Sping Breakage 2013

So what did I do between Friday night and Wednesday?

I came home from work to my new SS Specific Industry Nine Torch wheels on Friday. 32pink spokes with pink hubs and I9's new Trail rim in silver.  Anxious to have them ready to go for this weekend's 6 Hours of Warrior Creek, I went ahead and stripped the Pink I's of their rotors, swapped over the Endless cog, and mounted new racing rubber. 

Test ride?

To Home Depot should be good enough.

Now I'm ready to head to the beach.

Amelia Island.  Just six or so hours away.  The Pie likes it because it's warmer than Charlotte, quiet, and then there's that whole ocean thing.  I find it one of the more tolerable places to visit if you must be near a large body of water on the East coast.

I'll stick to bike related activities and spare you all the details of a Dillen family vacation.

Upon arrival, I was released into the wild.  The Egans Creek Greenway is right behind the hotel, so I went out for a mild, alligator-free spin.

I headed out for a longer ride on Sunday.  Down the A1A, over to a wandering bike path, down a gravel road, over a bridge, over another bridge...  most of the way out directly into a to-be-expected headwind.

I would call it a pleasant ride.  Although I felt like a punk getting off the well shouldered A1A and onto the bike path, the riding was slightly more interesting, what with the occasional turn or two and glorious views.

Like this:

On Monday, I headed out the greenway and over to the trails at Fort Clinch.  I've been there before, not the best trails ever, but the best on Amelia Island... even if I have to pay $2 to ride them.

I guess that's the price you pay for modern conveniences.

Tooling around over the lumps and bumps on a 39X16 trying to keep my momentum in the sand was not without its challenges.

But it was still 100% better than road riding.  Those leaves?  I have no idea what species of tree chooses to exfoliate all over the trails there, but their leaves are coated with Crisco.  Two wheel drifts going straight ahead.

Not satisfied with my total time on the bike and not willing to give the trails a second go around, I headed out and in a northerly direction. 

Not much to see.  Just the world's most expensive useless plot of land.

I did spend a limited amount of time staring at a body of water.

And we did go out looking for and finding the elusive Florida alligator.

Taking bait along helps.

Close to five feet long and with a baby.  Not intimidating in the least.  I'm sure I could talk her into going for a sandwich or something instead of my leg.

All in all, a vacation success story.  Family time spent, bikes ridden, nature observed, local economies stimulated, somewhat adherence to my beer/protein/vegetable diet achieved.

The "season" starts in two days.