Saturday, February 20, 2016

Florida. February 20, 2016.

We rode out of here at 7:30 to meet Dianne's bike club at 8 AM. We were there in plenty of time. There was quite a large group today; it started out a little chilly but it's going to be 72 and sunny.


Ray called out on his megaphone and the A group (fastest) left first, followed by B+ and Between groups, and then our group, the slowest. Dianne had told Ray that we were not going to do the whole ride. Our plan was to ride to the rest stop and then head home. The "slow" group started out at 21 MPH! Dianne and I got caught by a long red light about 4 miles into the ride and we watched the Suncoast Cycling Club as they rode over the horizon.


We dropped our windbreakers at home and then rode over to the East Lake Trail, the Keystone Trail, and finally the Pinellas Trail. We stopped in Tarpon Springs to see the manatees (3 today).  While we were looking at manatees the fast group from Dianne's club rode into town in close formation. It was a little too close--one of the cyclists kissed the wheel of the bike in front of him and crashed. We saw the fire engine and ambulance, but did not go that way when we left the bayou--there were about 20 cyclists and several EMTs. I figured they did not need us!

We rode home and got ready for the show--Dianne and Jan bought tickets for "Book of Mormon" months ago. They thought their sister Julie would be here so they bought 3 tickets. Fortunately for me (sorry Julie) she is not here and I am! The show was terribly irreverent and funny--it spoofed not only the Mormons but every other religion and polite convention there is.


Patrons are not allowed to take photos during the show, but when I found out I was sitting next to 2 people from Trenton (right across the river from me in Michigan) Jan took a real quick shot of us during intermission. Judy and Jim come to this area every year for a month and their son bought them tickets for the show for their anniversary. What a small world it is!


I posted a bike ride on facebook a couple of days ago and my cousin Eileen responded that we rode right past their condo! Of course we got in touch, and decided to meet for dinner today. She and her husband David met us at the restaurant, and we had a grand time catching up on each others' lives. I love having a big family!

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