Key Largo, FL to Layton, FL
Total Miles: 1490
Hang on to your hats, friends, it’s gonna be a…. short post :p
Not too much happened last night except I realized that I lost my titanium spork right after I’d put my pasta on to boil. I emptied every, single one of my bags looking for it but to no avail. I’ll have to pick another one up at the next outdoorsy store I happen upon. I ended up just dumping my half-cooked pasta and going to Publix for a sandwich. Oh, and I also discovered that my rear tire, the one that I had patched up a few weeks back, had developed a really slow leak. Rather than try to find and patch the hole I just chucked the tube and put on one of the spares I was carrying. Good as new 🙂
I didn’t set an alarm last night as I had planned a short day for today. Not that I particularly needed the rest but because the only camping place I could find with any availabilities was only about 35ish miles away. I still woke up at about 7 to the raucous sound of every bird on the island telling me it’s time to wake the f!@# up. So I did. I packed up camp and headed out to a little mexican restaurant for some breakfast. A guy from my campground had told me about it last night and said that it served gargantuan portions for super cheap which is right up my alley 🙂 I got a massive skillet of hash browns, sausage, mushrooms and eggs for a cool 8 bucks. Can’t beat that!
After my meal I headed out into the most beautiful of mornings. 75 degrees, blue skies, warm sunshine and a healthy breeze coming in at my 4 ‘o’ clock, it was the most perfect morning imaginable. Until. Tragedy struck. PING! SMACK! KKKRRKKKSKKSKK!!! I look behind me and it seems as if my rear pannier had fallen off. I pull over and see that it’s not just my rear pannier, but my hole rear rack is dragging behind me! The first thing that ran through my mind was that I’d somehow popped a weld in my rack and I was going to have to limp my way to parts unknown to have it fixed. Upon closer inspection I realized that it was just some bolts that had come loose that held it to the frame of my bike. That nasty, bumpy hellhole of a bike trail yesterday really did a number on ol’ Forrest but I was able to get everything tightened down and fixed up. It really made me realize the fragility of this trip, one unforeseen mechanical failure and I’d be up shit creek and hoping some kind stranger will pass by and take pity on me. All part of the adventure I guess.
The remaining miles were pretty uneventful. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking but there’s only so many ocean views a man can take before it all just blends together and becomes kind of blah. My campsite for the evening, though, is pretty badass. The primitive sites here are, in my opinion, far superior to the full hookup ones. You have to walk a few hundred yards from the parking lot through the mangroves on this really sweet boardwalk and the sites are these sweet covered pavilions right in the middle of this jungle looking forested area. I set up shop and headed down to the water to soak up some sun and salt water, then went to the convenience store and grabbed me a few cold beers and now it’s time to relax and enjoy the rest of the day. Not a lot of miles today but, whatever, I’m on island time 🙂 Tomorrow James and Forrest will ride to the southern most tip of the United States in Key West and complete the first leg of this magical journey! Stay tuned for the next edition of James and his Bike!!!
Is that your little tent?how cool!! Soak up some of that beautiful sunshine for me!Love u!!!
Awesome! What campground are you staying at–I don’t recognize it but it looks cool!
Long Key State Park. It’s pretty awesome and, like I said, the primitive campgrounds are so much better than the other ones. And cheaper too!
I used to tent camp ‘back in the day right next to the Schooner Wharf in Key West . . . But that space is all new condos now. 🙁
Even in those days it was an outrageous rate to camp. So much so that I ended staying in a guesthouse in the heart of old town for about the same price as a tent spot (and with air conditioning!)
Schooner Wharf Bar is a fun cold beer stop and Turtle Kraal’s used to have the best flash-fried calamari on the planet.
Sandy’s Sandwich Window at the M&M Laundromat on White Street (catta-corner from Fausto’s Food Store) whips up a mean Cuban sandwich and espresso (called a Bucci here) or Cafe’ Cubano con Lecche’ . . . Grab one and pedal a few blocks south to eat and chill under the palm trees at Higgs Beach.
Thanks, Jim! I’m downtown exploring right now so I’ll definitely go give those places a look. One can never have enough food in their belly ??. Cheers, friend!