Fun Florida Adventures

Biking With Bob – Nov 22

Off to Florida, but not in our SUV, which was totaled in an accident the week before departure. I was the sole occupant and escaped serious injury thanks to seat belt, airbags, and good luck. We drove the Hyundai sedan which sits much lower than the SUV, which will prove important later.

First on the agenda was a visit with my cousin Becky who lives in Venice, on the Gulf Coast, joined by my other cousin, Mike, from Indiana, for two days of delightful company. We are the remaining three cousins of five, having lost two in the past year and a half. We have not bet on who’s next.

Then 80 miles north to a “mom and pop” motel in Indian Rocks Beach which we have stayed at for years. We unpacked, settled in, and I enjoyed a bike ride on the level roads in delightfully warm and sunny weather.

The next afternoon, however, we were summarily ousted by the police in a mandatory evacuation due to the fearsome Hurricane Ian sauntering up the Gulf, expected to make landfall right over us. A call to Becky seeking temporary lodging was accepted, and we repacked and headed 80 miles south again.

The next day was beautiful with the only disappointment being a failure to spot the alligator in the small lake behind her house. It is reportedly about four feet long, but you couldn’t prove it by us.

The following day brought some wind, and that night brought the hurricane we fled. It found us and raged all night long with 105 mph wind and torrents of rain. No real damage to the house, but we lost power the afternoon before its arrival. We had adequate flashlights and amused ourselves with a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. We charged our cellphones by running the car.

Fortunately, Becky suffered only damage to plants and a slightly flooded garage. But the street was now a river, complete with fish and a snake—too deep to drive in. We were unable to leave for two more days.

At last we said goodbye and left on the 70 mile trip back up to Treasure Island where our second week was scheduled. Little did we know that accessing I-75 involved 2.5 miles on a road covered with water. Though it was deep enough to cover my exhaust in spots, we made it!

The folks at our timeshare were happy to see us and we settled in for a week of rest and relaxation and the continuation of our search for the best Cuban sandwich in Florida.

Although the following Saturday we had to vacate our efficiency by 11:00am, we had use of the common areas and settled in to watch UT destroy LSU, before heading north to home sweet home. At this writing, we have bedecked ourselves in orange and white as we await the Alabama Tide. (I’m old enough to remember the last time we beat them!) Go Big Orange!