'Wheels on Fire'....our gastronomic cycling tour.

     Windy days have kept boats tied to their docks.... or moorings, if they are lucky enough to have them.   Hope Town is filling up with the pre-Easter crowd.  But even when the Sea of Abaco is off limits, there's still lots to do on shore.

     With this in mind, a small, intrepid group decided to test their fitness levels and endurance by embarking on a cycling tour of Elbow Cay.  Ron, Jane, Louise, Bill & Mary set off on a testing itinerary which would be mainly guided by refreshments stops!

     Our first stop was to be the new patisserie, 'Sweets', on the road south to the Abaco Inn.  The promise of fragrant, continental coffee, and mouth-watering pastries kept us pedalling up hill and down until we screeched to halt (it's hard to stop elegantly using back-pedal brakes) beside the sign which read:
" Sweets will be closed today from 10 a.m until 1 p.m."  It was 11:15 a.m.! Luckily, as we gathered disconsolately at the roadside we were suddenly aware of a sweet and delicious fragrance floating across the road.  We followed our noses and found 'Wally's Diner' and were soon tucking into sticky cinnamon buns and coffee. 

     Now we really needed some exercise! We cycled on along the rough coastal road stopping to admire the towering Atlantic waves crashing on the shore. No surfers braving it today!
We passed by the Abaco Inn and it's delights, and Sea Spray Marina which holds fond memories of ice cream sundaes.  We were heading for Tahiti Beach which was now uncovered by the low tide.
Boats were anchored off the shore, and groups of beach wanderers were searching the uncovered
sand for conch shells and other treasures.  We wandered too, paddling in the luke warm pools.

     The tide was beginning to turn, so our thoughts began to turn to the gastronomic purpose of our energetic endeavours.  We took a vote on where to re-fuel our energies on our route back - Sea Spray,
Abaco Inn or Firefly Restaurant.  Firefly won easily, and soon our wheels were flying over the rocks and sand until our reward was in sight.  Beautiful Firefly, on the west side of Elbow Cay, was sheltered from the easterly wind that day....in the lee, in sailing language. No wild winds and seas here, just azure sea and sky, and delicious treats to eat and drink.

So our perfect day came to a perfect end.  Same time next year we all vowed....but more refreshment stops en route please!