Reykjavik, Iceland (day 1)
Yesterday I flew out of New York’s thunderstorms and into Iceland- arriving at my hostel around 1:30 am. After my hostel stay in Miami Beach, this place is seriously fancy and amazing- there is a giant lobby area with a bar and restaurant where they also have live music in the evening. I’m in a 6 person dorm room and my bed is actually comfortable- I even have a giant duvet (in Miami I didn’t even get a blanket). My roommates are all really fantastically interesting people- there’s the couple who is currently sharing wine with me- a photographer and a recent college grad biologist/geologist. And there’s Liam, from Perth- who is traveling indefinitely and who I spent most of the day with today.
The first thing we did after having breakfast at the hostel was walk around a Saturday flea market:
Afterwards, we ventured to the The Icelandic Phallological Museum, which, as expected- was full of preserved mammal penises.
Then we wandered around town, popping into random stores and stopping eventually for a whiskey. It’s cold in Iceland- only in the 50s during the day with really gusty strong (cold) winds. Honestly, it feels just like Seattle in the winter- plus gusty wind.
Liam.
At the hostel:
Tomorrow I get to go to the Blue Lagoon! I’m looking forward to luxuriating in warm water after traipsing around in the wind all day today.
NYC part 2
I love photographing people on the Subway.
We had a big thunderstorm yesterday, which turned the skies very dark and caused a flash flood warning. I’m not used to thunderstorms like this anymore, so it was in parts exhilarating and in parts terrifying.
After another amazing yoga class taught by Jessica, we ventured back and I convinced Jessica to let me take this portrait of her and her roommate’s cat, Lavender.
NYC
I’ve been in New York for a few days, and honestly- I feel pretty worn out. All of the comings and goings are exhausting me and the humidity also seems to be sapping my energy. I had a pretty grueling shuttle ride from LaGuardia on Monday- one that was filled to capacity with people, including an Australian family with 4 kids that literally did not shut up for the entire 75 minutes it took for us to get into the city. Couple that with the fact that the driver was the WORST EVER, who not once came to a complete stop the entire time we were driving. Every time we were at a stoplight he would continually tap the gas and brake, guaranteeing that I almost vomited 12 times on the way- and I’ve felt a bit nauseous and physically off since I’ve arrived. I’m grumpy.
However- I’m staying in the West Village with my good friend Jessica, who is amazing and I’m so happy to get to see her on this trip. I’ve had the opportunity to take yoga class from her and she’s an excellent teacher. We had delicious beer and 3 dollar falafel sandwiches- and I’m getting caught up in her energy and the way she navigates the city with ease.
We’ve also been doing some self care things, since I feel like I destroyed my body a little with the bike trip. Yesterday, pedicures and 40 dollar massages- today, a haircut.
I also was so happy to see my friend Rosa, who was passing through New York for a day. We took a walk on the Highline and caught up.
Miami Beach Art Deco Walk and people watching
Today I took a 2 hour walking tour of some of the Art Deco buildings around South Miami Beach- there are 900 something in the area.
We got to go up to the roofs of some of the hotel buildings- I didn’t manage to get photos of the rooftop pools and bars and full on beds (beds!) for lounging on, but let me tell you, it was glamorous. I did manage to capture the city and the thunderstorm.
Below are the efforts of my people watching for the day. I can’t quite describe how insane the party culture is here, nor what it’s like to walk along Ocean Drive and have all of the restaurant hosts haggle you to come in for a drink.
Key West to South Miami Beach by way of the Everglades
Yesterday was a traveling day- I left Key West shortly before 9 AM and biked to the car rental place, where I picked up my swank SUV that neatly fit my bike in the back. After using a bicycle as my form of transport for the past 9 days, it was quite a luxury driving a car. I got to listen to the radio! I got to be in a climate controlled environment! WHOA.
The drive up the Keys to the Everglades took a little under 4 hours- it was satisfying passing all of my bicycle stopping places and landmarks so quickly. The 7 mile bridge just south of Marathon flew by so fast I didn’t even notice I was on it until it was over.
I stopped at the first convenient airboat ride Everglade tour place that I found, and jumped on a tour right as they were about to leave. There was a threat of thunderstorms, so they were anxious to get people going before it started to downpour.
I learned that alligators are scavengers, making them less dangerous than their crocodile cousins who are predators. Our guide shared with us that if you press your hand under the bottom jaw of an alligator (basically where the digastric muscles would be in a human), it will think it is at risk of drowning and you will subdue it. Also, alligators do not have the greatest vision, so when you are on a boat they will only register the size of the boat- therefore, presuming that you are much larger than they are.
