The First and the Last

February 25th  2015

 Here's the proof......Newell at the Bad Ass Coffee rest stop


The first ride for Newell Benedict and the last one ( with me at least) for Dennis.  Newell arrived on Monday to spend a few days on the west coast with Dennis before heading further up north to visit other friends near Sarasota.  As for Dennis this was our last ride together until the summer when I hope to be in NJ for an extended stay.

The ride started out a bit foggy but as usual the fog burned off quickly.  We headed to Naples for a ride around the Port Royale section and to give Newell a finger ( not the middle one) or two.  Dennis ran into a few insurance colleagues at the coffee shop.  What a small world!

Dennis's colleague took this photo.

Some sites I noticed this time at the coffee shop

They certainly have everything at this shop.

One last photo from our ride today.

This is printed on the outside of the cup of every cup of coffee served.
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We had a nice tailwind home and arrived quickly back to the ride start.  I convinced Dennis and Newell to come to the house to see it and to have a snack and a drink before heading home ( to pulled pork I might add)   Dennis voice sounded very happy every time he spoke about that pulled pork that was waiting for Newell and him for lunch so I very much appreciated that they took a detour to my home.

It has been great riding with TSS ( Team Social Security....or at least a part of it!) for this past month and half.  Bob Smith, Dennis Whitney, Bruce Kirschner, Al Porter,and Newell are just a few of the riders from TSS. They have truly made my move and transition from NJ to Florida much easier to handle.  Familiar faces always are a welcome site ......at least for me.

I wish those who are traveling back to NJ a safe journey.   I look forward to riding with you this summer in NJ and later this year or early next year in sunny SW Florida.

Sanibel and the Post Ride BBQ

Monday Februay 23rd

When I woke up this morning the news said there was fog and fog there certainly was.   It didn't stop the PFW SW-FL contingent from driving to the Bike Bistro in Punta Rassa....which means smooth waters....for our ride over the Sanibel causeway into Sanibel and Captiva.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanibel_Causeway

What would I do without wikipedia!

Our plan was to stop at J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge once on Sanibel and on our way to the end of the island to Captiva and for a coffee stop at La De Da Coffee House.

Once over the causeway Sanibel became very busy and we got yelled at to get off the road.  Sanibel was voted one of the top biking destinations although I never feel that way when when I am there.  Angry motorists have spoiled this island for me.  We did, however, get on the paved trails that followed the roadway and we all felt safer.

Our first stop was J.N. Ding Darling Refuge.  Here is a link that tells all about J.N. Ding Darling.

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/jn_ding_darling/

For cyclists there is a $1 charge to ride the 4 mile one-way road through the refuse.  For those who have the senior pass.....the pass is accepted at this park as it is a national refuge area and you will get in for free.  Bob Smith had one but guess where he left it.....in the car!   Haven't we all done that?   Well, Bruce was kind enough to pay for all of us.  Thank you Bruce.

It was an interesting ride although it is all about birds.  We stopped at one overlook and Bruce said....Oh there's a crane.  Nope.  One of the visitors corrected us and said that it was a pelican.   It was a huge pelican but without proper camera equipment my IPhone photo did not capture this big bird so I did not post it.   You just have to come and see him for yourself.  This pelican was definitely well fed and hard to miss....kind of like Larry.  More on Larry later.  This refuge is good place for plenair painters and bird watchers alike.

We headed out of the refuge and back onto the main road out to Captiva.  Again on the paved path for a good part of the way out there we rode five miles into the town of Captiva and riding through Blind Pass which is nothing more than aroadway with an S curve and a beach on the left.  There was no bike path on our side of the road so it felt a little dangerous riding the roadway but we safely arrived in Captiva.

There is a definite difference between Sanibel and Captiva.   Captiva is more upscale, busy but not as much as Sanibel and there is an air of upper class not seen or felt in Sanibel.  The homes of Captiva are beautiful, large and expensive and more secluded.  

We arrived in town and decided to continue on to the end of the island and the beach area and would head to coffee shop on the return.  Captiva Beach is non descript and much like any of the other Florida beaches.  We stayed just minutes and headed back for coffee.   It was getting hot and it would be good to take a break before fighting a headwind on the way home.

