Delnor Wiggins State Prak

Friday May 29th

I decided to take the day off from cycling and the house and go to Delnor Wiggins State Park for a beach day and to explore the park to see what it offered.  Since it is a state park there was an entrance fee that my Collier County Beach pass did not cover.  However, for those who hold Golden Senior Passes, you can get in for free.

What was the curiosity that led me to this park you might ask.  It was a rating in USA Today a few days ago.  It was the rating of the best beaches in the USA was according to Dr. Beach...who ever that is.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2015/05/21/dr-beach-top-10-beaches/27718725/



I had heard that this park was popular so I was there by 9:30 AM forgetting that the season is over and most of the snowbirds have gone back north or to the mid-west. No line at the ranger station and the first parking lot was pretty empty.  There are five parking lots in this park and overflow lots within walking distance outside of the park.  I picked the right day!  The beach was much more quiet than I had expected but it was none the less full of interesting sites.

The beach was a narrow strand and some areas had shells which made it hard to walk on the sand sometimes.  However most of the beach was fine sand ....the same that you would find in NJ so it warranted a walk once I got settled.

It was a perfect day for the beach.  The sun was not extremely hot and the humidity was low.  I put up the  umbrella although it really wasn't necessary. I did swim in the Gulf as it was calm and warm and easy to just walk in until you were covered in water.  In fact there were some type of fish swimming on the shoreline which made it kinda creepy for me as I don't like to share my swimming water with sea creatures.....at least visible ones.   Yes I know that they are there but out of sight out of mind!

 I decided to check out what this beach had to offer that others did not.  

A sea turtle nesting area protected by the park.

Many of the alcoves had picnic tables and grills to have a BBQ on the beach!

Bird nesting area also protected by the park.

About a mile up the beach is Wiggins Pass. I really didn't understand that this was a separate area from the park since it seemed like it belonged.   I had no idea what I was in for when I arrived here.

Kayakers

There were also boats that came in and out of Wiggins Pass.  There is a boat lane and in the distance sophisticated radar for boats to steer out of this channel if they had radar on board.   However there was one thing that wasn't there.....swimmers......

 and rip currents.  These currents are often found in this area so the park installed a permanent sign.

I headed back towards my beach chair and found some other interesting things along the way.

You can always find a billboard talking about all the wildlife to be found in the area whether it be birds or creepy crawly things.

It was a very enjoyable morning on this beach.   I would consider going back again.  However, since Barefoot Beach is #2 on the list...and my beach pass gets me in....I would opt for Barefoot Beach in the future.








 

Ride in Marco Island

Wednesday May 27th

Bob Smith and Meg are in Florida to get some work done on their condo.  We have been fortunate has come to a close....at least for now.

We met at Bob Smith's condo in Marco Island for a 39 mile ride around the island.  Bob Smith graciously (co) lead the ride.  Bob Wood had been on Marco Island once before but did not see much since he did the same thing I did and drove down North Collier Blvd. on our first visit to this island which is beginning part of the 10,000 islands. 

On this ride there was no area off-limits and we were able to cover the entire island in those 39 miles.  We were even lucky to see this.

These are burrowing owls.  You can find them all over the island as they are sectioned off by rope and are perched on their poles.  The first photo shows two owls and the second photo shows three owls if you look closely.  The last owl came out of the burrow squaking.....We want royalties!!!!

We visited Rose Marina where the Key West Express leaves in season, the Snook Inn which serves great grouper sandwiches, and the beach area. 

The last place we visited was Key Marco.  This is a private community of expensive homes that are built on rolling hills and are built in the mangroves of Marco.  Mangroves are swampy areas that contain a lot of wildlife.  Here is a link with more information.

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


One interesting site we saw among the houses.

Not really sure what this is other than a fort in this neighborhood.   It made for a great photo.

I have been told that this community is often used by cyclists practicing for time trials.   I have also been told that this community wanted to remain private and off limits to the general public but the Marco Island government said no way.  They want visitors to feel welcome whether on a car or on a bike.

Bob and Peg graciously allowed us to shower and provided lunch after the ride.   Bob Wood and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and hope to do it again in the future as Bob and Meg are headed back to NJ on Friday.

The Ride of Silence

May 20th, 2015

The Ride of Silence (RoS) takes place annually every May.  I have always wanted to do this ride....especially now...since we have lost two of the Princeton Freewheeler's in recent years.  First we lost Joe McBride and last year Erich W.   Both were riding their bikes when they were taken from us.  The reason I have not done this ride in previous years was that it started too late and I didn't have a front light for my bike.  Problem solved as it does not get dark in FL until after 8PM.

The ride in this area of SW FL was out of Cambier Park in Naples.  The group met for a pre-ride ride of 10 fast miles down Gordon Avenue and back to the park.   Since my bike computer broke last week I don't know how fast the ride was and I had to ask someone for the mileage.  It was a quick, fast , hot workout before the RoS.  The temps were in the high 80's at 5:30 PM!

The RoS was not well attended.  John from our group who did the ride last year said that there were many more people last year.  It was sponsored by Naples Pathway Coalition and the main speaker called out names of riders who have perished in the last year on their bikes.  They also played taps via a pre-recorded tape.

