Day 1 Monday, June 8th, 2015
39.6 miles and some Tri-Rail action too!
My friend Eddy and I decided to escape the sandbar of Key West and drive up to the mainland and enjoy a three day urban bicycle tour. The plan was to leave Key Weird after work and drive to the Everglades Hostel for the night, stash my van at a nearby Warmshowers Host, then pedal and use Tri-Rail to get to Fort Lauderdale for the Night. Then spend the next day riding to Miami and on day three we would ride back to my van.
The grounds of the Everglades Hostel are super fresh and there are lots of places to chill, climb or climb and chill! The cargo nets go a bit higher up! There are also lots of cool little nooks to enjoy at ground level including a naturally spring fed swimming hole. Feels great on a hot day.
Coffee’d up and packing up. I took my lighter Soma Double Cross, Blue, rather than my touring bike, Bucci Esperanza, a Long Haul Trucker. Eddy was riding his Jamis Aurora. We both carried only a single rear pannier as we were sleeping at a hostel, a Warmshowers host and a friend’s house. Fast and light!
That would suck! But homeboy looks pretty dang happy about it. I wonder what’s in his backpack!?!?
We drove a few miles to Gabrielle’s farm, a Warmshowers Host who was kind enough to let me just park somewhere safe for a few days. Lots and lots of fruits and flowers and beauty on her farm!
We passed a ghost bike soon after starting our ride in an agricultural area. “In loving memory of Jesse Martin. Born October 21, 1993. Went to be with the Lord August 21, 2013” I haven’t been able to find anything on the interwebs about what happened.
We soon reached the M Path which is also a busway and it was pretty much traffic free, though not particularly scenic. Better than riding on Route 1!
Eddy has dreamed of seeing the Coral Castle, built by a fellow Latvian. We planned our route to visit and tour the property.
Latvian suntanning bed!
Sundial measurements.
Eddy and the Sundial.
Latvians, then and now!
The June sun in South Florida is no joke. I prefer to cover up rather than wear sunblock. We felt like bicycle insurgents invading Miami from the south!
Awesome bicycle crossroads.
Under the train and paralleling the always congested Route 1.
No stop sign. And there’s not burning hospitals and the world coming to an end! Not just for Portland, Oregon or states that are not Florida. Why does the City of Key West not utilize more ideas like this!?!?
And then there is the area near the airport, at rush hour. Not fun on bicycles and not even room to pass. Yay exhaust fumes and exhaust heat!
LUNCH!!!
i love riding bicycles 