After the tour I dropped the car off at the airport, which was an endeavor- the rental car return at the Miami airport is actually just a giant 3 level parking garage. Luckily, I was on the first floor- but there is apparently no such thing as a bicycle route out of the airport- when I asked about pedestrian exits, people looked at me like I was insane.
Eventually, I figured out how to get on some surface streets by going the wrong way down a couple of one way roads. It was a 12 mile journey back to South Beach with some challenging riding (no shoulder, no bike lanes, lots of traffic) and some very pleasant riding (along the Venetian Causeway).
I’d like to take a moment to offer a public service announcement.
Dear all men, everywhere,
Whistling, yelling, or in any way trying to get my attention while I’m on a loaded bicycle trying not to die in traffic- will just make me hate you and think you are a total creep. Also, I don’t want to talk to you. Ever. You are just some random person on the street who may or may not be threatening to me, a woman alone on a bicycle. You are not entitled to my time and attention- I am busy. I’ve got places to go. I don’t know what you think you are trying to accomplish, but mind your own fucking business and please just leave me alone.
Love,
Jenny
I’m back at my hostel for another night before I venture to NYC! So far I’ve been the only person in a 4 person dorm, which basically means I am beyond happy and can watch Dawson’s Creek episodes and have loud phone conversations without annoying my roommates. I’m absolutely wiped out today, so apart from an Art Deco walking tour later, most of my day will be spent doing this:
Key West, Day 3
Today I hung out with Sara for most of the day. We started out at the Ernest Hemingway House where I mostly spent my time following around the polydactyl cats, of which there are 48 currently on the property. They are all descendants of Hemingway’s cat, Snowball.
We stopped for cuban sandwiches and this roaming gang of teenage chickens tried to steal our food. Chickens run wild around Key West and are a protected animal.
After a couple of happy hours, we took a long meandering bike ride back to Sara’s. It was thunderstorming most of the ride.
Sara made a salad and a delicious lentil soup for dinner. Tomorrow I am sad to leave Key West- I’m driving up to the Everglades and then back to Miami for a day before I head to NYC.
Key West, Day 2
This morning I got up pretty early to take a bicycle tour of downtown Key West led by my amazing host, Sara. It was leisurely and totally entertaining, and at the end of it we got slices of Key Lime pie. I had missed the “mile marker 0” sign yesterday, so I had to get a photo with it today.
After the tour, I had lunch at The Half Shell. I gorged myself on peel and eat shrimp, potato salad, and an IPA. The inside of the restaurant was covered in these license plates:
After an afternoon nap, I headed out to take the Ghosts and Graveyards ghost tour at sunset. I took this as an opportunity to people watch while listening to the stories of murder, illness, creepers, and death.
What I was most looking forward to on the tour was visiting Robert the Doll. I first read about Robert about 6 months ago and was determined to come visit him. He’s basically a creepy doll with a legend. He was given to a boy named Eugene in 1906 by a Bahamian servant who was displeased with the family- thus, giving a cursed doll to their child, naturally. Seems like they deserved it! The family claims that soon afterwards they would hear a voice that was not Eugene’s coming from his room. Neighbors saw the doll moving from window to window when the family was out. People also claim to have seen Robert’s expression change and see him blink. He would also move and knock over furniture and just generally be threatening. Legend is that if Robert is displeased with you, your life will suddenly become more difficult and terrible.
When we arrived, we were told that we must introduce ourselves to Robert and ask politely to take his picture or else the curse would be passed onto us. I had to ask twice:
After the ghost tour, I walked around Duvall St. photographing some night life. I stumbled upon the “Smallest Bar in Key West” where I had a drink before stopping on the street to chat with Rudy, a fellow traveler and really genuinely nice person.
If this trip is in part about doing things that scare me, I’ve knocked another one off the list by biking around town at night- I rode the almost 4 miles back to where I’m staying while a lightning storm lit up the sky around me.
Marathon to Key West, Bike Trip day 4
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.
Islamorada to Marathon Key, Bike Trip day 3
Today I hit the road at 8 AM on the dot. I biked another 40 miles down to Marathon Key, and the ride was much more pleasant and picturesque. Overall, my body is much less in shambles today.
I stopped for lunch at the The Wreck & Galley Grill.
Then I biked a bit further south and met up with my Couchsurfing host for the next few days, Jay. I’m sleeping on a boat for the next few days, and we have plans for a sunrise sail tomorrow.
We hung out by the pool for a bit.
