Annual Key West Trip

[Indian Summer]

Did anyone miss me? OK you don't have to answer that. I figured I'd let someone else talk for awhile so I packed up the bike and trailer and migrated south. Our first stop is in Daytona to catch a few days of Bike Week. This is our camp site at the Moonshine Campground. At this point in the trip this northern boy has the winter blood in so it's hard to adjust to the heat. Seafood on the other hand I get used to really fast!!!

It was about that time so I stopped in to see a friend for a quickie. He changes my oil in Sturgis too. Nothing like having bikini girls on the front street waving signs that say stop in for a quickie. Pretty funny. But as you can see it worked on me.

The next stop is Key West at Boyd's Campground. Here's our site there. I love the palm trees! After Daytona this was my second run setting up the Marmot Tungsten3 tent. Down there I run and extension cord and hand a ceiling fan and also have my Roll-A-Cot set up. I am REALLY liking the tent. Like my steel horse? I do!

Here is our camp mascot Cheech. He showed up almost every day to catch some sun at the edge of the mangrove trees. He was 5 feet long from head to tail. Pretty cool.

One day we went out on a party boat to do some fishing. The deck hands were very cool and we had a pretty good day. In addition to a bunch of yellowtail and mullet I caught a grouper... and a conch shell. It was nice to take a break from drinking and eating.

Ever heard the term "cash bar"? How about this one. The No Name Pub on No Name Key is hard to find. No signs or advertising. A friend has to show you where it is. But it's always packed. The bills are 10 to 20 deep stapled on the walls, ceiling, and anywhere you can fit one. Over half a million. The joke is if anyone broke in at night to steal them all they would still be there when the place opened yanking them off the walls! Great pizza and the people who work there are very funny and upbeat. It's a must see if you go to the Keys. I'd tell you exactly where it is but I'd have to kill you!

This is Claire Finley. I met her last year. She's from Davenport Iowa. A graduate of Berkley School of Music in Boston she is an incredible bass player. But even moreso she is just a really really nice person. Always smiling and just radiates happiness. She also manages her bands and currently is in 4 different ones: Tackleboxx, Claire's Outfit, LeClaire, and Sodalite. They are all fantastic and I go see them wherever they are. Lots of blues and other rock from my bygone era.

Sodalite at the Smokin' Tuna Saloon. Some of the musicians in Key West have been there for years. Caffeine Carl Wagoner on the left on guitar is one of the few that were born and raised there. He is a phenomenon and can play anything after hearing it just one time. Other musicians can start playing something and he jumps right in. It's a pretty big statement to see him join up with Claire. Anyone there would be honored to have him in their band. Like I said she is so talented and just so nice that even the best will get together with her. Carl is a super nice guy too. I stay in touch with Claire and a few others year round when I'm not talking about elk hunting. It's nice to make friends away from home so my trips are somewhat of a visit or reunion and way more fun. Pretty cool when a local walks in and says heeey what's up man good to see you!!!

Other cool stops are the Iron Horse Saloon. This horse outside is about 15 feet tall.

Hog's Breath Saloon

Mangrove Mama's which Jimmy Buffet sings about. Food is INCREDIBLE and we ate breakfast lunch and dinner there at some point. Atmosphere is so laid back and there's always live music and service with a smile.

If there is one thing that never gets old in the Keys... other than the seafood and great live music it is the sunsets. I hear the sunrises are incredible too but I wouldn't know because I have never seen one there. hee hee Where else in the world can you stand in one place and watch the sun come up on one ocean (Atlantic) and set on another (Gulf of Mexico) I make it a point to walk over to Sunset Pier to see this. I'm sure you've all seen some awesome sunsets but the crowd and the atmosphere there makes it extra special. Some nights I walk over by myself to watch the sun melt into the sea. I love it!!!

