After leaving Long Key State Park on Thursday morning, I was delighted to find that almost all of the bridges crossing channels from Long Key to Marathon Key had beautiful fishing bridges built parallel to the ones for vehicles. It's so convenient and safe. The fishing bridges are built completely separate from the vehicular bridges. If you turn your back to the vehicular bridges and gaze at the water, you almost feel free of the urban life. Although many, many people had warned me of the dangers of riding my bicycle through the Keys, in general, I had found the route to be extremely accommodating to bicyclists and pedestrians and sometimes even luxurious. The fishing bridges were my favorite sections of the path.
Fishing bridge on the right, vehicular bridge on the left. Here you are, crossing the bluest water you've ever experienced, the sun is beaming down on your back, and you can stop anywhere you wish, peer over the edge of the bridge, see straight to the bottom of the clear blue water to the coral rock below, and dream of jumping in. The water there is just beckoning to you. The colors and clarity of the water in the Keys is so surreal that I wouldn't have been shocked to see a mermaid slowly flow by, cruising the strong current.
And the color and clarity in the sky isn't much different then that of the water. Thursday was another very clear, hot, sweaty, sweltering day. The
magnificent frigatebirds were floating high in the sky. My saltwater fishing experience tells me to look for dauphin and other great sportfish when I see these birds. I did not see any big fish, but I'm sure they were hiding in the sparkling water ripping below me.
As I was saying, the bike routes were fantastic so far! Look at the great markings and the beautiful paths. (By the way, since I've ridden on this bike route, I now notice these same bike route signs in all states. It's amazing how many nice bike routes exist. If you start looking for them, you'll notice this too!)
And then, this happened. If you can't see it clearly, click on the photo and you can see a larger version.
Seriously? This amazing bike route suddenly came to an abrupt stop. And I mean ABRUPT. They warn you with a small sign, then before you know it, you're dumped off the pavement, onto a small hill without even a foot path to get you back up to the road. Now, I'm not a bike diva, but if you're going to tease my senses with a posh bike path, can you at least ease me down off extravagance gently? Is it completely unreasonable to suggest that there be a crosswalk to get me back to the right shoulder of the road?
I laughed at this great example of engineering design fail, dragged my bike up the hill to the road, looked both ways before hustling across, and hopped right back on.
I had made it to Marathon Key!
View Florida Keys Bike in a larger mapAt this point I had sucked down the last of my water. The hydration bag in my
camelbak had created a vacuum and was making sad slurping sounds. I stopped at the first convenience store I found. At least, it was the Keys version of a convenience store. The store/house/marina boasted an extensive inventory of bait, a deli, key lime pie, gas, and fresh fish.
It was painted bright Key West colors and looked to be a great stopping point. I needed water and possibly a little something for breakfast. The sweet dog out front looked at me as if to say "you're crazy. Why would you want to be riding around in the midday sun? Even I know that the shade is the place to be right now."
Upon entering it became clear that this store was by no means a one-stop-shop. There was no key lime pie, barely a fishing hook on the barren walls, a deli which looked like it hadn't seen a sandwich in a decade, and no one inside. But, to my excitement, there was everything I needed in this little oasis. I found a large cold water and even a snickers ice cream bar! Score! I hung out for a few minutes waiting for the shop clerk to come in and take my money. After about 5 minutes, I realized that no one was around and my ice cream was melting. I put the snickers back in the freezer and wandered out back to find someone. After a few inquiring hello yells and no response, I went back in, grabbed my ice cream and water, put a $5 bill on the table and wrote this note:
As I was leaving, a man I presumed was the owner came into the store and we agreed that $5 would cover my purchases.
I soon entered
Curry Hammock State Park lands and found another fantastic bike path! This one was isolated from the main road by a wide swath of native vegetation that managed to block much of the sound from the road. This was heaven on wheels! I rode for miles, completely alone and silent in the bright sun, surrounded by beautiful native shrubs, serene open swamps, and the sound of birds and insects. While I peddled along the smooth path, I would occasionally hear small animals jumping back into hiding or rustling the leaves beside the path. Although most of these sounds were most likely the skiddish
green and brown anoles, I actually saw three bright green iguanas along this stretch. Although beautiful and exotic, the
iguanas and the
brown anoles are both invasive species to Florida.
