Wow, guys, what a nice day for our last "last ride!" Thanks for making it fun...great to hear the birds and smell all the flowers and ride in the sunshine one last time before leaving.
You all take care, drive safely, and thanks for making our group such a fun one!
Barbara
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Ok, this is the last last ride...really.
Gang,
Lynn just warned me that as of March 1, there is only valet parking up in Baytowne Wharf. I didn't know that. (When did that start?) So let's meet in the parking lot on the south side of Emerald Coast Parkway (new #98) near the main Sandestin entrance. That would be the east end of Market Shops. We'll bike beachside first and then head under #98 up into bayside for our 10 miles and we'll still eat at Another Broken Egg around 11:30-11:45AM.
Remember to meet by 10:30AM! I can't get into www.weather.com right now. The website appears "broken up." Must be having problems. So I can't see the latest prediction on when the rain will start or if we'll have a windy morning, both of which would cancel the ride.
I'll keep checking up until about 8AM tomorrow morning and modify this post if we have to cancel. Be sure you all check this post on our blog tomorrow, too!
If you get a chance to RSVP on the blog, please do.
Lynn just warned me that as of March 1, there is only valet parking up in Baytowne Wharf. I didn't know that. (When did that start?) So let's meet in the parking lot on the south side of Emerald Coast Parkway (new #98) near the main Sandestin entrance. That would be the east end of Market Shops. We'll bike beachside first and then head under #98 up into bayside for our 10 miles and we'll still eat at Another Broken Egg around 11:30-11:45AM.
Remember to meet by 10:30AM! I can't get into www.weather.com right now. The website appears "broken up." Must be having problems. So I can't see the latest prediction on when the rain will start or if we'll have a windy morning, both of which would cancel the ride.
I'll keep checking up until about 8AM tomorrow morning and modify this post if we have to cancel. Be sure you all check this post on our blog tomorrow, too!
If you get a chance to RSVP on the blog, please do.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Last Ride on the Blog
Hi, everyone who hasn't left the area yet! Here is our last ride, Monday, March 4. (Tuesday looks like rain, Wednesday is our general snowbird meeting, and Thursday I depart...but you all can easily still ride by sending out group emails, since we have the roster Chris and Patty so generously created for us.)
Monday, March 4 -- New Route in Niceville led by Don Anderson
We'll "officially" end our season with a new route and lunch at a new place, recommended by the Andersons. Directions will follow shortly, but we will be meeting at 11AM and parking in an overflow lot across from Giuseppis Wharf Restaurant & Marina, 821 Bayshore Drive, Niceville, FL 32578 if you want to Google it. Lunch afterwards will be at the Front Porch Restaurant just down the street.
RSVP in the comment section below.
Directions from Don:
From Destin the easiest way is to cross the Mid Bay Bridge ($3.00 charge each way), turn left onto state highway 20 (E. John Sims Parkway, follow that into Niceville, turn left on Cedar Ave. S., right on 27th Street, right on Bayshore Drive, parking is on your right after the turn. You can also reach Niceville through Fort Walton by going around the bay.
Monday, March 4 -- New Route in Niceville led by Don Anderson
We'll "officially" end our season with a new route and lunch at a new place, recommended by the Andersons. Directions will follow shortly, but we will be meeting at 11AM and parking in an overflow lot across from Giuseppis Wharf Restaurant & Marina, 821 Bayshore Drive, Niceville, FL 32578 if you want to Google it. Lunch afterwards will be at the Front Porch Restaurant just down the street.
RSVP in the comment section below.
Directions from Don:
From Destin the easiest way is to cross the Mid Bay Bridge ($3.00 charge each way), turn left onto state highway 20 (E. John Sims Parkway, follow that into Niceville, turn left on Cedar Ave. S., right on 27th Street, right on Bayshore Drive, parking is on your right after the turn. You can also reach Niceville through Fort Walton by going around the bay.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
End of Season Potluck Photos
Thanks for a great biking season and lots of great lunch laughs, gang! Looking forward to next season. Safe travels home, everyone, and be well until we meet up again.
(Double click photos to enlarge.)
