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Tuesday, December 25, 2001, Christmas Day - Down the Keys
70 miles. Key Largo, FL to Little Torch Key, FL
Getting up early I started this long anticipated
penultimate ride of the trip. This early on Christmas Day the traffic was very
light so I rode on the highway shoulder. Later on as traffic increased, I gladly
took to the Bike paths that all the larger Upper Keys have.
One thing you notice going down the keys on U.S.1 is
that it is possible to go long distances without seeing the blue waters that
surround all the Keys. The highway goes down the narrow middle of each key and
the water is usually obscured by buildings and vegetation. The exceptions are
the bridges and causeways that connect the various keys to each other. Some of
these are short but others are a mile or more in length, the exclamation point
being Seven Mile Bridge, which connects Marathon (Vaca Key) with Little Duck
Key. It is a long way to go over the water and helps U.S.1 live up to its name
as The Overseas Highway. The north end of the Seven Mile Bridge is where Joan
and I reunited as she rode up from Little Torch Key to join me for the last 20
miles to her folks' place. We then retraced her path and cruised into her folks'
place at about 2:30, bringing the trip almost to a close. After resting Joan and
I will ride the remaining few miles into Key West to the southern most point in
The USA, thus bringing to a close our cross continental journey.
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