With all the hot weather warnings and storm warnings, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to slow down the trip a little bit.  Poking around on Slashfood/Huffington Post Food, they had a link to ‘Top 10’ restaurants.  One of them happened to be nice and close in Austin – uchi.  And given I wasn’t likely to visit any of the other cities or restaurants, I was ‘convinced’ that this would be worth the money.

Early in the afternoon ~4pm when I dropped by the restaurant to find out a good time to have dinner.

“Not 8pm” made it fairly simple.  Late lunch and a desire to see the Bat Flight  made me drop by after 9pm.  I was told I had good timing as a couple at the sushi bar was just wrapping up.

Free waiting area snack – roasted cauliflower

Free appetizer – some kind of sorbet

Ramune!   It was on the menu, and I just had to order it.  Since I was on the bike, no sake or wine.   But still not a good decision, the Ramune was much too sweet and kind of ruined everything I had with it.   Ordered green tea to cleanse the palate.

Flounder

Poached littleneck clams in a dashi broth with a tomatillo kimchi

Sea Bream Nigiri

machi cure
smoked baby yellowtail ٠ yucca
crisp٠asian pear٠marcona
almond٠garlic brittle

I probably got some of the dishes above wrong.  So many dishes and flavours, it’s hard to keep track.  And to be honest, I can’t say I was really listening when they were telling me what was in each dish.  Still rather loud in there and I realized it wasn’t likely I would ever have these dishes again… or bother to try and reproduce them.  My apologies to the servers and chefs who tried their hardest.

Uchi is definitely worth visiting if you’re in the city.  Everything was delicious and service was a delight.  The 10 course omakase was a bit pricey, so might be best to be around for the happy hour/sake social menu.

Getting out of bed was rough.   Body still hurt from way too much time walking/running the day before.  But it was easier than the previous night.  At least I no longer wanted to steal a  bicycle.   And everything seemed closer together.  Don’t get me wrong – everything in the LA area is way too far apart, it just didn’t seem as arduous as the night before.

Even going through all the strip malls seem to take a long time.  The availability of space is what allows all those patios.  I was tempted by the variety of spas/salons/massage parlours.  Would have been really nice to have someone fix my legs…

But since it was a late start, I wanted to make it to the food trucks at the OC Fairgrounds.  It was next to a Farmer’s market and the fairgrounds provided decent seating and facilities.   Probably not a ‘typical’ LA food truck experience.   It really should be a truck on an illegal lot, serving tacos after a night of drinking…

Food was good – I got sliders.  Fried chicken on garlic mash w/ gravy and a Vietnamese pork sandwich.  Something I would actually attempt to make myself.  Not cheap – $10 for 2 sliders, tots and a strawberry iced tea.   Similar to Vancouver food trucks, I suppose.

Got to Ducati Newport Beach a little early, they had finished the work, but hadn’t done the paperwork or ‘washed’ it yet.   I went back out to a nearby Starbucks and tried to work on some posts, but decided to try and sort out Service Canada instead.  Since I ‘moved’ just before I left on my trip, they needed me to confirm the address.  Unfortunately, when I have tried to call, the office has either been closed or too busy and disconnected me.  I managed to get through this time using Dell Voice/Fongo – but I was not very audible.  Poor guy on the other end couldn’t understand what I was saying.  He tried to give me a hard time for taking so long to call back, but since I couldn’t explain it anyway, he eventually just helped me out and ‘fixed’ my account.

Picked up the bike and went out to pick up the bag I left at the hotel.  Started realizing there was a new noise.   Very faint.  At first, I thought it was just the cars around me, but after a detour to Costco, I realized it was the Multi.  Some experimentation seemed to indicate it was RPM dependent – and not audible after 3K RPM(bike was too loud).   Since I was still in the neighbourhood, I dropped back to the dealership to ask.   Techs were all gone, but apparently it’s expected.   Old days, if the tension was really off, the same sound would be a howl.  What I had was ‘fine’.

I suppose it’s just paranoia – after listening to the bike for 3 week solid, any change at all sticks out like a sore thumb.  The folks were very nice and put up with my crazy.

Been a pretty chill few days. Downtime was forced by the Thursday appointment with Ducati Newport Beach. Never really planned on spending much time in the LA area other than the required day for servicing, so this was a bit of a bonus. Took a chance to do things I normally wouldn’t do on a visit to LA. Bit of a shift from a normal tourist visit, but a good change of pace.

