Day 182
Biking
Having been at this location since the first of the year, it is starting to feel like we have been here forever, and we still have a few more days to go. Clark has ordered replacement parts for the gas stove, and we have to hang out here until they are delivered. He decided we needed a new propane tank because he got rejected when he tried to fill the old one as it was past its safe-fill date.
Clark says we also need a new regulator since we seem to be having issues with gas leaking out unless we shut the valve off which is most inconvenient when it comes time to cook. The propane tank is on the fly bridge, inside the full enclosure, under the port-side bench seat. On days like today when it is raining at dinner time, it is a real nuisance to have to go up there and turn on the gas and then turn it off again after the meal is ready.
The island is pretty small, and we have no car at this stop. There is only so far a person can walk or bike ride. We have seen most of what the island has to offer at least twice including the laundromat which was today's outing. Last time we went there, we used the Monkey Bus because we had no idea where to find the laundromat. I noted the address when we were there, so today when I decided I needed to do a load of towels, I knew where I needed to go.
I looked up the laundromat address on Google Maps and found that it was just about exactly three miles away. Three miles on flat roads is a pretty easy bike ride, but I cannot say I was too enthused doing it carrying a load of dirty laundry. Nevertheless, I packed up the backpack stuffed to the gills with all our towels. The damp weather has not been conducive to the towels drying, so I had an assortment of damp and outright wet towels in the backpack.
I considered calling on Uber for a ride, but I wanted to make more than one stop, so I decided it would be more convenient to provide my own transport. Clark wanted to go for a kayak ride today. I wanted to do some sewing. Instead we both visited the laundromat. I was very happy that he agreed to go with me as I feel safer roaming around the streets with him, and he carried the backpack - a big win for me! The ride to the laundromat took us 20 minutes, so I guess that means we averaged 9 mph.
I poured my liquid detergent in a top-load washer and added my towels. Before I put any money in the machine a women said, "Excuse me, but have you used those washers before?" I said, "Yes, last time I was here, why?" She told me that the tubs only fill halfway so unless you do a small load, it won't rinse properly. Great! I only brought enough detergent for one load, and it was already in the washer. Another patron of the laundromat confirmed the poor quality of the top loaders. What was I to do??
I yanked the towels back out of the washer, put them in one of those tall carts on wheels laundromats have, and pushed it around to a front-load which the woman said worked much better. I managed to squeeze enough Wisk out of my basically empty jug to feel like I was washing my towels with detergent instead of just water, shoved my $4.00 worth of quarters in the slot one at a time, and pushed start.
While the laundry was washing, I returned a call to my son Jeff who had just phoned when we were mounting our bikes at the boat. We chatted about his skiing and our travel plans until it was time to throw the laundry in the dryer. At which point we said our farewells.
While the dryer was going, Clark and I had a side trip to make. I needed something from Walgreen's which is just a bit more than a mile beyond the laundromat. We calculated that we had half an hour to ride there, buy the items, and ride back before the dry cycle ended. Neither of us felt comfortable leaving the towels in the dryer without us there for too long, so we hit the road as soon as we could after plugging in the necessary quarters. At 5 minutes per 25 cents it can get expensive, but the dryers seem to do a decent job of drying without costing a small fortune.
We completed our shopping and made it back to the laundromat with 2 minutes to go on the dryer! To be sure we were not dilly-dallying getting there or getting back. I yanked my towels out of the dryer into one of the wheeled carts and took them over to a table to fold. I pulled a stack of dish towels out to hand to Clark to fold. When I turned around to hand them to him, I saw the tail end of him going out the door and down the street. Crossing my eyes, I threw the towels back into the cart and started folding as fast as I could.
When we got back to the laundry from Walgreen's, Clark told me that the skies were clouding over, and the "rainy days" app on his phone indicated that rain was imminent. The last thing I wanted when I got back to the boat was wet towels since that was the whole objective in going. I struggled to get the towels to fit in the backpack. I don't understand why the clean towels seemed to take up more space than the dirty ones had, but I was barely able to zip the backpack. I guess they were good and fluffy.
Clark did make a reappearance and helped me with some folding. Five minutes after we got to the laundromat, we were back on our bikes and heading for the boat. I checked my watch for the start time and again when we got to the marina. It took only 17 minutes for the return bike trip, so we had upped our average speed to 10.5 mph.
I have to say that I was overheated, red in the face, and sweating profusely by the time we got back to the boat. Clark, on the other hand, was wearing an extra shirt he put on for the bike ride because he felt a chill in the air. Honestly sometimes I wonder about his body's heating system versus mine! Anyway I pulled the towels out of the backpack but did not feel like dealing with them further than that. Instead, I went and sat on the back of the boat to get a bit of breeze and cool down. As I sat on the steps going up to the fly bridge, I felt first one drop and then another and heard thunder rumbling in the distance.
Not fifteen minutes after we got back to the boat, rain came pouring down and continued for several hours. Whether it was the earlier exercise or the rainy weather, I do not know, but I found myself feeling very weary. I went and laid on my bed with the hatch cover pulled back so I could watch the rain and rest. After a while, Clark came and joined me. We laid there and dosed like that for a while and it was very relaxing.
We found a lull in the rain at some point and ran up to the marina restrooms, which is no easy trick on the slippery docks. When it rains, the docks here become treacherous. Since I was trying to hurry, I skidded. Luckily I did not fall, but after that I had a death grip on Clark's arm as we walked at a very brisk pace up to the "head". Although it was still "dripping" out, we managed to avoid the heavy rain which started again for a finale after we got back to the boat.
Unlike my son and his wife, a Bengals vs. Steelers game is not at the top of Clark's top-viewing list for television tonight. Instead, he turned on music on his mp3 player, and we have been revisiting the 70s as we cooked and ate dinner and now sit here blogging and reading respectively.
Depending on the weather tomorrow, maybe we will get to do his top choice for today -- kayaking and mine -- sewing. Though I do not expect to see him doing any of the sewing! That would be a real shocker!
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