One down, three to go

Things are going better in Florida this trip. On the Corner to Corner trip I lost my wallet on the first day, was rained on repeatedly, was wearing my electric jacket in the Keys, and got 12 hours behind schedule the first day. Aside from a little fog this morning leaving Coconut Grove, the weather has been perfect.

Tomorrow may be a challenge as the wildfires in south Georgia and northern Florida have caused the closing of Interstates 75 and 10, my route to the west. Maybe it'll rain up there tonight and the fires will be extinguished so the roads can be opened. But, that is tomorrow.

Today, I'm in the capital of the Conch Republic. As the photo shows, I'm in one of the most famous tourist spots in town, the southernmost point in the U.S. There wasn't any trouble getting someone to take my picture. A family of four visiting from West Palm traded my labor for theirs. I had two photos taken, the digital photo above and a Polaroid to mail off to the Southern California Motorcycle Association. The envelope also contains a form with my name, today's date and the phone number of Denny's, and a receipt for a gasoline purchase showing that I really was in town. On the Alaska trip I got bored with the paperwork for the Iron Butt Association. This seems much more in keeping with a California mindset.

The ride down the Keys was low key and unhurried without much traffic. It has to be unhurried because the speed limit is low and vigorously enforced. My friend Jessica Norton Ratliff at Norton's Stereo equipped me with a radar detector which I mounted on the bike. I have mixed feelings about the device. On one hand it might save some points and money. But, on the other, it is institutionalizing unlawful behavior. On those times when the alarm sounded I was moving close enough to the speed limit that corrective action was unnecessary, but it was a reminder that the police are out there.

Now that I was successful downloading the photo from today, I will try again to put up the pictures from yesterday.

It didn't look like the tracker was working properly last night. My twin called to ask why I was still in Columbia under the blue dot on the map. I was really in Miami. I left a voicemail for Kim Irving at AeroAstro in hopes that the technical glitches can be overcome.

One final thought on technology. Wireless communication is easier than ever before. Last trip I tried to blog on my cell phone until it drowned in a storm in the Brooks Range. Today I'm pounding this out while sipping a Cafe Americano in the Crossroads Internet Cafe at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Duval St. Ah, progress.

Enough, I'm back on the road for West Palm Beach and a stay with Sharon and Allen Cushman.