The traffic in Florida is going to get us. I don’t mean literally. I mean in a metaphoric psycho-drama of frustration sense. Driving north from Sanibel to Venice, we get snarled in Fort Myers uber-traffic. My love with our GPS is waning. Clare (the Australian giving the directions on our GPS) takes us through neighborhoods and then wants us to go 18 miles on traffic-filled Route 41, home to Pizza Huts, Shell Stations, and Subways, when the I-75 freeway is just five miles away. In the future I’ll be two timing our GPS with Rand McNally.
What makes for successful, happy people? I think persistence and resilience are two such characteristics. I married a woman who has them in spades. Midday, with temperatures easily in the upper 70s already on this mid-January day, we are in Venice, Florida on the Gulf of Mexico seeking a place to rent bikes. Our first effort looking for Beach and Bikes takes us to a neighborhood and it seems like Clare (said Australian GPS Woman) is messing with us again. Unbelieving that we should be in a neighborhood of homes, we stop at a convenience store, get their phone number, and talk to the owner who says he only delivers bikes to hotels. That explains the home address. We give Clare a pass. He does direct us to Beach, Bikes, and Trikes but only with the vaguest of directions.
Parking in downtown Venice, we stop at a beauty salon for directions. Less resilient and persistent than Hannah, I suggest that we could walk the beach in Venice for an hour or two to get our exercise rather than aimlessly search for a phantom bike rental place. Hannah will not be deterred.
Hannah has read about the Legacy Trail, a trail created by Rails to Trails that goes ten miles north from Venice to Sarasota, Florida. Determined to make this afternoon an event, not just us filling the time walking the mushy sand of Venice Beach, Hannah remains focused. We eventually find Beach, Bikes, and Trikes and learn that they only rent by the day and it’s $28 per day. Too rich for our blood. We just want 3-4 hours of exercise.
They do say that back in town is Beach Destinations, so Hannah has us press on. Parking in the downtown we give it one last chance and hit pay dirt. Brian has two classic Huffy one-speeds for us to rent for the afternoon for $8 each.
Crossing the bridge from the Island (downtown Venice) to the mainland, we take the Legacy Trail at the Venice Train Depot. True to what you’d think of as a rails-to-trails trail, the path is straight as the cliché arrow and flat as a Florida landscape. This straight shot ten miles north begins in the wealthy bay areas of Venice and travels through Florida scrub land of pines and small palms.
Every few miles there are benches for sitting and relaxing. Crossing a few main streets, we notice one that has a traffic light specifically for bicyclists.
Over ten miles, we don’t cross more than three or four streets. It can be a bit monotonous but it does take us away from the busy streets, traffic lights, and the rush of vacationing snowbirds.
Reaching the turn around, we settle in on the benches for Clementines and baby carrots. Warren (not his real name) with a husky voice, which he later tells me is because he had throat cancer, talks nonstop. Word without end, Amen. Soon I find a pause and just stand, give Hannah “the look” to put her socks and sneakers back on and save me.
One-speeds into the wind are an anaerobic exercise, a struggle, not an aerobic workout. A ten miles trip that took 50 minutes with the wind takes nearly 60 minutes into the wind. We’ve had our work out for the day and look forward to a final night in Florida ready to head for home in the morning, though snow is in the forecast for Maine.
Ultimately in our quest to see if being snowbirds in Florida for two to three months in the winter is in the cards, we think not. Yesterday’s relentless traffic was a sign that Florida is not for us. Our inner voice speaks. You two are country mice. There is no small town New England here. What were you thinking? Stay where you are happiest. Build your community in York. Thirty years ago you left the hubbub and congestion of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area because of traffic and busy-ness. Worked out pretty good, didn’t it? There was a reason you ended up in small town America. The upper 70s and sunny that you’ve had each of the past seven days is not enough. Clearly, Florida is ideal for others, many others. [Oh, you couldn’t resist one more shot, could you?] It’s just not for you two.
We all have to find our own way and ours is not in the Sunshine State.
Whew, I was getting worry we would lose you. Looking forward to a visit this summer.
ReplyDeleteWhew x 2 ; add our relief that you two aren't going away - long term anyway! There are too many hairs to be cut and sign boards to be cared for right here in York!
ReplyDeleteRonnie & Dennis