9: thrive, venice of america, el rio trail, rob

March 26, 2025

Dania Beach to Boca Raton

Traffic wasn't bad this morning, and my route took me on some back roads instead of the coastal road because there's something I want to see in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

on the backroads near the airport I passed

Because of all the canals, Fort Lauderdale touts itself as the "Venice of America," which is kind of like saying "Best Egg Sandwich Without Eggs," or the "Best Italian Pizza" with no Italian ingredients.

I passed a lot of canals, and more condos.

There ARE a lot of waterways. No gondolas, though.

As recommended by Scott Y. in a previous post, I used Google Lens to determine what this structure is. At first I thought it was for high diving, but the platforms are on both sides which means it would have to be in the center of the pool. As it turns out, it IS a diving platform and is located at the International Swimming Hall of Fame and Aquatic Complex. The platforms on the right aren't for diving.

And this... This is why I made the detour to downtown Fort Lauderdale. I find this sculpture to be really beautiful. It's called Thrive, and was created by Daniel Popper.

She opens her heart, and there's a fern interior. I suggest you look at some online pictures, which are better than mine. Of course, I'm not in those. :-)

When I got back to the coast, there was a separate bike path waiting for me, and more condos.

I think they might've taken their design inspiration from Australia.

I see guys like these at least ten times a day, power washing sidewalks and buildings. I also see a dozen people people every day using leaf blowers.

The El Rio Trail, near the end of the day, was a nice getaway from the road.

Iguanas are either green or a combination of different colors. I've been wondering if the various colors are different species, or just variations of the same species.

I'm always looking for a place to stealth camp but I really haven't seen a single decent place since I started riding. I finally saw one on this trail just to the left. Literally 90 seconds later I came across the following sign.

"Do Not Feed"?!?!?! With WHAT?? My arm???

As I was riding along the path I slowly began catching up to a guy on an e-bike. It was one of those encounters in which you're gaining so slowly that you'll either have to start pedaling harder or slow down, because otherwise it'll take about five minutes to very slowly pass.

I did neither, and when I caught up to him I tossed out a conversation starter:
"This is a great trail."
He responded with:
"Yeah, but I don't use the electric." He continued for a minute to tell me about his bike, and how he rides it every day.
"You need a goal," said Rob, who recently turned 79 years old. "Today I'm going to Costco to get some herring and ketchup. I don't really need'em right now, but you gotta have a goal."
I agreed, we all need goals.
"Sometimes I ride down to the beach to look at the naked girls."
Indeed, we all need goals.

We went back to the topic of his bike.
"I have a bell for when someone's blocking the way," and showed me the friendly tinkling sound it makes. "These days, everybody's got earpods or headphones. Then I use this."
With that, he pressed the button on the airhorn attached to the front of his bike. After my ears stopped bleeding and I could once again hear, through the ringing I heard him say, "That usually works."

He put insulation in his panniers so he can buy frozen foods and they won't thaw during the return trip.

No stealth camping for me. I'd like to keep my arms.

I arrived at my hotel in Boca Raton, which was surprisingly large.

I was talking to Wanda this evening and she mentioned, "Wow... I can't believe you've been on the road for nine days." The nine days surprised me, because it doesn't seem like it, although that might be because I've had a couple of really short days. Still, I think I'll take an actual rest day tomorrow, especially since this place is more than twice the size of other places I've stayed at, and for half the price.

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Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 247 miles (398 km)

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