Lost most of food which was all packed in the rear right pannier by inadvertently feeding two black bears at 2:00 am at Grestle Campground, Salt Water Cove State Park. Those bears are very clever. They managed to extract all the food items with their claws without breaking the clasps or putting holes in the pannier. Obviously they had done this heist before. Thank you bears for being so mindful and not coming back for seconds.
($25)
Two pairs of flip-flops were lost or left in what I can best describe as flip-flop mayhem. One flip-flop of the original pair I packed was lost while repairing the rear carrier to jury rig a lost bolt that fell out. The cheap replacement pair did not work because it took too long to dry when wet so I ended up buying a pair of Spenco Kholo flip-flops. When departing Chad's house in Santa Cruz, one new Spenco flip-flop was mixed up with one flip-flop I was replacing. Chad sent the orphan Spenco flip-flop by mail to General Delivery in Pismo Beach. The pair was happily re-united.
($55)
A microfiber towel and well-used but favorite Patagonia short vest were lost on the way to Eureka because I forgot to lash it down after stopping on the road to eat a banana six miles out of town.
($70)
Bike Stuff:
The Trek 520's chain was replaced since it was worn more than 50%.
($30)
One rear LED red flasher mounted on the rear fender fell off after going over a bump on the road. It bounced down into a crevasse and was swallowed by the forest. It was replaced and a foolproof fender mount was fabricated.
($15)
Items almost lost but recovered:
On the ride to Port Orford, a white sedan coming from the opposite direction honked at me. I waved to him. A few minutes later, he passed me in the direction I was heading and pulled over on the shoulder ahead of me. He was waving a yellow vest that looked like mine out the driver's window. Then it clicked ... my mindfulness lapsed for a minute while layering up and I forgot to put on my visibility vest. I just laid it on the back of the bike and it fell on the road after I started riding. The driver was going in the opposite direction at the same time and was trying to get my attention by honking. The driver turned around and stopped to pick up my yellow visibility vest. He brought it back to me ... it was an important safety item. What a good Samaritan!
I stopped in Dana Point to visit the harbor and had a lunch at Joe's Fish Market. The smoked salmon and cole slaw was very good. It was an authentic dive, fresh seafood and good prices. Joe's had picnic tables outside the store where diners could enjoy their meal. After leaving Dana Harbor, two miles out, I glanced in my rear view mirror which is mounted on my helmet to check on approaching traffic. To my surprise, the mirror was missing! It took a few more seconds to realize that I had forgotten to put on my helmet. I had left the helmet on the picnic table at Joe's. OK, what was that salmon smoked with anyway, I pondered, trying to make light of a serious matter. There was nothing else to do but ride back to the fish joint. I returned in less than 10 minutes. The helmet was there sitting on the table all by its lonesome waiting for me to retrieve it.
My 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Note tablet performed well despite rigorous and sometimes rough handling. A stylus is cleverly hidden in a sleeve in the tablet's case ... great design. The case was shiny white and I was asked repeatedly about my 'iPad.' I was very glad to inform my inquisitors that this was not an iPad. With glee, I went on to explain why I did not like iPads (because of iTunes and no SD card slot). When I purchased it, I did not think I would use its stylus functionality ... I bought it for its speed (quad processor, 2 Gig of RAM). But in practice I found the stylus very useful and use it, instead of my finger. Unfortunately, the stylus tried to escape from me several times -- once hiding under the bed sheets, and one time hiding on a restaurant table. In the first instance, I went back to the motel to retrieve it. In the second case, an observant waitress brought it out as I was about to ride away.
Take-away lessons:
- Always store food items in the provided bear/raccoon lockers at the campground. Do not pitch the tent next to the locker.
- Be mindful after stopping on the road and taking items out of panniers. Rick in Eureka made a small reminder sign on yellow paper for me to put in my map holder on the handlebar bag so I would remember to secure items on the bike after stopping on the road.
- Be mindful when re-packing after an overnight stay.