From Goodland to the Badlands and Beyond

May 23, 2016

Al has been visiting the past few weeks and we have done a lot while he is here.

On Saturday we visited....not on the bike.... Sanibel and Captiva Island.  We crossed the three bridges that I did last year by bike...and our first stop was.J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Sanctuary. 

J N Ding Darling Wildlife Sanctuary

Here are some photos from our visit.

 I am told that this is the best restaurant with a view of the Gulf on Captiva Island

 One of the homes for rent on Captiva

I had to take a photo of this tour jeep.  What a tourist trap!!


On Sunday we met Bob S and his wife Meg.  Bob, Al and I took a bike ride around the island.  The most interesting thing we saw were burrowing owls at their nests.

 All photos of burrowing owls at their nest.  The last one was a family of 4.

One of the many sites on Marco.  This is a replica of a old Mercedes but the real Al.  There is no replica for Al!!

A Gopher turtle.   We could call this the nature bike ride.

Some people have way too much money.  This is a mailbox on Marco Island

One of the many houses in the Goodland section of Marco Island. 

This section of Marco is more of a fishing village with motorcycles visiting on Sunday for an afternoon
at Stan's for an Idle Hour ( instead of happy hour)    The boats can idle while you drink.




On Tuesday Al and I went to South Dakota to visit the Badlands National Park and Mt. Rushmore.  We flew into Sioux Falls ( mistake....should have flown into Rapid City) and traveled 336 miles to the Badlands Park.  It was a long trip looking at the plains as there was nothing else between Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

There was one site to see along the way to the Badlands.  We stopped at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site but learned that we would have to travel 15 miles to see the missile itself in an underground silo. 

We decided to do the 20 mile scenic loop in Badlands which was also on the way before checking into our cabin.   On the way we saw a sign to see prairie dogs so we decided to stop and take a look.

 You have to enlarge the photo to see the prairie dog on the mound of dirt

This was the biggest prairie dog I had ever seen so I had to take a photo....with Al of course.

 Here are some views of the park.

 We did this short hike.  There were signs to watch out for rattlesnakes on the trail but we didn't see any thank goodness.

 Look closely.....bighorn sheep in both photos!!

We stopped in Wall which is a cowboy town near the Badlands and the only city for miles.  Luckily we didn't have to hitch the car to this.....

We headed back to the main entrance to the park to check in to our cabin.  

 Although the Badlands was beautiful the hiking trails were made of sandstone and looked like pinnacles and we didn't think that there was any beauty to see.  Wrong.

The view on the Windows Trail.   It was only a quarter mile trail but worth the hike to see this view.

 Had to take a photo of a familiar animal.....a rabbit

 The door trail.  We did part of the trail until we had to climb over sandstone.  We decided to turn back and head to the next destination....Custer. South Dakota

 How the Badlands got its name


We headed to the next destination.....Wind Cave National Park where the bird watching was suppose to be great.  

There was no mention of birds when we got there but there were caves to tour,  We did not get a chance to tour the caves unfortunately.  There was still a lot more to see in the area so we decided to pass on the hour long tour.  One interesting thing is that you could not wear shoes that were in other caves outside of this area because of possible contamination from those other areas.

Enlarge the photos.  The black dots are bison!!

We continued on to the Crazy Horse monument.

You can take a bus to see the carving which is where I took these photos but that's as close as you can get unless you want to pay $125 for a private tour up to the face of the mountain.  There is no federal funding and the family of the sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski,  is carrying on the project since his death in October 1982.  It's going to take a long time to finish this project!


We continued on to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial which was another reason for this trip.  Unfortunately I was not able to get more than one photo because I ran out of photo space on my IPhone.

  Ugh...   Here is a link that will give you a closer look

https://www.nps.gov/moru/index.htm

Here is a photo of the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum,  who oversaw the carving of this wonderful site.

We went back at night to see Mt. Rushmore lit up at night.  I was not that impressed.  I was unable to take a decent photo of that.   There is a hour long program during season.....which it was not...... which runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

On Friday we decided to visit Custer State Park.  It was an open house weekend so entry fee to the park was waived for the weekend.  Custer is known for its free roaming bison of which there were many.

 A bison relaxing in the meadow near the State Game Lodge


We stopped at the visitor center and the guide told us of two hikes we could do in the park.  The first one was the Badger Clark trail.  I didn't get any photos as I was distracted by a bison standing at the trailhead and wasn't sure if we would do that trail.  We eventually did hike this wooded trail and learned a lot about this poet laureat who leased land from the state and built a cabin where he lived his life until he died.

The second hike was the Cathedral Spires hike.  It was a 2.2 mile hike....and it was not easy. We were not prepared.....I had sneakers and Al had sandals but we decided to try and hike this trail to the top.  We climbed over a rocky trail near the top but the view was worth it.

We continued on the Needles Highway ( Rt 87) which twisted and turned on a narrow road with one lane tunnels.  It was a white knuckle drive but again worth the effort.

