Wind n Sun

I’ve been thinking about how I want to approach this whole blog thing. I’ve always kept notebooks around to write thoughts down as they come to mind, but I’ve never really had to expand them. Well, for school but that was different. I am keeping a handwritten log of my daily accounts and miles and I think I will just use those for notes and expand on them if I feel it is needed. Along with this new blog comes a photography page showcasing a few photos I’ve been taking along the route. I am still posting on Instagram every day, but the photos on this site will be coming from my DSLR and my 35mm when I shoot enough film to get it developed.

I guess I’ll jump right in to it. I’ve got 8 days to lay out, so grab yer snacks.

April 1, 2021 50.68 miles

I had spent the day prior getting food and other items together as well as doubling checking my gear to make sure I didn’t forget anything critical. I then biked around Key West to see what it was about as I had never been. There are signs that call it paradise but… I don’t see it. Too crowded and geared towards tourism for my taste. The night before I pushed off I stayed at Boyd’s Campground. The day of I had to bike back out to the Southernmost part of the Continental US (5.25mi) so I could start my tour properly. I got to the monument early enough so there wasn’t a line. Thankfully a couple showed up right after me and were kind enough to take my photo and I was off. It was hot, and the wind was not kind. My weak Northern skin was not prepared for 10 hour days with little to no shade. Regardless of the sun, wind and heavy traffic it felt so good to actually get this thing started. I’ve been planning this tour for almost a year and at points it felt like it was never going arrive. I saw one other bike tourist, she was heading south and we passed on the 7 Mile Bridge so we couldn’t stop to chat. A friendly wave was exchanged instead. The day ended in Marathon, FL where I stayed in a tiny motel because the only campground on that key had been taken down to be replaced with gaudy looking condos. The guy that checked me in had done some big tours with his wife, the Southern Tier and Key West -> Detroit! Also, the mileage after the date in the title shows how many I put in that day.

April 2, 2021 52.35 miles

Left kind of late. I was still figuring out the best way to get going in the morning, even though I didn’t have my tent to pack away. I saw a pair of bike tourists early in the day with lighter setups, they were headed south. Heading south seemed like the smart thing to do. This was the day I ran in to my first 20+ MPH headwinds from the moment I got on my bike till I made it to camp. Going over the bridges in that kind of wind with my 85lb bike in a tight bike lane caused for some white knuckle biking. I was still adjusting to all that weight and roads I had never travelled. My arms were pretty sore by lunch. Any gust would push me right in to the right traffic lane. It was quite the chore getting over a few of those bridges. With windy days like that it felt like the miles were being added and not taken away as I approached my destination. I’m about a mile from camp and just limping along. It was such a long day… and I realize my front is kind of skating back and forth. I take a look down and see that I have a flat. Great. Luckily I found the spikey seed that was the root of the problem. I marked it with some electrical tape, pumped up my tire and limped it to camp. Camped in central Key Largo so I only had a few hours the next day before I hit mainland.

April 3, 2021 56.98 miles

I finished the Keys early that morning. Between the wind, sun, and traffic, biking conditions were sub par. I am forever grateful that I was able to bike the Keys though. It kind of felt like a 2 day dream. Anyway, I left the Keys via the Card Sound which was completely shoulder-less and turn-less for 12 miles. Of course I had a strong head wind to add to the party. I was so focused on getting the miles done that I didn’t stop to take photos, plus it would have been unsafe given the conditions. The route I drew wanted me to take some sketchy looking dirt paths towards the end of the Card Sound Road. I eventually succumbed to my intrigue of the unknown and took a right turn down one of these old dirt roads. What I found was several tents setup where people were living, a brush fire, and a flipped car that had been lit on fire. I made it to what seemed like the end of the road but it was flooded out and I couldn’t find a way around… so I had to back track through all of the mud and gravel. Once I made it to Florida City I found my first East Coast Greenway signage! That felt good, I had almost forgotten what I was doing! That night I stayed at my first Warmshowers behind a church in South Miami. There are two peacocks and a few cats wandering around the grounds and making sure I set my tent up correctly. Thanks for the spot, Steve! Tomorrow I pass through Miami on my way to Pompano Beach.