We rode 10 miles at 10 mph.  That wasn't the hard part.  The hard part was being silent for one hour during the ride.  Anybody who knows me knows I like to talk and it was definitely a hard thing to stay silent.  What the silence did do was allow me to think about Joe McBride and Erich W and remember things about each one. 

Joe McBride was very outspoken as those who knew him would attest to in remembering Joe.   His use of the "F" bomb was his way of greeting you.  If he didn't use that work in the first five minutes of meeting up with him for a ride.....it meant that it was going to be a pretty crappy ride.

Erich W. on the other hand....was very soft spoken.  The only time you heard him raise his voice was to sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" which he did so eloquently at Dan Zorvich's house when Dan provided lunch for us after a Wednesday ride.   How melodic was his voice.  In fact I sang that song back to Erich in silence as I rode the ride last night.

Each of these deceased riders were intelligent and gave back unselfishly to others in their line of work.  That's the way life should be, no?  I can't say that for myself.  Maybe that's why I retired so early....to find purpose in life....or just to relax and get away from the rush of the Northeast.  It is definitely a relaxed pace here in SW FL.

At the end of the ride the riders said their farewell and went on their way....some home...and some to Cafe Luna...to raise a glass of wine or other beverage to their fallen friends.

Some photos from the RoS

This was taken by the local news station.

This is a photo of some of the group members that I ride with each week from TREK.  This photo was taken at the Ride of Silence courtesy of another non-member rider.


Here is a link to the event with photos.

http://www.news-press.com/picture-gallery/news/2015/05/20/over-150-honor-fellow-cyclists-in-ride-of-silence/27688739/


On a separate note I have to say that I am so glad that some of the NJ Team Social Security riders came to Florida for a few months this year.  I felt blessed to have such a great group of NJ friends to ride with during my transition from NJ to FL.  I so enjoyed our time riding here on new roads and at a reasonable speed!

 However, like butterflies coming out of the cocoon, they flew away ....back to NJ and I felt a tremendous sadness and loss when they left.   It was a security blanket of familiarity for me.  Bob Wood, who is here permanently, has big shoes to fill and is doing a great job in between construction in his new home in Naples.  We ride together as often as we can between construction and weather permitting.

Bob Smith has returned for a few weeks and I was happy to reconnect with him and Meg for a Bob for a ride and also a very yummy dinner at their condo in Marco Island.  Even my two girls, Tracey and Cindy , took a ride in the car and came for the dinner celebration but I didn't allow them to take part in the meal other than staring at us while we ate.  Bob Wood and I will be joining Bob Smith next week for a ride from his condo in Marco before he and Meg head back to NJ. 

It's seem to be part of life here with people coming and going back to their  "real" home for several months and then returning back to FL.  Right now my community is a ghost town and I will be glad to see some of the faces return during "season" as they call it here.  It's certainly a gypsy sort of life.

Thank you to all who read this blog.  I look forward to seeing you all in mid June when I return to NJ for a few months.  I too have become a gypsy...at least for this year!

Key West

Tuesday April 28, 2015

It's been a while since I posted anything significant so here it goes.

My neighbors and I wanted to see what Key West was all about so we decided to take the Key West Express boat to Key West for the day.

Angela and John are my neighbors here in Bonita Springs.  They moved here about two months before me from the Cherry Hill area.

One thing I have learned is that I am not a boat person.  What does that mean?   It means that I get sea sick very easily.  I thought with a big catamaran that would not be the case but there were bad storms in the area so it made for a rocky ride and I ultimately succumbed to nausea.   I was sure glad to get off the boat when we arrived 3.5 hours later after leaving from Marco Island.

You get to stay about 5 hours in Key West which is really not enough time to see everything.  Next time I will drive instead.  It's about 5.5 hours from where I live but the drive is suppose to be beautiful.

Here are some views from the boat

This big baby is the Carnival Magic cruise ship that was docked in Key West.

We had decided to take a trolley tour at the suggestion of one of my cycling buddies and it turned out to be the excellent choice.  It felt like 100 degrees and there was no way that we could have covered the island on foot.  Key West if 4 miles long and 2 miles wide!

The sites of Key West

Route 1 actually ends in Key West!

There are 360 bars in Key West.  What a party town!!  Duval Street which is the main street has over 150 bars located on its street.  One is the famous Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville and this one pictured above is famous for it's 3 floors.  The first one...The Whistle Bar....is just a bar.   Didn't get a photo of the second floor bar or its' name but if you make it to the 3rd floor....The Garden of Eden.....clothing is optional.   It's Key West style where anything goes.

The Lighthouse near the Hemmingway House

This marker indicates that this is the Southern most part of the US where the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico meet

Key West is famous for it's Conch Fritters but with my stomach being unsettled I settled instead for a frozen margarita and some Conch chowder....both which were tasty.  Angela did order the fritters and said they were very tasty and worth the calories.

Time went fast and before you know it we were out of time and headed back to the boat for the return trip. I was not looking forward to another boat ride.  Of course we ran into a storm going home but luckily I slept through it.  It doesn't mean that I didn't feel nauseated but I made it back without getting sick.

It was an interesting day.  Glad that I made the journey there but definitely not something that I feel that I would have to see again unless I make the scenic drive.  Boats are just not for me!!!