What's After Work?

  Nice day for a ride. Fall has finally come to Safety Harbor. Got out this morning and it was a brisk 67 degrees almost chilly. It was an amazing change in the weather from a few days ago when Hurricane Ian was heading our way.  I had tried to ride everyday this month and almost made it till the end. I had to take two days, one getting the house ready for the storm. Moving potted plants and outside furniture on Tuesday so that the wind would not take them airborne. Then a day waiting for the storm to pass on Wednesday.  We got very lucky and the storm passed to the south of us and we only had small branches and leaves to clean up .  I have enjoyed riding this month and I think my teammates have also. I do hope that they will ride next year and maybe a few more will join us.  So until next year. Keep on Riding Chan

Got a ride in today. I rode about 12 miles and got a chance to see the results of hurricane Ian. We were very lucky and were missed by hurricane Ian. It passed to the south of us so the wind had the opposite effect of what I expected. The wind blew the water out of the bay rather than pushing water into the bay. The news said that the water level was over 7 feet below what they expected it to be. In the video and the picture you can see the floor of the bay that is normally under several feet of water.  It was still very windy today on my ride today.

  Morning ride today before the weather turns for the worse. This may be my last ride for a few days now. Jan and I have moved a little north to Jan's sister Patty's house. Our house is just at the edge of an evacuation zone so we thought it would be a good idea to get out while we could.  I am interested in seeing how the Causeway fairs from hurricane Ian.  Hopefully the new little Mangroves have had enough time to set their roots and will not get washed away. I'll see in a few days how they did.  I'm at 313 miles for the month. Not too shabby a number for an old guy like me.

 Today I took a break from riding. I guess having the pressure of finishing all the miles off my shoulders let me feel okay about not riding. I also had to spend the day getting the house ready for Ian's visit later this week. I'll get out and ride tomorrow.  

Top of the Bridge Big ride today. 20 miles, up and over the big bridge. I needed to get the miles in because there is a hurricane heading my way. I don't mind riding in the rain but during a hurricane it is my limit.  I'll keep riding this month as long as I can, Right now I have ridden 302 miles but even more amazing is that you have donated to the Children's Cancer Research Fund $1741.88! And the team that I am on "Riding is Bliss" has raised $8,098.42.   Thank you for your support. Looking at the map I'm guessing that riding Thursday is out and maybe even Wednesday. I'll just have to wait and see.

 Riding in Florida I see a lot of flora and fauna. One thing there are a lot of in Florida is palm trees. I decided on today's ride to count the number of different palms I see. I started this count on my way back home.  Cabbage Palm The first palm I saw was the sabal palm or cabbage palm which is also the State tree for the State of Florida. There are a lot of these palms around. These palms have been planted to line the Causeway where I ride and grow wild in the marsh areas on the north end of the bay. Mexican Fan Palm The next palm I saw was the Mexican Fan palm . There is one sticking up in the picture of the Sabal palm. They look similar to the Sabal and till now I thought they were the same, only taller. But upon closer inspection there are some differences in the palm fronds and the base. Did not know this till today. Date Palm The third palm I saw today was a date palm . Or as the horticulturist call it the  Phoenix dactylifera  , Growing up we had one of these in our yar

 Today's ride was for the birds. Well ospreys to be exact. The sky was blue with very few clouds and a very slight breeze. Apparently this is the kind of weather that ospreys like to fish in. There were quite a few sitting on the lights with fish and even more flying with fish in the talons. I even saw a bald eagle chasing an osprey trying to take their fish.  Good day to ride and with today's ride I have passed 266 miles for the month. And I still have 8 days to go.  https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/ChanBliss

 Gnats!

