Plowed my way through Miami

    Staying at a youth Hostel can be a crap shoot.  Most of the time I am lucky, last night was the exception.  Three bunks, six guys, no problem accepted for this one obese guy who not only smelled but snored so no one could sleep. The unwritten rule is that everyone takes a shower and is considerate of everyone else’s private space, including excess snoring and light. I used my blue tooth headset to dampen the noise but sleeping was still difficult. I was up at 6:40 following a guy out  who left thirty minutes earlier.  The attendant down stairs heard our complains but how do you weed out someone who snores.  It happened to me once in Dublin.
      By 7:40 I was on the road to Florida City. Dealing with dozens of traffic lights was the biggest problem.  Even when I down shift three gears coming up to a red light, pedaling from a start still requires plenty of effort.  As for Miami Beach,  I took plenty of pictures of the Art Deco buildings and Miami skyline.  Lined up on the docks were several absolutely gigantic cruise ships, floating cities. For essentially the entire day, the lights were everywhere.  Fortunately, however, there was a paved trail most of the way, sparing me from the traffic.  Along the way I buddied up with a guy commuting home on his electric pedal assist bike.  As an ER nurse,  he had a long tiring shift and was in no rush to ramp up the speed.  We talked the whole way, Tim giving me the scoop on the area. Having had a meager breakfast, I needed sustainance by 11:30.  He pointed out a farmers market which I would have missed had I been alone. Being a heavily Hispanic area,  all the food was Mexican and delicious. Being Saturday, the place was buzzing with all the locals. They looked at my loaded bike and I took in their scene, mutual curiosity.
    Eight miles further, thirty-five overall,  I arrived in Florida City at the Hoosville Hostel, very cool layout.  Huge outdoor shower, palm trees with hammocks, fire pit, spring filled rock pool and very laidback.  It took me back to the sixties. Only one other older guy in my six bunk room, a relief from last night. Even before my shower, I laid down for a brief nap and blacked out for two hours. After a hypnotic outside shower in a tropical setting, I shared a beer with my roommate and headed next door for an authentic mom and pop Mexican dinner.  Back at the hostel, the NFL playoffs were on outside on a large screen.  For the first time in over a week, the temperature took a dive into the fifties, as low as fifty-three overnight, an Arctic blast.
   Tomorrow, will be a thirty mile jaunt to Key Largo where there is a campsite. I have covered over four hundred and twenty-five miles to date.
   
   

On the road to Miami Beach

  If I get too comfortable in any one spot, my anxiety spikes knowing I will have to break out of this comfort zone.  Niffy and George laid out the red carpet.  Just the guest suite was on parallel with the Ritz.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all four star. Watching the soccer game at an authentic English pub with George, Paul and Eric was a treat. Shortly there after, Niffy orchestrated a small diner party, putting me at the head of the table.  So, you can see how, I was reluctant to leave.  Yet, nothing can hold me back from the road. After the pictures and  a hugo off I pedaled for Miami Beach fifty miles south.
     The addition of a compass to my bars has saved me numerous times.This time I ended up on a highway system leading me to the Fort Lauderdale airport.  Working my way out of a concrete highway maze had me riding on the breakdown lane going against the traffic. Just as I reached A1A, I rode over a grass strip and picked up several fire ants which had me swatting them for several minutes.  Nothing serious, the stings smarted around my right ankle for a good half hour.
     From Lauderdale south  the high rise condominiums became a near endless strip as I progressed. Likewise, the crosswalk traffic lights proliferated to accommodate the hords of humanity housed in these highrises. Gear down, stop, wait, start off again to reach cruising speed, to be repeated dozens times, mile after mile. The traffic ramped up but the bike lanes of various types kept me safe, sort of.  Without my horizonally mounted orange flag and my glasses mounted mirror help to keep my wits in tact as the cars passed me going five times my speed.  Fifty-one miles brought me to the Miami Beach Hostel I booked the night before. Funky place that reminded me of the hostels I stayed in over in Spain and France. I stripped all my bags off my bike and used all three of my cable lock to secure my bike to the bike railing in the back. Security camera at the check-in counter did not placate  my doubt I had for the safe storage of my bike. Waiting for check-in,  I started up a conversation with a forty-seven year old Brazilian who lives in a town smack in the middle of the Amazon and who is a philosophy professor at a small college there.  Feeling somewhat revived after a hot shower, I booked another hostel in Florida City for tomorrow night.  With that done, Ceasar, the Brazilian, and I walked a few blocks to a local Latin chicken place and feasted for under ten dollars a piece.
       With only thirty-seven miles to Florida City, I will try to ride over to the shore and check out the Art Deco building that Miami Beach is know for.

