Sept 10: Banana Riding

But there's other cool stuff to do in the water around here - during the summer or anytime really. That's the great thing about this part of Florida, where it's pretty warm most of the year. Because this means you can feel comfortable jumping in for that splash nearly any time of the year too.

So yes, uh, back to the topic at hand. Banana rides, right? And their cousin, jet skis. There are many shops that offer these activities, all up and down the Greater Fort Lauderdale coastline. Jet skis, of course, allow you and a friend to bomb over the waves at what feel like high speeds, as high as you'd want your speeds to be anyway. You also can take them into canals and rivers and on the Intracoastal Waterway. Locals like me see these things all the time buzzing around our waters. Then there's this banana ride deal I keep referring to. It's basically a big float that, yes indeed, is shaped like a banana. Designed to look like one, too. I'm not sure who came up with this bright idea but people seem to love it. You and several of your best buds can straddle your personal banana and get towed behind a speedboat for a teeth-rattling ride out on the sea. I've read that speeds go as high as 75 mph, which is pretty fast for a banana. All kidding aside, it looks like a good time to me. I've not had the chance to try this yet, but who knows? Maybe I'll feel the need for some speed during my staycation and, uhm, peel off toward the banana shop.