Saturday began with a full wash of the Volvo. The rooftop tent adds another layer of complexity because it’s very difficult to reach the center of the roof beneath it.

I started with a simple wash using soap from Ammo NYC (Ammo NYC Official Website – Foam Paint Cleanser), as well as the two bucket method. The two bucket is a simple process where you have a bucket for holding the soapy water, as well as a second bucket for washing off the mitt. It’s not perfect, but it’s intended to keep you from washing your car with excessively dirty water (and creating swirls in the process).

This provided a clean slate for the rest of the process. Once the car was dried, I realized a clay bar was necessary. There was just too much contamination for me to jump straight to waxing it.

So, a trip to AutoZone was in order. I initially went to grab the keys to the Jetta, but, with a beautiful day outside, I opted to make the trip by bike instead.

As I pulled into the AutoZone parking lot, I wondered how many people ever do this and take a bicycle to get their auto parts? After all, the Jetta didn’t need a “cold” start, and my freshly washed paint on the Volvo didn’t have to get dirty again on the way there.

$80 later (I can’t believe how expensive car wash supplies are now), I headed home, making a quick stop at the grocery store along the way. The 5.64-mile trip only took 22 minutes according to my Garmin.

Once home, I spent most of the day meticulously cleaning the rest of the vehicle. The paint was clay barred, then waxed by hand with Griot’s Best in Show auto wax. I also used Griot’s Satin Tire Shine (Official Website – Griot’s Garage Black Satin Tire Coating), as well as 303 Aerospace Protectant on all the Cross Country’s black exterior plastic.

The interior was fully cleaned and vacuumed. Then, the leather was treated with Volvo’s leather cleaner. I was astonished at how much better it looked with one day’s work.

Sunday Morning Group Ride

Sunday began with loading up the Canyon onto the back of the Volvo before sunrise. I’ve started to ride on Sunday mornings with a local group of bicyclists. The majority of the group is at least 10 years older than me. I enjoy their pace and their responsible behavior as a group. I’ve tried riding with other younger groups in the past. However, I was worried that one of them would land me in a hospital.

This group I’ve found looks out for each other and also follows the rules of the road. It’s a great social ride.

Our ride for this day was just over 27 miles, and my own average speed was 17.5 mph.

Taking Light Rail to Chacónne Pâtisserie

Arriving home at 9:00 AM, I realized we still had the full day ahead of us. My wife and I both thought coffee and a baked good sounded good. So, we decided to take another Valley Metro trip to downtown Phoenix.

After parking the Jetta at our typical McClintock Park and Ride, we took the Valley Metro A line to the Phoenix Convention Center.

Our destination? The recently opened downtown location of Peixoto Coffee. The best part about this location is that it’s a collaborative venture between Peixoto and Chacónne Pâtisserie (Phoenix Magazine – “Exclusive: Peixoto Coffee and Chacónne Pâtisserie Announce Joint Phoenix Shop”).

Good patisseries are hard to find in Phoenix. Most bakeries in Phoenix specialize in cakes or large cookies. Neither are really my vibe. I prefer things like croissants.

Chacónne’s cardamom bun was well worth the trip. I’d never tried one before and it was absolutely delicious.

Also, while I was obsessed with coffee for years, I’ve recently become a tea convert. The daily cost of quality coffee has become unreasonable for me, so I’ve been learning more about tea. I could have enjoyed a cappuccino on this occasion, but I opted for a matcha latte instead. I was not disappointed.

Ending the Weekend

Satisfied with our treat, we walked around downtown Phoenix on the way back to light rail. For movie fans, we walked past the Westward Ho, which some might recognize from the opening scenes of the movie Psycho. Additionally, as we waited for our Siemens-built train, we stood outside the historic Luhrs Building (Wikipedia – Luhrs Building).

Our quiet return trip aboard light rail passed landmarks like the Chase Field, Arizona State University, Sky Harbor International Airport, S’edav Va’aki Museum (Visit Phoenix Website – S’edav Va’aki Museum) and Tempe Town Lake. We appreciated the quiet and uneventful ride.

While I’ll always enjoy the original Kinkisharyo light rail vehicles, the new Siemens vehicles are significantly quieter. They are also more utilitarian inside, which is probably a good thing for public transit.

A few hours after arriving home, I concluded the weekend with a trip to the grocery store on the eBike. Despite having two cars in the garage, both were left home for the short trip.