Key West (5/9/2023)
Morning coffee was interupted by what are most likely Tarpon feeding in the bay in front of my tent. They look like a pod of dolphins, but are three to five feet long and almost seem to have an extra fin. Very cool to watch while enjoyting the last of my home roasted Mexican coffee. In trying to find out what the fish are, I talked with most of my neighbors. None are confident, nor is the ranger I talked with on my way in this afternoon. I sent a text to a riding budy that fishes and he quickly called and told me I should go buy a rod, or go on a swamp boat ride. Both sound good, but not in the cards for this hot day. Bike registered 87F when I left at 1000 and reached 92F later in the day.
The ride to Key West took about 45 minutes, far longer than the 15 minutes that I estimated. There are a lot of small streets and historic things in Key West. But I stumbled on to a few of them, as well as a bakery. Took a bit of time on foot to locate a Key West sticker for the bike. Also had some very good mexican food on my first route off the island. Returning to search for stickers and enjoying to the bakery.
On my second island exit I reached escape velocity, but not too fast as there are a lot of state troopers on US1. On my way out I saw a store call Baby's Coffee, that seemed to be both a coffee roaster and cafe. This morning I ran out of the coffee beans I roasted before leaving home, and I'm not overly happy with the 2 for 1 deal I got a Publix for 8-Oclock coffee. One ice coffee, a 1# bag of beans and a few stickers later I was heading for the barn. Or in this case heading back to my campsite until the bugs run be out around dusk. I know Baby's Coffee was good because a saw three state troopers come and get coffee. Tonight Iplan to go out to eat during that biting hour. Maybe finding someplace with icecream mid afternoon.
Upon entering the park I had to remember where I put my campsite pass. They suggested I just go around and have another one printed. But since nobody was behind me I search everyplace twice. Eventually finding it in the 2nd place I had looked. But I did get to ask about the Tarpon and heard about her paddle boarding where she though she was surrounded by sharks. But upon reviewing the video, she doesn't know what surrounded her. She now suspects that it was porpoises or tarpon.
Back at the sight hung a tarp, to create more shade around the camp. Not sure it helps much as I'm very sweaty. Really think that I either need to go swimming, or have ice cream. Maybe both.
Swimming was breif, but a bit refresshing, even if the water was 82F. There was a park helper empting trash from the swimming area, whom I asked which direction should I head for the cheapest gas. He said back towards mainland as Marathon Key generally had better prices than Big Pine. So back to Marathon I went, bought some expensive premium fuel and looked for ice-cream and dinner. As I approached the air strip I recalled that Paradise Flavors was opposite an airfield. Then I saw the colorful umbrellas and familiar building. After consuming my banana shake and a chocolate and coconut covered vanilla ice bar, I used google maps to search for dinner near me. Turns out that the Cafe in the same building had a 4.9 star rating. So in I went for a cuban sandwich & coffee.
While traveling both ways over the 7 mile bridge between Bahia Honda and Marathon I was marveling at the old defunct bridge. Not it's construction or how well it had held up, but at the way nature is reclaiming it. Yes the salt water has rusted away guard railings to the point they can't even hold themselves up, and the concrete sides are also chipping and falling into the sea. But three major botanical attacks had very strong footholds and really stood out a significant distance out from sore. A short bush, a medium sized cluster of brush and a medium sized tree. The tree was the most impressive. It appeared to be 8 feet tall and about the same diameter at the crown. But it had a root system that swelled up all of the congrete that it clung to. The mound at the base of the tree was a couple feet high and a few feet across. Some of that mound would have been leaf litter and other items blown in by tides and wind, but some of the swell was actually concrete ruble. Just as trees on my New Hampshire land grow into granite boulders, this tree had grown into concrete. I would love to have pictures of these, but you're not allowed to stop on the bridges. I took a few photos from the mainland, but the interesting stuff seems like it's about a mile out. I should have realized this tree would be interesting to others, it's called Fred.
Once back at camp I packed up my shade tarp and chair, while being bitten by whatever comes from the bushes around my site at dusk. As quickly as posible I prepared the site for a quick morning exit and headed to the showers to remove the solt from the bites. Night didn't bring any temperature releif. It seeemed to stay in the mid 80's all night., with no breeze. Not good sleeping weather. My wife had told me that overnight temperatures at home dipped into the 30's and the roofers started and completed our new roof today. It was nice to know my roof problems should now be resolved. But really I missed those cooler sleeping temperatures and my wife.