Long Haul - Day 48 (10/3/21) Palmetto Bay to Layton (Long Key) 81.3 miles.

Today we crossed the bridge and are currently on the Keys. We didn’t get as far as we wanted yesterday so we were hoping to make up for it today, and we did. It seemed that we followed the rain most of the day as there were a lot of wet roads but we never had any rain. I’m really good with that arrangement.

The first leg of our ride today took us on a trail basically from our motel and ended in Homestead which is the last population center before passing through the Everglades. Our concern for today was the stretch south of Homestead as it is basically a road with a shoulder for us to use as a bike lane. We knew it was going to be a bit windy so that always makes a day get longer. Both concerns were valid and although it made it a bit more tedious, it wasnt all that bad. At this point we have other experiences to use for comparison. It wasn’t as bad as ______. The road was pretty busy so although we had plenty of shoulder, it still gets tense having a constant stream of vehicles flying by. It’s also more complicated keeping a constant watch on where Dana is as turning around to check can also cause a bit of veering; not a good idea on a busy highway. Do you know where this is going? Thought so! We were maybe 10 miles from Key Largo and I tried quick backward glances and couldn’t see her but I also knew she liked to stop and take pics. I slowed to let her catch up, but she still wasn’t in my sight. I finally stopped and looked back and to my dismay she was pretty far behind pushing her bike. I figured almost immediately that two things were in trouble; her bike and her husband. I was right on both counts. Her back tire was flat and though I could tell she was at least somewhat pissed at me for not stopping sooner, she held it back quite splendidly. So I changed the tube (it’s good I patched several last evening) and we were off.

As we approached the big bridge before getting to Key Largo, the road turned slightly east and we rode into the wind for several miles. It was a brisk 15 mph wind so while it wasn’t nasty, it sure made it a tougher ride as we climbed the bridge. By the time we crested it was quite windy. The bridge did have concrete guards so that probably helped break some of the wind. We descended the bridge and made our turn to the west and blessedly we had the wind on our back. All of a sudden our speed increased 5 mph with a lot less effort.

We stopped for a McDonald’s break at about the 45 mile mark and decided to take the further option today. With a tailwind (most of the time) and fresh legs we took off for 35 more miles.

We got a number of thumbs up from motorcyclists. I think up to today we hadn‘t received any positive reaction from any of them and then today quite a few. Go figure!

Honestly, most of the ride on the keys has been less than impressive. Most of the time there are trees, brush etc on one side, and retail stores on the other. At other times, we get a beautiful view of the ocean. It is a fun ride though. Most of the time on the keys we have had a bike lane/path of some sort which makes it more enjoyable. Tomorrow we should be finishing this ride. It is feeling a bit unreal right now. For so long we have been looking at a lot of short goals and then also the big one. Now we are almost finished and I’m not real sure I am ready to believe it yet. I suspect dipping our toes in the water might be a bit more emotional than I would have expected. It has been a heck of an adventure and journey but we are both ready to hang up our shoes for a bit. We met a man way back in Connecticut that was from Jupiter, Fl. (He is a snowbird and won’t be here till later this month) and told us when we passed by he would buy us dinner. We have texted several times and in the last one he asked if were just to ride our bikes into the water and leave them there. It’s tempting but we are looking at other options. :).

@treesforgoshen

https://www.treesforgoshen.org/biking-for-bucks-expand-goshens-tree-canopy/

Today’s Ride Ratings

Weather 8 (it was pretty windy but mostly from the side, still makes riding tougher) The last part made up for the early winds.

Temperature 79 at start and 83 at finish. Even though it is only 83, the sun is very intense. It feels hotter than the temp indicates.

Scenery 8 it was also fun watching geckos and iguanas scurry across the paths.

Riding Surface 10

Terrain 10

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