Pages From the Road Journal of Everyman's Adventure
Page 4: The Florida Keys
When the first snowfall hit Toledo in November, my wife started yearning wistfully for a warm-weather winter vacation. I suggested a bike trip along the Florida Keys, which surprised her, since neither of us especially cares for Florida. However, I had read that the Keys have a distinctive island style culture all their own, lots of points of historic, cultural and ecological interest, and they were - well, warm! So Pam hit the internet to make reservations and I put together our biking kit. In a few weeks, we were off!
Day One: Wednesday, January 4, 2012
After a brief layover at the Atlanta airport, our flight landed in Key West to brilliant sunshine and a temperature in the mid-sixties. We caught a cab to our first night's lodging at the Angelina Guest House ($126 including tax), a modest but charming and inexpensive former bordello just two blocks off Duval Street, the heart of the Key West's Old Town. Arriving at about 2 pm, we wandered up to Duval Street and caught a very good lunch at Jack's Sea Food Shack. We were to discover that cuisine throughout the Keys is consistently excellent, though expensive. We found that typically breakfast for the two of us would cost $20, lunch $40 and dinner $60. Casual treats like ice cream cones were two to three times the price back home. As non meat eaters, though, we were delighted to have plenty of great sea food options available on every menu.
      We had previously arranged with Chris at Recycle, a local bike shop, to rent two hybrids with racks and cages for a week, to be delivered to us at the Angelina after 4 pm. Bikes are a very popular option for transportation in the Keys, both with locals and tourists, and bike rental shops abound throughout the Keys. However, almost all of them limit their offering to single speed beach cruisers with balloon tires, which seems to be the popular, and, I suppose, most practical option for cruising the beaches. Recycle was the only shop I discovered which could provide us with "real" bikes worthy of a 200 mile trip.
      A call to Recycle revealed that they would like us to come in to the shop to be properly fitted, since we were talking serious mileage. He sent a car for us and we selected appropriate frames (solid Kona Dew hybrids with touring tires - $80 each for the week) and watched while they added racks, cages and our own saddles and clipless pedals, which we had brought along. He was prepared to fully equip us with lock, lights, pumps, repair kit and tubes without extra cost, but I had brought my own riding kit, just in case. We also brought our own helmets, panniers and cycling shoes. By this time it was dark, so they drove us back to the Angelina with our bikes.
      We wandered up Duval Street again to see a bit of night life. Key West is truly Party Central. Every breakfast menu included a full complement of alcoholic drinks. Bongs were sold over the counter at nearly every T-shirt and souvenir stand. We passed a store named "Leather Master" which didn't offer a single shoe, hat, jacket, coat, purse or recognizable belt. And we learned that at midnight on New Year's Eve, Old Town officials lowered a transvestite to mark the new year. However, on this night we were out too early to catch prime time; one lone couple (30 years too old) was doing a strip dance on the sidewalk in front of a music store, but everyone else was just getting warmed up. It had been a very long day, and we were in bed by 10 pm. You can check out this live streaming video of Duval Street to get a feel for the local color.
Day Two: Thursday, January 5, 2012
We were up early and walked two blocks to Blue Heaven, a much recommended restaurant with a good breakfast. We ate under big umbrellas in a rustic outdoor courtyard well populated with the chickens Key West is famous for. Roosters, hens and chicks scurried about under the tables and atop the umbrellas, causing us to keep a watchful eye on the space above our plates. Back at the Angelina we found ourselves in conversation around the pool with a dentist from Minnesota in town for a writers' workshop led by Margaret Atwood and Joyce Carol Oates. It turned out he had written a guide to Key West and he pulled out a comp copy for us. It was informative, full of inside information, very well written and wickedly funny for a guide book. Pam read it cover to cover and we referred to it often. You can find Marsh Muirhead's Key West Explained on Amazon.
