Thirteen miles. That is how far I rode the Madwagon today. Roughly twelve miles more than I’ve ridden a bike in 39 years, the day I got a motorcycle. Early this morning I started off very cautiously since I did not want to overexert after such an interval. Y’day I noticed that I naturally took off at a good clip and was zipping past other people on their bicycles. I couldn’t be sure they knew something I didn’t.
No, they are just taking it easy or lazy, indistinguishable in Florida. That is not a joke, far too many people confuse relaxation with doing nothing. I went down 20th Street and found myself all the way at the office. Using the web, I determined I have a Utah Madwagon, a “traditionally built” steel bicycle. As opposed to Italian “unobtainium”. It is true retro, not a modern tin retro-look. It retails for $179, so I got a real bargain.
Anna O’Toole called and I biked over there to install some anti-virus programs. She plays everything by the book and bought a site license for her home business. This gave me some extra cash so I embarked on a search for the dorkiest bike bell in existence. I found cheaper ones, including one that you slipped your thumb off the clapper and it sprang back against the bell. Talk about cheap. No, I was after dorky and the winner (hands down already) was a classic chrome bell with an American flag on the cap.
Something new? Yes, I did not open the package but I think I saw a bike air horn. You know those liter size soda bottles? Apparently they hold 80 psi and the horn had a valve so you could charge one up with an ordinary bicycle pump. Then you strapped it into the water bottle harness and it supplied power for 50 loud blasts. I should have bought a basket while I was there but those suckers cost more than the bike.
Back home I got most of the yellow paint off the car and then pedaled over to Hallandale Beach. As usual, there was a single sailboat causing the drawbridge to rise and block traffic for a half mile in every direction. I truly do not know why they allow that, but then, I just discovered the city sidewalks around here haven’t been fixed in decades. My theory is that the major problem with town taxes is that they go into a common pool rather than segregated accounts where cause and effect is easy to see. As soon as public money goes into a pool, you see the rise of especially corrupt politicians.
The bike also gets me another half foot higher off the ground so the views are somewhat better. Thus I got a ton of new pictures today in areas that I had formerly gone over and missed. Bear in mind what you see here are not all the pictures or even the best pictures, but rather the few pictures that match the theme of what I normally blog about. The others exist, but are not always blog material. Let me go through the batch for today for something classic along the beach, a Florida afternoon seaside shot. One good thing about Florida, you never have to wait for a good day to ride.
The state has [finally] forbidden the removal or trampling of any beach plants. Thus the ocean is behind a large set of sand dunes that run parallel to 9/10ths of the beachfront. Oceanfront, beachfront and waterfront can be used loosely in Florida so buyer beware. There is an inland waterway that goes all the way to up past New York City that is salt water, gaining the strange name of “seafront”. The Trump Hotels are Oceanfront. You know, like Hawaii where you pay a premium to walk in the room, say “Wow, look at the view!” and never notice it again.
I stood atop one of the walkways built over the dunes and got some great scenery. I should point out to the guys who like bikinis that there was not one, not even one, single babe on the entire two miles of public beach I passed today. If you are looking for women, Florida is not a good bet. Unless you are not too fussy, but then anyplace will do so why pay Florida prices?
Ah, here is a nice one, framed by myself through the viewfinder of the famous $18 digital camera. This is not cropped, please notice the careful use of the rule of thirds and triangles (there are actually four major triangles, can you see the fourth?). The palms anchor the eye slightly to the right of center where you can actually see a huge white cruise boat on the horizon off Ft. Lauderdale. This view is to the north east from Hollywood Beach over the Atlantic Ocean. I can hear the crowd clamoring for more. Okay, already, here is another picture, since I’ve let a few days slip by with only one and my standard is two per blog.
The inland waterway is just a few hundred yards or so from the main beach. It is sheltered from the worst waves and surges and here is a shot of the walkway. It appears almost abandoned because you cannot see it from the main road, Ocean Drive. You kind of have to know it is there. It runs for around a half mile between Sheridan and Dania Beach Blvd along the east side of the waterway. Lots of expensive boats berth here at private docks. The triangle points straight at two of them in the distance.
One thing that would strike most people at first is how new the very oldest houses are along this beach. You can see the really nice ones were at some time a summer cottage on a little acreage between the dunes. All that has been changed by condo development and private homes can afford the taxes any more, but the “old” houses are rarely more than 40 years old. Also, rumor is that Hollywood does not adequately police the properties that are not occupied year round, forcing the long-term residents to sell out.
The bike ride also means exercise and that is not totally good for me. If I have time later, I’ll provide details of why moderate exercise is the only thing that works for me. Heavy exercise makes me famished and I wind up with a net gain of weight, which at my age is counterproductive no matter how you slice it. Before any lectures on dieting, let me point out that I eat around one egg and maybe three slices of bread per month, not per week, per month. I forgot what sugar tastes like over fifteen years ago. I drink one bottle of beer every three years. Anyone who seeks to explain my weight had better try some new theories because it is not my lifestyle.
