Miami Christmas

Jeff and I have been enjoying the holidays in my hometown of Miami. In addition to getting in some good family time, it is also nice to have a brief reprieve from the snow and freezing rain. Getting dressed for a cold ride really is a big time commitment. Working up the nerve to put on a cold heart rate monitor, the chilling surprise of ice-cold chamois cream, running around the house to find that missing glove; that's about 30 minutes of prep time right there.

Unlike last year, we have decided not to log in the big miles over the holidays. During the 2008 holiday season one of our big rides was out to Key Largo, which might sound like a good idea, but actually amounts to miles and miles of shoulderless, monotonous roads with limited ocean views. This year we have finally accepted the reality of the lack of bike friendliness in south Florida and have resigned to the one decent road ride in Miami ...out to Key Biscayne. This is also a fairly hectic ride, with very little shoulder available until you finally reach the Rickenbacker Causeway. What a dirty trick, that such a warm place to live should be so intimidating for bikes and pedestrians. (photo: notice the lack of shoulder)

Aside from riding, we have enjoyed doing some tourist stuff. Last night we enjoyed a night on South Beach. Rosa was especially excited to take us to Opa, a Greek restaurant where management regularly encourages customers to dance on the tables. By the end of the evening, even Rosa found herself taking advantage of this rare opportunity to live it up on the table tops. I found Miami Beach to be much more bicycle friendly than I ever remember; however, I was a bit disturbed by the frequency of cyclists riding against traffic while in the bike lane. No really ...it really bothered me ...I'm still irritated just thinking about it.

So, Jeff and I will again head out for a ride to Key Biscayne tomorrow. I'm working on my jersey tan while we're here.