Wed Oct 23, Key Largo to Coral Gables 59.5 miles - 381.5 cum

Today was the ride back to Coral Gables. We got up and rode our bikes back to the place we had dinner last night. We remembered that the breakfast at the hotel was not very good last week. We again sat on the balcony overlooking the water and watched all of the boats getting ready to go out for a day of diving or fishing. Breakfast was very good. It started to rain while we were having our coffee so we decided to have another cup and wait it out. It finally stopped raining so we headed back to the hotel to load our bikes and get ready to leave.
Although it had stopped raining, there was still a lot of water on the roads and our bikes began to get pretty dirty. We decided to take Route 1 instead of Card Sound Road as it would take about 8 miles off our trip. It turned out to be a pretty good decision as the road was rebuilt over the last couple of years and now it has a nice wide shoulder that was usually about 5 feet wide. Card Sound road does not have a shoulder at all.

Rte 1 with the wide shoulder.

About 18 miles into the ride I got the 2nd flat of the ride. Again it was the rear wheel. I tried to remove the wheel but it wouldn't come off. I took the quick release pin out of the axle and discovered that the spring that is normally on the quick release had somehow become wedged between the axle and the frame. I was able to use my Leatherman tool's screwdriver to pry them apart. After that it was a simple matter to fix the flat. A piece of wire from a blown truck tire had punctured the tire and caused the flat. I started heading north again to rejoin Keith.
The route alternated between North and East as we zig zagged around Homestead Air Force base. We passed through large nurseries which grow the palms and other tropical plants for sale. The wind was out of the Northwest today so it was a head wind on the North leg and a tailwind on the East leg. It wasn't too bad.

Tree farm

Eventually we made it back to the Old Cutter Road bike path. This path is really rough and rattles both the bike and body. We made it back to the hotel we had stayed on the way down but it was filled so we continued down to the Hampton Inn which the clerk said was the next hotel but we spotted the Gable Inn on the way. It was old but clean and $50 cheaper so we stayed there.
We walked to a TGI Fridays for dinner and it felt like it was free because of our hotel savings!