April 4, 2021 59.41 Miles

So it turns out there’s 20 peacocks living around the church and many more cats than just a few. Anyway, I spoke with Steve for a bit before pushing off to meander through Miami and South Beach. It wasn’t that bad getting through the city. I rode along the “Underline” which reminded me of the Highline in NYC except I was under tracks that were in use and not on tracks that had long been out of service. It was a nice bike path with plenty to look at as I biked through it. The wind was more manageable. Butt starting to hurt real good.

April 5, 2021 62.76 miles

Longest day in the saddle yet. Every time I got out of the saddle or sat back down I was making an involuntary little moan because my butt was feeling pretty sore. Spent all day biking through fancy residential areas full of massive mansions and luxury resorts. I felt pretty removed from the world around me, with everything I need to survive strapped to my bike while the epitome of excess was surrounding me. Today was the day I started to feel my body needing more calories. I was hungry all day and couldn’t do a darn thing to make it subside. I arrived at Jonathan Dickinson State Park around 3:30pm, so a relatively short day considering the 63 miles I put in. It was another 4 miles of biking to my campsite once I was in the park. I stopped and hiked the highest natural landmass south of the Okeechobee… a whopping 86ft tall! One very interesting thing about this park is that they do controlled burns every 5-10 years to keep invasive species at bay and to mimic what this area would have been like before humans came in and developed the land around the park. The park was also a radio advancements base during World War II. It was cool biking out to my campsite because to my right was burned down with new life poking through the ashes, and to my left was fully lush and teeming with life. Bugs were rough because I was so close to a lake. Butt hurts.

April 6, 2021 57.74 miles

A little less miles to get in, so I took it a bit slower. I spent most of the day on busy 2 lane roads with tight shoulders. That’s tiring in itself, regardless of how many miles you’re putting in. Spent some time at Avalon State Park listening to the ocean as I thought about the next few days leading up to my first break. I decided that tomorrow I would push to Titusville which was about 80 miles away. I spent the night with another Warmshowers host. They had a few dogs and five chickens in their back yard. Thanks for the fantastic dinner and a spot to pitch my tent, Shannyn. That was the best meal I had this entire tour. Early morning tomorrow so I can get these 80 miles under my belt with no issues.

April 7, 2021 82.71 miles

So about that “80 miles under my belt with no issues” thing I said the previous night. I woke up to a flat rear tire. I was ready to depart at 6:30am but found the flat while doing my gear check (ALWAYS do a daily gear check during a trip like this!). I’m riding Schwable Marathon’s and they are notoriously difficult to work with. I was scrambling because I was thinking about the day ahead of me. I get the tire fixed up and was feeling real good as I pushed off with the sunrise and good winds. Well, 20 miles down the road my rear is flat again. Not my butt, that’s been flat for days at this point, I’m talking about my tire. I’m another 20 miles from a bike shop. I figured it would be easier to just have a tech look at it with fresh eyes. Every 5 miles I was stopping to pump my rear tire. What a pain. The shop in Melbourne was great. The tech found a small fiber from the tire that was causing the flats. It was the size of a single hair, that’s why I couldn’t find it that earlier in the morning when I was searching for the cause in the dark. He put in tire liners and a new tube and I was on my way. Even after dealing with the flats I was averaging about 13mph, which is the fastest I had done the entire tour. This was mainly due to good winds and good spirits. My butt was really hurting until early afternoon instead of first thing in the morning. I’m still ready to get out of Florida. It was another long day of biking in a tight lane along a busy, fast A1A. You’d be surprised at how many roadside memorials there are of people that have been killed along these roads, yet everyone seems to go 70mph past me.

April 8, 2021 44.13

Quick day. Most of the ride was on a dedicated mixed use path for pedestrians, bikers, and horseback. Nothing terribly exciting happened other than seeing a few turtles and getting to my destination by early afternoon. I’ll be here for a few days to collect myself before finishing up Florida!

I’m unsure when I’ll be able to post another blog. It all depends on where I take my next 0 day. In the meantime you can find my other social media accounts at the bottom of the website for more frequent updates.