  238.7 Once again my riding math is wrong. I wanted to end the ride at exactly 240. But when I made it home and got off the bike and stopped the program I was a little short. Oh well I'll try for 250 tomorrow.  But speaking of records have you checked the team page of Riding is Bliss? As a team we are doing great. The 6 of us have ridden 682.4 miles as of this evening. We have raised for the Children's Cancer Research Fund $7849.30. That is an amazing number.  But as you can see from my post I have a problem with odd uneven numbers. So I'm asking for your help rounding up this number to a nice comfortable $8000.  My page is  https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/ChanBliss Just hit "Donate Now". or you can give to other members of the team; Patty Whitehouse  https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/PattyWhitehouse1 Tom Tarvin  https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/TomTarvin1 My sister Palmer Ann Bliss  https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/PalmerAnnBliss Vincent

 Short ride today but with it I have completed 3/4 of the 300 miles I challenged myself to ride this month. I also with your help have surpassed the monetary challenge I made for me and you. Thank you all for that.   If you are still thinking about giving to this cause here is the link , go there and click "Donate Now".  https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/ChanBliss

 You may have noticed that I ride out on the Courtney Campbell Causeway a lot. Today is no different.   As I was riding I got to thinking that I hadn't seen any dolphins lately. I thought that maybe it had been too hot. Heaven knows that I have heard that complaint from many around me so why not Flipper too. So I stopped at the bridge and tried to spot some.  So I spent a few moments gazing out on the bay. Then far off in the distance I saw something break the surface. Was it a fin?  I kept watching and saw it again, closer. It was dolphins swimming toward the bridge. By the time they came closer I had my phone out and captured a video.  The photo above shows all the jet skies on the beach I talked about in the video.  

  I took a slow ride today. I was trying to keep my heart rate around  110 to 120. Why you ask? Just because. I try to mix things up a bit on my rides. Still had a decent time.  There was also more about the ride but that is in the photo and video below.

 Passed 200 miles for the month today! And I didn't get wet.  Rode over toward Oldsmar and then back around downtown Safety Harbor. It was a nice ride, lots of interesting homes back along the bay in Oldsmar. I hadn't ridden there in quite a while. The county was working on sewer pipes or something that they had to dig up big sections of the sidewalk.  Philippe Parkway is very narrow there with little or no bike lane so I ride the sidewalk there. With that gone I just didn't feel comfortable riding that route. But I noticed the  other day that the equipment was gone so I decided to give it a try.

 More on the mangroves.  I've been trying to spot some of the many mangrove seeds I've seen floating around taking root. I thought I had found some the other day and figured I would keep an eye on them. There were a bunch of seeds stuck in the oysters growing on the ricrac lining the causeway. As you can see in the picture they are mostly pointing up with the leaf end up. Well today they were all gone, washed away. But I did find one that seems to have taken root in a hole in one of the rocks. I'm going to keep checking on it and see how it does. 

  Not quite halfway through the month and I have more that half my miles ridden. But even better my friends and family have given over $1500 dollars to help fight childhood cancer. As a team "Riding is Bliss" we have raised over $6000! That is just amazing to me. I am so proud of all the riders on our team and thankful that we have such generous people in our lives.  I started my ride today in Philippe Park .  While there I found these bags of oyster shells. I think that the shells are used on the parking spaces near the shore. I also thought they would be a good backdrop to take a picture of my bike leaning on them for a Facebook group I belong to called "Look At My Bike Leaning Against Stuff" It's just as it sounds.  I started my ride today a little later because on Wednesday I volunteer at the Feast Food Pantry . Unfortunately we have been very busy but fortunately there have been many individuals and organization stepping up to help and donate food for the h

150 miles so far this month!  I passed the halfway mark today in my Great Cycle Challenge. This year's ride has been great. I've raised a bunch of money to help cure childhood cancer. I've created a team to ride with and had family and friends join me in this years ride. Overall a great challenge this year. Tomorrow September 14th is  KICK CANCER'S BUTT DAY  Donations made online tomorrow will be matched, so double your gift!  Just go to  https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/ChanBliss and click "Donate Now"

