Long Haul - Day 49 (10/4/21) Layton to Key West 71.9 miles

Our last day. We started our day by crossing a 2.5 mile bridge. It had a separate bridge for cyclists and walkers. It was quiet and the sun was still coming up through the clouds. It was a beautiful morning as we looked over the ocean. I was reminded to savor every moment today. It is a bit like eating that absolutely delicious piece of cheesecake. The temptation is to eat it too fast but restraint allows you to let your tastebuds enjoy every gram of goodness. I tried to approach today the same way. I wanted to let all my senses drink in these last moments. It has been a long journey and we were ready to finish it but we also know these memories needed to be imprinted on our brains. The riding today was quite uneventful but we had some significant connections that made the finish almost feel like a shared celebration with friends we had never met.

We were 25 miles out and we had been on a bike path which ended on a really gravelly and rough driveway/lane, or something like that. After about 100 Ft I saw a Cuban Cafe to the left. We needed something to drink and we hadn‘t eaten much so I pulled in and asked Dana if she wanted a Cuban meal. So I went and ordered several Cuban breakfast sandwiches and water. The meal included a typically sweet and milky coffee. this was a classic hole in the wall Café, but the food was authentic and delicious. As we were mostly finished a younger couple with three boys showed up and sat at the picnic table next to our table. Before too long another couple about the same age came and sat at another table. The first family settled in and the dad looked at our bikes and then said “you are doing some serious traveling”. A conversation started and it turns out he had ridden cross country when he was 30 (12 years ago). We had a great conversation and connected easily. We said we were planning to end up at the Southernmost Point and lift our bikes as the end if our journey. He handed me a business card and asked that I send him the pic. I said I would. As I went in to pay for the meal, the second couple said they passed us twice as they were coming to the keys. They saw us as we were approaching the bridge coming into Key Largo and then again on one of the smaller islands. I asked if they thought we must be crazy. He said, no they were duly impressed. I did wonder how much we must have stuck out pedaling along the side of the road.

We arrived at US 1 mile marker 0 and stood by the sign. There were several people standing there so I ask one of the women if she would take our picture. We chatted a bit and they were quite amazed that we actually could do trip like this. They wanted to take our pic as well. For a moment we almost felt like celebrities. :).

When we arrived at the Southernmost Point there was a line for people to take pictures. I took all the bags off and laid them on the side. You could tell people were watching us and I could only imagine what they were thinking. I asked the man behind us if he would take our picture. He agreed to do that and I explained we wanted a picture to commentate the ending of our trip. About that time someone on the side said “hey we passed you coming onto the islands yesterday. Again, it begs the question about how odd we must have looked.

After the pictures, we loaded up our bikes and found a small restaurant to grab a bite to eat before checking in for the night. As we were leaving, two couples from across the street yelled to us, “hey we passed you crossing the bridge yesterday. Congrats to both of you. Where did you come from?“ I yelled back, Maine. He yelled back “Man I love you congrats“. We chatted a bit more and then we were off.

What a day, What a journey. I will probably post once more. I need a little time to unpack some of the thoughts going through my head. I hope you have enjoyed our journey. We are deeply grateful that you chose to follow us. We are sincerely blessed with so many friends that care about us, even though they might be deeply concerned about our sanity. I am sure that some, or all, of you thought we might have bitten off too big a bite, but then many time we thought the same. There were many times

we thought we just might not be able to finish, and yet here we are. Several days of rest here and then we start heading back. Our plans are to be home by Saturday noon.

Peace and blessings to all of you, our friends.

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