Sugar Land to Key West

[Gas Gauge]

Monday, Nov. 2, 2009 (Day 4)….Finally back on schedule, my uncle has us hyped about the trip to Key West. He has been there many times. It is his favorite destination. Plan is to head to Miami and stay there overnight and enjoy the Miami Beach scene.

Left Lakeland @ 8:30 a.m. it took 2 hours worth of back road highways to get to the Florida Turnpike. Nice cruise down the turnpike, many have mentioned just going down I-95, but the turnpike is definitely the way to go. You don’t have to compete with crazy drivers, people getting on & off the freeway, local commercial traffic, or distracted drivers. The pace is pretty snappy and there are well placed service islands with nice Shell gas stations and restaurants strategically placed along the way, you just never have to get off the turnpike. Toll booths on the section from Lakeland to Miami are non-existent. You get a ticket at the booth where you enter, and then they charge you at a booth when you get off. This is the only way to go on a bike. My bike loved the 82 mph pace.

Once we got on the turnpike, it was about a three hour trip to Miami. We wove our way down to Miami Beach through the local freeways. Man these people are nuts, they come at you from every direction, when your trying to read directions (or even looking down at the GPS). Was glad to get on the surface streets.

Found the Best Western right on the ocean (picture taken from the boardwalk with Atlantic Ocean to my back). Nice place, really great ladies at the desk (very pretty too). They were really geared to having bikers stay with them and took interest in our trip from Sugar Land to Miami.

Here is the beach side of the hotels boardwalk.

They pointed out that there was some excellent parking for bikes on the street right next to the hotel, which we would be able to see from our room, or there was a secured garage just down the street for $20 a night. We checked out the street and felt it was more than adequate and secure.

We unloaded our bags and went up to the room. Absolutely gorgeous views of the beach and the area, we couldn’t wait to hit the boardwalk and check out the scene. After some relaxing beers and a nice early dinner we decided to continue walking down the boardwalk to South Beach. It only looked a few blocks away.

Now I’m certain you probably have already heard about South Beach. There is definitely a lot of money here, lots of beautiful people, bling, flash, supplemental body enhancements, and showmanship. I was more interested in the fantastic art deco style hotels that were so beautifully preserved, one after another all in a row. South beach is definitely a feast for the eyes!

My brother, being a fan of body ink was determined to get by Miami Ink before the night ended. We got there and the shop looked just like the TV series, however it was more of a tourist destination than tattoo shop. They definitely still do tattoos, but are overwhelmed by the tourists, so if you go at night, please take you pictures from behind the velvet rope.

I noticed an old acoustic guitar sitting in the corner and asked the shop manager, Geo, who was the owner (since my third love is guitars). Geo was startled that someone was actually talking and not just gawking. He had one of the oldest acoustic guitars I had ever seen from an obscure maker that I had only heard about (forgot the name). It was in pretty good condition and had a great tone. I told him about my collection and he let me give it a couple of strums. I left with his email address and a new kindred spirit.

The hour was getting late and the night had to end, because we were heading to Key West in the morning. We caught a cab back to the hotel, we were surprised that we had walked over five miles.

 

[Mavagrand]

Sounds like you guys had a great time. Keep the updates coming. I was in Key West in October so looking forward to some pix.

 

[Gas Gauge]

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 (Day 5)….Wow, Miami Beach has the most awesome mornings, everything seems fresh and vibrant. We take our time packing our bikes and heading out. Bam!, we run right into Miami rush hour traffic. In most cities, it’s over by 8:30, here we are 9:30 and jockeying for position with every other native (another lesson learned). These people (again) have no respect for bikers and we soon got separated. We all knew we were heading to US 1 down to Key West. I pulled over at the last toll booth just north of Florida City, the gateway to the Keys. I was in a highly visible location and knew the others would see me. I also knew that was our back-up plan in case something happened. I was the first to arrive. I waited for about 40 minutes; my brother was next, 10 minutes later followed by my uncle. We took a minute to debrief. They had both taken the wrong turn, they were in the wrong lane and forced by traffic to get off at the wrong exit. I’m serious here folks, it takes a great amount of skill to navigate this type of traffic and stay together. The cages were relentless and had no problem nudging you out of your lane. People drive on the shoulder like it’s another lane and wait until the last minute to cut into exiting lanes. There doesn’t seem to be any enforcement or penalty. It was crazy!

None the worse for the wear, we regrouped, paid our toll, stopped and gased up in Florida City, and turned south on US 1, we are now officially headed for the “Keys”. The pace is now single file and you just take your place in line and follow the speed limit. Probably the only occasion I ever felt safe riding without a helmet. There are places to get up to about 50 mph for a mile or so, and the single file opens to 2 lanes through some towns, but for the most part it is 35 – 45 mph single file (going and coming) all the way down to Key West. It is a wonderful opportunity to check out and wave to all the riders going the opposite direction on their way home from their trip to Key West. Believe me, there are lots of people!

