2 Lefts

We said goodbye to our hosts Richard and Linda this morning. Rich pointed us towards a bike path that ran parallel to our route but was far nicer to ride on than the US 1. We followed the trail out of Titusville. Unfortunately, today we broke our record for the highest number of flats. We had two within about a mile of riding (one for Mike, one for me), followed by a third a few miles later (Mike again). Luckily, we've had plenty of practice fixing flats so we got them patched up pretty quickly. Several people offered help as they passed us working on the bikes, including a guy in a truck who offered us a ride to the nearest bike shop. We didn't need the help but it was nice to have it offered. We swung by a bike shop to resupply then continued on our way. It was windy right out the gate this morning. Unfortunately, Mike was feeling pretty exhausted today so we took it easy. A gas station provided a bevvy of snacks, including a giant banana muffin and a chocolate milk that ga...

What a difference a day makes. The final three miles of yesterday's ride took us off the Adventure Cycling route and they felt LONG. We retraced the same three miles to begin this morning and they felt effortless. After successfully escaping the biting advances of a swarm of bugs we returned to the barrier islands of the Florida coast. Northward, always northward. Our first break was at the McLarty Treasure Museum which was sadly closed but did have an excellent picnic table for a break. Florida is especially lush in this region. The greens are vivid and wild and the foliage threatens to overtake the road without human intervention. I began to falter at this phase and Rach is definitely the MVP of the day. She took the lead and held the front for miles and miles while I just looked down at her wheel and the road, the tires humming away on the asphalt. I have no idea what scenery we passed by during this phase. Eventually we crossed back over to the inland side of the waterway...

For the numerical: Today's distance: 72 (longest thus far) New trip maximum speed: 29.2 mph Straight out of the gate this morning and the wind clipped our forward progress. Not a horrendous headwind, but enough to thicken the sauce and slow the pour. We plugged along for about 10 miles next to the railroad tracks, grinding. Then the small town of Port Salerno. Marinas. Strip mall bait shops. Marine consignment stores. Private docks, canals, and power boats. The road yanked us around many curves and past enormous banyan trees that offered welcome shade. We climbed up and over the Intracoastal Waterway on one of the many bridges thus far. Beautiful views from the top of the arch, and then a speedy descent back to the beach. Lots of people in Florida are interested in our trip. I shook hands with a man at the grocery store when he wished us well. Yesterday, I met a man named Karl who recommends the bar "Land Ho" in a small town called Orleans on Cape Cod. There wer...

The ice maker at the Plaza Hotel & Suites gave us a beautiful start to the morning with chilly water bottles. Back to the coastline and following the Intracoastal Waterway. After about 10 miles of mansions and hedges we began looking for a store to buy some snacks. However, the good people of Palm Beach must eat strictly at the all-inclusive resorts - there were no shops. Another 11 miles and we learned a lesson about waiting too long to take a break. I got cranky but Rach was very patient with me and when we did finally find a corner market the gregarious owner and the tales of his travels eventually began to thaw my frozen heart. Lots of private beaches today where the palatial main houses were on one side of the road and small matching "cabanas" sat closer to the coast, often with a jacuzzi or putting green. The middle of the day featured many fit seniors riding road bikes and another selection of super yachts. The beaches in Jupiter had stunning turquoise water ...

Today was all about wealth. (Not ours, we have less than yesterday.) Mega yachts. Super yachts. Elaborate mansions. Towering skyscraper beachfront condos. Trump towers. Speed boats. A Bentley. Lush gardens and private docks. Woah. We started the day riding out of downtown Miami across the Venetian Causeway and on to Miami Beach. Beautiful tree-lined drives wandered over canals along the coastline. Pine Tree Road was a stretch of particularly flashy palaces. Next, we pounded through Trump country. Several gleaming towers that bear the mark of the tangerine-in-chief came and went on our right side. Lots of road construction through this stretch, and bumpy roads. Florida was redeemed by a town called Hollywood and the glorious miles of bike path we enjoyed right on the beach boardwalk. A live band serenaded us as we rode past and tons of vacationers enjoyed the sand and sun. After seeing an ice cream shop Rach was taken with the idea of a deluxe dessert. Unfortunately, we pressed on...

