It was a usual start to the morning with a temperature of 79 and winds from the ENE at 21 mph and gusts of 27. What was different is that we rode into the wind the whole day and as we approached Marathon, the rode curved just enough to make it directly head on. For my fellow cycling crazies: the first 36.5 miles I averaged 11.3mph. For the last seven miles, I averaged 9.9mph. For most of the riding days we took it easy and stopped often (and crossed back and forth across the highway a lot), however today was more like a mission to just get it done. The reason I have two different averages was because when we got to the Seven Mile Bridge, I opted to shuttle over the bridge and pick the ride back up after the bridge. Alan on the other hand rode the entire 50.5 miles (to my 43.5). In fact, he was the only rider to complete the entire ride today, He recounted that when he was riding across the bridge he thought: “fudge, if I’m only going 8 mph, it’s going to take me almost an hour to cross!” It took him almost an hour, and those were not his exact words :-) The grade of the bridge climb was made much more difficult by the amount of headwind!
Before we get to the bridge, there is more to the story. Alan had another flat today just after crossing a different bridge. Not just a small piece of glass or wire but an entire screw and washer!! At that point, I thought it was a sign to not cross the Seven Mile Bridge and decided to shuttle. In addition, that bridge is pretty darn scary without a strong headwind.
While Alan crossed the bridge, several of us watched kite surfers at a small local beach. They would actually lift up into the air and fly! Three riders, including me, were shuttled across Seven Mile Bridge where we met back up with Alan and cycled the last seven miles back to Marathon.
The evening ended at the Key Colony Inn for our farewell dinner. I enjoyed a shrimp and lobster pasta carbonara. One of the riders, Shirley is an expert seamstress and she brought three quilts to raffle among the riders and staff. The quilts were bike and Florida themed. Our waitress pulled names out of a brown paper bag; amazingly three men won the prizes. I had my fingers crossed but was not lucky enough, however, Alan was one of the winners! Considering his bad luck with flat tires, he was due some good luck. Just when I thought we were wrapping up our meal, dessert arrived and my slice of dessert had a birthday candle. Unbeknown to me, Alan had asked the waitress to include a candle on whatever dessert that I ordered because he was certain I would order dessert. He was right!
View from the hotel in Key West.
Joyce and Chris starting back up after the first SAG stop at Baby’s Coffee.
This blimp is called “Fat Albert, which is part of a Tethered Aerostat Radar System. In the past it kept an eye on air and sea traffic from the Caribbean, similar to the “eyes in the sky” in the southwest United States.
Part of the trail among the mangroves had a shady canopy.
We found the SS Minnow from Gilligan’s Island!
Alan managed to get a screw into the sidewall of his tire. Thanks to Adam, once a gain, for his help in fixing this flat!
A close up of the cause of the flat.
The same bridge as the above photo; this photo shows the large missing section near West Summerland Key.
Kite surfers on Little Duck Key; one surfer flying through the air!
At one point, there were six surfers and their kites in the water/air at the same time. I only managed to get five in a single photo.
The quilt that Alan won.
When looking closely at the quilt, the images of a stitched bicycle can be seen.
A birthday dessert (tiramisu).