the water and one on the shore.

Water trikes

Water trikes

It looked like they moved along without too much effort. You see all kinds of things on the bay.

I rode with the heel of my right palm on the handle bar. The swelling in my hand has gone down, but the stitches still pull and I lack finger strength. The stitches will be removed on Friday when I go in for a follow-up with Dr. Leek.

After my ride, Donna and I rode the scooter to the Bayard Street farmers’ market in Pacific Beach. It’s not that large, but they have plenty of fresh produce. Donna discovered Rickaroons there. Rickaroons are healthy and delicious energy snacks – a perfect treat after a bike ride.

Farmers' market on Bayard Street between Hornblend and Garnet

Farmers’ market on Bayard Street between Hornblend and Garnet

I made the usual stop at Offshore Tavern for my Tuesday free drink. The winner of the football pool buys a round for the rest of the guys who entered the pool. Although there are more than 30 entries, only half a dozen or so show up for their free one.

Last night, I watched last weekend’s Moto GP race in Japan that I had recorded. Marc Marquez sealed his second consecutive Moto GP World Championship at the age of 21. Moto GP is the pinnacle of motorcycle road racing. This was the first time Honda captured the championship at the Twin Ring Motegi race track, which they own. Marquez is destined to break many records if he stays healthy.

We have a thick marine layer overhead this morning. The rain showers didn’t hit us in the night. The overcast should burn off by mid-day. I expect another pleasant afternoon. Donna’s friend, Mona, is coming by later in the day and the two of them plan to take the kayak out on the bay.

Paradise Point

Yesterday’s weather was predictable. The marine layer burned off by noon and we had somewhat hazy, blue skies. The weather pattern is changing as the wind shifts from the northwest. This brings moisture and the possibility of much-needed rain showers tonight.

I was feeling restless by noon yesterday. Donna is busy working on a book revision that has a deadline. I went out on the scooter and stopped at the Chase Bank on Cass Street in Pacific Beach. I still have stitches in the palm of my right hand, which made riding the scooter a little difficult. I quickly learned how to relax my grip enough to keep the palm of my hand off the handlebar. I was basically riding with my thumb and two fingers.

I tooled around Mission Bay and rode to Paradise Point. Paradise Point is a 44-acre island on Mission Bay, accessed from Ingraham Street. The island sits between west Mission Bay and east Mission Bay, with Fisherman’s Channel on the north side and Mission Bay Channel and South Cove on the south side. Roughly half of the island is part of Mission Bay Park, open to the public. The rest of the island is occupied by Paradise Point Resort and Spa – a 464-room full-service luxury resort. When I was growing up and through the ’80s, it was known as Vacation Village.

Back then, I spent many Sundays on the island at the Model Yacht Pond. This is a rectangular basin surrounded by well-kept lawns. It was built as part of the Mission Bay Park master plan. The original intent was to have public school students build model boats and have inter-scholastic competitions.

Back in the ’80s I was a member of a club called the San Diego Argonauts. The Argonauts are model boat enthusiasts and they sponsor monthly competitions at the pond. The regular schedule calls for members of the ship building guild to sail their intricately detailed electric powered boats on Saturday mornings. You’ll see everything from model fishing trawlers to luxury yachts to battleships.

On Saturday afternoon, once the wind usually picks up, the pond is taken over by the sail division. Cleverly designed radio-controlled sail boats sail gracefully across the pond. Nowadays, most of these boats are very high-tech with carbon fiber hulls and masts.

On Sundays, the power division rules the pond. Various scale models of racing type boats are on the pond. Some are larger off-shore designs powered by weed-wacker type engines. You’ll also see hydroplanes powered by nitro-burning, two-stroke-model racing engines.

I had a mono-hull racing boat back in the day, powered by an O.S. Max 7.5cc racing engine. I participated in monthly races sanctioned by the North American Model Boat Association (NAMBA). NAMBA sets the rules for various classifications of racing boats. My boat was controlled by a two-channel radio – one channel for the throttle and one for the rudder.

Model Yacht Pond

Model Yacht Pond

Model boat racing became an expense beyond my means as I was raising a young family and had other hobbies as well. I was racing to win, and oftentimes I would be much too liberal with the nitro-methane percentage – resulting in blown engines. I only competed for one season.

Paradise Point Resort also includes two beachfront restaurants and the Barefoot Bar. The views are spectacular.

View to the northwest from Paradise Point at Fisherman's Channel looking across Sail Bay

View to the northwest from Paradise Point at Fisherman’s Channel looking across Sail Bay

View to the south across Mission Bay Channel towards the West Mission Bay Drive bridge

View to the south across Mission Bay Channel towards the West Mission Bay Drive bridge

We’re planning to hit the farmers’ market on Bayard Street this afternoon. We have yet to make it to the farmers’ market in the Little Italy district on Saturday. I thought we might go this weekend, but then Donna reminded me that she and her sister, Linda, are going to a country western music festival in El Cajon with our friend, Mona. I think I’ll go watch the model sailboat regatta at Paradise Point.

