Ft. Pierce

5.24.11

Today was our first day back in the US. We slept in, still recovering from the voyage and then went about the business of clearing into Customs. Although we thought that we could simply make a phone call and be cleared, we soon found that was not the case. The nifty little decal that we bought before leaving was just so that the government could eke out a bit more of our money - in reality, it is good for nothing.
So, we put the dinghy back in the water and got it all set up again and then loaded the bikes up and headed in to one of the marinas. We docked our dinghy, put our bikes together and headed out for the airport - a short 3 mile bike ride away. Perhaps some people would have no problems with a 3 mile bike ride. But, try doing it on little folding bikes with tires the thickness of my thumb after not having ridden a bike farther than a mile within the last 6months. Ugh.
Within the first 10minutes we had to bike up the steepest hill I have seen in years - I thought Florida was flat?! Already out of breath, we took our time biking the rest of the way.
We arrived sweaty and tired at the airport, located the Customs office and within 5 minutes, had been cleared for re-entry. All that exercise for 5 minutes of waiting? Really?!
Having accomplished that, we reloaded our bikes and headed back into town to the Publix. At this point, we were tired, sweaty and hungry. My arms and legs felt like Jell-O and I really was shocked at the number of hills here - like I said, flat right?!
We went into Publix and stopped immediately inside the door as we gazed in wonder and awe at the aisles and aisles of fresh food available to us. It was a grocery store mecca! We restrained ourselves and only bought what we needed - along with a few fresh fruits that we had been missing over the months.
We biked the rest of the way back to the marina, had lupper and dinghied back to the boat feeling like we had climbed Everest.
After our 6 mile bike ride, I can definitely say that cars now scare me - why do people drive so fast?! - and people are in such a hurry all the time! After waving to at least 15 people today, I finally got my first return volley from an older lady relaxing on her porch. Although it is nice to have everything back at our fingertips, it appears convenience will have a price. But us beach-going cruisers here on All In have decided we will keep the smiles and waves coming and continue to operate on island time.