Chapter 38

I was back at the Coddingtown Mall, or almost. Santa Rosa Ski & Sport was just across Guerneville road from the mall. I found everything I needed there, including a rack that I could mount myself to the spare tire mount on the rear. When they showed me a mount that fit over the spare tire mounting bracket, allowing you to put the spare back on the mount after attaching the ski rack, I was sold.

I bought a nice pair of Radar X-Caliber combo skis and bindings, a Hyperlite life vest and Connelly ski gloves. I bought the vest and gloves that seemed the most comfortable, but the skis I bought based on the salesman's recommendation. They weren't the most expensive pair they had, but they weren't cheap either.

I had a full appreciation for the protection a wetsuit offered, even in a relatively benign climate and favorable conditions, never mind coming ashore at night under fire. The shop didn't have anything in a full suit in stock for anyone my height, so I settled for a combination of a wetsuit jacket and trunks. The jacket was a size larger than I might otherwise wear, but the extra size helped compensate for my slightly wider shoulders and longer torso.

After throwing in some accessories for maintaining the skis, bindings and wetsuit pieces, I'd once again dropped some serious change. I was out of cash as well, but there was a Bank of America branch right next to the Ski & Sport, so I popped over and used their ATM to grab some more cash. I preferred cash for tips and quick, small purchases. The part of me that was Harley now was more comfortable with it too, so I drew out $500, the maximum it would let me take.

While I was in the bank, I saw a floor display - a typical bank display, in its way, showing a family enjoying a fourth of July picnic and stressing that financial security had allowed this idyllic scene. I wasn't worried about financial security, but the picnic scene reminded me that I didn't have an ice chest and that I hadn't seen a barbecue grill anywhere at the house.

More shopping, but not today! I laughed at myself as I drove back home. I stopped at the subway on the corner first and grabbed a foot long. I said no to the meal option, as I had drinks and fresh fruit at home to help wash the sandwich down.

It took me about twenty minutes in the garage to get the ski rack mounted properly and the spare tire back in its place. There were actually two racks, one on each side of the spare, and they were adjustable enough to use with water boards, snowboards and even bicycles, though you had to ditch the spare tire to strap a full-sized bike across the back. I'd managed to eat half my sub while I worked and took the other half to the kitchen and wrapped it in some plastic wrap I found in the pantry and put it in the fridge. Maybe lunch tomorrow, or a late night snack if another session this evening left me feeling like the last one.

I dug out a couple of my PT Shirts and sunglasses from my Okinawa boxes and added them to a small collection that included my new board shorts. I would want to wash the shorts at least once before the ski trip, but I also wanted to make sure they would be comfortable, so I cut the tags off and put them on, along with one of the t shirts. I grabbed the sunglasses and the water shoes and went back downstairs. I tied my regular running shoes together and strung them around my neck. If the water shoes weren't comfortable with socks on for a short run, they wouldn't be comfortable worn wet and without socks. I made a final adjustment to everything and went for a run.