Riding in the Keys is amazing. The roads are generally pretty good. Highway 1 has a reputation for being scary and dangerous. I can see why, but have found that from a cycling standpoint, it's not too bad.
There are lots of bike paths, which is part good, part bad. Some of them are fantastically smooth, and are shielded from the wind. Other parts have root bumps that will knock your teeth loose. Some of them feel like hitting 2x4's.
Today, I also stopped at Bahia Honda State Park. If you didn't have to make reservations 11 months in advance, it would be an ideal camping spot. I cruised around just to take a look. There is a reason it's always full.
After Bahia Honda came the crux of today's bike ride. Seven mile bridge. It was pretty nerve wrecking. I've certainly gone 7 miles with no services, but never on a highway where the left presents 60mph traffic, and the right presents a 60 foot drop into the water. I cranked and cranked and cranked to get over the bridge as fast as possible. The thought of having a flat on this shoulder was not a good one. While the shoulder was wide, it wasn't that wide. I passed to the other side without problems, and felt a good sigh of relief.
The miles continued to click by, and before I realized it, I had come upon my rest spot for the evening. I met an awesome lady named Linda on Facebook, and she's the manager of "Best of Both Worlds". It's a great piece of land right on the water. They have a small cottage to rent, a small house, and a 3 bedroom townhome too. With each rental, you also get to sail on one of their sailboats.
When I arrived, I was planning to camp in their yard, but Linda made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I got to sleep in one of the sailboats! So sweet. With the hatch open, I looked up to see the stars and moon as I fell asleep.
What a day.
Day miles - 72
Trip to date - 312
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