Long Time
I am guessing that I no longer have any regular readers, as it has been 13 years since the beginning of this blog and 5 years since I have posted. I do not have any excuses. I have been busy with the present. I have thought of it from time to time, but nothing drew me back. Until now.
I thought about closing it up, and maybe in my mind it was, but recently I was asked to write some for Backroads, and I really enjoyed it. I will be posting the four posts that I wrote here. The last 3 were shortened (and edited, not by me) and posted
here.
In the interim (since my last post), I have written some, mostly for work, which means mostly biographies of foster parents. In fact that filled most of my time away. In addition, I helped Backroads launch a new trip in Florida and I wrote the cultural articles that are used on that itinerary. I will probably post those as well. Finally, I have been busy enjoying my life with my wife. We were engaged (in my mind), right about the time that I stopped writing here. Then we were officially engaged about a year later in 2014 and married in 2015. It was the best party I have ever been to. We also started our own
blog, but we have not posted much there. Bekkah keeps a great Instagram feed going @beksheetz
Labels: average day, change
Day 3 Sailing into Cayo Hueso (Key West)
After grabbing a quick breakfast, we
headed out early on our final morning to cross the 7 Mile Bridge at
the end of Marathon. This bridge was the greatest achievement of
Henry Flagler's railroad and has withstood every hurricane since its
completion in 1912. We were actually biking on the new road bridge
that was completed in 1982. The original bridge, off to our right,
was converted from rail to a toll road in 1938 and was so narrow,
just 20 feet, that big trucks would have to pull in their rear view
mirrors to pass. The old bridge was 'blown up' in 1994 during the
chase seen of the movie True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger. We were
headed the other direction, South, and left the bridge and the middle
Keys behind.
Arriving in the lower Keys, we saw the
greatest hurricane destruction, but yet much new construction as
well. All the debris was cleared up, besides a random storm tossed
boat, and the bike trails were clear and in relatively good shape. We
biked through the National Key Deer Refuge
(
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/National_Key_Deer_Refuge/),
and spotted one of the miniature bucks with 6 points, as he nibbled
road-side. We then enjoyed the bike paths of Cudjoe and Summerland
Keys, before hitting Baby's Coffee (
https://babyscoffee.com/).
The owner, Gary, retired with his wife to the Keys and flipped a
quarter to see if they would open a pizza place or coffee shop.
Coffee won – big time. As the Southernmost coffee roaster they have
a strong following and ship beans all over the USA. They are popular
with cyclists as well, because the last 16 miles of the Florida Keys
Overseas Heritage Trail is complete from their shop to Key West.
Refueled on smoothies and caffeine, we
made the last push. Some of the group stopped for a dip in the ocean
at Smathers Beach, popular with the spring break crowds. We cruised
past Casa Marina, Flagler's crown jewel hotel at the end of his
railroad, and then took photos at MM 0 after competing our 165 mile
sojourn. We were pretty beat though, and we didn't have much time to
lounge by the pool. We checked into our home away from home,
Captain's Corner (
http://captainscorner.com/)
and then hurried to our boat, Floridays
(
https://floridayskeywest.com/).
It was good to see Captain Alexis again. She showed us a great sunset
cruise as we passed Ocean Key Resort and Spa's
(
http://www.oceankey.com/)
famous sunset pier, our other hotel on our Backroads Keys itinerary.
We didn't expect much of a show, as there was heavy cloud cover, but
then all of a sudden the sun burst through low in the skies for a
spectacular sunset. Upon arriving back to Key West, just like the
sailors of old, we walked across the crazy party of Duval Street to
Santiago's Bodega (
www.santiagosbodega.com/home.php?restaurant=1
), where we had a wonderful dinner of
tapas. Several of us feel it is one of the best meals in all the
Backroads' catalogue.
Finally, the next morning we headed out
once more on the open water. Lazy Dog Stand Up Paddleboard
(
www.lazydog.com/) took us to
explore to the salt flats and mangrove mazes on the back of Key West
before we had to get on the road to drop our bikes off to Steve and
our riders off at the airport. A few riders stayed behind to enjoy
one more day in Key West and then catch the ferry to Fort Myers. And
there were some odd summer-like rains that began, but not before our
bikes were safely packed away. We had a great trip, and can't wait to
paddle the Keys again!
Labels: change, Fine Sheetz Adventures
Day 2 Marathon Biking
Well, not exactly a marathon, but to
the town of Marathon, in the Florida Keys. Our second day on the
bike, we got started early Saturday with the wind at our backs, after
enjoying the salt breeze during breakfast by the marina. The hotel's
coffee machine wasn't working, which was causing quite a hullabaloo,
but luckily (and with great dedication), Amanda had biked the 65
miles yesterday weighed down with cold brew coffee we had for
breakfast in Miami!
Leaving Key Largo, we started over the
42 bridges and beautiful, aquamarine waters that connect the Keys.
Our goal was to make it to Robbie's Marina by lunch, and hopefully in
time for a Bloody Mary, complete with a Key West Pink (shrimp). We
arrived on the “Village of Islands” – Islmorada. In time to
stop and visit with some of our local friends. We checked in with JC
and Kristi at Backcountry Cowboys (
www.backcountrycowboy.com/),
the place to go for bike and paddleboard rentals, as well as great
merchandise. They are active with the local Chamber of Commerce and
always let us know what is brewing in local news. Speaking of
brewing, Florida Keys Brewing (
https://www.floridakeysbrewingco.com/)
new tasting room and garden look awesome; they were finally able to
open this new location last week. Cheeca Lodge and Spa
(
https://www.cheeca.com/) where
our Backroads trip spends two nights, is expecting to reopen at the
end of the month after suffering storm surge up to the third floor on
their beach-front, historic property.
