Although I am a snow lover, the thought of biking to break up the winter and enjoy the tranquility of the Florida Keys was so inviting. Not knowing another soul that was going, provided some excitement and intrigue about the fear of the unknown. So, my bike took a trailer trip to Florida as I prayed that my “baby” would arrive safely.
Arriving at our hotel in the Miami area, I reclaimed my bike and met our tour leader, Rick Gallo. With the gift of gab, full of wit and sarcasm, Rick made a lasting impression on me. He took advantage of our daily Happy Hours with a captive audience to share his entertaining stories of his many cycling adventures that left me wanting more.
Rick and his helping friends, Bob and Dave, couldn’t be more accommodating to everyone’s needs. His trailer was equipped like a bike shop, bar, and general store combination with complete compartmental organization…folding chairs and tables, pumps, lube, bike locks, tubes…coolers of beer, wine, grapes, cheese…boxes of snacks upon snacks…laundry detergent and oatmeal… He had plastic boxes for each of us with mason jars and utensils so we could make PB & J sandwiches for our rides. Rick thought of everything!
Although this was a BTCNJ Tour, cyclists from People Cycling joined us from San Diego, Arkansas, Chicago, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. Our first day of biking was about 60 miles from Miami to Islamorada. It didn’t take long to naturally gather a small group of bikers that moved at my speed who instantly became my friends. There was Peter from “Ar-Kansas” on a recumbent bike, Andy from Richmond, Virginia, with his Vietnamese Southern drawl, and Jeff, living just minutes away from me but never crossing paths. Our quartet agreed to pose for lots of photos, including the sign marking the mileage to all of the Florida Keys. Once we broke away from the mainland, along the Overseas Highway (Route 1), we crossed into Key Largo. Seeing the clarity of the water with the sunlight reflecting from the white sandy bottom, we knew that we were “over the rainbow” witnessing the pristine emerald colored bay. In “the dive capital of the world,” we were able to pick up the Overseas Heritage Trail to get away from the busy highway into Islamorada.
We were welcomed to the Fisher’s Inn where scenes from the series Bloodline were filmed. Here, we could take out a kayak, paddleboard, swim in the pool, and rest in a hammock under the palm trees. My new biking buddies and I biked to a local brewery and enjoyed the outdoor venue with island music.
We woke up to a beautiful Islamorada sunrise for our 60-mile ride to Ramrod Key. With the winds picking up, we wore jackets that also protected us from the sun rays. The wind made it difficult to hear each other speak while riding. So, we made up a sound that meant “stop for a photo.” We struck poses in front of colorful oversized fish, geckos, a huge mermaid, and bicycle sculptures. My “boy-o’s” stopped for a tinkle on the side of the road; for me, I received my only trip injury climbing over a guard rail seeking privacy! When I got a flat tire, I just stood back and let my macho men fix it while I took their picture…girl power!
We crossed the infamous seven-mile bridge expecting a serene experience, as seen on TV commercials. Yes, the skies were deep blue with a sprinkle of white puffy clouds and the emerald water glistened. However, we experienced sensory overload! I was grateful for my “Shrek” ear plugs to help drown out the wind and the roar of motorcycles ricocheting between the concrete sidewalls where there’s little room to escape danger, never mind pose for photos! We earned a drink at the notorious “No Name Pub” in Big Pine Key, where over $90,000 in dollar bills have been pinned to the bar's ceiling and walls by patrons over the years. We toasted to new friendships and our common joy of biking. Later, we enjoyed mahi-mahi (dolphin) or grouper for dinner at a big outdoor tiki style thatched roof islandy restaurant with music.
The next day, our 28-mile ride into Key West was a true Irish blessing. “The road rose to meet us. The wind was at our back. The sun shined warm upon our faces.” My favorite part was leading the ride into downtown Key West up and down the streets lined with seaside inspired hues of clapboard homes painted pastel light blue, pale salmon pink, or sand-colored shades. Each was surrounded by porches that wrapped around the entire home with ferns, palm and banyan trees providing a tropical canopy. We biked through Key West’s world-famous Duval Street bustling with shops, bars, restaurants, and all sort of quirky stuff, like dogs on motorcycles wearing helmets and sunglasses and chickens running loose everywhere. Of course, we were delighted with our first taste of delicious Key Lime Pie!
All 27 of us, met up with our bikes at the anchored concrete buoy that marks the southernmost point in the continental U.S., just 90 miles from Cuba for our groups’ photo. We treated ourselves to lunch at a French-Caribbean bistro café on the beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. We rode to our luxurious tropical paradise Parrot Key Villa to clean up and meet up before heading downtown again for the Sunset celebration at Mallory Square with magicians, jugglers, clowns, and musicians entertaining the crowds. We watched the glowing painted red sun sink into the Gulf of Mexico horizon with sailboats casting a silhouette. We spent the evening dining at the Hogs Breath Saloon, strolling through the unusual shops on Duval Street, taking in the lively nightlife, stopping for ice cream, and doing lots of people watching.
The next day, our bicycles were transported to Marco Island via U-Haul. Bikeless, we were in no rush to leave our tropical paradise resort. So, we had a poolside breakfast and lounged in hammocks on our sandy beach. Eventually, we ventured to downtown Key West for lunch, photos at mile zero, a taste of Cuban coffee and Key lime pie, Cuban sandwiches to go for dinner, and wandered along the historic fishing pier before boarding our 3 ½ hour ferry to Marco Island. We sat out on the deck to enjoy the sunset cruise, wearing every stitch of clothing we had, until the wind won out and we retreated inside.
The next morning, we pedaled 40 miles from Marco Island to Everglade City to the Havana Café on Chokoloskee Island for an outdoor garden lunch. Some enjoyed an everglade airboat tour and others relaxed in the pool before our social hour that included a pep talk and preparations for our biggest ride the next day.
With our packs and pockets full of PB&J sandwiches, GU nutrition gel, trail mix, Gatorade, and lots of water, we set out early to get ahead of the wind for our 80-mile trek through the everglades that cuts across the Florida peninsula back to Miami. Our mantra was “the joy is in the journey!” It was the farthest ride in a day that I’ve ever experienced. Rick Gallo was an inspiration as he rode on a touring bike with 5 large panniers (handlebar bag included) stuffed with tubes, tires, tools, drinks, and snacks galore…just like a golf course refreshment cart! We made frequent stops in the Big Cypress National Preserve to appreciate the wildlife including alligators lurking along the banks and in the canals. There were millions of birds everywhere in the swamp mangroves, sawgrass marshes, and cypress jungle: wading birds, storks, spoonbills, egrets, white ibis, blue heron, pileated woodpeckers, pelicans, and pink flamingo!
We road from West to East with the sun in our faces and despite the pleasant temperature, midway through the day, we were soon beaten and battered by the strong southeast tropical trade winds that picked up, making it feel like I was pedaling into a wall on a stationary bike! Humbled, I dropped from 20 mph to 10 mph, ruthlessly grinding along. Staying hydrated and keeping fueled with nutrition was imperative, for I was burning calories faster than I could take them in. Finally, we reached civilization and relished in the last 20 miles saddling through the residential suburbs of Miami. We declared a DQ reward and I blissfully indulged in BOTH a Cherry Slushie AND a Reese’s Blizzard! Our final Happy Hour was full of adventurous stories from 27 perspectives of our challenges and triumphs, including myth busters like “Florida is not downhill!” Our good-byes were sad, leaving my quartet friends, my gracious roommate, Ann Pollack, Terry Nguyen, the kindest woman on earth, and the countless other cyclists that brought me joy on my journey! “Until we meet again…”