Well, we did it. 4178.4 miles and a week in Key West. Here is my thumbnail tale of our trip. Sorry if it is to long, but the stories are fun to tell.

I started out on April 25th at 3am. The sky was clear and a chilly 44 degrees. Met my buddie in Massachusetts and we were under way by 7am. 717 miles on this first day, through NH, MA, Conn, NY, PA, Maryland, WV, and stopping in Harrisonburg Va for the night at 7pm. A long day but the sights, smells and sounds were terrific. Some highlights of the day were strong crosswinds in PA on 84 and 81. The visability and sites through PA on 81 is well worth the horror of some of the busier spots like the rt 84/81 connection. Conn's section of 84 and northern Pa. But we survived. We hit a touch of rain just before stopping in VA for the night. Nothing serious and we were quickly dry when it stopped,

April 26th we start by debugging our windshields and are on the road by 6am. Just south of Harrisonburg on 81 we start to get into some real nice scenery with rolling hills and valleys. Many pics while riding.
A short visit with a old friend in Salem Va, and we then head to the BRP via rt 8. All i can say is this is now on my radar for a future ride. We did about 40 miles before connecting with rt 77, but it was beautiful and a obvious rider destination by all the bikes we saw. Every place we stopped we were greeted by other traveling riders who were eager to wish us well on our trip.
Rt 77 is a nice run with some very steep and hilly terrain. Nice overlooks while riding, although i did suffer a bit of vertigo in some spots, but i forced my self to enjoy the beutie of the landscape.
A short stop at Tillys HD shop in N.C for gas and t-shirts. Nice folks there. The weather is definitely getting warmer. We keep on riding finding our way to Fort Mill SC for the night with 335 miles behind us for the day. Tomorrow we rest.

April 27th we did a short 50 miler to see some family. SC country side is real pretty.A stop at ***'s HD shop for tees and windshield screws that i lost somewhere. Nice folks.

April 28th we head out at 6am. Little cool this morning so the leathers were on the menu. Rt 77 to 26 and then 95. Not much in here but lots of traffic. 95 was nice and i found it to be more relaxing then the other highways we had traveled. We stop for a break at the Savannah GA HD shop for pics and tee's. I'm a tee shirt guy. Chat it up with a couple of locals who envy our trip.
We continue our push for Fla. Lots of construction in Ga on 95 but was very user friendly. No alligators yet. We make the Fla state line with much excitment and my gas tank on reserve. Lunch at the welcome center and then to the local fuel up. Jacksonville is not as bad as i thought but is busy no dought. We get through it safely and push on. Florida is a big state. We make Melbourne by 6pm. 556 miles and another 12 hr day. Drinks and dinner end out this great day.

April 29th we make a short run down through historic Melbourne and a run down A1A. Very very nice area here. Nice deserted beaches and beutiful homes. I have nice pices and videos here. 50 miles todaay

April 30th we head out at 1030am to meet the wives in Ft Lauderdale. This leg took longer than i thought but we got there with time to spare. South Florida on 95 is busy, WOW. We stopped in Ft Lauderdale for gas and i was a bit nervous as to whether we would get out with our skin. Anyway, we meet the girls and loaded the bikes and head for 595. Ft Lauderdale airport is a snapp BTY. So, 595 to the FTP then to Homestead. Nice ride, just over an hour.
On Rt 1 and heading for the Keys. It quickly turns to a 2 laner with some road construction in areas. We stop for a much needed meal and break at the restaurant just before the new bridge, hotel and tiki bar. GREAT is the only way to disgribe this place. Right on the water, food and drinks were good, just wish i could remember the name.
Now the good part, we are moving again and on the overseas highway. This is why i came here. IT IS A MUST SEE!!!! I had my camera out the whole ride to Key West. All the bridges and water are just fantastic. If you have'nt done it yet, DO IT SOON.
We get to our hotel at 8ish that night and settle down after unpacking with drinks and stories of our ride to bore the wives with. I cannot believe we pulled this off. 361.6 miles today.

We ride the bikes everyday while here and oddly enough only put on about 30 miles. Round and round. Duval Str on a Harley is a must do. Very cool. Parking is a snapp and no one bothers you. We did everything i could have thought of, Capt Tony's, Hogs Breath, Schooner Warf, Louis Backyard, Margville, Sloppies. Hemminways house, tattoos and of course the sunsets. We even got to see a couple of sunrises. Locals and tourists alike see our liscense plates and are interested in our adventure. I have many pics here and will try to get them online soon.

