There was an organized bicycle ride from Brownsville to South Padre Island this morning. A partial closure of the west bound lanes on the causeway from the mainland to the island was scheduled. Thinking we wanted to take the scoots over the causeway to SPI, we timed it to head out when the lane closure was over.
The wind was nearly still this morning when I got up - quite a change from the last few days. I went out to get the scoots ready and it was still calm. By the time we were ready to head out, a front moved in. Oh, not like the strong winds we've had, but blowing in the mid-teens.
Another warm one, so we decided to try the half helmets we haven't used in a couple years. Heading out...
Yes, shorts. Before you think about lecturing me, this is our policy: some of the gear most of the time. We had to wait for the bridge to get off our island...
On weekends, pleasure boats can request and opening any time, not just on the hour... it makes for a lot of bridge openings.
Heading across the Queen Isabella Causeway...
Two and a half miles, across the Laguna Madre (our bay). If the wind is blowing (and it is almost always blowing around here), it can get interesting taking a small scoot across the causeway... you are exposed and raised up. No issue with this amount of wind, coming out of the northeast.
Onto the island...
The traffic wasn't bad, but we decided to head back across the causeway. Riding around Port Isabel...
We stopped so Joan could take a photo of me with the Vespa, to prove I was along on this ride. ;-)
I asked Joan if she wanted to swap bikes to get an idea of how the Vespa handled - "Sure!"
She proclaimed it "peppier than the Honda." I go along with that - it weighs about 20% more than the PCX, but has a bit more than 50% more horsepower. I should have known the route she chose to drive... take us right past the DQ.
Yeah, we stopped. DQ advertises their logo as "a Texas stop sign."
We rode around town a bit more, checking out the water on the north side of town... yep, it is choppy. We had considered swapping the scoots for a boat ride this afternoon, but I think we'll put that off 'till tomorrow. Riding around town some more, this political sign cracks me up...
Each side accuses the other of being "more corrupt." If you can't decipher the above sign, the "Commissioner" is pulling the puppet strings on the others. The names have been whited out - no, not by me, that is how the sign looks. Nobody says what they will do to make this a better community, just how bad the other guy is. A sad commentary on what local politics has become.
Road Hump... aka known as a speed bump to the rest of the world.
Yes, Joan canned the helmet. Hers was loose and uncomfortable; mine fit great but seemed to funnel even more noise to my ears. The only way they could have sucked more would have been if we had hooked them up to a Hoover. I don't remember than being that bad when we used them before. On the Vespa front: even that half helmet wouldn't fit under the seat; I'm looking forward to getting a top box so I can leave my helmet in something when we park.
Heading back onto our island...
Back home, I put Joan's scoot away, swapped out the half helmet for a modular full-face I have, and went out for a bit solo. Yeah, that is quieter. That full-face helmet squeezes my cheeks - I'm going to have to mush it down a bit. I put my scoot away and we settled in for the rest of the afternoon.
And, Rufus...
Just because he is so darn cute.
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