Home Is Where The Land Is

As I pedaled through the federal Red Rock conservation area, my senses were filled with the details of the desert flora.

There is no more intense connection for human beings in an environment than the connection between person and landscape.

It's the place where my soul is nourished and where are hills are conquered by bicycle by merely gazing at the land.

Beaches and the ocean are lovely too. And the sounds of waves crashing along coastlines can be hypnotic.

But I found the high desert and mountains outside Las Vegas addictive because of their colors, contours and shapes.

I think I'll be sticking around for awhile.

Knocked Down But Not Knocked Out

On the days after a car slammed into me while I bicycled in Florida and left me on my back with a cervical neck brace, I made a vow 2 1/2 months ago while I recovered at my Vero Beach house.

I will return to Red Rock Canyon outside Vegas and climb to its high point at 4,771 feet and I will gaze with wonder at the Big Red Stripe crossing the rocky terrain.

So today, with Vero Beach and Florida in the rear-view mirror, I pedaled through Summerlin and then to Red Rock Canyon and turned onto the 13-mile federal loop that I pedaled so many times when I lived here.

As I pedaled each stroke and stared at the landscape, a wave of gratitude washed over me.

I was lucky to be soaking up this moment around 8 a.m. today.

I reached the overlook at 4,771 feet, some 2,500 feet from where I started today and took a seat at the parking lot bench.

I promised myself that my first post-crash photo on a bicycle would be right here -- at the high point.

There were some tears, reflecting back on being knocked down and coming close to being another Florida bicyclist fatality.

And I was thankful for my recovery that was fueled by so many kind friends who offered everything from food packages and heartfelt messages in cards to donations and visits.

You got me back on the mountain under the Big Stripe and I will always be thankful.

My plans in Las Vegas are to launch my sports-business website called, "LVSportsBiz.com." and also work on the campaign team to get Jared Fisher elected as Nevada's next governor in 2018.

It's an exciting time for the Las Vegas sports-business industry with a new football stadium for the Raiders and UNLV; the maiden season of the Vegas Golden Knights and NASCAR launching a second annual race next year. If you would like to advertise on LVSportsBiz.com, please contact me at asnel@lvsportsbiz.com

I had a feeling that I would meet someone I knew along this morning's ride.

And lo and behold, it was Heather Fisher -- who is marred to Jared Fisher, my friend who is running for governor.

It's going to be a great return ot Las Vegas.

I'm getting back to the place I love.

Escape From Florida

Dear Rick Scott,

I'm leaving your state.

There are several reasons.

Chief among them: your state is a killer state for bicyclists.

Florida has the highest number of bicyclist deaths in the U.S. and you don't care. You have showed no political leadership to try and reduce that number and the fact is you and the political leaders just don't care enough to do anything about keeping bicyclists alive in your state. A former state legislator who is the ex-mayor of Kissimmee, Frank Attkisson, even was killed while riding a bicycle in St. Cloud in early April and the state Legislature was not moved to toughen the penalties for drivers who kill bicyclists.  

On March 7, I nearly joined the long list of bicyclists killed by motorists in Florida.

But I survived, and for that I am grateful.

I survived a motorist who smashed into me from behind (he claimed he never saw me) while I pedaled in north St. Lucie County outside Fort Pierce.

And with that memory in mind, I rode a memorial bike ride called the Ride of Silence Saturday in Vero Beach. Many towns around the world held similar bike rides Wednesday to draw attention to and memorialize the lives of bicyclists snuffed out by people who drive motorized vehicles.

Here in Vero Beach, about half way between Orlando and South Florida on the Atlantic coast, I joined 50 other bicyclists to remember those who have lost their lives in Vero Beach and Indian River County.

The local bike club has a large membership for a relatively small city such as Vero Beach (population 16,000). And an advocacy group called Bike Walk Indian River County lobbies county officials to improve road conditions for bicyclists.

It's an impressive display of sweat equity to lean on local officials to make it safer for bicyclists.

But Rick Scott and his Department of Cars are good at lip service about bicycling but don't deliver the goods.

Florida treats the high number of bicyclist deaths as collateral damage of a modern road society, just business as usual in the sandbar state.

Bye Florida. Happiness is getting out of your state alive.