Day 31: Rest day: Bike upgrades and Cheesecake
First rest day in San Francisco. I Woke up early and decided to go for a walk to the center of the city… And immediately was hit with hills and the realization that it would be a 1+ hour walk to the center. So much for that rest day. At least I wasn’t on the bike.
Amazing how many driverless cars there are in SF. And they work so well. They are quite aggressive. Or maybe aggressive is the wrong word… “Confident” might be a better word. And I know both of these words are projecting human qualities onto machines but are the best description I can give from watching them drive. Wanted to see if I could get a go in one but apparently you need the USA app store and there is a waiting list to get added as there is so much demand for this driverless taxi service.
Was a few days behind on this journal so I spent a fair bit of time in coffee shops trying to get up to date.
Went to a couple of shops to get some quality of life gear and to update the bike. The charging cable I was using was very poor and didn’t work most of the time and the charger I was using charged my power bank at only 20 watts. So I upgraded both so I can now charge my power bank at near 100 watts. This is great for quick recharge in coffee shops and should save money over the long run as I won’t need as many motel/hotel stops for device recharge purposes.
Other purchases/upgrades include
- Light high vis. Think a punk ass kid stole my last one at a campground
- 2nd headset bottle holder. So now one of them is for snacks and holding sun glasses or other quick access items.
- A top tube frame bag. This is prime real estate on the bike due to easy access while cycling. I’m not sure what I’m promoting to this bag yet.
- Sun Glasses. Lost my last pair.
- Phone mount. It was difficult to find one that would work given how much stuff I have crammed onto my handle bar but I got one. Up until now I have been leaving the phone in a packet or in a front bag if music is playing. This is a big quality of life improvement.
- A tarp. To be used as a ground sheet for the tent and I reckon it will be good to have a backup shelter. Or even the main shelter on clear nights so I am not cooked up in the tent and can see the night sky. Granted, I have no idea how to use a tarp as a shelter but I am sure Google will tell me if I ask nicely.
- Miscellaneous: Tube patch kit as was out of patches, bike mirror, mini compass + thermometer. Rain coat, mini cutting board for cooking, reusable camp food storage bags for when I overcook or for pre cooking lunch.
Walked back to the apartment through some streets that I definitely shouldn’t have been walking through.
In the evening, I met up with the other bike tourers and went for cheesecake in the cheesecake factory. Have never seen such quantity and quality of cheesecakes before.
And am now finally up to date on this journal!
