I had been here before visiting my Dad. Lake Placid is a place off the beaten
path, in between the Florida coasts and a couple of hours from both Orlando
and Tampa. There aren’t many
cultural amenities if you are used to a city of any size. But it’s a place some people want to be. My Dad is one of them. He and Nancy retired here 22 years ago
and really like it. No crowds, no
traffic, small town feel, inexpensive. In the 60s, developers thought there would be more people
like my Dad, following the sun to retire south and escape from the northeast
and Midwest winters. But the
developers got it wrong. There are
a number of "communities" nearby that were laid out with streets, signs, but currently with very few
homes. They are basically
empty of life. Since the 60s, only
a handful of homes and even fewer real neighborhoods were built in these former
orange groves. It’s a bit eerie,
but strangely enough, it’s a good place to go for a bike ride on some well paved
roads (or off road if you’re ready for that!) with literally no cars. So, that’s where I’ve been these
past few days. And I even bought a used
bike!
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| A typical "vibrant" Lake Placid 60s neighborhood |
Last spring I visited too. Then I was able to connect with a local cycling club and some
nice folks hooked me up with someone who lent me a bike. Very nice! This time, I wanted to ride again, but also didn’t want to
wear out my welcome with the club.
So I asked around and found a shop with a compatible, inexpensive bike to buy! I figured with my dad and now sister
(Kathy) owning homes here, I will likely be back to visit. So, why not spend the money on a bike
that I can use and they can use as well?
I did it! It’s about a 10
year old Trek 1000 SC aluminum frame that seems barely used. Most of the wear seems to be from sitting
around too much in someone’s garage. Some cables are a bit oxidized, but it’s clean, has good tires, working gears and brakes. And it’s Florida orange! As of now, I’ve taken three rides
already, almost clocking 100 miles on it with no problems.
Seems like a good buy to me, about equal to shipping my own
bike round trip on an airline. And
I have it for future visits!
Makes sense to me. I’m
getting to take advantage of the irrational exuberance of both the real estate
developers who didn’t fill those roads with homes and the former bike owner who
really didn’t use my new purchase much at all!
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| The New-Used Trek 1000SC - in Florida Orange! |
What about other recent rides? With
basically no rain in the Bay Area, the miles continue to be on an uptick. I don’t think I’ve missed a weekend ride all year. The
grass is a beautiful green right
now due to a couple of storms. But they won't make the drought go
away. Here are a few pictures from recent rides on Morgan Territory and
in
Marin going up the “7 Sisters” climb.
But it might be nice to actually not have to worry about drought too!
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| Morgan Territory Road on the descent to Livermore |
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| More of Morgan Territory with Marius posing before the descent |
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| Climbing Panoramic Rd. up towards Mt. Tam (one of the famed "7 Sisters") |
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