Baseball teams take their spring training in Florida, so why not pilgrims looking forward to the Camino? The choice is easy for us because we live in Florida.
Florida's Cedar Keys are a cluster of small islands off the west coast, extending three miles into the Gulf of Mexico. We spend part of our time here, and since a good deal of our time recently has been devoted to training for the Camino, we've done a great deal of walking around the islands (actually, the one island that's inhabited). It offers a number of scenic places to walk, and the Gulf is seldom out of sight. One important thing the island lacks is elevation; the highest point being less than 10 meters above sea level. So an important element of our training is missing, and it appears that we'll have to do our hill training while climbing Monte Irago and on the trail up to O'Cebriero! That's a scary thought. We comfort ourselves with the knowledge that unlike us, many people who take to the Camino as pilgrims have little opportunity for training of any kind.
Florida's Cedar Keys are a cluster of small islands off the west coast, extending three miles into the Gulf of Mexico. We spend part of our time here, and since a good deal of our time recently has been devoted to training for the Camino, we've done a great deal of walking around the islands (actually, the one island that's inhabited). It offers a number of scenic places to walk, and the Gulf is seldom out of sight. One important thing the island lacks is elevation; the highest point being less than 10 meters above sea level. So an important element of our training is missing, and it appears that we'll have to do our hill training while climbing Monte Irago and on the trail up to O'Cebriero! That's a scary thought. We comfort ourselves with the knowledge that unlike us, many people who take to the Camino as pilgrims have little opportunity for training of any kind.
This boardwalk over the salt marsh is easy hiking--easier than almost anywhere on the Camino
Cedar Key's funky cemetery offers a pleasant venue for a quiet stroll
Cafe bars are few along most routes, but places for rest stops abound
This rest stop features a view of Cedar Key's famous "Honeymoon Cottage" (right background)
We hope you've enjoyed this brief tour of some of Cedar Key's Camino spring training routes. Now that we've toughed it out under the tropical sun for a while, we'll need to get back to Gainesville and do some of the less interesting things needed to get ready for the Camino. Time is getting short.
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