Florida Keys Sunday

The Wahoo Key Bridge

Built by Scott Haskell

Who has left  much too soon.

Sunday began with an omelet prepared by Scott's eldest, my nephew, Arlo.

I contributed salmon spread from Cedar Key as Ashley joined us.  Arlo nicely copied a few pages out of my Florida Keys Paddling Guide (a gift from his mother) and I was on my way.  Stopped at We Cycle to pick up my bike. It was not ready. On to Summerland Key. I had been here Saturday, looking for the bridge to Wahoo Key.

I now knew the bridge was on the other side of this U.S. Fish and Wildlife sign

 

 Out going tide   or, is it rushing in?

Hurricanes have taken out a part of the bridge  At low tide, you can walk to it from the shore, and climb on.

 Storm clouds in one direction.

Blue skies in the other. On the water at 11:20

 Trying to get a picture of a ray. I think I did.  Above, upper left

 Fat Albert on the ground means the weather not going to be too good.  A forecast I saw called for light winds and a low chance of rain.  My nephew, Aaron, on Saturday, night  said bad weather was coming. I'll go with the guy who depends on weather for a living. He's a fishing guide.

 

Blackbird

 

 

Adaptation. No trees, so ospreys built a nest on a low mangrove

 

 

 

Landed at 12:25.  One ray, one blackbird. May be the least wildlife I have ever seen while kayaking. Perhaps it was in mourning

 Back to Key West, or almost, WeCycle is on Stock Island

 Got the tuned up bike, with a new tire and new odometer, and began the trip home

Bahia Honda bridge

 

The journey back to Key West to get the bike made be decide not to kayak again on the way home.

 

I did stop to bike the old Seven Mile Bridge.

 

Can't go 7 miles on the old bridge. Just over 2.

 

 The road to Pigeon Key is under repair, so I was not able to go to it.

I ran across the new bridge in 1997.

47   146 DAVID CANNON        M 37 WINTER PARK     FL            51:24 7:34

47 of 155 in the 34-39 age group. I was above average in those days. Which always amazed me, as I have no athletic skill or coordination.

 

 

 

 

 I am glad I did not put a arm out the window while riding a Greyhound from Miami to Key West in Dec. 1978, or maybe it was Jan. 79. A semi going the other way may have tore it off

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ready to resume the drive

North of Key Largo is a section of U.S. 1 known as, "The 18 Mile Stretch". Back on the mainland, often congested and slow.  There is an alternate route, via Card Sound Road.  Longer distance, but usually faster.   Usually.  Traffic was crawling.

 A chance for photography

 

 

I asked the booth guy, "Accident, or heavy traffic" " Heavy traffic"  No SunPass, all vehicles have to stop and pay a buck. That slows things down.

Last photo.  If I had a fancy, night time, stop action camera, the lighting show in the vast treeless expanse of Osceola County, north of Yeehaw Junction was amazing.