Dropped the ball...

Been a while since my last entry. I have to admit, I was rather swept up by the last couple of weeks down in Florida. Since my return the weekend prior to Valentine's Day, I've just been reacclimating myself to remaining portion of the cold Chicagoland winter. It was a hell of a trip. After a week or so of great dock fishing, I circumnavigated the central to southern portion of Florida. I departed Tampa to drop off some friends that came for a brief visit in Orlando. There wasn't much to see there. I drove down to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up another friend that flew in from Chicago. I stayed a night in Ft. Lauderdale, taking in the nightlife in the Las Olas portion of town. From there it was down to Miami Beach for a day to enjoy the beach and the always entertaining Ocean Blvd / South Beach area. We then worked our way down through the keys taking in some of the best weather I've ever experience down there this time of year.

Camping in Key West was so relaxing. Met some really interesting transplants and natives. They pointed us in the direction of some really great hidden locals bars and restaurants. Didn't have a chance to cover them all, but I'll be sure to hit them next time. After a few days we trucked back North to Miami Beach for one more night. I dropped my buddy off in Ft. Lauderdale, took one more stroll down Ft. Lauderdale Beach and then it was off across Alligator Alley (only spotted one. It was chilly) and back up to Tampa. I packed the remainder of my gear at my sister's house and pointed north to make Nashville the first day. I missed a bad winter storm that hit the southern region the day before. It was smooth sailing back home with great tunes and plenty of sunshine. It's always becomes a drag when I hit southern Indiana. That's when things pretty much start to look like Illinois....BLAH!

So here I am, once again. I'm riding out the last 5-6 weeks of crap weather in IL (mostly on my trainer). I'm sure anyone who religiously follows my blog have been waiting with bated breath for an entry since my last..... all 3 of you. I missed a lot of big things going on, so here's a poor attempt at catching up....

Superbowl - I had to leave the Key West bar that I wound up in to watch the game. I've never been so gutted by a game in my entire life. Just didn't feel up to watching the Green 'n' Gold since it had only been two weeks since they sent my beloved Bears packing. Have I matured that much (doubtful) or has the humor in commercials really been reduced to the lowest common denominator within a viewing audience? Kinda sad, but it sure beats the dot com ads of the mid nineties. GOOD GOD, those were boring and most of the companies promoted proved to have the staying power of Justin Bieber.

Egypt- YEAH, Facebook liberated one of the world's most ancient civilizations! Leave it to Americans to finally abstain (kinda) from involvement in a major world event, but find a way to justify it's success with a product of U.S. origin. Not trying to be ignorant about the significance of social networking/media in situations like this, but I think the key ingredient is America (gov't) finally starting to see the value of keeping their guns at home. If you think about it, this has really made George Bush look like even more of an ass. Passively feeding the fire of a foreign civil uprising with open and distant verbal support; it's a good template for the future. I prefer implosions over explosions. Good to see Obama starting to earn that Nobel Peace Prize.

Grammy's- Hey, to their credit, they try....kinda. I blame myself for always stumbling upon the event for several hours on end. I always hope that they're going to turn a corner. But always; pop product of the moment, catchy "country" ballad, young pop product of the moment, acknowledgment of those they've snubbed over the years they had their head in their asses and missed a moment, movement, or scene that has in one way or another shaped our nation/world culture. And then there's always the comeback story that everyone seems to always be a sucker for...

Notes from the event:

- I would love to someday arrive to a Catholic Mass in the same fashion that Lady Gaga did. But I'd pop out of the egg dressed as a Rabbi.

- It was good to see Arcade Fire handed the award for Album of the Year. After the conclusion of the show, it left many around the country asking "Who are these guys and I wonder if they sell their CD in Starbucks?"
- Bob Dylan has reinvented himself once again. This time into Tom Waits.
- Mick Jager looks like he's still got some good years left in him...even though he followed up the musical deaths of note over the last year. Is that like the Sports Illustrated cover curse?
- I had no idea Tim Tebow was the lead-man in Mumford & Sons. 
- Can someone ask Will Smith to stop reproducing? He's worse than a Georgian toddler beauty pageant mom. Sometimes parents just don't understand. 
- Lady Antebellums' "Need You Now" should be used on a late night burrito commercial for Taco Bell. Think about it. 

