[Editor’s note: Former co-worker Jan Norris and her friend, Jimmy Barron were over in St. Petersburg earlier this month for a funeral. While they were eating breakfast at The Dome Grill, Jimmy spotted some cyclists and jumped for his camera. Jan, who is usually slower at everything, joined him. Here is her occasional Riders on the Road story with Jimmy’s pictures.]
ST. PETERSBURG, FL -A group of cyclists in hot yellow T-shirts was launching from the sidewalk outside the patio of The Dome Grill. I had noticed quite a few bikes when we arrived, but my head was in my Blackberry and I didn’t think much of it. Bikes – and bike stands – are everywhere in St. Pete.
I grabbed my pen and ran outside to get their story.
Right off the bat, I figured this was a men’s group of “a certain age.” All the guys were buff and tan, but most had snowy hair atop their pates.
“Who’s your leader?”
Several laughed – then pointed at the guy in front of me. “I guess I am,” said Rudolph Oswald, of Seminole.
He formed the group of mostly Honeywell Corp. retirees 10 years ago, he said. They number 20 to 25 on any given ride, but there are about 50 in the club. “I’d say 65 is the average age,” he said. The oldest? “85 – and there are younger guys who can’t keep up with him.”
The main group typically rides 25 to 30 miles once a week on Tuesday. They were at a halfway point at the Dome, with 16.8 miles under their seats. A smaller group rides a second time on Thursdays, he said, 30 miles or more.
Most rode hybrids; a few have bents, Oswald said. The one bent rider on this ride uses arm power to compensate for a bum leg.
Pinellas County is perfect for cyclists
With the Pinellas Trail that runs the length of the county, and numerous other bike trails snaking off it and along the water, this is one friendly area for cyclists — you see them everywhere. Because they ARE so common, cars seem to be more courteous to them than over here on the east coast of Florida.
“We have about 20 different trails to ride, all over the county,” Oswald said.
Two unbreakable rules for safe riding
“We only have two hard and fast rules – if you don’t follow them, you don’t ride,” he said. “Number one: You must wear a helmet. And number two, we never leave anyone on the trail alone.”
He added that quite a few of the riders had taken a first-aid and CPR courses as well, so they were prepared for emergencies. And of course, they have cell phones.
Stopped to tank up at The Dome Grill
They had stopped at the Dome to eat and fill their water bottles – they’d need them this day: the heat and humidity were oppressive again — Ida’s remnants were being felt all along the Gulf Coast. Though there was some wind, it wasn’t nearly like the near gale we’d encountered coming over on Monday.
This was one of the cheeriest groups I’ve met in a while – all pedaled away, smiling and laughing. Not sure how to contact them to catch a ride with them, but if I get over there again on a Tuesday, I’ll keep an eye out.
Maybe one of them will find this online and comment to let us know.
This weekend was the 115-(more or less)-mile bike ride around Florida’s Lake Okeechobee.
Billed the Lake O Challenge by the Florida Off-Road Cycling Enthusiasts and supported by Tom Rassiga of the Bicyclery, the ride started in Clewiston, stayed overnight in Okeechobee and ended up back in Clewiston.
Here’s a video of the two-day ride
About two dozen riders took the challenge
The riders left the Corps of Engineers parking lot at Clewiston shortly after 9 AM, and made their way to the paved section of the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) that leads to the Moore Haven locks where Tom Rassiga and his yellow Bicyclery bus was waiting.
Except for a slight crosswind, the trip started smoothly. One rider mentioned seeing a couple of gators along the rim canal.
Armies and cyclists travel on their stomachs
Even though they’d only been on the road about an hour-and-a-half, the cyclists took full advantage of the food and drinks waiting for them.
For the record, there are clean restrooms at the Moore Haven trailhead. Facilities on the LOST are few and far between (read non-existent), so it’s good to note when you find some.
The video above covers some of the challenges experienced by the riders on the first unpaved leg of the ride between Moore Haven and Fisheating Creek. Not only did they have the expected rocks and grass, but the authorities had been grinding up trees and brush into mulch that drifted onto what passed for a trail.