Boy....I have to say the coffee shop was overrated.  Not one I would go back to anytime soon.  Here are some photos of the rest stop.

Cheesy shot

Even cheesier!  Just in case you didn't recognize the second face....that's Bruce!

You can get this coffee anywhere.

Our newest guest rider...Matt....who joined us today.  He lives near Everglades City but goes back to Buffalo...could you guess he's from Buffalo?.....so that he can work at Letchworth State Park as a park ranger in upstate NY.  It's called the Grand Canyon of the east.  What a life!  He looks pretty happy to me.

Here is a link to Letchworth

http://nysparks.com/parks/79/details.aspx


While we were at the coffee shop Bob ...Mr. Personality...struck up a conversation with two ladies who were enjoying their morning brew.  They told him of another way back through Sanibel which would be a bit longer but quieter and away from the traffic.   I listened in on the conversation and knew enough about the roads they recommended to give it a try on the way home.

We stopped for some last photos of Captiva

The Boys.  Handsome aren't they?

The PFW SW-FL contingent.  Of course Dennis Whitney and Bob Wood are missing. 


As it turns out it was a great alternate route back right to the causeway.  It was Gulf Shore Drive and took us by some of the residences and hotels.  Of course there was a bike path which made the ride back very enjoyable.

We crossed back over the causeway and got into our cars for the 40 minute ride to my home for the post ride BBQ.   When I arrived back...with Matt following....Don Sprague and his wife Judy were already here and since I wasn't home they explored the town a bit.  They said they were impressed!  We were lucky enough to arrive earlier than the 2 PM BBQ start time so we quickly showered and I also got to walk the girls before the other guests arrived.

My family.  They are pretty spoiled but were apprehensive when all the guests arrived.  The house is usually so quiet I don't think they knew what to make of all the people.



It was great to have everyone here.  Unfortunately Dennis and his wife and Bob Wood and his wife had company and were unable to join us.  I did invite my neighbors who also lived in NJ near Cherry Hill.  They are a big part of my life now and they often invite me for dinner and they help with walking the girls when I go on longer cycling rides.

Here are some photos from the BBQ

Don and Judy

Bob Smith.  Doesn't he look relaxed?   His wife Meg was a big help with the BBQ and was probably in the kitchen cleaning up when I took this photo.

Bruce and Diane

Matt....our grill master

Angela and John...my neighbors from NJ.  Meg, Bob's wife is finally enjoying the BBQ.

And finally.......

Larry the Pelican.   He is my newest patio friend who I picked up at a yard sale!  He watched everyone enjoying themselves.  I say good morning to him every morning.  I consider him part of the family too.


A nice time was had by all and the BBQ finally broke up around 5:30.   It was a nice way to end the day of cycling....with food and temperatures in the mid 80's.  Thank you all for attending, bringing food, smiles and lots of laughter.  I will truly miss the non resident NJ folks when they all head back home.

The Ever Popular Naples Ride for Wednesday

Wednesday Feb 25th

By request, the Wednesday 2/25 ride will head to Naples with a coffee stop at Bad Ass Coffee Shop.  For some of the NJ people here it will be their last ride before heading back to NJ.  Ride will meet at Naples Cyclery at 8:30 AM.

Monday 2/23 Sanibel Ride with BBQ to Follow

We will meet at the Bike Bistro located at 20351 Summerlin Rd. #114 in Fort Myers, FL  33908 for an 8:30 AM start time.  Look for a Publix Supermarket on your left.  The bike shop is in that shopping center and across from the outlets.

The ride is a loop ride of 22 miles out and back.  We will cross over the Sanibel Causeway which is a series of bridges that span about 3 miles and explore Sanibel and Captiva.  The rest stop is La De Da Coffee Shop in Captiva and our turn around point.

Following the ride I will host a post ride picnic at my home.  If you are planning on bringing a food item please let me know so I can plan accordingly.  Please contact me offline for my home address and directions if you plan on attending.

