Vacation in Miami (South Beach)

I took a much needed vacation to Miami. Stayed at the South Beach Marriott which is the fourth time I have been there. Might try another hotel next time but I am a creature of habit. The Eden Roc is another Marriott Family hotel that just got a major renovation. I could use my points. In fact I actually think that it was available when I booked the South Beach Marriott but again I am a creature of habit.

Took 6:30 AM flight on Monday morning. Got to the hotel in South Beach around 10 AM. The original plan was to spend the day on the beach relaxing but my daughter wanted to get something to eat and walk around. We ended up eating at Oh Mexico! and then walking back along the beach. We were actually looking for El Rancho Grande but we found Oh Mexico! first. As is usually the case we ran across El Rancho Grande after we had already had lunch.

We walked around the Lincoln Shopping area and we noticed that there was a Samba Sushi restaurant and we made a note to go there for dinner later in the week. We ended up going to Samba Sushi on Tuesday after spending the whole day on the beach.

We ended up spending Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday sitting on the beach. Tuesday was a perfect day. No clouds and water was calm almost like the hotel pool. However, Wednesday and Thursday were completely different. On Wednesday we had a wait out some cloud cover and on Thursday the wind was blowing hard all day.

This was the first time I have seen waves and surfers in Miami. The ocean was a lot like it usually is here in New Jersey but the water is much warmer. Unlike in New Jersey the surfers in Miami do not wear wet suits.

However, I did wear my rash guard the whole week. On Tuesday I was the only one but as the week progressed I saw more people wearing them. I did feel a little over dressed wearing board shorts and a rash guard on the beach while most of the other sun bathers were wearing as little as legally possible. However, I have learned that it is not worth getting a bad sunburn and then ruining my vacation.

On Friday we rented beach cruisers and rode north along the beach. We took a 3:35 PM flight back to New Jersey.

I wish we could have stayed longer but I ended up needing the weekend to recover.

Rutgers vs. Syracuse Lacrosse April 12, 2008

I am a little late in posting this but I attended the Rutgers vs. Syracuse Lacrosse Game on Saturday April 12, 2008. I almost did not make it. In fact I did not get to the game until half time.

I originally thought the game was at 1 PM. I got back from my morning ride later than I wanted to and I thought I was going to miss the game. However, I found out that the game was scheduled for a 2 PM start. My wife and daughter decided to go shopping at the Menlo Park Mall so I dropped them off and headed up Rt 1 to the Rutgers University Sports Complex.

Last year I went to most of the Rutgers home games. This year I have been traveling and I have not had the opportunity. Since Syracuse University is currently ranked #1 in the country I figured this would be the one game I should try to make it to.

I own both a Rutgers Lacrosse and a Syracuse Lacrosse t-shirts. I ended up going with the Rutgers shirt. When I got to the game it felt like I was in the minority since the stands were a sea of orange with the Syracuse fans well in attendance. In fact this was probably the best attended game I have been to at Yurcak Field. The fans at most Rutgers games are mostly parents, friends and local high school teams out to watch and learn. Not as many students as I would expect.

By the time I got to the game Syracuse was well ahead and in control. It was still a good game since Rutgers made several attempts at a comeback but were shutdown each time by Syracuse. The final score was 17 to 9 in favor of Syracuse University.

While the weather looked threatening for most of the game the rain held off and there was even enough time for the post game tailgate parties.

Unforunately, this is probably the only game I will get to this year.

2008 High Point Hill Climb

After reading BrettOk's description of the the Hill Climb that that was held in Wellington, New Zealand a couple of weeks ago I decided to see if there was anything similar here in New Jersey. Sure enough there is a race scheduled for May 3, 2008 at High Point State Park in Montague, NJ.

I will not be able to race it since I only have my single speed Langster which would probably would not allow me to be competitive. However, I am now determined to do the ride on the Langster. The goal would be to complete two laps for a good hard 20 mile.

I discovered that someone placed the course up on http://www.mapmyride.com/ and I have added to my profile. Check it out here. Be sure to look at the elevation profile.

First ride of the year in shorts

Yesterday was the first time I could get out on the roads with the new bib shorts I bought. The glare off my white legs was almost blinding. I should have used instant tanner before I went out.

It was a little dicey in the morning and I was thinking that there would be no rides this weekend but the weather started to break in the afternoon. As the sun was shining the temperature was heading into the 60s so I knew I was going to be able to leave the thermal tights behind. In fact I went out in short sleeves as well.

There were lots of other riders out as well. I am not sure if there was a club ride out in Colts Neck (most of the Saturday organized rides leave between 8 am and 9 am) but there seemed to be a couple of large groups riding together. The club rides always seem to be going in the opposite direction that I am going. There was one guy riding a Felt F1 who I saw going the opposite direction as me. He then passed me again as I was waiting to make a left hand turn just before the Sea Bright Bridge.

Nothing new to write about the ride. It was the same one I ride almost ever Saturday or Sunday. Mapmyride lists the ride at about 44 miles but my computer clocks it at just under 47 miles. According to the elevation view on Mapmyride the longest climb of the route is the first climb I start as soon as I leave my development. Up Laurel Ave and then up Holland Road. I would have thought it was actually the climb back up Navesink River Road but it is not the case.

The bib shorts were a big improvement over the Cannondale shorts I used all last year. It took me a while to get my head around the idea that I should pay $100 plus for a pair of riding shorts. However, I can certaintly see the advantages. I am going to have to invest in a second pair now.

Things do not look too good for a ride today. The weather is not that great and unless it breaks soon my window of opportunity is going to close since I have a 7:20 PM flight to Richmond, VA today.

I have to start coming up with more interesting ideas to write about.