Visitors Arrive, Biking Breaks Out

It is the 'free' day, an extra that showed up this year. So it seemed like a bike ride was in order. A new record low temperature for the date was set last night, of 40 degrees. Once the sun came up, it warmed up fast. There was a chilly breeze when we left. But it was a beautiful crystal clear morning at the beach.

Lynne took this photo at my favorite spot, the sea grape tree. We photographed pretty well for people in our age group, I think. I'll report some stats for the month at a later date. One number that I am sure of is that it was the most miles I've ever ridden in February. Good enough. Now I need to go shopping for some tee shirts or something to take home to the centers of the universe. (Late edit: tomorrow's theme day is graffiti or street mural.)

Wind Chill Advisory

It seems strange to be sitting here with an outdoor temperature of 62, and have the weather channel declare a wind chill advisory is in effect through 7 a.m. tomorrow. The wind is strong and gusty, and it is supposed to get into the low 40's overnight tonight, but .... really? In the category of 'it never fails,' Lynne and Joe are flying into Tampa today. A long stretch of warm weather, interrupted only when there are people flying in from up north. ('Up north' is what Floridians call everything north of Tampa.) They'll spend the night in Tampa, and arrive sometime tomorrow for a few days. I am doing laundry and such today, so have taken a day off from biking. I wanted to post these photos from yesterday's ride, however.

This looks like a flowering shrub, but the red is the leaf of the tree. The actual flower is tiny and white. I found that interesting. Again, I have no clue what it is called. ( Jill is apparently still slogging it out along the Iditarod trail on her bicycle, although the updates are still very, very slow and spotty. Her boyfriend was one of the runners in this human powered endurance event, and he scratched yesterday, due to an injured ankle. She has likely completed 210 of the 350 mile event, and is headed out of check point 5 (of 7) as part of the leading 13 racers. It is currently below zero where she is, but nowhere near the 40 below it was in that area a week ago. Allez, Jill.)

Racing Season Begins

First it was the Tour of California, then today I passed two 60 ish women on cruisers with fenders, headed towards the beach. Twice. Once before I took this picture, then again afterwards. (I don't think they knew it was a race. Easier to win that way.) The other racing bit of news is Jill -- the blogger from Alaska -- who is doing the Iditarod Trail Invitational. It started Sunday at 2 pm Anchorage time. It is a bit frustrating to try to follow it, as the updates are not done with much regularity. Marginally supported, 350 mile races in Alaska in February are not for the meek.

On another note, I thought these yellow flowers were pretty against the blue sky. They are about the color of crocuses and daffodils. Flowers that bloom through the snow.

Shades of Pink

Yesterday I spent my bike ride looking for alligators. I checked all of the places that have signs -- well, many of them, at least. And along various waterways and such. It was an unsuccessful quest. Just as well. It was another uncomfortable ride, very reminiscent of late July at home. One of those days that was so humid that it was almost hard to breathe.

There are several kinds of spring flowers here that I do not recognize. The middle photo looks like impatiens, but the other two are unfamiliar. But it will be a while before anything blooms in Michigan, and I will miss the sun and flowers. Still, Michigan is where the centers of the universe reside, and I will consider it a fair exchange. Still time for a few more rides.

WILD LIFE

These birds are not a familiar type to me. Lined up facing into a brisk wind this morning, at the beach. (Again.) Below is the picture of an alligator requested by TT. I don't normally take requests, but here you are.

The Tour of California is nearly over, and it has been pretty interesting. Lots of familiar names and faces, though all the teams have been re-named. One week is about the right length tour for me -- and I am semi familiar with some of the area where they rode, which makes it more fun.

