| Page 22 Day 92 - Mon. 4-15-02 - mileage today 54.1 - climbed today 0 UNCLE SAM WANT'S YOU’RE MONEY The dreaded tax day. Myron and I hope all of you have a great day anyway. We had a grand time visiting with Patty and Richie we plum forgot about tax day until, we were on the road again. We cycled on a bike path today for about 30 some miles. It was really nice to be out of the busy traffic of hwy 19. We cycled thru quaint little towns like Dunedin and Clearwater. They are town right out of the early 1960's. I'm sure that if I looked hard enough, I would have seen Beaver. Oh, you’re terrible. I meant Beaver Cleaver, from the TV show (leave it to Beaver). Now I know who is who out there. We had a challenge out there ahead of us today. We had a bridge the (sunshine skyway bridge) to cross. Everybody told us that no bicycles are allowed. We called the toll authority and the highway patrol. Everybody said,” no way". We sat out front of a gas station at the foot of the bridge with a sign that read, "NEED RIDE OVER BRIDGE". We didn’t get any takers. So we called a cab. Jim Hendry our cab driver skillfully got all our equipment, bikes and us into his van, and delivered us on the other side safe and sound. As it turns out, the bridge would have been a beautiful bridge to cycle. We could have easily and safely cycled it. But, too many people commit suicide off the bridge. It is the bridge that 4 bungee jumpers got hurt off of when they were hooked together and the rope broke. Looking back we should have just gone for it. It was late about 9:30 we couldn't find camping so we stayed at the Days Inn in Bradenton, Fl. Day 93 - Tue. 4-16-02 - mileage today 50.9 - climbed today 0 NERVANA Shortly after setting out today we ran into a couple of local cyclist Cheryl and Ross out for a 30 mile early morning ride. We asked them if there was a bike trail that went to Fort Myers, They didn't know. But, they said they know who would know. They took us to Fletch at the (Bikesenjava) We found NERVANA Bikesenjava is just what it's name says. It is a bike shop and Coffee house. Myron and I both agree that it is our kind of place. The best part is that it isn’t just your typical chain store. It is a full service bike shop with professionals there to help you. Fletch was very friendly and helpful. In fact he changed our trip significantly. He suggested we ride down to Marco Island and take a ferry to Key West. That is all Myron had to hear, it was a done deal. After a few phone calls Fletch had us all the info we needed to get a ferry to Key West. You can find Bikesenjava at: 1936 Hillview St. Sarasota, Fl. 941-366-7702. Hey Fletch, how about a shop in Fremont, Ca. By the way, thank you for the coffee. Myron and I continued thru the area using a route that Fletch mapped out for us. We are now camped off of hwy. 41 and 777 North of Port Charlotte. Day 94 - wed. 4-17-02 - mileage today 61.5 - climbed today 0 From the junction of 277 and 41 to Fort Myers. We had a relatively uneventful day. We cycled and thats about it. I think I have mentioned to you that I started this trip overweight. I was 36% body fat and 212 lbs. I have reduced considerably, about 30 pounds and about 6 to 7 inches in the waste. I'm very fit and strong now. It was tough at first. I hurt badly with all that exercise and no training. The nice thing is that I haven't had to watch what I eat at all. Now however, I find I'm not loosing any more weight, in fact I'm gaining again. I could stand to loose 15 more pounds of body fat. I think I must start to watch what I eat. Myron says I've reached my set point. I say I sit too much, that’s the problem. Weight has always been a problem for me but I think I might be on to something with this cycling thing. I will concentrate on slowly limiting my caloric intake. I'll keep you informed. I have to be careful not to eat too little and get sick. I expend a lot of energy everyday! I would like to say to all of you who would like to loose a pound or two, exercise. Find something you like and do it, slowly. You don’t have to watch what you eat at first; just a little exercise does wonders. If I can do it, you surely can too. Summers on its way so, dust off that old bike and go for a ride. Or put on those tennis shoes and go for a walk. I'm not a runner so I can’t say go for a run. Truth is, I enjoy walking more than cycling. You can do it by yourself or, better yet get a friend to go with you. Day 95 - thurs 4-18-02 - mileage today 44.5 - climbed today 0 PINA COLATA Cheeseburgers in paradise. We are going to waste away in Margaretville. We are now on Marco Island just south of Naples, Fl. Tomorrow we will take a ferry to Key West. Just to set the record straight a ferry is a boat not a Key West resident. However we understand there are a lot of ferries on Key West. We had lunch at Roberto's Italian Grill in Naples, If you are ever in the area, it is a must stop, Be sure to say hi to Argon he will take good care of you. We are very happy to be off of hwy 41. It has been one of the worst roads we have been on so far. Myron mentioned how different one city is from the next as far as road engineering. We went thru some areas with very poor road planning. Not just for cyclist but also for cars too. Not only are they poorly engineered for moving traffic they are unsafe as well. We also went thru some very nice areas. The further south we rode the more upscale the communities became. There are large communities of ACTIVE ADULTS. We cycled past one large community and saw a shuffle board area. Myron said that if they had lawn bowling you would know for sure it was a retirement community. Just then we saw lawn bowling. Myron said, " Wow, they have all the extreme sports here". While in Naples we met SQUEEGEE DAN - I get the feeling he really cleans up. Dan cleans windows in the area. It was nice meeting you Dan. We thought we were going to have a hard time finding a place to sleep while on Marco, but it turned out to be one of the easiest places to camp. Everybody told us that Marco is a very exclusive area with 10 to 20 million-dollar homes everywhere. They dont want your kind there. On the contrary, we found it easy. We were told we could camp right at the marina. This is very convenient since we have to catch the ferry (boat) at 8:00am. We can’t wait to get to Key West. I have this vision of Jimmy Buffet, strumming his six string, on his front porch swing, or maybe Hemmingway sitting in a stupor at SLOPPY JOES penning his next novel. At any rate I cant wait. |
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