Terri Olson, Barb Kimball, Amy Beekman, Luan Beach
Stan and Diane Newby
Amy Beekman, Ken Hendrick, Stan Newby, Al Quackenbush
Lynn Quackenbush, Julie Kraabel
Harvey Kraabel
Roger Olson and John Beach
Diane Newby and Margaret Hendrick
Chris and Patty Schaal
Ken Beekman
The Cake :)
Everyone who couldn't make the potluck, we missed you! Next year it's at my place...
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Biking Week of February 24 - March 2
Rain has finally stopped. Now let's hope the wind sufficiently dies down the rest of the week.
Trying to rotate our routes, here's what I thought we'd do this week:
Wednesday, February 27 -- Freeport
Meet at 11AM in the Freeport library parking lot along #20. We'll ride 10-12 miles and do lunch at the usual, TJ's.
RSVP in the comment section.
Thursday, February 28 -- Watercolor
Meet at 11AM in the parking lot just on the eastern edge of Watercolor along #30A. We'll ride Watercolor first and then head up #30A to a new place, Sergio's Little Italy, near Red Bar for lunch. After lunch, it's a 3 1/2 mile ride back to the cars.
***Please be sure to RSVP for this ride by Wednesday, as I need to make reservations for us. Sergio's isn't that big.
Friday, March 1 -- Kelly Plantation
This is fast becoming one of the faves, as it is an easy ride, very pretty, and the clubhouse is a great spot to eat. Meet at 11AM in the Fresh Market parking lot.
RSVP in the comments section.
Trying to rotate our routes, here's what I thought we'd do this week:
Wednesday, February 27 -- Freeport
Meet at 11AM in the Freeport library parking lot along #20. We'll ride 10-12 miles and do lunch at the usual, TJ's.
RSVP in the comment section.
Thursday, February 28 -- Watercolor
Meet at 11AM in the parking lot just on the eastern edge of Watercolor along #30A. We'll ride Watercolor first and then head up #30A to a new place, Sergio's Little Italy, near Red Bar for lunch. After lunch, it's a 3 1/2 mile ride back to the cars.
***Please be sure to RSVP for this ride by Wednesday, as I need to make reservations for us. Sergio's isn't that big.
Friday, March 1 -- Kelly Plantation
This is fast becoming one of the faves, as it is an easy ride, very pretty, and the clubhouse is a great spot to eat. Meet at 11AM in the Fresh Market parking lot.
RSVP in the comments section.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Biking Week of February 17-23
Folks: We're going to go to a shorter notice of bike rides this week to try to schedule on days with good weather (read: no rain or winds!) I'm only going to schedule a ride if the weather looks good as predicted the day before. The weather predictors have played some tricks on us lately, including saying it wouldn't rain, but it did and vice versa (this morning.) So you will want to check the blog or your email nightly, whichever way you are informed of new rides. We'll see how this works. If it works well, we'll continue like this; but if not so well, we'll go back to the our SOP next week.
We're starting this week with a ride Sunday, as so far, that is looking like the only day in the next four with no rain or no wind.
Sunday, February 17 -- Kelly Plantation
Meet in the parking lot of Fresh Market at 11AM and we will leave as soon as we are all set (usually about 10 minutes.) We'll do 10 miles at an average 10 mph pace and then lunch at the Clubhouse Grill.
Please RSVP below in the comment section under the Kelly Plantation ride.
Monday, February 18 -- New Route: Miller-Holley Bike Paths
Might have winds this morning, but we decided to try a new route, since it just might be sheltered a bit. If it proves too unpleasant, we can quit early and just go eat! (Or if some want to finish,
the others can just chat by the cars until we're all ready to go.) This route is all bike path, except for a bit of road we need to ride to bypass a section of torn-up path. The road isn't a busy one, though. Might I suggest to those who don't have mirrors, it's a good idea to see behind you!
