A Trip to the Florida Keys

September 3, 2019

Wow......the last time I blogged was about six months ago.  It's about time for this new post about a trip to the Florida keys....and with a bike for some adventures.

Jim and I had planned this trip a few months ago and we lucky enough to find an Airbnb that was in Tavenier, which is really Key Largo.  If you ever decide to go and Key Largo is your destination you can contact me for an awesome place to stay.   It had the best view of the Atlantic and had everything you needed to make your stay a great one.

 The view of the Atlantic from our balcony

This says it all!

Our trip started on Wednesday August 19th with a drive from Bonita Beach to Key Largo.  It is an approximately three hour drive.   You see a lot when you drive.  For instance, I didn't know that Homestead was a farming area.  I thought everything in the Keys related to fishing.

After unpacking we headed to John Pennykamp State Park.  Here is more information on this coral reef park which features glass bottom boat tours and snorkeling.

John Pennykamp State Park


They have a visitor center where you can see an example of the coral reefs in the area.

There are some aquariums that are home to some of the underwater inhabitants there.

Spiny tail lobster

 Not sure of this creature's name.  Any guesses??

Dinner that evening was at a local restaurant, Snappers.  They have a nice menu but if you like to have a glass of wine with dinner, the selection is very limited....at least by the glass.   It was off-season so maybe that's why they only offered a few selections.  Here is more information about this restaurant.

https://snapperskeylargo.com/

Jim felt photogenic that evening.

On day two we drove to Key West which was 92 miles from our condo.  It's a slow ride so be prepared for a two hour....or more ....drive especially during season.  It's a plesant drive which includes the Seven Mile Bridge which is located in Marathon.   

https://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/cities/florida-keys/the-keys-seven-mile-bridge.html

Key West is a year round vacation spot so parking is at a premium any time of the year.  We decide to park just outside of the main area and cycle through the town.

Jim is ready to roll

 Houseboats for rent in Key West

A boat coming into Key West from the Gulf

Here are photos from our cycling trip around Key West

Harry Truman Little White House

Flea Market in the Park.  Notice the sign....Cheryl in Paradise

No explanation needed

A cool drink before heading back home

For dinner we went to Lazy Days in Islamorada.  It was a great meal with a good wine selection by the glass and great food.   After dinner we were able to walk down to the water and spotted some tarpon fish as well as nurse sharks swimming near the pier.

http://www.lazydaysislamorada.com/



On Friday we decided to ride our bikes along A1A. We had to wait until the early morning rain passed so we didn't get on the road until after 9 AM.  There was a headwind and a nice breeze so it was not too bad going out.  No photos from the cycling as I wanted to stay focused on staying safe.  We stopped at Robbie's which was our turn around point but is a junk flea market.   It does have  a dock where you can feed the tarpon fish.   It's a tourist trap, though, and I passed on feeding them.
We ended up with 33 miles and were back by noon so we had time to tour the area just a little more.

We went to the Dolphin Research Center which turned out to be a great place to visit.  The entry fee is a bit steep but worth every penny.  If you get the chance it's worth the trip.

There are 26 dolphins that are cared for at this facility, even in a hurricane.  The staff requires a special permit to stay during the hurricane but it is certainly necessary.  They even feed other dolphins and sea lions at other attractions in the Keys.  That's pretty awesome.

It was a great trip and it is well worth the trip.  If you decide you need a cycling challenge you can ride from Key Largo to Key West which is a century. 




For

A Cycling Weekend in Clermont, Florida

March 30 and 31

I wanted to prep for an upcoming trip with a few folks from the cycling club here.  The destination is Clermont, Florida which is known to be hilly.   I thought it best to ride the routes ahead of time to make sure I knew the roads.   Since it has been almost two years since I have been there I needed to familiarize myself again with the area as well.

Jim and I arrived in the Clermont area at 9:15 AM at the Green Mountain Scenic Overlook which was the ride start location for both of the rides.  There were many triathletes cycling on the nearby roads.   We passed many of them.  There is some serious training in this area since the  Great Floridian Full Ironman is held here each year.  Even the local hospital helps out.

The destination of this ride was to the Yalaha Bakery.  . Turning out of the park we encountered our first hill....the Wall.  It was within the first mile of the ride.  It was a tough climb since we really did not have a warmup but that was the direction we need to go.  We  continued on and were about 3 miles in to the ride when we were directed to turn right which ended up being a dirt road.  Not a great start but we able to figure out a go around and were quickly back on course.  

I have navigation help thru Ride with GPS which gives me turn by turn directions.  If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a Garmin that has route capabilities check out Ride with GPS. (it's an upgrade but worth it!)   It a great way to cycle in new areas and find routes that have turn by turn navigation help.  It even prints maps and cue sheets.

We arrived at Yalaha Bakery via very scenic route and even saw a seaplane land in the lake.  Awesome thing to see!

The first photo is the front of the building. The next two are some of the treats that you can buy there.  Check out the  names!