May 6th we head out of Key West for Ft Lauderdale at 9am. We join with a group from Mississippi and ride along with them for a while until traffic seperates us. Again the water is just breathtaking and it is breaking my heart to leave. We head for Card Sound road out of Key Largo and stop at Alabama Jacks for lunch, a real cool local haunt. 11 miles to rt 1 and a busy, hot run to Old Cuttler Rd to Miami. This is a nice run but took a while to get into the nicer sections and to see how the other half lives..GAG. We ride through downtown Miami's water front and over the Macarthy causeway to South Beach, the girls dip their toes in the water and tell us there are topless women on the beach, dam, we have to go. We ride A1A north to Ft Lauderdale, not as good as our short run in Melbourne, but fun just the same. The weather is hot and we have not seen rain in a long time. Luck is on our side.
We find a nice Holiday Inn for the night and eats at a Irish pub across the street. Fun day but sadly will be ending soon. 200 miles today and saw some really cool things.

May 6th. Well he girls are off to their plane ride home and we head north on 95 at 9am. Our plans to ride alligator Ally are scrapped due to fires and road closure. Oh well, next time. We hit a pocket of rain for about 15 mins in Lauderdale but dried out after a few miles. We stopped at the Worlds larget Harley Shop in Daytona. What a place. A must see. If they don't have it, it does not exist.
We make our night stop in Yulee Fl, just before the state line. Not much here but a great place eatery called Murreys. Great food and cheap money. We did 375 miles today. Slacking a bit.

May 7th we are riding by 7am after a quick breakfast. We decided to take rt 321 just over the SC/ GA line. Glad we did. About 130 miles of just the most interesting rural SC country side one could see. Truely right out of a ***** Nelson Video. Old train stations, small towns with nothing there. Very nice route and i would recommend this to change the scenery from the highway. It puts us right on rt 26 again and we push north again merging with 77 and finally stopping in Fort Mill SC for the night. 367 miles today.

May 8th we head out at 7am with a hint of rain and fog. This is a big push day for miles, nothing to speak of here as we have already come this way a week ago. Still nice riding. We dodge the rain drops and make our final stop in Harrisburg PA. 515 mile today. We are tired and need alcohol and food. Sleep will help too.

May 9th. Last day on the road. We head out at 7am and head for home. PA is a big *** state. A few stopps for rest and fuel but we keep pushing. The same hot spots as before, Scranton, rts 81/84. But not to bad. We stop at an overlook in NY to gear up for rain, and a good thing because we found it. If i could make any recomendation to someone, buy good rain gear.
Anyway, into Conn on 84, on a Saturday and was amazed at the traffic. I would drive in South Florida on 95 any day of the week. 84 in Conn is a night mare. People are truely crazy bad. But we survived and made the Mass line by 1pm. Pulled into Kevins driveway at 2pm with numb hands and feet from the vibration, but i loved every minute of it. Little lunch and some sad good byes and i head for home in NH, another 150 miles for me.
I get to see my son at his first Prom when i get into town. I made it home, today with 529 miles for the day and a grand total of 4178.4 miles. I cannot believe we did it. I have so many memories and stories to share. I cannot wait to do it again. Soon i hope. I will have some pics up soon. I hope i did not bore you, its just to fun.
Some advice from one who now knows, bring twice the money and pack half as much stuff.

 

I am so jealous! I've been to Key West but not with the bike. Someday before I get the final call I plan to make the same ride you did. Key West and all of the other Keys are a blast. Here's to many more miles and rides like yours!

 

Congrats man....that is on my radar...the wife and i want to do it next year....I want to ride to Denver Co also, i have always wanted to take a month off and ride the country...Will do it lord willing and the creek don't rise....Again congrats and glad you made it back in one piece...

 

You sound like a kid talking about Christmas morning! Thanks for your story...many of us are jealous. Glad you had a safe trip!

 

Great report and a great trip for sure. I did something similar last year. If you didn't ride through the glades on the bike you gotta get back down there...........soon.

 

Nice write up...yeah, we all are jealous. Looking forward to seeing the pics. I've done the Tamiami Trail/41 to Hwy 1/Key West route, but not on a bike yet. It has been on my bucket list for a long time...I better get my **** in gear!

 

Glad you made it back safe and sound. Thats the hard part,eh. I knew you'd have a blast and sounds like you did.

 

Thanks for sharing. Sounds like a lot of fun. I did the trip from Jacksonville, FL earlier this year.....not nearly as many miles but I agree with your thoughts on the ride through the keys. Glad you had such a great trip.

 

good read thanks

 

Congratulations on a wonderful trip and thanx for the write up. The place before the bridge? holiday isle resort, islamorada fla.....tiki bar is a dead give away. Hopefully you tried the rumrunners cause thats their thang.