You have to understand that a lot of these folks are members of the Florida Off-Road Cycling Enthusiasts (FORCE). What we road riders consider a barrier is merely a challenge to these folks.
I skipped the first unpaved leg
I don’t have pictures of that section because I opted to go directly to the Fisheating Creek rest stop. I learned a long time ago that I can either do an activity or I can COVER an activity. I figured I’d get a taste of the dike later. You’ll see a video of that in a couple of days after I’ve stopped vibrating. The video looks like it had been shot on the inside of a popcorn popper.
The group was glad to see the shaded rest stop
Apparently the non-native trees that used to provide shade had been cut down. Fortunately, Tom carried fold-up shade with him. Some of the riders needed his repair skills to take care of bikes that had been knocked out of adjustment by debris that had blown up on the trail.
Where are the stragglers?
Tom and his daughter, Kailyn, climbed the observation tower at the Pier II Resort to see if they could spot the stragglers at the end of the day. They made it in just before a search party went out to look for them.
That was something I noticed about this group of riders. Some of them had ridden together before and others were newbies like me, but everyone went out of their way to be friendly and helpful.
Time to relax before heading out to dinner
Most of the group stayed at the Pier II resort, but I waited too long to make reservations and it was booked solid by the time I called.
I fell back on the Scottish Inns a couple of miles away. The room was about $20 cheaper and was perfectly adequate for a biker night.
Okeechobee Golden Corral for dinner
After some discussion, the bulk of riders ended up at the Golden Corral in Okeechobee. Most of us were interested in fast food and lots of it. I’ve never had a bad experience at this particular Golden Corral, so I was less surprised than some at the quality of the food.
Chris and Kailyn were pleased with their meals
I didn’t have any problem falling asleep, and I only rode a shade over 16 miles.
One of the best things about this ride is that it doesn’t start until 9 AM.
I’ve never liked rides that expect you to roll out at 6 AM, which means you have to be up at 3 AM.
The LOST had some snags
The original plan called for riding from Taylor Creek to Port Mayaca on the dike, hopping on the road to Pahokee to avoid construction and then continuing on the dike to the finish in Clewiston.
Some folks who were riding the lake counterclockwise told me the night before that construction had the trail shut down north of the Torry Island trailhead, so we would have to stay on the road a few miles longer than anticipated.
No checking for gators at Nubbins Slough
I had told the riders that one of the best places to spot big gators is at Nubbins Slough, where I had seen as many as 25, many in the 8 to 10-foot range, on some days.
I stopped to see if there were any around and saw only one hanging around. It didn’t make any difference. These folks could smell home and didn’t waste any time blasting by me.
Rest stop at Chancy Bay
Tom set up the yellow bus at Chancy Bay (also known for J&S Fish Camp) and it wasn’t long until the first riders came bombing down the dike to the parking lot.
Here’s another way you can tell it’s an off-road group. They go off road every opportunity they can.
Chris, obviously, likes beer as well as he likes ice cream.
Last rest stop was at South Bay
The last chance for riders to take on food and water before the final 16-mile run to Clewiston was at the boat ramp in South Bay.
As soon as they made the turn west at the bottom of the lake, the nice quartering tailwind they had for most of the day turned into a head wind.
Since you are perched 25 or 30 feet up in the air with nothing around you to block the wind, that can be a real killer.
Fortunately, the winds were light, probably in the 5 to 7-mph range, with gusts only slightly higher. Of course, that’s easy for me to say. I was in my van.
Then we were back in Clewiston, and it was over
Before long, everyone had their luggage sorted out, their bikes racked on their vehicles and they were sitting around, pigging out on chicken, subs, left0ver fruit and some beverages in brown bottles.
Even though everyone was ready to go home, you could tell that they wanted the experience to go on just a little bit longer.
Lynn and Pam look at pictures
Tom’s wife, Lynn, and Pam Karagoz pull out a camera and look at pictures of the ride.
Our parking lot was directly west of a cemetery where a burial service was being held several hundred yards away.
I thought back over the weekend and how much fun it had been and realized that you have to take advantage of times like these while you can.
The guys gravitate to magazine centerfolds
Boys will be boys. Per, Andrew and Chuck relaxed by ogling a magazine centerfold spread.