Meet at 10AM (not 11AM!) at Northwest Florida State College off of #331. Take #98 east to #331, turn north on #331 and then take the first left which goes right into the college. OR you can take #98 east and turn left onto JD Miller Road (it is a couple of blocks before #331...a sign on your right saying Padgett Park and arrowing left to JD Miller Rd. is a guidepost), take that a block down, then a right onto Community Way. Community Way dead-ends at Greenway Trail and you'll go right a block to the college. (I tried to Google Northwest Florida State College and kept getting the campus in Niceville....so to see this area on a map, Google South Walton High School and you'll see the library south of that. The NW FL State College building is south of the library, but isn't showing up on my Google map. Believe me, it's there. I went into all three institutions.)
We can get a 9.5-10 mile ride back there (I drove it) and I've already asked (in person!) the high school, the library, and the college if we can park in their lots. The high school and college said "no problem" but the library doesn't have enough spots. I chose the college, as it's a little "calmer" down at that end.
At the end of this ride, we're doing brunch at Don Pedro's in Santa Rosa on #98 (not the Destin location.)
RSVP in the comment section please. Don't forget sunscreen, helmets, ID, money, spare inner tube and portable pump (always good to have) and dress accordingly. Layers would be a good idea.
Wednesday, February 20 -- Sandestin
Meet at 11AM outside Starbucks in Baytowne Wharf on the Sandestin property. We'll ride about 10 miles and then have lunch/brunch at Another Broken Egg in Baytowne.
Please RSVP in the comment section.
Thursday, February 21 -- Kelly Plantation
Meet at 11AM in the Fresh Market parking lot. We'll bike into Kelly and ride 10 miles before stopping up at the Clubhouse Grill to have lunch. (We found a few more streets, one along the bay, to bike last Sunday!)
Please RSVP in the comment section.
We're starting this week with a ride Sunday, as so far, that is looking like the only day in the next four with no rain or no wind.
Sunday, February 17 -- Kelly Plantation
Meet in the parking lot of Fresh Market at 11AM and we will leave as soon as we are all set (usually about 10 minutes.) We'll do 10 miles at an average 10 mph pace and then lunch at the Clubhouse Grill.
Please RSVP below in the comment section under the Kelly Plantation ride.
Monday, February 18 -- New Route: Miller-Holley Bike Paths
Might have winds this morning, but we decided to try a new route, since it just might be sheltered a bit. If it proves too unpleasant, we can quit early and just go eat! (Or if some want to finish,
the others can just chat by the cars until we're all ready to go.) This route is all bike path, except for a bit of road we need to ride to bypass a section of torn-up path. The road isn't a busy one, though. Might I suggest to those who don't have mirrors, it's a good idea to see behind you!
Meet at 10AM (not 11AM!) at Northwest Florida State College off of #331. Take #98 east to #331, turn north on #331 and then take the first left which goes right into the college. OR you can take #98 east and turn left onto JD Miller Road (it is a couple of blocks before #331...a sign on your right saying Padgett Park and arrowing left to JD Miller Rd. is a guidepost), take that a block down, then a right onto Community Way. Community Way dead-ends at Greenway Trail and you'll go right a block to the college. (I tried to Google Northwest Florida State College and kept getting the campus in Niceville....so to see this area on a map, Google South Walton High School and you'll see the library south of that. The NW FL State College building is south of the library, but isn't showing up on my Google map. Believe me, it's there. I went into all three institutions.)
We can get a 9.5-10 mile ride back there (I drove it) and I've already asked (in person!) the high school, the library, and the college if we can park in their lots. The high school and college said "no problem" but the library doesn't have enough spots. I chose the college, as it's a little "calmer" down at that end.
At the end of this ride, we're doing brunch at Don Pedro's in Santa Rosa on #98 (not the Destin location.)
RSVP in the comment section please. Don't forget sunscreen, helmets, ID, money, spare inner tube and portable pump (always good to have) and dress accordingly. Layers would be a good idea.
Wednesday, February 20 -- Sandestin
Meet at 11AM outside Starbucks in Baytowne Wharf on the Sandestin property. We'll ride about 10 miles and then have lunch/brunch at Another Broken Egg in Baytowne.
Please RSVP in the comment section.
Thursday, February 21 -- Kelly Plantation
Meet at 11AM in the Fresh Market parking lot. We'll bike into Kelly and ride 10 miles before stopping up at the Clubhouse Grill to have lunch. (We found a few more streets, one along the bay, to bike last Sunday!)
