4/10/23 Jupiter to Fort Pierce

Based on the previous night forecast…we were concerned about the day, before it ever arrived. The forecast indicated storms, heavy rain and lots of wind. Yikes… a triple wammy!  We planned out a shorter day and  waited out the first morning shower doing some  stretching and  yoga.  

Once on the road, we were pleasantly pleased that the wind was coming at our side, and not a head wind.  The rain had for the time being subsided and we were moving along well until I got yet an another flat (#3) … again on my rear tire!!  

Keeping our heads down and focused on the road  ahead we took turns leading through the mild rain and winds. We finally stopped at 11:00 to reconsider our destination for the day.  The sun had come out and while in the cool and cozy coffee shop we decided to extend our pre-planned shorter route a bit.    11:11 shot of the day. 

This inspiring mural was by the coffeeshop.

Our next destination would be to Fort Pierce Sailfish Brewery followed by a west bound 7 mile tailwind jaunt to the hotel. 

Once we got to the hotel we had completed 55 miles and we were  ready to clean up. The unfortunate news was that the elevator was not working and that the only rooms available were on the 4th floor. 😟 Fortunately they stored our bikes and we just had to lug ourselves and our panniers, and water bottles up the four flights.  

We enjoyed checking out the historic town of Fort Pierce, having a delicious dinner and walk near the very windy harbor.

4/9/23 Deerfield Beach to Jupiter

Easter Sunday! It was certainly a beautiful morning. Our route today passed through a wide variety of neighborhoods. On the  beachfront  boulevard  there were extremely high end hotels, condos and mansions.  This boulevard was also extremely popular with cyclists; single, pairs, and large, fast pace lines of riders. 

While in Delray Beach we stopped at a fun little healthy fruit bowl place. Our fruit and granola treats were delicious and our conversation with Kevin and Caron added to the goodness.  It was fun chatting with them about cycling and other outdoor adventures. 

At 11:11 

In other neighborhoods the homes and yards were not posh, but the people we saw were friendly.   

There there were several parks that we saw people leaving after the Easter festivities. 

This park has some amazing banyon trees.  That variety of tree is so incredible and grows so well in this area. 

Another park we passed had an awesome music theme.  It honored past musician and had large instruments… that Tim couldn’t resist. 

About an hour away from our hotel there was a potential storm and head winds were already 20 mph!  As we passed Seminole Reef Grill, it seemed the best place to wait out the storm.  We had a wonderful Easter meal there along with sangrias which ended up being generously gifted to us by the owner of the restaurant. What an unexpected thoughtful gesture! Cheers! 

Today’s stats: 58 miles, cloudy skies, winds from north 10-20 mph.  Happy Easter. 

4/8/23 Miami to Deerfield Beach

Ten years ago we visited Miami Beach with Tim’s family prior to our 3 day family cruise. With that in mind,  we decided to take the shorter route (still over 70 miles) that kept us significantly inland, seeing a totally different part of Miami. 

During the first half of our ride we were in Miami, passing by fields of vegetables, fruit trees and lots and lots of nurseries.

Roads were long and straight and the miles ticked by. At mile 38 and 11:11AM we stopped at a food truck in the middle of agricultural fields and along the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area. On a fold out table under a tree we shared a Cubano sandwich and each had a mango shake. We hoped that would be enough to replenish our energy and get us to our destination. 

Soon after that we zigzagged our way through a variety of trails, terrains and busy streets.

This designated park within a park was designed for remote control cars.  Looked fun! 

Thank goodness for some of the trails… because we would have been in a nest of freeways! 

We stopped several times throughout the day to reload water/fluids, but when we got to the Cracker Barrel near our hotel we devoured our meals.  

4/7/23 Islamorada to Miami

It felt great to wake up feeling refreshed after an early to bed and full night of  sleep.  Everything seemed easier today… we were on the road before 8:00. The winds were still blowing, but often we were sheltered by tall trees/ hedges or at least the wind was not directly in our faces.  

The bike paths today were varied; totally separated from the main road, sometimes on the typical right side, at times on the left and for a while we shared a single lane designated with buses only. 

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and friendly conversation with two couples from Michigan. 

11:11 shot of the day from Tim’s phone. 

These last 3 days cycling through the 120 miles of the keys have offered some beautiful vistas, but I’m happy they are behind us! 

Now that we are on mainland, we’ll have to keep our eyes open for gators! So far we’ve seen loads of scurrying green iguanas from 6” to 3+ feet in size.  Boy can they move fast! 

 

It was wonderful to have our first home stay today. We were welcomed with open arms and wagging tails at the home of Iran and her son Michael in Miami.  Iran is the sister of one of Tim’s coworker/friend. The completely landscaped 2+ acres of fully enclosed, private yard is incredibly lush, beautiful and perfect for their big sweet golden retrievers; Zoey and Zeus. 

It was really wonderful spending time with this family (both 2 leg and 4 leg variety)  and discovering our common interests and learning more about and from each other. 

Todays mileage was 65 miles. 😃

4/6/23 Little Torch to Islamorada

As we were getting ready for the day and listening to the morning news we knew today would be a challenge… for several reasons:

1. We really didn’t  prepare much as we wanted for this ride due to the cold and soggy weather in California. We will be relying essentially on muscle memory and determination.  

2. The morning news said the winds would be relentless all day, 15-17 mph coming from the east (the direction we woud be traveling.) 

3. Cycling over the long bridges of the keys does not provide shelter from the relentless wind. 

At mile 20 we stopped for a break and rewarded ourselves to a fruit smoothie after completing the 7 mile bridge. Well deserved! 

