LeAsE?

The miles don't come easy enough for me as finding time away from my sons and my other obligations really robs my ride time.

BUT, this weekend I was determined to get out and do some exploring.

Using a combination of Google Earth and Topofusion I scouted a short 30 mile dirt road route.

As I sat there sipping my Latte and checking various Internet sites, I finished the details of mapping the route and loaded it on to my etrex gps.

I quickly rush to use the bathroom before I go start heading towards the door and noticed that it is literally raining cats and dogs.

This is Florida and I really do believe in the scattered showers phenomenon so I got in my car hoping the rain would pass quick or not exist when I reached my destination.

No such luck as I drove to my planned parking and starting area it was raining even harder then when I had started driving to the place.

SO, I took quick inventory. I got nothing to do and nowhere to be for hours, best to get to pedaling. I suited up, grabbed my Showers Pass rain jacket and got on the bike. Indeed, it was raining and there was thunder and there was lightning, BUT, I was amazingly comfortable in my showers pass jacket. So comfortable in Fact that I even zipped my jersey underneath the jacket almost all the way open to balance out the temperatures.

The road was offering resistance with the wet sand and the mud and there were several HUGE water crossings. My first destination was the dirt road that ended up by the river and I was well on my way to following my route and heading there.

I hear a beep from my Etrex and discover that the batteries are dying. I stop and ponder going to a store and buying more, but I was low on funds. I pondered going back to the car and grabbing my rechargeables which were in there, but I didn't want to pedal all that I had pedaled all ready. SO Instead, I decided to make quick for the river, and then feel my way back to the road and then make my way back to the car.

The ride was pleasant enough, Except for the constant downpour I was enjoying myself. My chain, was not lubed and I had a couple of incidents of chain suck, but I eventually was able to anticipate it, back pedal and not have to stop. AT one point a small piece of tree got into my front chain ring and derailed my chain. Some of the water crossings LOOKED so deep that I stopped and carried my bike across not wanting to break the number one rule of cycling to not submerge your hubs or your bottom bracket.

And after some pedaling and some challenging soil compositions I found the absolute most beautiful spot by the river. Snapped a rain soaked pic, and on my way back decided to explore a side trail. Eventually it dead ended but I did find an even bigger wide open spot for possible camping.

On my way back, I see a man with Hunter Orange and a big truck, as I roll up he says to me "Am I on the Lease?" I say to him "What's the Lease?" He responds, "This is private managed Land you got to be on the lease to be back here?" Myself being an expert at these types of scenarios, I say, "I didn't know, hadn't seen a single sign saying a single thing, I thought I was on the Water Management property(only sign or marker I had seen)." He said," well one of them down there may know for sure". I said, "don't sweat it, I'm on my way out anyway," and pedaled my way up out of there passing several more trucks fully loaded with recreational animal killers. Hearing Gun shots as I pedaled away.

Got back to the road, made my way across and road the pre construction new bike trail dirty path, till it finally turned paved. Got back to the car, packed up and headed to my place of stay for the evening. 17 miles of FUN..LOL...

This weekend I got a gigantic dirty loop ride that I call the eye of the huracan. Turns out we will be taking out about 8 miles of dirt roads and substituting it with 8 miles of single track. You got to love it!

Laters,

The NaKeD InDiaN