Please RSVP in the comment section.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Biking Week of February 10-16
Weather.com is predicting a high chance of rain both Monday and Tuesday right now (Sat. 9PM) with a just 30% chance on Wednesday, but with wind.
So I'll schedule both a Thursday and a Friday ride this week, but if Wednesday's weather forecast improves, we will add a ride after the monthly snowbird meeting. A suggestion I was given was to have lunch together after the meeting, somewhere in the Destin area, then do our ride afterwards. Works for me. We'll make that determination later when we see what the weather will be for Wednesday.
Thursday, February 14
We'll try again for the Rosemary Beach ride today. Meet at 11AM at Shades, the restaurant at the easternmost end of #30A in Rosemary Beach. We'll ride along the bike path through Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach and into Seacrest or Seagrove 5 miles and then back to Shades for lunch. Please go to comments at the end of this week's post and RSVP under Thursday's ride if you plan to come.
Friday, February 15
Meet up in Freeport at 11AM in the library parking lot, as usual. We'll ride 10-12 miles and have lunch at TJ's afterwards. Please go to comments at the end of this week's post and RSVP under Friday's ride if you plan to come.
So I'll schedule both a Thursday and a Friday ride this week, but if Wednesday's weather forecast improves, we will add a ride after the monthly snowbird meeting. A suggestion I was given was to have lunch together after the meeting, somewhere in the Destin area, then do our ride afterwards. Works for me. We'll make that determination later when we see what the weather will be for Wednesday.
Thursday, February 14
We'll try again for the Rosemary Beach ride today. Meet at 11AM at Shades, the restaurant at the easternmost end of #30A in Rosemary Beach. We'll ride along the bike path through Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach and into Seacrest or Seagrove 5 miles and then back to Shades for lunch. Please go to comments at the end of this week's post and RSVP under Thursday's ride if you plan to come.
Friday, February 15
Meet up in Freeport at 11AM in the library parking lot, as usual. We'll ride 10-12 miles and have lunch at TJ's afterwards. Please go to comments at the end of this week's post and RSVP under Friday's ride if you plan to come.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Biking Week of February 3 - 9
Hi Gang,
I'm putting four rides on the calendar this week to try to accomodate everyone's schedules. Let's try it and see what happens. We're still tweaking the schedule to find the best combination.
Also trying to keep the routes alternating and varied. Here goes:
Monday, February 4
Meet at 11:30AM in the Freeport library parking lot. We'll do our usual 10-12 miles in Freeport and lunch at TJ's afterwards.
Wednesday, February 6
Meet at 11AM in Clemente Park on Calhoun in Destin (Google it if you need directions) and we will ride our typical hour-long Old Destin route, then lunch at La Famiglia's new location in Harborwalk.
Thursday Ride Cancelled. (Weather.com is saying this right now: Rain, with thunderstorms developing by 9am. The rain should end by noon. Cloudy with temperatures rising towards the upper 60s. Winds SE at 15 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 95%.)
Thursday, February 7
Meet at 11AM in the Shades parking lot (at the end of #30A) in Rosemary Beach. We'll ride west along the bike path 5 miles and turn around to end up for lunch at Shades.
Friday, February 8
Meet at 11AM in the Fresh Market (Destin) parking lot (park in the back or along the road to leave the better spaces open for its customers.) We'll ride into Kelly Plantation and hope we don't get "evicted!" I've heard from several sources now that if we ride in, we won't be stopped. (Remember, we used to drive there, park at the restaurant and ride? Then all of a sudden they banned cyclists from driving in to cycle. Must have been all those empty beer cans we threw in the bushes.) If we meet with resistance, bring your water pistols. We'll lunch at Kelly Plantation's Golf Clubhouse and Grill, which is open to the public.
Note: Remember to check the blog an hour before any ride to make sure there has been no cancellation/change!
Bring ID, insurance cards, spare inner tube, helmet, bike lock, sunscreen, money, maybe cell phone.
I'm putting four rides on the calendar this week to try to accomodate everyone's schedules. Let's try it and see what happens. We're still tweaking the schedule to find the best combination.