Chef
Michael's (http://www.foodtotalkabout.com/)
is also looking fresh with its new roof; there is no better place
for “Peace, Love, and Hogfish” around. In addition, Chef
Michael's is doing their part to help us eat our way to a healthier
reef. Lion fish
(
https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2016/08/29/saving-the-reef-lionfish-in-florida/)
are a ravenous invasive species which are devastating our local fish,
but they happen to be delicious. Although they can only be caught by
spearfishing, you can often find them as a special at Chef Michael's.
We didn't have time to stop in to visit
the life-size replica of Hemingway's wood fishing ship, the Pilar, at
World Wide Sportsman, or
enjoy the famous Meringue Key Lime Pie at
Midway
Cafe and Coffee Bar (http://midwaycafecoffeebar.com/our-story/
), but they are both well worth a visit. The tarpon were
calling us, so after paying some respects at the Hurricane Monument
to the Great Hurricane of 1935, we headed to Robbie's Marina
(
http://robbies.com/tarpon.htm)
We enjoyed lunch, a paddle with Paul and his dog, Bubbles, and of
course, feeding the ancient wild beasts that hang out under their
dock. It is always an exciting time at Robbie's.
Then we headed on South where we
started to see some impact from Hurricane Irma. We cruised Long Key,
a famous fishing hang out for Zane Grey. On Grassy Key, we stopped at
the Dolphin Research Center (
https://dolphins.org/)
to help out with their new construction. We changed from our riding
clothes and donated 10 man hours to paint the steps and railing on
their new raised visitor center. In the Keys, most buildings have
their 'ground' floor on high piers in order to protect the building
from storm surge, and also to prevent the water from funneling
between buildings and becoming more destructive in its rush.
Uncharacteristically, new construction was a theme we saw many places
in the Keys. Having grown up in Key Largo and Big Pine Key, I saw
more new construction in our three days of biking than in the 15
preceding years. New hotels, resorts, condos, campgrounds,
businesses, and homes. The invigoration of new spirit in the Keys was
impressive.
Finally we ended our 50-mile day by
biking on to Keys Fisheries (
https://www.keysfisheries.com/),
where we caught the sunset (and nightly toast) over their marina.
Some locals we had never met, Dave and Evan, bought us a round; they
were impressed with our endeavor (and maybe a few of our lady
riders). Then we had some famous Lobster Reubens, Conch salad, and
the best Key Lime Pie in the Keys before retiring to our hotel for
the evening. Coconut Cay Resort (
https://www.coconutcay.com/)
is a real traditional Keys
establishment. The staff are friendly, with a bit of sass, just like
family. It was another great day on the bike and water!
Labels: Fine Sheetz Adventures, travel
Smooth 'sailing' in the Florida Keys
If you tuned in earlier, you saw my
post about the impacts of Hurricane Irma in September 2017 on the
Florida Keys. Well now I am back to tell you about the recovery. I
got the fantastic opportunity to show these beautiful islands to some
Backroads leaders, and we want to share our journey with all of you.
We biked 165 miles, self-supported from Miami to Key West, showing
support and solidarity for our Keys friends as we road. [Use the
second photo in the dropbox of road sign with blue sky] Backroads
officially showed their support by providing our bikes, despite not
having any in the area this year. We rented from a great local shop
in Key Largo, All Keys Cycles (
http://allkeyscycles.com/index.html)
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.
Labels: change, Fine Sheetz Adventures, travel
Hurricane Irma and the Keys
The Florida Keys is a string of coral islands that stretch
southwest from the end of the state. They were historically oriented
toward the Caribbean and a center for boat trade and commerce. Key
West was the largest town in Florida and the richest per capita in
the US. In the early 1900’s, Henry Flagler connected them by
railroad to the rest of Florida. Today, 42 bridges connect the string
of islands, and many of Flagler’s original bridges have been
designated as part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail for
biking, fishing and walking. The Seven Mile Bridge, south of
Marathon, was an engineering marvel and the longest in the world when
built. It still stands today, although hurricanes have often
threatened its existence, and many US veterans lost their lives in
one storm to achieve its completion.
In September 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Florida
Keys, after decimating Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It was the
first major storm to hit Florida in over a decade. Hurricane Maria
raked across the Caribbean two weeks later. Due to Irma, more than
ten million residents lost power and more than fifty billion dollars
of damage was recorded. Irma was a Category 4 Hurricane, with
sustained winds over 112 miles per hour and about 10 feet of storm
surge when it hit the Florida Keys. Over a 1000 homes were completely
destroyed. Over 100,000 jobs were lost in the hospitality industry in
September, resulting from the impact of both Irma and Hurricane
Harvey in Texas. It was the 5
th costliest hurricane on
record in the United States.
But the Keys have survived for 20 million years. This weekend, a
merry band of Backroads leaders will embark from Miami, to celebrate
that existence and the people who call them home. Much as Mr. Flagler
did, they will cross the bridges to Key West, but they will do it by
bicycle. Residents of the Keys want the world to know that they have
survived, and as Governor Rick Scott says they are ‘open for
business.’ With miles of beautiful, flat riding over waters that
sparkle again, this group will travel the Keys, showcasing the sites,
doing service projects, and showing solidarity for the citizens
impacted by Hurricane Irma. Recovery continues six months later, and
Backroads hopes to make a small difference in that effort. Backroads
is also happy that official trips will return in December 2018.
Stay tuned and happy pedaling…