  Today was nice and I went for a nice long ride. To the top of the bridge and back, about 20 miles. This puts me in striking distance of completing half my miles well before the 15th of the month. That was my goal cause you never know what's gonna happen.  I got to talk to some ospreys today. I whistled at them and they called back. Typically I have to call three times. The first whistle they will stop what they are doing, the second they look around and the third they call back with kind of a quizzical reply. Kind of like "I hear you but don't see you".  Or that's what I imagine.  Even though the news predicted an 80% chance of rain today as you can see this morning the skies are nice and clear. I'm sure that this afternoon will make up for it, rain wise.  And finally, remember this Wednesday the 14th is "Kick Cancer's Butt Day!" Your online donation will be doubled. So if you are planning on contributing to this great cause Wednesday is your d

  Sunday is a busy day for me. I start off before church cooling pancakes and bacon for Jan and I. It's kind of a tradition. But with that tradition comes the fact that I can't ride on the morning on Sunday. The after breakfast its Church. So on Sunday I can't ride till the afternoon.  Today I started my ride at about noon. The weather was changing. But It was still sunny with only a few clouds. I was hoping to make it 10 miles before it rained. By the time I made it out to the causeway the weather was turning. I got to the 5 mile mark and started to turn around when the skies opened up.  It was pouring! I was getting soaked. I discovered a flaw in the design of my bike shorts.  My shorts are made of spandex with a synthetic chamois in the "saddle" area. Rain was running down my shirt, through my pants and puddling in my "saddle" area. Not the most comfortable way to ride, especially when the rain is cold. I think the bike short designers should add a fe

The route that I normally ride is home to many wild growing mangroves. While there  are 4 different kind of mangroves the predominate type are the red and black mangroves. These two are interesting because their seeds are known as propagules. Propagule seeds start to sprout while they are still attached to the mother plant. This is an adaptation that gives them a head start because they will be dropping into a harsh intertidal area to begin their life.  Mangroves produce a lot of seeds and I can see hundreds of them washed up on the shore when I ride. I even see them growing from between the rocks of the riprap lining the edge of the causeway.  In the picture above there are a bunch of red mangroves that someone sprouted and planted out on the causeway. I have several red mangroves growing at home that I brought back after a bike ride out on the causeway. Yesterday I found some black mangrove seeds that I'm going to try and grow too.  While I was out riding today I also met Henry.

  I'm riding in the morning cause the afternoon looks like rain. Today I stopped at Coopers Bayou Park to relax and take a video.  This is a nice park with a lake and sidewalks. It is about 3 miles from my house so by the time I get there is is time for a water break. My ride and fund raising is going very well. If you are still thinking about making a donation wait until Wednesday September the 14th and your donation online will be doubled! Great way to make your money count. For those who have misplaced the link to my page here is is https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/ChanBliss Go there and click "Donate Now" but wait till Wednesday to really make it count. (I'll remind you again 😁) I've had some comments about my story yesterday and "leaving a bro hanging". Let me assure you that when I ride by all three in the car were fine. Sitting nice and dry in their car and one was on the phone.  I was outside in the rain cold and wet.  The way the car was

I should have ridden earlier today. Jan got up bright and early today and went for a nice dry ride. I checked the weather and it indicated that after a little rain around noon the weather would clear around 4. The app was wrong.   I guess I should be thankful because last year I had to start off the GCC in the rain, a hard rain for several days. I'll get up earlier tomorrow if it looks like there may be rain. Lesson learned. That was most of what I planned on writing about today till I was halfway through my ride. As you may have figured out  by now I like to ride out on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. I usually ride out to the small bridge about a mile and  half out on the causeway. There I saw a car. That was not normal. Most of the traffic I see on the trail are on bikes, skates, or sneakers.   Occasionally I see a mower or a pick-up gathering up the trash. I have NEVER seen a car, a grey Toyota Corolla. Three people were sitting in the car which had one wheel off the trail and

  I had an appointment today at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston Florida. So after a 5 hour drive back I had to start my ride after dusk had fallen. As you can see from the picture above there was a storm brewing across the bay so I decided on doing a short ride.  It is nice riding out in the evening. It's a little cooler, the bugs aren't too bad and the people seem to be more polite. I also get to see bats flitting around along the Bayshore.  Overall a nice way to end the day.

