Sad Signs Say So Much

There was very much a “hurry up and wait” start to today. From inside my tent I could tell it was going to be another day of high winds. Upon leaving my tent it was clear I was in for another wet day too. Fortunately, I was only heading to Florida City today which was less than 50 km (30 miles) away. Given the short distance, I was in no real hurry to get moving. Until the rain started.

I was on my way back from the washrooms when I felt the first few drops. These were followed by several others. The next thing I knew I was running back to my tent – not to stay dry but in a desperate attempt to get my tent packed up before it got soaked. The biggest factor in my favour was the canopy of trees that covered my campsite. It certainly wasn’t leakproof but it certainly sheltered me from the brunt of the initial rain. The race was on.

About six minutes later my gear was packed and I was putting the finishing touches on rolling up my slightly damp tent. All things considered, I’d call that a success. I suited up in my rain gear and was on the move. I made it as far as the office before the downpour started. Here we go again. Despite my race to get things packed up, I decided to take cover at the office in the hopes that the rain would pass. Remarkably, ten minutes later it did. Of course, the wind remained. The clouds weren’t about to give way to the sun but at least the rain had stopped. I figured this was my window of opportunity to start my ride.

The biggest difference with today’s ride was the wind. Yes, it was still strong but it had shifted direction from the past few days and was now coming from the southeast. This was significant because at some point during the day I would turning north which meant I may actually have a tailwind at some point today.

The biggest downside to that potential tailwind is that I would have to head north – and heading north meant officially leaving the Keys behind. For most of my time in the Keys, the weather hasn’t been particularly cooperative; however, at least it’s been warm. Considering the weather back home, warm is good. Even with all the wind and rain, leaving the Keys was not a happy thought. Seeing the sign officially marking my departure made that thought a reality. The sign even reads as much.

With my departure from the Keys complete, I was now following route 1 north to Florida City. This was another section of highway that I had heard less than positive reviews. I’m happy to report that my experience was incident free. Much like many of the other rides through Florida, this was another very flat, very straight route. There was some nice scenery at times but generally it was pretty much Florida’s answer to the prairies – but with crocodiles. No, I didn’t see any (unfortunately) but there were signs indicating “Crocodile Crossing” so I can only assume that there are crocodiles on the road from time to time. But as I said, this wasn’t one of those times.

I was about 10 km (6 miles) from my destination when the next batch of rain started to fall. Lightly. The significant tailwind pushing me along was also pushing the rain towards me but, for now, I was still ahead of it. Barely. I decided to pick up the pace in an attempt to stay ahead of it. After all, in the movies people are always outrunning things like tornados, volcanic cloud, tsunamis. Surely a small rain storm would be a piece of cake. It turns out that the movies may not be an accurate depiction of reality. Who knew?

I managed to stay ahead of the rain for about ten minutes before it caught up with me – and proceeded to show its great displeasure towards my attempted escape. Oh well, at least it was warm.

It was shortly after 1:00 when I arrived at the Everglades Hostel. My Warm Showers host from the other day had suggested it as a possible stopping point. Perhaps the best part of the hostel is that they don’t require (or even accept) reservations for tent toting travellers because they always make room for them. And at $18/night it has a lot more to offer than campgrounds that charge more than twice that amount.

After checking in, I was given the full tour of the place. The garden area where I would be setting up my tent is pretty cool. There are common hang out areas, a small freshwater pool with waterfall, and even a rope tree house. It’s like a playground for big kids. Regular sized kids are also welcome. Plus there are laundry facilities, of which I was in desperate need of using. And use them I did.

I’m not sure how it happened but my now clean clothes are about the only orderly thing in my tent at the moment. Everything else – including my cycle computer – has sort of exploded all over the place. I’m sure it’s around here somewhere but for now the “Today’s totals” section of the update will have to wait.

Update: Just found my cycle computer so here are today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 44.03 km
Time on bike: 1:54:12
Maximum speed: 42.63 km/h
Average speed: 23.12 km/h