We hadn't put the rainfly on the tent last night in order to keep things a bit cooler but that backfired when it unexpectedly rained. We were caught off-guard in the small hours of the morning but managed to groggily put the rainfly on the right way around without our stuff getting too wet. We said goodbye to the Florida Keys this morning and headed out through Everglades National Park. We rode a strong 19 miles without a break, our longest yet and it felt good! At one point, we pulled over for a break and scared a creature in the bushes, which took off at a run. We didn't see what it was but Rach thinks it was a crocodile. After the Everglades, we started approaching the southern portion of Miami. As we got closer, the buildings and businesses got flashier. Most of our riding was on a bike path, which wound around under an elevated train line. The path was clearly an afterthought in the city's design, fitting wherever it could. Geckos scattered as we cruised over the u...

It would be premature at this stage to say we've really hit our rhythm, but I think both Rach and I did feel a bit stronger and rode a bit faster today. (Today was also shorter... draw your own conclusions.) We continued through the wreckage of the September hurricanes. There was one 40 foot sailboat washed up into someone's front yard with major damage to the bow. Most of the businesses here seem to be back up and running and sport fishing is the name of the game. "Salt Life" is a popular outdoor clothing brand and there are heaps of tee shirt shops everywhere you glance. 4 for $10. We rode over our first draw bridge, the water a striking blue underneath. This highway has mile markers - we've just gone past 100 miles since our start in Key West. The scenery and foliage has begun to change. Where most of the mangrove swamps were squat, new groves of trees have sprung up whose height block our views of the ocean. Much of the day's riding was on bike paths...

By the numbers: Miles Traveled - 58 Number of cold gas station drinks: many Maximum Speed: 20.6 mph A key revelation of today was never to rely on uncertain sunscreen while baking in the Florida rays. We're both a bit crispy but with new sunscreen for tomorrow's miles. After I finished wrapping my bar tape (whoops, meant to do that in Los Angeles) we set off at a strong clip just about 9:30 this morning. The bikes were rolling smoothly as we passed the blue green waters, mangrove trees, and iguanas skirting along the bike paths. At mile 12 I was feeling sluggish and began to think I may have made a very grievous error in preparation. It was only a temporary situation and Rach and I each traded off finding second, third, and fourth winds throughout the day. We saw a lone pygmy deer while riding through the nature preserve. Other wildlife spottings include more fish, a snake along the road, and birds of all stripes. The dreaded Florida drivers were behaving themselves ...

Whew boy. I think I was more rested when I was still at work full time. This previous week has been a scramble getting everything together. We managed to fit the bikes and all our gear into 6 bags. Our friend Don was very kind and drove us to LAX. Neither Rach or I slept stupendously on our flights so we turned up in Key West Saturday morning a bit drowsy. We took in the scene and lumped all of our luggage a few hundred yards to a selection of picnic tables and scraps of grass just south of the terminal and looking out over the ocean. Over the course of the next several hours we joined the sun-worshippers and vagabonds and assembled our bicycles. All went well and we rode off in search of Leo's Campground. So what is Florida all about? Getting cold drinks and finding some shade, in my estimation. I got an early start to things and had the first flat of the trip. Thankfully there was a good bike shop within walking distance of our tent to replace my failed rim strip. Today...

This would be the part of the movie where the red LED lights on the bomb's helpful countdown timer are hurtling toward zero. Our flight leaves tonight at 10:40 PM. Still happy with plenty of time to go Don's backyard

We're going on a bicycle tour! We're planning to ride from Key West, Florida, to Bar Harbor, Maine. We'll take our first left and head west towards Anacortes, Washington. Then we'll take our second left and ride south along the Pacific coast back to California. Simple. Thanks for following our adventure! -- Rach