Also trying to keep the routes alternating and varied. Here goes:
Monday, February 4
Meet at 11:30AM in the Freeport library parking lot. We'll do our usual 10-12 miles in Freeport and lunch at TJ's afterwards.
Wednesday, February 6
Meet at 11AM in Clemente Park on Calhoun in Destin (Google it if you need directions) and we will ride our typical hour-long Old Destin route, then lunch at La Famiglia's new location in Harborwalk.
Thursday Ride Cancelled. (Weather.com is saying this right now: Rain, with thunderstorms developing by 9am. The rain should end by noon. Cloudy with temperatures rising towards the upper 60s. Winds SE at 15 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 95%.)
Thursday, February 7
Meet at 11AM in the Shades parking lot (at the end of #30A) in Rosemary Beach. We'll ride west along the bike path 5 miles and turn around to end up for lunch at Shades.
Friday, February 8
Meet at 11AM in the Fresh Market (Destin) parking lot (park in the back or along the road to leave the better spaces open for its customers.) We'll ride into Kelly Plantation and hope we don't get "evicted!" I've heard from several sources now that if we ride in, we won't be stopped. (Remember, we used to drive there, park at the restaurant and ride? Then all of a sudden they banned cyclists from driving in to cycle. Must have been all those empty beer cans we threw in the bushes.) If we meet with resistance, bring your water pistols. We'll lunch at Kelly Plantation's Golf Clubhouse and Grill, which is open to the public.
Note: Remember to check the blog an hour before any ride to make sure there has been no cancellation/change!
Bring ID, insurance cards, spare inner tube, helmet, bike lock, sunscreen, money, maybe cell phone.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Week of January 27-February 2
WCS cyclists: Be sure to RSVP here on the blog so we know who to expect. If you have trouble RSVPing, call me. I can help you (usually.)
Monday, January 27
Meet at 11AM in the library parking lot in Freeport. (Google Freeport library if you don't know where it is....it is across from TJ's restaurant on #20.) We'll do our usual hour ride and lunch at noon at TJ's afterwards. They are famous for their corned beef-less Reubens.
Bring all the usual: Sunscreen, money, insurance cards and ID, spare inner tube, helmet, etc.
+(2).jpg)
Weather.com has the storms starting at 3PM today, but strong winds are already blowing. I'm not riding in this wind, but if anyone else still wants to, you can get together by arranging it in private email (see our roster) or by commenting here on the blog. (updated 9AM)
Wednesday, January 29
Meet at 10:30AM in front of Starbucks in Baytowne Wharf (the little "village" inside Sandestin.) We'll ride an hour and then eat at Rum Runners (if it's open...if not, at Another Broken Egg.) Don't forget all the usual biking stuff (see Monday.)
NOTE: Anyone wanting to meet up at Cabana Cafe at 3PM to hear Redd at 4PM, please come! She is the singer/waitress who used to perform on #30A at Sally's Backside (now she's at Marie's next door to Sally's.) She was always a hoot! (Not sure of her repertoire at Cabana, but we'll find out.) When you RSVP for Wednesday, please let us know if we should expect you for both (ride and Cabana) or one or the other. Your choice!
Friday, February 1
Meet at 11AM at The Great Southern Cafe in Seaside. We will ride #30A down to the Red Bar, and back to Watercolor (and around Watercolor) before returning to The Great Southern for lunch.
Please RSVP and you know what to bring.
Monday, January 27
Meet at 11AM in the library parking lot in Freeport. (Google Freeport library if you don't know where it is....it is across from TJ's restaurant on #20.) We'll do our usual hour ride and lunch at noon at TJ's afterwards. They are famous for their corned beef-less Reubens.
Bring all the usual: Sunscreen, money, insurance cards and ID, spare inner tube, helmet, etc.
+(2).jpg)
(Click photo to enlarge)
Thanks, Al, for catching us at our best! (Especially me.)
