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Austin -> Key West -> Austin

Jeff S

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Howdy Folks,

Well, before it gets too hot along the Redneck Riviera, I'm thinking of making a run along the coast to Key West, then up the eastern coast to the Hilton Head area, then finding my way back here.

Something like this:



Question is this: what's my route home from there? Needs to be semi-direct, and ideally zero interstate miles.

Links to ride reports in this neck of the woods would also be greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Jeff
 
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CenTex just did that trip recently and on the same bike so check with him for route suggestions.
 
After abit of google-time and looking for squiggly lines on maps, I've come up with this:


(blue is my current proposal, red are suggestions made by others)

Eagerly accepting improvements to either/both route, though. And, it looks like I won't be leaving until late March now. Bummer...
 
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CenTex made his trip on his 2012 Wee Strom and loved it. I may suggest the Natchez Trace Parkway as part of your route. I've heard the speed limit is 50-55mph and scenery is beautiful but there aren't many stops on it for anything so if you want food and gas you'll have to leave it near certain towns. It also runs mostly N-S. Most of it is in Mississippi and the southern end is in Natchez, MS, which you'll already be (tentatively) passing through.

When Tom and I rode to Birmingham, AL, from TX last year we took 79 to I-20 and slabbed it most of the way so don't have anything else to contribute. We were trying to maximize our distance with time.

BTW, I'm jealous of this trip.
 
US-80 is your non-interstate alternative to I-20. It runs from Terrell, TX all the way to Tybee Island, GA. You can catch it in GA and run it to Shreveport, LA, then drop down US-79 to around Waco (or anywhere along the way), then choose whatever works for you to get back to Austin.

That's going to be your most direct non-Interstate route back from the deep south.
 
Dave.TX said:
I may suggest the Natchez Trace Parkway

Ahhh, yes. Gotta have at least a bit of that road.....


Editing the map now. Thanks!
 
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US-80 is your non-interstate alternative to I-20.

Yeah - I've got a bit of mileage on that, but I deviate north at Swainsboro, GA and take 57, then 74 from Macon, and staying a bit north of there until I cross it on the Natchez Trace PW (already edited the map!).

Thanks for the suggestion - if I need to make miles but still avoid I-20, then 80 looks like a perfect alternative.
 
When are you planing to do the ride? Is it a solo or group trip?

I'm still honing in on the final departure date. I was hoping to leave around March 5th, but that's going to move out at least one week, maybe two. March 18th is looking like a probable stands-up date.

I'll likely do it solo, but I'm not averse to one or more riders accompanying me on sections. I'll be staying in Florida for a few days at a friend's house, probably after hitting Key West.

Looking at the map again, Hilton Head adds a lot of miles. If time becomes short, I might cut that off and go from the Jacksonville, Fl area to Columbus and pick up my map (as it stands now) from there...
 
I have done part of the Natchez Trace in 1998 just a few days ago I told Jan when I get well I would meet her in Nashville. As I recall the speed limit was 45 mph but I like to look around a lot so maybe I was just driving slow. She told me today she wanted to go to San Francisco so after that I was OK to go back to Ms.

I hope you get good weather that part of the country is nice.

Eddie
 
I've done a lot of your route, most of it is very enjoyable.

However, from New Port Richey to Osprey, you won't miss much but mile after mile of stoplights by hopping on the freeway to get through there.

Also, there are many, many stoplights on your route in the Miami area.

On your route out of the Keys, good call on the Card Sound route, have a dollar for the toll at the bridge. Just past the bridge is Alabama Jack's, a neat place between the road and the water. You can eat lunch and feed fish at the same time, and they have a good conch salad and a killer fried fish sandwich.

Have a good trip.
 
Hey George - thanks for the info. Yeah, I might need to detour around both those metro areas; I'll just have to see how I feel when I get there..
 
GREAT QUEST!

i did it last spring, denton >april PIE in medina > key west > jacksonville > denton

'05 WEE, alternating camping w/ sleezy-rat motels

4500+ mi

you'll love it

make sure to have bridge timber nails for camping on key west, as common tent stakes wont drive into the corral

drop me a PM if i can be of any help

shiny side up

sw
 
make sure to have bridge timber nails for camping on key west, as common tent stakes wont drive into the corral
Well, I certainly would not have thought of that! I'm thinking I might camp all the way there and back, but stay in doors while in the keys. Anyway, not a bad idea to use something like that for tent stakes anyway. Thanks!
 