Chokoloskee and Everglades City

Thursday February 19th

When I woke it I knew it was going to be a chilly ride.  Temps were in the 40's so I dressed in winter gear and headed out to Chokoloskee to meet Bob Smith and one other person who I met a while ago at a solo ride rest stop.

It was an hour ride for me heading across part of Alligator Alley as it is nicknamed ( the section of Interstate 75 between the west coast and east coast)   As I turned off of the interstate I drove down a rural highway that had panther crossing signs on at least seven miles of that roadway.  I was definitely in the middle of nowhere and it was a bit unsettling.  It was Bob's idea to ride out here and all I could think of is where is he taking me!   After all I was in the Everglades and the alligators could eat me and I would never be found.

I arrived at the Big Cypress Visitor Center and there were two smiling faces.....Bob and his wife Meg.  Whew.  Relief.... familiar faces!  Meg knew I wanted to see manatees so she was excited to tell me that there were manatees swimming around the back of the Visitor Center.  Here is what we saw.  These photos are compliments of Bob on an earlier trip as I was not able to get good photos with my IPhone camera.

Here is a photo from the placard in front of the Visitor Center

  Here is a link for more information on the Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center

http://www.nps.gov/bicy/planyourvisit/big-cypress-swamp-welcome-center.htm



Bob, Matt and I headed to Everglades City.  I had no idea what to expect except that I still felt in the middle of nowhere.  However in three miles the area started to become populated. 

We stopped for one photo op as we entered the town.

Sooooo Florida.  What a bunch of hams!

Everglades City is an interesting town.  It's primarily a fishing town with airboat rides. 

You have to look closely to see the airboat in the back near the trees.

We stopped at the museum in town and Meg happened to be there.  Here is more information on the museum.

http://www.evergladesmuseum.org/

We continued onward towards Cokoloskee partly on the road and partly on the sidewalk.  There was not a lot of traffic so both were good for road cycling.  We had a tailwind and knew that it would be a tough ride back.   The wind was suppose to pick up as the day progressed.

This was the best link for information on the town.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chokoloskee,_Florida

Here is one the sites in Chokoloskee

Located in Chokoloskee is the National Park Visitor Center

This is the ranger station.  Not sure who those people are although they were happy to be in the photo!

We started to head back and saw a cafe that served coffee from Havana.   Ah.....cuban coffee....cafe con leche.  We had just got back on the bikes to head home so we decided to wait until we got back to Everglades City to stop for coffee.   Matt lives not too far from this town and had visited a coffee shop in town where he said the coffee was good so I was satisfied to stop there.   Me and my coffee.

However, first we had to deal with the wind.  Laura (OLPH) .....you were definitely on this ride in spirit and made us work for the ride back.  The winds were gusting up to 30 mph and several times Bob and myself almost got knocked off our bikes. 

Finally ......the rest stop.....and coffee

Sweet Mayberry;s Cafe and it's owner grinding the beans for Cafe Americano.  She was very pleasant and originally from Spain although the coffee beans were Italian expresso roast.   That's Matt who joined us on the ride today.

Matt knew the area and wanted to show us some of the seafood restaurants.  This was one of the sites on the patio at one of the restaurants.

 The wind back to the visitor center was horrific.  I was glad to get back to the start.   I gave Bob a ride back to San Marco Blvd so that he didn't have fight the wind back to Marco Island.

Another great ride!  Thanks to Bob for planning this ride. 

Thursday 2/19 Ride to Chokoloskee

The ride to Chokoloskee will start at 9 AM at the Big Cypress Visitor Center outside of Everglades City.  We are starting later due to the colder temps ( ya right.....it will be 40'ish) and the longer drive ( for me) to the ride start.

I will continue to monitor the temperatures at start time and may move the ride to a later time if the temperatures are below 40 degrees.  Check back on Wednesday afternoon for any changes.

Bad Ass Coffee Ride---The Second Time Around

February 16, 2015

The temperature was about 60 degrees at ride start time of 8:30 AM while the NJ group was sitting inside dodging zero degree weather and trying to stay warm.   Yet another reason to come visit!