Lake Sylvan below was also along the Needles Highway and we stopped for a photo before we headed back to the hotel for a rest.

Al was tired but I wanted to see a cave so I took a solo ride to Jewel Cave National Monument, which was closer to the hotel than Wind Cave National Park, late in the day.  I had hoped to get on a tour of the cave but all the tours were sold out for the day so I ended up going back to the hotel cave-less..  

The weather turned bad Friday evening with 3 inch hail and flash floods.  Luckily we were on the fringe of that bad weather and decided to stay put in the hotel and wait till the morning to see if we could do or see any more in the area before driving back to Sioux Falls.

On Saturday morning it was extremely foggy.  One thing I would have liked to do was the Mickelson Trail which is 108.8 miles of paved trail from Edgemont to Deadwood.  You can rent bikes in Custer but with the weather not condusive to riding we headed back to Sioux Falls. 

Here is a link with more information about the Mickelson Trail in case you decide to visit.

http://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/mickelson-trail/

The BBC Ride to Ave Maria

Wednesday April 27th, 2016

It was a beautiful morning for a ride to Ave Maria with the winds light and in the right direction so that we would have a tailwind on the way home.

What is the BBC ride??  It's the Bob S, Bob W and the Cheryl ride.  It's just that simple!  Where and what is Ave Maria?

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

We talked about going to Ave Maria....or at least Bob W....for some time now....but for some reason we were not able to actually do the ride until today.  It's in the middle of nowhere but there are enough conveniences...aka....a coffee shop with a public bathroom..... to make the trip worthwhile. We ended up with a 41 mile ride and we were back to the ride start by 11:15 AM.  In Florida that's important as the season gets closer to the summer.  Days have been getting hotter earlier which causes the rides to start and finish earlier.

Bob S on the right and Bob W on the left

 The coffee shop in Ave Maria.  Every town I have ever cycled to has a coffee shop!

Perpetual Headwinds would have like this bakery case.  Why??  There are muffins in it!!

Every college town has a pub

and of course....the church. With a name like Ave Maria one has to expect to see a church within it's borders.  Bob S and I agree it is the ugliest church we have seen in our travels. 

Across the street from the church is Ave Maria University.  I learned today from Bob W that the law school is not located in town but closer to Naples on Immokalee Road. 

Bob W is getting ready to do his birthday ride later this summer and I will accompany him in his endeavor so he and I need to get some longer saddle time in before the ride.   Look for longer rides blog posts as the summer progresses.

My Second Visit to Clermont, FL

Saturday, April 2nd

Nevada and I have been talking about another visit to Clermont, FL where she is staying for the winter and to once again to ride the hills.   The last time I did hills was with Nevada in Clermont in November 2015 at the Horrible Hundred  sponsored by the Florida Freewheelers.

I arrived on Wednesday and it was already too hot.....well at least for me.....to do any riding so Nevada and I decided to take a car ride to the quaint town of Mt. Dora.   I have heard so much about this town that it was time to visit it and check it out for myself.  On Columbus day weekend each year they host a weekend cycling event but I have not had time to check it out yet.

 You have to enlarge the photo to see the plane but we were lucky enough to see a seaplane landing at the marina.  Actually a nearby town Tavares is the seaplane capital of the world.

I couldn't pass up taking a photo under this street sign!

Mt. Dora reminded me a smaller version of New Hope.  It's full of coffee shops, bakeries and shopping.  It's a tourist trap in my opinion and there are no roads with bike lanes or shoulders to safely ride from Clermont to Mt. Dora so Nevada and I decided that this would be the only visit to this town.....at least for this trip.


On Thursday we decided to take our bikes and head to Yalaha bakery in the town of Yalaha.   The bakery serves German baked goods.....including soft pretzels....yum....and has a deli with German deli items.

Here are some of the signs along the way as well as few photos of the bakery.

One of the driveways along the way to Yalaha on a busy road. 

 There is really a town called Howey-in-the-Hills!!

 I had to take a photo of this sign for Perpetual Headwinds.  She is always interested in seeing unusual street names or towns and has been known to come up with a route to go by unusual roads in NJ!

 One of two vineyards in the area.

At the end of the day we had ridden 42 miles and climbed almost 2,600 ft.  My legs.....and my body....felt the last few miles in the heat and the final climb back to Nevada's place.  We climbed South Buckhill Road....both ways.....one with a 15% grade and that probably had something to do with it!


On Friday we decided to do a less hilly ride....I didn't know how much climbing I still had in my legs after Thursday.....and ventured out to Montverde.  What an interesting place.  Lots of roads with shoulders to ride in and that's always welcome. 

A housing development that went bankrupt in 2008.   The clubhouse looks like an Italian villa.  They are trying to bring it back.  Lots starts at $500,000 and the houses that are already constructed are well over a million. 

Some other sites while visiting Montverde.

