And welcome to the crew! This post must have been WAY down the list.

 

There is currently serious construction Tuesday through Saturday on the Trail. You will encounter three lane closures along the project. Lane closures at bridges utilizes temporary rumble strips to alert drivers to slow down and prepare to stop. Completion is estimated for spring 2014.

Just an FYI.

Ride Safe -- have Fun

 

Well, I see this old thread of mine has been resurrected!! I did this trip almost 2 years ago!! Worked out great. If you are interested, I have pics on my blog with the link below.

Funny, I never did get a bill from Florida on the "toll by plate" system. I don't really think they could get a picture of my plate under my tour pak. I wonder if they have done something to the cameras to fix this by now.

Anyway, I am planning another trip to Key West in May/June of this year. Doing a USA 4 Corners tour in 21 days and Key West will be my second corner. Plan to come down I95 to the Turnpike going down. Plan to head back up the Turnpike all the way to I75 as I head west for San Ysidro, California.

Anyone in Florida have any updated tips to help speed me along for this part? I don't plan to stop other than for gas and food in Florida as I have been there and done that already!! My stops for sightseeing and riding local roads are mainly reserved for the West coast and coming back across the US from Blaine, Washington at the end of the tour.

 

Dang, I don't normally get suckered into these old posts and by a guy making his first post. Oh Well.

Anyway Jim I enjoyed looking over your blog. Let me know when you are down this way. I am in Fort Pierce where I-95 and Florida's Turnpike come the closest and both have on/off ramps. Maybe plan a gas or food stop. I would like to meet you and buy you a beverage.

Ride Safe -- Have Fun

 

When heading back north from Key West, when you get to Florida City take 27 north. It will take you west of Miami and Broward County to avoid the traffic mess. It will take you west of Lake Okeechobee and up through Central Florida. You can then either take US 60 west to 75, or I-4 to 75 and then north out of Florida. Much better ride than the turnpike and may even save some time.
PS - I have yet to receive a toll by plate or any other turnpike charge on the bike. And I have my plate registered on my SunPass. For some reason, I don't think the cameras can effectively capture a clear enough snapshot of the plate on a bike.

 

I got a ticket in the mail on the turnpike complete with a photo of me on my Sportster before I traded it for the Heritage. I called Sunpass and they very nicely billed me for 75c instead of the $3 and change bill by plate charge, because I was carrying the sunpass at the time and I had registered my bike tag with them a week or so later after I got the notice in the mail.
So yes they can read your tag.

 

Add some time to your ride - my stepdaughter lives in Marathon. To pick her up from Brevard County (we are 10 miles west of Cocoa Beach, just off I-95) is a 13 hour round-trip drive, so one-way from here is over 6 hours. Jax is 100 miles north of us. The problem is you will not be driving highway speeds in Miami and the Keys, and I'm pretty sure will be putting up with some city traffic in Miami even if you take the expressway down there, so add an hour or two for traffic. Jacksonville also has traffic, so consider the time of day you are traveling through there and see if you should take the bypass or not.