The Florida Off Road Cycling Enthusiasts – FORCE – are scheduling a Big “O” group ride around the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15.
The ride will leave at 9 A.M. from the Clewiston Army Corps of Engineers on the north side of U.S. 27 as you come into Clewiston. There is safe parking there.
The whole ride is about 115 miles, done over two days. The first day, which is on the mostly unpaved west side of Lake Okeechobee, will cover 50 miles. Sunday’s ride will be paved, with a short stretch on a roadway that has adequate shoulders.
Rest stops about every 15 to 20 miles.
The group has made arrangements for a special FORCE rate with the Pier II Resort at the north end of the lake. Call 1-800-874-3744 to reserve your $69.99 double. Mention the Big O Levee Challenge to get the price break.
Wide tires needed
The west side of the lake is unpaved, so you will need a bike with at least 32mm wide tires. If you plan to ride on a high-pressure, narrow-tired road bike, you may want to drop down off the dike onto Highway 78. It’s a low-traffic, wide-shouldered highway.
As promised, here’s the full 24-page booklet distributed by the Cape Girardeau (MO) Police Department in the mid to late 50s. Click on any image to make it larger, then move through the gallery by clicking on the left or right side of the picture.
Beware of Strangers
Two pages have an unsual use of the word “moron.” They define it as one who molests young children – either boys or girls.
(“Your Parents Will We Pleased to Explain This Matter More Fully.” Yeah, I bet that was just the discussion they wanted to have at the breakfast table in 1956.)
I’ve never heard the word used in this context, it doesn’t show up in any online dictionaries that I could find, and my copy of the American Dictionary of Slang is silent on it.
We Baby Boomers grew up in a time of contradictions: on the one hand we were told by friendly turtles that we’d be safe from a nuclear explosion if we ducked ‘n covered under our school desks; on the other, we were constantly being warned that some activity or another was likely “to put an eye out.”
While rummaging around in the time capsule otherwise known as my Mother’s attic, I came across a 24-page publication, The Police Safety Review, which had been distributed by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. There’s a 1954 Rube Goldberg cartoon – yes, THAT Rube Goldberg – in it, so I’m going to guess it was published in the mid-to-late 1950s.
Police Safety Review Cover
Safety bottom line
Do something illegal or careless and you’re likely to be
Killed
Injured severely
Scarred for life
Arrested
Have your bike taken away
Have a mark on your permanent record
All of the above
Hold on to truck, be crushed to death
Ignorance of the law: die on way to hospital
Racing without looking: killed instantly
Ride next to trolley tracks: fractured skull
Fail to stop: severe injury
Racing with head down: seriously injured
Ride on the sidewalk: seriously injure a child
Failure to stop: die on way to hospital
Ride on handlebars: scarred for years
Train for Century: break your bike, go to hospital
These boys were training for a 100-mile ride between Chicago and Milwaukee when they got their signals crossed and crashed into each other. The editor was obviously disappointed to note, “The riders were not violating any city ordinance because they were outside of the city limits. The editor fails to find anything pertaining to participation of bicycle riders in races or endurance contests. On the contrary, these boys were not racing but were training on a highway; however, their act is a dangerous practice.”
Ride on park path: arrested, bike impounded
Don’t maintain your bike: die
Think about your boyfriend: never walk or ride a bike again
There’s an excellent chart of bicycle parts and some very detailed pen-and-ink cartoons that are fun to look at. Overall, the publication makes some good safety points.
Several laughed – then pointed at the guy in front of me. “I guess I am,” said Rudolph Oswald, of Seminole.
With the Pinellas Trail that runs the length of the county, and numerous other bike trails snaking off it and along the water, this is one friendly area for cyclists — you see them everywhere. Because they ARE so common, cars seem to be more courteous to them than over here on the east coast of Florida.
They had stopped at the Dome to eat and fill their water bottles – they’d need them this day: the heat and humidity were oppressive again — Ida’s remnants were being felt all along the Gulf Coast. Though there was some wind, it wasn’t nearly like the near gale we’d encountered coming over on Monday.
