Day 8 - Islamorada to Florida City

Saying good bye to paradise wasn't easy, but it was time to keep moving. Once again, I took my time getting packed up and on the road and finally had the wheels turning by 11am.

As I traveled northward in the Keys, the landmasses got a little wider and the development became denser. I made it a whopping 16 miles before I stopped for lunch at McDonalds (hooray for free internet).

During my 2.5 hour lunch break, I got a lot of pictures loaded, and a lot of blog writing done, so that was good.

I also met a British bicycle tourist who had left his job in London and is looking to become a nomadic journalist. I gave him my card, so hopefully he shoots me an email so I can follow along on his journey too. He has a similar path in mind beginning with a trip to Key West, then San Diego, and he wants to continue up the coast to Vancouver. Perhaps we will cross paths again.

He did tell me about a cool hostel in Florida City, called the Everglades Hostel. This was another 40 miles from my current location, and it was already nearing 3pm. I figured there was a chance I could make it before dark, and even if I rode slowly, I shouldn't have too much in the dark.

I checked in at one State Park in Key Largo, just in the off chance they had space. No dice. That particular park has 3 'first come first served' campsites and they were long filled by the time I arrived. The Florida State Park system isn't really set up for bikers who aren't on a set schedule. That said, this particular park hosts the overnight for the Southern Florida MS Ride. No offense to Sedalia, but this place has a little more appeal. Anyways, off I rode, racing daylight.

Eventhough I started the day with a headwind, once again, the winds changed in my favor. I was able to scream (relatively) up Old Card Sound road at about 17mph for a several miles. Then, I made a left turn and found that the wind hadn't been directly behind me, but rather at a cross. After the turn, I was able to cruise along at 20-21mph while fully loaded, and with only moderate effort.

As a result, I rode the last 42 miles of my day in well less than 3 hours, and got to the hostel well before dark. The hostel is great and I have a nice spot for my tent. They have a communal dinner for $5 each night, and I ate like a king.

To wind down, I took some photos using a nifty setting on my new camera. It takes multiple shots in low light, and stitches them together to produce a single image. This reduces the need for a tripod because the shutter isn't open for very long. After my first few sample shots, I am very pleased.



Rest day tomorrow and probably the next day. I only have 380 miles before I reach St. Augustine and a full two weeks to do it.

Day 8 - 58 miles
Trip to date - 370 miles