Just before we arrived at Key Largo, we had passed a construction site, and developed a slow leak in the front tire. We pumped it up and pressed on, as we had an appointment to shop for groceries. A few more stop and pump sessions ensued. We won the lottery for first flat on the tour. The professional mechanic among us, Jerry, replaced the tube from our stock of spares (40-406 tires and matching tubes being rather scarce, we supply our own spares, though a standard 20-inch tube will work), and found the tiny sliver of fine wire piercing the tire.

Our planned quick-cooking Thai noodle and tofu or chicken salad had turned out a bit less than optimal, as wide rice noodles were not to be found and we used wheat instead, which had to be cooked, leaving little time for extra cooking. We were also warned about raccoons in camp. Scavengers are always common in state parks across the country, unattended picnic tables and unlocked coolers being easy prey. We gathered all the food and stored it in our trailer, which is hard-shell and lockable.

After a hot day and a rather spicy meal (the Thai peanut sauce was a bit harsh for some of the group), and some irritability presumably inspired by flatting and pitching the tent on coarse sharp rock, the night was a bit miserable for the Unix Curmudgeon. The next morning, the Nice Person (our erstwhile stoker) decided we needed to lighten our load, so we stopped at the Key Largo UPS Store and shipped most of our heavy, Seattle-style bike clothes and extra camp clothes home. Of course, the weight didn’t change much from the day before: we now had 10 pounds of potatoes in our trailer, as we only fixed one each the night before, due to limited cooking time. We also had stopped for espresso on the way, having to instruct the barista exactly how to make the perfect Seattle-style Americano (equal parts espresso and water).

We arrived at the first rest stop about 15 miles down the road just as some of our group were leaving. At this point we were 20 minutes behind, having stopped twice already, for shipping and coffee. We didn’t tarry long, and pressed on. The day turned hot quickly as we passed through the sprawling Islamorada community. The bridges between the keys didn’t have high rises, for the most part, and some even had a separate, parallel pedestrian/bike bridge for fishing. The 2.2-mile bridge in mid-ride was especially nice, as the rise was gradual and we got a cool breeze from both sides.

We had stopped for lunch at a sort of flea-market area on one of the keys that had porta-potties and some shade in the parking lot. Coming out, we got confused by a “Dead End” sign and rode on the shoulder for a quarter mile before realizing the dead end was at the bike trail. We pushed across the grass to the now-obvious bike trail, which maneuver probably picked up a goat-head thorn. It was now after noon, about half-way to our 55-mile goal for the day. We stopped at Layton, where the bike path resumed, bought ice-cold water at a convenience store, and parked in the shade. When we remounted, the front tire was flat. We chose to patch the new tube rather than break out our reserve spare, which turned out to be ill-advised, as the thin peel-and-stick patch that came with our tire spoons gave way at the thorn puncture several more miles down the road. We made a wobbly low-tire turn across the road to shade and a short bike path, where we discovered that the right axle nut had loosened and would have fallen off after a few more miles of rough-surface riding had we not flatted again.

After this repair and carefully checking the bike fittings, we set off, only to find the bike path abruptly end a short distance down the road, necessitating crossing the road to the shoulder once more, through the grass. Our estimated time of arrival now stretched from an optimistic 3:30pm arrival to a hopeful 5:00pm arrival. With sunset at 5:30, we pressed on in the now stifling heat and head-on into the sun. We finally arrived in Marathon with the sun full in our eyes, behind traffic lights. Road work sent us back and forth from bike path to opposite sidewalk, with many cut-out driveways not suited to bikes. The road is in process of repaving through the entire town, leaving a ledge between the curb and road surface high enough to pinch a tube or bend a rim on heavily loaded or low tires. We didn’t, but suffered through constant jarring. Tandems can’t lift over obstacles like a short bike, and the trailer just bounced along. We stopped at K-Mart in Marathon to stock up on tire patches and rode on into the sunset with front LED blinker running to ward off left turners at intersections.

We arrived at camp just at sunset, a bit too close for comfort, but just in time for supper, supplied by leader Jack’s son. The meal was wonderful. The Unix Curmudgeon even tried a bit of the deep-fried grouper, while the Nice Person (always willing to order fish when eating out) also tried the stone crab and the spiny lobster. Our vegan tour member, Bill, supplied garlic and sesame-marinated tempeh for us more strictly vegetarian folk. Others, curious, tried it and most gave approval.

However, the intrepid tandemists were off their feed for having finished a 55-mile ride, and actually ate very little, heading for the showers, missing the key lime pie altogether, and retiring early. A bit of nausea and headache persisted through the night, along with moderate sunburn, considering we had been out in the sun for over 10 hours, perspiring profusely. Though we had applied sunscreen and reapplied at least once, we have had very little exposure to burning rays, living in the Pacific Northwest as we do. We had gone through our requisite one bottle of water for every 10 miles, but it wasn’t enough. We didn’t have the more severe symptoms, but were unable to drink more than a few sips of water or sports drink without increasing nausea. Our elevated body temperature persisted through the night, and we decided we simply could not ride safely the next 50 miles into Key West, and probably not complete the long days eastbound over the weekend. Our only choice, if our condition did not improve by morning, would be to resign from the tour.

