I got out of the house a little after 7 AM because I knew it was going to be a tough day with a 90 miles ride to Long Key State Park is 90, but I was feeling confident that I could make it. I got back on the M-path for a while before switching to a path that went along the S Miami-Dade Busway. I stopped in at Trader Joe’s to restock supplies. I got another dozen cans of sardines, half of them smoked, two bags of dried California apricots, no sulphur dioxide, they don’t look very appetizing, but they are the best dried fruit on the planet – tart and delicious. I should have gotten ten bags, but I would have eaten them all in a week and then been sick. I also got a bunch of crackers and nuts.
By time I got to Homstead, FL only a little south of Miami I was starting to feel tired. I thought it was the heat so I took some time to cool off and get back on the road, but I’m not sure it’s just the heat.
As Highway 1 passes down the tip of Florida it is bordered by the Southern Glades to the west and Model Lands Basin to the east so the road is fenced in on both sides and it made me feel trapped. I was also feeling weaker the closer I got to Key Largo and actually stopped and put my head down on my handlebars to rest a few times. I’m now not so sure I am going to be making it to Long Key today.
After passing over the bridge to Key Largo I stopped in at a tourist information center and it’s AC. After getting water I sat down on a wooden stool and zoned out for a good half an hour. Luckily they weren’t very busy so they didn’t mind. I yawned and actually felt the muscle below my chin cramp up and a general ache in my body. Looks like Key Largo tonight it is.
I got a room at Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort and slept the rest of the day and night away.