 

 

 

 

Pacific Beach Fest

Donna drove Shauna’s Volkswagen Beetle to Point Loma on Saturday to participate in her sister, Sheila’s exercise class. I put my blog post together and hung out at the Mission Bay RV Resort.

Later, Donna wanted to go shopping for a new bedspread and throw pillows for our living room. She drove north to Cost Plus World Market. I don’t enjoy shopping for household items nearly as much as Donna so I didn’t go with her. I thought she would enjoy shopping at her own pace without me. I usually go to the store, find the item I’m looking for, pay and leave. Donna likes to wander the aisles and look things over.

I opted to take the scooter and go to the self-serve car wash to clean it up. After that, I headed to the Pacific Beach Fest to check out some of the activities. The weather was hot with clear skies. Donna and I went to the Pacific Beach Fest last year – I wrote about it in this post.

The Pacific Beach Fest is a one-day annual event. They have numerous beach activities, such as sand castle contests, a Pro-Am surf contest, beach volleyball tournament, a 5k run, live music, beer gardens and many vendors. It happens along the beach walk between Thomas Street to the south and Diamond Street to the north. The roads are closed to vehicle traffic west of Mission Boulevard.

I parked the scooter by the Surfer Hotel at the end of Pacific Beach Drive and walked north on the boardwalk. The boardwalk, shops, bars and restaurants were packed with people. Although there were lots of people on the sandy beach, it still wasn’t as crowded as it gets in July or August.

Standing room only on the deck at the Lahaina Beach House

Standing room only on the deck at Lahaina Beach House

As I got closer to Crystal Pier, I could hear a blend of sounds. There was a band playing on a stage near the pier. An announcer was describing the surf contest action over a PA system.

Vendors on the beach walk

Vendors on the beach walk

After I passed the vendor tents, I saw the beach volleyball area. In the photo below, you can see the cottages on Crystal Pier I described in this post.

Beach volley ball area

Beach volleyball area

I walked down on the beach for a closer look at the volleyball game. The sand was hot, so I kept my flip-flops on. Once I was down on the beach, I could hear the announcer for the game.

Beach Volleyball tournament

Beach volleyball tournament

The volleyball tournament was nearly finished. I hung around and watched a few points, but it was hot standing in the sun and sand.

The band I heard playing was set up near the volleyball area.

10_4Bnd

I went down by the ocean and looped south along the hard-packed sand. It was a little cooler along the water. I made a detour and stopped at the Baja Cafe for a cold one. I went into the bar. It was packed. I ordered a Stone IPA, but soon regretted it. It was standing room only and so crowded, the heat was stifling. I didn’t linger. I finished my beer quickly and headed back to the scooter.

We took it easy Saturday night. We kicked back and watched a movie called Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey. It was an entertaining story.

On Sunday morning, Donna met her friend, Jana Hartwell, at Shelter Island. They went for a walk and talked. After their walk, they went to the Sunday farmers’ market on Shelter Island. In the San Diego area, you can find a farmers’ market in one community or another almost every day of the week. Anyway, Donna came home with a 10-lb. bag of oranges that were just picked the day before plus some tinga (spicy) chicken tamales that she steamed for lunch.

I stayed home and enjoyed NFL football. I flipped back and forth between two morning games. I mostly watched the Cowboys versus Texans game which the Cowboys won in overtime, giving them bragging rights in the state of Texas.

In the afternoon, I watched the San Diego Chargers whip the New York Jets in every phase of the game. The final score was 31-0. The Chargers are playing great football and their record is now 4-1.

Today is my birthday. It’s hard for me to believe I’m 58 years old. Except for a few aches and pains, I feel like a kid most of the time. Donna and I will celebrate at the Offshore Tavern and Grill this evening. We’ll catch the Monday night game there, but I’ll have to take it easy. I have to get up early tomorrow for the surgery on my right hand.

 

Beach Weather

The weather guessers had it partly right yesterday. We hit 90 degrees, but the Santa Ana winds predicted never materialized. Santa Ana is a condition that occurs when an area of high pressure forms to the east over the desert and low pressure is located off the coast. This creates an offshore flow, bringing warm, dry, gusty winds from the desert to coastal southern California. After a dry summer, Santa Ana winds also bring concern for wildfire.

I rode the scooter to La Jolla, where I stopped at Rigaberto’s and had taquitos (rolled tacos) for lunch. I rode through the La Jolla Cove area to the beach at La Jolla Shores. The hot weather brought people out in droves to the beach.

Beach atLa Jolla Shores - October 3rd

Beach at La Jolla Shores – October 3rd

I like coming to San Diego in September and October due to the nice weather and lack of tourist traffic. But there was no lack of traffic at the beaches yesterday. Finding a place to park at La Jolla Shores wasn’t easy, even though I was on the scooter. Riding was maddening as people would suddenly stop in the middle of the road if they thought they saw someone leaving and opening up a parking space. It was like driving in Yellowstone Park, where people routinely stop and gawk. I saw a road sign in La Jolla that made me smile. I wished people would heed the sign.