      What with packing the panniers, packing our big suitcases for storage for the week and making adjustments to the bikes, we didn't get on the road until noon. However, it would be our shortest day, so we were still in good shape. The road from Key West to Key Largo is about 106 miles, not counting the side trips, and we planned to ride to Largo and back in six days, giving us plenty of time to smell the roses. We divided the trip into approximate thirds, stopping at Little Torch Key and Conch Key on the way there and back. Our first day was 30 miles.
      To our delight, we discovered that you can get anywhere in Key West conveniently by bike, and many people do - even the locals. Given the tiny streets and heavy traffic, it's also probably the quickest way to travel. The down side is that the streets are thick with cyclists, none of whom obey any rules at all, generally riding in large packs and slowing to a crawl at each tourist landmark. It was a little frustrating making our way through the battalions of bikers, pedicabs, electric minicars, tourist trains, motorcycles, scooters, skaters, runners, power walkers, skateboarders, rubberneckers, street performers and chickens, but once out of Old Town riding was much easier and faster. We took the southern route along S. Roosevelt Blvd. on a broad sidewalk and crossed out of Key West going northeast after about five miles. The temperature at noon was 65-67 degrees, and I wore all four of my layers. Even though it warmed up through the week, I wore my windbreaker all three days we headed into the heavy wind.
      The Florida Keys are a collection of dozens of smallish islands strung out in a southwesterly curve from the southernmost tip of mainland Florida. Highway 1 is the only paved access, running the entire length, much of it on 42 bridges between the islands. Although it is virtually impossible to get lost, we made good use of the ACA map #7 of the Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route, which covers from Miami to Key West. About 90 miles of our route was part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (FKOHT), a Florida State Department of Environmental Protection project, and their web site provided excellent maps and directions, which we printed off for our journey. The FKOHT is a mixed bag of special wide berm, paved "sidewalk" running next to the road, alternate minor side roads, dedicated bike path well apart from the highway and special "side bridges" which run parallel to the main automotive roadway bridges. Inexplicably, a few of these side bridges are disconnected at the center, requiring you to use the main bridge. The pavement is mostly good but we encountered much gravel and some dirt. Also, many side trips you might want to take will involve less than perfect pavement. It is possible to use a road bike (and we saw several roadies), but only if you ride on the road berm the whole way. To use the FKOHT, I would recommend a hybrid or mountain bike and 1.5" - 2" touring tires with some tread.
      The FKOHT crosses back and forth across the highway with some frequency, and the traffic is heavy enough at times to require a 10 minute wait to cross. Whenever we found ourselves on a standard 3' berm, however, a quick scout around usually led us back to a friendlier path, either on the other side of Highway 1 or well back from the road.
      On leaving Key West we turned on to a standard berm (about 3 feet) along a four lane highway with heavy traffic. We kept a speed of about 8-10 mph for most of the day, partly because of traffic and mostly because of the 15-20 mph northeast wind (which we would have all but the last day). The land was very flat, with little to shield us, particularly on the many bridges. However, the scenery was mostly beautiful, we had plenty of time, and the wind never really bothered us. The first day was perhaps the least scenic and offered the heaviest traffic, but it was all relative - the day before, we had departed Toledo amid snow and 25 degree temperatures. Before long we encountered the first traces of the FKOHT and the ride became a little less stressful. We passed Stock Island and the U.S. Naval Air Base, and reached the 22 mile marker at Cudjoe Key, where we had planned lunch at the Square Grouper, a highly recommended restaurant. We arrived at 2:45 only to find it had closed at 2:30 and wouldn't open for dinner until 5 pm - a schedule shared by many restaurants in the Key West area (not by those farther east, however). There weren't many other options on this stretch, so we finished the first leg, arriving at Parmer's Resort, just off Highway 1 on Little Torch Key, about 4 pm.
      We were both suffering a bit in the wrists, neck and butt, since our own touring bikes are recumbents (which we reluctantly decided not to bring), and we weren't used to long hours on the "wedgies." Fortunately, there was an excellent restaurant, Parrotdise Bar and Grill, just a quarter mile from our resort; a quick shower and a great tuna reuben had us in good spirits in no time. However, by the time we finished dinner, it was dark, which brought home an issue I had totally overlooked in my planning. While the warm weather in Florida made it seem like summer, we didn't have summer hours! The days were still winter short, limiting what we could see and do after our ride. As a result, we made sure we were up with the sun in the mornings to make the most of our days.