At 11:11 we were riding through the more commercialized part of Marathon Key… 

The water was that amazing aqua marine color with small white caps and sunlight sparkles.  I may have been mesmerized by the color and not careful enough on the road when I got my second flat… again on the rear tire.🫤 Luckily we found a bit of shade to do our repair work. (And we cut our repair time in half from yesterday)  

When we finally pulled into our overnight destination we were both exhausted.  It was a 60 mile day that felt so much longer!  Glad a Mexican restaurant and ice cream shop were walking distance so we could refuel our bodies to be ready for an even longer next day . 😆

4/5/23 Key West to Little Torch

Felt great to wake up feeling refreshed and excited to start the day. It took a while to get all packed and loaded up, but tomorrow should be quicker and easier to load up and get going. Once on the road our first stop was the southernmost marker. 

Forecast was sunny, warm and windy. We enjoyed cycling along the beautiful turquoise Florida waters, but  appreciated some respite from the wind when sheltered by the dense  trees within the  keys. 

Each day at 11:11am I plan to take a photo,  wherever we may be. Often times we look for photo opportunities, but when doing the 11:11 shot… the opportunity is always there for us. 

11:11 today

A roadside Wednesday market was a great opportunity for a look around, taste some items and  enjoy some refreshing fruit drinks. There was about 16 vendors to check out.  

Another, albeit less fun, stop was for a rear wheel flat. As we were removing the wheel, a sheriff drove up to us to see if we needed help.  We chatted with him for a while and again about 6 hours later at a local watering hole, where he seemed to know everyone. That’s an awesome way to connect with the community. 

Just a short distance from our hotel we stopped at Kiki’s Sandbar for lunch. The ahi nachos were amazing, especially paired with a bucket of rum punch. 

Once checked in and showered up… a nap came very easily.  In the small key we’re staying on there is only one place to eat.  Fine with us… more   yummy food and great live music at Kiki’s Sandbar. It took us awhile, (since no one was dancing) but with the fun tunes we just had to boogie!  Fortunately, we broke the ice and others immediately came out to dance too. 

Gorgeous full moon tonight. 

4/4/22 We made it to Key West!

Upon arrival in Key West we felt joyful, relieved, excited, exhausted and very warm.  Oh to be warm again! 

We exposed our white legs as we put together our bikes in the  small hotel courtyard. Of course there were some glitches, but  with the help of Raul at a local bike rental place, we are ready to roll!  

in the afternoon/evening we strolled the old town, taking in the old conch homes, the gorgeous flowers, the lively shops and being drawn into establishments with live music. 

By the time we sat down we were famished.  Good thing, because Tim had a huge portion of rack of ribs! 

Prior to the musician getting on stage, a chicken and her three youngsters were taking control of the stage. 

It was fun to see so many chickens and roosters hanging around in town. Walking back to the hotel we stopped several times to listen to live music from at least 6 outdoor venues. We were oh so ready for a good night sleep.

Making our way to Key West

Since Angels Camp finally had three lovely spring days in a row we got our “must do” outdoor projects that needed attention checked off the list. Planning for a 50 day trip that has more than 44 different overnight stays takes  effort… and packing, planning for home and chicken care and keeping track of the endless “things to remember” made us feel even more enthusiastic as we were driving out of Angels Camp ready for our adventure.  

We know our ladies will be in good hands and we are so grateful for our caring and thoughtful neighbors/friends…

 Myra and Barbara.

It was smooth sailing driving to Mom and Dad’s home. We had time for catching up, playing Swiss card game Jass, and enjoyed a yummy salmon dinner before making our way to the airport. Getting through security was easy peasy, and just when we thought it was time to relax we got the text telling us our flight was cancelled! 😫

Feelings of shock, frustration, and annoyance put a damper on the start of our exciting adventure. In the end, we are now scheduled to arrive in Key West three hours later than our original flight. We always seem to have a challenging day one of our cycling adventures. We decided that we are going to claim this travel day as our  day one challenge. 

Glad that’s done! Day one trama- finished. ✅ 

Currently we are waiting in Philadelphia for our flight to Key West. 

Getting ready for our East Coast cycling adventure!

Preparing for this extended adventure of 2400+ miles is exciting … and a bit  daunting.   At first we thought we would  just wing it and find hotels along the way, but given when and where we are beginning our ride (Spring break in Key West), we decided to get organized by identifying our route,  arranging our overnight stays and determining our must see destinations.  

We are super excited to have several opportunities for homes stays along the way … at homes of  longtime friends, relatives of friends and even friends of friends! 

Being properly prepared is important … and that means having the bare minimum articles of clothing, bike tools/supplies, toiletries, and appropriate shoes for the trip for various weather conditions. Of course size and weight are a big factor in a self supported cycling adventure since we each will have only two rear panniers, a trunk space behind the saddle and a small phone/ wallet box by the handlebars. We are essentially taking enough clothes that will last us for 4 days between washing.   

Our list of things to do/plan prior to our adventure seems  endless.  Most importantly we need to box up the bike  and send them to our Key West hotel a couple weeks before arrival date. The bike box is the largest dimension that doesn’t require oversize fees,  but it does require a complete disassembly of the bicycle. Therefore our first task in Key West will be to put the bikes back together.

We are so fortunate to have wonderful neighbors to care for our seven chickens and keep an eye on our plants, yard and house. A BIG thank you to Barbara and Myra for taking on this task. Our departure date is April 3 and we plan to be home by Memorial Day weekend.