Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2010: 12

   Monday, October 4 was another rainy, chilly day. Bill was quite sore from Sunday's duathlon. Cathy went to her classes at the Y. Bill cleaned and organized gear. He found a cable end that had been rubbing the back wheel of the Comet, causing other riders to point out that something was rubbing. Everyone thought it was a brake pad. Bill wanted to clean some old coffee stains from the coffee pot that we had used on Sunday morning. He went to Home Depot to try to buy some specialized cleaner, but couldn't find anything. He searched online and found that dishwasher detergent and boiling water are the preferred way to clean coffee stains. Bill used the technique and it worked beautifully. During and after lunch, we viewed several episodes of "24." We had quinoa and a frozen meal for dinner. We viewed the hilarious movie "Kick-Ass."

   Tuesday started out cloudy, chilly, and windy. Cathy went to the Y. Bill lifted weights and spent an hour on the bike trainer. Later, he called Butch at Delaware Camping Center to check about winterizing our RV. Butch said that they do the whole sales lot. After lunch we viewed a couple of episodes of "24." Then we drove to the Wolfe Point parking lot to walk and run on the trail. We walked together for a mile and then Bill tried to run for a while. His legs weren't interested, so he did two short jogs while walking and met Cathy again to walk back to the parking lot. We grilled burgers for dinner and viewed the excellent thriller "Taking Lives."

   Wednesday had a morning temperature in the mid-40s as we awoke. Cathy went to the Y. Bill was taking the day off so that his legs could recover. We viewed the remainder of the 1st season of "24." We decided that we better not start on Season 2 so that we would have time to pack for Florida. We ate dinner at Fish On in the Village of Five Points. After dinner, we viewed "Perfect Stranger" again. The plot is so twisted that one can watch it over and over.

   Thursday was a beautiful day for a change. It was a bit on the cool side and breezy, but the sky was clear and the sun warm. Bill went out for an early 10 mile bike ride. On the second half of the ride he had some nice splits at or above 20 mph. We drove to the ferry terminal to catch the 9:15 AM ferry to Cape May. We headed directly to Starbucks in Rio Grande for coffee and a light lunch. Then we stopped by Cape Bank for some blank deposit slips. We parked at Cape Radiology, where Cathy got a mammogram. Bill changed shoes and shirts, stripped off his jeans down to his running tights, put on running shorts, and ran a 3 mile loop. His third mile was at 8:21, so he felt as though his legs were coming back after Bassman. Afterward, we drove to Douglass Park, where Bill moved the location of his paddle to make room for another kayak on top of the Gearcar. Then we drove to Joe and Maria Link's house and loaded Joe's kayak on top. We stayed for a while to chat and then drove to Cape May Court House for an appointment with our dermatologist, Dr. Weiss. We had a couple of minor issues. On the way back to the ferry, we stopped at T.J. Max for a wine decanter and a couple of salad bowls. We also stopped for some cheap NJ gas. We arrived back home just as the sun was going down at 6:15 PM. We had left-overs for dinner and viewed the very good film, "Georgia O'Keefe." We were inspired to go to Taos to see her museum.

