Philly to Florida?

[Ken Robb]

many years ago I had to be a no-show as a groomsman in a pals wedding because I had planned to fly from AL. to OK in a Piper Cherokee. The weather prevented my flying in a small plane. Heck, I'm not sure I could have made it flying United but my point is that some occasions are too important to chance getting there by any but the most dependable mode of transportation.

[jemdet]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

many years ago I had to be a no-show as a groomsman in a pals wedding because I had planned to fly from AL. to OK in a Piper Cherokee. The weather prevented my flying in a small plane. Heck, I'm not sure I could have made it flying United but my point is that some occasions are too important to chance getting there by any but the most dependable mode of transportation.

Duly noted - it would be a shame to miss it.

I'm not a groomsman and the bride and groom both know about and encourage my plan. I won't be in the middle of nowhere, and my 15 day "deadline" will get me there with time to spare. There is also a ferry bail-out that will shave off 300 miles of riding. Bike breaks down, I'll hop on a flight from Philly, or DC, or Charleston, or Jacksonville, or anywhere. Not like I'm in the mountains of Vermont.

The real risk is injury, or worse, and that's something that I can only help by being as prepared as possible. This would be a non-starter if I hadn't already put in thousands of miles of touring.

[marciero]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

that stretch with all the bridges down the keys to KW is hairy, scenic, but i think dangerous. speeds are high and not much protected shoulder. i was down to KW a few years ago and remember specifically thinking that i would not want to try and ride a bike down through the keys. perhaps consider hooking up with a friend or something and hitching a ride the last leg?

Am reminded of the harrowing description of cycling down that road in the Barbara Savage book "Miles From Nowhere". The chapter title "Dive or Die" gives some idea. That was late 1970's I think.

[Ralph]

https://www.bikeflorida.net/coast-to-coast.htm

Much of this 250 mile Florida E Coast to W Coast trail is complete. A 20 mile paved (14' wide) section comes by my house. Probably winds around too much for your use.


Florida has great trails. Wide, fast, and not much crowded. Florida is building wide smooth paved protected trails all over the state....connected together. Thinking what the state planners call "eco tourism" is going to be huge. Actually, it already is.

[Richard]

Going to portage the Carolinas?

[jemdet]

Originally Posted by Richard

Going to portage the Carolinas?

Depends - Will shimano pontoons do the trick?

I'll be slightly off the coast in NC and SC

[jemdet]

Originally Posted by Ralph

https://www.bikeflorida.net/coast-to-coast.htm

Much of this 250 mile Florida E Coast to W Coast trail is complete. A 20 mile paved (14' wide) section comes by my house. Probably winds around too much for your use.


Florida has great trails. Wide, fast, and not much crowded. Florida is building wide smooth paved protected trails all over the state....connected together. Thinking what the state planners call "eco tourism" is going to be huge. Actually, it already is.

Might come in handy - I just wish that it trended NW-SE and not NE-SW

[jemdet]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

that stretch with all the bridges down the keys to KW is hairy, scenic, but i think dangerous. speeds are high and not much protected shoulder. i was down to KW a few years ago and remember specifically thinking that i would not want to try and ride a bike down through the keys. perhaps consider hooking up with a friend or something and hitching a ride the last leg?

Gave it a cursory street view. There appear to be bike lanes, segregated paths, and decent shoulders on the bridges, no?

[tombtfslpk]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

that stretch with all the bridges down the keys to KW is hairy, scenic, but i think dangerous. speeds are high and not much protected shoulder. i was down to KW a few years ago and remember specifically thinking that i would not want to try and ride a bike down through the keys. perhaps consider hooking up with a friend or something and hitching a ride the last leg?

A few years ago a group of nine of us rode from Key Largo to Key West, then back to Florida City. Riding and camping over five days the week after Christmas. We ended up in Key West for New Years Eve....Yowza!
There is a "bicycle route" that parallels A1A, The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, bike lanes and MUT. You won't have to ride every bridge, and the ones you have to ride have a pretty good shoulder. If there is an accident on A1A, you have the advantage on a bicycle, because traffic gets all tangled up on the mostly two lane road.
I enjoyed the trip and want to do it again.....maybe I'm strange. There is an organized ride I've been interested in, 72 Hours to Key West.

To jemdet, if I was going to ride from Philly, I might explore the option of riding to Ft Myers and taking the ferry to Key West. Just check the ferry schedule for your arrival date. There might be some routing options through Central and Western Florida. How do you plan to get back?

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by tombtfslpk

A few years ago a group of nine of us rode from Key Largo to Key West, then back to Florida City. Riding and camping over five days the week after Christmas. We ended up in Key West for New Years Eve....Yowza!
There is a "bicycle route" that parallels A1A, The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, bike lanes and MUT. You won't have to ride every bridge, and the ones you have to ride have a pretty good shoulder. If there is an accident on A1A, you have the advantage on a bicycle, because traffic gets all tangled up on the mostly two lane road.
I enjoyed the trip and want to do it again.....maybe I'm strange. There is an organized ride I've been interested in, 72 Hours to Key West.

?

i was not aware of that, good to know!

[everbeek]

High pressure typically sets up in the summer off the southeastern coast and winds are more often out of the east/southeast rather than west/NW as typical in fall, winter and spring. Wind rose plots are helpful https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/climate/windrose.html
-Mike

[idrinkwater]

I grew up riding in FL and did a NC to Maine tour a few years back. We used the ACA Atlantic coast maps and they were pretty good

https://www.adventurecycling.org/rou...tlantic-coast/

Also, you might wanna look into the Florida divide. Mostly gravel or single track, and significantly safer than 4 lane highways. Lots of other cool gravel specific routs on that website.



https://www.singletracksamurai.com/florida-divide/

I encountered my share of hairy situations riding in FL but I never once needed a weapon.

[93KgBike]

Although, once you get to Florida, summer weather more often comes off the Gulf and travels E by NE. And as others have already said, Florida gets daily afternoon downpours (3pm - 6pm), much like tropical countries. Also, Florida leads the nation for humans struck by lightening, and hearing thunder is enough reason to get indoors.

I'd use good paper maps to find non-interstate roads as you cross east to west making for Fort Meyers. Traffic is a major issue, and we all drive trucks, and there are a lot of truck drivers in their 70's and 80's. The highways are boring and ugly, but the country roads are beautiful.

I'd offer to feed you and put you up, but doubt I'll be near any trail you'd take. But let us know what routes you choose, you might find some PL's that will ride a stretch with you.

Good luck! Take photos and let us know how you're getting on.


+1 to idrinkwater's post above