Bicycle Journey Over

I just returned to Miami after being on the road for 34 days. It was a long trip, longer than expected. My plan was just to got to Daytona Beach, but once I reached it the option of continuing around the state of Florida was preferable to going back to Miami. Back in Miami during the Corona Virus Shutdown I wasn’t exercising and I was drinking and smoking more than I wanted to. I have a roommate and we have friends over for little parties and it’s difficult to avoid these situations. Yet, when I’m riding on the road I don’t drink or smoke. I’m by myself so I can do exactly what I want. It’s hard to be alone in the Coronavirus era.

The Skinny:

What stood out in this journey: Exposure to the elements, sleeping outside, and the many hours exercising lightly. I say lightly because it’s not like crossfit, biking doesn’t make you breath hard or your muscles burn very much. But bear in mind, long distance bikeriding does take a toll on the body.

Biking in the fabulous state of Florida you are in a hot and humid environment from waking until sleep, and also when you wake up in the middle of the night. For example  in the Everglades its was 80 degrees with 100% humidity. Naturally you get used to it. Oh, and being under the sun all day is not normal. Lot’s of sunblock so I never got a burn. You drink lots of liquid. My favorite was the Gadorade from the fountain machines at 7-Eleven, Race Trac, or Wawa. You live with mother nature, no barriers, no air conditioning, you live by the sun’s schedule, like I did in Madagascar.

Camping

Sleeping outside is wonderful. The sounds of the insects, the wind and other unknown things. Yet periodically I would think I heard a human approaching, but it’s not humans because it’s impossible for a human to approach my tent without making a racket. It’s a thick forest and dark. No moves without being heard.

Mosquitos and gnats can be avoided by finding refuge in the tent, but once you’re inside the tent, there’s no leaving the tent doors open for a breeze. Being in the tent was something I did for the least amount of hours as possible. And because I always camped where I wasn’t technically allowed, I would get up at the break of dawn to break camp before anyone saw me.

I learned this lesson the hard way….years ago I was camping in Palm Beach on a bike ride from Miami to Chicago. It was an empty lot and my friend and I set up camp after sunfall, and we slept in until 8am. That’s when cops awoke us, searched our stuff and gave us tickets. Lesson learned. You can camp almost anywhere if you get in at night and leave before light.
Everynight when it got dark I had to look for a camping spot weither in the country or the city. The city was interesting. Sometimes empty lots really close to buildings but obscured by trees or bushes were good away from traffic, human or vehicular.

My Friends Along The Route

Visiting friends was a motive for this ride. I passed by Sam’s apartment in Lauderdale-by-The Sea. We just conversed on the street. He wore his mask. He was taking this CoronaVirus seriously.
5 days later and a couple hundred miles north, I visited Jess and Billy in Daytona Beach. Two friends who lived near me in Miami Beach years ago. Sam lived in the same neighborhood, too.

In St. Petersburg I visited Oppie and Thu. All of us, including Sam, Jess, and Billy lived in the same neighborhood in Miami Beach, called North Beach, or Nobe for short. We filmed short films and comedy sketches and used Nobe for the backdrop.

East Coast

The East Coast of Florida was my favorite part. Lot’s of beaches and showers and public bathrooms and always a store nearby. It was dryer and had less mosquitos, gnats, and other bugs than the West Coast, and the roads were more developed and went many places. The intercoastal highway and barrier islands were pretty and ran up the whole coast almost unbroken. A developed and efficient island world.

Interior

The Florida Interior: The interior of the state was relaxing, pretty. Lot of farms and forest. Unfortunately no beaches, therefore no public showers. I did’t spend my time here.

West Coast

Now the West Coast is different. Up north it’s pretty marshy, almost no beaches, and swampy with lots of insects. Not many roads, less developed. A Florida Wild West. But entering the Tampa Bay Area things change. It becomes more cosmopolitan, but yet a mix of hokey, a dash of Redneck, and a sea faring people culture. South of Tampa, Sarasota, Manasota, Naples, it was swampy with barrier island beaches. And lots of gnats. Here the humans of carved out a comfortable civilization. Air Conditioning and Florida Rooms required.

The South Swamps Bitch

My path across the state started with cruising the I-75, no bicycles allowed from Naples to Fort Lauderdale over an expanse of jungle, swamp, and everglades. I got stopped by the cops 2 times leading to kicked down to the highway 41 in the heart of Big Cypress Park, a swamp with tall trees. Under the sun with the wildlife, it was hell. I couldn’t excape the heat, humidity, and the bugs. These flys would hunt you down, wouldn’t leave you, followed you if you fled, and bite you over and over. One thing is to visit this savage part of south Florida in a car, but to do it exposed to the elements all the time is like communing with our ancestors. The hunter and gather ones. And who wants to do that in the swamp environment? Thankfully Miami was close by.

Home

Back in Miami. Feeling great with my own room and comforts. My own bathroom that I can use whenever I want. I miss being on the road, though. Work may be starting soon and the gym is back open. I got 2 more months on the apartment lease. I’m leaving to go somewhere. But I don’t know where yet. Overseas is what I want. Go back to a Spanish Speaking Country. Go back to familiarity.

 

The Protests of 2020

There’s been lots of protests here in Miami due to the George Floyd murder. And I’ve been present and with my drone. I’ve made a few videos of the protests. The Miami protests of been peaceful thank goodness. I don’t agree with the majority of the movement but I think we should listen.