It was really hot today. The wind was more in my favour, but it got pretty stifling as the day wore on. I left behind the Florida Keys after an hour and headed off on the only available road that avoided busy route 1. And that took me up the coast and into the mangrove swamps. Here all development came to an end, and for miles it was just a long, straight road and trees on either side, masking the nearby presence of water, except for the occasional bridge or roadside canal. In the midst of all this was Alabama Jack’s, a great waterside lunch spot where everyone sat outdoors under shade, and all kinds of people, including boaters and many motorcyclists, all mingled under the same roof. It was decorated with hundreds of license plates from allover America and had a unique atmosphere. Perfect place for a shrimp salad.
Then I was off again, and into the most monotonous part of my ride so far. In another hour I reached the unremarkable Florida City, and from there it was a straight line for an hour or more towards Miami along a dedicated busway, which had a cycle path running alongside. It was a huge, wide expanse of tarmac and you could have landed a Jumbo Jet on it. Probably. It contained very few buses today. But it got me to the edge of Miami proper in an efficient way, missing out on miles of uninspiring sprawl.
After that. I picked up Old Cutler Road, which wound its way just inland of the elusive coastline, through shady avenues of old trees, past beautiful homes in mature grounds. There was a lot of it, and it marked the start of perhaps 100 miles of continuous, exclusive coastal development. However this part of Miami had an older feel to it, where the excessive wealth was a little more concealed in very private surroundings. It was all lovely to cycle through, and a big change from the busway! The only issue was the mature tropical tree roots that caused regular bumps in the surface of the path. On only my second long day of cycling in months, this was not they treatment my sensitive undercarriage wanted!
I made barely a turn from the roadside cycle path on Bike route 1 North, and it delivered me suddenly into the throbbing heart of downtown, where many sleek new buildings suddenly reared up all around. It was an exciting part of the ride and it was both impressive and large. This is a big city with a feeling of both wealth and importance, a meeting of cultures and a huge port as well. But it was among the more attractive modern city scapes I have seen, with a predominance of white and green mirrored towers in unusual shapes and orientations. There was a lot to take in. And then, suddenly, I was crossing a swing bridge – a reminder that boats and water play a big part in the layout of the city. There were plenty of fancy sailing craft out on the water today, a late Sunday afternoon. The place was buzzing.
From downtown Miami I crossed a long causeway, via a few smaller islands, to reach the oceanfront of a Miami Beach, which stretches for miles and is lined with a collection of fine Art Deco buildings, along with some more modern, larger hotels and condominiums, which were all very tasteful. The beach here is a vast expanse of fine, pale yellow sand and it stretches away to the north for many miles. I was staying in one of the larger Art Deco buildings, now a very cool hostel called Generator Miami. I had stayed when I first arrived off the plane from Colombia, and found it such good value and pleasant to be around that I came back! I ended my day with a sunset swim in their beautiful large pool in the gardens behind the hip lobby. A day that started slowly but rose to quite a climax.
