Key Largo here I come!

Well, after 2 full days of doing nothing, and I mean NOTHING, I'm forced to remount my bike and continue on. Guess I can't live here. Well, I probably could. Seems like many do. Volunteers staff the hostel doing many of the manual chores here and are given a bed to sleep in and often an evening meal. It's a good life for a while. I may consider it next winter.

But I hear the Keys calling my name. And I've been hearing stories of others adventures down there. A guy, Coconut Kevin, an artist from CT, lives in KW in the winter. He was passing through yesterday and stopped with a Tshirt for the Om, the owner. He gave me a lot of people to look up when I get there and many suggestions of cheap places to eat. I think I'll stay in the hostel there. It's not cheap, but it is centrally located...and has showers! We'll see.

I'm actually planning a leisurely pedal down through the Keys. Short biking days. Lots of beach time. Maybe some snorkeling. No hurry.

Yesterday I did sample a milkshake at the infamous Robert is Here fruit stand near here. It was the thickest shake I've ever had and too much for one person. My flavor? Strawberry Key Lime, mmmmm!

I also found out that I won the lottery! The RAGBRAI lottery, that is. I have a wristband number to ride across Iowa this summer. RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) is the oldest cross state ride at 37 years. 8500 cyclists will be there! Doesn't that sound like fun? A traveling city. We're biking from Council Bluffs to Burlington July 18 - 25. I've heard so much about this ride over the years. Now it's my time to experience it. Barenaked Ladies are playing at the kickoff event! It's gonna be a blast. Think of all the new friends I'll be making!!!! Now the question is: do I bike to Iowa?


Catch y'all later.

The Night Before I Leave

It's the night before I hit the road.  I'm taking off for 6 weeks, driving down to Florida with all my toys.  I'm taking my bike, my canoe, and my backpack for what I'm calling the Southeast Trifecta.  Someone else suggested it was a triathlon. I like that better. My plan is to canoe 4 days on the Suwanee River with friends from my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2007 - Thumper and E. Z. Duzit.  Then I'll head over to St. Augustine to visit with my daughter, Dana and her boyfriend, Joe. When they get tired of me and kick me out, I'll hop on my bike and pedal over to Sarasota to visit a dear friend, Kim.  It's about 250 miles across the state and this will be my maiden voyage of a solo loaded bike tour.  I'm excited and scared.  It's been nearly 20 years since my last tour and I was not alone.  But I feel like I can do anything after hiking from Georgia to Maine!  My only concern is finding a place every night to set up my tent, but I guess I'll figure it all out once I get biking.  After spending a few days in Sarasota (friends and fish smell after 3 days), I'll bike a different route back to St. Augustine.  I'm also hoping to hook up with another trail friend, Hammock Hanger, who lives in Jacksonville.  We're planning on paddling the Intercoastal Waterway some, maybe a couple of days if we can work it out.

I forgot to mention that on the drive down to Florida I'm going to be staying with other trail friends, Janet and Yonder, who live in Asheville, NC.  Then I'm driving to Atlanta to stay over with E. Z. Duzit and his family.  It's really fabulous the wonderful friends I made while hiking the AT and I love the fact that we've been able to keep the friendships going.  The friendships were made easily out there, bonding quite quickly.  And long times can pass, but a quick phone call and the close connection is made again.  It's so special to me to have these dear friends all over the country.

Then after the canoeing and biking and visiting with Dana, I'm going to mosey up to Virginia and hike from north of Damascus down to Trail Days (hiker reunion) with Thumper and E. Z. Duzit.  If I have extra time, I may hike a few days alone and catch them closer to Damascus...just cuz I can!  Might as well enjoy this free lifestyle.

And thank goodness for a dear friend back home who is caring for my house, yard, plants, and mail.  Bonnie, you are a godsend.

So all I have left to do tomorrow is get everything loaded up, fret about what I've missed, perhaps get one more CrossFit workout in (I'm going to miss that place), and clean the house.  All this while not pissing off my left knee which has been a bit irked lately.  It prefers resting, stretching, and icing.  I'll try and accommodate it as much as possible.

Well, I'll try and use this blog to keep everyone up to speed on what I'm doing.  Now I won't be writing every day like I did on the AT.  For one, I don't have the same device with me.  I'll do the best I can when I get to a computer.  

Enjoy the spring!