Monday, January 28, 2008

laughably unrealistic

friday i played hooky from work. i took care of some smalle things around the house in the morning and some time in the afternoon i took my new 1x1 out for the maiden voyage. it was a blast.

i went home and made some minore adjustments for saturdays ride.

saturday morning it was raining so i put off going to the woods until around eleven or so, when it looked like it was clearing up a bit. then about a quarter of the way into my loop it started a constant drizzle that would continue for the rest of the day. it was a little chilly and damp, but it was still a blast.

saturday night i got all of my things packed up and ready to head out to ft. pickens sunday morning. dj and tom were supposed to join me for the ride in the morning. i drank a bunch of water saturday to hydrate and i ate fairly well, i think.

sunday morning it was kind of gray and overcast. it was also a little windy and cool. i think when i left the house around 7:40 it said it was about 45 or 46. tom had called and cancelled sunday morning and dj never showed up at the time and place we were supposed to be meeting so i was flying solo.

no big deal. it was a cold, uneventful ride out to the beach. i stopped at the convenient store next to peg leg pete's and picked up two foster's oil cans and a cream cheese bear claw. after the beers were packed up and the claw consumed i headed for the fort. after reaching the area that the road is washed out i began my trek through the sand. you only have to walk about a mile before the road picks back up, and usually it is a pain. but since it had been raining somewhat frequently recently the sand was hard packed and easy to walk on. drink some water.

i pick back up on the road and cruise toward the fort entrance, but first i'll stop off at one of the disappearing gun turrits for one of my beers. i sit on the top and make some calls checking in and rubbing it in the face of everyone that it's january and i'm sitting on the beach, basking in the sun. it had warmed nicely and most of the clouds had burned off. i make the loop around the end of the fort and then back to another pair of big guns for my last foster's and then head back out toward the main beach.

there are considerable more people making the trek out to the fort now that the sun is up and it is warming up a tad. i'm happy to be leaving as the crowds show up.

an uneventful ride back over the bridges into pensacola where i stop at the welcome center at the base of the pensacola side of the three mile bridge for a gu packet and some honey roasted peanuts. then i'm on the bike for the remaining three miles to home.

stretch out. drink a mug or two of wine. drink some more water. eat some deer. do some laundry and watch a bit of television. fall asleep on the couch. not a bad forty some odd miles or so....

now i'm at work.

i'm thinking that, weather permitting, i might do that ride again next sunday.

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