Wednesday, January 7, 2009


Sugarloaf Key: Took the bikes over to the Winn Dixie parking lot on Big Pine Key, left the truck there and then biked down toward the Blue Hole, but instead we took a side road that we thought would take us over to the road to No Name Key. Sure enough, it did. A little risky, because the side road had no bike path, but it wasn’t very busy either. Once we got onto the road to No Name Key, there was a bike path of sorts. It was just a big shoulder, but it was relatively safe. We rode past No Name Pub and then continued over the bridge even after the bike path ended and rode to the end of the road. Back in the 30s when Hemmingway lived here, he used to drive to No Name Key and fish off the old bridge there. To go any further back then you had to take a ferry. And that’s what was at the end of the road where we biked. Saw the old pilings. We saw three Key Deer bucks. And one snake on the side road that was either injured or dead. We also rode through a couple of residential areas out there. There are no public utilities at all out there—except for phone service. They all have solar. We saw an “open house” sign at a house for sale down there and we stopped to check it out. A really cute house—two bedrooms, large deck all around and a big screened-in porch in front. On a canal, so easy access to deep water. A really nice couple who have wintered down here for 11 years. They’re from the Binghamton, NY, area. Enjoyed talking with them. They’re asking $325,000 for the house, which is a pretty good price for anything down here. Left there and stopped at the No Name Pub for a late lunch, but they were packed, so we rode back to the Winn Dixie parking lot and went to Pizza Works for their great pizza. A really nice day. Probably 82 today.