Sunday was a throwback to the old Sun Run training days – Church at synergysb.com, pho for lunch and then a run in the afternoon. The joys of tasting pho in the back of your throat as you suck wind isn’t enjoyable, but it did bring back a lot of memories. But the trail run/hike in the sun up to ‘Inspiration Point’ in Santa Barbara was quite nice. Definitely not something I think I would have done on any other trip.

Taking the Duc out to Riverside on Monday was interesting. I went along the coast to try to swing by Neptune’s Net – but got there too early in the morning. Passing through Santa Monica, I got onto the 60 – this was a real taste of the LA highway system with traffic. I’m not sure what it was, but I could not for the life of me keep my eyes open. Not sure if it was the glare of the sun on the 12 lane highways, the heat, or the what, but it felt like I needed to just close my eyes for a while. Opening up the visor helped briefly, but in the end, I had to pull over for gas anyway.

Fortunately, this did give me a chance to look for an In-N-Out Burger. Cross off something ‘typical’ from the tourist list.

Got a little lost getting to my Godparent’s place in Riverside, but nothing too stressful. It was nice to see them again – and they have a little dog named Spanky! We hid out in the house to avoid the afternoon heat before grabbing some dinner and going for a walk/hike up the local mountain. Minimal pollution meant there were some great views. But my godmother did point out that the pollution does getting used to and that my experience on the highway might be related.

Not really having anything else to do, I decided to swing down to San Diego on Tuesday and cross of Corner #2 – San Ysidro. Tempted briefly to cross the border into Mexico on foot, but since I dont’ really have space for any shopping and wasn’t going to do any drinking, I didn’t see the point. Went by the Tiajuana Nature Reserve before heading towards La Jolla for lunch. George’s at the Cove was a great place for lunch. Good food, great views and solid service. Ticked off the ‘fancy west coast/cali’ dining experience. It was so busy even at 1pm on a Tuesday, I had to wait 30mins for a seat on a patio. I hopped down the street to grab a coffee. Chatted with young guy about his ‘hardley’ for a bit. He kindly pointed out that one of the young women who were at the next table previously was a ‘porn star’. Interesting encounter, can’t say the bike doesn’t open doors. Where those doors go is anyone’s guess. There was also a young boy hanging out for a while. We had a nice talk about bikes and my previous stops. Wasn’t long before Area 51 came up and we talked about some of the defense systems. Not sure how much of it was fantasy, but still entertaining.

After lunch, I wandered around Sunset Cliffs and Point Loma before heading back to Riverside for the night.

Wednesday morning, I decided to take Spanky for a run. ~4 miles down to the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside, hangout for a coffee before heading back.

It was a nice trip, although probably a bit of a late start. Getting uncomfortably warm by the time we got back. Spanky was thoroughly wiped.

I rode out on the 91 towards Newport after lunch. Same thing as Monday and Tuesday. Could not keep my eyes open and the watering made staying on the road dangerous. Ducked out to grab gas while I stopped anyway and things eased up. Checked into the Vagabond Inn and dropped the bike off at the shop before walking down to Newport Beach. Got there fairly late in the afternoon, so it was rather quiet.

But definitely got my ‘beach’ fix – makes me want to rent a beach house one of these days. Walking back was much less entertaining. Run and the walk in one day was too much. So much so I was tempted to steal an unlocked kid’s bike just to get off my feet. Lots of stops for drinks on the way back, but no appetite – at least until I saw the Chik-Fil-A next to the hotel. Forgotten how good they were. I think they’re better than In-N-Out!

Trip is starting to take it’s toll.  Didn’t get much sleep again.  Woke up before sunrise, staring out into the brightening sky and really didn’t want to get up.  All sorts of body parts ache.  Everything’s filthy – there’s sticky red sand/dust on everything.

Failing Equipment –

• SD780IS Elph camera has lens issues – probably dust in the gear mechanism.
• Patriot LX 32GB SD card is ‘slow’ – slow enough that the GoPro won’t write to it consistently anymore.   On a PNY backup card now
• Crappy Tire Mastercraft 200W inverter is shot.  Pretty much only good for blowing fuses now.
• Joe Rocket Speedmaster 7.0 Gloves are continuing to fall apart.  Not as comfortable now that I’ve been supplementing the gloves with my own patches of leather, glue and duct tape.
• Ducati Performance Top Case straps have been ripped out of the top half.  Strong winds ripped the screws right out of the plastic.
• Cargo net is now all stretched funny.  Zip ties are doubling up certain lengths, but still need to source a new one.