Well, I certainly would not have thought of that! I'm thinking I might camp all the way there and back, but stay in doors while in the keys. Anyway, not a bad idea to use something like that for tent stakes anyway. Thanks!

I rode from Houston to Key West and back last Thanks Giving and camped all the way and got some really beautiful camp sites. I use 6" nails for tent stakes and they were needed
 
* forgot to mention a LA ST PARK, near NEW ORLEANS, that i found, by accident

ST BERNARD ST PARK, on la39 in CAERNARVON, LA, near the town of POYDRAS, LA

if you are coming into the NEW ORLEANS AREA, via US90, as your thread indicates you might, stick to the southern loop into MARRERO

take la23/belle chase pkwy > right

catch the belle chase ferry across the BIG MUDDY to SCARSDALE & turn left on la39 to the park

i didn't stay there but it sure is convenient if you want to visit THE CRESCENT CITY

& if you do, you can park in the parking lot in front of the ALGIERS POLICE DEPT & catch the free foot ferry over to the FRENCH QUARTER

MAPQUEST IT, it's real handy & relatively secure for your skoot

* the ferry across MOBILE BAY is a really nice ride

catch it on the east end of DAUPHINE ISLAND, AL & ride it to FT MORGAN, on the end of the peninsula, west of GULF SHORES, AL

drop down from US90 @ GRAND BAY, AL on al188, thru BAYOU LA BATRE > al193 > DAUPHINE ISLAND

* GULF STATE PK, just east of GULF SHORES is a real nice park w/ a/c bath houses

* more tidbits coming, if my gray hair will release them

sw
 
A buddy and me took a trip there last September from Macon, GA. We wanted to take the back roads and decided to catch 41 in Bradenton. Big mistake! Noting but traffic lights down to Ft Myers. Once we got to the Everglades, it was easy going pretty much the whole way.

We stayed at the El Patio Hotel in Key West. It's an older hotel but it's clean and the rates are cheap. No problem parking the bikes. Another plus is it's very close to Duval Street where all the action is! (Remember Coyote Ugly!).

You'll have a good time!

304063_500544433297122_1863996654_n.jpg


PS: Take an airboat ride when you go through the Glades. It was $16.00 and pretty cool in itself! I wore my helmet with GoPro mounted and got some great video!
 
catch the belle chase ferry across the BIG MUDDY to SCARSDALE & turn left on la39 to the park
Nice little tip. Even if I don't stay at the park, that looks like a better route around N.O. than what I was planning. (I'd rather avoid the center of N.O. - been there, none that, don't wanna try it on a bike :party: )
 
Good tip! And yeah, that stretch around Bradenton/Sarasota look like a stretch worth avoiding...

SADLY, there are several more of those TBA(to be avoided stretches)

* WAVELAND > PASCAGOULA, MS

* HOMOSASSA > ST PETERSBURG, FL

DO MAKE THE TREK OVER THE BAY BRIDGE @ ST PETERSBURG

* BRADENTON > NAPLES, FL

TAKE THE LOWER ROAD(fl41) ACROSS > fl997 > HOMESTEAD

*** the conch basket in the cafe @ the farmer's mkt in HOMESTEAD is real good

* the ALL AMERICAN INN in HOMESTEAD IS M/C FRIENDLY & rea$onable

* buy fuel in that neighborhood, before launching down A1A

* the GOLDEN ANCHOR is a nice family restaurant just off the beaten path in KEY WEST, it was highly recommended by the folks @ Boyd's Camp Ground

http://boydscampground.com/

there is, also, a laundry near Boyd's, that does bundle service rea$onably

sw
 
SADLY, there are several more of those TBA(to be avoided stretches)

* WAVELAND > PASCAGOULA, MS
Awww, darn. That bit looked fun. I might have to boldly disregard this advise and later wish I hadn't.

* HOMOSASSA > ST PETERSBURG, FL

DO MAKE THE TREK OVER THE BAY BRIDGE @ ST PETERSBURG

* BRADENTON > NAPLES, FL

Well, dern again. Top section's bad, bottom section'd bad. Middle section is good....

TAKE THE LOWER ROAD(fl41) ACROSS > fl997 > HOMESTEAD
Good - that was on my plan and looked fun.
 
