Florida Day 6 January 27

At the pizza party last night Rich A, and Bob F asked me if I was going to do the long route ride today - 74 miler. That was the one I wanted to do so they said they were going to leave at 7:30 AM and get a head start. Good thing we did. When we got down to Rotunda and were to turn onto Boundary Rd road crews there said our road was closed. That presented a problem. We took out the maps and found another way and got over to Rotunda Circle. We were about an hour ahead of some of the other people so I used the cell phone and called back to warn them that our roads were closed. So they headed down Placita SR 775 instead. We rode over the Boca Grande Causeway and continued on down to the end of the island. There is a nice bike lane/path there too. A lighthouse is at the tip - end of the line. The three of us wanted to eat and head back but the South Beach Restaurant that everyone was to meet at didn't open until 11:30. We waited around over a half hour and ended up eating with everyone. Paul had taken the long route too with another group, and Toni sagged out to Punta Gorda/causeway with some of the riders who just wanted to ride around on the island. Paul and Toni joined us on the return route. Today's route was pretty much the same roads as yesterday. And familiarity does make for a faster pace. With the detouring and some wrong directions from a local that got us lost one time, I ended up with 77.5 miles for the day. It was more windy today, but still the weather is perfect bike riding weather. This has been such a grand tour of this area! This whole week has been the best - there have been enough options for each day that every level of rider has enjoyed themselves to the max.

For dinner this evening we are going to go as a group downtown Venice to TJ Carney's Irish Pup on Venice Avenue, the historical district of Venice. There will be music and merriment as we celebrate this good week with friends of the Stark County Bike Club. A few are leaving tomorrow right after a short 33 mile ride, others are staying on until Sunday. I'm going to have to pick up the revised cue sheet for tomorrow's ride. They came up with a new ride that took in some favorite sights and some new views also. Staying here at the Veranda Inn has been, I think, ideal. There have been so many places we have ridden to, and the best part is we didn't have to pack up our luggage for the whole week! I am most definitely more impressed with Florida this trip. The only other time I've been to Florida was in 2004 for Bike Florida. Bike Florida is an invitational ride done each year that attracts several hundred cyclist. That time I did the week-long event we started in Gainesville, FL and biked and camped our way for a loop ride out and back from Cedar Keys on the Gulf. But it was so rural, and so much seemed so run down every where, and so much of the same. I've like being around more water and the lushness of everything has been a treat to see.

I took very few pictures on the actual ride part of the day today. I was trying to clip along at a steady pace the whole time, and didn't stop to take photos.

Photos:

Bob F and Rich A on Boca Grande - near Punta Gorda. Pelican birds can be seen roosting on the pier, along with some fishing boats out there.

Wind-blown riders. Bob F, Sara S, and Rich A.

Back

Home