Lance Armstrong Retires...again - Austin's pride and joy better watch out. One more retirement and he'll start to be mentioned in the same breathe as Cher and Garth Brooks. Love what he's done for the sport and for the money he's raised for notable causes. But I'm sorry, with all those at the top of the cycling world falling into conviction and/or speculation of doping, I have to admit that his star has dimmed a bit for me.

IL state Taxes raised by 66%- After being handed some relief from the Federal Government, IL just couldn't wait but a week or two to snatch it all back and stuff it in their kitty. Census number report 200,000 people have left Chicago in the last decade. However, road construction just seems to increase year after year. I like the more pavement per capita approach; better make much of it a bike lane. Bike lanes are green (that's still popular in political agendas, right?) and a bike is all a poverty to middle-class person is going to be able to afford pretty soon. Great time of the year to implement the increase as well. A perfect time for people to look at their lives in the bleak winter months and ask themselves "Why the hell do I live here?!" Note: There are ten states in nation that have NO state income tax. Several of them are warmer!

Rahm 'n' oodles - After Rahm Emanuel's brief period of being removed from the Chicago mayoral ballot, it was great to see his name return after review by the state's Supreme Court. It's not that I'm a huge fan of Rahm, but if a polls are indicating a candidate to have a majority of the vote, I really don't care where they're from. The voice of the people is what is most important. Also, the man left the City of Chicago to serve a temporary and greater purpose for his country. It was shameful to see the insiders of Chicago politics yet again flexing their muscle to try to strong-arm their agenda by way of loophole. I'd like to see politicians try to pull the same on a recent war veteran. It wouldn't happen. But the one thing I'm not fond of regarding Rahm's campaign is the shameless running of commercials with verbal endorsement by Barrack Obama and Bill Clinton. How can  any local government candidate compete with that in a predominantly Democratic city? That's just playing dirty pool. Also, kinda funny how William Daley (brother of Richard M. Daley - current mayor of Chicago for all outsiders or Chicagoans sleeping under a rock for the past 22 years) lands Rahm's abandoned post without much scrutiny.  Funny how things unravel when two parties are in a situation to scratch one another's backs. I'm sure the final decision for the post came down to resume and track record.

Sorry to make this entry sound like an Andy Rooney rant, I'll work on the positivity in the following days. I have plenty of good things in the works and look forward everyday to the improvement of the weather. I think I'm going to hit the Lake Front trail to ride some base miles. I'm getting emails about spring training criteriums. This is making me feel warmer already. I've been spending more time on foot, hoofing it on some cross training runs. I've left the running shoes at home for the past couple years. It's going to be nice to crank out some 5-10K's this year. Maybe even a half marathon; I'm sure a suggestion to do a full will come from someone. Hopefully I'll have the strength to resist. My knees hurt just thinking about it!

Fred E. Marquis Pinellas Trail: Biketopia?

After a week of exploration down in the St. Petersburg / Tampa area, I was finally able to get over to check out the Fred E. Marquis Pinellas Trail. I have to say this was one of the best trails I've ever been able to ride while traveling. The planning of the trail was perfectly suited for pedestrians and cyclists alike. The trail kept calling me northward with new and interesting features and beautiful changes in landscape making for an awesome 65 mile round-trip.

This 34 mile recreational trail runs through several cities starting in downtown St. Petersburg and running north to Tarpon Springs. The trail's creation came from the initiatives of a man that had lost his son to a vehicle vs. bike accident in 1983. His actions brought about the Pinellas County Metropolitan Bicycle Advisory Committee. The trail was constructed through long abandoned stretches of CSX railroad right-of-way.

A combination of warnings from my sister and research online led me to understand that some of the southernmost stretches of the trail go through some unsavory neighborhoods. With this in mind, I drove north a bit and wound up parking at Sunset Park (easy street parking @ Park Street and Sunset Avenue, St. Petersburg) I would then only have to ride a few blocks east to pick up an overpass of the trail to begin my ride. As I started to roll northbound on the trail, I wasn't quite amazed at the the surrounding. The trail simply looked like a large stretch of alley that ran behind several retail and industrial plazas. The flanking ditch-lines were littered with trash and abandoned shopping carts. I quickly realized that I had dropped onto the trail about 2-3 miles further south than I should have.

