Beach Bike

Pretty routine day. The morning started off cold but that didn’t stop Cali and me from hiking through the woods out to the beach. She did okay in the trees although being Saturday, we had to dodge a few mountain bikers. But I’m afraid she’s over walking on the beach. Taking her for walks these days is pretty much like renting a nag horse at the stables by the Mexican border. I have to pull and cajole the whole time going away from camp but the minute we turn around to head home she’s yanking and strutting all the way back. If she slipped the leash, I’d have to chase her all way to Carlsbad. I feel bad since she spends most of her time in her bed but that’s what she’s been doing for the past year whether in a house or the RV.

Take me home!

The campground is really lively now that the kids are out of school. The park is pushing maybe 50% full. Even with the cold temps, bikes are abundant – kids bikes, mountain bikes and oldies on hybrids. After lunch, I jumped on the velo bandwagon and unlocked the bike and set off to tool around the park. I started out on the mile or so of paved parking road that connects all of the beach access areas. I stopped at a few different beaches and when I reached the poles where the park ends and the Navy Base begins I took the bike out on the sand and rode back down to boardwalk 11 and back along the Atlantic.

When I got back to the poles, I rode over to the ponds to give searching for alligators another shot. I peeked around all the little coves and back ponds. I saw a few big turtles sunning themselves on a log and lots of cool birds. I though there’d be more people than there were but still some fisherman and a group of people having a big picnic. The afternoon had warmed up nicely reaching the low sixties.

Somebody must have gone swimming

I rode back down to Dolphin Plaza and locked up the bike and went out for my new obsession of finding a shark tooth. I gave it a good go, but I guess it’s not meant to be. It’s a meditative practice so no disappointment. I noticed the sun nearing the horizon so I spun the gears back over to the lake to see about getting a view of the sunset. I sat on a bench and watched it melt behind the woods on the far side where we are all camped.

When the sun dropped, the cold descended like a curtain. I raced back to the RV and took Cali out to do her rounds then cooked up a nice dinner and kicked back.