Dec 21. Key West, Florida. Farewell to the USA.
I slept the night of Dec 18th in the offices of the museum, and got up early to do laundry. That put me on the road at about 11:00 AM, and it was already pretty hot. I have a hard time with the heat, especially when the humidity is so high.
I forgot to mention in the last blog post that my talk was advertised by UHF radio to all the boats in the local marina, and people came as a result. I bet that is a JWST first! I also forgot to mention something that was related to an earlier post. You may recall that I spent a night sleeping in the Franklinton, LA Police station. One of the officers gave me a patch to take with me on the ride. Well, the day before riding into Marathon, I passed a local microbrew (well, I didn’t actually PASS it). They had a spot behind the bar displaying about 100 patches of first responders from all over the country. Now they can count Franklinton as well!
Florida brews
Franklinton PD
A good part of the ride to Key West was along bridges. Occasionally, you could see the supports for the old railroad that was destroyed in a hurricane many years ago.
On the way to Key West
All throughout the ride–as well as the ride into Marathon–I saw these enormous lizards along the road. They are not afraid of people, and generally fill the same niche as a raccoon–real pests in a campground.
Iguana
The heat was pretty tough, and I took several breaks. It gave me a chance to snap this picture of my bike.
Taking a break
I made it to Key West at about 4:00 PM, and cycled to the home of the Warm Showers host that offered to let me camp. Now I’ve got a bit of a dilemma here. I need to tell you about the next experience, but there is always a chance that the kind person who offered to let me camp is reading this blog, and may be offended. But it’s stories like this that make these kind of adventures interesting, so I am going to tell it like I experienced it. (Besides, no one ever died from being offended.) This was a rental property, presumably inhabited by several young unrelated people. The grounds around the house had not been kept up. The space was very small, and there were only two places that I could have pitched a tent. One was on a concrete slab, which would not work since it was supposed to rain, and my fly only works with stakes. Mildew and decay were everywhere, and who knows what kind of creepy crawlers would have come out from under that house. Then there was a small dirt patch where I think my tent would have fit, but it would have put me sleeping on top of dead animals (birds). Folks, that’s where I draw the line. I contacted my son and asked him to try to find me an Air BNB place or a hotel. The cheapest option was over $400, so I checked a local RV campground and lucked out. $210 for three nights!
Yesterday (12/20) I spent getting a bike box and refilling prescriptions. But I also went down to the famous Duval street and put my bike in the water.
Completing North America
The left a bit of time to visit the Waterfront Brewery. This means that I have been to the northernmost and southernmost breweries in the US, not counting Hawaii.
Waterfront Brewery. My favorite was the Key Lime infusion on the right.
So, now I head to New Zealand. I have to confess, I don’t really have it in me to do this part. I am also running out of money. I honestly don’t know if I will go; won’t know until I check my bike at the airport! I’ll keep you posted.
Scott
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Eddie would go!
Congrats on making it to KW.
Scott,
Congratulations on your trip. We have been following your adventures for 18 months. Thanks for your reports!
Jim and Becky Kinsinger
Scott,
It’s been fun reading of your travels and experiences. Whatever you do next, it’s already been the trip of your dreams…!
Safe travels
Doug
You’re amazing. Whatever you decide, do it for you and not for some crazy notion of finishing a quest. If you want to talk give me a call.
Home is waiting whatever and whenever you return. Safe travels and Merry Christmas.
Your wife
Wow what an adventure and what an accomplishment. See you back home whether that is sooner or later. Merry Christmas.
Well done!!. It has been a fantastic adventure, bears, bugs, lizards, maps and all. Good luck in your next chapter. T&T