If you've never been to the keys you should put it on your bucket list. I'm not a beach person. But it's a whole other world down there with a whole other state of mind. It's 5 o'clock all the time! Even people from Florida go there to escape the mainland. But I gotta say, I'm beat up! Whoever said 50 is the new 30 is full of elk crap! I feel 70 today.

[Indian Summer]

This is my main riding partner Eddie Rosemeyer. Can you tell he's a fun guy? He has 10 years on me at 60 so I'd say he does pretty good keeping up. Key West is 1400 miles for us. On the way down I told him I was going to try to do the "Iron Butt Ride" on the way home. That is a ride that Harley Davidson gives you a patch for so that tells you is not something most people can or have accomplished. Harley doesn't make a habit of giving anything away for free. You have to ride at least 1000 miles without stopping except for fuel in under 24 hours. It is NOT easy. I did it one other time and I was solo. Solo is easier because there's nothing to talk about on fuel stops. No "how are you feeling?" You just gas and go..... and go & go.

The thing about a 1000 mile day is you don't plan it. It just kinda happens. I just keep moving and don't waste time. After about 600 miles I can tell if I am going to be able to last or not. But at about 800 nothing is stopping me. So on the way home we left Key West at 10 am. and didn't stop until Beckley West Virginia at 5 am the next day! It got cold fast just south of Charlotte N.C. and we had to add clothes and leather. But it was clear and dry the whole way. One other thing about lasting for 1000 miles and that is you'll never do it at the speed limit. It would take too long. Cops seem to have a certain respect for long haul bikers and we never get pulled over. Either that or they figure you're going to kill yourself and not somebody else if you wreck. We burned several tanks of gas doing 90 mph. Once right past a state trooper with the radar gun aimed at us who jumped in right behind us........ and pulled over the car we were passing!

Over the long haul we average about 60 mph and we made it about 1100 miles in 19 hours. 1092 actually leaving 300 for the next day. But then we stopped. My plan was to sleep for about 5 or 6 hours but right away we realized it was a college town with some major sporting event and there wasn't a room in town. I fell asleep in McDonald's for about 15 minutes and we grabbed a bite and got back on the road not to thrilled about it. Worse yet now it was raining. Temp fell to about 25 and it turned to sleet, freezing rain, and then some heavy snow. It was slow going and when we made the last gas stop an hour from home we were shivering and our teeth were chattering. I fell asleep in McDonald's again for a second. I pulled into the house at 2 o'clock that afternoon. Key West to Pa in 28 hours on a bike. I never jumped over a bunch of school busses but I bet Evil Knievel never did that.

So you ask.... is that your idea of fun? Yes. Only an elk hunter would understand the pleasure that comes from a labor of love where you push yourself to the limit like that. So I guess I can say I was training for the upcoming elk hunting season. Working on my mental game a little. There's not a lot you can do to actually train yourself mentally but I find that marathons like that are a pretty good way. Speaking of marathons did I mention I had a great seafood dish at the Sunset Grill in Marathon? haha.... Hopefully my mental training will make up for the weight I gained while I was away!

[Elkduds]

Joe, that's a great trip. Putting the Keys on my bucket list!

[WapitiTalk1]

So that's where you've been. Wow, awesome trip Joe. I figured you were either on a bike trip or trolling for pig muskies in the northern country. Welcome back!

[Lefty]

Looks like a great trip,..
great pics,.. A braver man than me,.. the pic without a shirt
I have this week off- spring break.
Im still putting away goose season,.. trying to get ready for bear season. I would like to set a few muskrat traps for fun and bait
So far spring cleaning, and this morning putting in the fiber rock for a shower in my daughters home

[Indian Summer]

Looks like a great trip,..
great pics,.. A braver man than me,.. the pic without a shirt

That's not me. I'm behind the camera. I'd never let them catch me like that!

[Deanmac]

enjoyed the read,

[Toothy]

Great trip report.. you're correct the Keys are just a completely different world. I live about 2 hrs north of Key Largo, you actually drove by within a mile of my home, I don't get down there as often as I should but I guess that keeps it special too..