It is true that south Florida has no hills, but it does have causeways, elevated for boat traffic. This one is just past the toll station on Card Sound Road.

We geared down to low and still made two “scenery stops” to let the pulse rate subside below 200. There are more of these ahead.

Entering the Keys across the mangrove swamps, we found some interestingly unique Florida signage:

Today was only 32 miles (but we went a bit further because we turned back to ask directions and then had food shopping duty later). Our leader, Jack, went ahead to make arrangements and then went shopping with us.

Our destination was John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, which has no tenting facilities, so we camped in sharp coral gravel on hardpan, not the ideal, but it is on the Keys at last.
Our fellow riders have been great, and don’t seem to mind that we are slowpokes, though we have been a bit trashed at the end of the very hot days. At least is is not freezing rain, like at home. Unfortunately, we seem to be dressed for that.

At the end of the first day, after 58 miles of mostly city riding, the Everglades Hostel pizza party was most welcome. The hostel staff and volunteers baked made-to-order pizzas in a frog-shaped horno (outdoor wood-fired oven).

The next morning most of us explored the Everglades National Park, much of it unsuitable for bicycles, so we switched to paddles.

The paddle route took us through barely-navigable mangrove tunnels.

But, when the vegetation got thicker, we got out and walked.

And, the hunt for the elusive Florida alligator was also successful.

Momma ‘gator hung around because her brood was near. We gave them respectful distance and moved on.

After our Everglades adventure, we checked out “Robert Is Here,” the famous fruit stand in Florida City.

Back at the hostel, plates of jackfruit, dragonfruit, papaya, and avocado were shared around the table for a fruit lunch, along with tamarind and cajun-spiced boiled peanuts.

It was, as advertised, a unique experience. Where else do you get to see a cow orchid in the wild?

Today, we committed to the tour. up early and packed out. Breakfast in the patio at the Hostel, orchestrated by Jack, our fearless leader, then lined up for starting line pictures before starting out down the boardwalk, which quickly ran out, dumping us onto the city streets of Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach.

The pace was, for us casual tourists with a big tandem towing a 100-pound trailer, grueling. we roared down the busy streets at 16MPH or faster but stopping frequently for traffic lights, so we often lost sight of the group ahead.

Winding through the neighborhoods, we stopped at a supermarket for snacks and rest stop, then across the Venetian Causeway (much construction, with rough or no shoulders) straight into the Occupy Miami demonstration in downtown Miami. The group determined that Critical Mass was the key to survival in the brutal downtown traffic, which didn’t always work. We prudently road on the wide sidewalks past the sports stadium.

It was a relief to get out onto quieter streets toward Coconut Grove. Soon we joined the bike path, which, as advertised, was narrow, bumpy, and full of tree roots. A lunch stop about halfway was welcome.

After lunch, the bike paths improved and we made sort of good time. However, our companions made better time, and we ended up being the tail-end charlies shepherded by our patient leader, Jack. We briefly caught up with the group at the end of the bike trail system and joined them in watching a group of manatees.

We were soon out in the open country, among palm tree farms. Flat, with a mild breeze. We were flattened, still making our usual 10-12MPH, while the main group surged ahead at the same 15-16MPH pace they had maintained all day. Jack stuck with us to the bitter end.

We arrived at the Everglades Hostel, set up our tent by 5:00pm, showered, and headed for the nearest Starbucks (three blocks away–on foot). Tonight, wood-oven-fired pizza. Tomorrow is a rest day after the 58-mile metro gauntlet, and then a few shorter days of 35-50 miles each–at our own pace–into Key West. We plan to take a tour of the Everglades in the morning and rest our sore muscles from numerous starts and stops in the city and a high-speed battering by the rooted bike paths in the old towns south of Miami.

We are at last in Hollywood, Florida, ready to start our bicycle tour. The bike is assembled, and the car put in storage. The other riders in our group are starting to gather.

On Saturday morning, we will head down the Boardwalk (actually, concrete and brick walk) toward Miami Beach and Miami on the first leg of our journey to Key West and back.

After we put the bike together, we went on a test ride up the Boardwalk and beyond to the north, about 6 miles round trip, very fast. Of course, we didn’t have the trailer attached, but it is flat. A local told us that the winds in the city can make riding difficult, though.

It seems odd after seven days of dark-to-dark driving to slow down.  In our last article, we were headed for the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, TN.  We arrived well before opening time and spent only 40 minutes or so ogling the displays, which ranged from the first TravelAir that Walter Beech built, the first Staggerwing–with fixed gear–and a number of examples as the model evolved.  Another hanger featured the Twin Beech 18 in various forms, and the modern iconic V-tailed Bonanza, the twin-engined Baron, and the exotic Rutan-designed Beech Starship.

Later that day, we veered east of Atlanta to Athens, to drop off quilts at our great-nephew’s house for his twin boys, that Judy’s sister had designed and pieced and Judy had quilted and bound.

Darkness found us at Macon, but we pressed on to Ashburn to be able to make Fort Lauderdale before dark the next day, which we almost didn’t achieve, since we elected to take Highway 27 and its many stoplights rather than the tollway.  We did get to check out part of the last couple of days’ route on our bike trail before getting back on the freeways.