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| Lunch at Melbourne Beach Market |
February 1, 2015
We are back in Florida and enjoying warm weather. We left Maryland on January 2nd and had a boatload of problems getting down. Fortunately, we have good friends in Lady Lake, Florida and they put us up for 10 days or so while we bought a new truck and got the trailer ready to go. We finally pulled into our first chosen RV site on January 29th. It's a great site about 6.5 miles from the Suncoast Trail, a 42-mile paved trail that parallels the Suncoast Parkway, beginning in northern Hillsborough
County, and heads north through Pasco and Hernando counties.
We rode 15 miles today. I haven't been on a bicycle for about 3 months secondary to patellar tendinitis. The knees feel pretty good and I hope the inflammation is finally gone.
We rode 15 miles today. I haven't been on a bicycle for about 3 months secondary to patellar tendinitis. The knees feel pretty good and I hope the inflammation is finally gone.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
46 miles to Pine Island Beach, Spring Hill, FL. We didn't intend to bike so far, but we took a wrong turn and went an extra 10 miles. Bob says he gets 2 desserts tonight.
Wednesday, March 20, 2014
32 miles to Brookesville, FL on the Suncoast Trail. We stopped at a
darling restaurant for lunch. They had fabulous desserts. We had triple
chocolate bundt cake with ice cream and whipped cream. We ate it all
before I took a photo. Trust me, it was great. The place was packed so
we invited 2 bicyclists to join our table. Judy and David Miller from
Lansing, Michigan were fantastic. We had been looking for the
Withlacoochie State Trail. Judy and David decided they needed to give us
a tour. They drove us around and showed us the trailheads, restaurants
and bicycle shops. We exchanged information and I really hope we connect
with them again. Who knows, maybe we will join them on some of the
great rides they described in Lansing.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
34 miles to the north end of Pine Island and back with a side trip to visit Jena and her dad. We went up to Bokeelia. Not much there, but another beautiful, spectacular day. We stopped at the Tarpon Lodge for some blue crab and roasted corn chowder. Very tasty. We were just around the corner from Jena's dad, so stopped there to visit. We took a short ride to the pier to check on the ferry schedule to Captiva. Turns out they don't go there. Jena had wanted us to go to the Bubble Room. Apparently, they have great food and better desserts. The traffic is so bad, it won't be worth driving there. We'll have to make a trip down out of season when things are much calmer. Jena just got her bike yesterday, so we will try to get some more cycling in before we leave.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
18 miles bicycling around Pine Island. We stopped by a festival raising money for breast cancer care, the first annual auto show at the Moose Lodge and bought some Girl Scout Cookies. The weather is just so beautiful, 71 degrees, crystal blue skies and a light breeze.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
29 miles to Pine Island Realty about 6 miles from my destination. I thought that I would be able to make it before the storm hit. Alas that was not the case. The kind people at Pine Island Realty let me hang out on their porch until Bob picked me up. It's raining so hard now we can't see a thing. But it's not snow!
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
27 miles to the Edison-Ford Winter Estates. I didn't know Edison and Ford were such good friends. The grounds are spectacular and they had great adventures as well as worked on business ideas and inventions. Edison is the only American to have been granted a patent every year for 65 years.
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
40 miles to Sanibel Island and a ride through the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Riding over the causeway was beautiful. The refuge provides sanctuary for many species of wild animals, birds, and native vegetation. We saw American White Pelicans, which we had never seen before. The ride was serene and peaceful.
Florida law is very respectful of bicyclists. Someone told me the police ride with bicyclists and if a motorist doesn't provide a 3-foot berth, he/she will be ticketed. Kudos also to FL for having so many bicycling lanes/trails.
Sunday, March 2, 2014.
62 miles from Venice, FL to Ft. Myers, FL. It was a gorgeous ride although I thought I would have the wind with me. I had a really nice view in Punta Gorda for lunch. A couple of interesting things happened today. When I stopped to check directions, I saw a very large snake winding his way through a fence. I'm not afraid of snakes, but decided I wouldn't be napping under any trees today. When I got to the RV camp, I was really tired and sweaty. It's 83 degrees. I showered in the men's room by accident. No harm since there was a curtain and a frosted door. The gentleman shaving at the sink when I came out fully showered and dressed was a bit surprised!
Saturday, March 1, 2014
13 miles on the Venetian Waterway Park Trail that follows the Intracoastal Waterway. The Caspersen Beach Trailhead has a gorgeous view of the Gulf of Mexico. We took a short ride today, revisited the trailhead for the Legacy Trail, checked out the Art Fest in downtown Venice and had lunch at a local institution. Loved that they kept filling my root beer float. Usually there is too much ice cream and not enough root beer.
Friday, February 28, 2014
58 miles from the Venitian Waterway Park in Venice, FL to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, FL and back. It was a spectacular day for bicycling. High 60s, no humidity and not a cloud in the sky. We bicycled down the Legacy Trail which goes into Sarasota. We still had 16 miles to go after getting off the trail. We stopped at the cutest restaurant for lunch. In the small world category we saw the woman from the RV next to us as we entered. She was amazed that we had bicycled there. The Ringling Museum was fantastic. We could have spent many more hours there.
There was a guy riding his Elliptigo (an elliptical bike) on the trail. While speaking with him, he mentioned a 71-YO ex-marine is riding one across the country. That's a workout!
There was a guy riding his Elliptigo (an elliptical bike) on the trail. While speaking with him, he mentioned a 71-YO ex-marine is riding one across the country. That's a workout!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
27 miles from the RVcamp into Venice, FL. and back. Venice is a really cute town with lots of shops and restaurants. It was once the winter home of the Ringling Brothers Circus. We saw a live armadillo on our ride back. He was totally unaware we were there. I suppose that is the reason this is the first live armadillo I have ever seen on my bicycling trips.
Monday, February 24, 2014
31 miles from the KOA to Clearwater, FL and back. We rode down to Clearwater and met Donna and her family for lunch. We ate at Frenchy's Rockaway Grill On The Beach. The food was delicious and the beach very beautiful. Our first view of the Gulf of Mexico was on the bridge as we biked over to Clearwater.
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