Poisonwood (if you're allergic to poison ivy, this plant is a tree in the same family that will cause a similar, if not worse, skin reaction. And yes, I learned the hard way!)
Back bay swamp in Curry Hammock State ParkWith a little more time, this is certainly a park I would love to explore some more. There were several marsh trails that jutted off the bike path that looked interesting. I completely missed the visitor's center as it was on the south side of the road, and I was riding on the north side, hidden from all road signage. But I did find this great little rest stop. There was even a creatively designed bike rack here.
I propped up the camera and got this hot and sweaty shot. This smile doesn't even begin to communicate the joy that I was feeling during this trip! It was seriously the ride of a lifetime!
Once I reached the town of Marathon on Marathon Key, I was ready for a little in-town adventuring. I stopped at the
Chamber of Commerce Visitor's Center of Greater Marathon Key and inquired about the best local spots in town. After a little prodding, the sweet lady behind the desk slowly started sharing the best kept secrets in town. Somewhat hesitantly, she marked all of the best tiki bars on the island on my paper map. Score #2 of the day!
As it turns out, Marathon Key is a very interesting, happening town. I could easily spend a full weekend exploring the area. There is a large airport on the island...and look, biplane rides are only $55 for 2 people!
This giant Angelfish was just outside a dive shop.I recommend
Herbie's for a quick, cheap lunch (thanks for the original recommendation George!). It's nothing fancy, but it supports a local business and the food is pretty tasty. I had a simple yummy blackened chicken sandwich. The waitress wore skinny bleached jeans and sported a t-shirt that disclosed that she was "a little bit sneaky!" It made me smile.
One of my favorite, local secrets on the island is the drawbridge to Boot Key (symbolized by a sailboat on my google map):
View Florida Keys Bike in a larger mapAccording to the lady at the Visitor's Center, this drawbridge was put out of commission several years back. Because the island of Boot Key is only owned by two people and has no permanent homes, funding for the drawbridge was difficult to justify. There is only one building on the island and it is a radio station (the employees now have to take a boat to the island). Since the bridge has been out of working order, the city has tried several ways to get it back up and running. They even tried to sell it on eBay. Can you believe that no one bought it? With the economy in it's current state, you would think there are some trolls out of work that really need a good bridge to terrorize.
The local legend of the bridge was intriguing enough to attract me, and I was eager to check out the unwanted gate to paradise. I dropped my bike at the road closed signs and headed up to see the view of Boot Key Harbor, anchorage point for many beautiful sailboats and houseboats.
The drawbridge now appears to be the home for a small homeless, vagabond community.
Next, I began a short tiki-tour of Marathon Key. Having already passed and explored a few superb looking tiki bars on the island, I was ready to have a cold beverage at one. My first tiki bar was by far the best tiki bar I had seen in the Keys and one of my favorite secrets. You can bet I will
always stop here if I'm heading to Key West! It's a great tikibar/restaurant/marina/marina gas station combo called
Burdine's in viewing distance of the prettiest abandoned drawbridge.
The road to the tikibar, 15th St., runs through an old Keys-style trailer park and past stacks of lobster traps, back to a marina on the ocean side on the protected harbor.
Here's how I enjoyed Burdine's and how I recommend you do as well if you ever get the opportunity:
- prop your bike up on the dock
- head up to the second floor tikibar
- grab a stool at the bar, sit down, and exhale any lasting stress
- observe the local fishermen and discuss the fishing conditions
- order a cold domestic beer (they come in a coozie!)
- enjoy the awesome breeze that blows through this level
- read all the license plates hanging on the walls
- marvel at the big boats and yachts that pull up for gas
- chat up the great ladies who tend bar
- tip as if this will be your last beer in paradise
View from Burdine's across the harbor Tiki bar #2 on the mini tiki-tour was
Sunset Grille and Raw Bar, just before the
Seven Mile Bridge. Of all the advice that I was given before my trip, the most urgent warnings were concerning the Seven Mile Bridge. This is because it is the longest bridge (yes, seven miles, captain obvious!) in the Keys, there is no bike route around it, and traffic can be relatively bad at this point. So I was a tad nervous. The Sunset Grille and Raw Bar helped to boost my courage.
