Hi there!

Oops...it's been a while since I've wrote anything. I'm in Florida again and having a great time, though as usual, missing my bike. I can't say the weather has been very nice this time around though, so I don't think I'd be enjoying it much if I had it.

Simply put, last Saturday we survived what was easily the most scary experience of my life. The boat (Morris) was anchored out on a beautiful piece of water near Jewfish Key. We were perfectly situated to see the fireworks show—along with at least fifty other boats. We saw the storm coming, but I underestimated how swift and powerful it would be.

The calm before the storm

Dan and I were watching the fireworks and lighting off in the distance when the rain hit as if someone turned the hose on at full blast. An instant later, the wind arrived. Small, open motor boats were crashing into us and much larger boats were losing their hold and drifting right past us. Feeling the wind force the boat over 45° degrees is terrifying.

Overall, we fared pretty well—no damage to the boat and no damage to us. That big boat in the photo above nearly hit a boathouse behind us, other sailboats were knocked over so far their windows were submerged, and there was a lot of yelling over tangled anchor line once the storm passed. At least one boat ended up on the beach. I've seen some pretty awesome storms roll in off Lake Michigan, but this takes the cake. We later found out from one of the other boats that winds were in excess of 90mph that night.

Me on Morris

Even now, the weather's not that great. It started raining yesterday evening, and it hasn't stopped since. More wind, more lightning, more water. My Marmot Precip jacket is getting a workout, and I'm beginning to think it's monsoon season.

And back to Michigan...

Sorry I haven't blogged in so long! I've been enjoying the past two weeks in Florida. Lots of beaches, sailing, and sun. Actually, a bit too much sun...I got a pretty bad sunburn early on (despite using 100+ SPF sunblock!). It's all healed now though, and I've got a lot more color than I left with. This is the first time in several years that I haven't sported bike short tan lines!

Sails can be really pretty.

The weather there was absolutely great. Much to my dismay, I was greeted at the airport in Michigan with a storm. It looks like we've got a lot of rain in the two weeks that I've been away. I have yet to check the forums, but does anyone know which trails (if any...) are rideable right now?

I'm really anxious to get back on the bike. Unfortunately, I'm guessing it's going to be all road until this excess water drains away.