Big Cypress & Miami

Our adventure began in the City of Naples, on the Gulf coast of South Florida. We left Mitch’s parents’ condo on the morning of Friday, March 10th, heading East through the Everglades to Miami. Earlier in the week, a brush fire had burned through the forest along the Eastern edge of the city, and so we rode alongside acres of burned trees and charred earth. It was a sad sight as we had walked through parts of that forest only weeks before, and now over 7,000 acres of it had burned.

We continued onward and finally reached Tamiami Trail, the long, straight road that would take us through the Everglades. It was a pleasant ride, with beautiful forest scenery and wildlife abound, and the road had a good shoulder to follow along the road. It was quite sunny with little shade, but we didn’t mind. After nearly 40 miles, we reached our destination for the night. Our first day on our journey would end at a campsite in Monument Lake Campground in the Big Cypress National Preserve.

Although it had been a few months since we were able to use our camping gear, we managed to unload the bikes and set up camp fairly quickly. The campground was small and peaceful, with only three other tents set up around our site. We cooked a simple dinner of spaghetti in tomato sauce, with a side of canned smoked herring and french bread dipped in olive oil and herbs. Satisfied, we tidied up, organized our things a bit, then settled in for an early night.

We rested well that night, our bodies tired from the 50 mile ride that day. The next morning we rose with the sun, ate a quick breakfast of bread with peanut butter and honey, and packed up our things to leave for Miami.

It didn’t take long for the weather to warm up, and we were soon battered by the heat of the unrelenting and unbroken sunlight. We stopped for short breaks in the shade whenever we could find it so that the sun wouldn’t utterly exhaust us before we reached our destination. As we rode, we saw much more of the beautiful Everglade Forest’s scenery, filled with large Cypress trees weighed down with Epiphytes (air plants) and teeming with beautiful birds.

After riding about 30 miles, during a stop for a drink of water, Mitch noticed some rain clouds forming. We put all our uncovered gear into dry bags just as the rain was starting to fall in big drops. We figured that we could ride out a short rain, but we were wrong. The rain got harder and harder, and once it was falling so hard and fast that we couldn’t see the road in front of us, we knew it was time to stop. Thankfully, just then, we found an oasis in the jungle: the Everglades Safari Park, home of airboat rides in the Everglades National Park.

 

We pulled into the parking lot and got under the first cover we could find, which happened to be the large entry awning for the gift shop. There were a mix of people there, both dry and dripping wet, waiting for the rain to abate. A man who came out of the gift shop talked to us for a moment about our ride, and was kind enough to treat us to some hot coffee while we shivered in the cool of the downpour. Others asked us questions and wished us luck and a safe ride. In that moment, our bodies were cold, but our hearts had been warmed.

Once the rain ended, about an hour later, we took off again. We headed straight from the park into some road construction, with no shoulder to separate us from the passing traffic. It was our first time riding in those conditions, and we were definitely freaking out a little inside while we rode. Despite our fears, most drivers were patient and yielding, so we made it through safely and continued through the last few miles of the Everglades peacefully.

Once we had reached the outskirts of Miami, we found more road construction, but we were ready to take it on this time. Thankfully, the drivers in the city were also cautious while passing us, so we once more made it through without harm. Not many miles later, we were very hungry for dinner, so we stopped at the first restaurant that had outdoor seating. It was El Palacio de los Jugos, a local Cuban chain that offered a large variety of authentic Cuban cuisine. The menu was entirely in Spanish, and many of the workers only spoke Spanish, so Andrea ordered a meal of rice with beans and shredded beef with onions. Thankfully, the lady behind the counter seemed to understand how hungry we were, and gave us generous, heaping portions of both dishes. The food was absolutely delicious, and rejuvenated us for the last 20 miles of the ride.

We left the restaurant just as it was getting dark, with only Google Maps to guide us to our AirBnB room for the night. We followed its directions closely, just to realize that it was directing us into places we could not go, such as into a body of water. Andrea’s phone battery was near death with approximately six miles to go, so Andrea made one last call to the AirBnB host for some final guidance before turning off the phone. The host was as unsure of our location as we were, so she gave us some advice as to how to follow the patterns numbered streets and avenues to find her house.

Andrea followed her gut instinct to continue Eastward, then stopped a man on a bike to ask for directions. He was unsure of the exact location of the streets we sought, but he pointed us in the direction of a street that would take us toward the “NW” avenues and streets that we were looking for. We continued in that direction for a couple of miles, then stopped at a small local convenience store to ask for directions again. The kind woman inside only spoke Spanish, so Andrea explained our situation, and the lady knew exactly where we needed to go. She gave us very concise directions, and after thanking her profusely, we set out on our way once more. Finally, after one last push, we had reached our destination, just before the 11:00 pm check-in cut off time.

Thankfully, our host was prepared for our very late arrival, and quickly showed us to our room. We unloaded the bikes, carried everything inside, then promptly collapsed into bed, ready to sleep away the long day. Unfortunately, that rest would be short, as we had to catch an Amtrak train early the next morning.

So now we sit aboard a train, resting and relaxing before we reach our next destination. We start again tomorrow, in Savannah, Georgia!