Kiwanis Rest Area

It got off to a sultry start today, with the temperature and the dew point both in the low 70's when I left for a ride about 9 this morning. I took the Rock Creek loop, but added in an exploration of the Kiwanis Park. There is a Kiwanis Rest Stop on Lakeshore near Tunnel Park in Holland, but the two places have little in common. Though the shelter behind this sign looks similar to the one at the 'scenic overlook' at home. The park has a fairly long exercise loop in it with strategically placed exercise stations. The path isn't paved, but there were no signs that said 'no bicycles' so I rode most of the loop. The tires I have on my Fuji League are 25's, which I believe is what they use in the Paris-Roubaix race over cobblestones, so I assumed they'd work on hard packed grit. It had been a while since I'd pumped the tires -- softer tires, better traction. They worked fine, and it was a very pleasant ride through the woods. The shade was welcome at that point. This 'spring' sun can warm things up fast.

Something you don't often see in Michigan is a sign warning about alligators. I assume that this spot is the station where you are supposed to run fast? I was a little nervous just stopping to take the picture. The wind picked up to nearly 20 mph from the south by the time I turned into it for the last 3 mile run back to the ranch. I would have to rate the ride as medium hard, based on temperature, humidity and wind. (511 miles for the year.)

Back Side of the Beach

The radar showed some patches of rain moving through, so I rode with an eye to the sky. I got hit by maybe a dozen drops within a block or so of the beach, less than 5 minutes before I took this picture. Other than that, I got home dry. A dozen easy miles.

A Long Enough Ride

I heard - or read- somewhere that the first 500 miles or so that a serious biker rides each year are 'base' miles. The implication being that 'training' begins after that. Since I am still within that window for the year, I decided that 18 miles was a long enough ride today, and for that matter, this week. Even though my longest ride so far was more -- about 20. So while it may sound like I have made no progress, indeed the opposite is true. I am laying down a base where I am very comfortable riding that distance. And longer rides will come later. Probably. (There has been a record amount of snow this year in west Michigan, including a record amount for February. And February isn't over yet. So it may be April before any riding occurs there.) This house is for sale -- interesting architecture. The Myakka River area, again. About the turn around point on today's ride. (Daylight Saving Time begins two weeks from Sunday. Spring must be on the way?)

Funny Colored Houses, Part 2

This one is kind of a mint green, though it looks a little blue on my screen. This one looks like the color of Pepto Bismol to me. The matching driveway is way, way too much pink. And there is a separate two stall garage next to it that is the same color of pink with two pink garage doors.

On a biking related note, since this is primarily a bicycling blog -- is it true that Cipo (Mario Cipollini) is returning to professional bike racing? On the same team as Tyler Hamilton? Isn't he a little -- old?

How We Got Here

Sunday is a day when it is possible to ride along the access road next to highway 41, as most of the stores are closed and the traffic is light. Why? Because it is the most convenient way to get to a part of town that is not easy to get to on a bicycle otherwise. It is Weber Circle, the location of the first house owned by John's parents in Port Charlotte. They purchased it in the late 50's or early 60's and spent about a month every year there. The house still stands, though the carport is now a garage and the front columns have changed. The room off the back of the house on the right of the picture was added while they owned the house. We visited there a few times with small children, and as far as I can remember, a good time was had by all. The house was sold sometime in the 80's, but it still represents my introduction to Port Charlotte. I try to ride by it a time or two every time I'm in town, just to check on the place. The rest of yesterday's ride was mostly exploring all the roads that run south off of Edgewater. It is all (again) sailboat property, and it a little stunning how many vacant lots there still are with gorgeous long water views. So the middle of the ride is pretty interesting -- I finished it with a loop through the beach area -- busy on a late Sunday morning. Today's ride was the 'A' ride -- I'm looking for a short version of it to take with Lynne when she arrives. Unsuccessful, as I can't get to the Myakka River and back to the ranch in under about 15 miles unless I am willing to ride on Edgewater. Which I'm not. So I may have to stick to the Rock Creek Loop (tour de waterways) and the ride to the beach when she's here. Nice enough.

Not A Post

I had planned to skip blog posting today, but we i-chatted with the centers of the universe last night. Their grandfather told them about our dolphin sighting behind the house yesterday morning, around low tide. I told them that I had not been able to get a good picture of it, as it didn't surface for long enough time each time to get a decent picture. Here is the best of the photos I got. When I cropped it a lot you can 'almost' tell that there is something there. A fin and a tail?

