Doctor Bob's Bike Blog: Day #5 March 17, 2011 - Miramar to Pensacola, FL

It was 51 gorgeous miles along the Gulf Coast from Miramar to Pensacola, FL

Our goal each day was to get an early start, especially if there was a chance of rush hour traffic. We were usually up at 4:45am, or so. We lost time breaking down the tent and saved a few minutes eating cold pizza (which wasn't so bad!), followed by our de rigueur peanut butter and honey. We began in near-darkness with a brilliant sunrise to follow:

Another glorious sunrise from the East in Miramar as we biked West. Glad I wasn't biking into the sunrise like the oncoming traffic.

During the 8 miserable and twisted years I was on staff at the West Palm Beach VA, I did have the pleasure of taking care of some great patients. There was one, Mr. Openshaw, who, to me, was a larger-than-life character. Tall, physically imposing in his own way, he always wore an "Hogs Breath Saloon" t-shirt (though his were from those in Key West.) He always sported belts with massive belt buckles; one was a solid piece of stainless steel, cut from a piece of a MIG fuselage that he recovered from a downed MIG when he was in Korea. Anyway, when I saw this saloon, I thought of him.

In honor of a favorite Veteran patient, Mr. Openshaw.

There were many scenic bridges:

The blue skies and blue water were gorgeous.

Lani, my daughter of 25 years, has a sense of humor that is unlike her mother's. Where she gets it from is beyond me.

I think Lani was thinking of a potential FB profile picture at the time. If she poses and says "Dad, take this picture," must I?

What do I miss besides my wife,son and being at home? I miss my morning coffee with something chocolate. We took a little break at Adonna's Bakery and Cafe in Fort Walton Beach, Fl

A brownie and a cup of coffee...junk food elevated to one of its highest forms.

Lani and I occasionally would get separated, usually because I stopped to take a picture. Such was the case in Navarre, FL where I finally caught up to her at a produce stand. It was here that the Law of Unintended Consequences kicked in. Lani bought a honeybell orange and I bought a grapefruit...but, in rummaging through my sidepack for some money, I left something behind...

Lani tears through her orange with the Navarre Beach Causeway in the background.

After playing with our citrus for about 20 minutes, we finished up and headed back towards the bridge. Reaching the apogee of the Navarre Beach Causeway, we paused for a picture. In case you're wondering - and even if you had not - I'm packing the incredibly portable Zipshot tripod by Tamrac. It's height is fixed, is not as stable as a heavier tripod, but it is ultra-light and ultra-portable.

From the Navarre Beach Causeway, leading to the a fantastic strip of beachfront road with a great bike path.

As we were about to take off, we crossed paths with two guys heading in the opposite direction on the other side of the rode, Joshua Roe and his brother Israel, who have their own blog. They had left from San Diego two months ago and were heading to St. Augustine after stopping in Gainesville.

Joshua and Israel Roe, just a few days away from their St. Augustine destination.

Talking with these two guys was great, but time was beginning to slip. Just as we were to leave, Lani saw that she had missed several calls from her mom. It seems that I had left my cellphone and all my credit cards on the table at the last produce stand. My sister, Ellen, living in CT, had tried to call me and, thankfully, the woman at the produce stand answered the phone. Had we not stopped on the bridge for the picture and and chatted Josh and Israel for about 30 minutes, I'd have been another 15 miles down the road before finding out about my phone. I turned around and Lani proceeded on her own.

Biking on my own, I headed back to the bridge. Again.

Crossing the causeway and turning North on the beach road, there were a few fortunate houses on the gorgeous white sand beach:

Homes along the Navarre Beach

The next 13 miles were a biker's dream: flat, nice bike lane and a mild tail wind along a fantastic stretch of land:

The start of 13 perfect biking miles

There were several parking areas along the way that were only mildly crowded with people. There were large dunes ripe for climbing:

Queen of the Hill

We arrived in Pensacola Beach, had a mediocre lunch at Hooters (which they said had WiFi, but didn't...that was the only reason I went there...I swear). Lani sat down to relax:

Passed out after lunch, next to Hooters

In the early part of the 2007 academic year, I worked with an excellent Team Green at the Gainesville VA, seen here at our end-of-the rotation dinner. Pictured front/left is Christy Wells, then an outstanding PA student from the UF Physicians Assistant Program. Christy had since moved on to Pensacola Beach with Mark Larkins, an anesthesia graduate from the UF anesthesia program. We had serendipitously crossed paths on the UF campus in 11/2010 the day of the Kentucky Game. Alerting her to our passing through Pensacola Beach, she offered up a place to stay.