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Apple iPad

As basically everyone knows, yesterday Apple released it's "iPad." The next device in Apple's line of media devices. I really hadn't kept up with they hype over the table, but instead just figured I would wait until the Keynote at the WWDC and let myself be surprised by what Jobs was going to pull out of the hat.

I expected something new (yes it's a new product) but I really don't feel as though the iPad is something "new." As The Onion said about the device "Come on, Steve, just think—think, dammit—you're running out of time," the exhausted CEO said as he glued nine separate iPhones to the back of a plastic cafeteria tray. "Okay, yeah, this will work. This will definitely work. Just need to write 'tablet' on this little strip of masking tape here and I'm golden. Oh, come on, you piece of shit! Just stick already!" Honestly, to me, it's just an "iPhone XL." Nothing more than the same thing that I have been carrying around for the past 3 years, IN MY POCKET. Now, you just have the beautiful feature of it being to big to fit in your pocket, it's the size of a book.

What's the advantage of this?? Nothing. Again, everything it does, I have one that fits in my pocket and does the same thing.

With all honestly, I don't like it at this moment in time. As a speaker on NPR said, "Apple is just putting the stake on the ground" and getting this project going. Yesterday the Software Developer Kit (SDK) was released to the Developers of the world to create applications for the iPad (iPhoneXL), the applications developed for the iPad could turn the way I see it around. Potentially making it into a much more useful tool than it seems to be now.

"The iPad had the opportunity to create a completely new consumer device category, and it didn't..." -- James McQuivey of Forrester Research

Sources: Apple, NPR, The Onion

Florida Tour: Day +6

So, today is the last day :(

I woke up around 5 freaking A.M. to the sound of rain, rain, and more rain. The only nice thing was that it was warm, I was basically out of my sleeping bag by the time I woke up due to being warm.

After I finally got out of the tent I realized the rain wasn't too bad at all, more of a light drizzle. Soon, everyone else was up and operating. Packing up wasn't bad, but everything was wet. I think we all shared the same happiness that we were going home with wet gear instead of having to set up a wet camp again later that night.

We made quick work of the 30 miles back to Wakulla Springs State Park and the car was still there!

After a quick loading of the car, strapping suitcases to the roof, and loading all the bikes on we ran inside for a quick change of clothes and hit the road for what would be our 16 hour trip back home to Missouri. With a quick stop outside of Nashville at Waffle House it was a direct trip home, I'd say we were all glad to be sleeping in our own beds!

Today (of course the rainy day) is the only day we had flats, well Joey had both of them. We ended up finding a few fish hooks stuck in our tires. Joey got one flat after the first few miles and another when we were about a mile away from the car. The second flat we ignored since we were so close to the car. . .

Florida Tour: Day +5

Day 5, the last night of camping for us. 2nd to last day on the bike.

We all knew it was going to be a long ride back off of St. George's Island to the mainland but thanks to a hefty tail wind (15mph+) the ten miles to the bridge was short & sweet. Thanks to a sneaky ass raccoon, we had zero breakfast, so eating before we got off the island was much needed. After asking around we found the "grocery store," got our bagels, and rolled back across the 4 mile bridge to the mainland.

The rest of the day consisted of some brutal coastal headwinds. I always thought the floodplains of St. Chuck were rough riding on windy days but the coast is no match.

Ride, ride, ride, and eventually we wound up at Ochlockocnee State Park, located just off the Ochlockocnee river. The park ranger gave us a free bundle of wood (probably because he felt bad for us) as well as warned us that there was a 90% chance of rain overnight and all day tomorrow, so we prepared. Everything was water proofed after dinner although we weren't too worked up because it was to be in the 60's and we were just riding back to the car to head back to Missouri Land.

After an evening of rice & bean burritos, a nature hike, s'mores, and a bottle of cheap champagne, we all hit they hay and let the rain begin to fall. . .

Lunch at Carabelle Beach

Cruisin'

Break Time.

