Reader GregL and I didn't do as much exploration of Atsean Otie Key yesterday as I had initially expected, probably because I was weak and tired after that early-week sickness and clearly not up to it, but we did make the paddle out to the key, sat and talked on its little beach for a while, then paddled partway around the island into a waterway that splits the island, out the other side, back around, and back to Cedar Key.
On the way out, we saw the dolphins doing a little jumping out of the water, etc. On the way back, not as much but a fin or two. First time I've seen that animal in the wild. Ditto horsehoe crabs and at least one sea turtle of some kind.
I was glad to see that Cedar Key seems to be recovering from Hurricane Helene more quickly than I'd have expected, infrastructure-wise. From the news reportage, I kind of had the impression that all the buildings were just literally swept away, but that clearly wasn't the case. There was plenty of new construction, of course, but a lot of stuff that had withstood the storm surge, etc. and been repaired too. One shop (not open at the moment we walked past -- apparently a number of businesses don't open until late on Friday afternoons and only operate on the weekend) had hand markings next to its door of the water level reached by various hurricanes.
We had a late lunch at Steamers, the restaurant I always hear associated with Cedar Key. They're currently operating at (in tandem with?) 2nd Street Cafe, as their waterfront location was damaged by a fire a few days before Hurricane Helene probably assisted greatly with pre-re-construction demolition work.
Great food and great service. I even had a beer, something I rarely ever do these days. They happen to serve what may be my favorite beer in the world, Big Nose IPA, made by Swamp Head Brewery in Gainesville.
The beer, of course, necessitated a wait before motorcycling home, but that's never a problem when I'm hanging with GregL. We're always able to find interesting stuff to talk about and he's a great conversationalist. He also brought me a dozen eggs (he keeps chickens), for which I'm grateful. They made it home with no breakage in my motorcycle "trunk."
Which brings me to the ride:
I left home at 8am, even though I didn't need to be in Cedar Key until 10:30am. After that early-week sickness, I didn't want to be late if I had to make several bathroom stops, etc. (as it turns out, I didn't, but I didn't want to risk it, and I have a tendency to be early to places anyway). I stopped in Bronson, 15 miles from my home, and topped off the gas tank. Fuelly tells me that the Italica Bulldog 150's mileage for the period between that fill-up and the previous one was 63.6 miles per gallon.
Got back on the bike and rode the remaining 35 miles or so to Cedar Key with no stops. BUT! Since I was in no hurry and there was almost no traffic (I was passed by a total of two vehicles on that 35-mile stretch, and one of those passings was basically in Bronson), I decided to take my time and mostly putt along at 45 miles per hour, keeping the bike at 5,500-6,000 RPM instead of imposing maximum strain on the engine.
Once I got there, I started looking for the kayak rental place. Neither of the addresses listed for it seemed to be in operation (or even in existence based on signage). I rode the bike around town at first, then walked because one of the listed locations was on a road closed for construction. Once GregL arrived, we just went to the big collection of kayaks on the beach and found a sign with a phone number on it. The guy came over from his other business (golf cart rental) within a couple of minutes and we got the deal done. I got the impression that he'd given up on maintaining "office locations," at least temporarily, since the hurricane.
I believed that I had plenty of fuel in the tank to make it back to Bronson to fill back up again, but had a reserve fuel bottle (750 ml) in the motorcycle trunk, just in case. I ended up thinking I was going to have to use it -- my "you are about to run out of gas" light began blinking maybe 15 miles short of Bronson.
But I did make it without touching that reserve bottle, and this time (again per Fuelly) I'm informed that I got a beautiful 74.7 miles per gallon over the 76 miles I covered between Bronson and Cedar Key, both ways (plus some riding around Cedar Key itself). I attribute that to mostly keeping the bike in that sweet 45mph zone both ways instead of pouring extra gas into the carburetor just to eke out another 10-15mph.
Anyway, made it home, interacted with family a bit, then slept like a log. I really needed this trip, and I'm grateful to GregL for taking it with me. I've been meaning to ride to Cedar Key ever since I got the bike, but the route is so ... low-habitation ... that I wanted to be in communication with someone who would also be in the area and could come grab me if the bike broke down.
Note: As usual with me, no photos. I always mean to take some, and I always get caught up in things and forget. Also, on the water, my phone was in an at least somewhat protected thigh bag and I didn't want to get it wet or drop it in the Gulf of Mexico. GregL got some video from the kayak (or at least attempted to -- it was too bright out for him to see his camera's viewscreen very well). If he sends me something shareable and cool, I'll share it.
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