   Friday was another beautiful day. Cathy took the VW to the Y. Bill got his gear together and drove to the ferry terminal to pick up Joe Link at 9:00 AM. They drove to the boat ramps at the end of Pilottown Road and launched at 9:37 AM. High tide at Roosevelt Inlet was at 9:30 AM, but the flood tide was still going strong. The paddle down the canal toward Dewey Beach was fast and beautiful. The wetlands of Cape Henlopen State Park were splendid as viewed from the water. We saw an eagle, several hawks, a few ospreys, some belted kingfishers, and lots of herons. The current was in our favor the whole route. A pesky NE wind was at our back. It was warm and sunny and a great day to be on the water. When we arrived at Rehoboth Bay, Bill's memories of kayaking there in the past came back to him. He immediately was oriented correctly and we headed in to the beach at Ruddertowne at Dewey. We ate lunch on the outside deck of the Rusty Rudder and took our time with the meal. We headed back up Rehoboth Bay at about 1:00 PM. The wind was in our face the rest of the way back, but it didn't feel too bad. We had to fight the current for about 5 miles until it turned in our favor. The water under the Route 9 bridge was a raging torrent with eddies and upwellings. The roiling water caught Joe's kayak and flipped it. Joe struggled a bit to extricate his foot, but soon appeared above the water. Meanwhile the current was sweeping us along at a rapid pace. Bill grabbed Joe's paddle and Joe flipped his kayak. We looked for a place to get Joe back in and headed for some docks on the west side of the canal past the Lewes bridge. Once under the bridge, the reverse eddy caught us and pinned us to the rocks. Joe pumped out his kayak and got back in. We struggled to get out to the center current and then headed up the canal once more. When we reached the inlet, the current coming down the Broadkill hit us in the face and made the last bit of the trip a power paddle, mercifully short. We landed at about 3:45 PM after a 21.5 mile trip. We put the kayaks up on the Gearcar and drove to the ferry terminal. We thought that the next ferry was at 6:15 PM, but Bill spotted a ferry coming in. We put Joe's kayak on wheels and rolled it to the ferry ramp and went inside the terminal to check on the time of the next ferry. They had added an extra ferry at 5:15 PM, so Joe was in luck. Bill got back in the Gearcar and called Cathy to relay to Maria Link that Joe was on the 5:15 ferry. Bill was home by 4:30 PM, when he rinsed the kayak and car and stowed gear. After a shower, Bill drove to Food Lion to pick up some G2 and a yellow onion. Dinner was quinoa and left-over pizza. We viewed "Clash of the Titans", a B movie with a mythological theme. Bill was pretty tired and went to bed early (what's new?).

   Saturday continued the streak of good weather. Cathy went to the Y. Bill finished organizing his gear from Friday. Bill tweaked his tri-bike a bit by loosening the clips. He took a very short test ride and was satisfied with the speed at which he could clip-in and clip-out. He also cleaned the chain with ceramic lube. When Cathy returned, Bill attached the bike rack. After lunch, we drove to Cape Henlopen State Park for packet pickup for the Cape Henlopen Triathlon/Duathlon (CHTD) on Sunday. The transition area was all set up and we could see where the run in/out and bike in/out were located. We picked up Bill's packet and asked some questions about parking for the event. When we returned, Bill packed his duathlon bag and got his clothes ready. Joe and Maria Link arrived on their bicycles at about 3:00 PM. They had taken an earlier ferry due to the beautiful weather. Cathy and Maria headed out to the Mill Outlet. Bill and Joe put down the top of the Moonbug and went to Atlantic Liquors for some supplies. When we all reconvened, we chatted on the back porch for a while until Herb Townshend and Carol Montgomery arrived. They were staying at the Comfort Inn in Rehoboth Beach, although we had twice invited them to stay with us. We all enjoyed a great pasta buffet that Cathy organized. Lots of stories, mostly true, were shared during the long dinner. By 9:00 PM, things quieted down and Bill got the coffee ready for the morning and double-checked his gear.

