1211 February 15, 2025 Nike Missile Site
I did a slow loop around the entire campground. It was about 1 ½ miles and then I quit. My legs were tired from yesterday’s longer hike.
We took the RV over to the dump station to clean tanks and fill with water.
We packed our bikes and lunches and drove the 30 some miles to the Nike Missile Site. Today is Saturday and the park road is very busy. We thought that this parallel road would be less busy and we were correct. The forecast was for wind of 8-10 miles an hour with gusts to 15. The windsock was pointing straight at us and I stopped to take a picture. When it is windy, we always ride into the wind first!
My hat blew off in a sudden gust and I got off my bike and ran back to fetch it. I was already looking forward to our return trip when I knew the wind would blow us all the way back!
Tim got further and further ahead. He is much stronger than I am and it was hard pedaling! He paused to wait for me to catch up. He asked if I wanted to go back to the Jeep?!? No! It was hard…but not TOO hard. I wanted to keep riding. I told him to just go on ahead and I would get there!
We had been riding in a large open area. We got to an area with trees on both sides and it was immediately easier. The tree line offered wind protection. The last mile was in another open space…but I got there.
We saw several live animal traps placed along the canal by the side of the road. We were wondering what the rangers might be trying to catch.
A rabid wolf spider…harmful to people and animals…I love the zoom on my camera. I never have to get too close!
We passed by a natural sink hole. I do believe that Florida is famous for these.
When we got back to the Jeep, Tim wanted to keep riding all the way to the Missile Site. I decided that 8 miles was enough for me and I went ahead in the car.
We wandered into the hangar to look at the displays. We heard a volunteer, Armando, speaking about the Cuban Missile Crisis. We have heard other presentations here in the past but this guy had lots of energy and passion for his subject. We learned several things that we didn’t know before. The thing that stuck with me though, was how close the US was to an actual nuclear war. There were three Russian submarines in the waters between the US and Cuba. The US was trying to get the submarines to surface. The Russian boat captain and another senior official were ready to fire a nuclear missile. According to their rules, all three commanding officers had to agree and the second in command did not. He was able to talk the other two gentlemen out of firing! Shew!!! Crisis averted.
We found a shaded picnic table at Long Pine Key and had lunch.
We were fairly close tot the park entrance and we only had 3/8 tank of gas in the Jeep. We decided to ride into Homestead for fuel. After that, we drove by Jeff’s old house…oh the memories!
Then, we rode through the farm fields until we found our way back to the main road.
It was almost 4pm when we got back to the RV. We had a long day!
We rested a little while and then I made dinner.
We are having to drive to the marina each night to post the blog. We have to park near the dumpsters…it is the best place to get service. So here I sit, typing away!