You'll pretty much just have to take my word for it. But NEF and TJF wanted to see it, and they are the centers of the universe after all.

Desert Made of Ice

I took the 'A' ride this morning, first stopping to check on the progress of the new park on Edgewater. There has been a lot of vegetation cut down, and the shape of it is beginning to form up. Not very pretty, yet. The 'A' ride takes me past Spring Lake Park, which has been upgraded quite a bit over the past year or two. This is near the spot where I took the picture of the Alligator Habitat sign. There are also some new fishing piers and walkways along the edges of the lake, shown here. This is what I hope the new Sunrise Park will eventually look like.

Today's title came from NEF, who described the current condition of Lake Michigan as looking like a desert made of ice, with frozen water as far as the eye can see. It is an amazing sight, and an excellent description -- We'll be heading home long before it melts, I am happy/sad to say.

B Ride

There are really only two, maybe three rides that make sense from here. One is out towards the beach -- I refer to that as the B ride. It is fairly short, in fact I have to be creative to make it more than about 10 miles. The other, longer ride goes mostly west, then south of Edgewater towards the Myakka River. I call that the A ride, as it can be almost any length up to about 20 miles. Today I took the B ride. About 12.5 miles. (I got creative.) Sometimes the choice is made by the direction of the wind. As you can see, today wind wasn't much of a factor.

I heard from NEF and TJF yesterday that it is still cold and snowy in Michigan. Surely that can't be true.

Swiss Connection

A bit under 15 miles on today's ride, enough to burn off a few of the calories I have consumed/will consume in the form of chocolate today. (In the spirit of: Lord have mercy on my soul, for the chickens I have stole -- last night and the night before, and I'm goin' back tonight for more.) One of the buildings that has been rebuilt in downtown Punta Gorda after the hurricane houses a chocolate shop and an art gallery. Gotta love the priorities.

TOPWLH ventured out to track down some decadent truffles. You can probably tell from his expression that he is pretty sure that I'll share some with him. And just in case you are reading this, Happy Valentines Day to the centers of the universe, NEF and TJF -- I believe you got some chocolate today as well.

Sailboat Property

It rained all night and much of the morning. It cleared noonish, and I took a short ride about 1:30 out towards the beach. I've mentioned sailboat property a number of times. It just means that it is possible to park a sailboat at your back door, as there are no bridges between your house and the Gulf of Mexico. Sailboats are possible there, but not required. Boats of this size, with a flybridge (I think that's what that second story thing is called), also need a lot of clearance to go under a bridge. So this type of big boat is common in the sailboat property area, but not in Spring Lake, for example, where there is a fairly low bridge between here and the harbor.

Color Palette

As a change of pace from scrub palms and piles of gravel, I give you ---- funny colored houses. Not to mention funny colored driveways. This house backs up to a backwater off the Mayakka River. Sailboat property. It was about the turnaround point for my ride today.

House colors in PC are different that what I'd consider ''normal" colors. But it isn't hard to see where these color choices come from. This hibiscus grows along our seawall. Not as purty as TT's -- it is a little past it's prime. (A longish ride today, about 18 miles. Except for the headwind picking up on the way back, and getting chased by a dog who seemed both vicious and deadly serious, it was a nice ride. I added a loop south and west of what I call my Rock Creek Loop. Lots of riding along waterways, and plenty of low traffic roads with only a few houses scattered here and there.)

Spitting Distance

TT commented that the new park would be within walking distance. It will certainly be that. Today I ran into a neighbor who is certain that it will become a haven for drug users, but then some people hate change. He is also worried about extra traffic. This street is already pretty busy, so it seems something of a non issue. I'm probably done taking pictures of scrub palms and a future parking lot for a while.

Some of these environmental parks do have hiking trails, but I'm not sure this one is big enough. It will be interesting to see what develops. There won't likely be anything significant to report over the next few weeks. Florida time, you know. (It's windy here, and I'm taking a day off from biking.)

