Thursday, January 20th

Like I said, now that we're settled in here for an extended stay, the every-day-something-new pace is being replaced with more of an I'll-get-around-to-it attitude.

We did however, do something I'm not used to doing very often...riding a bicycle.

I scored this 15 or 16 speed bike about a year ago when a tenant left it behind and we went for a short ride today.  Judy is trying to re-build her strength and I could use the exercise too.

The Ventura Beach Bike Trail goes for miles sandwiched between the Pacific Coast Highway and the beach, but we probably only did about a half mile each way.

Getting used to a complicated contraption like this bike is not easy.  There are two shifting levers and I have no idea which one to move when, or in which direction.  I just found a spot where I could get the thing to move without feeling like I was trying to tow a houseboat uphill.

Then there is the seat!  WHO ENGINEERED THIS THING????

The normal size butt is, of course, considerably smaller than mine.  That fact not withstanding, this thing they call a seat is more like something I would expect to find in a proctologist's office.  This "saddle" was going places that would normally require a healthy dose of anesthesia first.  I'm going to be looking for a seat the size of a Lazy Boy soon.


Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner


Able to man up and work through the pain, I began to appreciate the view in front of me.  The Pacific coastline with the Channel Islands in the distance and Judy beside me.  It's all good!  In fact, we may do it again tomorrow.