Weather.com has the storms starting at 3PM today, but strong winds are already blowing. I'm not riding in this wind, but if anyone else still wants to, you can get together by arranging it in private email (see our roster) or by commenting here on the blog. (updated 9AM)
Wednesday, January 29
Meet at 10:30AM in front of Starbucks in Baytowne Wharf (the little "village" inside Sandestin.) We'll ride an hour and then eat at Rum Runners (if it's open...if not, at Another Broken Egg.) Don't forget all the usual biking stuff (see Monday.)
NOTE: Anyone wanting to meet up at Cabana Cafe at 3PM to hear Redd at 4PM, please come! She is the singer/waitress who used to perform on #30A at Sally's Backside (now she's at Marie's next door to Sally's.) She was always a hoot! (Not sure of her repertoire at Cabana, but we'll find out.) When you RSVP for Wednesday, please let us know if we should expect you for both (ride and Cabana) or one or the other. Your choice!
Friday, February 1
Meet at 11AM at The Great Southern Cafe in Seaside. We will ride #30A down to the Red Bar, and back to Watercolor (and around Watercolor) before returning to The Great Southern for lunch.
Please RSVP and you know what to bring.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Biking Week of January 20-26
A brunch and two lunches, two bits.
New cyclists: Please come! We are a very friendly group!
Tuesday, January 22 -- Sandestin Brunch ride
Meet at Starbuck's in Sandestin's Baytowne Village at 9AM. We'll bike 10 miles in Sandestin and have brunch at Another Broken Egg in the Village. (Changed from Don Pedro's, as the Miramar Beach location doesn't serve breakfast on weekdays.)
Please RSVP here to get a count going! (And remember your money, ID, insurance card, extra inner tube in case of a flat, sunscreen, helmet, whatever!)
Wednesday, January 23 -- #30A Lunch Ride
Meet at 11:30AM in the first public parking area on the south side of #30A (coming from the east end of #30A.) It's not far west past Stinky's. We'll ride about 5.5 miles down #30A to Defuniak Street (#283) and turn back to Goatfeathers for lunch (if you have spouses joining us, we'll probably be at Goatfeathers around 12:30PM.) After lunch, we will ride back to the parking area, which isn't far (1.5 - 2 miles.)
http://www.goatfeathersseafood.com/id/lunch.html#previous-photo Here is a link to Goatfeathers so you can look at the menu before we ride.
Weather.com is killing me, folks. Now they predict only a 10% chance of rain on Friday and a high of 68, so it looks like we are still "on" for Friday. Sorry for the confusion!
Friday, January 25 -- Old Destin Lunch ride
Meet at 11:00AM at Clement Taylor Park on Calhoun Avenue for an Old Destin ride. We'll do our 10 miles and afterwards, head over to LaFamiglia (since we discovered last week it is not open for lunch on Sundays -- http://www.lafamigliadestin.com/locations/harborwalk-location/) at Harborwalk about 12:15PM for lunch.
Note: Lunch menu not posted on website. They offer a variety of paninos, salads and pastas starting at $7.95.
Remember to RSVP here!
Remember to check the blog about an hour before any ride in case of weather or emergency cancellation!
Photos (courtesy Chris S.) of the Goatfeather's lunch:
Front to back: Patty Schaal, John Beach, Luan Beach, Lynn Quackenbush, Ron Thompson, Al Quackenbush, Jim Whitledge
Front to back: Diane Newby, Stan Newby, Amy Beekman, Ken Beekman, Terri Olson, Roger Olson
Left to right: Diane Newby, Barbara Kimball, Chris Schaal
Monday, January 7, 2013
Biking Week of January 13-19
Attention cyclists: If anyone would like to step up and lead a ride Thursday or Friday of this week, please let me know where you'd like to ride, the time, lunch plans, etc. and I'll post it here. (I will be volunteering for the Songwriter Fest in Seaside these two afternoons and not available to lead.)
Sunday, January 13
Hey gang, I promised I'd try some weekend rides, so we are trying a Sunday ride to see how many are interested. If you go to church Sunday morning, perhaps you can do an early service so that you can join us afterwards. If you go Saturday night or not at all, no problem.
