I joined the Camp Gear Life meetup group for a bike ride this morning. The weather was gorgeous. Thanks Troy, Will, Dan, Julie, Jessica, Paul and others. Edit 2/2/2014: Video Added.
travel
EarthSave Meal and Presentation
I enjoyed a tasty vegan meal and a presentation in Taramac by Karen J Ellis-Ritter of the Compassionate Farming Education Initiative, and met some nice people in the process. The event was sponsored by EarthSave.
A Sublime Experience
At one of the Birmingham Vegans meetups, Sandra suggested I pay a visit to Sublime Vegan Restaurant in Ft Lauderdale on my road trip. So I visit their web site and I see testimonials from Paul McCartney, Alec Baldwin, Bob Barker, Pamela Anderson, Alicia Silverstone, and others. I had heard it’s a famous place, but I decided to go anyway.
That’s my waiter Ernesto in the picture, accompanied by a lady in training.
Topeekeegee Yugnee Park
After working at a Starbucks in North Miami this morning, I drove to Topeekeegee Yugnee Park in Hollywood Florida. The name is Seminole for gathering place. It’s a fun name to say too, like quinoa and edamame. The park is a peaceful place with stately trees and a nice walking trail. I took a few snapshots to share.
more pics if you clicks
Walking Miami Beaches
I spent a few hours today walking around Haulover and Miami Beaches. My plan was to drive along the beaches to see what the area was like, then park in a Publix lot a few miles away and explore the beach area via bicycle. But the roads were not bike friendly. So when I saw the first “Beach Parking” sign I pulled in. That was Haulover. Later in the day I parked in a lot close to North Miami beach and started walking again.
It was the kind of day where the sun was hot but the shade was cool. The beige sand was speckled with black sand. And the sand was deep enough to sink in with every step. The pictures are mostly just typical beach pictures – nothing special.
Very Vegan Miami Meetup
After leaving Bahia Honda State Park, I stopped at a Tom Thumb in Key Largo to fill up and try to figure out where the heck to go next, and where I might sleep for the night. I thought I remembered from some earlier googling that there was a vegan meetup happening somewhere in the area.
I found that the meetup was at 6:30 at Alaska Coffee in North Miami. Siri told me I could make it in time, but barely. So I lucked out. I had a great time with the very first Very Vegan Miami Meetup. The organizer Janay and all the folks were great. Not only that, Alaska Coffee’s Jose gave me permission to overnight in the parking lot.
A Visit to Bahia Honda State Park
Lazy Lakes and Key West were good to me, but it’s time to go. On the way back I came across Bahia Honda State Park. I had read a review that called it the most beautiful state park in Florida, so I decided to stop and see for myself. If all of the campsites weren’t taken, I would have stayed the night. Instead, I took the pictures you see here and headed on, without knowing exactly where I would go next or where I would overnight.
Exploring Key West
Today I biked from Summerland Key to Key West, explored the area, and then rode back. This stretch of the Overseas Highway, as it’s called, is very bicycle friendly. For most of the distance, a separate side road was available for cyclists and pedestrians.
The wind was fierce. A strong tail wind on the way gave me illusions of grandeur. But I was put in my place on the way back by the headwind.
Enjoy the pictures.
Campground at Summerland Key
I woke early this morning at 5 a.m. and drove from Pembroke Pines to Key Largo. I stopped at a Starbucks at mile marker 100 to work a few hours before driving to my campsite at Summerland Key. This is the campsite, overlooking Lazy Lake. This is the first time I have stayed at a campground on this trip. I have full hookups (electricity, water, and sewer) as well as wifi. Tomorrow I plan to bicycle the 20 miles to Key West and explore.
The Florida Keys – Tomorrow
I’m heading down to the Keys tomorrow after I finish some work. It was hard to get a good camp spot for Friday and Saturday, but I found one for Thursday and Friday so I decided to take it. I hope to leave around 10 or 11 a.m. It’s 150 miles to where I’m staying – according to Google it’s a 3 hour drive. The campground is about 20 miles east of Key West.
