We interrupted our normal schedule this morning to collect provisions and to have the car washed.  Again.  Practically everything here is a repeat of what we did yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that too.  With Low Tide at 11:26 AM today I have the ideal window for cycling on the beach. As I did yesterday. And the day before that. Yet I never tire of the syllabus. Indeed I can think of no better. When we first arrived on Hilton Head Island I genuinely hadn’t anticipated increasing the duration of my daily cycles. But the Fitness record on my iPhone says otherwise. From a start of 6.70 Km on December 2, 2021 it increased the next day to 10.42 Km, rising to 15.52 Km on December 5th and 20.52 Km on December 6th. Yesterday was 19.11 Km and the day before 21.78 Km. While not every day is 20 Km, there is nothing below 10 Km.

This increase came as an eye-opener because I had been bicycling 5 Km during the past year every day. Yet I have always remarked upon the advantage of being at sea level where everything is flat.  It requires only a moderate elevation to disable me.  Balancing this natural benefit is the incumbrance of the rental bikes themselves.  They are called beach cruisers.  With one gear only. And they are heavy. In addition the mechanics quickly become contaminated by the fine sand on the beach. That disadvantage is in turn complemented by the enforcement of exercise.  There is in fact very little “cruising”; rather, the effort to stay mobile is constant. Which I suppose is a good thing from an athletic point of view.

Speaking of which, the hour approaches.  Time to fire up the engine, get on the horse and ride!