We'll meet at Clement Taylor Park on Calhoun Avenue (Google it) for the Old Destin ride at 1PM. We'll stick to a one hour ride, so we can get back to La Famiglia on the Harbor (they have a second location there now: http://www.lafamigliadestin.com/locations/) in time to order off the lunch menu before it switches over to dinner at 3PM. (This won't allow for much hanging around the old Mattie Kelly Plantation site...we'll save that for another time.) LaFamiglia has an awesome lunch menu (not on their website) with a variety of paninos (yes, not paninis) and salads and pasta dishes (noodles, lasagna, ravioli, etc.) ranging from about $7.50 - $10.00.
This will be a really late lunch or a really early dinner. So adjust your meal times to accommodate it. If you are a strict 7AM breakfast/noon lunch/6PM dinner person, this might not work for you. (But we hope you can be flexible and join us!)
I'm not sure how traffic will be doing this ride on a Sunday, so we'll give it a go to find out! We do have sidewalk much/most of the route.
Please RSVP in the comment section if you are interested.
Update: Rained here, is still raining in other parts of the area...not sure if it will continue on and off. So we are still "on" for Happy Hour at 4PM, whether that ends up being outside or inside, and dinner to follow for anyone who chooses. If you don't see this update and show up at my place, you will have choices: hang with me for a while till Happy Hour, bike anyway and meet us at Happy Hour, or meet us later at 4PM.
Tuesday, January 15
We are trying a dinner ride today! I told you we'd "shake it up" this season, so we'll be doing some different scheduling.
Meet at my rental at 2:30PM and we will ride Scenic 98 (and hope that no pedestrian knocks me off of my bike and breaks my other wrist) and have dinner afterwards at Pompano Joe's. Happy Hour starts at 4PM with $1 drafts and $3.50 wine. To get those prices, though, we have to do Happy Hour out on the patio. Inside drinks cost more. (My rental is literally a 2 min. drive from PJoe's, so we can put bikes back on cars and drive or walk over after we ride.) The plan is to relax at Happy Hour for a while, then go inside and have dinner. To get a table outside, we'll need to be there by 4PM start. I imagine we'd be doing dinner between 5-6PM, depending upon how long we Happy Hour!
Many of you know where my rental this season is, but I hesitate to post it publicly, as anyone (like anyone in the world) can find this blog and read it. So if you don't know where it is, please email or call me. I'll give you the address and directions or you can Google it.
Note: If any of you have golf Tuesdays or other activities that conflict with the ride time, consider joining us for Happy Hour and/or dinner!
RSVP in the comments so we know who to expect!
Ok gang, let's see if we can spice up the usual "ride-and-lunch" schedule this season!
Sunday, January 13
Hey gang, I promised I'd try some weekend rides, so we are trying a Sunday ride to see how many are interested. If you go to church Sunday morning, perhaps you can do an early service so that you can join us afterwards. If you go Saturday night or not at all, no problem.
We'll meet at Clement Taylor Park on Calhoun Avenue (Google it) for the Old Destin ride at 1PM. We'll stick to a one hour ride, so we can get back to La Famiglia on the Harbor (they have a second location there now: http://www.lafamigliadestin.com/locations/) in time to order off the lunch menu before it switches over to dinner at 3PM. (This won't allow for much hanging around the old Mattie Kelly Plantation site...we'll save that for another time.) LaFamiglia has an awesome lunch menu (not on their website) with a variety of paninos (yes, not paninis) and salads and pasta dishes (noodles, lasagna, ravioli, etc.) ranging from about $7.50 - $10.00.
This will be a really late lunch or a really early dinner. So adjust your meal times to accommodate it. If you are a strict 7AM breakfast/noon lunch/6PM dinner person, this might not work for you. (But we hope you can be flexible and join us!)
I'm not sure how traffic will be doing this ride on a Sunday, so we'll give it a go to find out! We do have sidewalk much/most of the route.
Please RSVP in the comment section if you are interested.
Update: Rained here, is still raining in other parts of the area...not sure if it will continue on and off. So we are still "on" for Happy Hour at 4PM, whether that ends up being outside or inside, and dinner to follow for anyone who chooses. If you don't see this update and show up at my place, you will have choices: hang with me for a while till Happy Hour, bike anyway and meet us at Happy Hour, or meet us later at 4PM.
