Bicycling, bicycling...

Do you like to bicycle? I LOVE bicycling... always have!! I've had a lot of bikes in my life, several new ones stolen in high school, but somehow or other I always had a bicycle wherever I went in life. My Dad and I used to go on 20-30 mile rides around NJ... we'd tackle some rolling hills, passing huge estates and farms, have lunch at a country deli, and come home exhausted!! Nice memories... :-)

Have you ever seen the two guys who bicycle up and down the highway between Key Largo & Islamorada? One guy must ride in 1st or 2nd gear (the lowest gear, greatest workout), and he always shirtless and has a basket with a box that he hunches over on. I think he rides down to Islamorada somewhere & back up north -- EVERY DAY. So that's about 40 miles per day, at least! Note: Believe it or not, I've just learned who this guy is... "Box Man" is a retired special ed. teacher who rode with a box on his bicycle (usually of fruit he purchased @ MM103)... for 25 years he's been riding his bike like this -- definitely an eccentric! ONLY in the Keys!! Then there's the other guy who was featured in the paper a little while back... he wears a blue baseball helmet. He used to ride his bike from Key Largo to Plantation Key Convalescent center where his wife used to be, but after she passed away... I think he just rides to the Tavernier Post Office now. He says "hi" to everyone he sees, and just wears that distinctive blue helmet. He's a harmless sort of fellow... but here's another guy who does about 40 miles every day ... in the HEAT no less!!

I just rode around Old Town in Key West today... 20 miles believe it or not!! And I did it in the middle of the day just like those guys do! Gosh, if I did 40 miles/day every day... I would be pretty SVELTE!! :-D LOL But then I might have to be living under the bridge or somewhere similar since I wouldn't have a job. Come to think of it, maybe some advertising company should put a sign on either one of those guys' backs as they ride up and down the highway!! LOL

I had a really enjoyable day riding in and out & up and down the streets of Old Town. My favorite streets are Elizabeth and William Streets... I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the architecture of Key West! Since it didn't seem to work out to live there several months ago, I still enjoy going there and riding around... and dreaming of living there some day. :-) I must have lived in a similar house (gingerbread or Victorian) in a past life... because I really love staying in similar type B&B's whenever I'm away.

I was interested in eating at an Organic or Vegan restaurant for lunch. Not that I'm totally Vegan, but I do eat Organic food & feel so much better when I eat healthy like that. Happy Cow pointed me to (3) different places... but twice I seemed to end up at the same place, so I decided to eat there -- Help Yourself on the corner of Fleming & Margaret Streets. Everybody seemed to be enjoying the Smoothies... but since I was riding, I felt I needed something more substantial. So I ordered a chicken salad wrap... it was GREAT -- it has bits of apples with the chicken, sort of like a Waldorf Salad wrap. There's a great place in Key Largo that makes a great one of these... Eco Eats... they're in the Office Depot shopping plaza. I learned about Healthy Cow, which is a great reference site for Vegans/Organics, through a Green Lodging B&B on Big Pine Key... Deer Run B&B. They're great - Jen & Harry! They make the most wonderful Vegan/Organic breakfasts and it's truly a relaxing paradise... along with visiting Key Deer! Great place for couples and singles who need a break from the world.

Besides doing the East side of Old Town, I went over to the West side... found myself at the courthouse then wandered beyond that to the Truman Annex -- BORING!! I went a little further south and decided that area wasn't worth pursuing since I seemed to be riding through some run down areas. Not a good area for someone like me on a bicycle, so back over I went to the other side of Truman Ave. I must have circled the Cemetary at least 4 or 5x today... and I still got confused as to which direction I was going! Thank goodness for maps!!

A nice HOT Bath is looking really good tonight! LOL So... be sure to check out bicycling Key West! There's so much MORE to see than Duval Street! So many more options of places to eat and new people to meet! '-D

General Synopsis: The next time I decide to go to Key West and do that much bicycling, I'll stay overnight! I was SO EXHAUSTED making that drive home! A-a-a-CK! Thank goodness for a stop in Marathon & a high protein smoothie... only that got me back home!