What's After Work?

  It is year nine of the Great Cycle Challenge and I am finishing up my training for that ride out on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. I look forward to this ride each year with both excitement and a little trepidation. I am trying to raise $2500 this year as well as ride 300 miles in the month of September, and we're not getting any younger.  I still have not gotten a new bike, this one has got me this for and I think it has another GCC ride in it. So keep a lookout  for my posts about the ride on Facebook, Twitter oops X, and my Great Cycle Challenge site.

  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

 This is another twofer joy day.  Yesterday while out riding I built another of many carin on the causeway. When we moved to Safety Harbor I began building these when I rode out on the causeway to mark the halfway point of my ride. I kinda got away from it for a while but decided to bring it back. I enjoy building them and the process of getting the rocks to balance as high as possible. Sometimes it takes a few tries, this one took two tries. I also like the primitive feel of the rocks and looking at them with the bay behind. I imagine how the  Rapa Nui felt  looking at their Moai. Today I found out on my ride the final resting place of shopping carts. a few weeks ago there was only one. Now there are several including some electric riding carts. I'n wondering how long they will stay there.

 Out riding my bike today and stopped at one of my favorite spots out on the Causeway. It is usually shady and has some nice rocks to sit on. The view is nice with a kinda tropical island feel. If you ignore the cars racing by behind you.

I was out today on the Courtney Campbell Causeway for a ride today and noticed something new. Just past the beach on the Clearwater side I found a big planting of mangroves down near the beach. There must have been a hundred little mangroves planted in neat rows.  Some of them had washed out of where they had been planted with the time. Next time I ride I'll bring a small shovel to replant them.

 I really like riding my bike.  I do it most every day, when the weather is nice or not. Today was a particularly sunny day and there was a slight breeze. I usually ride out to the causeway because I can look out over the water.  Today the little ripples in the water and the sun caused the water to sparkle right at me.  It makes me happy to see that.

  For the past 5 years I have ridden in June to raise money to  support of research to develop better treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer. This year because of Covid 19 it was moved to September. I began the month with the challenge of raising $500 and riding 250 miles. I'm still trying to ride 250 miles but because of my having very generous family and friends I have raised more than $1500. That is just  amazing. One of the other challenges I gave myself is to document each ride and share that with my friends, family and other Great Cycle Challenge riders. What follows is each of those posts that I placed on the GCC site. I started posting before September, kind of a prequel to the ride.

 September is a very exciting month for me. I will be participation again in the Great Cycle Challenge to help prevent childhood cancer. It is a bike ride and a fundraiser. This is the 6th year I have done this month long ride. I started after I had my heart surgery looking for ways to motivate my exercise and I just kept with it. In that time I have raised over $2000.00 and ridden over 1200 miles just in that one month. Usually the ride is in June but this year it was pushed back to September because of Covid 19.  Because of that extra time my friends have donated $860.00 to this cause. Maybe having a few extra months was a good thing. I'm going to try and post an update on my ride each day on either Facebook or on the Great Cycle Challenge webpage .  Below is a video that I created on my first ride that I started one minute into September. 

Between March 21 and May 4th the beach on the Courtney Campbell Causeway was closed to the public. During that time I photographed the beach each day I rode my bike out there. I noticed some subtle changes on the beach.  The tire tracks and foot prints started to fade and there was much less trash. I also noticed that the birds were appearing on the beach. Not just a few seagulls but whole flocks of seabirds.  High-tide lines of seaweed also could be seen and the water appeared less cloudy.  Overall the beach quickly returned to a more natural state.  I had hoped that when the beach was reopened that they would limit the number of vehicles on the beach to fewer that had been allowed before Covid 19, that does not appear to be the case but they are limiting to just the number of spaces. 42 and no more closing off the entrance to the beach when that number is reached.  I wish that a parking lot could be built to move parking off the beach and a launch...

The days are starting to run together. Each day is almost the same. Ride my bike, watch some TV, discuss the state of the world with my quarantine partner Jan. Monday I mixed it up a little by going out to Walmart to have my by-monthly blood test for one of my ailments. Fortunately it was not a fasting test so I went later in the day and there was no crowd. This was the first time I had gone out except for my bike rides in 3 weeks. I'm really getting goods with this social distancing. Jan doesn't think I should be enjoying it this much. So I went to the Quest in the Walmart near our home. I wore my homemade mask and took anti-bacterial wipes with me. I used the wipes to wipe the door handle, key pad that I signed in on, and the armrests of the chair I sat in. As I sat there waiting to get stuck my mind started to wander, as it often does. I thought about all the people I has seen in the parking lot and in the store wearing masks. I wondered what would happen now if I went ...

We are starting to fall into a routine during our time of  social distancing. The one thing I try to do each day is to go on a bike ride. In the past I usually went out in the afternoon. It use to be after work and I don't mind the heat. But as of late the ride is getting really crowded. Everyone staying home from work or school and I guess by the afternoon they need to get out. I'm seeing lots of new bikes and walking shoes out there. It is good  that people are getting out for some fresh air and exercise. But they kinda crowd up the trail that I usually take. It is hard to keep my distance and pace when ya go three bikes side by side riding slow and talking. I ring my bell and begrudgingly they will move to single file so I can ride by. So today I got up early to ride in the morning. Not a fan, I would rather sleep in. But I went out at about 7:45, after the sun was up. It was nice. Not a lot of people and not much wind. Both good things. It is still strange riding out on...