Another day of leisure

     Not wanting to over sleep as a guest, I rallied after only seven hours of shut eye.  Yesterday’s ride of sixty-five miles was a haul but arriving at a safe zone enabled me to re-energize with few hours than my standard eight.  Seeking adventure digs deep into my mental energy. A short reprieve from this search can result in deeper, more efficient sleep. Both George and Niffy were up with breakfast cooking on the stove. After another delicious meal, George and I lifted my bike onto his workbench. The spoke creaking persisted despite my further tightening of the spokes. The wheels will more than likely need replacing but I am betting that they can make it through the trip without any major breakdown.  Adjusting the derailleur proved equally frustrating, resulting in having to take the bike to a bike shop for fine tuning and explanation as to how to get the gears to properly shift. YouTube only explains so much.  Face to face interaction with someone who knows what they are doing is really the best way to learn the process.
      George invited me out to an Englush pub (imported board by board from England) to be with two other friends, Paul and Eric,  to watch a soccer match between Manchester and Liverpool.  Beer and chicken wings coupled by an intense match made for a fun afternoon. I can’t remember ever watching a soccer match beginning too end.  No ads to boot.
      Evening time, Niffy invited two couples over for a small dinner party, a very nice time. Close friends, very casual dress but a nice table setting.  I pitched in during the clean up which Niffy appreciate.
     Tomorrow I ride go Miami where I have reserved a hostel room.  It is less than fifty miles to my destination.

Longest day yet

   I knew that today would be a test of my will, 65 miles to reach my cousin Niffy in Boca Ratan.  Starting off at 7:08, I rode four hours and forty-five minutes before I reached the fifty mile mark.  The sky was blue with barely a cloud and sun beat down on me unmercifully. With water sweating out of me faster than I realized, I began to bonk.  My body was telling me to stop but I persisted. Pouring down the water brought me back to life and allowed me to push onward.  A1A followed the coast with jogs across the inland waterway to get around water outlets to the ocean. The bridges are steep and short, challenging my legs as I shifted down to my granny gear.  The views on top were always panoramic, worthy of a few photo opportunities. The economic disparity between the numerous communities I passed through varied enormously.  The wealth in Palm Beach was over the top.  Huge mansions with lavish landscaping including thirty foot hedges. The whole place reeked of gross conspicuous consumption. When I stopped for lunch at the Palm Beach Publix grocery store, I had to sit on the ground to eat for lack of benches. After forty minutes a woman employee came out of the store and pointedly asked what my destination was. It was a subtle way of figuring out if I was homeless.  No benches for the homeless to sit.  I was not impressed and if anything, I was disgusted by the stores atttitude.
    I pushed through the last fifteen miles, dealing with mild hand numbing, stiff arms and sore behind. The last bridge in Boca Ratan I crossed was a blow torch, over one hundred degrees.  Finally, I entered a gated community where I found my cousin’s house. From that point on, I went from being beaten upon to being treated like royally. After cleaning up, George Ligeti (Niffy’s husband) gave me the tour of his shop. Loaded with state of the art equipment, he had an amazingly little shop of four hundred square feet. Definitely a new world woodworker, I hope I can persuade him to learn joinery and how to use the associated handtools.   Next stop was to a nice restaurant where we gabbed about everything, a really good time was had.  After loading up on chocolate at a store near the restaurant, we cruised home where we settled into a movie (SOLO) in their theater room.  You have to see this set up, two tiers of seating of divinely comfortable sofa chairs, eight by ten foot roll down screen over a library breakfront; the room could easily fit twenty people.  The only thing missing was the concession stand and the smell of popcorn.
   I will be here for two nights. My room has its own bathroom and lounge room; almost too much for me to handle given my austere way of living....but I love it.  Tomorrow, repairing the bike by tightening the spokes and adjusting the gear cable is priority.  My remaining days on the road, I want to keep under fifty miles a day.

