Oh, To Be Penniless

Spending two nights in Santa Cruz wasn’t part of my original (yet non-existent) plan but when Rita offered to host for a second night it sounded like a good idea. It was actually a VERY good idea.

Before turning in last night, Rita mentioned that she would be leaving early this morning but that I should make myself at home. When I woke up this morning I ended up doing very much the opposite. With eggs in the fridge and a frying pan on the stove, I found myself cooking. Me. Cooking. Breakfast! That’s about as far from “myself at home” as you can get. That said, the result was an egg sandwich. A very tasty egg sandwich.

With my stomach filled with something other than bagels and peanut butter, I was ready to take on the day. There were several things I hoped to accomplish on this extra day of rest, not the least of which was getting caught up on my updates. That ended up being the focus of much of the morning – it was a good thing I got up early!

With a few new updates posted, I decided to shut off my computer and get outside. It was a beautifully sunny day in Santa Cruz and I really didn’t want to spend it staring at a computer screen. Instead, I headed out to run some errands with my main priority being groceries. My supply was running low and, beyond tomorrow, I don’t expect there to be much in the way of services for the next few days.

Despite the grocery plan, the first stop of the day was for food but not groceries. The pizza I had yesterday at Pleasant Pizza was so good I decided it deserved another visit. It didn’t disappoint. Their Hawaiian pizza is as good as their Meat Lovers.

From there I had a few successful grocery stops – first at Trader Joe’s (reasonably priced CLIF Bars), then Grocery Outlet (reasonably priced trail mix), then Safeway (reasonably priced mini dessert pies). Despite the pies being 3 for $2, the total came to $2.01. Have I mentioned my dislike of pennies? I won’t lie, I was more than a little happy when Canada decided to do away with the penny. Sure, it means there are fewer lucky pennies to be found on the street (well, only the heads-up ones are lucky) but that’s a price I’m willing to pay. Side note: No, I’m not really that superstitious – it’s bad luck to say so! Anyway, back to my penny rant. I really don’t like pennies. Okay, rant over. I left Safeway with my tasty and high caloric pies and $0.99 in change. At least it wasn’t all pennies.

With groceries taken care of, I returned to the coast in the hopes of another whale show. There wasn’t one. In lieu of that, I cycled out onto the wharf for some new scenic views which included the boardwalk, the ocean, and some very talkative seals. It’s hard to tell what the seals were talking about but it sounded pretty important. In reality, they were probably talking about the weather.

The afternoon was pressing on so I returned to Rita’s, determined to get my blog up to date. It took a few more hours but it ended up being a successful endeavour. I was also able to do a load of laundry and get my bags packed up again.

The evening wrapped up with Rita and I chatting about various things including routing options, where to stay, and even a lesson in poison oak. Apparently I’m heading into a prime area for it.

With my laundry done, route somewhat planned, grocery supply reasonably replenished, and blog caught up, I can go to bed knowing I’m fully prepared to hit the road again tomorrow morning. Well, maybe not FULLY prepared but certainly prepared enough. And that level of preparedness has gotten me this far. And with that, I say, “Goodnight.” (unless you’re reading this in the morning in which case I say, “Good morning”).

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 21.53 km
Ride time: 1:28:50
Average speed: 14.54 km/h
Maximum speed: 35.97 km/h