One day recently, however, I just wanted to run away from home, to be by myself, to be unbothered by chores and routines and obligations. So I packed a few things into some randonneuring/bikepacking bags. Then I set off and rode to the Keys.
Before I left home I did have the foresight to make reservations for lodging in Key Largo. (You can do this run-away thing without reservations, but, hey, why invite chaos and drama into your day.) Since I didn't have to ride home until the next day, I could max out my miles for the day. So I pedaled past my lodgings and kept going south for as long as I wanted before finally stopping for a quick snack. Then I circled back and checked into my motel.
I had picked a motel on a canal near a marina. It looked to have been originally set up to cater to divers. For a price significantly below the nearby chain motels, I had a condo-like unit with a master bedroom and bath upstairs and a living room, bath, and kitchen downstairs. (Clean and freshly painted and pleasant despite the worn furniture and the wonky but functional drapes.) The place's best feature was a great screened balcony overlooking the adjacent canal. I sat out there and watched dive boats go in and out with their loads of tourists. And the African Queen (remember the Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall movie?) chugged in and out of the canal, too, tooting its horn and making tourists happy.
It was a relaxing, successful trip. I stopped for a bunch of photos. I watched hundreds (yes, hundreds) of motorcycles roll by me on US 1 by Lake Surprise. They had an escort of dozens of motorcycle police. (The cascade of sound from the motorcycles was stunning.) I noodled about in a residential area or two, once finding myself in a delightful conversation with a very funny little woman about her newest gardening project. I chanced into Jon, the Cycling Viking, and rode and chatted with him for a while. (Jon's currently working on a Guinness world record for the longest triathlon. He's quite an interesting guy to know.)
These are the serendipitous little things that make traveling on a bicycle so entertaining. It just never gets old.
