Biking St Pete Beach

Back
to
Florida!

It's January 21
and
I aim
to bike
70 miles today!

I need to train
for the
Death Valley Century
in February.

I know,
Florida
and Death Valley
seem
worlds apart...

...but
they're both
better than
Indiana
for biking
right now.

My St Petersburg day
starts out
cool and foggy...

Birds
overhead...

Birds
on the
water...

Of course!

We're on the
Great Florida
Birding Trail...

...and
I'm biking
to see birds!

Heading
down south
to Fort DeSoto...

...enjoying
glimpses
of the Gulf
along the road...

...a bald eagle
nest
hangs
off in the treetops.

Suddenly,

GRRRRnnnnck...

and my bike
grinds to a halt.

My brake pads
clamp to the wheel -

making
forward motion
all but impossible!

I'm seven miles out
and no husband
around to rescue me!

No Allen wrench
with my
rental bike...

What
do
I do?


Hail
these
fishermen?

Hitch
a ride?

Luckily,
a nearby landscaper guy
is a former triathlete...

...with an
Allen wrench!


Despite his expertise

(and rugged good looks)

we end up
just unhooking
my brakes
and I bike on...

Brakeless!

Luckily
there aren't many
major hills
in St Petersburg.

I reach
the beach
still misty with
the morning...

...a lone
family
wanders
the sand...

Sea oats
soosh
in the salty breeze.

I stop in
for a snack

but the canteen
is closed.

At the North Beach
I find
a crowd...

Ministerial
storks

now in danger
of extinction.

Too many
nesting sites...

now
subdivisions.

I bump
into a lone
photographer,
Theron...













- Have you been
to the cemetery?
he asks.

- There's a great
bald eagle nest
there...

Eggs ready
to hatch!

I jot down
directions
to the cemetery

and head back out
to finish my miles.

Omigosh!

It's almost noon

and I've only gone
15 miles!


I'll get
a move on...

...as soon
as I grab
a picture
of the cactus...

(in Florida?)

...and the
sea grape...

...and
the
beach
flower.

Watching
the pelicans
soar
beneath
the bridge...

...and the battle

Whose fish
is this?








A drawbridge?




Don't they
know
I'm
in a hurry?

Pretty scary
how frayed
the cables are...

Finally
I make it
to St Pete's Beach.

Only
in Florida
could they
have a hotel
so pink.

I don't like
Gulf Stream Drive.

Too crowded
for my
biking taste.

I need
to find
my way out
to this
Pinellas Trail.

Back
over
a green rimmed
bridge...

Love
the curly
rails....

When my road runs out
I just follow
the old
Dan Henrys.

This
is a
good sign!

There's my trail!

But how
do I
get up there?

Hmmmm.

Hey!

These bridges
are pretty cool!

Everyone
uses them!

And they take you
right over
the busy roads!

Finally!

A bike shop!


not too
fancy looking...

But James Dean,
proprietor,
is way cool!

While I
peruse
fat tire
bikes...

...and
ape-hanger
handlebars...

...he fixes
my brakes
for free!

Now I'm
on my way!

But
look
at the time!

The sun sets
at 6:01
and I have
no idea
how to get back
to my hotel!

And the guy
at the bike shop
told me South St Pete
is a rough area of town!

Biking fast...

Kinda scared...

Hey, these
solar powered
cross walks
are cool!

This is a poor area.

How can they
afford
all these
expensive
trail amenities?

I watch
a drunken young man
in the cemetery
crash his empty bottle
against the tombstones.

A biker
on the trail
drinks beer
as he bikes.

It's
getting
dark...

I'm
biking
as fast as
I can...

The
streetlights
blink on...

What happens
if my sidewalk
runs out?

Can I ask
for help
at the
retirement
home?

7-11!

Where
is my hotel?

Am I close?

One more
block south...

Turn
left
on
Sunshine
Skyway...

I can
see it!

My hotel!

I've only
gone
44 miles...

But
at least...





I survived...