Got My Japanese 10 Speed Bike

I got another 10 speed yesterday!  A old Japanese 10 speed made by Kabuki.

I got it via eBay:  Here is the eBay post:

The bikewas delivered by UPS today.  It was a bit worse for the delivery, with a tear in the box where one of the axel bolts was sticking out, and a couple of broken spokes.  I was a bit disappointed at its condition, and it had been partly dissassembled for shipping.

I put it on the bike carrier along with the Peugeot and took them to Revolution Bikes.  They were really busy, but I talked to the Old Guy Dan Rock (surfdano1@aoc.com. 760-420-7559).  He looked at it briefly, and his initial comments were discouraging.

I later sent an email to Dan about the Peugeot.  If I, or anyone with a Wilfong driver’s license, shows up during business hours, we can ride the bike as long as it’s returned before closing.

I also emailed my hope for the Kabuki - Reassemble and hopefully get it functioning.  If successful, then tune up, and put the bike rack and pump from the Peugeot on it.

He said three weeks, but I expect longer since they are so busy.

Kennedy Meadows 8/8/19

I got up and got ready to go home. It took me about an hour to have some oatmeal for breakfast and get everything put in the car. I didn’t pack the tent and sleeping bag, since I plan to air things out when I get home.

With the adjustments I had made it the previous day, it seemed to be a little better with sleeping in the hammock tent last night. I think the sleeping bag I got is not keeping me warm enough, though.

I wanted to say bye to John, the fellow I’d met when I arrived, but he’d packed up and departed earlier, apparently. There have been a few more people coming and going yesterday and today, but still not crowded at all. They say weekends are busy, though.

I saw a California Scrub Jay this morning, come to bid me goodbye.  Good luck trying to find him in these photos!

Kennedy Meadows 8/7/19

It really cooled down overnight, and though the hammock tent worked very nicely for me during the night, I could feel some of the chill where I was directly up against the fabric of the hammock. I made a few adjustments later in the day to reduce the sag a bit.

I had a nice breakfast of Quaker Oats and sausage jerky, then hiked up to the spot by the river with my fishing pole.

 I spent most of the time untangling line and trying to disengage the hook from my clothing or river  vegetation. But I did get a strike, with a couple of seconds of pull, and a splash when I got a shiny glimpse. But then he was gone.

It sprinkled a bit, but all was soon dry again in the warm, dry heat. But I was inspired to set up the rain fly for the tent when I got back to camp.

I also spent some time replenishing my water supply from the river, using the filter system I had brought, which is working out quite well.

After another nice stew and peaches dinner, I went down to a nice place by the river that is right by the campsite and tried to fish a bit more. No luck though.

Kennedy Meadows 8/6/19

I camped at the Kennedy Meadows Campground for a couple of days. I drove up Monday the 5th to attend a meeting of the Orange County RR Historical Society, then drove to Adelanto to stay overnight at the Rodeway Inn. I got there about 11:00 pm, and left the next morning to drive the rest of the way. I got to the campground about 9:30 am and easily found an available campsite. They have 37 sites, and only two others were being utilized (and the folks in one of them had been gone hiking for three days). I talked with the other camper, John, who was very nice, and is from Valley Center! 

I decided to set up at site 37, and putt up my hammock tent and tried it out.  It seemed to work nicely.

Unfortunately I don’t have cell service here, and my phone would not work with the wi-fi they have at the local store, so I drove back to 395 where cell service came back and called Laura to say hi, and that I’d gotten a site.

When I got back to my camp I had a bite to eat, then walked around the campgrounds a bit. It is really pretty here.  

The campground is near the South Fork Kern River, and the Pacific Crest Trail goes through the campground. I hiked up it (north) for a half hour and found a spot that looks like it would be a nice place to sit and fish so for a while tomorrow. There were quite a few swift’s along the trail, which was really fun.

For dinner, I used my old Boy Scout mess kit and a stereo stove to heat up a can of Dinty Moore stew, and also had some diced peaches. 

I also got a fire going, using some wood left by the previous campers, and kindling I’d gathered on the road up to the campground.

My Bike Trip - Father's Day Card

The kids made me a Father's Day card that was based on my bike trip, which I thought was really swell.  They even had one of the little kitties I met on the trip!

