Thursday, June 28, 2007

Sunrise to Sunset

"wake up!" she seemed to scream at me in a familiar but somewhat annoying tone. I rolled over so i could see her face, she was glowing and this annoyed me. "I'ts too early" i grumbled, "5 more minutes" and I rolled back over and fell back to sleep. I must have done this a few more times, but I finally decided to give in. I reached out to touch her face as i sat up in bed, instead of puching the snooze button again this time I turned her alarm off. Me and my alarm clock have had this same love hate relationship for years. Well.. i was up early this morning for a reason, I was going to ride 35 miles to work on my bike.

This morning I rode from my appartment in St Pete to Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium in north Tampa. I left in time to catch the sunrise on my way across the Bayside bridge headed into Safety Harbor. By way of the Ream Wilson Trail (East West Trail) I paused to take a breather at the fountain by the pier at Safety Harbor Marina, one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the opportunity to live in. When I get married Safety Harbor Marina will be high on the list of possible locations.
I continued my ride up Phillipee Parkway and onto 580, Through Oldsmar and into Tampa, and eventually finding the Upper Tampa Bay Trail. The weather was warm and inviting and I was humming "zipidy doo dah" to myself as I peddaled between the trees alongside the Veterans Expressway. The ride was very enjoyable and I was happy to be on my bike, it was a very peaceful experience to be riding alone this morning on the trail. There were a few people here and there... a couple roller bladers, a few cyclists, maybe a walker or two... but to be alone with my thoughts, seperate from the chaos of traffic, noise and road rage, at least for the few short miles the trail provided me... it was enough to put a smile on my face. I was able to separate myself from the world. It was a great feeling.
On my way home from work I got one last shot of the sun going down coming across 580 on my way home. I had been dreading having to ride another 35 miles after working all day, but it really was refreshing. The sky in Florida is beautiful at sunset, brilliant shades of purple and pink and orange.. all painted like a mural across the sky.. and constantly evolving into another masterpiece for me to witness as if I were walking through some great painters gallery. I am very happy that I took the time to ride to work today. Aside from the accomplishment of having ridden 70 miles, aside from saving on gas and pollution, it has to be one of the better experiences any person can ever go through.
Side Note: after getting home I realized I had left my keys at work.

Note to self: Dont leave keys at work.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Flatwoods Park

Politics, parenting, elementary education, standardized testing, highschool drama, naked stage shows, psycho roller bladers, and serial killers. Early this morning I had one of the most intellegent and interesting conversations I have ever had. Oh yeah.. I went for a bike ride at Flatwoods Park in Tampa as well.
I rode with my new friend Rebecca, she is a reporter for the St. Pete times, a triathlete, and a damn decent cyclist. We rode for just about 35 miles on the 7 mile paved loop that circles its way through pine forest and cypress swamps in Flatwoods Park, part of the Wilderness Parks System in North Hillsborough County. The wilderness is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of riding in and amongst cars and buildings in the city.
Our conversation kept me on my toes as did the riding, the pace was a nice clip and I was starting to regret the few extra beers I had last night. The touring tires that I had on my Trucker were feeling a bit sticky and heavy... maybe it was in my head... uhm... maybe. I had a fun ride though the woods today though Rebecca burned me out by the final sprint to the parking lot... oh sure... you can give me hell for being beat by a girl. Try riding with her.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

ridicUlous BicyCle build

I had to post this... This bike was built and sold to a man in Tampa by a local shop. I cannot believe this passed through the build process, which typically requires two mechanics, one for the initial build, and another for a second check over and a test ride... and then sat on the sales floor, and was sold to a customer by a shop employee... and if that weren't bad enough! The man had brought the bike back TWICE to be serviced(according to him) by the shop where he purchased the bike, before later bringing it to our shop. The front fork is on backwards! C'mon People! Take some pride in your jobs!!! This is the most rediculous thing I have ever seen. I cannot disclose the name of the university area shop, but I wouldnt want these guys working on MY bike.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

My New Bags!

New goodies! though I have actually had them for a week I just had the chance to take some pictures. I got my Arkel panniers in the shop last week and they are sweet! They are a little wrinkly from shipping but with a little use they will fill out... The rear bags are Arkel GT-54s and the fronts are Arkel T-28s. These things are huge, have tons of room for anything and they are very good looking. I took this pic with the flash so you can really see how the reflective strips glow... safety first! This shot also shows my new Planet Bike Cascadia Fenders. What you cant see is the new Surly Nice Rack rear rack. The nice racks are truely marvelous. Twice as sturdy as the Trek rack I was using, also twice as heavy, but whos counting wieght? :) I am truely ready for some serious touring. My Brother will be spending the next 2 months in the Phillipines so it will be a while before we can really plan a big trip. I do plan on taking Caleb on an over nighter soon though. I want to try to plan something on a free invitation to try to get more people to go with us, I will try to post something here or even see if we can sponsor it through the shop.
Just a side note.. this shot was taken in my new appartment here in beautiful St. Pete! Me and Caleb are loving it here. It is a wonderful place and the location is very central to all of Tampa Bay. That makes it Easier to get to just about anywhere(by bike or otherwise)

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Pinellas Trail with Jackie

My friend Jackie is in town getting married this weekend so we took advantage of my day off on monday to get in a ride on the Pinellas Trail. We rode from my buddy Mitch's house in Largo to the Seminole trail head and headed south. We rode from there strait down to the end at US19 in St. Pete in what seemed like no time at all. We stopped by Gulfport Beach along our way back and soaked in the view of the water and the sun. We had a few inriguing conversations along the way about life, parenting, and of course mariage. In all all we rode about 40 miles. Lunch was had at a Quizno's in the Publix plaza near Tyrone Mall. I wanted to eat out at the beach, but it seemed everything was closed.
I actually got to test out my new Arkel handlebar bag during this ride as well. Having my camera within close reach was very handy... however next time i will try not to keep so much stuff in the HB bag. I carried tools, tubes, a wallet, my phone, my camera, a towel, and a few non-essentials. The bike felt heavy at the front end.

I had a flat while I was out, luckily I had a co2 pump with me because my frame pump really stinks. I also realized that a nail clipper can double as a tire lever. Next time Caleb and I take a trip I will be this much more prepared.

Note to self: need better frame pump, or more CO2 cartridges.