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- Day 12
- Monday, May 13, 2024 at 2:12 PM
- ☁️ 33 °C
- Altitude: 10 m
United StatesCity of Homestead25°28’17” N 80°26’49” W
Day 12 - Down in the Everglades

16:30
I wake up around 08:00, having had a brilliant sleep. Definitely for the best to have a quiet day yesterday. By 09:30, I’m packed, on the road, and heading due West out of Miami. This morning’s drive will fully take me from the Atlantic over to the Gulf of Mexico. The drive is a fast, straight one. I count perhaps 3 slight curves to the road in 2 hours and 120 miles - other than that, arrow straight.
I arrive into Naples, and head South along the coast, arriving into a tiny place called Goodland around midday. It has a bar/restaurant, a bait shop, and that’s about it. I decide my stomach is up to being fed, so park up and head into the bar. A pint of an American Pale Ale (APA) called Reef Donkey to whet my whistle, and a Mahi Mahi sandwich. The beer’s excellent, and the sandwich even better. I’ve had Mahi Mahi before, but it’s never been this good. The fish is blackened with Cajun spices, and hard grilled. It’s delicious - incredibly moist, incredibly tasty. Critically, it ‘settles’ well in my stomach. I spend a fun half hour chatting to some of the bar regulars. I genuinely think this might be a hangout for retired wise guys. There are regular references to ‘Jimmy the Fish,’ who sounds calamitous at best. They also talk about someone called ‘Tough Tony’ who I *think* has recently died. They all sound like they’re from the Bronx, and they’re all getting very excited watching a Yankee game on the TV. Mindful that I might get whacked if I’m not careful, I settle my bill, and scarper.
The drive back East is fairly uneventful. I’m staying in a town called Homestead, about 30 miles South West of Miami, about 90 minutes drive from Goodland. I stop along the way to see what is claimed to be the smallest Post Office in the USA. It’s smaller than the garden shed I had in Crawley, so I can believe this to be true. I stop at the hugely misleading Shark Valley, where there are no sharks. I take a short walk along the the Shark Valley loop, but quickly realise the sun is properly hot. It’s a 15 mile loop, so I suspect I’d not quite make it all the way round before expiring. There’s a tram tour, but not for another 2 hours. I’ll come back tomorrow…
I arrive into Homestead around 15:45. My AirBnB is AWESOME. A really lovely space, and very considerately appointed by the owners. I’d stay here and write more, but the room has a hot-tub, and it’s calling to me… I shall repair there, along with a glass of the fab red wine the hosts have given me. Catch up tomorrow…Read more