After heading out on my mountain bike at 7:15 a.m., and then riding past the meet-up spot a tad bit earlier than the usual meet up time, I decided to bypass the car park area and head towards the coffee shop ahead of the group simply because I would not have been able to keep up anyway. Wednesday being the advanced ride day, I thought my choice was the wisest choice. Mountain bikes just can’t keep up with speedy road bikes. My solo ride to the coffee shop was uneventful but enjoyable, that is whenever I was riding on the trails away from the endless horn-honking, lung-polluting traffic. I commented to one of the lady school crossing guards that we have way too many motorcars hindering a quiet, peaceful existence. She unreservedly agreed! One block before crossing over Interstate Highway 75, I spotted Ed and Wally at a traffic signal. As soon as they got a green light and left the intersection, the three of us gasped our way over the interstate bridge and then into the shopping mall’s parking lot where Einstein’s Coffee & Bagel Shop was beckoning for our business with the aroma of fresh made bagels and freshly made coffee. We enjoyed some hot coffee, a bit of chatting, and then five of us (Ed, Rey, Wally, Gary and I) departed for the ride back to the meet-up spot. I left the group three miles into the return trip so that I could ride through Vista View Park and then ride the safer bike trail that led to my wife’s work place. That’s where my ride ended! When riding slowly on the bike trail, I noticed a lot of splashing going on in the canal that runs parallel to the bike trail. Perhaps the gators were feeding off the tasty, defenseless fish and the unwary, padding ducks. Just maybe…