I don’t know exactly how I’m going to update this site on this trip. Not in terms of how I’m going to connect to the internet, but I just don’t know how to present this trip. There is too much that goes on during the course of the day. Everything that mattered before is virtually out the window. Although, I am still doing some work. And that’s perfectly fine. So let’s go.
Recap of day 1 –
Stats:
2648.1 km – start
2865.1 km – finish
—————————–
217 km or 130.2 miles
Details/Notes:
Duct tape for block of wood, didn’t work out so well. However, block of wood is the bomb dealio, yo! (Update, next day – block of wood lost. Picked up a block of cedar sticks to replace it. Block is to hold the backpack off of my back, relieving some of the tension and pull on my shoulders.)
I should probably be less excited than I am to be on this little adventure. It is only day one. But I’m brought back to Joe Vs. The Volcano, toward the end when he and Meg Ryan only have four large trunks on which to make a final raft at the end of the movie. Joe complains about the situation. Meg’s character says, “It’s always going to be something with you, Joe.”
But so far, so good. In fact, I would say great!
Day started with me getting up to watch the sun rise over Miami Beach. Cloudy skies. Woman doing yoga. Guy going through mid-life crisis in khaki shorts and barefoot standing in the water’s edge. Coulda been me, but it wasn’t.
Did some last minute work this morning before I left. Didn’t quite finish so I’m going to do some of that in the morning. I’ve realized, with the distance I’ve already put between me and South Beach, I already feel relaxed. Forget the tremendous pain. I’m relaxed. Tomorrow morning is going to suck when I wake up as I’ll be sore from head to toe. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Stopped by the scooter store to get one last thing on my scooter checked. THAT decision turned out to be a really, really good one because Beach Scooter hooked me up. They’re now an official sponsor of my road trip as well, offering support throughout the trip, giving me tons of stuff to help on the road, and possibly one really nice thing at the end of this little trek. Beach Scooter is actually where I bought the scooter when I moved last year, and they’ve been nothing but helpful and providing me great service since. The guys there are cool. Friendly. Great place and I’d buy another scooter there (or rent one) before I went somewhere else. Easily.
Honestly, I would’ve said all this had they not decided to sponsor me and had planned to give them props anyway. And they didn’t ask that I say anything on my site in exchange for their generosity, but really, I owe them. They were good to me before today and they’re the people who’ve helped put me on the road by selling me the most awesomest scooter, The Kymco People 50.
Back to the trip itself. Met up with Gus Moore of Miami Tour Company and Carlos Miller who shot some footage of me leaving town. Had to make one more stop by the camping store for some last minute supplies, courtesy of Miami Tour Company.
Had my last meal at The Pitt somewhere along Tamiami Trail with friends before I began a long quiet trek across the straightest most desolate road around. Purposefully ran my gas tank all the way down somewhere halfway between Miami and Naples so that I could fill it to the rim with the gallon of gas that it takes and check to see what kind of mileage I’m getting. Looks like a lot. I’ll let you know when the tank empties again.
Saw an alligator while I was filling my tank on the side of the road. Score.
As I was getting close to the campsite just outside of Marco Island, I saw a model shoot going on by the side of the road. Nice backdrop. Hope the guy got good photos. Which reminds me, saw another shoot going on last night outside of the dive of the hotel I was in. Talked briefly to the photographer, got his name. Curious to see what he did in the photos. Interesting choices. Funny how I still see this going on. It’s like I couldn’t get away if I tried.
Anyway, came up on the campground as the sun was nearly down. Wanted to go to Marco Island to watch the sunset so zipped down there and that was entirely surreal. When i hit the white sands ot the beach, I witnessed all these little clusters of people standing and just looking out to the horizon, with the aquamarine colored ocean and cloudy sky, just waiting for the sun to move from behind the clouds and set.
Weird. It was as if none of the hundreds of people on the beach had ever seen a sunset. It was as if they were truly worshipping the sun. All of them.
The sun came from behind the clouds and dropped behind the horizon.
Hopped back on my scooter and came to the campsite. I’m laying down in my tent now typing this (that’s my one man tent which is going to need some rearranging since all of my stuff is in here with me but there isn’t room for me to stretch out the way I should be able to). No problem, just move stuff around. Might invest in a pad or something to go underneath the sleeping bag. Although, tonight, I don’t care. My body is tired.
And so the ride itself… difficult. Physically draining. The odd thing is that I expected for my feet and hands to go numb from the ride, since that’s what’s been the case before. But I figured it out, why that’s been happening. I was driving around with flipflops and no gloves. Now, I’m wearing shoes and have gloves on my hands. No numbness.
The backpack. THAT’S the killer. Beach Scooter had a block of wood and right now, for the road…it’s the smartest thing I’ve got going on. Having it wedged between the seat and the bottom of the pack makes a world of difference. When I lean forward and the weight comes off the block, it’s hugely noticeable.
I had more I wanted to write. More details about what I saw. But I’m tired. And this was a long day. And it was a good day.
All of the photos from today (and all days in this trip) can be seen in the Nomad’s Land category in the Street +/ Life gallery.
Final note: I’m actually in Naples now, at a Starbucks updating. Figuring out where I’m going from here. It’s Highway 41, no doubt, I just have to pick a destination.
Scott’s roadtrip across America is proudly sponsored by Miami Tour Company. For info on the best tours in Miami, visit MiamiTourCompany.com.
Lawrence Salberg
on Apr 18th, 2009
@ 5:31 pm:
Thought you might be interested in possibly using FireEagle to update your location with those of us who live vicariously through you. I’m thinking of logging your travel into a KML file for Google Earth so we can later do a flyover of your entire trip.
Of course, I probably won’t get around to it, but it could be cool. So, yeah, maybe FireEagle for now (http://fireeagle.yahoo.net/).
Gus Moore
on Apr 19th, 2009
@ 6:26 am:
Cool report, Scott. I like how you formatted the post. I tried to comment on a picture of the Hawaii Hotel, but got an error message saying I must be logged in.
Lawrence, do you use Google Earth to create KML files?:
http://code.google.com/apis/kml/documentation/
What coordinates would Scott need to us to make a flyover?
Lex Smith
on Apr 19th, 2009
@ 12:41 pm:
Scott, most important is the back support. Done a few long rides on my Road King and after the first one I hit the dealer for a back rest. So you are rideing from Miami to LA on a 50cc scooter….. YOU GOT BALLS man. That is a real ride. I’ll be watching your updates. Be carefull out there. God and I thought that my trip from Va to Venice Fl. was a long trip. Some day I am going to do the cross country trip. i thought that it was going to be to the reunion but to many things have come up to make it this time. Lex
I heart Sony Software : ipanemic.com
on Jan 23rd, 2010
@ 9:55 am:
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