We decided to ride to Naples to Bad Ass Coffee since we enjoyed the first visit so much.  We rode the normal route except that I gave the guys ( Dennis and Bob Smith)  the Finger(s).   Laura knows it as the Love Sign.  Not really.  So what is a Finger in Naples?  It's the one of the streets of the Port Royale with the large houses.  There are five major fingers in the Port Royale section and we did three of them.  

Here is one unusual house on the third finger....Galleon Drive

The house is turquoise with purple shutters!   In a neighborhood of million dollars home was pretty weird.  I don't think the neighbors are happy about this house.

From there we headed to the coffee shop and finally....a rest.

Here are some photos taken inside and outside the coffee shop

This sign was in the bathroom.  Pretty awesome that they do this!

That's the way I felt when I woke up this morning at 5:30 AM.

Look closely.  The back of a T-shirt that the shop sells.  Very cute.  I wanted to buy one but after looking in the bins Dennis and I couldn't find another one.   I have to go back to the shop and get one for sure.

Thank you Dennis for buying my coffee today.....at a cost of $3.50 for a small....it's pure Kona coffee.
In fact Dennis ( and Al Porter when he accompanied us on the ride) have bought my coffee every single ride.
Thanks for feeding my coffee habit!!!

Monday 2/16 Ride from Naples Cyclery

Monday ride will start at 8:30 AM from Naples Cyclery.  It will warm up quickly so it will be a nice day for a ride to Bad Ass Coffee in Naples.  We can add extra miles by accompanying Bob Wood back home at the end of the ride.

Isles of Capri and Marco Island Ride

Friday 2/13

The Thursday ride was moved to Friday due to my dog Tracey's dental surgery. 16 teeth were removed so I didn't want to venture far from home the day after surgery just in case she had a problem.

 The weather was good and we decided to meet at Rookery Bay along Collier Blvd going into Marco Island at 8:30 AM.  Here is a link for information about Rookery Bay

https://rookerybay.org/about-us.html

I plan to go back and tour this estuarine research reserve some time in the near future.  It looks very interesting and I am sure that you can spend several hours there as it covers many acres.

Dennis and Bruce rode 11 miles from their condo's on Marco Island to Rookery Bay to meet Al and I for the 8:30 AM start.  It was a cool morning but still warmer than the northeast! 

We headed out of Rookery Bay on to Collier Boulevard towards Marco Island.  We made a right turn onto Shell Pt Road which took us through a section of Rookery Bay and out to the boat launch area.  There was a guide there getting kayaks ready for a tour.  Bruce knew the guide from a previous kayak trip in that same area.  What are the odds that would happen?

Since the road dead ended into the bay we turned the bikes around and headed back out to Collier Boulevard.  I asked Bob Smith about Isles of Capri and if it was worth a detour and he said yes....that I had to see it at least once.

I had heard of Isles of Capri because of this story.

http://www.inquisitr.com/1676853/15-foot-burmese-python-found-near-florida-restaurant-in-island-of-capri/

Yes besides alligators there are panthers, bears and pythons.  After all .....this is the Everglades.

There was one road out and back at the Isles of Capri and we cycled through the town.  

Here is one of the houses we saw.

All of the streets were named after marine life or something related to beaches.  Surprised?

We cycled back to Collier Boulevard and headed to Marco Island.   We had to cycle over this to get on the island.



Now that's a Florida hill!!!

Al had not been to Marco Island so we cycled to the marina where the Key West Express leaves from and then cycled back to the main area and continued riding around the island.   We ended up at Bob's house for our rest stop.   Coffee, honeybells ( a type of orange available during a limited season in FL) and smiles were served.  I needed the rest stop as we were already at mile 32.   Tom Hammell knows how cranky I can get when I don't get a rest stop at or before mile 25 of any ride!

After such a nice rest stop, the bad news was that Al and I had to cycle back to Rookery Bay on our own.  It was now near noon and traffic gets very heavy on Collier Boulevard at that time of day.   It was a white knuckle ride over the Marco Island Bridge and back to the ride start.   Note to self......start the ride on Marco Island next time!!!

 Thanks to Bob for being the tour guide around Marco Island.

