The Marco Island Ride

Wednesday January 14th, 2015

The PFW- SW Florida contingent met in Marco Island for a exploration ride around the island.  Even though the rides don't officially start until February ( the rides have to be listed in the Freewheel to be official) we decided to kick off the riding season here in Florida unofficially.   Bob Smith graciously offered to lead the ride today.

It was a 50 minute car ride to the start but it was definitely worth the trip!  I left my house at 6:25 AM!  Dennis and Bruce wanted to start a little later than Bob and I so Bob and I met at 7:30 AM at his condo.  Bruce ended up showing up just before we headed out to the main road but couldn't find us.  Here is where we were.

The dock was behind the condo.  Bob wanted to show me the flat bottom boat that came along with the condo rental.  He offered to take us out for a boat ride after the ride but I had time constraints so hopefully next time.  If he brings the bike I am not sure that there will be enough room for all of us!

Bruce didn't realize that Bob and I were on the dock ( we had to ride the boardwalk to the boat) so he took off in search of us.  We did find him along the pre-ride ride route.   We rode to a marina near the condo and this is what we saw

 This is a nice little park that has quiet roads and good riding

We circled back and picked up Dennis who arrived right on time and we headed onto the main road out of the condo development and into the development across the street.   I needed my photo ID to get into the gate of this community so it was good that we needed to pick up Dennis since I forgot to bring it with me.  The name of the development was Marco Key and had very expensive homes and a few small hills.   Yes.....Florida does have hills!

We headed back on the main road ( San Marco Road) and tooled around the island.  Bob had a surprise for us.   Indian Hill Road

It really was a hill but you can't see it from this photo.  Thought it was more important to get the NJ contingent of the PFW- SW Florida instead.  I tried looking up the elevation on Map My Ride but it had to be wrong.....16 ft??   I can't be that out of hill shape already!  It definitely took our breaths away riding up this hill.

We went toward Old San Marco and stopped to see the marina where the Key West Express leaves from each Tuesday and Thursday.  We are planning on non-biking ride to Key West....for the day...on the Key West express before the group heads back to NJ.   The wives and girlfriends will be going along with us but that will be the subject of a future blog.

The rest stop was Big Al's Deli.

The name of this deli reminded us of Al Lowich!  Sorry Al Porter.

It was getting late but we had time for one more stop before heading back to the condo. 

The public Marco Island Beach in the distance.  Bruce graciously offered to watch the bikes so he didn't make this photo op.


We ended up with 38 miles ( Dennis with 31 miles because he missed the pre-ride ride) and we were back by noon.  Thanks to Bob....and to Bruce....who worked on the route together by riding the island a day or two before to come up with this great route!

The Little Serotta that Could

Wednesday January 7th

Well the rides are getting faster.  There are a lot of new faces on the Wednesday ride and the group is getting larger.  I got miserably dropped in the last seven miles and in a headwind!  My little Serotta didn't fail me and I made it back safely but way behind the group. My little Serotta helped me to finish the ride along with lots of perseverance!

On that note, I have asked the PFW board for permission to lead rides ( probably only three months out of the year when the NJ Team Social Security visits for the winter) out of SW Florida.  I was only toying with the idea after Dennis, Bob Smith, Bruce Kischner and I talked about it when we rode together on Monday on our first SW Florida ride.   Never thought that the board would approve it.  So here we are.....a SW Florida contingent on PFW.  Do I get to add -SW to my PFW jersey if I even earn one this year?

I will be leading rides on Mondays and Thursdays in February and March but am giving serious consideration to changing Thursday to Wednesday so I don't endure the pain of getting regularly dropped with the fast boys from the Wednesday TREK store group.

The Month of December

January 2, 2015

Where has the time gone?  It has been a while since I updated the blog so I will condense this entry and talk about the month of December.....primarily the visit with my buddy Jeff.


Jeff arrived on Saturday December 20th with sinusitus but he was a trooper and we did a lot while he was here.  Our first adventure was to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  Here is a link to their website.

http://corkscrew.audubon.org/


14,000 acres and 3 eco systems contained in those acres!   There is a two mile boardwalk where you can view the birds and the various trees and flowering plants from a distance in each of those ecosystems.   It was recommended to me by someone who lives in the neighborhood and volunteers there as a guide.  Jeff also discovered this beauty when he asked AAA for some things to do in the area while he was visiting.

 However, first we ran into this.....

What do you think it is?     It's bobcat scat or poop! 

There are many wild species in this place including alligators and water moccasins.  The photos didn't come out that great but here they are.

Ochefinokee Spider.  Not sure of the spelling but this little guy is venhemeous and could definitely kill you pretty quickly!.  We were not allowed to get too close to it.

The swamp

 If you are able to enlarge the phot you will see a 10 ft alligator on the tree trunk.   His buddy was in the swamp with just two eyes peering out of the green.  See if you can find him.

More wildlife.....no wait....that's my buddy Jeff!



On the Monday before Christmas Jeff had an interest in seeing the Edison Ford Museum in downtown Ft. Myers.  It is an interesting place and I have blogged about it before.  Here is the link for more information.

http://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/


Here are some of the sites we saw while visiting the museum.   There is a holiday lights tour in the evening that starts after Thanksgiving but we were there too early in the day to see it.