Last view of the coast.

Ochlockocnee River

Florida Tour: Day +4

Day four of our tour started out just as every other day, waking up and wandering around, except today I wandered on a beach. It was low tide so I was able to walk about 150 yards off shore before I would’ve, more than likely, been attacked by birds who were out on the prowl for some breakfast. As I turned back I noticed our neighbor, Jim, just getting ready to tear down camp and set off. He and I exchanged a few words before he was heading East and I was heading downtown to “Palm Tree Books & the No Name Cafe” to soak up some Wi-Fi and catch up on virtual errands.

After a quick hour in the warm cafe, I rolled back over to camp where everyone was just getting moving. Breakfast this morning was omelette sandwiches with sweet & sour sauce left over from last nights stir fry, a nice change of pace from the Oatmeal. Soon after breakfast the daily ritual of tearing down camp began and we were soon on the hunt for coffee (for Joey).

Todays ride was one of the longer ones on the trip so far, 45ish miles. Our first 20 came and went very quickly followed by our arrival in the town of Appalachicola. We stopped at “the pig,” picking up dinner which will be pasta with tortellini and Newman’s Own pasta sauce.

On our way again, but this time we had two major bridges to cross, each a few miles in length. One was connecting us from Appalachicola to Easpoint and another from Eastpoint to the Island where we are currently camped out at. Both provided some awesome views and a very wide 8 foot shoulder.

The Island it’s self proved to be longer than we anticipated, almost ten miles in length from the bridge, where we crossed from the “mainland.” The ten miles was defintiely the toughest so far on the trip menotinous plus ten to twenty mile an hour head winds make a pretty difficult ride after the long day. Soon, we had set up camp, walked with our feet in the sand, SHOWERED! (for the first time in 6 days), and were just relaxing.

When sunset was approaching I started to take a stroll on the beach. Along the way I discovered Alligator filled ponds (didn’t see any alligators though, that’s the goal for the morning) and a few awesome sand dunes. Sunsets down here in Florida seem to beat the Missouri sunsets on the awesomeness scale, hands down.

Tomorrow we are headed about 30 miles East of where we are right now. Just in case you were wondering, tonight will be the warmest night so far on this trip, just around 40 degrees.

Florida Tour: Day +3

So today was tour day 3! Today we rode on the straightest road we may have ever been on in our entire life. . . It was about 30 miles of riding on the stretch, I think there were 5 curves total. But! We made it to the coast today, which made up for it. Yup, at old Port St. Joe (St. Joe for short).

We wandered around for a while buying food, supplies, fudge. . . the necessities, before we realized where we wanted to camp was a little to far away, almost as far as we had already ridden today. After checking out the places the police recommended, we decided to start searching on our own for a place. Hanging out downtown we saw the touring cyclist, Jim Lund, we had seen earlier, Joey chases him down. As he was asking where Jim is going to camp a local man recommends camping straight down the road at the edge of the water, he said no one would bother us there, so we did!

It ended up being the best camping spot ever. . . Under the palm trees, on the sandy beach, how much better could it get?

"Dead Lakes" where we were camping last night.

THE BEACH. SCORE.

This was our campsite, just off of the beach.

Sunset.

Typical "Dad" picture.

Cooking stir-fry for dinner.

Florida Tour: Day +2

Today has been a relatively short day. I haven't had time to do a write up so will just be uploading pictures. We are somewhere in Florida called Wewatchitka, camping in the "Dead Lakes" State Park. It's a beautiful park and we are pretty much the only souls there.

The weather today has been pretty amazing, around the mid 50's, couldn't ask for anything better. Tonight for dinner we are making cold pizzas and bought a 6 pack to sip on. Tomorrow we will be hitting the beach which we are all super excited for!

That is all for now!

Getting ready to break camp in the morning. Riverside RV Park.

On the road. . .

From our campsite at the Dead Lakes.

Our campsite at the Dead Lakes.