Not only does this bar have a great view of the Seven Mile Bridge, but it also has a pool that its patrons can use! Although it feels nothing like an authentic tiki bar, the pool more than made up for that! I cooled off in the water, sipped a beer, and reflected on my seven mile destiny. I drank my second beer and got on the road again quickly after the kids in the pool started splashing and yelling...I'm too old for those shenanigans and plus, I had seven miles before my next home.
See the tiny bump after the electric poles end? That's the elevated part of the bridge and the halfway point. As it turned out, the Seven Mile Bridge was no problem. I kicked it in gear and made it across in 20 minutes!! That's 21 mph...faster than I've ever ridden on this bike. This was for several reasons:
- I had timed it right, and started over the bridge at about 4pm when most of the traffic is heading north rather than south.
- There was actually a good size (approx 5 ft) shoulder on the bridge to ride on, so the cars and trucks that passed had lots of clearance
- There was no debris on the shoulder to dodge around
- There is only approximately 1 mile of the bridge that is elevated, the rest is completely flat
- The wind was at my back
That was a satisfying bridge. I took some pictures from the southern end of the bridge.
Then I rode the last three miles to Bahia Honda State Park at my typical 10mph pace. I felt accomplished and empowered.
Click on the image above to get a clearer view of my current chaos created with Creately
July 7th, 2010
I parked at a pay-meter along the street near the intersection of Trade St. and Tryon St. (the slightly elevated epicenter of the city, which surprisingly also had bike lanes). Again, I was delightfully shocked to find that it wasn’t necessary to find a frighteningly dark parking garage in a booming city like this. Just in front of the centrally located Bank of America high-rise building, I was met by a mid-day farmer’s market where I bought fresh cantaloupe and blackberries to thank Mark and Jackie for having me.
Then, with fruit in tow, I continued to ride my bike around the center of town and found some cute strips of boutiques, barber shops, travel agencies, some surprising multicultural food (Indian and Jamaican), and pubs where the World Cup was in full swing.
Still on island time, I soon realized that the city was not my speed, so I reloaded my bike and drove to another, more calm part of Charlotte, called Midwood (read about this in Design Sponge City Guide). Midwood is a very chill, laid back, somewhat hippie part of the city with a small section of the main road dedicated to stores such as:
That night, Jackie, Mark and I went to dinner at a really classy irish pub/restaurant called the Dandelion Market. The restaurant served irish food in tapas form with a really great selection of draft beers. It was not at all what I expected from an irish pub, but completely awesome and delicious! We had the:
All in all, Charlotte, NC is a really great city. Give it a few years to age out of its slightly arrogant, crazy sophomore party years (I’m exaggerating a little here), gain a little culture, and get a little more settled, and it’ll be a perfect town to put roots down in.
Yes, these are real alphorn players giving a performance on the street at a market in my Grandma's town (Chur)!! Seriously. You guys asked for alphorns, you get alphorns!
Family. This is my grandma and Aunt Monika.
A different habitat. This is a very poisonous and totally perfect fly amanita that I found up in the mountains (Flims). All it needs is a little gnome next to it.
Amazing food and drink. Coffee (real espresso!) at a cafe near Bahnhofstrasse, the most expensive street in Zurich, Switzerland.
Beautiful views. Me next to the Zurisee in Zurich! What a beautiful day!
And great festivals and markets. Mom at the Wednesday Market in the Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main train station). Yummy!
