Florida Photo Essay, Of Sorts

It was an excellent vacation in Florida.

We stayed at a nice resort. Actually swanky by my humble standards. I had a great time with the girls,

but...

they seemed content just watching the first season of Criminal Minds on DVD in our room. I found myself reminding them they were in Florida.

I missed watching the Paris-Roubaix since I was on vacation,

but...

I got to ride on cobble stones, that are used in Florida often for reasons that aren't real clear to me, just like the Paris-Roubaix, except I was riding at tempo, and it was 92 and sunny.

Because it is perpetually summer in Florida there were many sports cars and motorcycles that left me with a pang of jealousy,

but...

There are also F150s pelted by shotguns,

and people living out of cars

and horrible cars that came out of Detroit in the 80's that brutal salty winters mercifully killed off in Michigan; they cling on to life in Florida.

Somehow our stuff expanded while in Florida. I bought a Yakima Rocket Box in Orlando so the girls could lay in the back of the truck for the ride home,

but...

The stuff expanded again so the girls still had to curl up in the fetal position as they slept.

We drove straight through from Florida. I had time this afternoon to ride the trails for the first time this year. Michigan changed a lot in the two weeks I was gone. The trees are budding and the trails are dry. It was 59 and sunny. Beautiful.

I timed myself like I do every year at the beginning of the season. 39:29, 5 minutes slower than last year. Oh crap. I hope this is because of sleep deprivation and tired legs from two weeks of solid riding, not the deflection point where my results will start to go down hill,

but...

I'm 45. It is silly to get my chamois up in a bunch about my race results that have always been iffy at best. It was a great ride. I am as excited about riding this year as I have ever been. This is going to be a good summer even if (when) I get clobbered at Fort Custer next weekend.