There is also Edison's Laboratory but it was too expansive for me to get any worthwhile photos.  It's contained in a separate part of a building across the street from his home.


On Christmas Eve we visited Barefoot Beach Sanctuary.  The entrance is off of Bonita Beach Road but you have to drive at least a mile or two before you get to the lower section which is the sanctuary.  Here is one of the homes along the beachfront.  Jeff and I decided to stroll the beach and see the Gulf of Mexico.

Who knows how much this one costs!

Here are some other photos from our visit.

 Free life vests for the little people

A mob scene at the beach!  They were cute.



It has been a humid, muggy December with temps in the high 70's and the first few days of January are about the same.  Morning fog that burns off by 10 or 11 AM.   I never thought I would be talking about 70 degree weather in December in my life.


Happy New Year.  Wishing you all the best for a healthy and happy one!

The Bonita Springs Christmas Boat Parade

Saturday December 13th

I ventured out last night to see the Bonita Springs Christmas boat parade.  Seems that these boat parades are happening in almost every town during the Christmas season.   It was cold......a Florida cold that is....but it was fun to watch the boats from my viewing point of the Rt 41 bridge.   There were 17 boats in all and when it was done I was glad to get back to my nice warm car.  I only had shorts, a short sleeve T-shirt and a light coat to cover myself so warmth was good.

The photos did not come out that great but it was the best I could do with an IPhone camera.

Merry Christmas to all!

One Speed Ride

Saturday December 13, 2014

I thought for sure with the colder temperatures....yes 48 degrees with a windchill of 44 degrees is a colder ride here....would slow these guys down.   After all....there are more clothes to wear, colder air to breath, etc etc.   However, that is not the case!   I felt that my lungs were going to be frozen at the end of the ride!  There were nine eager faces this morning ready to ride despite those temps and put the hammer down on the pedals. 

We did the normal route of 36 miles but 3 miles into the ride they were going at 21 mph and over into a headwind.   What???  I did my normal amount of cursing until I said that I was going to drop the ride.  One of my good buddies who was behind me said that he would stay with me.   Felt like my lungs were going to freeze and I couldn't breath because my nostrils were full of junk!  The front guy must have heard me cursing and asked me if the pace was ok at one of the stop lights.  Hell no I answered and he took the ride down 2 mph.   I was pretty much able to keep up at 19 mph until the break.

I talked with one of the fast boys and explained that in NJ in the winter months we would take it down a notch and have a little more fun with the ride.  He wasn't buying it for the FL group and kept going!

As usual....on the way back there was a fast group and a slower group.  We finally had a tailwind to help us back.   The slow group was still fast and I was able to keep up with them until the last three miles heading back to The Second Cup....the final stop that has coffee and where we can relax.   They took off like you know what and I decided that I had enough and just took my time coming back those last miles.  For me on today's ride I averaged 18 mph for 36 miles.  Even with all the cursing....and wasting breath...I still came in with a decent average.

When we got back to The Second Cup there was a classic car show going on in the retail shopping center part.  Some very nice Porsches and Corvettes and some older cars.   It was a nice way to finish the ride and put a smile on my face.  I didn't take any photos because I needed to get home but I am sure that there will be many more of these classic car events and I will take a few photos next time.

Iron Joe Turkey Ride

Sunday November 30th

I have to say I was a bit nervous about doing a 62 mile ride with the group today.   I haven't ridden that far since I left NJ.  The speed was another concern.

Well my concerns were founded.   The group rode at a pace of 19.1 mph for the 61 mile ride.  Ouch.  I was able to hang on but not without some cursing.....isn't that my style these days.....when I could barely hang on.

Several things I will say about the ride.  The first is that the rest stop was 32 miles into the ride and Tom Hammell knows quite well how I look for that rest stop at 25 miles....or less.   The second thing is that when I got to the rest stop...there were Oreo cookies covered with peanut butter and a slice of banana as well as some water.  That's it???  Very poor nutrition for riding that far at a fast pace.   Needless to say I was very disappointed.  I finally asked one of the serving people to give me a half of a banana with peanut butter and skip the cookie.   He cheerfully obliged thank goodness!

There was a crash in the faster group....yes a faster group....which I was not in...thank goodness.  One cyclist hit the front guy and the gal behind him crashed into him.  He was obviously in a lot of pain as I found out later he broke his collarbone.  The gal, who also went down....well her carbon bike broke apart near the back wheel.  I feel for her as the bike was totally trashed.

Photos the group I rode with today.

 
The second photo is Natalia who inadvertently was left out of the first photo.  She has only been riding about five months and she is already riding strong!


Here is a little history about Ave Maria which is where the rest stop was located.

http://www.wired.com/2014/04/rawfile_0404_ave-maria/

And Then There Were Lights

Saturday November 29th

My neighbors, Marci and Jen, and Jen's two girls helped with the decorating.  It's the first time I have decorated in so long.

Yes this is my new home now complete with lights!