   Sunday, Bill was up at 3:45 AM. Joe was down by 4:30. Bill finalized his preparations for the CHTD, pumped the tires on the Comet, put the bike on the rack, and headed toward the State Park at 5:20 AM. The transition area opened at 5:45 AM, so Bill thought he'd be an early bird. He was surprised to get the last parking spot at the closest lot. He got his stuff organized and rolled his bike to the transition area, illuminated by his headlamp. Getting the chip and body markings went smoothly and Bill was quickly able to get his area setup at the bike rack. His bib number was 65. It was a chilly and somewhat breezy morning, so Bill went back to the Gearcar to put on a sweatshirt and his Dave's Road Bikes (DRB) shirt over his racing jersey. He visited the porta-pottys and found Dave Moses at the DRB mini-rig and tent. Dave invited Bill to bring the Comet over for a pre-race checkup and tune-up, but Bill was happy with the bike as it was. Dave said that he had food and drink available for team members, family, and friends. Bill had his two Clif Bars and went for a warmup run. He stripped off the two outer top layers and walked over to the duathlon start line. Bill was experimenting with the multi-sport feature of his Garmin Forerunner. During the first 1.5 mile run, Bill could tell that his running legs were not fully recovered from the Bassman duathlon the previous Sunday. He felt slow as he ran at a 7:58 min/mi pace. He was surprised that the course went up the steep hill toward the Great Dune. Herb Townshend was way ahead of Bill and long gone from the transition area when Bill arrived to switch to the bike leg. Bill was happy with his quick clip-in and felt very strong in the bike leg. The bike is his favorite part of duathlons and he really enjoys riding aggressively. The bike course was a good one, with a few tough turns and 3 unexpected speed bumps on the campus of UD/Lewes. As Bill was passing the ferry terminal on the way back into the State Park, the guy ahead did a total wipeout on his bike and slid sideways down the road. Bill went around him and headed in. Bill charged into the dismount area at full speed and got unclipped in a hurry. He had passed Herb Townshend along Pilottown Road and knew that Herb might very well be able to catch Bill in the 5K run. Bill wasn't surprised that he felt sluggish in the 5K. He decided to just relax and finish out the event. He saw Herb on a spur with a turn around and Herb didn't seem too far behind. Bill never looked back, but he felt Herb behind him the rest of the way. Bill got a bit stronger on the finishing bit on the grass of the parade field and finished 2 minutes ahead of Herb in a time of 1:26. Bill felt great after the finish. After Herb finished, we all went over to the DRB tent and enjoyed hoagies and drinks. Dave also cleaned and wiped down all of his team's bikes. Dave was happy with the performance of his four Team DRB athletes. The 70-74 age group turned out to be quite competitive, finishing at 1:26, 1:28, and 1:31. After the awards ceremony, we all headed out of the park. Back home, Bill got a quick shower. We loaded Joe and Maria's bikes on the Gearcar and went to Grotto Pizza for lunch. Afterward, we dropped the Links at the ferry terminal. We'll see them next in Florida or around Thanksgiving in Delaware. We stopped at the Fish House for swordfish on the way home. Alex, Phil, and family arrived around 3:00 PM. Bill went to Food Lion to get some tomatoes. We had grilled swordfish for dinner. Later, the Phillies game dominated the evening, although Bill did the Sunday Times puzzle on his computer instead.

   Monday, October 11, we took two cars to Rehoboth Beach and ate outside at Greene Turtle. It was beautiful, and the view of the ocean was spectacular. After lunch, we separated and the Stoops headed home. We got serious about packing and Bill decided to forgo any more kayaking until Naples.

   Tuesday morning, Bill headed out on the bike for a 30 mile ride. He stopped back at the house after 20 miles. On the way out of Henlopen Landing onto Beaver Dam Road, a young guy on a road bike passed Bill and headed up the road. Bill chased him down by the time he turned off at the "Y" after Dairy Farm Road. Bill felt happy about a little racing action during the workout. After lunch, Bill headed out on a long trip to get Citrus Cleaner for his bike. He went to a closed Big Lots in Milford and then bought 6 bottles @ $1.50 per bottle at the Big Lots in Dover. He bought all the stock on the shelf. When Bill returned, we went to the trail where Bill ran for 5K while Cathy walked. On the walk back to Wolfe Neck, Bill measured the 5K leg of our proposed family Turkey Trot. We ate a great dinner at a very empty Big Fish Grill.

   Wednesday was a nice day, so Bill spent most of the day packing the Gearcar for our trip south. We ate lunch with John and Diane Harnett at Greene Turtle in the Village of Five Points. We had quinoa and chicken for dinner.

   Thursday, Bill drove Cathy to the Y for one class. He went to an auto parts store and bought a trailer lights kit for the XTerra. After wrestling with the wiring, he only got the left side working, so had to abandon the project. After picking Cathy up, he went out to a bike shop and bought red lights for the back of the Gearcar. He also mounted our spare license plate on the Showboat roller at the back of the car. We went to Villa Sorrento for an excellent, moderately priced meal.

   Friday, we headed south. The adventure continues in "On the Road 2010."

   Thursday

        Bill and Cathy