Supplies Dwindling

• No more 15A fuses
• Running out of camp fuel – considering switching to kerosene so it doubles as bike chain cleaner.   But that stuff stinks like crazy – and it’s not like I have latex gloves to work with.
• Ran out of PJ’s chain lube – replaced with something from NAPA.
• Almost out of coffee

At least the Multi and the new BMW Rallye3 gear is holding up well.  The Duc has seen the ground on both sides now – with minimal damage.  There are some scratches to the side cases, but barely noticeable under all the dirt and bugs.  The dirt still calls to me, but I think I’ll stick to pavement from now on.  As much as some people suggest I should get a Termi exhaust system, I think the money is better spent on some armor.  Plus, you can attach footpegs to the crash bars and that would be much appreciated at this point.

BMW gear is pretty much broken in now.   It almost feels soft to the touch and the armour is starting to fit better.

Not even 15% of the way into the trip.  I probably just need a day to regroup and restock.  Attempting to find things on the run eats up time better spent focused on other things.

So… after sorting out the gear and packing it onto the bike, it seems like an awful lot of stuff.   Bags-connection City Tank Bag, DP Panniers, DP Top Case and a Insight 70L Duffel as a back seat roll is a lot of luggage.   Question is, what did I forget?

City Tank Bag:

• Leatherman Multi-tool
• Bicycle Multi-tool
• Tire Pressure Guage
• Glysomed Hand Cream
• Black Diamond Head Lamp
• 12V to USB Converter
• USB Hub, Micro USB Cable, Mini USB Cable
• Sunglasses
• Camera Bag
• GoPro HD Camera + spare Skeleton Case
• Canon Powershot SD780IS
• Gerber Flashlight
• Earplugs
• Hackysack
• Map Case + Maps

Insight Duffel:

• MEC Tarn 3 Tent & Footprint
• Thermarest Sleeping Mat & Sleeping Bag Liner
• Running Shoes
• Rain/Cold Weather Gear Bag – Rain coat, over mitts, booties, Farwest Goretex Pants, Long Underwear, Climawarm longsleeve Top 
• Small Clothes Bag – underwear and socks
• Misc Bag:  North Face Down Vest, Chain Lube, zip ties, Spare straps & Bungee cords, spare inverter power cabled, Duct Tape, Towels, Plastic Bags
• Pack Towels
• Medicine Bag
• Tank Bag Rain Cover

Right Pannier:

• Bicycle Pump
• Hatchet
• Camp Chair
• Clothes Bag – Jeans, Convertible pants, 2x shorts, long sleeved t-shirt, short sleeved t-shirt, dryfit t-shirt, swimming trunks 
• Toiletries:  Toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, nightguard, washcloth, scissors, nail clippers, steroid hand cream, mach 3 razor, contacts, contact solution, hair wax, deodorant, soap, shampoo, Insect Repellent/Deet, Sunscreen, Meds 

Left Pannier:

• MSR Quick 2 System Cookset
• Cooking Utensils Roll – Spatula, ladle, spices, oil, dish soap, cutting board, etc
• Cast Iron Frying Pan
• Optimus Nova Multifuel Stove + spare fuel bottle
• Aeropress Coffee Maker + Coffee Grounds
• MEC Merlin DF Sleeping Bag
• LED Lantern
• Zippo Hand Warmer and Fluid

Top Case:

• Moleskine Notebook
• Kindle Keyboard
• Power Inverter
• Macbook Air, Charger, External HD, USB NIC, Headphones, USB Charger, Keys 
• Cooler Bag 
• Instant Noodles
• PacSafe Net
• Water:  3L Platypus, 2L Source, 750ml Platypus Wine Preserver
• Documents Bag – Passport, Travel Insurance, etc

It’s always hard to decide what to write for the first post.  Might as well get it out of the way.

I was recently given the privilege of being the hired gun to open an office in Barcelona and then shut down the Vancouver one.  Unfortunately, since I am based in Vancouver, this meant dealing with not having a job.  As is often the case, this was an opportunity for a little self reflection.

Looking back on the recent years, the biggest regret was the lack of travel.  In particular, not taking advantage of living in Barcelona.  When given the opportunity to spend some time in Europe, one of the decisions was to buy the new Ducati Multistrada as a ‘Euro Delivery’, live and tour Europe and then ship it back to Canada.  Unfortunately, this grand plan didn’t actually come together – no one does Euro Delivery, work visa was never received and by the time all the plans worked out, I was travelling in the winter.

Now facing unemployment with the 2 year unlimited mileage warranty running out on the Duc, the most logical thing to do is to go on road trip – it might not be Europe, but a solo trip across the US and Canada seems to be a great way to spend a summer.