Oh, I love the keys, having been down there with family when I was young -- that was long enough ago that the highway still ran over the former railroad bridges. Last time was three years ago, when we took the current family during the kids' spring break, and put the car on Amtrak's Auto Train (highly recommend for anyone in riding distance of Woodbridge, VA - they accept motorcycles too -- you ride your own motorcycle onto a platform that holds two - they tie it down <
) that unloads in Sanford, FL (suburb northeast of Jacksonville). Key West was a fairly easy jaunt from there with other sites along the way (we were there when the last shuttle flight was on the pad). Also, this time of year, one could contemplate adding the Florida Everglades National Park to the itinerary -- they're effectively only open during the winter months, and have pretty much shut down come April.
Key West can get a little congested, so we stayed on Big Pine - kind of the next sizable spot north of Key West. If you've snorkeled, there are several places along the keys good for that -- John Pennekamp State Park perhaps being the best and most accessible (no, it can't compete with the natural wonders of our friends Down Under), and if you haven't tried it, it's easy and a great thing to do while in the Keys.
Oh I see the rip tides and pelicans, and smell the salt air, and taste the conch fritters . . .
We will be empty nesters starting this fall, and I would love to get the missus on the bike and join y'all down there.
Enjoy. Keep the rubber side down.
