The third right hand turn

We farewelled  Les and Paul, proprietors of Knowles House bed and breakfast. It was a luxurious stay. Coming back to a pool in the evenings in such hot weather was so relaxing. We bumped into several couples and exchanged stories. One pair were from Czeck and Slovakia. A B&B definitely has a more social atmosphere. On the wall was written " There are no strangers here, just friends who haven't met yet."

We left Key West, a little piece of paradise, to ride in the very hot sun back across the beautiful Florida Keys on US 1. The ocean had such inviting colours of blues and greens. Little pockets of sandy beaches invited you to stay a little longer. Instead we moved on as quickly as we could over the bridges, past holiday homes,

strip malls, motels and the normal constructions that indicate human habitation, only stopping for a quick ice drink. (There was a sheltered outdoor seat at this service station. It was about 94 degrees F)

 

We stopped for another drink and sandwich at the service station in Florida City. Here we met Rick and Magda a couple from South Africa. They too are spending time here on a motorbike.

We diverted straight on, to 997, a continuous sprawling line of houses, strip malls, businesses and lights.  A few clouds passed across occasionally to ease the blistering sun.

Any waterway on our journey was assumed to contain an alligator or two.

After stretching our legs for a few minutes before tackling US 41 across the everglades, we settled in for a serious ride. We expected that there was not much to stop for until we reached the west coast of Florida. There are a few places that offer everglade air boat excursions and at least one zoo. Looking at the tall grass and low scrublands you realised that if you went on a trip into the everglades on your own you could quickly become disorientated. There are alligators and panthers in the everglades, apart from other creepy crawlies. It would nevertheless be an exciting adventure study this area.

There are at regular intervals, signs that say Indian Village  along the way. These villages have walls and gates to protect the inhabitants, just like the retirement villages we saw a few days earlier, only the threat is different. We called these "'gatored communities".

There was a service station with a Subway (no seating however) at the intersection of Florida 29. We drank our coffee standing up, outside. At the back of the station was a waterway.

Close to the edge was what at first glance looked like a small log among a few scattered weeds. However the eye was unmistakable.

The clouds closed in around the one small patch of blue sky that we were heading for.

The everglades are especially beautiful in the rain. A few different cormorant-like birds clung to the tall grasses searching for a feed. The only panthers we saw were black silhouettes on road signs.

We enjoyed the sprinkle of rain towards Naples until we heard thunder and saw lightning. We stopped at the first motel. The East Trail Motel was being renovated so there was no WIFI. When the rain dissipated the owners' little boy played soccer with great enthusiasm.

The motel owner claimed that there were two regular young visitors in the drains outside the motel. These run all the way along the road and are connected by pipes under side roads. Some pipes have horizontal slats across them allowing only water through.