Thursday 3/27 ride to Naples

Thursday March 26th

This ride left from Naples Cyclery as usual and as usual Matt was late.  Too funny.  I am getting to expect him to be late for the start of the ride.   He is worth waiting for, though.  I also had a NJ visitor, Marty Killmer,  staying with me and I was able to rent a bike so that he could join the gang. 

The attendees were Marty, Bob Wood, Matt and myself.  I like those stats....3 guys and 1 gal.  I felt very protected.  In fact, Marty and Matt are both retired police officers so they had lots to talk about. 

We stopped at Naples Pier so that Marty could walk the pier and see the Gulf of Mexico.  He and Matt and Bob saw dolphins swimming around the pier.  It piqued my interest so when they got back I hurried down the pier to catch a glimpse of them.  I did see one but he was fast and I was not able to get a photo.  However I did get a photo of this.

It's a pelican.  Lots of them here.

One more photo at the pier.

Familiar faces, aren't they?  Matt on the left, Bob Wood in the center and Marty on the right. 

We rode to the end of Port Royale on Gordon Ave and returned via the fingers of Port Royale so that we could show Marty some of the stunning houses.

We stopped at Bad Ass Coffee.  Always something to see there.

My new car.....a Rolls Royce.   I keep getting it mixed up with a Bentley!

Very nice.


We ended with 32 miles and a very nice tailwind home.  The temps were in the 80's by the time we finished so it was just the right time to be finished.

Wednesday April 1st ride

The ride this week will on Wednesday at 8:30 AM from Naples Cyclery.  You would be a fool not to show up on April Fool's Day.  Approximate mileage will be 30 miles.  We will go to Naples and stop at our usual rest stop....Bad Ass Coffee.   Dennis....maybe they will have that special T-shirt for you on this visit!  If so you can be sure I will pick one up for you.

Ride on Thursday 3/26

The ride this week will move from Wednesday to Thursday.  Marty Killmer will be arriving Tuesday night late and he would like to ride with the SW FL PFW.   Therefore I need an extra day to find a bike rental and get him fitted for the bike.  We will leave Naples Cyclery on Thursday at 8:30 AM for a ride through Naples and of course the rest stop being Bad Ass Coffee. 

The Miracle Limbs in Motion Ride

March 21st, 2015

There are charity rides every weekend in this sunny state of FL.  I have limited myself to one a month but I am probably done for a while.   The Miracle Limbs in Motion ride was organized to raise funds for amputees.  There were several amputees which prosthetic limbs who did not ride but attended the event.  One of my neighbors lost his leg when a boat ran over him so I wanted to ride this ride for him.

The ride was very well organized with lots of food from local restaurants who donated the food.....or at least I think so.  I decided to ride with two of the riders from the TREK Naples Saturday morning ride and we did the 42 mile route.  The rest of that TREK group opted for the 62 mile ride.  It's now about enjoying the ride rather than speed and with fighting a cold it was definitely the right decision.  The other group rode at 25 mph for a good part of the ride which was exactly what I was not looking forward to doing.

We picked up two others....a husband ( Ross) and wife(Mary)... who lived in Sanibel....well were in the transition of moving from Chicago to Sanibel..  Now we were five and a very well oiled machine who understood drafting which gave us a good advantage to fight the little wind that was out there.  We ended up hooking with another group in the last five miles doing 23 mph.  Yikes.  Just what I wanted to avoid but it was only five miles.  It was the longest five miles I have ever ridden.   I hung on until the end....maybe because I wanted to get back to the start and of course......to the food! We exchanged phone numbers so that we can ride together in the future.

Now back to the charity ride.

My riding number

The route. 

It was a great ride but I was glad to be home at the end and take a long nap on the couch!

Sites from the Ride to Naples

March  18th, 2015

Bob Wood and I cycled to Naples from his home.  Here are some of the sites we saw along the way.

Can you guess the model?  Scroll down.....






















It is a 1928 Dusenberg.   Bob estimated the cost of the car to be $400,000 to $500,000.    Wow....now that's an expensive toy!   However, Bob looked it up when he got back home and the cost is really $1.1 million.   Are you kidding?   I have to say the car was in pristine condition even though it was broken down and needed a jump start.  There was a Rolls Royce driver who passed by the broken down Dusenberg and offered help.  Now that was a site! 


Of course the rest stop was Bad Ass Coffee.  Some new sites from the shop.

I texted this one to Laura before posting it to the blog.   It is so her.


One last one for the animal clientele.

It was a beautiful day with temps in the 70's .  Thanks to Bob for an enjoyable ride.

Wednesday 3/18/15 Ride

 Sunday March 15th, 2015

The ride this Wednesday will start at 8 AM and leave from Bob Wood's house in the Barefoot Beach section of Naples.  We will ride to Naples along Gulf Shore Drive.   Ride will be approximately 35 miles.   Please contact me offline if you will be riding with me to obtain Bob's home address and directions.

