Today I left Marathon at 7 AM with the sunrise to bike 52 miles down to Key West. I actually made really good time today, averaging between 12-13 miles per hour. Getting up early and knocking out the miles before the hot hot heat is brilliant, and I’m kind of mad at myself that it took me until the last day to really figure that out.
Today I also made the decision to forgo taking “the emotional way” i.e. the Overseas Heritage Trail, in favor of riding on the shoulder the whole way. Honestly- the bike trail sucks, mainly because of the 106.5-miles, 70 miles of those are actually completed. So the trail will go on for awhile, then stop abruptly without a clear path back to the road- or, there will be construction and all of the construction vehicles will be parked in the middle of the bike path. Or, the bike path will share space with driveways, other roads- and cars will just pull out in front of you without looking.
Because I was trying to make good time, this is the only photo I took on the road today- this was maybe 15 miles outside of Key West.
The first thing I had to do was go to the southernmost point in the continental US- just to prove that I made it. 160 miles total on the bike!
I’m staying with a fantastic girl that I met through a bike trip website. After a shower and some time on the couch with some episodes of Orange is the new Black, I ventured out to Mallory Square for sunset.
I’ve decided to change my original travel plans a bit. Instead of biking all the way back up the Keys, I’m going to stay in Key West an extra day and then rent a car and drive up to the Everglades and then back to Miami. This affords me more time to see things, and less time worrying about my achey knees and heat rash.