Sign in La Jolla neighborhood

Sign in La Jolla neighborhood

As I mentioned, the Santa Ana winds were absent. In fact, there was very little wind at the beach. The surf looked good at the shores but I stayed off the sand and away from the water. My big toe is healing nicely, but I don’t think the wound is ready for sand.

While I was out, Donna stayed home and worked.  After I came home, Donna’s sister, Linda came over. I helped them prep the Sea Eagle kayak and they went out for a cruise on the bay.

Donna and Linda heading out of De Anza Cove

Donna and Linda heading out of De Anza Cove

When they returned, Donna roasted carrots, beets, onions and yellow, green and purple beans (from the farmers’ market) while I grilled marinated boneless, skinless chicken thighs. We rarely cook chicken breasts anymore. The thighs are juicier and more flavorful in our opinion.

Roasted veggies

Roasted veggies

Linda stayed and visited for awhile after dinner. Later, after Linda left, a new neighbor came over. We expected the park to fill up for the weekend. There are a few open sites, but we have neighbors all around us now. The new neighbor introduced herself – her name is Christi. She invited us to join a small party at their place in the site behind our coach.

They were here with friends who have a coach in the site next to us.  Christi introduced us to her husband, Jeff and their friends Shannon and Craig. The four of them are from Poway, a community north of San Diego. They’re weekend warriors, but Shannon and Craig are contemplating the full-time lifestyle.

New neoghbors - Shannon, Jeff, Christi, Craig and Donna

New neighbors – Shannon, Craig, Christi, Jeff and Donna

We sat up later than we usually do, talking and enjoying adult beverages. We broke the quiet time curfew and had fun.

Today, we have no wind at all this morning. The forecast calls for a slightly cooler day and no mention of Santa Ana wind. Donna headed out to Point Loma for an exercise class with her sister, Sheila. I have no plan at all.

 

Settling in at Mission Bay

On Wednesday morning, Donna and I realized we’d been here for a full week already and could hardly believe it. The time gets away from me sometimes. I don’t know where the days go.

The usual RV park rhythm is taking shape here. The park was mostly empty mid-week and new arrivals started showing up on Thursday. I expect to see many more today. We’re experiencing another southern California heat wave. It will be a great weekend to be by the bay.

While we’re here in San Diego, we’re catching up on health care. We both went to the dentist for cleanings on Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, I went to see Dr. Leek, an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Leek treated my trigger finger condition last December (I posted about it here). At that time, we opted for a cortisone injection. He told me the injection could be effective for a year, in which case, the injection would be worthwhile. On the other hand (no pun intended), if it lasted three months or less, we would probably have to release the tendon through surgery.

By the end of March, my finger started to stick again. If I made a fist, or gripped something small – like a pen for example – my ring finger wouldn’t straighten out. I had to pull it straight with a painful pop. We were leaving Mesa, Arizona at that time. We haven’t been in one place long enough for me to seek treatment since then. I was certain that a minor surgery would be required. Now, I have the time to get it done.

Dr. Leek examined my hand and we agreed to schedule the surgery. I’ll have the surgery done next Tuesday morning. My hand will have an incision with stitches and bandages for about 10 days.

After I left Dr. Leek’s office I stopped at a scooter shop on the frontage road by Pacific Highway. They carry Vespa and Kymco scooters. I was looking for an air filter element for our Kymco Downtown 300i. It’s overdue to be changed. They didn’t have it in stock. The parts counter guy told me he could order it and have in 10 days or so. Then he told me that I would be better off to order it myself, as I could get it cheaper online. I did an online search for it before and didn’t come up with anything. He told me to search “Kymco parts” instead of searching for “Kymco air filter.” I tried it and found a couple of sources that list the filter.

Scooter loaded up and ready to roll

Our Kymco Downtown 300i grocery – getter

Donna’s sister, Linda, came to our site in the late afternoon yesterday. She and Donna went to Solana Beach to attend a grand opening for Spark Health where their sister, Sheila, just opened her second location for Fitness Without Walls and her physical therapy services. She also provides services at her original location in Point Loma.

When they returned to the park a little past 6pm, I grilled a mojo marinated pork tenderloin for dinner. Donna served it with a sesame oil – lime vinaigrette cole slaw. My daughter, Shauna joined us. Donna, Linda and Shauna dined outdoors at the picnic table while I watched the Green Bay Packers destroy the Minnesota Vikings. I was preoccupied with the game and neglected to take a photo of the dinner plate.

Shauna is flying to Washington D.C. for the weekend. She left her car with us. We’ll have the car until Tuesday afternoon, so Donna can drive me to the surgery center Tuesday morning.

I mentioned the heat wave. Yesterday the temperature was near 90 degrees. Today and tomorrow will be the same before we cool off to the lower 80s on Sunday. I think I’ll head to the beach today where it will be cooler.