My 23 year old bike, still going strong.

So last week, I needed a little get away. Not to travel or anything, just to get out and do something active and out of my ordinary routine. I realized it had been a long time since I'd biked in Flatwoods, so I got in touch with a buddy and we scheduled a day to go. I always get picked on a little, because most bikers out on the trails have fancy, flashy new bikes with big tires and disc brakes and well, I don't know what else makes a bike fancy. Me? I ride the bike that my dad got for me when I went to college at University of Florida. We specifically picked a bike without anything quick release, like seats or tires, because around UF bikes and bike parts getting stolen was commonplace. With a no frills bike, I didn't stand to lose a lot. And now, some 23 years later, I'm still riding the same bike. I don't think I've replaced any parts, even down to the tires tubes. It is heavy as anything, especially compared to the carbon-fibered, titanium bikes that aficianados are riding nowadays, but me, I kind of like my old bike. It's called 'Iron Horse' and with a name like that, you know it is solid.

I actually put it to the test on this off road biking adventure. My friend was riding ahead and warned me about a big branch in the pathway. I got ready to jump the branch and as my front wheel went over, I realized that there was a hole just wide enough for the wheel right where I was heading. If you've never biked the off-road trails at Flatwoods, here is the deal: we trade mountains, hills and rocks for palmetto roots, sugar sand and wild boar digging areas. My front wheel smacked right into the hole, and since my bike was going forward at a decent clip, the rear of the bike and I just kept on going. Somehow I got my arms up and smacked the ground with both arms simultaneously. Funny thing is, there wasn't a mark on either arm. I must have hit just right and sort of dispersed the force. Jarred my back a little, but I hopped back on my Iron Horse and finished out the trail (albeit a little more slowly).

What we both realized on this ride is that, kind of like my bike, we are not that young anymore. We used to be able to do the entire off-road loop in like two hours, hop back in the car and be home for breakfast. Now we sort of limped into lunchtime. But that's alright. We stopped for ghost pepper burgers at Oakley's Grille and completely negated any of the beneficial exercise we had done for the day. I think we earned it.

But enough about off-road biking. It's Fall in Florida and the weather is gorgeous. And we've got a special treat for you this weekend. Saturday at 10am is the Fall Container Gardening workshop, but yours truly won't be teaching it. I've got a special baptism to be at. So instead we've arranged for one of our superstar merchandisers to substitute teach. You won't be disappointed. She used to own a florist shop in Brooklyn and has a knack for picking the perfect combinations. So come on out for the workshop on Saturday, you'll learn a lot and have plenty of fun in the process. 

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