busy weekend
The ride on Saturday to Indio was great. The weather was dry, a little cool in parts, but warmed up nicely by the time we arrive in Indio. We saw the Riverside County Fair and the all important National Date Festival. I brought home about 5 pounds of assorted dates and nuts. They will make ideal snacks for while sitting around the computer.
We had 15 bikes (about 25 people) enjoy the ride. It was a full day and everyone had a great time.
On Sunday, the local goldwing repair shop (JBJ Cycles) held their first "BBQ in the Park" to celebrate their first 10 years in business. They had a professional BBQ man there with beef, pork, and chicken with baked beans, potato salad, cookies and drinks. They say they served over 500 plates. I believe it. There were a bunch of people there. We also had numerous games for everyone to play. Vicki and I volunteered to assist in operating one of the games. A long day, but a lot of fun.
catching up
Boy, it's tough to submit every night, even every other night. Wendesday, the bike gang went to the Lone Star Steakhouse in Tustin. Had a great turnout. Had 49 of us there. The restaurant was sure happy to have us too as we all ordered nice dinners and left a nice tip.
Last night (Thursday), we went to the opera to see "Sampson & Delilah" at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa. The opera is always fun, but this one was a little dry. The sets were functional but not elaborate by any means. The orchestra and choras were great, but the program was just kinda dry. We were falling asleep by the third act. Oh, well. Life's like that.
Tomorrow we finally are having some decent riding weather. We are taking our goldwings to Indio for the National Date Festival and County Fair. Should be a blast. I can't even imagine how many bikes are going along for the ride. I'll keep you posted.
part 2 of the cruise
One thing that surprised me was on our day at sea, I'm used to the ship cruising around in the ocean, maybe circling some islands or something, but not this time. This ship just parked out in the ocean. We could see a Carnival ship in the distance and they were parked also. We don't know if it was a cost saving measure or if they were just trying to stay out of the rain that was in the distance. I found that the ship seemed to roll a bit more when it just sits.
The dinners were good, but with reservations. We had second seating so either we were extra hungry or the food was good. On the first night, all went well. We all enjoyed our dinners. On the second night, one in our party ordered the Mahi Mahi and it was very dry. So she ordered the beef tenderloin as a second choice as the rest of of had them and they were very tender, pink in the middle and had a very plesant peppercorn sauce on them. When her steak arrived, it was thin, overcooked, tough and tasteless. They had actually given her a strip steak instead of beef tenderloin. We complained to the chef when he happened to come around and he was not pleased. I'm sure the staff heard about it.
Also, as far as the dinners went, the service was terrible. Very, very slow dinner. Each night took us 2 and 1/2 hours for dinner. Almost made us late for the shows.
For a three night cruise, this worked very well. But I would not want to be on board this ship any longer than that.
A very pleasant cruise
What a surprise. I guess that since my wife and I were mentally prepared for a substandard cruise at best, we were pleasantly surprised at how well we were treated on this cruise. The "Monarch of the Sea" is an older ship and is showing it's age. The carpets are stained and the ship generally looks tired, but the staff was enthusiastic (less a few exceptions).
The embarkation went smoothly and quickly. We found our cabin easily and found it to be quite adequate. We bought the cheapest cabin we could find since it is only a three night cruise. The room was clean and the attendant always smiled and went out of his way to attend to our every need.
To be continued.....
Cruise on Friday to Monday
Some time ago we had signed up for a three night cruise aboard the Royal Caribbean "Monarch of the Sea," and we are set to set sail this weekend. We leave Friday evening and sail to Ensenada, Mexico, arriving on Saturday morning. We'll spend the day there and depart in the evening. Sunday is spent at sea and we'll dock in San Pedro on Monday morning.
I've wanted to sail on this ship for a while since I drive over the Vincent-Thomas Bridge every day on my way to and from work and see the ship there every Monday and Friday. We've been on the Princess line and the Carnival line and are anxious to try out the Royal Caribbean line. Always something new. I'll let you know my thoughts on the cruise when I return.
Tour and Staff meeting night
Tonight I travelled to Tustin for our monthly tour and staff meeting where we add events to our chapter calendar. Vicki met me there and had already ordered dinner before my arrival.
Had a great turnout tonight. Probably had around 25 to 30 people there. It's always fun to get together with our friends, even if it is a working meeting. We're such a social group that it's really hard to not get along with someone. You really need to work at that one.
Kite Festival
After our trip to CA1M, we remembered that there was the third annual Kite Festival being held in Huntington Beach. What a coincident; that's where we live. It was a short drive and walk to the beach to see all the kites. The wind was just building and the clowds were moving in. We bought some cheese strips (nacho strips with cheese) and sodas and watched the kites. It got cold as a storm was moving in so we left and went home.