Awww, darn. That bit looked fun. I might have to boldly disregard this advise and later wish I hadn't.

RED LIGHT TO RED LIGHT TO RED LIGHT...

Well, dern again. Top section's bad, bottom section'd bad. Middle section is good....

THAT BRIDGE IS WORTH ALL THE CRAP YOU WILL HAVE TO ENDURE TO RIDE OVER IT &, AS I REMEMBER, IT ONLY COST $1.25

Good - that was on my plan and looked fun.

BE FUELED UP & PLAN TO TAKE YOUR TIME

TAKE PICTURES OF THE YELLOW DIAMOND SHAPED WARNING SIGNS

I DIDN'T & FOLKS WONT BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAID(NO PICS/DIDN'T HAPPEN)

I'M GETTING SO ENVIOUS JUST REMEMBERING, BITS N PIECES

sw
 
Hey, Jeff ... just discovered your thread ...

I used the route you show from Mobile/Pensacola to Tampa, so I know you'll enjoy that run along the coast and through the woods. A short stretch of blah in the middle panhandle when you leave the coast, but still a good route given the alternatives. Outbound time contraints (I had a reservation at Long Key SP) took me to the slab from Tampa to Naples, then again on the route you show outbound from Naples to the Keys. Nothing too remarkable there but I'm sure the best choice still for that leg of the trip.

Long Key SP was a good base on the Keys ... sandy (not coral) campsites on the water, hot shower/bathouse, give it an 8.5 on the SP accomodations scale (higher if it had been farther off the highway). A hard reservation this time of year but check out the Florida SP reservation system its very user friendly. They were booked so solid I was not able to extend my stay even trying to move to a rare 'walk-in' site.

Key West itself is just another coastal tourist town, jammed this time of year, I quickly decided I'd not lost anything there but was glad to have made the visit. Took a liesurely stroll through Ft Taylor, lots of iguanas on the trails there. Several at LK SP mentioned that the botanical garden in Key West is cool.

FWIW outbound I took 29 up through the center of the state (green-line route on your map) which was nice citrus country, a better choice than the basically continuous urban sprawl along the Gulf from Tampa to Naples, IMHO. Very long ago I made annual trips to Daytona for racing, nothing in my memory recommends the routes along the Atlantic - again, too much urban stuff punctuated by long straigh roads for me.

Overall I did more slab than you're planning (good for you) but I've done the stretches between here and NOLA plenty and didn't want to do 98 through NOLA again (BTDT - not a town I enjoy on a motorcycle).

If inclined to aviation stuff, I highly recommend the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola Naval Air Station. You'll need a full day to do it justice. The Battleship Mobile was worth the stop, too, IMHO, better part of a day there, too.

I did the hotel thing except for on the Keys, so can't help with campsirte suggestions along the way. I do find the "All Stays Camp and Tent" iphone app a great campsite finding tool if you're not already familiar with that one - easy to filter to NF and BLM/COE camps which I recall you mentioning as a preference. Its a regularly updated app and works even if out of cell range since it all loads the basic database to your phone.

I'm sure you'll have a great trip, look forward to hearing about it at Ken's on your return.

:rider:
 
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Hey Alan,

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure I'm going to have quite as much time as this trip would take as it's planned now, so I might slab up Florida on the return - up to somewhere like Daytona or St. Augustine, then cut northwest to Macon or some point west of there. That'll save probably two nights.

Thanks too, for the pointer to the camping app. On my last ride, I just used google maps (search for camping on the map, then scroll around to see the various spots) but that doesn't allow all the filtering and specific searches that your app seems to. I'll check that out...
 
So, I've hacked up the return ride, as seen on the dark blue line in my return map. That'll let me bypass all of Miami and Ft Lauderdale, right up to Daytona. I do want to ride a bit of the Atlantic coast, then I'll peel off the coast and head North West, cutting of the South Carolina section I originally had and meeting my previous route either on 80 around Mason or a bit further west of there.

If I do that, I'm budgeting 4 day's ride to get to the Keys, a couple days to play on the sand once I'm there, then 5 days back. Maybe 3000 miles in 11 days.

I still don't like the section around Tampa, but I do want to take the bridge across Tampa Bay, so I think that's gotta stay in.

If all goes well, I'll head out two weeks from today.
 
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