Climate...

 

No, this isn't about how Al Gore discovered climate change.  We live in a sub-tropical climate (Latitude 26) - it is frequently warm and humid.  We were very fortunate with the timing last week: when we got home, it was cooler than usual and dryer (less humid) than usual.  A nice treat; it made the moving back in process more comfortable, as well as re-acclimating.

Well, that has moved on - warmer and more humid all this week.  When I stepped outside to do my morning bicycle ride, the humidity was like a slap upside the head.  Still, I got my miles in... without melting into a puddle.  Acclimating.

I put on some riding gear to take the motorcycle out.  A bit too warm/humid for even my armored mesh shirt.  Heading off our island, the bridge was out.  That isn't unusual.  But, how long the bridge was out was longer than normal: about 20 minutes.  And no shade along that street to the bridge.  The bridge was fully open when I got there (it doesn't have to open all the way for smaller boats), so I assumed a barge (push boat with several barges) was coming... but, the only boat I saw was one of the excursion boats, and they were moving really slow.  Painfully slow.  I was the third vehicle back from the arm that drops down to stop traffic, so I had a decent view.  Then, that excursion boat put it in reverse and gave it some throttle... it wasn't long before a tug pushing 4 barges came through the other direction.  I don't know if the excursion boat captain wasn't monitoring the radio or was so busy texting his girlfriend that he didn't notice those barges coming right at him.  AND, you can't stop or turn those barges on a dime - an excursion boat is going to lose that game of chicken.

When the tug/barges cleared the bridge, the excursion boat didn't dawdle getting through the bride opening.  The bridge started to close.  Then, about half way closed, it stopped and started opening again.  Another excursion boat approached the bridge slowly from the other direction.  I'm guessing they didn't call the bridge (that's how they know to open it or hold it open) on the marine radio... so, it was a stand-off.  The 2nd excursion boat stopped and started drifting sideways.  (There can be a bit of current in this narrow waterway.)  Then, the captain gunned the throttles and made a hard turn.  I had no idea what he was doing, pretty sure the bridge operator didn't have any idea what the excursion boat captain was doing, and quite likely that captain didn't know what he was doing.

Eventually, the bridge started closing again, after that excursion boat put out an anchor and the people onboard started fishing.  Yes, in the waterway.  No, that isn't smart or legal.  A bit of a shit show.

My vantage point...

A view of the tug/barges once past the bridge...

Getting to move once the bridge was open help with the swamp-ass that had set in.  There was a long line of traffic on either side of the bridge that had been waiting.  That's part of island living here.

My ride across the causeway was nice - beautifully flat water.  Then, movement caught my eye... it looked like a jet ski being closely followed by two boats.  As I got closer, I could see it was a runabout being closely followed by two Homeland Security boats.  It may have been a drill/exercise, but those boats were running fast and seriously close to each other.  I couldn't watch the action when I got to the mid-point of the causeway, because it is kinda important to keep an eye on the road on that 2 1/2 mile long bridge.

The rest of the ride was reasonably pleasant.  I took the time to do some slow speed practice maneuvers in the large parking lot at the SPI Convention Center.  Then back down Padre Blvd and back across the causeway.  I didn't see the Homeland Security boats on this pass.

It isn't the fun twisties we had all summer, but it is the riding I have while we're home.  The causeway...

Something besides the straight and flat roads around here.