We All Have Bridges To Cross

After a very windy night in the tent, I woke up very refreshed. Sleeping without the use of my air mattress last night worked out very well as I was comfortable all night. Plus, it meant one less thing to pack up this morning. Not that I was in a hurry to leave. The thought of leaving Key West behind isn’t particularly a happy one. And based on the sound of the howling wind outside my tent, the ride was shaping up to be as challenging as expected.

I packed up my gear and retrieved my bike from the workshop where I had stored it for the night. Side disclaimer: I’m not one to believe in supernatural forces (except maybe Robert the Doll), and I’m not the superstitious type (it’s bad luck to say so), and I’m certainly not one to think that picking up a non-heads-up penny affects my life in anyway (even though I did so yesterday for the first time ever). I’m sure it is merely an unfortunate coincidence that on the day that I am to leave Key West I found myself facing a very strong wind (which is clearly trying to keep me in Key West) and my first rear wheel flat tire since October 7th. What a way to start the morning.

A quick examination of my puncture proof tire revealed a small staple clearly puncturing the tire. Surprisingly, this made me somewhat happy. Not because my puncture proof tires may be starting to wear, but because at least it didn’t appear to be a return of the seemingly random (and frequent) flats I was having back in New York.

Despite not having changed a flat in over a month, I think this repair was my most efficient to date. Practice makes perfect. With the tire once again inflated, I was ready to hit the road. Although, not so ready to leave Key West. But it was time.

My Warm Showers host, Lou, wasn’t around this morning but his parents were. So, I said my goodbyes and thanks and was on the move shortly after 10:00.

The wind was as strong as it sounded from inside my tent. However, it wasn’t the full headwind I was expecting. It was actually a bit of crosswind. Not ideal, but much better than a full headwind – except for the occasional time it tried to throw me off the road. Fortunately, that didn’t happen very often because I wasn’t on the road very often.

The highlight of today’s ride was definitely the bike path that ran parallel to route 1 for most of my ride. It’s my understanding that the plan is to one day have a bike path that runs the entire route through the Keys. Based on today’s ride, the plan is well underway. The only time I really had to share road space with traffic was on the many bridges along the way. And there were MANY bridges. It’s the Florida Keys. How could there not be bridges? On the upside, there were actually some sections with separate cycling bridges completed – and there were several others under construction. In a couple of years, I imagine Key West will be very easy to reach by bicycle. Even the bridges I’ve encountered so far haven’t been too bad as they’ve had ample shoulder space. Of course, I haven’t crossed the famous “Seven Mile Bridge” yet.

Despite the wind and the rain, today’s ride wasn’t too bad. Perhaps my low expectations helped with that. The short distance probably helped too. My plan was to reach Bahia Honda State Park today. Only 52 km (32 miles) away. That plan was successful.

I won’t get into the cost to camp at said park, I mean, what would be the point? But it is a very nice park and the people working at the main gate were incredibly friendly and enthusiastic. I didn’t have a reservation but fortunately they had some sites available. To say that the site that was assigned to me was a little larger than I needed would be a bit of an understatement. On the upside, it had electricity so I was able to charge my devices in the comfort of my tent.

The remainder of the day was pretty uneventful. The weather hadn’t improved at all during the day but I still decided to take a bit of a walk around the park. The woman working at the office recommended walking over to the old bridge for some nice views. So I did. The bridge was very cool, although not entirely accessible. I don’t know if it will ever be part of the bike path or not. I suspect not, but it would be cool if it was.

The forecast for tomorrow appears to be much like today’s so I don’t have high hopes for a pleasant ride. But if it ends up being like today’s ride, well … that wouldn’t be all bad. I’ll be aiming for a slightly earlier start tomorrow as the ride is about 50% longer than today’s ride. But those are details for another update.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 56.82 km
Time on bike: 3:12:13
Maximum speed: 30.71 km/h
Average speed: 17.75 km/h