Day 12 cont... 2/23/05 57 miles

I left the Knight Key bright and early in a rush to get to Key West at lunch. With only 47 more miles to get to Key West, it should have taken a little over 2 hours. I thought/hoped the 7 Mile Bridge would have a pedestrian/bike path. There is a smaller bridge that runs parallel to the 7 Mile Bridge. People were biking and running on it...so I took it. It ended up being the old 7 Mile Bridge that ended in like 2 miles; and had a section removed from it. That's only 2 miles, not 7...so 4 miles wasted. So I had to ride the shoulder of the 7 Mile Bridge for 7 miles. My average was over 25 mph on the bridge. Getting to Key West seemed so time consuming, but once I got within 10 miles, success was felt, and I cruised the rest.

Finding a place to stay again became a challenge. Motels had no vacancy and wanted $250 for a nite. I kept shopping, but basically gave up. I called my mother for support, and of course she came thru. She found me a place to stay- Sea Isle Motel ($390 for 2 nites). The motel was located in "Old Town" so everything was in walking distance.

After settling in to the motel, I went in search of the internet. I spent 2 hours putting up the last 6 days in an internet cafe.

Not knowing what I might miss in Key West. I called my cousins Kevin & Jodi. They helped me decide what was important for me to do and see in Key West:
Fort Jefferson
The Lighthouse
Hemmingway's

I of course wanted to see Fort Jefferson(located 70 miles to the west of Key West), but the sea plane was booked 4 days in advance. So I got to walk Key West for 2 days straight.