Traveling across this amazing land bridge, is a reward in itself, with the ocean on both sides of the road with more colors of blue and green than the mind can comprehend. It’s easy to just sit back on a bike and enjoy the scenery with the speed limit 35/45 mph it affords you the opportunity to actually look around and enjoy the ride. US 1 is well patrolled and strictly enforced. The state troopers are highly visible as well as the local police in each town. It’s pretty common to see people pulled over getting their first souvenir. My brother had already shed his shirt and helmet, and was riding in front of me with the ear buds to his ipod in (he only wishes he had a Harley with a nice stereo). Two motorcycle cops (they were traveling in pairs) pulled up next to him and asked him to pull over. I went with him, they said you had to have one ear unobstructed, and he should remove one of the ear buds. They were extremely polite and accommodating. During our next stop we agreed that if he had his full face on they would never have known, oh well, we are law abiding citizens.

Our first real treat is Key Lago. I don’t know if I will be able to stop singing that song my whole way down. Never mind, I just put Jimmy Buffet on the ipod, which is playing through my stereo. Now Key West is it’s own animal all in itself, and I will be back again, but Key Lago is everything you heard it was, a very quaint and romantic destination. It is easy to get to from the mainland and has the most wonderful hotels. If I was coming back with my wife I would not feel the need to go any further. If I was coming back with the boys, it would be Key West all the way!

All of the locals we talked to from the time we got into Florida until we got to Miami and told them where we were going told us there destination of choice is Islamorada (about ¼ of the way to Key West). This is the next city to pass through after Key Lago. We never thought to ask why, but it was similar to Key Lago. I mention it here just to inform. You know what they say, if you want to know what the “best of” wherever you go, ask the natives.

We continue through Long key (about ½ way to Key West), to Big Pine Key (about ¾ way to Key West). Now Big Pine Key is where the “key deer” wildlife preserve is, if you haven’t heard about these little creatures they are miniature deer that are a protected species, and they take that protection very seriously. The wildlife preserve crosses US 1 and the speed limit was a strict 35 mph for about 5 miles.

Discounting the hassles of getting out of Miami/Homestead area (2 hours), the 3 hour trip through the keys was great. We finally arrived in Key West and followed the GPS to our beach house rental. We wash up and within 1 hour we are headed to Duval Street, which is the main drag. It’s tourist(y), but welcoming, with a bar on every corner. We are constantly reminded that anything goes in Key West, and you can pick your poison, which is true. But everything is respectable and considerate. There is no open lewdness and the rowdiness is well contained in the bars, and anyway, that is half the fun.

We stopped in at the iconic Sloppy Joes to wet our whistle after our long ride. Even though the crowd was loud, it was fun, and we could easily carry on a conversation (probably because everything is open and there are no acoustics. Now one thing you’ve got to understand about Key West is: Jimmy Buffett is Lord High Honorary Mayor. Every band is a Jimmy Buffett cover band, and the tourist will not stand for anything less, so Jimmy Buffett music is the standard, period. Personally I find nothing wrong with that since I am a certified parrot head, and it was one of the reasons I chose this destination.

It was soon time to get some grub and I took the advice from a fellow HDTimeline member and sought out the “Red Fish, Blue Fish” restaurant. We were not disappointed and would return there three more times before our time came to an end.

After dinner we headed over to Mallory Square, now one thing I forgot to tell you is, once we hit Duvall Street we found some great parking for our bikes and were on foot the rest of the evening. This place can be walked from one end to the other and back again with no problem. Besides, if you get tired, just dive into at the nearest corner bar and have a cold beer. “Red Stripe” and Jimmy Buffett’s own label “Land Shark” rule the day, but there is anything from “Negra Modelo” to “Heineken” to some great micro brews like “Longboard” and “Flat Tire”.

Back to Mallory Square, for the un-initiated, this is where the whole town heads for sundown, locals and tourists alike. It is a town square type setting that backs right up to the ocean. The star of the show….the sun setting on the horizon of the ocean, and it is truly magnificent! After which no less than 40-50 street performers and artists display their talents. If you weren’t in the mood to have a good time, you are now. It is so much fun. Afterwards, you guessed it, time to head for the bar and enjoy the late evening with a bunch of companions. This time it’s to the other iconic bar the “Hogs Breath Saloon”, and we weren’t disappointed. Loud? Yes, Rowdy? Somewhat, Fun? Absolutely!

Wow, what a first day! Everything I expected and more, time to hit the rack for the night, I just realized I’m still tired from that trip out of Miami.

