So, here we are again, still in Sugarloaf Key, at the KOA campground. How did that happen? The great pub and views notwithstanding, we battled awful mosquitoes and no-see-ums last night, to the point where we nearly flung ourselves into the tent to escape. We knew there would be dew, as we were so close to the water, but we didn’t have the time or patience to cover everything, and we trusted for the best. Bad idea. We awoke this morning to the same mosquitoes and no-see-ums, really high heat and humidity, a soaked tent and rain fly, and everything we owned was somewhere between damp and really wet. We braved it out, got the very wet tent packed, packed up our very wet belongings, and headed for a gravel area in the shade to put on sunscreen.
That was when we found out that Chelsea’s brakes were completely, totally locked up. Even though we are very clever, and good with tools, those puppies weren’t moving. The heat was rising; the shade was disappearing; we hadn’t eaten since pizza the afternoon before; time was slipping away fast; and the nearest bike shop was 10 miles away. We knew it was time for Plan B.
The office had opened by that time so we got a snack and drink, and we begged for a better location, on the gravel and away from the bugs. We got our pick of places, which was awesome, and we got the same rate as for the primitive site. We knew we needed someone to either fix Chelsea’s brakes or to take us to the bike shop. Not having any immediate possibilities in either of those areas, we set out to fix up camp – hang the tent up to dry, hang out our clothes to dry, and just start getting organized.
And guess what? As soon as we started feeling better, along came our Hero of the Day in the form of JR. I had met him quickly in the “pub” the night before, and called out to ask if knew anything about bicycle brakes, as he had come riding up on a bike.
Within 15-20 minutes Chelsea’s brakes were perfect, and we had a friend we’ll always remember. Not only did he fix the bikes, he took us 10 miles into Big Pine Key for lunch, stopped at a health food store for us, we swapped stories while doing laundry, and he dropped us off at a nearby restaurant on his way down to Key West. How utterly awesome is that? (P.S. – He was an auto mechanic, among a number of other careers, but not a bike mechanic. And it took silicone spray and a pneumatic drill to loosen the offending nut!)
It was actually wonderful to have a day today to get organized. Going on the road on a new adventure always requires setting up systems that work on the spot. No matter how great the systems sound in the safety of your home or office, there are always things that need to be tweaked. We kept forgetting where we put things, I had the tent in my trailer so I had to wait until the tent came down before packing my trailer, and so on. Today gave us a great day to solve a lot of those issues. Now we are “armed and dangerous”.
The no-see-ums are still awful, but we got clever tonight and took shelter in the tent. We still have to make a mad dash for the bathroom for teeth-brushing, but we are organized and ready to go.
Key Things We Have Learned About Camping in the Keys
- Local mosquitoes have voracious appetites.
- Swarms of no-see-ums can test the best of attitudes
- The locals are really friendly and very laid-back.
- Prices are really high.
- Good sunscreen is essential.
- The heat and humidity combo without air conditioning is a serious deterrent to getting anything done.
- The food is great.
Unbelievable Things We Forgot
- The camera cable to upload the photos to the laptop – still dangling on Rosemary’s home computer.
- Toilet paper – never even made the list…
- Food – no comment…
- Underwear – unless Alex comes through and rescues our laundry from the dryer at home, we’ll be testing Ex Officio’s slogan of (paraphrasing here) “4 countries, 30 days, 1 pair of underwear”. The new slogan will be 35 countries, 1278 days, 1 pair of underwear.
Signing off from the bathroom at KOA in Sugarloaf Key…