Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2009: 11
Monday, July 20, promised to feature an east wind and the possibility of afternoon rain. Cathy went to a dentist appointment at 8:30 AM. Bill got his gear together for a long kayak paddle. He called Joe Link to ask if Joe was interested, but Joe had just finished an 11 mile run and was worried about his back stiffening up with a long session in the kayak. Bill wrote on his upper leg the times of departure and arrival of the Cape May/Lewes ferries so that he would know when to expect the big boats in the canal. Bill left at 10:30 AM. He had to wait 10 minutes for a late departure of the 11:00 AM ferry. The east wind was brutal as Bill headed down the canal into a very choppy harbor. He tried to hide from the wind along the south shore of the harbor as he worked his way down to the break beach at the base of the inlet. He had a couple of PowerBars and a bottle of ice cold G2 for lunch. The trip back up the harbor and up the canal were aided by a wind-driven current. The astronomically low water in the canal made for a lot of breaking wakes from the bigger boats as they went by. Because Bill was tired, he misread the information on his leg and thought that the next incoming ferry was at 2:35 PM and the next outgoing ferry was at 2:30 PM. These two times make no sense, but Bill's judgment always get fuzzy during an endurance event. At 1:50 PM, Bill decided to charge out of the canal before the ferries could interfere. He was surprised to see an incoming ferry appear near the mouth of the canal just as he was nearing the ferry slips. Bill was moving along rapidly, so he decided to race by the slips before the ferry came in. This was stupid because it meant that Bill would have to paddle between the ferry and the north canal jetty. Bill saw the big breaking wake of the ferry coming toward him, so he had to maneuver toward the ferry. He suddenly realized that a small powerboat, captained by an idiot, was motoring with him in the danger area and it was in his way. Bill yelled repeatedly at the captain that he had to get over to where the powerboat was heading and Bill headed that way. Bill almost missed the breaking wake, but had to crash through a big wave that broke over his head. Both vessels made it out of the canal without capsizing. Bill took a drink break when he got out of the canal and then headed home. It was a very challenging 18 mile paddle with more excitement than Bill asked for. After Bill took a shower, we took our broken screen to Jerry's Screen Shop on Clubhouse Road. Bill enjoyed a cappuccino on the deck. We went to Copper Fish for a good dinner.
Tuesday started gloomy and rainy. Cathy went to the gym. An opening in the weather occurred during mid-morning, so Bill went out for a 5 mile run:
It was a warm and humid run, but Bill felt good and relaxed. When Bill and Cathy both got home, they went out to pick up the repaired screen. After lunch, Bill did some work for Aqua Trails and for Trombino Shore Art. He made a cappuccino and enjoyed it on the deck. We watched some past episodes of "The Daily Show" and "True Blood" during and after dinner, with a break to watch a clean and beautiful sunset.
Wednesday morning, Cathy went to the gym while Bill did 4 crossword puzzles and watched the Tour de France on Versus. We had lunch on the deck. After lunch, Bill went out for a kayak paddle, intending to go to Cape May Point and back. Since the south wind was blowing hard, Bill turned down the canal and changed his intention to going to the base of the Cape May inlet and returning out the canal again. When Bill got to the base of the inlet, he guzzled some G2 and decided to try to paddle out the inlet against the current. Bill fought his way to the ocean and found a confusion of rough water. He surfed out of the inlet and headed west up along the Cape May beachfront. The water was rough with big swells, but the wind had shifted to the east, so Bill's kayak sped along. He paddled without a break until he reached the concrete ship in the Bay. He drank another G2 and headed up the Bay. He arrived home at around 5:30 PM after a strenuous trip:
After a shower and a cappuccino, Bill felt pretty good. During dinner, we watched the highlights of the Tour de France. We sat on the deck and watched the sunset and then viewed the President's new conference. Bill headed to bed early.
Thursday had threatening weather all day long. The majority of the storms were offshore in the ocean. There were also storms on the DelMarVa peninsula, around Baltimore and Washington, and around Philadelphia. Cathy went to the gym. Bill saw on the radar that only light rain might fall for a while, so he headed out for a 10 mile run. He decided that it would be more interesting if he ran via the canal to the West Cape May bridge and then retraced his steps:
He felt pretty good during the run, but he did feel it. The very light rain was a boon. Bill managed to do 3 crossword puzzles and watch the Tour de France as the day went on. Our friends Jim and Linda came over during the late afternoon/early evening. Later, we viewed "True Blood" and a couple of episodes of "The Daily Show" during and after dinner.
Friday was a good summer day. Bill did some crossword puzzles and watched part of the Tour de France. Cathy went to the gym. After lunch, Bill went over to Jim Sosna's house to help with some lifting chores. Later, Bill and Cathy went down to their beach and sat in the sun and slight breeze. We went to dinner at Lucky Bones. After dinner, some rain fell at our house.
Saturday morning, Cathy went to the gym while Bill went out for a kayak paddle to the canal. We watched the very interesting penultimate stage of the Tour de France. We left at 3:30 PM to drive to Alex and Phil's house. We attended Phil's 40th birthday party at the McKenzie Brew Pub in Chadd's Ford. The party room downstairs was perfect for the occasion and the dinner buffet was excellent. Bill walked across Route 202 to Starbucks for a cappuccino as the event started. We left in the rain at about 10:00 PM. Alex and Phil and friends Pete and Amy, who were also staying overnight, returned later in the night.
Sunday morning, Bill rolled out of bed a bit before 6:00 AM and dressed for his trail run. He arrived at Starbucks at exactly 6:30 AM as the store was opening. Bill had a cappuccino and oatmeal and read the NY Times during breakfast. He arrived at Marsh Creek State Park for the Raptor Run at around 7:30 AM. There were many participants and other park users already on hand as Bill parked the XTerra along the lake. There had been rain the night before and there was some light rain coming down as Bill arrived, so he didn't know whether to wear running shoes or hiking boots. He talked with a guy who has run the race several times who advised running shoes. Bill put on his brand new, never worn, running shoes and walked to the registration area for his bib number and t-shirt. The trail for the race reminded Bill of portions of the Appalachian Trail: hills, roots, rocks, and mud. Bill started in the rear of the pack and regretted it as he had to walk for quite a while at the beginning of the race as the masses squeezed themselves onto the trail and went slowly through some muddy sections. Once Bill got going, he was amazed that he could actually run on the kind of trail that he's been hiking on for years. Bill ingested one more gel pack, provided by son-in-law Tom, after the first 5 mile loop of the run. He had taken his first gel pack before the race started. Bill finished in 1:49 for the 10 miles and enjoyed the whole experience. The new shoes functioned beautifully and got very muddy. Bill returned to Alex and Phil's at 12:30 PM and ate lunch with the rest of the group. Bill and Cathy went shopping at Coldwater Creek after lunch and also picked up a dozen ears of corn for dinner at the Produce Shack. We had an early dinner and then went to Erin's soccer scrimmage at Garnett Valley High School. We left at about 7:45 PM to drive back home, where we arrived at about 9:30 PM. We put on the A/C because of predicted rain overnight.
Bill and Cathy
