July 24, 2011 Back to the Beginning

July 24, 2011 Back to the beginning

After my photo-op at the southern-most point in the US, to further verify that I was at long last in the Keys, my friend Juli and I had fish tacos and key lime pie and I had the perfect pina colado.  Juli drove down from Daytona just to share this time with me, and we had a wonderful visit.  Then mid-day on Friday I headed north on US 1 from Key West and soon hit a horrific thunderstorm on one of the several long bridges connecting the islands.  I pulled off at the end of the bridge, put on rain gear in a gale, and then found a small overhang, where I hung out ‘til the lightening calmed down some.  After the celestial fireworks subsided, I rode on.  Weather changes rapidly in the Keys, and before I made it back to Dade County I was sweltering. I stowed my rain gear, sopping wet, and took the Florida Turnpike and Interstate 75 up to Hwy 27 just west of Ft. Lauderdale.  Hwy 27 is about as “blue highway” as you can get in parts of South and Central Florida.  I made me take this slow road for the 830 mile trek back to The Beginning; otherwise, I’d have done that horse-to-the-barn thing again & there are pretty parts on the state to see, though few along the interstates.

A portion of Interstate 75 crosses the Everglades east to west, and Hwy 27 bisects that great wetland, running north up to Lake Okeechobee.  Because the land is so flat, I only caught glimpses of the Everglades; it’s an area to explore by boat or see from a plane.  Closer to Lake Okeechobee, there was some farming of sugar cane.  I skirted the levies that keep the lake from its historical purpose, and stopped for the night in Sebring, Fl.  Saturday I continued on Hwy 27 north, through citrus groves and stands of large live oaks, by lakes and multitudes of water birds. Ocala is horse country, and many of the horse farms are owned by the truly rich. You’ll see barns the size of a gymnasium but much fancier; semi’s pull long horse trailers; the wooden fences go for miles.  I worked and lived in the Ocala area in the mid-‘80’s, so it was interesting to ride back through.  Outside of Ocala, I picked up Hwy 27A and was soon in rural Florida, the land of the Florida Crackers.  This is an area where they hunt hogs and deer, and there’s not much development for long stretches.

Saturday was perhaps the most physically uncomfortable day I’ve ridden.  One bank thermometer read 100; it felt like the humidity was even higher.  My riding pants began to chafe, and my gloves rubbed a blister on my thumb.  It rained briefly, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting wet.

I stopped for the night in Tallahassee, though I considered pushing on.  It felt awkward, even uncomfortable, realizing this was my last night on the road.

This morning, I went to a Quaker Meeting and then took Hwy 20, which runs south of and somewhat parallel, to Interstate 10.  I got rained on three times today, but none of the frog-strangling rain I met in the Keys.

And finally about 3 pm, I was back at the beginning, 12,919 miles and just over 7 weeks after I left.  An adventure.  A wonderful experience. A time to learn more about four amazing charities, each of which focuses on children.  A reminder what a beautiful country we live in and are responsible for.  I was often touched by the kindness of strangers.  I learned many lessons, many about myself.

I didn’t feel a sense of urgency to “get home” though I felt a need to see my grandkids and spend time with my dog, Grace.  I’m just not one of those who “can’t wait to get home to my own bed.”  Though I did get physically tired at times, I didn’t get tired of the bike.  I guess I proved to myself that I really do like long bike trips 😉

There are a few other stories I’d like to tell, so other posts will follow.  Thanks for following me, back to the beginning.