Florida City to Islamorada, Bike Trip day 2
Today I biked another 40ish miles from Florida City down to Islamorada. To say it was rough is an understatement. Today I learned the valuable lesson of starting early in the morning- I had every intention of leaving around 7 am, and yet somehow I didn’t get on the road until 10. This means I did the majority of my biking in the hottest and brightest part of the day.
Photo taken around the 19 mile mark- see that haze? It’s sweat on my phone camera.
The first 20 miles to Key Largo were great- I biked on the 1, which has a comfortable enough shoulder even though the cars are speeding past at 60 MPH.
I stopped for lunch at the Hobo Cafe, which a college friend of mine wrote about when she biked the Keys. I had a delicious blackened Mahi Mahi quesadilla and a beer. The nice guy at the bike shop in San Diego told me that if I ever started to get dehydrated, I should drink a beer and then immediately down a few glasses of water. So I obliged, which I’m not sure helped or hurt the second part of my day.
With about 13 miles left to my motel, I started to feel…off. I would bike a few miles and then have to stop and rest. This was made worse by the fact that the “bike trail” was under construction for roughly 10 miles, which meant that it was a total mess with no shoulder to speak of on that part of the road.
I kept finding air conditioned places to pop into, if only for a few minutes. By the time I had only 2.5 miles left to go, I had to stop at a Dunkin Donuts because I had started to sweat profusely and then get chills. I was also feeling dizzy and disoriented. I know I looked awful and dirty, because I got quite a few strange stares whenever I stepped into a public place. I’m pretty sure I had the beginnings of heat exhaustion.
I’ve honestly never been happier to arrive at a place than when I reached my motel for the night. It’s lovely, and the people and animals are sweet.
Miami Beach to Florida City, Bike Trip day 1
Today was the start of my 9 day journey down to Key West and back by way of bicycle. Today my ride was roughly 40 miles, so I got an early start after eating breakfast at the hostel. One of the hardest things right off the bat was figuring out how to organize the majority of my stuff (the things I didn’t leave at the bike shop with my roller suitcase) into the panniers. It was also a learning curve figuring out how to balance the extra weight on the bicycle. By mid day, I mostly got the hang of it.
Have I mentioned that I’m not a cyclist, and that I don’t really know what I’m doing? It’s true. The longest ride I’ve ever done before today was 24 miles. I’ve mostly avoided bicycles as a general rule since the bike accident in 7th grade that left me with a cracked upper jaw, cracked and broken teeth, and permanent scars on my face and hands. The fact that I’m riding at all is actually kind of amazing. Maybe I feel like I have something to prove to myself- taking on a difficult task combined with my own ignorance of how to do it- there’s something very thrilling about that.
I’ve tried researching advice on bike paths and riding specifically in the Keys, and I just keep coming upon alarmist things about alligators and traffic. So I’ve stopped looking. Seriously- I’ve decided to go into this at least partially blind for my own sanity.
Before I left San Diego, I got some supplies at Missions Hills Bike Shop, and this wonderful man convinced me that I needed to go to REI and buy a pair of bike shorts. I’m so grateful that he did- I feel like my ass chafing would probably be much worse now without them. Not to mention having tight shorts meant that I could comfortably shove my phone down them and have easy access to my maps and camera. Despite this, I only managed a few shots along the journey, as I was concentrating on not falling off or getting run over.
The weather is interesting- people keep asking me in disbelief why I am doing this ride in June, of all times. Honestly- I love the heat and humidity. If I had a super power, I suppose it would be being able to withstand high temperatures comfortably and with joy. I didn’t start actually feeling hot until mid-day under the bright sun. Lucky for me, it started thunder storming shortly thereafter and I became drenched and very cool.
I had to stop at the Coral Castle Museum on the way. One of my favorite things are these outsider artist projects/fortresses. Some other favorites include the Beer Can House in Houston, and Salvation Mountain in Niland, CA.
Since I was cheap with food all day, I treated myself to beer and seafood for dinner. This photo was taken outside the seafood restaurant:
I’m staying in a motel tonight, which- after the hostel feels absolutely luxurious. Honestly, I’m having the best time- exploding my stuff everywhere without worrying about it getting lost/stolen, not wearing pants, watching a Forensic Files marathon- I’m in my happy place after a very tiring day.
Miami Beach
Because I’m generally a very nervous flyer, I barely slept en route to Miami. This meant that I passed out in the Atlanta airport between flights and also that I was in a daze most of my day/night in Miami Beach.
