This article is the second half of my vacation while in Stuart Florida.  See the previous article for the story of my rides during the first half of my vacation.     

We were fortunate to be invited by Bob and his family to spend a couple days with them in Stuart on the east coast of Florida.  Thanks again to Jan and Bud for opening their home to us.    

Bike Ride Wednesday Mar 30, 2005
Bob had already gone on a few bike rides earlier in the week before we arrived.  Again, Stuart is a good place to ride bikes, they have nice sidewalks and have allowed space for a bike lane in some of the intermediate as well as quite busy roads.   

On this first ride I did with Bob we got up relatively early and headed out before everyone else was moving.  We rode through the downtown Stuart area and we also rode along the main very busy road with all the shopping on both sides.  I certainly don’t know my way around this area, so I can’t give a good account of exactly where we rode.   

We did stop for breakfast at Alice’s and we sat outside in plastic chairs at a plastic table with all the local retirees and a few local salesmen avoiding work.  They had a nice breakfast special consisting of eggs, french toast and hash browns.  As usual we both had diet Coke or Pepsi with our meals.   

While I’m thinking about it I am going to skip off topic for a moment to talk about the trip across state on Tuesday.  To get from Sanibel to Stuart you need to cut almost directly across the state.  The problem is there is a large lake, Lake Okeechobee, right in the middle.  I researched and it appeared going below the Lake was the quickest route.  We were past the Lake and just starting to head north when we came across an unannounced road closure.  We had to double back and let Garmin guide us back on course.  While we were on the detour we were driving along a fairly main road that had a large irrigation canal along our right side.  I happened be sitting in the passenger seat while Diane was driving and I notice a rather large alligator sitting on the opposite bank of the canal.  Diane pulled off up ahead and turned back to see if we could find the gator again, everyone wanted to see a wild gator.  Not only did we find that gator but we ended up seeing many more as we slowly made our way along this road.  I took quite a few pictures of the gators and I will share them with a few other pictures from this trip. 

After our breakfast Bob and I rode around town a bit more before heading back to join everyone else.  We estimate we rode for about 20 miles this day. 

When we arrived in Stuart Bob presented me with a very nice gift.  Apparently the popularity of the Rochester Hills PCT Bicycle Club has caught on big time on the east cost of Florida.  Bob found a store selling PCT Bike Club hats and bought one for the both of us.  I can’t even begin to explain the proud feeling that swelled up inside me when Bob gave me this attractive baseball cap.  I have included a few pictures of the hat.  Later in the week when we were out shopping we ran across this same hat in one of the local stores.  If our club had an attorney I would probably consult with them to see what kind of action we might be able to take against the company that is producing and selling these hats without our permission.  So, keep your eyes open the hats may soon be showing up in a store near you.     

Bike Ride Thursday March 31, 2005
One of the things we really enjoy doing while in Stuart is playing tennis on the clay courts in the Clark’s community.  We planned to play a lot of tennis on Thursday so Bob and I weren’t sure if we would have time to get in another ride.  Come Thursday morning Bob suggest another ride and I was ready in minutes.  We left a little bit later and planned to do a bit shorter ride than the day before to make sure allowed enough time for tennis. 

Again, we rode around the area and this day we ended up stopping at a relatively new place for a late breakfast or early lunch.  I don’t remember the name of the place but was a small place with straw umbrellas at each table outside.  The tables and chairs were made out of tubular wood kind of like bamboo.  The place definitely had the feel of a tropical resort.  We were the only ones there at the time and we each ordered sandwiches.  I ordered a breakfast type sandwich that came in two burrito wraps.  Bob had a more traditional sandwich, I think his was called the Key West, but I can’t remember what was in it.  We each got a can of diet Pepsi from their cooler.  I had never experience stale pop until this day.  The pop was cold but it tasted horrible.  I tried to drink it but I just couldn’t, I threw half of my can away.  Bob checked the date on the bottom of the can and it said best if consumed before Nov. 2004.  We pointed out the fact that their pop was stale and the lady working there was very apologetic and gave us our money back for the pops.  

After this meal we rode around a bit more and then headed back for tennis.  We estimate we rode for about 15 miles this day.  Check out this link for some of our pictures from the trip to Stuart.  

David Lindquist