Thursday 2/12 Ride Moved to Friday 2/13

Due to some unforeseen circumstances the Thursday ride on 2/12 will be moved to Friday 2/13.  We are meeting at Rookery Bay at 300 Tower Road, Naples. Parking lot is accessible before learning center opens so we will meet there.   Ride start time is 8:30 AM.  We will ride to Marco Island and explore what Marco has to offer.   Ride is approximately 30 miles.

The ride is definitely a go!

The Ave Maria Ride

February 9, 2015

The group agreed to a ride to Ave Maria, FL.   Now this town is not like any other town in FL.  It is in the middle of nowhere. No sandy beaches, no traffic jams from snowbirds, visiting for the winter, no nightlife to speak of ......just a few people investing their lives in this remote area of FL....and a Publix supermarket which is subsidized by the developers.  Here is a link to the history of the town.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria,_Florida


We started from North Naples and headed out to Ave Maria via directions I had from a previous charity ride that I had done to this area in late November.  Al Lowich, Dennis Whitney, Bob Smith and yours truly attended this ride.  We had an earlier discussion in the morning about whether the ride was a go due to predictions of rain.  Of course there were several weather people opinions of when the rain was going to start so I went with the most optimistic prediction that the rain would not start until the afternoon which gave us plenty of time to get there and back. Thank goodness we had a headwind on the way out which meant that most likely the wind direction would not change and we would have a nice tailwind coming home.  That turned out to be true!

The roads got less busy as we headed down Immokalee Road and out towards a right turn onto Oil Well Rd.  Not much to tell about the ride out there as there was not much to see except a few schools and some houses until there was nothing more to see.   Ave Maria was still about ten miles away but the bike lane was wide and with little traffic the ride was pleasant.

Finally we arrived at the entrance to the town.

There was a U-pick farm right beyond the entrance on the way into town.

We were still about 3 miles out from the center of town after the initial sign.  There were housing developments, a commerce center which consisted of one gas station and a car wash ( and even these businesses are new) with four or five empty storefronts.

Arriving into town we saw this.

This is called the Ave Maria Oratory but really is a cathedral.   Al, Bob and I went back to see it while we stopped at the rest stop.   Very different inside with a lot of steel.   It's something you either dislike or really like.  Nothing in between on this architecture.


And this.....

The only street in the main part of town.  The buildings run along a circular roadway all the way around the Oratory.

 Even though it was 10:30 AM there was not much in town open.  We stopped at the Smoothie shop which served coffee and snacks.....and ice cold water in a container near the fountain drinks.   Great place to refill a water bottle for sure.  As we were stopped we felt rain drops but quickly dismissed it as water from the building that was being power washed and dripping from the roof.   As we were enjoying our much needed rest stop ( due to the headwind) it started to shower.....this time for sure.  Rut row.  Now we are in a bit of trouble.  We were almost 20 miles back from the start and facing a wet ride home.  Dennis checked the weather on his phone and confirmed that we needed to get back to the start as quickly as possible.  It wasn't going to be pretty at all!

One last photo of the town and we were on our way.   This one is the main administrative building of the university.

We headed back to the main road.  Wait....we are missing Bob Dennis yelled to me.  Turns out Bob was still putting on sunscreen and we accidentally left him at the Smoothie shop.  Dennis and Al went back for Bob and quickly found him so that we could get on our way.  I took this photo while waiting for them to meet me where they told me to wait.  You can see part of the college buildings behind the sign.

On the road again, the showers were light and even had stopped for a while.   Whew.....did we just dodge a bullet? Nope.

We headed back on Oil Well and we hadn't even made it back to the shortcut home when the showers became more steady.  Ugh.....    Wet bikes, wet shoes, wet us!!!  It didn't let up until the last 5 or so miles from the start of the ride. 

Next time I will not be so optimistic.  We were soaked.  I didn't have any dry clothes with me so after I wiped the road dirt off the bike Al and I headed for the nearest store with a bathroom for paper towels to dry off our leg, our feet .....and yes our butts from the rooster tails!

Hopefully the next ride will be drier!!!!