Perpetual Change

We all met up in Miami on Thursday. Our bikes were dropped off in the evening by All Keys Cyles' friendly proprietor, Steve. He said that being just 3 miles from the start of Key Largo, he often rents bikes for the 'century' ride of the Keys, but this was his first time dropping bikes off in Miami. We began to have second thoughts ourselves, as it was uncharacteristically cool for March, but we were doing much better than most of the East Coast which was getting hit with another Nor'easter. However, what would winter travel be with out delays and cancellations? Two of our riders were stuck in Charlotte, NC. After getting rerouted several times, they ended in Ft. Myers instead of Miami and made a cross Florida drive along Alligator Alley. Being late for departure with the group Friday morning, but up for a challenge, we managed to double-bike their two bikes back to the transportation hub that is Miami International Airport's Car Rental Center. Amazing Race style, we left their bikes locked with directions and sent them detailed instructions on how to drop their rental car, find their bikes, and then find us.

Our bike ride took us past through downtown Miami and past the Parrot Jungle historic entrance. This unique Florida attraction never recovered after another famous hurricane, Andrew hit in 1992, but I remember holding and feeding the birds as a child. Today you can find wild flocks of parrots in the trees of greater Miami. We also traversed the area of the University of Miami. UM has a famous football team, the Hurricanes, but their mascot is the 'fighting ibis'. We saw many of these birds foraging with their long beaks and learned that they are the mascot because they are the last animal to depart before a hurricane arrives; most animals quickly flee the dropping pressure of a large storm. We then headed out on the beautiful Old Cutler Road and Biscayne bike trails, before meeting up for great Cuban food at a local institution, Mario's Family Restaurant, (http://allkeyscycles.com/index.html) in Homestead. Homestead is famous for being the landfall location of Hurricane Andrew. We enjoyed Media Noche sandwiches, grilled beef, croquettes, plantains, and batidos (Cuban milkshakes) of Mango and (my personal favorite) Mamey.

After lunch we made the long trip down the '18 mile stretch' that connects the Keys to the mainland. This was first developed as the path for Flagler's railroad. Just before reaching Key Largo, you cross a high bridge as you ride over the Intercoastal waterway, with sweeping views of the Keys and the Atlantic Ocean. Having completed 65 miles that day, we settled into our hotel in Key Largo. With temperatures in the mid 70's, we enjoyed dinner under the open-air, thatched chickees, Seminole style. Then we rubbed shoulders at another local mainstay, Sharkey's Pub and Galley (www.sharkeysgalley.com), with some friends who are mates on the popular fishing boat, Sailor's Choice (www.sailorschoicefishingboat.com). With much live music, libations, and locals, you begin to see some of the quintessential keys characters while enjoying the fantastic sunset. It was a good first day's ride, and it was good to be back in the Keys.