 Day 6 and I'm noticing that I need to give my bike a little tune-up.  I rode again with Jan and she went the entire ten miles. Very proud of her commitment to riding with me on this challenge. We took my normal route down through Safety Harbor and out on the Causeway. It's a nice ride and we sat for a while out on the Causeway watching the traffic and listening to the waves.  Now about my bike. My chain is getting a little loose. It has well over a 1000 miles on it from last year when I changed the chain. So I will be getting my hands all greasy and black. But the new chain will be shiny and new. I've seen some that look like they have been chromed. That would look good on my bike.

Started the day off a little differently. I rode through Phillipe Park to start my ride. This adds about 2 miles if I ride to my normal turn-around point on the Courtney Campbell Causeway trail.  While I rode out on the Causeway I came across the remains of an auto accident. The Causeway isn't that difficult to drive on. Where I ride is two lanes and straight with only two intersections with traffic lights. That section is about 8 miles. I am amazed at how many accidents happen in this very easy to drive road. Fortunately most of where I ride is trails or sidewalks, I ride in the street with cars very little of the way.  But here on the causeway I found where an accident happened that would have affected riders and walkers on the trail.  The car did not break through the guardrails but a whole bunch of debris from the car was scattered past the guardrail, I found one fairly large piece of plastic about 200 yards from the accident spot. So the cars must have been going very fast. Th

  Had a good ride today with 2 other GCC riders and a cheerleader.  I rode with Vincent Stippler , Patty Whitehouse and my very supportive wife Jan.  We met up at Patty's house for the ride. Patty rode with us about 2 miles, Jan about 5 and Vincent and I went 11 miles. All of us are doing great and I'm sure will ride our individual challenge distance.  With how well we are all doing I believe we will all surpass these distances this month.  Both Jan and Tim Stippler (who took the picture) have stated that they will ride in the challenge next year, so the team will be growing.   We are all still accepting donations to our Great Cycle Challenge fund raiser and here is a link to mine .

  https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/ChanBliss Another morning ride with Jan. Today she went the entire ride with me, A little complaining on the hill part (yes that is a singular hill) . But she rode like a champ on the rest of our route. We did get to see some wildlife on our ride today. There was an osprey out on the Causeway having a fish breakfast on top of a light pole and a little baby alligator in one of the drainage ditches we ride by on Bayshore drive. 

Got a few more miles in today. Jan and I drove up to Patty's house to start our rides today. Patty has a nice neighborhood to ride in. Lots of tree lined streets and not a lot of traffic. Patty has challenged herself to ride 50 miles this month which is really ambitious and I'm very proud  that she has taken on this challenge and I believe she will make this goal.  Jan rode with us and even though I couldn't talk her into signing up for the Great Cycle Challenge. Jan told me that she will try and ride with me most days. So maybe next year she will sign up. I know she could do it. Today for my solo ride I rode the Pinellas  Trail from Patty's house to mine, about 12 miles. This is now a nice ride because the county has completed construction of the trail all the way from my house to Patty's . It was a good ride and gave me about 20 miles total today. That puts me well on the way to completing my goal for the month. https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/ChanBliss

  I have been preparing for this day for several months. The beginning of riding 300 miles in 30 days. And as I planned I rode about 10 miles. If I keep that up the math will work out. That will be an achievement I will be proud of. To donate to my ride click here . But I have accomplished another goal already. Last year I announced that I would be creating a team of riders and recruiting friends and family to be on it. To my delight 5 have stepped up and accepted the challenge. Together we hope to raise over $5000 to fight childhood cancer.  Palmer Ann Bliss (sister) rode in the Great Cycle Challenge last year and is riding again this year. She plans on riding 200 miles around the scenic island of Saint Simon's Island, Georgia. She has almost reached her goal of $800! My sister-in-law Patty Whitehouse   has set a goal of 50 miles in the month as well as raising $1500 for the kids. My brother-in-law Tom Tarvin is also raising $1500 and will be riding 200 miles in September. My ne