I went to the keys back 20 years ago as a kid. There are two problems with this: I don’t remember much about the place and I didn’t get there on a motorcycle. Unlike some of my other trip plans I have posted, this one focuses most of the energy on interesting riding. Florida isn’t know for it’s twisties, but I think this trip has some sights that make it more interesting than just a lean.
DAY 1
We start in Tampa and head south and immediately commit a carnal sin of using a toll road. In this case it is necessary because that is the only way to get across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge – a 4 mile bridge considered to be the longest cable stayed concrete bridge in the world (who knew?). The views are pretty great from a car, but I have never taken the bike over. Occasionally they close it down for wind, but I don’t think that would be a problem on a motorcycle, right?
After the bridge we head toward 2 roads designated as Scenic Byways by the state of Florida. First the Palma Sola Scenic Highway follow by the Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway. Both of these roads are fun when the traffic is light. Views are amazing and we get out fill of development for a while before shooting off into rural swamp land in the interior the state.
Highway one morning
Meandering across the state reveals part of Florida that is more agrarian and simpler. After the traffic and congestion of Sarasota, it will be a welcome change. The day comes to a close at Dinner Island Ranch. Typically a hunter camp that is known for being just a little seedy from time to time. Really it is just a free place to camp that allows for a little exploration between Tampa and Homestead.
DAY 2
From Dinner Island Ranch we head south toward Everglades City and then even further south to Chokoloskee. I’m not sure that there is much to do there other than the obligatory tourist airboat ride, but it is neat little ride toward the water – somewhere to explore and check out. I often think about living in a place like this – a fishing or charter boat town where things are slower. it might be nice for a while, but I also like having a Publix 5 min down the road.
After That we head back north toward the Tamiami Trail (US-41). The Tamiami trail has more interesting history connected to it considering how seemingly boring a straight road can be. There was a ton of engineering that went into the construction of the road 50 or 60 years ago and at one point in time they were going to build the world’s largest airport in the middle of the span between Miami and Naples. It would have really changed the whole dynamic of the place but, for mostly environmental reasons, it didn’t happen. Now they have decided that the canals and roadway block so much water flow necessary to the health of the everglades that they will be elevating the road and eliminating the block.
While the drive can get a little boring, you get up close to the swamp and all that it has to offer. I though about stopping at the Shark Valley observation tower, but I couldn’t quite stomach the $60-some dollars it would cost to just look. The views are pretty amazing though.
The day ends in an airbnb in Homestead. I opted for this because it felt like the time when i would want some ac and a shower.
DAY 3
From Homestead we head further south toward the southern most tip of the United States. It’s about a 2 1/2 hour ride from the “mainland” down to Key West. There are other keys where you can stop and find a few amenities, but not a ton of stuff. Motorcyclists (and scooter folk) are rewarded with free street parking if you can find the small lines open.
I don’t know a ton about key west, but thats part of the fun. I do want to see the big pillar thing denoting how far south we are – and how close to Cuba we are. But other than that, I imagine I will be exploring. There is a fort, I hear there might be a bar on the island. I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
After a day of the island, it is a ride back up to Homestead. Staying up north saves so much money and allows me to stay in the same place for two nights in a row. It also opens up different times of the year when I can find a cheap place to stay. The busy season might make parking on key west worse, but it wont be any more difficult to find a $40/night bed to sleep in. Also, even though there are two long chunks of riding during this day it still breaks up the overall trip into a slightly more manageable seat time.
DAY 4
The final day riding will take me back toward Tampa. Not to let a good ride go to waste I want to take advantage of the interesting places to ride between Miami and Tampa. The first are the Miami canals. No, it’s not quite like the LA canal, but it is a system of canals that were constructed to drain the swamp. Just like they did over on US-41 the powers that be have since decided that draining all of the water out of Florida would not only be horrible for the wildlife, it would make it much harder for us regular folks to be able to find any water down in the aquifer. The canals are still there, mostly and provide something off the beaten path to ride along. It feels like a jigsaw puzzle of roads to filter though – sounds kinda fun to me.
Once we. get a little further north we find yet another FL scenic byway – the Ridge Scenic Byway. You aren’t going to find a ton of height to the “ridge” part of it, but if you like sweeping Florida Vistas, it’s pretty beautiful.
Hope you enjoyed the ride. Check out the detailed view on google maps.