The bike ride through the Florida keys is complete and it was so much more than I ever expected. Here are a couple of suggestions to remember if you want to do something similar and for me to remind myself when I do this again in the future (because I certainly want to!):
Friday morning we woke up early...well, George woke up early and went riding around the park, and I woke up when I woke up (I'm still not a morning person). We packed up, parked his car in the marina parking lot, and headed south. The bike paths from here to big pine were lovely. There were many beautiful fishing bridges and lots of great bike paths. As we were entering Big Pine Key, we began to notice that we were on elevated bike paths. This is because the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key harbors a small population of endangered deer called Key Deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium). They are a subspecies of the common Virginia white tail deer that has become miniaturized due to harsh environmental conditions on the island. The subspecies population in the Florida Keys is estimated to be between 600 and 750 individuals. The highway is elevated along a short stretch of Big Pine Key to allow the deer and other species to move freely in their habitat. Apparently, there are 17 federally listed threatened or endangered species that are protected by the National Key Deer Refuge!
As we rode into Big Pine Key we saw two very tiny key deer fawns curiously eating below us. Like white-tail deer up north, these fawns had small white spots, however they were probably only about 2.5 feet tall. So cute! We later saw two adult key deer that were quite a bit bigger. We learned that the locals and tourists feed the deer and as a result the species is becoming larger. Hmmm...does that mean that someday the population will be considered white-tail deer again rather than a subspecies?
Once we got back on the road and started splashing through the foot deep puddles, we were ready for some refreshing beverages. Looe Key Tiki Bar was our first find after Big Pine Key. This stop is located just after Torch Ramrod Channel, my favorite named channel on the ride. For future reference, the Looe Key Resort has a great tiki bar, hotel, restuarant, and a pool for use. Apparently, so of the best snorkeling in the entire continental USA is right at Looe Key. Also, bar patrons can use the refreshing looking pool, which would be perfect during a hot and sweaty bike ride. Mangrove Mama’s, a delicious homey local restaurant in Sugarloaf Key was our second stop where we had fruity cocktails served in mason jars. From there, we hit each interesting looking restaurant, tiki bar, or dive bar along the route. If you are ever considering this ride, a little pub crawl bike-ride into Key West is for certain the best way to enter. It is like a small ceremonial parade welcoming you into a city known for its relaxed, island spirit. We spoke to the locals at each stop and got some great suggestions for local stops. The lovely bartender at Mangrove Mama’s asked us if we’d seen the bat tower as if it was a world renowned monument. She actually said "you haven't seen Key West until you've seen the bat tower." Of course, we hadn’t, but our curiosity got the best of us and we inquired about its history. Supposedly, the bat tower had been constructed in the early 1900s in an attempt to use bats as a biological control for the abundant mosquitoes in the lagoons. Unfortunately, the project failed miserably, and the bat population flew away, leaving the mosquitoes to flourish. We felt a responsibility to check out the flopped project and found it to be a random historical novelty.
Sunset from St. Joseph, Michigan over Lake Michigan. Breathtaking! A million thanks to Andy Sawyer.
Simpson's grasspink in Big Cypress National Preserve (Calopogon tuberosus)
After leaving Long Key State Park on Thursday morning, I was delighted to find that almost all of the bridges crossing channels from Long Key to Marathon Key had beautiful fishing bridges built parallel to the ones for vehicles. It's so convenient and safe. The fishing bridges are built completely separate from the vehicular bridges. If you turn your back to the vehicular bridges and gaze at the water, you almost feel free of the urban life. Although many, many people had warned me of the dangers of riding my bicycle through the Keys, in general, I had found the route to be extremely accommodating to bicyclists and pedestrians and sometimes even luxurious. The fishing bridges were my favorite sections of the path.
Fishing bridge on the right, vehicular bridge on the left. 
And the color and clarity in the sky isn't much different then that of the water. Thursday was another very clear, hot, sweaty, sweltering day. The magnificent frigatebirds were floating high in the sky. My saltwater fishing experience tells me to look for dauphin and other great sportfish when I see these birds. I did not see any big fish, but I'm sure they were hiding in the sparkling water ripping below me.
As I was saying, the bike routes were fantastic so far! Look at the great markings and the beautiful paths. (By the way, since I've ridden on this bike route, I now notice these same bike route signs in all states. It's amazing how many nice bike routes exist. If you start looking for them, you'll notice this too!)