      Parmer's Resort was a well-kept grouping of multi-room buildings on the water, quiet and efficient. Although our room was tiny, it had a covered deck/porch to park our bikes and sit and look at the water. There was a good size swimming pool and a small snack/drink selection in the office. Since we had a very late lunch, we did without dinner and went to bed early.
Day Three: Friday, January 6, 2012
We were first in line at the continental breakfast, minimal but acceptable. It was quite cool at 55 degrees, so we delayed our start until it warmed up a bit. By 8:30 it was warm enough to go to only three layers, and we kicked off. This leg offered a lot of bridges and long stretches with nothing but road. Unfortunately, Pam gets a bit of vertigo on bridges, so it was stressful for her. I loved them. As we passed through Big Pine Key, a miniature Key Deer came out of the bushes and ran across our path. We decided to stop at the Key Deer Reserve on the way back. We then came to the worst/best part of the trip: the famous seven mile bridge, which caused Pam considerable distress. Most of the bridge runs about 30' above water, but for one mile near the east end, it rises to 60' so water traffic can pass below. All the concrete road on the bridges is grooved, causing lots of tire noise, and the four foot concrete walls on the outside reflect the sound waves back to the center, resulting in a seriously stressful level of noise. The berm on the bridges is very adequate (about 5') but the noise and the heavy traffic made everything seem much closer. I bought a pair of ear plugs to wear on the return trip, and that cut the noise by about half, making it much more pleasant.
      After making about 6 mph across the bridge, we finally made it to Marathon Key, which is quite pleasant and has lots of services and points of interest. We stopped at a bike shop to replace the water bottle Pam had dropped on the bridge, and a couple of locals recommended Lazy Days and Keys Fisheries as prime lunch spots. We decided on Keys Fisheries, and it turned out to be a quaint and colorful combination of restaurant, market, marina and fishery. We stood in line outside and picked our selections from a large wall menu, placing our orders at the window and picking them up when our name was called. Outdoor tables were spread along the pier for customers, so we ate in the warm sun, watching the pelicans shuffle around begging for scraps and the fishing boats load fresh catch into the back of the restaurant. It was a very pleasant lunch experience - and the food was good.
      Marathon is a good size community, strung along the highway strip mall style, and it was the most civilization we experienced between Key West and Key Largo. After Marathon, however, it was mostly bridge until we reached our second stop at Conch Key at about 4 pm.
      The Bay View Inn was right on Highway 1, a quirky, old rambling building seemingly in the middle of nowhere run by a husband and wife. It was clean and neat and brightly painted, however, and richly landscaped. Conch Key is a tiny island with what appeared to be a seasonal population - most of the two dozen residences were mobile homes or small cottages. The Inn included a marina, a tiny but lovely stretch of beach with a gas fired grill, a postage stamp size pool which was always empty and a small grocery in the office which seemed to cater to the small local population.
     By the time we had unpacked and showered, it was dark again. The only nearby restaurant was a mile back the way we had come, and we didn't feel like either walking or riding along the narrow berm on Highway 1 in the dark. We ended up ordering a pizza ($22) from the nearest shop (10 miles distant), thinking it would provide both a hot dinner and a cold breakfast in the morning.
Day Four: Saturday, January 7, 2012
The pizza, which was heavy and tasteless the night before, had absolutely no appeal for us in the morning. The one nearby restaurant wasn't open for breakfast and the Inn didn't offer any. We packed up and were headed east toward Key Largo by 8:00, knowing it would be a long ride to breakfast. It was still sunny and still getting warmer. I was down to two layers. This would be our longest day at 40 miles.