There are many cyclists as well as other visitors who frequent this bakery.  There are tables with umbrellas to sit and enjoy your treats.  There is even a deli where you can order sandwiches...German meats of course.

Next store is a distillery that sells blueberry moonshine if that's your fancy.  It's not a good choice is you are cycling, though.

We headed back towards Green Mountain Overlook and then came the surprise.  Hills, hills and more hills.  The first half of the ride was not that bad after we climbed the Wall.   Then we encountered South Buckhill which has four climbs.  I had some shifting issues and the last of the four climbs I had to do three times!  My legs were toast and then came Sugarloaf Mountain which a 14 % grade climb.   I think my speed was about 4.5 mph going up that hill.  I was just hoping to keep the bike upright!  It was a tough way to head back to the overlook.  Of course there was still  more climbing but these climbs were less severe and were necessary to get back to the Overlook and finishing the ride!  We ended up with 37 miles and lots of hill climbing.

We packed up the bikes and headed to the motel which turned out to be very close to the ride start.  We cleaned up and off we went to explore Waterfront Park in downtown Clermont.   The popular restaurant on the lake is Lily's on the Lake.  The menu included lots of fried food and beer.   On this day there was a reggae band playing. We were able to walk around, listen to music and even see a seaplane that you could hire for a ride.  Did I mention that the weather was perfect with low humidity and lots of sunshine?

 There is a also a special bike shop, Epic Cycle, across from Lily's that has a cafe named The Energy Cafe.   Here is one of the coffee machines used to make coffee.

This machine presses the coffee via computer.  The staff has formal training and certifications in roasting coffee beans and making coffee!  

The cost of each coffee machine is $10,000 and they have four machines.   It was really something to see.   Of course the price of a cup of coffee reflected having the pay for those machines!

 

 Here we are enjoying our coffee.  Jim's was served in a huge brandy, snifter type, glass.

 

Then there was the bike shop that has clothing for sale, a spa and massage area, a cycle spin room      ( your own bike on indoor trainers) and of course all types of bikes for sale including Pinarello's, Argon 18, and other high end bikes.   I was able to get some photos of some of the other unique bikes for sale in the shop.

We headed back to the motel and had dinner at the local pizza shop, Lil' Anthony's which was recommended by the hotel staff.  We were disappointed in the wait and the pizza and will look for another restaurant when we head back in May.

 

On Sunday we headed back to the Overlook at 8:30 AM and headed out in the opposite direction from the day before.  The ride profile was less hilly and our legs were glad for that.   

Our first stop was 10 miles into the ride in Monteverde and the Coffee Shop of Horrors.  I had been in this shop before but it was in a different location which was smaller and had more of a scary effect than this shop.  The coffee was ok and expensive so we will pass by this shop on our next visit.

We did get lost a bit ( something happened to the navigation....nothing is foolproof!) but we did manage to make it to Waterfront Park and  that our rest stop.  To our surprise the navigation said we finished the course but we didn't.   We ended up looking at Google maps and asking a few other cyclists for directions back to the Overlook. We ended up with 26 miles and were glad to be finished.

It turned out to be a nice ride even though a bit shorter since we cut off the last part of the ride due to time constraints.  We needed  to start heading back to the hotel to clean up and head home.

We had a great time, great cycling on less traffic country roads.  We are looking forward to going back in about four weeks with the group.

A Short Trip to Miami and Boca Raton

April 1, 2019

I was able to get away for an overnight to the east coast of Florida to ride with Al P and his riding group there.

I arrived at Al's house in Miami in the afternoon and was able to get a nice view from his winter home.

The view you are looking at is the inter-coastal waterway in Miami.  It's not to hard to get use to loving that view.   During my visit I saw skullers ( rowing boats ) in the waterway as there is a training center near Al's house.   

Al also had taken a photo earlier in the week showing a privately owned boat coming through the drawbridge.

Yes an individual owns this boat and not a corporation.  The boat was so big it almost didn't make it through the drawbridge!  ( Picture courtesy of Al )



The next morning we left at 6 AM to meet his riding buddies in Boca Raton which was a 45 minute drive on I 95.  I thought to myself that this group must be really special to drive that far each week to ride with them and deal with the crazy commuting traffic on I 95!  It was a white knuckle drive for me!  I can attest that the drive was well worth it.  The group was so friendly.  One of the members , Irwin, is 82 yrs old and can lead the pace line the whole ride at amazing speeds.  He took it easy on me being a guest, though.   He is an inspiration!

 Irwin is first person on the right.  The jersey say Old Spokes still riding.  Cute.

We ended up with 40 miles ( from Boca Raton to Lake Worth ) and some very scenic areas of expensive homes except for Briny Breezes. Briny Breezes is a small area of trailer homes on the Atlantic that Marriott wanted to buy for $1M per home but the residents turned it downed!

Most of the group went out for lunch after the ride.  It was a nice way to end the ride before heading back home..

Thank you Al ( and his wife Marion)  for being such great hosts and also the Boca Raton Cycling Club for providing friendship and a very spirited ride!