2009 May 9th: This morning I woke up later than normal, but I got up and went to the complimentary breakfast at the hotel. It was good and it set me up for the whole day. I got ready to go and was on the road well before 9am. I got back on my planned route and was at Everglades National Park shortly after 10am. I got my passport stamped at the north end visitor’s center and then headed for the east entrance visitor’s center. I got there by 11:30am and got my passport stamped. I drove 38 more miles to the Flamingo Center to get a stamp but they were closed. It would have been nice had a ranger informed me that the visitor’s center is only open Monday through Friday. I rode nearly 80 miles out of my way for a couple of pictures of the gulf. There weren’t even any flamingos.
I rode out of the park and headed for Key West, FL. The road was full of traffic and the speed limit was only 45 mph with very short sections of 55 mph. My goal was to make it to the point that says the Southern Most Point of the USA and get a picture. When I arrived, it was very crowded. I got a quick picture and moved on. I figured that I would try again in the morning; maybe it won’t be so crowded.
I went to the hotel and got checked in. The concierge in the lobby suggested this place a short walk away for dinner. The dinner was a little pricy, but very good. I think that the cost of living is just plain high here at the end of a long highway. The concierge also gave me some free drink coupons for a couple of bars downtown, but I decided that it would be too crowded for a Saturday night and I went to the pool instead.
The pool was large and there were quite a few people hanging out. I sat in the hot tub for awhile and then went into the pool. It was not very deep. I swam around a little bit and then went back to the hot tub for awhile longer.
It was very hot most of the day and I was having second thoughts about wearing all of my gear. I hung in and wore it until I got to the southernmost point and then I took off my helmet and undid my jacket and then rode to the hotel all of maybe 3 miles at 30 mph.
In this small island town, there were lots and lots of scooters buzzing around. Nobody wears any safety gear at all. Mostly shorts, tank tops and flip flops. Getting around in this town on a scooter would be the ideal way to go. The speed limit is low and the island is small.
In the roadkill department today, I came across several gators rotting in the sun. The smell of sun-ripened gator is one I wish I had not experienced. They smell worse than anything I have ever experienced to date.
I also saw a lot of wildlife today. A small wild pig ran across the road and a raccoon was running down the side of the road; I think he wanted to cross but was waiting for the traffic to clear. I also saw a wild turkey standing on the edge of the highway just watching; he wasn’t any bigger than a large chicken.
I Naples, FL this morning I saw 2 more Bentleys and a bright yellow Lamborghini came up from behind me and passed me. He was really cruising too.
Just before I got to the east entrance to the national park, there was at least 20 miles of nurseries; one right after the other. Lots of them were growing palm trees and other exotic types of trees and lot of citrus. Some of these nurseries specialized in orchids, but I didn’t stop.
Tomorrow I would like to make it north of Miami and find a campground for the night. The shuttle launch is scheduled for launch at 2:01pm on Monday. I would like to make it to the area, but all tickets have been sold out to get close enough to actually see the shuttle liftoff. I may end up having to go to some park or the beach or something.