Key West…The Aromas of the Keys!

 

March 2, 2014

One of the spinoffs of riding my bike around Key West is the “Aromas”. Yes, there is more than to the old saying “Slow down and smell the roses”. When riding my bike around the circle tour of the island, especially, if the wind is calm, I can smell a lot of different things. The first that I noticed was the different ladies pedaling on their bikes in the opposite direction. Most were going to work. The perfume really sensitized my nose. “What a pleasant scent from that lady. Oh, that one has suntan lotion”. These aromas were present all around my ten mile ride. This wasn’t the only aromas or smells encountered. The Burger King hamburgers were sizzling on the grill. (keep pedaling…nothing good for my body here) The smells coming from ocean next to North Roosevelt Blvd were picked up next. Not all smells were sweet and pleasant. Going by a Waste Management dumpster kept me focused on moving forward on my power ride. Soon, I was approaching the larger hotels. Here the sweet smell of flowers filled the air. On South Roosevelt Blvd, Smather’s beach was filling up with more sun bathers. Here suntan lotion rules in the aroma department. Great place to take a break and watch the creatures laying on the beach. Enough of a break, time to move on.

Approaching the downtown area, the aromas intertwine…some good and some not so good. Once in a while, a whiff of urine from a street person floats by. More restaurants and different cuisines produce appetizing wonders. The mopeds, buses, cars and trucks now billow their toxic aromas. I’m on the home stretch and back along the water front on lower Caroline street. The Coast Guard guard shack is now in site. Very little left to smell. Everything on the Coast Guard side is free from any smells at least at this moment in time.

Today marks a milestone for me here in Key West. My odometer, on the bike, has passed the one hundred mile mark! I am eleven pounds lighter than I was when we first got here! I am hoping to shed another 10 or so pounds before we head out to Utah in nine days. I don’t expect to be riding as much, if any, once we start moving again.  

That is what we saw and did!