Christmas on the Beach

I arrived at the southernmost point of the continental United States on the 24th at noon. There was, as always, a line of people who were waiting to have their picture taken, but after all this riding I think it was worth the wait.
It was kind of a short riding day, only 50 miles, but still a lot of fun.
I left Marathon early, had breakfast at the Stuffed Pig, a little diner with waitresses dressed up as elves, and went on Seven-Mile-Bridge around 7:30am. It was a good idea to go so early as there was no traffic and the rising sun made this part one of the most beautiful scenic stretches of the whole trip. I was really thankful and felt blessed that I could again experience such beauty on a very special journey. There’s not much that beats riding the bike to Key West on Christmas Eve if you have to be away from your family.
The ride to Key West went pretty uneventful. Sometimes I could use the bike trail, sometimes I was riding on the road but there were not many cars anyway.
Short after the 4 mile marker I was held back a little though: My tires had taken the whole trip amazingly well and I hadn’t had any problems with the bike but now I had to stop for the first time to fix a flat tire!
Jon wasn’t far away, so I called him to bring me the big bike pump, because the little pump I was carrying is just for emergencies. I could never get enough air in the tires with that thing. As I fixed the flat a guy stopped and talked to me just to make sure I was okay. That was very nice.
Jon pumped up the tire as my hands were hurting really bad when I put to much pressure on them and I rode the last couple miles along A1A to the southernmost point where I met back up with Jon.
The rest of the day was filled with vacation: Lunch in a beach cafe, walking around in Key West, swimming in the hotel pool and getting ready for the evening.
We went to the west part of the nice little town with its south European style narrow streets and small houses, restaurants, shops and bars to watch the sunset in the Gulf of Mexico and spend the night bar-hopping, which Key West is the perfect place to do.
The next day we basically slept in and drove home, glad that the rain came one day too late to bother me on my bike ride.
What a great experience and fun trip!
I made it and am already thinking about the next one to Pensacola, maybe in May, but this time Jon has to go with me!

See more progress on: ride my bike to Key West