Where does the time go?
It was several day before I began to feal normal. The trip on Saturday to San Diego for the CA1I Valentine run was basically cancelled because of rain. Where is all this rain coming from? One week it's from the north and then the south.
Sunday was a better day. Although it was misting outside, we went to visit Chapter CA1M in San Bernardino. We did, however, take the four-wheeler. Good choice. I was still not feeling up to par and would have tired on the bike and Vicki had been having trouble with her neck and didn't want the helmet; so all were happy.
We had a great visit. There were 8 bikes that did brave the elements, about 12 persons total. There were visitors from two or three other chapters and about 60 of the chapter CA1M members for a total of around 120 people. Great gathering and a lot of fun. It was their first meeting at the Elks Lodge and there was plenty of room. They need to make some improvements on the kitchen though.
Under the weather with rain outside
Wouldn't you know it. I don't know if it was something I ate or weather it's a stomach flue, but something sure didn't sit right with me. Stomach cramps, cold sweats. Started Wednesday night and off and on Thursday. I was perking up by noon and decided to go to work but within a few hours, I decided that was a mistake. I'm about over it now but still feeling weak.
Rain is condinuing. Hope it clears up for the weekend.
Rain in the forecast
We have a ride planned for Saturday. Finally, a chance to take the Goldwing out of the garage for a trip down the coast. Well, guess what. Rain is in the forecast again. Supposed to come in Thursday evening and last into Saturday.
But, foretunately, we have another ride planned for Sunday. That is looking promising. It is a ride out to San Bernardino to visit another chapter. That's always fun and hopefully there will be lots of sunshine. I'm not even sure the bike will start. I need to fire it up just to make sure.
my Explorer
What's up with cars? I've had a hell of a time lately with my "check engine" light coming on. The car was ready for it's 130,000 service when the check engine light came on. When I took it in, I had them fix it along with the servicing. They said they found some moisture in the mass air flow sensor and they dried it out. Great. Two weeks later, the light is back on again. So, I replaced the mass air flow sensor ($$$) and the light went out. Two weeks later, it came on again. So, I made plans to return to the dealer.
At this point, I should tell you that when the air outside is warm (above 85 degrees) and the engine is hot, I get a whistling sound coming from the engine. And, it just happened that the weather turned warm and the car was making it's usual noise, so I ran down to the dealer so that they could hear the noise and fix that, and at the same time, do something about the check engine light.
They found a loose hose that they said I must have knocked loose when I replaced the mass air flow sensor (not). The light was out after they plugged in the hose. It's been a couple of weeks and the check engine light just came back on again. What's the deal? No, it's not the gas cap. I've checked that over and over. However, I'm going to run it for the next two weeks or so just to see if it'll go out of it's own accord. It is not affecting performance at all.
Superbowl Sunday
So much for shorts. It definately turned cold and we are back to wearing jackets again.
Had our motorcycle chapter meeting in the morning. Always a great time seeing all our friends and catching up on the latest gossip. The ride to Santa Barbara following the meeting was cancelled due to rain. This has been a wet year for sure.
A couple from the chapter hosted a superbowl party at their house and we had about 20 people show up. Vicki and I stopped at Costco and bought sodas and some lazania which Vicki heated and we brought that to the party. We all had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the commercials and the half-time show.
So much going on but not much travel this week
This week has been very busy. We had the State of the Union speach on Wednesday but I missed it. I was dining with my bride at our favorite eatery followed by a walk on the pier. I caught the highlights of the speach (and opposing opinions) when I got home.
Friday, we learned that my grandma (102 years) had fallen and cracked her hip at the ball. She went for an emergency operation and is doing fine. We'll be spending time visiting her through her recovery.
Had our walk on the beach this morning. Always fun. There is going to be a marathon tomorrow so they were getting all set up for the event. Lots of vendors downtown. The air turned a bit chilly as a storm is approaching, but it is still shorts weather. Can't beat that for a February.
Lets get this thing started off - shall we?
First thing you should understand is that my wife (Vicki) and I are very active in our motorcycle group; the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. We are members of California Chapter CA1R located in Southern Orange County, California. We enjoy the good weather every chance we get by getting out on the open road.
As we return from adventures either on the bike, or on a cruise, or any other mode of transportation, I'll fill in a note or two as to the outcome of the day. Feel free to leave a comment or two if you are so inclined. I'll do what I can to respond.
Occasionally, I'll post a picture. That has become one of my hobies since the advent of digital cameras.