Then things started to open up a bit. As the trail separated from running along Tyrone Blvd, it dropped on to a approximate 1/2 mile causeway that ran over Long Bayou. Their were great views of the mangroves, plenty of bird species, and surrounding waterways. The surrounding neighborhoods and surrounding natural areas started looking better. Surprisingly, for being in Florida, I was surprised at the elevation changes I encountered (in the form of overpasses). All major intersections at the point of the trail leading away from busy St. Petersburg all have high overpasses constructed to avoid interference with vehicular traffic.

There are plenty of bike shops lining the trail at various points. I stopped at one of them to pick up a few supplies and pick one of the staff members brain about the trail. He joked about the 20 mph speed limit they have on the trail and how they DO at times enforce it. I think more-so by the elderly that prowl the trail. I was later yelled at by a geezer to slow down as I rolled past him from the opposite direction at a mind blowing 25. Oh well, I'm sure that made for some good ranting at his 2:30 dinner. I joke, but the retirement community surrounding the trail really does keep it well preserved and protected.


I rolled further north through beautiful Clearwater. I was amazed at how they'd reworked the logistics of surrounding traffic to accommodate the trail cutting by the east side of their downtown area. One road had been converted to a one way / one lane vehicular traffic pattern, while the other lane was divided and strictly used for bike and pedestrian traffic. This is all Chicago would have to do on a low traffic East/West road to make things unbelievably more safe for cyclists in the city. Leave it up to Clearwater, Florida to figure it out. This feature of the trail was very well done and appreciated.


I then continued through Dunedin. This was the town that best took advantage of their closeness in proximity to the trail. Coffee shops, tourist shops, breweries, wineries, and eateries are found on and a matter of blocks from the trail. The only disadvantage of this portion of the trail was the frequency of stop and go as many roadways intersect the path through this area. However, if you've been traveling at a good enough clip, you'll probably be looking for some refreshments and a little break from high pace at this time. Then it was north through the Palm Harbor area (best views of the gulf and surrounding waterways) and then North to Tarpon Springs. Tarpon Springs is an old Greek settlement where culture and tradition are well preserved. The trail straight through the palm tree-lined downtown streets, again surrounded with bordering shops and restaurants. I'm sure there was great food to be found somewhere, but I knew the time was quickly approaching to turn around and I just HAD to get to the northern terminus of the trail.




When I finally arrived to the northern terminus of the trail. I was a bit disappointed. I wasn't expecting a Wizard of Oz or a pot of gold to signal the end of my journey, but maybe a historic placard or something. I was greeted with a couple bright reflective red diamonds and a "Trail Ends Here" sign. A bit of creativity and thought is definitely in need here. Truthfully, the trail commission plans on adding another twelve mile or so stretch in the years to come. The trail will then connect with other surrounding trials to circumnavigate the county. It is said that this will then be the longest continuous circling trail in the United States. If I gained anything from my experiences, I learned that the trail commission is off to a damn great start. I took advantage of a 15 mph tailwind or so and hustled back down the trail to my vehicle. I rewarded my long journey with a Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and a delicious salmon and acorn squash dinner as prepared by my sister. A great solo trip and a great experience on what I consider one of the best planned trails I've ever ridden. If you ever have a chance to get down to the St. Petersburg area. I'd heavily suggest traveling the trail and experiencing all it has to offer!

 Tips:
- The St. Petersburg KOA campground is located just off the Long Bayou Causeway. It looked like a great place to camp, RV, they even have small cabins to rent. You can be on the trail seconds after leaving the campground.

- As a "day tripper" I found the best place to drop onto the trail was the Walmart (of all places) 3993 North Tyrone Blvd., North St. Petersburg. The parking lot jumps right onto the trail and avoids all shady areas on the southern portions of the trail.

- There's an nice park and bathroom facility when you pass through Seminole. Great place to refill water bottles.

- Bicycle Outfitters seemed to be one of the best bike shops on the route. Also located in Seminole. They offered everything from energy food and gear to repairs. They also have bikes for rent; cruisers to road bikes.

- North Dunedin, there's a trailed causeway that takes you out to Honeymoon Island State Recreation area. I didn't get a chance to explore (maybe later this week) But it looked like great views and more trails.