As Dad was riding that day, he met up with the same couple he met earlier on his trip who were riding from Maine to Key West. They talked a bit and he went on his way. Later, they met again. This time, 3 retired New Jersey police officer who the couple had met earlier that day rode up and all 6 of them were chatting on the side of the rode. The officers were riding to memorialize a cop friend who died right before retiring.
On November 1st, Dad rode 48 miles to Indian Harbour Beach to the home of his brother, David. As he was riding through the town of Cocoa, he met a local cyclist who stopped to talk to Dad while he was reading a historical sign. The local convinced Dad to go back to Cocoa Village for lunch. He offered 3 restaurant suggestions and told him about a bike shop where he could fill his tires. Dad was thankful to the local cyclist for a nice lunch and full tires.
For dinner, Dad enjoyed a yummy steak at David and Amy's house while enjoying the company of family. Since the clicking sound came back again, David and Amy took Dad to the best bike shop in the area and the mechanics heard the sound. They thought it was the pedal, but Dad decided it wasn't worth fixing. Since then, the sound has disappeared again.
The rest of the weekend was spent with family. They watched Christian's surf class, listened to Molly sing in church for the first time in months, and went to the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp for an airboat ride. They also enjoyed beer and watching football together.
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| Christian's Surf Class (Christian, Molly, Amy) |
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| Bill watching FSU/Miami football at David's house. |
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| The whole crew watching the game. |
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| David, Christian, and Dad by the airboat. |
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| One more item off Bill's bucket list. |
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| The Birds |
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| Lone Cabbage Fish Camp |
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| After sharing in eating 2 pounds of gator tail for lunch, this seemed only fair. |
On Monday, November 4th, the weather channel said there would be strong crosswinds all day at 23 knots. The ride was okay, but when Bill got to Fort Pierce, where he was planning to stay, it was only 1:30 p.m., so he continued on to Stewart, recording 84 miles that day.
Winds were gusting at 35 mph according to the weather channel the following day on the way to John Prince Park Campground. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad because Dad was shielded by trees. The map stated the campground was 3 miles off route, but it was actually 5 miles. Dad took note and will notify Adventure Cycling when he returns. During the last 2 days, Dad enjoyed the views of beautiful boats and yachts.
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| Note the angle of the signals due to the gusty winds and the mist in the distance. This mist coats Bill's glasses with salt that must be rinsed off every couple of hours. |
The 6th was also filled with nice scenery during his 60 mile ride. From the boardwalk in Hollywood, he saw people swimming, joggers, and other cyclists. It was pretty and the people were pleasant.
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| Big homes and yachts. |
There was a section around Delray Beach though, where there were a lot of joggers, cyclists, and walkers who would not make eye contact. Dad thought it was strange. People seemed rude or awkward. If he did make eye contact, people would quickly look away. It was like everyone was mad.
Dad also shared that his handlebar bag keeps bouncing off this bike. He thought he fixed it, but it did it again Luckily, this last time, it was strapped onto the bike, so that it didn't fall off into the street. Now he rides slowly on rough spots to avoid losing his bag.
He will check into Miami later today at a hostel he heard good things about. He plans to spend a few days relaxing, swimming in the Atlantic, and soaking in the beach life at South Beach.
He recorded 299 miles since we last talked and is almost done. Dad has 180 miles left to go and plans to fly home on November 13th.
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