A Flashback To The Olden Days

At the suggestion of John Hopkins, whose family was most gracious hosts last night, tonight, I find myself staying at the Everglades Hostel in Florida City, my gateway to the Keys. This is my first experience staying in a hostel; and at first glance, it appears to be quite a little oasis in the middle of a busy community. The hostel has a volunteer staff of about six folks who serve as jacks of all trades to keep the place operating. One of the more interesting fellows here is "Spirit", an apparent dropout from the" mover and shaker" lifestyle, who now busies himself helping keep the hostel clean.

As I have opportunity to publish some photos of the hostel compound, it will evoke images of part hippy camp, shaded retreat, budding artist enclave, and lush garden. It really is a very relaxing place to be. A tent site costs $18 per night and includes a pancake breakfast, showers, kitchen privileges, laundry facilities, TV room, gazebo, pool with waterfall, and hammocks and lounge chairs scattered throughout.

Tomorrow, I should reach well beyond Key Largo, and anticipate spending only 5 days in the Keys. I certainly can't complain about the weather so far - only one day out of sixteen with just the slightest sprinkles, moderate temperatures, and cool breezes.

South Miami seems to have a very extensive,relatively traffic-free paved bike trail system. I only had to cover a little more than 20 miles today to position myself to get through the Keys as quickly as possible. On my way to the hostel, I stopped by the Homestead Speedway, where Bike to Recovery, a veterans rehabilitation charity was hosting a big cycling event. While there, the owner of a Miami cylcing shop, which helped sponsor this event and provided maintenance support for the riders did a quick complimentary checkup, lube, and adjustment on my bike for me.

This whole trip experience has been sprinkled with a number of encounters with folks that remind you of the goodness of America - from families who generously share their homes to business owners who reach out and give to share in the experience of helping support honorable causes.

I've been struck by the prevalence of homeless and needy people I've observed en route. Most of us are more blessed than we can possibly imagine. This economy has turned many sections of some of our larger cities into third world cultures, with a very visible population of folks who who are too despondent to even beg. I'm aware that none of us are far from being tipped over the edge by some event not of our choosing. What an eye opener!