Amid it all, Key West is full of restaurants to suit all tastes. At the pierside Alonzo’s, a fine dinner and drinks came to about $100 on the nose.
By GLENN ADAMS
Associated Press
KEY WEST, Fla. — Lots of Northerners shake off the last of the cold weather with a trip south this time of year. We decided to head into the Florida sunshine on two wheels, on a motorcycle trip from Miami down through the Keys, where the flat lanes seem to skim you over the blue-and-aquamarine, coral-lined sea before you’re vaulted skyward bound up a causeway and on to another island.
From the Keys, we turned west through the Everglades on the Tamiami Trail (Route 41), then up the Gulf Coast and back east to Miami via Alligator Alley (Interstate 75). With side trips, it was around 600 miles in four days, not a big challenge for the true wind-in-your-face aficionado.
If you’re flying into Florida to start your trip — as this frost-encrusted Mainer did — there’s a good selection of motorcycle rental shops to choose from. I chose EagleRider Miami, which put me on a BMW 1200 GS, a gutsy streetworthy rig with bags for carry-ons, including my wife Betty’s always-abundant array of togs.
Check your motorcycle insurance coverage, and if it doesn’t cover rentals, do consider buying the protection. It added less than $30 a day to the overall sum of $584 that covered three 24-hour periods spanning four calendar days.
On our first leg, we slogged our way through local traffic in Miami and the surrounding area to connect with U.S. 1 about 50 miles south of the city. A wiser choice would have been to spend the extra few bucks and cruise toward the islands on Florida’s Turnpike. If you’re renting a motorcycle, you don’t even need to fumble for cash at the tolls; photos of the license plate will be sent to the rental company, which in my case added toll charges to the bill.
The feel of escaping the mainland and entering the Keys on U.S. 1 is no less than exhilarating. The roadway, also called the Overseas Highway, runs 127 miles, connecting the island chain with a series of bridges and expansive, seemingly endless views of the ocean on either side.
Our first stop was Key Largo. With the help of a chamber of commerce information center, we found a seaside one-bedroom apartment there. Informal but graceful, the palm-shaded compound opened to a spacious dock overlooking Florida Bay and was a short walk to a selection of Mexican, sushi and other restaurants, including one that will be remembered for its pitchers of margaritas. And if you’re not a privacy freak, sharing four to a unit can save a lot of bucks. In this case, $140 split between two couples wasn’t bad.
U.S. 1 slows down in the towns dotting the islands, but it’s a good idea to keep alert for cross-traffic that doesn’t seem to notice bikes.
Closer to Key West is Big Pine Key, noted for its endangered Key deer. There are warnings and much of the stretch across the island is fenced off, but riders should take note.
As the green mile markers across U.S. 1 complete their countdown from 127 to 0, you’re in Key West. A ride into town for a look-see circuit is fine, but it’s a good idea to find a hotel, B&B or other lodging and leave the two-wheelers parked before the sightseeing and partying begin. We lucked out with perhaps the last room on the island, around $300. But, again, we bunked four to a room.
The streets fill up at nighttime and the drinks flow at Sloppy Joe’s, Hog’s Breath Saloon and the other noted haunts and honky tonks. (The bouncers are glad to make sure your beer is in a plastic cup instead of a bottle if you decide to take to the streets.)
Amid it all, Key West is full of restaurants to suit all tastes. At the pierside Alonzo’s, a fine dinner and drinks came to about $100 on the nose.