CODA BAHAMAS BOUND 2024-2025 (55)

CODA :  boat maintenance continued and bike drama

 21 November 2024

Palm Coast Marina, Palm Coast, Florida  

Yes Palm trees are common here but certainly not the dominant species.

Various palms here in the "city".

Marc-  It was depth finder install part II today with taking the bikes out to West Marine for special epoxy to glue in the transducer.  Much cooler on the bikes this morning after a cold front came through last night bringing temperatures down to 49 degrees at 06:00.  I re-installed the transducer but it does not seem to work.  I will call the company for technical assistance tomorrow.  I did some teak refinishing of the cockpit grates that was showing some wear and tear.  All looks very nice now.  I think we will store them in the pilot house while we are home in Vermont for the holidays.

During our last biking trip today I heard a "bing" sound and then noticed something that sounded like a branch caught in the rear spokes.  It was not a branch but a broken spoke.  Unfortunately we did not have any spares and we were miles from the nearest bike repair shop (we are deep inside a tropical forest).  I twisted the broken spoke around another so it wound not stick me in the leg.  Several miles and a few bumps later I heard another "bing" and then another "bing" (do you see where this is going).  Now with three broken spokes the wheel was now warped and very difficult to ride on.  Sara is thinking I'm having some heath crisis since I was falling further and further behind.  Finally I got off and walked the last mile to the marina.  After lunch we walked over to the bike shop.  The bike technician promised to fix everything by tomorrow.  Lesson learned: carry extra spokes and the tools to replace them.

Duck weed covered river we crossed.

One of several bridges spanning the forest rivers.

At this point we were still having fun.

Now back to the trees. Notice how tall the Long leaf pine trees grow here (over 100 feet tall). 

 The pines dwarf the Palm trees.

Long leaf pine.  These pines are incredibly straight and tall.

My best forest photo ever.  Look at those palm trees trying to compete with the pine trees.

This cat was near a trailhead.  Kind of looks like a Vermont Catamount.

Florida panthers are not extinct, only rare.  Latest numbers place about 150 mostly females living in South Florida.  The males venture north all the way into Georgia.  These panthers are brown in color and have a tail 2/3 the length of their body.  Florida also has Bobcats like Vermont.

Lou- Cooler temps today! Dad said when he went on an early morning walk there were even people in winter coats! 

By the time the sun rose, we were fine in shorts and t-shirts, but the locals stayed pretty bundled up.

Dad did a great job of covering pretty much everything else, except his midday nap. After all the bike drama, the poor guy was exhausted! A pint of of Hershey's chocolate vanilla swirl also helped!

While Dad napped, I worked on a writing project. I didn't think to bring a notebook or any paper with me, so I've been writing on a paper towel roll! It's actually pretty fun! I feel a little like Jack Kerouac typing up On the Road on that epic scroll of his.