The secret to a long marriage is to stay gone. (Dolly Parton)

Al and I have been together for over a half a century. Despite that, the covid-19 stay-home situation has been a bit of a challenge. Everybody needs more space than current conditions allow if they hope to emerge with sanity intact.

There is a lot to be said for a regular bicycle ride. Exercise is a stress reliever. But a bike ride that takes you out of a tiny living space and into the fresh air and sunshine for a few hours, that is a precious stress reliever.

Physical distancing is something that the people in my neighborhood are fairly conscientious about. Actually, it can be a bit spooky. We tend to avoid eye contact. We walk at the edges of the sidewalks and paths. Even when walking dogs, people take great pains to follow physical distancing rules. Runners keep their distance as they pass you, avoiding the "cough zone." It is easy to see that these things are being done automatically and unconsciously. Makes you feel like an extra in a science fiction movie.

Since traffic has virtually evaporated in many areas of the city, I am enjoying my solo bicycle rides. My favorite area this week was Wynwood. Wynwood is north of where I live, on the other side of the Miami River and Downtown Miami. Murals cover every paintable surface of the district. I wandered up and down the streets. I took a lot of photographs. Stores, galleries, bars, and clubs were closed. (Some coffee shops/cafes had window service open.) I pedaled around the surrounding neighborhoods. I literally had the place to myself. There's a lot of new construction going on in area, and there were construction guys and trucks about. There were a fair amount of homeless people camped out in quiet corners. Cars were minimal away from major streets.

Pedaling home I wandered around Downtown Miami, crossed the river back to Brickell, and then did some loops locally to finish the miles for my ride. By the time I was home my legs were happy, and I was ready to accept confinement once more.

What a difference a ride makes.

Lots of physical distancing here...

A colorful artwork on a temporary wall around a construction site.

A piece I like near Wynwood Walls.

Miami Urban Cycling During the Corona Virus Crisis

Like everyone that rides a bicycle in a city, I used to bitch about traffic. Before moving to Miami, I lived in rural areas for a lot of years. It took a while for me to get used to Miami traffic. But with the corona virus crisis, traffic volume has dropped. A lot.

While people need to stay at home, we can get out to go to the grocery or pharmacy, to walk the dog, or to go for a run or a bike ride. I'm continuing to ride my bike. Mostly by myself. Since I can get lost a half mile from home, I rely on my GPS gadgets and routes programmed into them.

At first it was great. Fewer cars really changed the mood of urban riding. But it didn't take long to realize there were some real challenges, too. No problem if you were just taking a short pedal around the neighborhood. But for a longer ride in an urban area you need places for water and bathroom breaks. (Like there aren't groves and isolated roads in Miami like in rural areas of Florida.) My breaks along my old routes were mainly at parks, marinas, and recreational facilities. Now those are posted and padlocked.

So I'm developing new routes. Ones that rely mainly on the ubiquitous Publix grocery stores for breaks. Now I could create the routes on a site like Ride with GPS, but I'm just too lazy for that method. I use Google maps on my phone to create a Publix to Publix route. Then I use the phone for GPS guidance as I ride. I wander about rather than strictly following the Google route which of course, adjusts for my detours. Then at the end of the ride if I liked the route, I save my Garmin ride data on my Garmin as a course and give it a name. Easy peasy.

I'm going to have a chance to explore parts of Miami I used to avoid because of traffic. One new thing for me, though, is that I have to remember to carry a lock or two for stops. (While I saw one cyclist pushing his bike into a Publix, I'm not planning to try that myself.)

I'm looking forward to finding out what I can see on these rides. Yesterday I wanted a not too long ride, so I started out along the Miami River with plans to head up to Wynwood to look at the murals. Instead I found myself meandering around West Flagler, then Little Havana, and then the Gables, before finally turning toward home.

There are a lot of really cool neighborhoods in Miami. I think I'll spend the next few weeks being a bicycle tourist in my own city. Should be fun. 

You can only be young once. But you can always be immature. (Dave Barry)

They say the best things come in small packages. I sure hope so. Because my big new thing for the year ahead is a little folding bike, a Brompton.

I've been thinking about this since last summer. I decided I wanted an all around errand bike for use in Miami. I use Metrorail a lot. When I take a bike, I can never find suitable bike racks at stores and offices. A Brompton handles these situations. (It even has a "shopping cart" mode!) I also wanted a travel/touring bike that would let me easily hop on trains and buses. A Brompton travels like a pro. A Brompton opens up a lot of territory for my little "running away from home on a bicycle" adventures.

I decided on a Brompton for two reasons. First, a Brompton folds faster, easier, and more compactly than other folders. Second, and a big plus for me, Brompton has a line of bike bags designed just for their bikes. Something for every purpose from commuting to touring.