My Bike Ride - Leesburg to Wash DC

The final day of the trip!

I had a nice breakfast at the Colonial Inn, then got ready for the last leg of the trip.  While getting the bike ready, I said hello to an elderly gentleman who was working in the back.  The Inn keeper Christie said he was a homeless person the owner "adopted", who does odd jobs and has a place to live.  Pretty nice.

I left the Inn at about 8:20 AM and arrived at the bike return, Bike and Roll in Washington DC, at about 1:20.  I then took the Metro (with help from a nice young lady, Allysa) to Silver Springs.  We also met a nice older black guy who teaches at the American University.  They both got me onto the right road and I walked to Karen and Mark's house, getting there about 3:15.  Karen had offered to pick me up, but I really wanted to show up at their doorstep like this.

Mark and Karen lavished me with hospitality the rest of the day and the next, including a trip to the B&O RR Museum in Baltimore, a fantastic place housed in an old roundhouse.  It has a number of wonderful RR locomotives, equipment, and a couple of model railroads to see.  Even if someone is not a RR buff, the history associated with the railroads is fascinating.  They even have a boxcar provided as a gift from France to commemorate America's Friendship Train in WW II, which carried donated items to France after the war.  You can read about the Merci Train Merci Train here.  This image is from http://msummerfieldimages.com/merci-train/.

Getting back to the bike ride, it was a hot and humid day.  Though there were some short grades, the route was generally flat, and it was a nice ride on a paved path that was the Western & Old Dominion RR track line in the good old days.  This segment is crowded with pedestrians, skaters, and other cyclists, so it was a very different ride than the rest of the trip.  Here is the start of the path; as can be seen, the path is paved and marked and very easy to ride on...

On the way I saw another Black Snake crossing the trail, and two deer that were grazing only a few feet from the path.  I also wanted to stop at a brewery along the path, but they weren't open yet.  I was disappointed - see if you can figure out why from the photo...

There was also a W&OD caboose on display, with a little girl whose mom said to wave to me...

The W&OD path went for a while, then a T-intersection took me onto the Custis trail that went toward the capital, and finally the Mount Vernon Trail, where I got my first glimpse of the monuments across the river...

I crossed the river to get to the Jefferson Memorial...

and from there, made my way to the bike return location in L'Enfant Plaza...

Would I do this trip again?  Well, actually, maybe.  There are other bike trails I'm interested trying, but doing the GAP again would be fun, especially now that I have some experience under my belt about how to prepare.

Hard to believe it's over.  It was a wonderful experience.  I saw so many interesting things, met so many swell people, and there was a lot of excitement along the way.   As they say, "Wow - What a ride!"  

My Bike Trip - Harpers Ferry to Leesburg

The owners of the Stonehouse B&B have a young boy (maybe 12 months?) named Charlie who I got to meet!  Another couple was staying there; fellow was going to start a long hike on the Appalachian Trail.

I left Harpers Ferry at about 8:20 AM after a nice breakfast at the B&B.  I got to the Leesburg Colonial Inn in Leesburg, VA, about 1:50.  It was a really nice ride, and the sky was almost cloud-free most of the day.  I'd expected a muddy trail after the rains the day before, but it wasn't bad at all.  It was warm, so perhaps the water had dried up, or maybe the storms just did not hit this section of the trail.  The first five miles of the tow path out of Harpers Ferry were super - crushed stone and on par with the Pennsylvania portion.  But then a washout had closed the trail!  There had been really bad flooding in 2018 on the Potomac, and they were still trying to repair the damage.  Lots of cyclists were wading through, but I took advantage of a shuttle that the communities had provided, and bypassed the washout.  This also cut seven miles from my ride.  After that, the towpath reverted to the packed dirt surface, but again, very few muddy spots.

Toward the end of the ride, I reached White's Ferry a short ferry ride across the river for cars, pedestrians, and bikes...

Then I took some surface roads to Leesburg.  I visited the library to get my bearings for Saturday's ride, and checked in at the Inn (brick building, second story)...

I borrowed a phone again to text Laura, and called Mark and Karen to let them know of my status.

On the shuttle, I met a guy from Brooklyn who is an editor for the NY Times.  He had visited his father for a day, who lives in Pittsburgh, before starting the bike trip with his son.  His father is a retired dentist and a well-known Model Railroader!