The circus is in town

 We sometimes ride our fold up bicycles at home, just to check how they're working.  We usually get comments from fellow bicyclists about riding our kid's bikes.  (Our fold up bikes have 20" wheels.)  Once, some teenagers pointed to us and said "the circus must be in town.  Look at the clown bikes."  When we ride them anywhere near a marina, people understand.  Actually, Phil and Cathie's fold up bikes have 16" wheels.  They take up less room when folded and stored on board.  Both Phil and I had to replace the rear tire on our bikes last week.  Too much racing about.


Pam and I rode our bikes about 5 miles up the road to Tavernier today.  We thought it would be good to get some exercise.  While up there, I got an ice cream sundae, and went into CVS to buy some Valentine's Day chocolate on sale the day after.  So much for exercising.

Note Pam's custom drink holder.

Along the way, we saw these peacocks--actually peahens--in a gas station.

 

Why, you might ask, would we ride our bikes 5 miles to the store when we have our truck here.  A few years ago, my friend, Wayne Stearns told me that the man who flies across the country in an airplane sees the country.  But, the man who drives his car across the country sees more of it.  And the man who rides his bicycle sees even more.  The man who walks, sees the most.  And then he continued his thought............if a man were to float in an open pontoon boat down the Illinois River from Chicago to the Mississippi River, and then go up the Ohio back to Indiana, that man would get to see the river country up close and personal.  And that's just what we did.  We also got to see thunder and lightning and pouring rain up close and personal.  Some nights we slept in abandoned houses on the river bank.  Other nights, we slept in plastic body bags to keep our sleeping bags dry.  It might sound like an ordeal, but, the real truth is that was one of the most enjoyable and certainly most memorable trips I've ever been on.  We met people along the river who just handed us the keys to their trucks so we could drive to the gas station. The trip started two days after 9/11.  We cruised through downtown Chicago in an old pontoon boat with tarps covering our stuff.  (And cases and cases of beer.)  No one gave us a second look.  Could have been explosives instead of beer.  We'd probably be shot today.  I think Wayne sometimes reads this blog drivel--so thanks Wayne for letting me join in that fun adventure.