      A few miles into our ride we stopped to take a side trip at Long Key State Park. We rode a couple of miles into the park, dismounted and wandered up and down the beach for a while. I was surprised to discover that the Keys do not have great beaches - there is no natural local sand. What sand they do have is imported from the Bahamas. We noticed that there were both rooms and campsites available (not noted on their web site), although the lack of amenities would be a bit of a problem for bikers.
       18 miles from our start at Conch Key, we found the Hungry Tarpon. It was carefully hidden off the north side of the road under the ramp of the bridge leading to Islamoralda Key. We would never have guessed it was there, but Pam had struck up a conversation with a couple of passing locals and they clued us in. The breakfast and service were excellent, and the outdoor dining area was under a grass roof along the pier of the marina. Tourists were feeding tarpon off the end, and the pelicans and gulls battled to catch the tarpon food before the fish could get it. Next door was Robbie's, an outdoor market with open air shops and rentals. We browsed art, craft and clothing shops for a while and Pam bought a blouse and a wallet.
      After our rest stop, we headed across the bridge to Islamoralda. The island was definitely upscale, with interesting shops, restaurants and bakeries. We passed Plantation Key and Tavernier and rode on in to Key Largo. Largo is long and narrow and doesn't really have a city center. The community is lined up in strip mall fashion along the highway. All the typical franchises are there, interspersed with local businesses with true island character. There were even some hybrid variations: one True Value Hardware Store we visited consisted of several cottage style mobile homes tacked together in a row.
       We reached the Hampton Inn at 3:00, unpacked, showered and legged it out to find an early dinner, since we hadn't stopped for lunch. The people at True Value had recommended the Fish House, which was a local culinary icon and happened to be just next door. Our dinners were very good, but not outstanding, and a little pricey. After dinner, we walked a mile or so to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The park was closing, but Pam talked the guard into letting us walk down to the beach (free). Unfortunately for us, the coral reef was under water, and we didn't get to see much without snorkeling gear. We walked another couple of miles to pick up some odds and ends at a grocery in the nearby mall, then back to the Fish House for dessert. Pam, who reveres good key lime pie, claimed that the Fish House had the very best key lime pie ever. I had to admit it did look spectacular. She talked the bartender into giving her a copy of the recipe. I suppose they don't think anyone will really be able to pull it off like they do. Back to the Hampton and bed by 10:00.
Day Five: Sunday, January 8, 2012
Up at 7:00 for a pretty decent full breakfast in the Motel, and on the road by 8:00. The day was gorgeous and the wind was now at our backs, so I was down to a single layer. We were making great time, now. At Tavernier, we stopped at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center. This sanctuary rescues injured wild birds, treats them and releases them back into the wild. A few of their patients with missing wings had become permanent residents. There were owls, hawks, egrets, pelicans and countless other water birds in various stages of rehabilitation. A couple of hours there were well spent.
      We passed through Islamoralda again and were tempted to try a new restaurant, but we kept going to the Hungry Tarpon again for a late lunch. This time the service was awful and the food suffered from the inattention of our waitress. We headed back toward the Bay View Inn, knowing there was nothing for 18 miles. However, this time it was a very quick trip, and we pulled in at 2:30. We bought some cheese and crackers from the store for a late snack. We biked on down to the one nearby restaurant at Hawk's Cay to check it out, but weren't impressed enough to wait around until 5 pm for it to open for dinner. It was finally time for laundry, but there was a line at the Inn's small laundry room, and we didn't get our things dried before it closed at 7 pm.
      It was unfortunate that both of our interim stops were not near any activities of interest - it felt like we were wasting some of our time in the Keys. On a return trip I would find some way around this, but I'm not sure how. However, lying in bed reading after a good day's ride is always pleasant, and we got a lot of that done on this trip. Pam brought her Kindle and I had my usual handful of paperbacks.
Day Six: Monday, January 9, 2012
We started a little late because we had to dry the clothes we had washed the night before. The owner assured us there were several restaurants open for breakfast in the first few miles west, so we didn't worry much about breakfast. However, the restaurants we passed were all closed - seemingly permanently. we passed through Duck Key, Grassy Key and into Marathon where we finally found a plethora of restaurants. We finally settled on the Island Fish Company, which was beautiful, had excellent food and even reasonable prices!
