The first ride of the new year started at Mile Zero and proceeded along the coast to Starbucks at Cady Bay for coffee. The weather was threatening in the beginning but the rain held off until most of us reached home after the ride. The result was an uneventful ride at a moderate pace by the usual suspects.

At coffee the discussion initially centered around the increasing price for a round of golf, even on municipal courses. The consensus was that by the time you added a box of balls (required by most of us), and adult beverage(sss), the total rapidly approaches $200. The requirement for so many balls was based on the course having unforgiving rough which prevented retrieving any errant balls. Other hazards referenced included venturing into the rough where rattlesnakes or crocodiles might be encountered.

From these hazards, we moved on to discussing the proper places to camp in the habitat of saltwater crocodiles. The story of a family camping on the banks of a river north of the Cairns area of Queensland was recounted. It seems that in the night a large croc grabbed hold of the father and dragged him out of the tent towards the water at which point the wife took off her shoes climbed on the back of the croc and continually beat it on the head until it released her husband. Within a few days, T-shirts appeared with a picture of the croc and the wife swinging her shoe above, with the words “Don’t mess with my wife”

All agreed that is always good advice.

By the end of coffee, the Peloton had a visitor.

Prepared by John C.