And then, this happened. If you can't see it clearly, click on the photo and you can see a larger version.
Seriously? This amazing bike route suddenly came to an abrupt stop. And I mean ABRUPT. They warn you with a small sign, then before you know it, you're dumped off the pavement, onto a small hill without even a foot path to get you back up to the road. Now, I'm not a bike diva, but if you're going to tease my senses with a posh bike path, can you at least ease me down off extravagance gently? Is it completely unreasonable to suggest that there be a crosswalk to get me back to the right shoulder of the road?
I had made it to Marathon Key!
It was painted bright Key West colors and looked to be a great stopping point. I needed water and possibly a little something for breakfast. The sweet dog out front looked at me as if to say "you're crazy. Why would you want to be riding around in the midday sun? Even I know that the shade is the place to be right now."
Upon entering it became clear that this store was by no means a one-stop-shop. There was no key lime pie, barely a fishing hook on the barren walls, a deli which looked like it hadn't seen a sandwich in a decade, and no one inside. But, to my excitement, there was everything I needed in this little oasis. I found a large cold water and even a snickers ice cream bar! Score! I hung out for a few minutes waiting for the shop clerk to come in and take my money. After about 5 minutes, I realized that no one was around and my ice cream was melting. I put the snickers back in the freezer and wandered out back to find someone. After a few inquiring hello yells and no response, I went back in, grabbed my ice cream and water, put a $5 bill on the table and wrote this note:
As I was leaving, a man I presumed was the owner came into the store and we agreed that $5 would cover my purchases.
I soon entered Curry Hammock State Park lands and found another fantastic bike path! This one was isolated from the main road by a wide swath of native vegetation that managed to block much of the sound from the road. This was heaven on wheels! I rode for miles, completely alone and silent in the bright sun, surrounded by beautiful native shrubs, serene open swamps, and the sound of birds and insects. While I peddled along the smooth path, I would occasionally hear small animals jumping back into hiding or rustling the leaves beside the path. Although most of these sounds were most likely the skiddish green and brown anoles, I actually saw three bright green iguanas along this stretch. Although beautiful and exotic, the iguanas and the brown anoles are both invasive species to Florida.
Poisonwood (if you're allergic to poison ivy, this plant is a tree in the same family that will cause a similar, if not worse, skin reaction. And yes, I learned the hard way!)
Back bay swamp in Curry Hammock State Park
I propped up the camera and got this hot and sweaty shot. This smile doesn't even begin to communicate the joy that I was feeling during this trip! It was seriously the ride of a lifetime!
Once I reached the town of Marathon on Marathon Key, I was ready for a little in-town adventuring. I stopped at the Chamber of Commerce Visitor's Center of Greater Marathon Key and inquired about the best local spots in town. After a little prodding, the sweet lady behind the desk slowly started sharing the best kept secrets in town. Somewhat hesitantly, she marked all of the best tiki bars on the island on my paper map. Score #2 of the day!
This giant Angelfish was just outside a dive shop.
The local legend of the bridge was intriguing enough to attract me, and I was eager to check out the unwanted gate to paradise. I dropped my bike at the road closed signs and headed up to see the view of Boot Key Harbor, anchorage point for many beautiful sailboats and houseboats.
The drawbridge now appears to be the home for a small homeless, vagabond community.
The road to the tikibar, 15th St., runs through an old Keys-style trailer park and past stacks of lobster traps, back to a marina on the ocean side on the protected harbor.
Here's how I enjoyed Burdine's and how I recommend you do as well if you ever get the opportunity:
View from Burdine's across the harbor 
Not only does this bar have a great view of the Seven Mile Bridge, but it also has a pool that its patrons can use! Although it feels nothing like an authentic tiki bar, the pool more than made up for that! I cooled off in the water, sipped a beer, and reflected on my seven mile destiny. I drank my second beer and got on the road again quickly after the kids in the pool started splashing and yelling...I'm too old for those shenanigans and plus, I had seven miles before my next home.
See the tiny bump after the electric poles end? That's the elevated part of the bridge and the halfway point. 