Alternatively for a shorter 26 mile ride you can meet us at Naples Cyclery at 8:45 AM.  Please contact me at 609-658-0887 if you plan to ride from either ride start.  If no response  for the Naples Cyclery location I will bypass the store and head directly towards the rest stop.

A Dog's Life in Florida

March 12, 2015

As I was on my way to the market I saw this and had to share.

Enlarge the photo and take a look at the puppy hanging out the window.  I want this dog's life!

The Ride to Chokoloskee for Havana Coffee

March 9, 2015

Since all the NJ folks have headed back home it was just Matt and I for a non-PFW ride to Everglades City and Chokoloskee.  We left from Matt's house and headed south of Rt 41 towards Everglades City.

OMG.  Now I know what Bruce was talking about when he was complaining of the speed bumps and reflectors in the shoulder of the road.  It was pretty dangerous and my brains were jumbled by the time we got to the turn.  I was glad to be off of that road!

We headed right to Chokoloskee this time as Matt now knows my love of coffee.   Here are some photos from the Havana Cafe

 And finally......

It was worth it!  Cafe con leche.   Al Porter turned me on to this in Key Biscayne


We had breakfast/lunch ( thank you Matt for buying) and then saddled up for our ride back to Isle of Palms where Matt lives.

On the way back Matt said that there were many alligators in the canal along Rt 41 North so we did a little alligator hunting.  It was not hard to find the hundreds of gators lining that waterway. 

Look in the distance.  That is me with the gator to the left.  He was a big one!

The Everglades City Chamber of Commerce

My riding buddy....Matt

On the way back we passed Fakahatchee Boardwalk at the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve. Here is a link with more information.

https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Fakahatchee-Strand


Bob Smith had mentioned a ride to this location so Matt and I took a detour and walked and rode our bikes on the boardwalk.  It reminded me of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

 Some sights from our detour.

It was worth the stop by bike or by car.  

An Interesting Sign

March 12, 2015

I saw this sign in my cycling friend's neighborhood.   You would never see this in NJ!

It was early in the morning and I thought I was hallucinating!


Only in Florida

Guess What These Are

March 12, 2015

I am going to post a photo of something exclusive to SW Florida.  Can you guess what it is without googling the photo? 

SW FL visitors are exluded from this one.

Post in the comment section of the blog if you know what these are.

Ride for Wednesday 3/11/15

The ride this Wednesday will start at 8:30 AM and leave from Bob Wood's house in the Barefoot Beach section of Naples.  We will ride to Bad Ass Coffee ( sorry Dennis you are not here to enjoy the coffee )   Ride will be approximately 35 miles.   Please contact me offline if you will be riding with me to obtain Bob's home address.

Alternatively for a shorter 26 mile ride you can meet us at Naples Cyclery at 8:45 AM.  Please contact me at 609-658-0887 if you plan to ride from either ride start.  If no response  for the Naples Cyclery location I will bypass the store and head directly towards the rest stop.

The Mardi Gras Parade at Village Walk

Sunday March 1st

There was a parade in the community on Sunday afternoon at 3 PM.  It was originally scheduled for Saturday at 4 PM but with the forecast calling for rain it was rescheduled.  It was a good call as the rain came right at 4 PM.

The Mardi Gras parade was actually a float competition between residents of streets.  Three streets entered the contest and the community voted for the winner.  There was also live music....which was pretty darn good I might add.....from 3 PM to 7 PM.

The activities director Michelle.  She does a great job.


And now for the floats .  First up was Wahoo Drive....The Wahoo Circus

Next up was Orlando Drive.....    Their theme was Disney

Last but not least.......Islet Trail.  Their theme was Pirates

And the winner.......Drum Roll Please

WAHOO DRIVE.   

Congratulations to all of the participants.  They all worked hard and did an awesome job of putting together their floats!!!

The Fallen Hero's Ride

Saturday February 28th

The group that rides from TREK Naples was interested in doing this ride.  After the last charity ride I did which was supported so badly I was leary.  However, I have to say this was a well organized, well run ride with the right rest stop food and a nice lunch afterwards.  Approximately 200 riders did the ride.

This ride honored deceased police, firefighters and EMT's that died in the line of duty.  They played the bagpipes before the event began which added a nice touch.   Here is the route.

I even got a T-shirt that was made out of wicking material!

We did the 42 mile route and ended up with a 17.6 mph average.  The route was on quieter roads and I can honestly say I felt safe the entire ride. 

Here are some of the riders in our group at the rest stop.

Denine

John

Joe B on the left and Bob King on the right

Jeff on the left and John O'Bryan who organized our group on the right

The weather held out as there was a possibility of rain that didn't happen.  There was a nice lunch which consisted of wings, pizza and turkey wraps. 

I would do this ride again without hesitation!   Thank you John O'Bryan for putting the team together!

Wednesday 3/4 Ride Moved to Monday 3/2 at 8:30 AM

Due to Bob Smith being in town a little longer I am moving the ride to Monday 3/2 at 8:30 AM.  We are leaving from Bob's condo on Marco Island at Steven's Landing to tour Marco.   If you need directions please contact me offline at xsnrg50@gmail.com