Final Preparations

 The flight was relatively easy. I wander the airport during the wait, as is my usual MO. And saw things that made my mind go “hmmm” including  a woman wearing a “sluts-r-us” T-shirt. Not what I would’ve gone with but Namaste. On board the plane the flight is packed but I am comfy till I find out that my seat won’t stay reclined. Other than that there were no major issues except for the group of young women excitedly celebrating one of their birthdays - maybe the 30th? They simmered down eventually, all but one, who talked at loud volume until my ears began to bleed. Headphones and a movie helped and I finally fell asleep. 

Upon arrival my bags came off the plane together none the worse for wear and Tad was there quickly to pick me up. It was good to catch up with him, but that prove to be a problem because we talked so much we missed his exit and added another 15 minutes to the trip. The bed was a welcome site when we finally got home at about 1 AM my time.

Friday: Up at five but feeling pretty well rested. Tad‘s dog is not a big fan of me.  Ted and I take him for a walk and he seems to tolerate me as long as I’m outside of the house. I don’t have no idea what sort of heinous crime I have committed in his mind.

Later that morning long time friend John Boily came to pick me up and we went to the Park Hyatt Avian for coffee and snacks and some catching up time. As usual it was a wonderful visit and we melted right back into easy conversation. From there he took me to the Solana Beach train station to start my voyage to pick up the bike but not before a stop at Swami‘s Self Realization Center in Encinitas. It’s been there since the 1920s. We pulled into the parking lot and basked in the sun while watching the surfers.

 Self navigation puts me on edge as I am wel know for my lack of sense of direction. Against all odds  I easily find the store (ok, it was a straight line from the train station) and my bike. I could  hear the Google turn by turn directions easily over the traffic as I began my ride back to Carlsbad. I didn’t get too far before things got confusing and I had to let common sense take over with good results I’m glad to report.

It wasn’t until I got to the UCSD campus that the wheels started to fall off the bus. Siri was shouting a regular chorus of “turn right to the bike path, then turn left to the bike path”, followed by “proceed to the route” which is techno speak for “bitch, please.” At the same time every student enrolled was out walking on said bike paths. I managed not to hit anyone, but just. I have no confidence that I was where I belonged  so I kept peddling till the crowds thinned. At that point  I was rewarded with new directions from Siri that included an actual street name.  I 

Along the rest of the way I came to the realization of several things:

Heat will be a factor on this ride. They weren’t joking when they said to grab water wherever you could.

I am not on the road bike and I have to adjust my speed expectations, which is worrying because I’m already slow. Also, peddling and sneakers is harder than being clipped in.

I need to eat early and often. Lunch at 10:30 doesn’t cut it, especially when there’s no protein.

All that said, it took me a little over 2 1/2 hours to go 30 miles which is about normal.

I got back and set the bike up with the bags I brought with Tad‘s help. He MacGyver’d the mirror and I think it will hold. We are also hopeful about the computer as the zip tie got cut a little short when I removed it. 

After all this we zipped over to Carlsbad high school for a football game. Charlotte is on the SportsMED team. The school is huge in the stadium impressive, as well as was all the Friday night lights hoopla. We left after an impressive halftime show with the Lancer dancers cheerleaders and the marching band .

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One more day. Deep breath.