More Information

This sign showed up yesterday -- or I hadn't noticed it. The sign is on Edgewater near the Sunrise waterway, the work is going on near the Spring Lake waterway. The County website says it is a 44.5 acre park. Eventually it will have a canoe/kayak launch, a fishing pier, trails, picnic areas and a parking lot. The tree lost, by the way. I imagine that there are a fair number of unhappy critters whose habitat has been disturbed. I rode today, but threatening weather kept me fairly close to home base. It is raining as I blog this, but I made it back a good half hour before it started. It was still partly sunny when I took this photo of a group ride of bikers of another sort. At the PC beach, again.

I'd originally planned a different ride, but this one allows me to bail out fairly quickly and take a shortcut back to the ranch if the clouds look menacing. Humidity levels and temperatures are both forecast to fall into more normal ranges tomorrow. Still, it was a pretty decent ride.

Machine Eats Tree

Today the most unusual thing I saw while out on a bike ride was at the corner of Edgewater and South Waterway. Never mind alligators -- Florida has machines that eat trees. Proof below.

I am not sure what is going on here. Years ago, B.C. (before Charley) there was a rumor that there was going to be a park in this location. Charley pretty much sucked up any funds available for anything for a while, but maybe that is what this is. A housing development seems unlikely in the current market, and I had always thought that this was 'protected' land. Whatever that means. (Rain early, rain 11:00 ish, ride 1:00 ish, sunshower during ride that just wouldn't quit. So I cut the ride short, in spite of being in the sun -- no sense in encouraging rust on a bike that lives in Florida.)

Cats and Coconuts

In the opinion of a random bicyclist who happened to also be watching the launching of this boat, this is a handmade catamaran. It is definitely a catamaran. The other watcher commented that the sails are the color that all sails used to be, as something in the dye that they used made the sails last longer. Maybe so. The rigging of the sails seems unique to me.

A picture of neglect -- an empty house for sale and an untended coconut tree. I don't know what coconuts cost, but there's at least a few dollars worth lying around there. One of the sailboat properties (just to tie the two photos together) on the way to the beach.

Not Just a Handbag

Alligator skin can be found in purses, shoes, belts and wallets, to name a few items. It doesn't hurt to be reminded now and then that to an alligator, we are -- well, food. I took this photo on my ride this morning along West Spring Lake. It is a pretty spot, and I pass it on all rides that go primarily west. The winds were fairy mild when I left the house, but had ramped up to about 20 mph by the time I got back. A little more exercise than I'd planned, but still a nice ride.

How to Dress for a Bike Ride

I sometimes entertain myself on rides by observing other bikers. I think how the typical bicyclist dresses tells you a lot about the local bike culture. Here's a youngish woman, in flip flops, jeans shorts and no helmet. Her male friend was dressed similarly. At the beach this morning. I thought this older couple was cute on their matching blue bicycles with fenders. (Leaving the beach.)

Their footwear is sensible, and she's wearing capri's, but he's pretty much dressed for church in long pants with a belt. That can't be comfortable. Again, no helmets. Not a lot of serious biking, but a lot of bikers.

It Is Ground Hog's Day Here, Too

My house guest is off smacking tennis balls with his old coach, so today I rode alone. I waited too long to head out, so ended up riding in the heat of the day. Okay, so it was 'only' 80. But there was that 'noon day sun' thing that everyone except mad dogs and Englishmen avoid. The bush at the top of this photo may (or may not) be called a bottle brush shrub. Some experienced biker once told me that the first few months of the year are just for putting in some base miles -- no 'training' until after some base fitness has been acquired. I like that advice, so am currently trying to follow it. That having been said, here are some January results. I rode on 22 days during the month, with an average length ride of 12.4 miles. My total January miles were almost exactly the same as my total miles in November of last year. All but 21 of these miles were on the League, which is currently just 15 miles shy of 500 miles since I bought it last year. I feel like I've already gotten my money's worth out of it, which may be a good thing, since a spot of rust has shown up on the top tube. I may have to figure out something there before I head back north to face a Michigan spring. It's very sunny here today, so if there were any ground hogs out and about, there'd be 6 more weeks of winter.