Route 1, Day Seven: Twelve Miles an hour through Miami

January 4th and we head down the Florida coast. We stop north of Fort Lauderdale and visit two apartments that Jim’s brother Jeff owns: Coral Springs, where many of the streets are a variation on ‘coral’: Coral Ridge Drive, Coral Springs Drive, Coral Hills Drive; and the town of Margate. These towns abut the Everglades, which are so flat that a short man-made embankment hides them from our view.

We press on through south Florida. Route 1 goes right through the heart of Miami. Jim’s a good sport: we average twelve miles an hour for three hours. Once through Miami we stop at Pollo Tropical, a Caribbean-themed fast food place. I have barbequed ribs, balsalmic tomatoes (maybe not so West Indian), and boiled yucca (very West Indian), a mild-flavored starchy vegetable; Jim has pulled pork.
Just outside of Florida City civilization as we know it ends. Night has fallen and we see no lights off the highway. The “Overseas Highway” is Route 1 and the only game in town to reach the Keys (unless you own a boat or fly into Key West). We stop at the Banana Bay Resort for the night.
Ironically, a heat wave broke just before we arrived in Florida. High temperature: 55 degrees. So the outdoor pool holds no allure. The Floridians are grateful for the cool; I was hoping for some heat.