Exhibition Game #2- Extra Innings

We left again in a fog with a planned ride in the shape of a three sided box. We headed due south through the village of Lake Wales and then due west through one orange grove after another. We still saw lots of fruit on the trees. We also observed two groups of sandhill cranes standing in a stately manor in pastures and watching us pedal by. They are grey brown with a red streak on their heads like their larger whooping crane cousins. We reached the mid-point in Bartow and admired while resting the Polk County Courthouse.

We set off again still going due west and encountered a surprisingly large number of hills, some quite steep. About three quarters into the ride we headed north towards our destination, Lakeland, seeing many yellow jacaranda trees and azaleas in bloom. We also came upon two big fields of strawberries that were already being harvested. Yum Yum!

The Chain Gang has a tradition that each member rides their age in the month of their birthday. Vern, pictured below on the left had turned 75. So when we reached our hotel and had only ridden 72 miles we had to go into extra innings. Vern and three others of us rode the required miles on a side street and in the parking lot to reach his age. Happy Birthday, Vern!