Key Largo (Day Sixty-nine)

I’m in the Keys! I told Jason today that this has been such an emotional trip, I don’t feel like I have any emotions left. I’m just in a daze, and this feels so surreal. Packing my trailer this morning was very different without all my camping stuff, and I managed to leave my purse behind. My wallet wasn’t in it, so it’s not a huge deal, but it was very handy to have along. The hotel manager was extremely rude to me when I called them about it. Hopefully, I didn’t forget anything else!

I was able to start my ride today on the M Trail. It took me to Route 1, which is the highway that goes through the Keys. It has a nice bike lane. There was a fair amount of traffic, but it wasn’t too bad. Many people have told me that I couldn’t have chosen a worse time to come down here, because of the lobster season. I think it’s fine. I’ll meet even more interesting people! 

There was a very long stretch of Route 1 before Key Largo, that was a little monotonous, and there were no services. I had been warned about this, so I was prepared. I had plenty of water. I listened to my music, and that really helped. I’ve been doing a lot of singing while I ride in these last few days of my trip. There was lots of debris in the shoulder, so I was careful to avoid it. I saw a nice fishing net, but I left it for the next biker passing through. Lots of lizards scurried out of my way today. They’re so cute, the way they run, and I love to see all the different varieties. I had hoped to see more birds today, but I guess they were busy. 

I arrived at the Welcome to Key Largo sign and crossed Route 1 to ride on the bike path. I stopped to get some cold water, and rode past all the souvenir shops and a place that had a live alligator. I was hungry, so I stopped at a place called The Catch for a burger. It was fantastic, and the bartender was very nice. He has a podcast, so I’m going to see if I can find it. Some of the patrons at the bar warned me to be careful. I guess there’s been a lot of accidents around here lately, and I did see quite a few emergency vehicles go by with sirens blaring, as soon as I arrived.

I continued on my way. I did have one close call while crossing a street. One car backed up to let me cross in the crosswalk, and a car turning left from Route 1 almost hit me and then blew his horn at me. I had a bit of an issue with Google directions (nothing new, right?). The bike directions suddenly told me to head north for a few miles, then make a U-turn and head south again. As tempting as that was, I decided to just keep heading south. Hey, I’m a rebel... I found my hotel, which looks like a postcard, and checked in. It’s so beautiful here. I went for a swim and then headed to the bar next door for a drink. I met two very nice gentlemen from Toledo, Ohio, who had rented a house on Airbnb for a week. They seemed to be having a great vacation, and told me they were going night fishing in a few hours. I was jealous. I chatted with them for a while and then went back to my room. 

I made a few phone calls and got some discounts on my remaining hotel stays. Yay! I got hungry, so I went back to the bar and met a fascinating guy who’s a musician. He had lots of recommendations for me when I get to Key West. I was very grateful for that! I have a lot of riding to do tomorrow to get to Marathon, so I’m hoping to get an early start. The weather’s been very cooperative. Hope it keeps up!