Oceanside, California: I know it has been very quiet on this blog for a while since we had the kids for a week and went to LA for the 4th of July. There was maintenance and repairs on the house, the Chevy and, as I reported yesterday, the Winnebago.
Just to keep things interesting, one night last week ice began shooting-out of the in-door dispenser in our kitchen fridge/freezer. No one was even in the kitchen, and thank goodness we were home! We could not get it to stop, besides hitting the circuit breaker - but before we could get to the breaker, the entire ice bin had been emptied onto our floor... which is travertine... so the cubes hit the floor and either exploded or skated ten feet. I told my sister it was like a skit from I Love Lucy (except y'all know Lucy & Ricky did not have an automatic ice maker). I'm the tech in our house, so tried all the tricks, resetting, rebooting, banging on the bin. Nothing. The ice maker was making ice, the freezer was freezing, but no ice would come out at the dispenser, nor water, and the light on the dispenser alcove would not turn off. I did learn from the (actual, professional) tech who arrived to assess the situation that our fancy fridge is from 2017, and the "board" is out and must be replaced. The part was ordered and will be installed after we return home from this trip. TMI: I do not like the in-door dispensers, but it came with the house (which we bought during COVID, so there ya go). They are not attractive and seem to be a germ-fest.
Carriage return. New paragraph.
As we do not tow a car behind our Winnebago Navion, last year I bought an electric bike - a Pedego Boomerang - for my transport. I liked the bike on first try, as I was riding it around the streets inside our country club where there is little traffic, and no bike lanes or ramps to deal with. We took our bikes on our two-plus-month trip last summer and I rode that dang thing all over Oregon and several national parks. But it dumped me once (no injury) and I kept slicing the back of my leg on the pedals. The problem was the dismount. It was too tall for me... or I was too short for the bike? I needed a bike where I could sit on the seat and have my feet touch the ground. Safety issue. Dave and I went into research mode and the instant I clicked on one electric bike ad on my Instagram feed, my screen was suddenly flooded with advertisements - giving us countless options.
By test-driving (in bike shops) a few models, I soon learned a step-through frame is what I still need. The "boys" bike frames are worthless for me, whether I am in a skirt or not. I settled on a SixThreeZero bike that had a 30-day (we will take it back, no matter the condition) return policy. Only thing is they ship only. After spending an hour removing the packaging (ugh, so many zip ties!), and another hour assembling (twisting on the pedals, inserting the seat and front tire), I took her for a ride. The battery was still charging, so I took the bike for a spin around the 'hood. It was so easy to start/stop and so easy to get on/off. I thought: this is the one!
After seeing the assembled bike (in our living room), my first thought was if you put a banana seat on this thing, it would look just like my childhood bicycle... which I rode for years all over my neighborhood with my siblings. (As it was the 60's - no helmets.) The bike is heavy, but not as heavy as the Boomerang, and has the same rear battery situation.
After Dave went for his hour-long bike ride this morning (for exercise and to get the lay-o-the-land), we took my new bike for a test drive. The smaller (20-inch) tires make the bike closer to terra firma, and I can sit on the seat with my feet touching the ground. (I am almost 5'1".) The bicycle has 7 gears and plenty of power. Today I rode on the California Coast Highway (eeks) bike path, up/down sidewalk ramps, stopped to wait for traffic, started easily again, crossed over railroad tracks, through traffic and people toting surf boards on the shore path. Not once did I feel uncomfortable and not once did I slice my leg on a pedal!
Just so you know I must be the wimpiest of wimps - Leo, who was 5'4" when I saw him two weeks ago, so is probably 5'6" now - can handle the Boomerang with no problems. He rides it all over our country club, at very unreasonable speeds (to me) and takes it up to our on-site Starbucks every morning to get a drink for himself and his little sister, bungeeing the cups inside the front basket. Leo doesn't weigh 100 pounds, but he has no issues handling the bike. He also has no fear. (Sorry, Leo, I'm selling the Boomerang when I get home.)
We rode about six miles today - all the way out to Camp Pendleton - and returned to our campsite along the beach.
We didn't walk along the pier today, but plan to walk from our campsite to this area one day this week. Surfers reported the water temperature was 70° - but most were wearing wetsuits. The sun didn't appear until after 1p, while we were sitting outside a beach shack chomping on fish & chips.
I dove-in to my lunch before I snapped a photo. (They are going to pull my blogger card.) Funny thing: we could not finish our meals - six pieces of fish - and no way to really get them back to our RV (I need a bike basket!). At the table next to us sat a grandfather with this teen grandson. They grabbed a to-go box for the fish they could not finish and when we offered them our leftovers - they took it! We must look very respectful and germ-free? Happy it did not go to waste.
One more shot of my still un-named bicycle. Matte black. Gonna have to search through my Jimmy Buffett lines for find a good one. Any suggestions - please comment below. Wish I was a Star Wars fan, because Darth is the first thing that came to mind.
Also - there are Marines everywhere here. So many young men jogging along the shore. DT wondered how I knew they were Marines. Camp Pendleton is right here. They are young. Fit. Close-cropped hair. I sent a text message to our Marine-veteran niece, Carla: You can't throw a rock in Oceanside without hitting a Marine. She sent me a laughing emoji and said it was true.
We returned to the Navion to watch the San Francisco Giants in Atlanta. It's a tough year to be a Giants fan. They lost again.
Just so you can also enjoy our several-times-per-hour train experience, DT made a video:
Between Giant and Dodger games I served Patatas Alina - a potato salad we had in Madrid earlier this year. It's kinda like a potato salad with tuna on top? This time I used Fishwife tuna with Spanish Lemon.
Until my next update, I remain, your fishy correspondent.
Campground Information: Oceanside RV Resort
Love your bike idea. How do you secure it when you stop for meals or shopping?
I have a Kryponite cable lock. It’s wrapped-up on the back rack, under my teeny handbag. Did not use it on our ride – we dined at a beach place and just had the bikes next to our picnic table.