       Pam decide to bypass the dreaded seven mile bridge, and found a cab in the parking lot of K Mart in Marathon which did the job for $15. There was also bus and shuttle service available (also stopping in the K Mart parking lot), but the taxi was the bird in hand. I headed off toward the bridge on my bike. Once on the bridge, with a 15-20 mph wind at my back, I was reaching mid 20s, even with wide treaded tires and a load. I was hardly pedaling - if I had had more gears, I could have gone faster. The traffic was much lighter and quieter (thanks to my ear plugs). The ocean stretched out on each side of me as far as I could see, and as I reached the top of the highest span, I felt like I was flying! It was perhaps the best 20 minutes of riding I can remember. I reached the other side way too soon, merely minutes behind Pam, who thought she would have time to crack open her Kindle and relax.
      We mounted up again and headed west. Shortly we came to the Big Pine Key information center, where we picked up a map of the Key Deer Reserve. Several miles off the main road, we came to the reserve, which was mostly a lot of scrub brush. Apparently the deer aren't active at mid day, because we didn't see any. We took another side branch to the "Blue Hole," a pond with alligators. We didn't see any alligators, either. Just lots of tourists looking for alligators.
      Soon we were at Little Torch Key again, pulling into Parmer's Resort at about 3 pm. We had a quick snack at the Parrotdise, than a shower and nap, followed by a return trip to Parrotdise for dinner. I caught enough of the Alabama - LSU game to see that Alabama was in control, then hit my book.
Day Seven: Tuesday, January 10, 2012
We were up at seven to catch the continental breakfast and get an early start. We wanted to have lunch in Key West and spend the rest of the day seeing the sights. It was a 30 mile day again, and we made Key West with little trouble by 11:00. It was a little early to occupy our room at the Angelina yet, so we locked the bikes and headed over to Blue Heaven to eat with the rest of the chickens.
      After lunch we played tourist and visited Hemingway's house (very interesting, but the prices in the book store are ridiculous). We stopped at a few art galleries, but they tended overwhelmingly to be tourist art - bright and colorful local scenes. We worked our way through the shops back down to our guesthouse to meet the Recycle driver, who took the bikes off our hands. Then back up Duval, past the Truman Little White House (elegance island style), ending up in Mallory Square for the nightly sunset celebration. There were dozens of artists, singers, hawkers, beggars and street performers falling off tightropes, riding various unlikely mechanisms and juggling pointy and flaming objects. There was a giant cruise ship docked nearby (probably the source of most of the tourists on hand), and, as sunset approached, the harbor filled up with boats of all types and sizes to celebrate the day's end and the start of the night shift. The sun finally plunged into the sea in a blaze of oranges, yellows, reds and pinks, to the cheers of the crowd and the whistles and horns of the boats. It was beautiful - an odd combination of the romantic and the bizarre.
      We had dinner at a very good Italian restaurant, La Trattoria, then headed back to the Angelina.
Day Eight: Wednesday, January 11, 2012
We were up early to repack for our flight home. Since our cab was picking us up at noon, we had the morning to explore some more. We had a good breakfast at Croissants deu France on Duval (Pam swears that Rod Stewart was sitting at the table next to us). We wandered back to Mallory Square again and tried the art museum, but it wasn't open yet. We reversed course to the south and spent the rest of our time at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. We could have ridden our bikes around Key West and covered more ground, but we had been on our butts more than enough this week, and I have found walking to be a good counterbalance for the muscles on a bike trip. We picked up our bags at the Angelina, pulled out our heavy coats for the return trip and said goodbye to the sun. The Weather Channel said it was 25 degrees in Toledo. And grey.
      All in all, we had a great t rip, and Pam is talking about returning some day. If so, the next trip will be decidedly different. It takes one visit to get a feel for the place - to know what you'd really like to spend time doing on the next one. Hm. Maybe that writer's workshop?

© 2010 - 2012 Bob Beach