I love margaritas. I am back at traffic school. I think I am on chapter 7 of 10. I am drinking HRM Rex Goliath Pinot Grigio. It's...ok...I don't get what the difference is between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris. Some books say it is two different grapes, some say it's the same grape with a different treatment. All I know is I love Pinot Gris- maybe my favorite white, and Pinot Grigio is kind of bland.

Why do they care if it takes four hours or less??? I hate finishing the reading then sitting waiting for the clock to run down.

I had a little disagreement with the ride leader on today's ride. I feel weird about it. We were on a rural two lane highway, a group of eight, I was back about fourth. We were turning left. There was a bike lane. There were a couple oncoming cars, and no cars traveling the direction we were, which I could keep track of with my mirror. The ride leader stayed in the bike lane till coming even with the lane he was left turning into, stopping to let the oncoming cars pass, then continuing across, but did not cross the road we were turning onto in a pedestrian-style turn/crossing. I checked for traffic behind me, none, signaled my turn, moved into the traffic lane, still signalling my turn and slowing so the oncoming cars would pass and I wouldn't have to brake before I turned, still no cars behind me (never were any) and as the last car went past, it honked at me- and I made the turn and pulled over to the right shoulder where we stopped to regroup. Ride leader said I had turned incorrectly. I disagreed- I think cutting across a lane of traffic from the bike lane is very unsafe. A bike is suposed to behave like a vehicle- that's what the other traffic expects, and it makes you the most visible.

The Florida Dept of Transportation would seem to agree with me:

A left turn should not be made from a through bicycle lane. See "Method of turning at intersections" for detailed description of left- and right-turn requirements.

Left turn: A bicyclist intending to make a left turn is entitled to full use of the lane from which a driver may legally make a left turn.

Instead of making a left turn as a motorist does, a cyclist may proceed through the right-most portion of the intersection and turn as close to the curb or edge as practicable at the far side. Before proceeding in the new direction of travel, the bicyclist must comply with any official traffic control device.

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We even talked about it at lunch- and I still think he's not making a left turn in the safest manner. He's all, well what if cars would have come up behind you, what if this, what if that, and I'm like, but I was watching in my mirror. I didn't get in the lane until the time was enough for the oncoming cars to clear the intersection and there was still no traffic behind me. If there had been, I would have made a different choice, but there wasn't.

It's bugging me.