 

[Gas Gauge]

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 (Day 6)….Since we had rented a beach house, we woke up this morning and decided to go to the grocery store and stock up on supplies. Now my brother was under the impression that he was going to catch all of our food out of the ocean. We bought enough groceries to cover each meal just in case (except for some planned meals out), it’s a good thing we did because the only thing this close to shore are little crabs, nothing worth the time and effort to even catch. We never even got a nibble.

Now Key West is great, but so is the place we rented, and we had no problem just sitting around relaxing and catching up on each others lives. This place is a tropical paradise! We took the time to go all over the island and look at all of the sites and old buildings. One of the best places I saw was a Best Western on the south side of the island, right against the ocean. When I come back I think I’ll stay there. I’m sure everyone knows they have a special with Harley Davidson to accommodate bikers. We spent a good part of the morning/afternoon just cruising around enjoying the scenery and the nice slow ride, lots of other bikers doing the same.

Here’s another quirk, the chickens are wild, and roam all over the place. This trip into downtown Key West (Duvall Street) would basically be the same as yesterday. Time to do a little souvenir shopping, the stores are again, very touristy, and all have the same merchandise. Definitely don’t buy anything in the first shop you see, find the best price, then haggle from there (it’s expected).

No trip to Key West would be complete without a trip to the buoy, it’s time to visit the southernmost point in the U.S., another icon (there’s a lot of them down here). This is another heavily visited tourist stop, and you have to wait your turn to get your picture taken, but it’s worth it. It’s like taking a picture on the Golden Gate Bridge, or at the Grand Canyon. Make sure you by a Southernmost Biker T-shirt with Key West on it, some really nice choices.

Really getting into the people watching today, lots of pretty girls and people just milling about. We are in a complete vacation mode now; no pressure, no hurry, sippin some suds and just enjoyin the scenery! We know we’ll be back at Mallory Square for sundown and will end our night at Sloppy Joes. Red Fish, Blue Fish is in there somewhere too. Everything else is just playing it by ear! Remember when you go to Mallory Square to get an order of conch fritters from the vendor. These things are amazingly tasty and go great with cold beer. Don’t be surprised or put off by their chewiness, they are a local treat. That’s it for today, see you in the morning.

 

[Joyflyin]

Just an FYI, there is a buoy in Ft. Meyers just like that marking the northernmost point of the Fl Keys. I think you need to get a matching pic. (Read, 'excuse for another road trip).

 

[Gas Gauge]

Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 (Day 7)….Last day in Key West.

Enjoyed the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, ate a nice breakfast.

chillin

after breakfast my brother wanted to see what the scuba diving was like just off the shore, he reported there was nothing to see because of the shallow, rocky, built-up shoreline.

We passed this sign scribbled on the power pole just down from where we were staying; we chose not to exercise our option. No one was there, but the neighbors told us it is a pretty active beach.

We headed into Key West for the last time and ran into this pirate (I’m telling you some people will do anything to make a buck just to live here. This guy was well outfitted, there was no pressure to pay him to take a picture with him, and he never asked for us to do so. It was just the right thing to do and you didn’t seem to mind tipping him.

More of the chickens running around wild, this is what we saw after parking the bikes, we walked a street over to Duvall Street and realized the whole street has been shanghaied. In the middle of an intersection (right in the middle of town) a stage was set up for Jimmy Buffet (or so we were told). There were many bands slated to play throughout the day.

Apparently this kind of thing happens all the time in Key West, Jimmy Buffet makes multiple surprise appearances many times throughout the year. This was a zydeco band, being from Texas, it was easy to recognize the music, but we heard many people remark “what kind of music was that?’” all of them were tapping their toes and getting into it (zydeco music will do that to you!).

The occasion was actually an impromptu party to introduce his “Land Shark” beer. The beer was iced down in huge troughs, on every corner, and was being sold for $1 a beer, we took full advantage of the occasion even though it was only 11:00 AM. The beer (Landshark) was very good.

We soon got tired of the crowd and decided to get on with our last day in Key West.

It’s not uncommon to see street performers, if you talk to these guys, and there are many of them, they will tell you they eke out a meager living any way they can just to live in Key West.

Picture outside of Hogs Breath Saloon, sorry I cut off part of the sign.

We finally ended up back at Sloppy Joes for the evening, I thought my uncle was taking my picture, but….

I realized he was taking a picture of the Sloppy Joe’s sign!

 

[mrtn681]

Looks just like it did 10 years ago. Timeless culture.

 

[Chopper]

Thanks for sharing the trip, the pic's were great, it was nice to have a small escape of the winter here for me, even if it was just on my puter.

 

[Mavagrand]

Good trip, Gas. Glad you and your bro could make memories with your uncle. You'll look back on the pix in the years to come with appreciation. Didn't know about the buoy in Ft. Myers myself..gonna have to head over there and get a pix of that.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Enjoy the Keys, glad you made it