12: do not swim with alligators, quintic, tunnel of trees, wall of palms, buddha boy, mailboxes, mr. rogers
Jonathan Dickinson State Park to Fort Pierce
A slight rain woke me up last night around 12:30 but it only lasted for a couple of minutes, then stopped. There was no forecast of rain so I didn't put the cover on my saddle. Laying there, I considered climbing out of the tent and slipping it on, but here'a question I've always wondered:
How much worse is it for a fresh rain to hit my saddle, as opposed to the sweat from my ass that soaks it every single riding day? Gentle, cleansing precipitation vs. massive amounts of the caustic juices that drip down my butt crack, soaking my bike shorts, then permeating everything I sit on, sometimes leaving giant smoking holes on picnic table benches or chairs.
Just wondering.
I filled my water bottles from the water fountain, and it was only a little brown. It tasted okay, though.
This sign was only visible on the way OUT of the park: "Alligators are dangerous." "Do not swim with alligators." "Alligators have been known to attack humans." Seriously, "Do not swim with alligators!??"
Sometimes the Garmin directions are just wrong. There wasn't any kind of road here, just a fence with nothing on the other side, and certainly no detour.
Steve Miller/GrampiesWe have in the past been directed to "our destination" in the middle of a corn field, on an elevated freeway and other such foolishness. Google occasionally tries to insist that the way through is through a locked gate or up a driveway and through someone's living room. AI and algorhythms can only be trusted up to a point. Reply to this comment 1 week ago
Apparently, they're very serious about golfing here. I didn't even know what "quintic" means and had to look it up: "something of the fifth degree, specifically a polynomial or equation of that degree." So, fifth degree ball rolling?
When I stopped at Hobe Social and Coffee, Barry and Rosemary started up a conversation. Barry is originally from New Zealand, and just flew in last night so he was a little jet-lagged. They're both very well traveled and have been everywhere, and both bicycle.
They recommended I make a trip to the "Tunnel of Trees" just around the corner which has some banyan trees which are over a hundred years old. It was well worth the trip.
C. B.When you Up North in Michigan (a bit north of Harbor Springs) there’s another Tunnel of Trees (M119) that is a beautiful, winding stretch of road high along the coast of Lake Michigan. Reply to this comment 1 week ago
I know these are just some kind of palms, but every time I see the leaves they remind me of the "dagger bush" in our neighbor's yard. The spines were stiffer and the bush was spherical, and it magically sucked every ball we ever used onto it when we played kickball. I wish I knew the name of it.
Mark BinghamTo Bill ShaneyfeltI don't think so. I just tried googling it and the closest I could find is the Dasylirion wheeleri, but I don't think that's it either because I clearly remember the leaves being difficult to bend and extremely sharp, almost thorn-like. There were no thorns along the leaves; the leaves were thin and sturdy enough to be able to cut you. Reply to this comment 1 week ago
Bill ShaneyfeltTo Mark BinghamThere seems to be a plethora of similar species. Hard to tell with just a photo.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/475433-Coryphoideae/browse_photos?place_id=21 Reply to this comment 1 week ago
Having recently been paved, this crossing was particularly nice. Even when there's a bike lane, I usually opt for the pedestrian lane because I prefer a massive wall of concrete between me and the two-ton pieces of steel flying past.
Karen PoretIs the bird “holding it” ? Appears sheepish to know what to do, or maybe wonders if “anyone is looking” ..😬 Reply to this comment 1 week ago
The previous 25 mph speed limit sign I saw said "Strictly Enforced," but I think the definition of "strictly enforced" in Florida might be different from my definition.
This kid was sitting in the lotus position when I passed, so I turned around to get a picture of him in his meditative state. Or perhaps he was just bored and sitting in the driveway. Regardless, he looked like Buddha. When I first passed his hands were on his knees and he was looking straight ahead.
I blew into Fort Pierce, literally, which was somewhat industrial - at least the part I saw. When I saw this sign my first thought was related to the opioid epidemic: this company is making it easier for you to become addicted to narcotics, but it's really a home medical equipment business.
1 week ago