Tuesday, January 15
We are trying a dinner ride today! I told you we'd "shake it up" this season, so we'll be doing some different scheduling.
Meet at my rental at 2:30PM and we will ride Scenic 98 (and hope that no pedestrian knocks me off of my bike and breaks my other wrist) and have dinner afterwards at Pompano Joe's. Happy Hour starts at 4PM with $1 drafts and $3.50 wine. To get those prices, though, we have to do Happy Hour out on the patio. Inside drinks cost more. (My rental is literally a 2 min. drive from PJoe's, so we can put bikes back on cars and drive or walk over after we ride.) The plan is to relax at Happy Hour for a while, then go inside and have dinner. To get a table outside, we'll need to be there by 4PM start. I imagine we'd be doing dinner between 5-6PM, depending upon how long we Happy Hour!
Many of you know where my rental this season is, but I hesitate to post it publicly, as anyone (like anyone in the world) can find this blog and read it. So if you don't know where it is, please email or call me. I'll give you the address and directions or you can Google it.
Note: If any of you have golf Tuesdays or other activities that conflict with the ride time, consider joining us for Happy Hour and/or dinner!
RSVP in the comments so we know who to expect!
Ok gang, let's see if we can spice up the usual "ride-and-lunch" schedule this season!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Biking Week of January 6 - 12
Weather predicted to be nice the beginning of the week, but rain moving in on Thursday. Plus, we have the general meeting on Wednesday, so this week I'm scheduling a Monday ride after general registration and a Friday ride....however, the Friday ride could get moved up to Thursday IF the rain holds off and is expected on Friday instead. (Never know how fast these fronts will move in...)
Monday, January 7
Meet at 11:30AM in front of Starbucks just inside the entrance to Baytowne Wharf (the village inside of Sandestin.) There is free, covered parking for those who need to transport their bikes. We'll ride an hour around Sandestin and then have lunch at Rum Runners afterwards. Please remember to RSVP using the comments feature at the bottom of this post so we know who will be riding.
Note: Be sure to check the blog, though, about an hour before the ride in case of cancellation for weather, emergency, etc.
Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update!
Thursday, January 10
Weather.com is predicting a lesser chance of rain on Thursday than on Friday, so let's play the odds and ride on Thursday. We haven't done #30A yet, so how about meeting at 11:30AM in front of the Great Southern Cafe and riding along #30A to get in some miles, then taking a spin through Watercolor? We'll do our usual hour (or approximately 10 miles) and then head over to the Great Southern for lunch! Who's in? Please RSVP here!
Friday, January 11
Please join us at Cabana Cafe at 3:30 for Banjorama's performance from 4-7PM! Plan to have drinks/appetizers during the performance or dinner. Your choice. But come and join in the fun! RSVP so we know how big a table to get!
Note to new members: Even if you haven't ridden with us or cannot ride this week, think about coming and meeting us at Cabana Cafe!
Monday, January 7
Meet at 11:30AM in front of Starbucks just inside the entrance to Baytowne Wharf (the village inside of Sandestin.) There is free, covered parking for those who need to transport their bikes. We'll ride an hour around Sandestin and then have lunch at Rum Runners afterwards. Please remember to RSVP using the comments feature at the bottom of this post so we know who will be riding.
Note: Be sure to check the blog, though, about an hour before the ride in case of cancellation for weather, emergency, etc.
Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update!
Thursday, January 10
Weather.com is predicting a lesser chance of rain on Thursday than on Friday, so let's play the odds and ride on Thursday. We haven't done #30A yet, so how about meeting at 11:30AM in front of the Great Southern Cafe and riding along #30A to get in some miles, then taking a spin through Watercolor? We'll do our usual hour (or approximately 10 miles) and then head over to the Great Southern for lunch! Who's in? Please RSVP here!
Friday, January 11
Please join us at Cabana Cafe at 3:30 for Banjorama's performance from 4-7PM! Plan to have drinks/appetizers during the performance or dinner. Your choice. But come and join in the fun! RSVP so we know how big a table to get!
Note to new members: Even if you haven't ridden with us or cannot ride this week, think about coming and meeting us at Cabana Cafe!
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