Since my husband no longer shares my enthusiasm for bicycle touring, I just go solo. Some people think solo touring would be lonely or boring, but it's not.  Bicycle touring's allure is its freedom. You keep your own schedule. It's liberating. When you tour solo, there is no negotiating with your traveling companion! You make stops when you feel like it, eating or having coffee when you want. You can chat with people or enjoy solitude. And you never have to apologize for spending too much time taking photos, wandering down a back road, or changing your plans on a whim. And when you are riding a little folding bicycle like a Brompton, people go out of their way to make your aquaintaince and chat with you!

The covid-19 pandemic has complicated things, to say the least. The bike and accessories have been ordered, but they will get here when they get here. And, like everybody else, I'm doing the social distancing thing. In other words, taking it one day at a time. Which means I have time on my hands to daydream about trips I want to take on my Brompton when it finally gets here and the pandemic thing cools down.

Watch this space.

Running Away from Home on a Bicycle: A Comical Trip to the Keys

I'd planned a simple camping trip to the Keys, which was what I was expecting as I pedaled away from home. I love the quirky kitsch in the Florida Keys and finding some tacky wonders is the best part of any trip.

I knew I was going to have wind problems. I had a stiff headwind all the way from home to my first destination, a state park. And it was hot. So I was feeling great joy when I rolled up to the check in kiosk.

I parked my bike and went inside. The little check in area was exceptionally busy. I finally got to the front of the line. The ranger gave me a big smile. "OK. Got you in the area you wanted." Behind me I heard even more people filling the little room. A couple of little kids were not happy campers. "Listen, I can go drop my stuff at the site and come back in a bit to finish checking in," I said, trying to be helpful. She said that would be great, and I left her to deal with the crowd.

I headed into the park and down some footpaths to the hidden area that held some group and primitive campsites. Only it wasn't quiet like usual. I headed to the smallest group site, the one I was supposed to use. At a nearby large group site I saw a swarm of rowdy boys and a couple of adults attempting to organize the rambunctious group. I parked my bike. The adults pivoted toward me. Big smiles. They strode over and introduced themselves. The boys, it seemed, were 5th graders having an exciting adventure. The adults professed their delight in having me there. I was quickly invited to join their little group. "The boys would love to see your bike and learn all about what you're doing," they said with great enthusiasm.

I felt my eyes narrow somewhat as I scanned the milling young campers. "Sure," I replied with as neutral but polite a tone as I could muster. (Wasn't gonna happen.) "Well, got some things to do before I settle in," I said as I remounted my bike and gave them my best smile and a little wave. And I pedaled back to the check in kiosk.

I took the horde of 5th graders to be a divine sign that I should find a motel for the night. The ranger cancelled out my camping paperwork, nodding and saying she understood. I pedaled away.

Now I'm a huge fan of the older tourist motels that line the Overseas Highway. I have favorites. Pedal, pedal, pedal. I stopped at a couple, trying to negotiate rates. (It is still the season, after all, and prices are sky high.) Finally I rolled into a place I really love. They had several vacancies, all cottages designed for families. But they had one small unit, and we were able to negotiate a price that was quite reasonable. It was a vintage RV, set on a kitschy foundation. The interior had been attractively remodeled to make it a cute little cottage.

I settled in, went to the office for a kayak paddle, and headed to the beach. I didn't bother with a swimsuit, my bike kit would do just fine. I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with a bunch of Canadian tourists who were using the kayaks and paddle boards. As I walked back to the office with one of the Canadians, both of us carrying our paddles, a woman passed us. "How was the water?" she asked. "Wet," we replied in unison and laughed.

I loved my little RV. It was spacious and comfortable, a nice base for biking the area. But it was time to move on to my next destination. I fired up the weather app on my phone. Bad news. A front was rolling through. There was a line of serious rain. Followed by a wind shift, a big increase in wind, and a big drop in temperature. I made two plans, then went to bed. I'd go with the plan that seemed the most sensible in the morning.

In the morning I packed the bike and moved it to the big tiki hut that serves as the coffee/breakfast/TV area for the motel. There I met two couples who had their boats moored nearby. We huddled over the weather. There was a bit over an hour before a fast moving line of heavy rain rolled through. Then there was about a 1 1/2 to 2 hour window where I could have a big tailwind if I headed back toward Miami. (After that the wind shifted and became a headwind.) Then the wind really kicked up in the Keys. The boaters gathered their things and headed to their boats. I settled in with coffee and TV and waited for the rain to come and go. (It poured.) I had decided to head back to Miami.

When the rain stopped, I pointed the bike toward home, really enjoying the tailwind. Right on schedule, the wind shifted from a tailwind to a headwind. Bummer.

When I finally got home, I realized I had not taken a real stop on the whole trip home. I straddled the bike for snack breaks. I was wearing my 3 liter camelback so I never stopped for water. I even had an espresso, thanks to a Starbucks canned espresso from my handlebar bag, sipped while straddling the bike on a snack break. Final fun fact: (drumroll, please) it was my longest ride of the year on my slow fat tire bike.

Not the trip I had planned. Not what I was expecting. But I had a wonderful time.

And I can't wait to do it again.