 Montverde has one of the best private schools in Florida....Montverde Academy..... with the tuition similar to the cost of college.  It's well attended and well known.....at least in Florida.  It reminds me of The Lawrenceville School.

The pizza shop....the only restaurant in town......well almost. .....until we stumbled on this.....

Can this be true?   Who knew I was going to visit the town on this day?  It certainly got my attention

The Coffee Shop of Horrors......a new coffee shop......with Nevada posing with her bike.  They don't have their retail license yet so they were giving the coffee away free...    There was a jar for donations and I gladly contributed.

Some sites within the coffee shop

Yes it is what you think it is.....a skeleton toilet paper holder.

I would have bought some for Perpetual Headwinds but it was not freshly roasted coffee....it was bagged coffee that was previously ground.  

The coffee of the day was Burial Grounds.....pretty good but not strong enough for my taste.


We ended up the ride with 20 miles and a lot less climbing as promised.   My legs really appreciated the flatter route.



Clermont is a great town for riding the hills.  There is also a training center in town where some of the best triathlete's come to train.  It is a town not to be missed!!

Thanks to Nevada for putting me up for a few days and being such a great host.  I would have never had the opportunity to experience this hill lovers delight.....and yes....in Florida. 

Differences of Tolerability for Riding

Tuesday March 22, 2016


This is a late post from last week's ride.  Three riders all dressed differently for the same ride.

The pictures tell the story.  I am not saying another word!

Wednesday 3/30 Ride Rescheduled to Tuesday 3/29

Sunday March 27th

Due to travel schedule this week I will not be able to lead the Wednesday ride.  The alternate leader is also not available.  I have moved the ride to Tuesday from Bob W's house. 

Jen's Voight's( pronunced Vote) 3/16 and 3/17 Visit to Southwest Florida

Wednesday 3/16 and Thursday 3/17/16

Last week I received an email inviting me to the TREK  Estero store which was hosting a special visitor, Jens Voight, the retired Tour de France rider.

I arrived a few minutes early and was able to talk to Jens before his talk. 

As we chatted I mentioned that I climbed Mt. Ventoux a few years ago and that I would be riding with him the next day.  Jens replied.....Well don't drop me.  It made me chuckle!

Here are some of the highlights of his talk:

He has been riding since 9 yrs old
He was born in East Berlin
One of his best buddies is Bobby Julrich
He has six children ages 5-20 ( so much for infertility due to riding!)
His most famous quote..."Shut Up Legs"
He has had to make an adjustment from Superhuman ( Tour de France) to human ( riding 12 miles for coffee)

After the talk he was signing posters.

I am wearing a Princeton Freewheeler t-shirt.

When he was signing the poster he spelled my name wrong.  He realized his mistake, threw the poster aside and said.....That's why I have so many posters! ( in case I make mistakes!) 




On Thursday I got up at 5 AM to be at the TREK Naples store for a 7:30 AM ride with Jens. 

As we were waiting for daylight Jens entertained a few more questions.  One was how he enjoys time with his kids.  He told us a story of taking the boys fishing.  In Germany when you fish with a lure you are only allowed one fishing pole per person in the water.  Since his boys were with him he threw a second line in the water.  The boys got bored and took off and he decided to throw the third line in the water.   He ended up being caught and fined by the authorities for being a poacher.  The first fine amount was 2,000 euros but he wrote a letter explaining the situation and the fine was reduced to 250 euros.  Even famous people don't get out of fines....well not totally.

I asked him where is his career taking him now that he is retired.  He is an ambassador for TREK and will be touring around the country, including Canada and California over the next few months.  He will again be an announcer at the next Tour de France in 2016 .  He also wrote a book due out in May entitled....you guessed it....Shut Up Legs.


On the ride....... riders were given the chance to ride one on one with Jens.  There had to be over a hundred riders!  I did manage to get my turn and reminded him that he said the night before that I was going to drop him.  With his hand on my back and gently pushing me forward he asked the photographer to take a shot of me dropping him!   He has such a good sense of humor.   I think he chuckled as much as I did.

We were about six miles from the finish when a gal behind me crossed wheels and went down.  I was stunned.  Our club leader had a GoPro and caught the whole thing on video.  It was definitely her fault but it didn't make me feel any better.   Back at the TREK store at the end I saw her ride her pink TREK bike into the parking lot so I am glad that she was not too badly hurt. 



Jens has changed my opinion of Tour de France riders.  I put them in a box and thought they all had superegos and were full of themselves.  Jens in anything but that.  He is funny, approachable and just a nice 43 year old guy. 

This was a chance of a lifetime that I will truly remember.   Yet another reason to be living full time in Southwest Florida. 

Wednesday 3/16 Ride Moved to Friday 3/18

Due to leader prior commitment. the Wednesday ride from Naples Cyclery at 8:30 AM will move to Friday leaving from Naples Cyclery at 8:30 AM.   Hope to see you there.