I stayed at the Sobe hostel in South Miami Beach- my first hostel stay ever! Everyone was very friendly and helpful and I had really lovely German sister roommates. After I checked in to my hostel, I picked up my bike from the bike shop- which will be my transport for the next 9 days. I managed to bike around South Beach to and from the grocery store- without killing myself.
Upon returning to the hostel, I passed out and had a glorious 3 hour nap. It started thunder storming while I was napping which was somehow magical and comforting from the haze of sleep.
I decided that I needed to at least take a walk around Miami Beach as I knew I would be leaving relatively early the next day. As I was shooting, I realized that I kept taking photos of people and creatures in alone moments- my mind is stuck on the fact that this is the first leg of my solo traveling and I’m wondering how I will do now that I’m not in the company of friends and familiarity.
Julian, CA- pie and the forest of no return
Yesterday Melissa and I drove out to Julian, CA by way of the 79- through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. This area is one of my favorite landscapes of all time. When I used to do preschool photography, I got sent up to Julian to photograph a school. I remember driving through this landscape for the first time in total awe. It’s part desert meadow, part burnt out nightmare. There was a big fire here in 2003, and as a result, there are a lot of dead trees mixed in with brush and older growth. Matt and I like to call it “the forest of no return,” but I feel very peaceful here.
You can’t go to Julian without getting a slice of pie at Mom’s.
Today is my last day in San Diego. I leave tonight on a red eye to Miami, and thus begins my adventure from the known into the unknown. I’ll be renting a bicycle and biking from Miami Beach down to Key West and back- a total distance of around 320 miles. Did I mention that I’m not a cyclist and have never done a long distance bike trip before? Needless to say, my nerves are alive and well. But that’s part of the adventure, I suppose.
San Diego, Little Italy, Spruce Street Suspension Bridge
Today (after taking my morning dance class) Melissa came over for some adventuring. We decided we wanted to go down to Little Italy because I’ve always wanted to photograph the airplanes landing. I stood in one spot for about 20 minutes and captured as many as I could. Here’s my version of the composite airplane photo:
We passed a few brewery/tasting rooms on the way and stopped in for a beer flight. The best one was a curry coconut stout, which I might have to go back and drink again tomorrow.
Then we ventured to the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge, which is another one of my favorite things in San Diego. I stumbled upon it accidentally on one of my long walks when I used to live here. San Diego is actually full of foot bridges, but I think this one is the most majestic. People like to leave padlocks locked onto the metal cables with their names and dates on them- like carving your initials into a tree. We also encountered some people having a beer and a sandwich, just hanging out in the middle of the bridge.
And of course, the day would not be complete without a trip to Balboa Park and…doing this on a rock. Naturally.
San Diego, Hillcrest & University Heights
One of the things I especially love about San Diego is all of the neon signage, particularly the signs introducing the various neighborhoods. I managed to photograph two of them tonight, and also took some other shots around Hillcrest, my old home.
When I used to live in San Diego one of my favorite things to do was to go on night walks. There’s something especially calming about San Diego at night, particularly while meandering through residential streets. You can hear crickets, smell night blooming flowers- and if you are me- gaze into people’s homes in a voyeuristic fashion. I like houses- I like them for their iconic beauty, for the lives I can imagine happening inside- for me, a home seems like such an unattainable dream- a place of refuge and also suspicion.
The last of Desert Hot Springs, The Orangest of counties
Our time in the desert would not have been complete without another pool photo shoot. While taking these, Julie and I discovered that I don’t float well, and that I also like taking others down to the bottom of the pool with me. We also discovered that floating for long periods of time can make you dizzy! Behold our synchronized swimming beauty:
We drove back to Orange, CA from Desert Hot Springs, and this is the only photo I managed to get of those elusive windmills:
After arriving at Julie and Scott’s house, I got to hang with Gibson, the cat:
I snapped some photos of Julie and Scott while we waited to get dinner:
And now I’m back in San Diego for another 4 days of adventure and hanging out with friends. I’m trying to fill up on as much friend time as possible before I venture out alone into the wilds of Florida.
Pappy and Harriet’s, night driving
Tonight Julie and I drove to Pioneertown, CA for dinner at Pappy and Harriet’s. We came here last spring and wanted to come back and gorge ourselves on meat. Then we drove back to our rental as the sun was setting, and I snapped photos from the car. I love the desert so much- the colors, the emptiness and expanse, the quietness- I feel at home here in so many ways. Everything looks like something out of a movie- the signs all boast “Oasis” and “Paradise,” and the wind dramatically whips the non-native palm trees around. I feel sun satiated and happy.
