Day 43, May 14, 2011, Keys 100
83.8 miles averaging 13.7 mph
Route from Key West to Riptide Motel and RV Park, Key Largo, FL
Our last night at Bluewater RV Resort
Best Moment – Today (and tomorrow) was the Key West 100 Marathon. Runners can run either 100 or 50 miles with an up to 6 person relay team or as an individual. Although the runners are encouraged to have a support crew, they may run the course unsupported. There are water and drop bag stations for those runners. The race was benefitting prostate cancer awareness and research. It was incredible to see all of the runners who were mostly on the bike path.
Worst Moment – I stopped for ice cream in Tavenier, FL, and was telling the young clerk about my trip. I told her that I left Arizona in April, had spent a couple of days in Key West and was now cycling up the East Coast. It was very sad when she asked where Arizona was – she seriously didn’t have any idea where The Grand Canyon State was.
With reluctance I left Bluewater RV Resort around 7:30 and headed north into a slight headwind. Going north there was a different perspective to the natural beauty of the keys. This certainly is a boater’s and fisher’s paradise. Because the water is so shallow, I could see fishermen that were standing in knee deep clear blue aqua water several hundred yards off shore. Crossing one of the long bridges, I could see islands that were accessible only by boat with campers prepared to spend the weekend. It sort of reminded me of some of the “lake” camping trips we used to do in AZ.
The longest bridge is seven miles over water! It is interesting that the first bridge links between the keys were for the railroad. The rail line was started in 1905 and completed to Key West in 1912. Though many of the railroad bridges have been abandoned, much of the land route forms the bicycle path that I was on.
The Overseas Highway for cars was started in 1926 and completed in 1938. It is really an engineering marvel. Along the entire route across the ocean is a string of concrete power poles. Electricity was brought to Key West in 1943.
I can’t imagine the powerful destruction of hurricanes that frequent this chain of islands. On Labor Day, 1935, a hurricane with 200 mph winds and 17 foot tidal waves wiped out a WPA camp killing several who were working on the Overseas Highway. This hurricane, called “The Big One,” also destroyed forever the railroad.
Finally finished reading Bonhoffer. It is an astonishing story about a pastor involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler. For his involvement in the plot and opposition to Nazism, he was executed only a few weeks before Hitler committed suicide and the war ended.
I remember the OLD 7-mile bridge. It was the early 1960's and my mother was driving like a crazy woman because she could not wait to get off of it. As I recall there were only 3 lanes--one each way and a passing lane in the middle for either side to use. She was passing cars like a speed demon to the horror of my brother, cousin and I, screaming and crying in the back seat. We were all greatly relieved to get to the other side. But our vacation in the Keys was tainted by the thought that we were going to have to cross that bridge one more time to get back to Miami.
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