earliest start, most miles covered

   Saying goodbye to Bob and Mary was tough, they were so incredibly nice to me. People like them restore my faith in humanity. 7:04 the wheels got rolling; four wind free hours of riding.  Once the heat cranks up combined by the directness of the sun and wind head on, the going gets tough.  I pushed hard and keep the speed over sixteen kph. At 12:00 when I pulled over for lunch (after a few brief stops along the way), I had cover over fifty miles.  After a forty-five minute break I climbed aboard to finish the ride to Stuart. Before leaving I went online to find a place to stay o no avail.  The three Warmshowers host never got back to me, the Airbnb’s were booked and there was no campsite. The last resort is an inexpensive motel which I settled for once I arrived at Stuart. Nice center but the same touristy stuff. Checked in, cleaned up, walked over to the Publik grocery store for dinner.  Looking at my map, I saw that I am sixty-five miles from Boca Ratan where my cousin Niffy lives. A long run but I can do if I take enough breaks, drink enough water and eat enough food. Tomorrow I will take the day off.

December 31, 2018, a great day spent with friends

  Waking up at 8:00 is definitely not my style but my body and mind thanked the goddess of sleep.  Bob and Mary get up at the crack of ugly so I felt embarrassed having mistakenly over slept.  Mary  was quietly putting together a breakfast meant for the gods.  Like, how do I rate such royal treatment? With breakfast finished,  Bob and I headed for the bike shop where I had a handlebar stem extender put on to help alleviate the hand numbing problem plaguing my rides. The creaking back wheel is still an issue; none of us can figure out. I pray the problem doesn’t develop into something serious when I am in the south nowhere.
       After buying ingredients for my modified version of the dark and stormy rum drink (a classic sailor’s post race drink), Mary made up another meal which hit the mark.  Seriously, I am getting spoiled.  Later, as advertised, Bob and I drove his Tonka toy Suzuki down to the marina where we shipped out for a sail.  A good wind, fun boat to sail and I was able to coach Bob in sailing technique. I remember being in the same position years ago when I purchased my Herreshoff.  After years of not sailing, it can be daunting if not intimidating to climb aboard and proficiently sail your own boat. After a fun sail, we secured the boat back on its trailer, stored it away at the marina and headed for home.
         Mary was at it again, amazing. Appearing to doing it effortlessly, she prepared another culinary delight. I couldn’t even wash dishes.  I  need counseling. As the night progress, the neighborhood New Year’s Eve fireworks commenced.  Bob and Mary’s two HUGE Newfoundland dogs don’t do well with explosives; my family dogs having had the same problem. And these dogs, at one pounds each, think they are laps dogs!  After some doggy downers came to the rescue, the three of humans in room talked about our families. Along the way, I managed to FaceTime with Cyrus and Julia wishing them a happy new year.  Dessert of apple turnovers and ice cream was the last event of the day, capping off a truly fun day. Bob and Mary have redefined Warmshowers.org.  I will have to up my game when I get home.  Lights out well before midnight. Here is to a health and happy new year.

Long hot day with a happy ending

    Slept well in the tent, surrounded by other tents for a change. Climbed out of the tent around 6:40, dried off the dew, packed up and depart by 8:40. Misty as with all the previous mornings but the sun broke out early along either the heat. From Mims to south of Melbourne Beach, I covered fifty-five miles and arrived at 14:53. The heat and directness if the sun had me pouring down the H2O and slathering on another layer sunscreen.  The spoke issue seems to have mostly resolved itself but needs some additional  tweeking. Probably new rims are in order for my Vietnam trip but just get me through this trip. Hot and tired with my rear end feeling a bit tender, I arrived at Bob and Mary Pinizzotto’s House, Warmshowers members. They took me in and immediately set to work bringing me back to life with vitamin drinks, strawberries, beer and homemade cookies. My room and bath is absolutely the best. After cleaning up, Bob and I climbed aboard his Suzuki Geo Buggy, a true classic, and rode over to one of the coolest old Florida laidback marinas out there. It reminded me of Fort Trumbull marina but far more atmosphere. The second stop was to see the neighbor club house situated just above the beach, a divine location.  Preparation were being made for New Year’s Eve. Mentioning to Bob about where I should head for tomorrow and the fact that it was New Year’s Eve, he suggested I stay another day. What a fabulous offer.  Not only have Bob and Mary taken me in and treated me with such kindness but now I am spending New Year’s with them.  How cool is that but to top things off,  Mary made a superb dinner, red wine included.  We hung out for a couple hours talking about there doings and mine. A good time was had by all. No less, they even ran a load through of my clothes. Tomorrow, Bob and I may go for a sail in his nineteen foot sloop. Hospitality doesn’t get much better than this.  Warmshowers.org is a great organization.