A Deluxe Day at the Beach

Tuesday Jan. 31

Today, I decide to spend a deluxe day at the Fort Myers Beach. I say "deluxe" because I decide to ride my bike all the way there and back, which is 9.3 miles each way, including the quarter mile San Carlos Boulevard bridge over to the key which has about a 10% grade going up before it reaches the middle. This is will be a major undertaking.

To add even a little more "deluxe," Carol calls me in the morning as I'm finishing breakfast and asks what I'm doing that day. I tell her about the beach, and she asks if she can join me, and I say sure, and we agree to meet at Pete's Time Out by the pier at around noon for lunch.

I head out around 11 a.m., figuring about an hour to get to the beach. I head southwest on McGregor Blvd. which eventually turns into San Carlos which takes you to the beach. It's very level, but McGregor is a busy main highway with many intersections, and even though you're up on the sidewalk, you are very close to the traffic and of course have to contend with all the driveways to homes and businesses, many of them "blind" so you do have to be careful. There is an alternate route of taking Sumerlin Ave. to San Carlos, and I may try that next time.

Anyway, I get over to the island and lash my bike to a palm tree not 50 feet from Pete's, and find a table and sit down and order a beer at about 12:10. Not bad timing, especially since I "walked" the bike over the San Carlos bridge in the pedestrian lane. Carol calls me in about 10 minutes on my cell and says she's on the island, but hasn't found a parking place yet.

She finally arrives about 12:45 and order a Bud, and I have another, along with a basket of deep fried Langostinos which is a featured appetizer today. We both order a grilled Mahi sandwich with fries and have a very nice lunch along with another Bud for each of us. That makes Bruce 3, Carol 2. We finish, then take a nice walk along the beach, and the pier, and finish up with a small vanilla cone at the Dairy Queen, which Carol says has been there forever.

It's getting on 3:30, and we must part because I have a 9.3 mile ride back. I decide to tackle the San Carlos bridge in the traffic lane. This is a bit of a gamble, because once you commit, you are not supposed to stop in the traffic lane. I supposed you hop over the barricade to the pedestrian lane and then lift your bike over, but how embarrassing would that be? So I decide to try it, and it just about did me in making it to the top of the bridge, pumping those bike pedals with all my might while standing up on the bike. But I made it, and I'm proud of myself. I don't think I've been in this good of shape in years. When I reach the other side, I cross over to the sidewalk and stop the bike and get off and catch my breath. By the time I finally get back to the condo, I am exhausted, sweaty, and sunburned. I hop into the shower for a nice long soak, and do myself up with Aloe gel afterward. I lay down on the couch in the living room and fall asleep.

I later get up, have a light supper, then head to bed. It's been a great day.

There is also another option to get to the beach. I can ride my bike as far as Sumerlin Square, which is a shopping center, then ride a trolley for 50 cents each way. The trolley runs about every 40 minutes, and it has a bike rack on the front to carry my bike. That will cut a couple of miles in each direction and solve the issue of getting over the bridge. We'll see if that might work out and be a fun alternative. The trolley takes you all the way to the end of the beach, which is called "Lovers Key State Park" which is another nice destination and possible biking area.

Expenses today: Lunch $40.

Bruce