I took my doting friends, Alex and John, kayaking. It was the first time for them (and their dog Panda). They didn’t quite make it down to see the giraffes, but I’m glad they were adventurous enough to join me this time. I’m grateful dear friend Lisa Gutierrez-Wilson encouraged me to get out and take a break from all the paperwork and daunting tasks ahead as I rebuild. It was a welcome break and Snoopy was a trooper.
I loved how easy it was to access the fabulous Benicia State Park from my house on the paths with the bike just down the hill from our house. I also had no idea that hand gliding was done in this area, although I’ve seen it many times in northern Vallejo where the larger hills are. I didn’t actually see any launch into the air this time, but the hand gliders were erect as they were training in the wind.
Just in time this morning my new MIPS-approved bike helmet arrived. I sent back the purple one because it was not MIPS-certified. I got good advice to make sure I protected my head the best way, although honestly, I can’t tell the difference in design at all.
Today’s ride definitely gave me a whole new perspective on riding in perilous off-road dirt paths. I was so glad to have a fat tire bike and an electric one at that. I love that I can pedal when I want, and I can use pedal assist, without feeling I’d be stuck if I got very tired. I wasn’t sure if my knee, on which I had surgery a number of years ago, would love this kind of action, but it survives the whaleboat rowing which is very much about the legs. The e-bike’s power going up hills on less than perfectly paved roads and the adventures that I can achieve still astound me. It would have taken me days to hike all the places I went in just over an hour. I am also seeing spots up close that I often admired in the hills while rowing the past few years. I’m so lucky.
In one still shot you can see Mount Diablo in the background while I’m at the apex of this hill with the electric tower that connects to the East Bay through high wires over the huge freight ships that go to Benicia’s ports.
GoPro Cam Perspective (Meticulously edited):
Party with Solano Rowing Club here in Glen Cove, Vallejo with a bunch of our plus ones yesterday. We had the debut of an amazing video (below) that incorporated a bunch of our pictures over the past year.
Yes, it was hard to get up for a 7:50 am row after staying up past midnight. To boot my scooter didn’t fully charge because I plugged it into a deactivated power strip, so I barely made it downhill (gravity helped). The weather and the water conditions were optimal. We even saw a seal pop up to breathe a few times.
Santa! Surely I wasn’t THAT good this year! Even though I loved the electrical seated scooter you got me, and will continue to use it for lots of practical trips, I really love my new fat-tire e-bike with 1500W for the hilly area we live in. I took it out for its maiden voyage today. I’m still getting acclimated to the power and features. It’s a lot more maintenance than the scooter, but I can literally take this one dozens of miles at a time if I want and surmount any hill that a car can. The views from the hilltops in this area are amazing!
I tried out this carry case with a few of the dogs, but neither of them seemed that comfortable, so I’m going in another direction and returning the item. I believe it was for a more petite dog and I can’t see going around like that for an extended period. It would also be unwieldy to be by myself at the park to remove the dog to let him run around, but not to be able to unsnap the device without being Houdini.
I’m still exploring the options of a hitch to the scooter, but that will more likely happen with the e-bike that I have ordered since it has a lot more power than the scooter ever will, especially on inclines.
In the meantime, I noticed that even in the one short trip I took with Polar, he was inspired to jump on the foot portion of the scooter REPEATEDLY, as if saying, “Don’t forget to take me along for the ride.” I might experiment with that by putting him on a leash, not forcing him to run next to me, but also keeping me between my feet while using the scooter. The advertisement for the scooter actually had a dog on that foot platform, although it didn’t indicate whether the scooter was in motion.
Take electric scooter to marina to avoid driving car? CHECK!
This was one of my ideas for a clean energy trip back and forth to the Glen Cove Marina. I had to use a little foot power to help myself on the inclines since the scooter slowed down to almost nothing, but I didn’t need to drive my SUV to go to the marina. Plus I got to store the scooter safely on the dock while we went out on the rowboat!
It was a pretty cold morning, but we’ve had worse! Had to catch this mega-ship behind us as we rowed.
Shando and I had a wonderful xmas gathering yesterday at my sister’s house in Granite Bay. My nephew is only 16 and towers over all of us. My brother, sister and I are there with their kids, Brooke and Nicholas, and my brother-in-law, Ken. It looks like everyone got the memo to wear grey, but my niece is actually wearing maroon (you just can’t see it in this photo).
We brought the foldable electric scooter which Shando finally agreed to try on the flat street in my sister’s neighborhood. I think he was afraid to say how much he loved it, but he is always worried about breaking a bone, since he’s proud that he has never had to wear a cast in his life.
We brought two of our senior dogs, Polar and Capulet. My sister’s brown-spotted dog Ricki was reticent about the company, but she and Polar fell in love and played a ton, which was nice to see. My brother brought Mocha, the little chihuahua mix, who was more aloof. I listened carefully to the video to make sure we protected those we were gossiping about. They are not identifiable from this video. 🙂
Gifts for my niece and nephew (from “Guncles”):
