South - Day 28
Limping past docks with boats alongside bobbing quietly in the darkness, I approached Pompano Beach at dawn and walked on the sand. Along Fort Lauderdale Beach, the teeming public numbered over a thousand. The road then veered inland, crossing an enormous drawbridge. US-1 became an 8-lane divided highway out in the open by the airport. After cooling off under a bridge abutment, I circled an accident scene, where a friendly policeman recommended the shore route around Miami. A mile later I turned left in Dania on his advice and returned to Route A1A. The Hollywood resort area had a kaleidescope of beach umbrellas and thousands of bathers. The road narrowed dangerously in Hallandale Beach where I scooted underneath bushes and between driveways. Then city streets and beaches for a few more miles.
My injured ankle might not take me far, but after several miles of shuffling I could walk almost normally.
In Fort Lauderdale Beach, a dalmation dog wore a red bandana around the neck and sunglasses rakishly perched on the nose. Shortly afterwards, a flock of multi-colored parrots flew into the tree above me.
Joel the Concierge in Sunny Isles got me a room farther ahead. At Days Inn, the lady at the desk told me to take the elevator to my room. That round-trip ride was my only mechanical transportation for 34 days.
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