We left off in Tavernier around the 90 mile marker going from Tavernier Creek Bridge to the Old Road. The Old Road is on the ocean side of US !. It is the old Overseas Hwy before the expanded one was built along side of it. The Old Road has a nice bike path on it all the way through Islamorada. This is where the scenery begins. The path is shaded with nice high trees on both sides. The area is residential with some pretty high end homes along the ocean. However, due to the tree line, you will...
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Today was the first ride I had with guests from Cheeca Lodge. The group was out of the Chicago area and lots of fun. Cheeca loaned them bikes for the tour. The picture above is taken in 1906 when it was on Upper Matacumbe. It was moved by boat to the beach where Cheeca Lodge is now. The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 destroyed the Church. The new church is on the Old Road in front of Cheeca Lodge with the original bell inside the tower.

On Cheeca's property, the Pinder family has a family graveya...
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 I occasionaly get a phone call asking me about cycling the whole Keys. I have done it several times myself. However, I prefer to take my bike and kayak to different parts of the Keys and experience some of the State Parks, bridges and local islands. With the bike path construction underway throughout the Keys, one day soon, the bike path with the exception of a few bridges will connect the whole length of the Keys.

I will do three write ups going into detail riding the bike path from Key Lar...
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Today was a slow day for the bike tours so I took advantage of the down time to spend with my two son's Luke and Joel. A little thing that I came up with this summer was to plan out a bike route that would be interesting for my children and allow me some time with them. Today, we took the bike path from Islamorada to Tavernier to a local pub called Dillon's for lunch. It was a 3 mile round trip. Other days, we will ride to Founder's Park and go swimming at the pool. Some time's we bring lunch...
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Today we had a nice crowd from Tampa, Norfolk, and Charlottesville and Richmond. We also had some locals. We are getting ready for our October 3rd and 4th bike and kayak tour out to Indian Key. I am boning up on my Indian Key history so this should be a fun event. If you would like to attend, bring your own bike and kayak or Backcountry cowboy can hook  you up. Go to Backcountrycowboy.com.  The event will start at 10 AM. Call Mark for details at 305-879-0390.  

Michelle Cacares from the Holid...
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The dates for the bike and kayak tours are set for the first weekend in October which are the 3rd and 4th. The start time will be 10 AM. However, we will meet at the boat launching area on Indian Key fill on the bay side. The groups will be limited to 10 each day.  You can bring your own bike and kayak if you wish. We will stage on Indian Key fill and our club will have people to watch the bikes and kayaks during the tour. Once we set up, our group will ride straight to the Hurricane Monument...
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The Islamorada Historical Bicycle Tour is a two hour tour that is 6.5 miles long. The tour starts at 10 AM and goes to 12 Noon.  It covers over 2000 years of History, including the Indian occupation, the Spaniards, the pioneer families, the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, the Red Cross Homes, the development of the railroad, highway, the drug running days and crazy Keys stories.  It is a great way to start your vacation in Islamorada and the Keys to learn about where to go and what to see.   Call M...
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