Time to Move
Summer is here and I’m feeling … lazy. While it’s true that summer really begins on June 21st, we’ve had enough afternoon cloudbursts to make the season official in my book. Just when I’m ready to plop down in my hammock with an iced tea and a good book, a few of my friends have made me feel guilty for not getting out and exploring nature. But exploring nature means exercising – something that’s not too high on my list of summer activities. This is where the guilt comes in.
For me, any thoughts of actually exercising decrease in direct proportion with rising humidity levels. However, I admit to being a little paranoid about not getting enough physical activity lately. I’ve been watching that bizarre reality show, “Honey, We’re Killing the Kids” and suddenly fearing that I will look like one of those ghastly computered assisted aging profiles the show uses to scare couch-potato parents into cutting out the fried food and hitting the gym.
Last night at a barbecue, my friend John told me about riding his bike over to the Deering Estate with his teenage son. For me, this was Guilty Moment Number One.
“Did you really do that? All the way from your house?” I said, looking a bit surprised.
John is the kind of guy who would rather build PCs in his garage than actually break a sweat in the great outdoors. He’s the inventor of the Wee-mote, a brilliant little device that lets tired parents pre-program their kids’ TV shows. Thanks to the Wee-mote, there are thousands of happy tykes channel-surfing between Disney and Nickelodeon instead of Girls Gone Wild and heaven-knows-what.
“Yes, we really did,” John said. “My son and I grabbed our bikes and rode along the Hammock Trail, which was part of the original Old Cutler Road. It’s a beautiful road with tons of greenery, and a fun way to explore some of the Deering Estate acreage. What I liked best about it was the feeling of being far away from anything urban. It was totally isolated and peaceful riding along that trail. I'm definitely doing it again."
A quick visit to the Deering Estate web site clued me in about Hammock Trail, and about other natural areas that can be explored. I was aware of the Canoe Tours and Butterfly Tours offered at Deering, but did not know about the park’s bike trails.
Guilty Moment Number Two came just this morning, courtesy of my cubicle-mate, Pablo, who spent the weekend biking through Oleta River State Park in North Miami. He told me a few things about the park I didn’t know, such as the fact that Oleta is known for having a variety of off-road bicycling trails.
“You can rent mountain bikes there,” Pablo said. “There are trails for different skill levels, with ramps, hills and gravel roads. You have to be careful since the park gets a lot of riders. It’s a blast to ride around there, but my wife fell off one time.”
Pablo left his wife, quite literally, in the dust when she hit some rough terrain and fell to the ground – and he forgot to look back. Thankfully, she’s okay – and Pablo makes a point of riding behind her now. In addition to bikes, the park also rents canoes and kayaks. Oleta River’s waterways are lined with lush mangroves and wild birds, and there’s a 1,200-foot sandy beach with picnic tables and grills. (As a kid, I swallowed a lot of water here trying to learn how to stand up on water skis.)
Basically, my two friends have made me feel like a total couch potato. They’ve explored two really cool local parks while I’ve been glued to my hammock on the weekends. I need to bust out of my summer torpor and do something physical – so I won’t end up like one of those computer aged profiles with a flabby body attached to a sad face with a triple chin, greasy hair and zits.
I’m reaching for my bike helmet right now….
IF YOU GO:
Oleta River State Park
3400 N.E. 163rd St.
North Miami Beach
(305) 919-1846
Deering Estate at Cutler
16701 SW 72nd Ave.
Cutler Bay
(305) 235-1668, ext. 242.
For complete information on Miami-Dade Parks, click here.
For me, any thoughts of actually exercising decrease in direct proportion with rising humidity levels. However, I admit to being a little paranoid about not getting enough physical activity lately. I’ve been watching that bizarre reality show, “Honey, We’re Killing the Kids” and suddenly fearing that I will look like one of those ghastly computered assisted aging profiles the show uses to scare couch-potato parents into cutting out the fried food and hitting the gym.
Last night at a barbecue, my friend John told me about riding his bike over to the Deering Estate with his teenage son. For me, this was Guilty Moment Number One.
“Did you really do that? All the way from your house?” I said, looking a bit surprised.
John is the kind of guy who would rather build PCs in his garage than actually break a sweat in the great outdoors. He’s the inventor of the Wee-mote, a brilliant little device that lets tired parents pre-program their kids’ TV shows. Thanks to the Wee-mote, there are thousands of happy tykes channel-surfing between Disney and Nickelodeon instead of Girls Gone Wild and heaven-knows-what.
“Yes, we really did,” John said. “My son and I grabbed our bikes and rode along the Hammock Trail, which was part of the original Old Cutler Road. It’s a beautiful road with tons of greenery, and a fun way to explore some of the Deering Estate acreage. What I liked best about it was the feeling of being far away from anything urban. It was totally isolated and peaceful riding along that trail. I'm definitely doing it again."
A quick visit to the Deering Estate web site clued me in about Hammock Trail, and about other natural areas that can be explored. I was aware of the Canoe Tours and Butterfly Tours offered at Deering, but did not know about the park’s bike trails.
Guilty Moment Number Two came just this morning, courtesy of my cubicle-mate, Pablo, who spent the weekend biking through Oleta River State Park in North Miami. He told me a few things about the park I didn’t know, such as the fact that Oleta is known for having a variety of off-road bicycling trails.
“You can rent mountain bikes there,” Pablo said. “There are trails for different skill levels, with ramps, hills and gravel roads. You have to be careful since the park gets a lot of riders. It’s a blast to ride around there, but my wife fell off one time.”
Pablo left his wife, quite literally, in the dust when she hit some rough terrain and fell to the ground – and he forgot to look back. Thankfully, she’s okay – and Pablo makes a point of riding behind her now. In addition to bikes, the park also rents canoes and kayaks. Oleta River’s waterways are lined with lush mangroves and wild birds, and there’s a 1,200-foot sandy beach with picnic tables and grills. (As a kid, I swallowed a lot of water here trying to learn how to stand up on water skis.)
Basically, my two friends have made me feel like a total couch potato. They’ve explored two really cool local parks while I’ve been glued to my hammock on the weekends. I need to bust out of my summer torpor and do something physical – so I won’t end up like one of those computer aged profiles with a flabby body attached to a sad face with a triple chin, greasy hair and zits.
I’m reaching for my bike helmet right now….
IF YOU GO:
Oleta River State Park
3400 N.E. 163rd St.
North Miami Beach
(305) 919-1846
Deering Estate at Cutler
16701 SW 72nd Ave.
Cutler Bay
(305) 235-1668, ext. 242.
For complete information on Miami-Dade Parks, click here.
posted by Carolyn Keating at
9:48 AM
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