Cycling Again!! - Sunday - August 22, 2011

Saturday night, we decided that Sunday morning would be a good day for Nancy’s first bike ride since her shoulder surgery. Her doctor advised her not to fall down for at least six weeks as her shoulder needs some time to heal properly (duh). Well, it’s not quite six weeks, but Nancy was anxious to go, so we did!

I pumped up the tires, oiled the chains, cleaned the bikes up and loaded them in the Tahoe Saturday evening. We left the house just before 6am and drove to Huntington Beach State Park. It wasn’t even sunrise yet – yeesh! Anyhow, within minutes it was light enough to start pedaling with the lights on the bicycles flashing.

02 - Riding before sunriseRiding before the sun rose.

04 - Salt Marsh to Oyster Cove at DawnView across the salt marsh at dawn.

06 - Bill ahead on causewayCrossing the Causeway at Huntington Beach.

We were very careful not to pedal too hard and we stopped frequently so Nancy could take pictures of the wildlife. We saw the usual birds and gators.05 - Salt Marsh at dawn05b - Salt Marsh at dawn - alligators05d - Salt Marsh at dawn - egrets everywhere05c - Salt Marsh at dawn - birds05e - Salt Marsh at dawn - breakfast club

We road the bike path and turned onto Sandy Island Road where we had to stop and let a family of wild turkeys cross. 08 - Turkeys crossing Sandy Island Road

When got to Sandy Island Boat Landing, we rested again and of course, more pictures. 09 - Rest Stop at Sandy Island Boat Landing

09b - Locals Boats at Sandy Island Boat LandingBoats used by the Island Residents to go back and forth.

09c - Canal to Sandy IslandView down the canal to Sandy Island.

Took it nice and easy on the way back.  We love riding Sunday mornings as we have the road to ourselves.  Well almost... here we shared it with the Geese. 10 - Geese crossing the road

We returned to our starting point and got the bikes loaded into the car.  Nancy needed one last photo.  This is what we see from our parking spot.
11 - Back to Start AtalayaAtalaya Castle – One of these days we will take you on a photo tour of this interesting place!

But for today, it was time to head home. It was a great 17 mile ride and Nancy’s shoulder gave her no problems :o))

After getting cleaned up and a late breakfast, we drove to North Myrtle Beach to visit Tanger Outlets and Bass Pro Shop. We were on the hunt for a couple of wide brimmed hats we can use for kayaking and hiking. We both agreed that we needed them to protect us from the sun, rain and insects. Neither one of us normally wears a hat except visors, so this was going to be out of our comfort zone. We tried on tons of hats and laughed ourselves silly. Nancy said everyone she put on felt like a lampshade!! Finally, both of us found ones that were comfortable even though they really don’t make a fashion statement…well, on second thought, maybe they do ;o))01 - Nancy and Bill Hats Regardless, as Nancy stated “we are long past the age of looking cool – let’s get hats that are practical.” We hope to test drive the hats this coming Friday on our planned kayak trip. Hurricane Irene may change those plans ;o((  However, we are ready for her with our NEW HATS :o))  We also bought some socks and underwear. I guess we now have all the important stuff covered ;o))

We rarely go clothes shopping and it is just as rare that we go out to eat. Today, we did both. After a meal at McAlister’s, we headed home laughing about the “hat” adventure. It turned out to be a wonderful Sunday, sharing lots of laughs, particularly about the hats.

What a great day!!!

12 comments:

  1. Well, I gotta say, the hats are very fashionable... and functional too! Good to keep the sun off your head :-)

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  2. What a neat place for a bike ride, the sights of nature are really beautiful.

    Glad to hear Nancy's shoulder is healing well. I've always heard that you young kids heal fast.

    Nice hats you bought, but Bill, we've all heard stories about you wearing lampshades on your head at parties... ;c)

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  3. Nice to see you biking again Nancy. I think Irene will make us leave early too. Better safe than sorry.
    Syl

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  4. Yes Syl, better safe than sorry. Looks like that area may get hit harder than here. We are watching it closely and may be heading to Raleigh to visit our daughter if we need to evacuate.

    Please be careful and stay safe!!

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  5. That's wonderful news to hear that Nancy is back on her bike! Those are some good looking hats!

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  6. Looks like nice ride with interesting things to see. Great that it when well.

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  7. Great pictures of a great ride in a great place. Brings back memories of our playing at Huntington. Really want to do that again.

    OK, Fess up, you copied our hats. Bill you chose one of those floppy ones just like David wears and your broad brim kayaking hat is just like mine Nancy. We will all look so cool kayaking this winter together. Can't wait!!

    LOL at your comments.........."we've got all the important stuff covered" and every one felt like
    a lampshade. You two are the best!!!

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  8. Sherry...

    Ok, you caught us!!

    But I am sure you've heard the saying that, "Immitation is the highest form of flattery!"

    We certainly wouldn't want to look out of place at the party this winter ;o)))

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  9. It's easy to see why you love Sunday morning rides...just you and nature.

    Love the hats! And love the attitude that comes with the hats :) Now you're set for everything!

    We, too, are watching Irene. Stay safe.

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  10. Love the pictures. Love it that Nancy did well. Love the hats! Stay safe as Irene approaches.

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  11. The hats look great and I am glad Nancy is back on the bike.

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  12. Good to see you guys having fun! Joan and I went "hat shopping" last weekend... with the same results as you guys. Not fashionable but practical! Stay safe with Irene coming!

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