The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1946-12-03
To the Jumping-Off Place
of the U.S.A.
Anlrnrrrc
By A. H. ANDREWS. Editor


- according to plans and speci-
fications, even going to the length
of consulting the stars as to
whether they are in favorable
COnfiguration before starting on a
journey. But as for me, | much
dislike planned existence.
Weeks in advance you may plan
a weekend trip to some point OF
interest only to have your pro-
gram upset at the last minute
by business matters, motor trOu-
BILE, rainy weather or an uneX-
pected visit from your mother-in-
law. In former years we used
TO speak of an enjoyable trip as
"a blowout" but in these days
of motor travel, a blowout is
about the last thing to be de-
sired.
Bobby Burns once said, The
best laid plans of mice and men
gang aft aglee," which translat-
ed into an Americanized version,
would probably read something
like this: THE best laid plans of
mice and men too often go hay
wire" And Bobby surely said
mouthful. How much more en-
joyable it is to jog along a bit
with the daily program, then
suddenly surprise yourself by do
ing something or going some
where that you had not definitely
planned to do?
Here Years Ago
| had been at Key West but
once some years ago, and when
I started out for Miami before
sunrise on Saturday. November
9th, had no definite idea OF gong
elsewhere. The sun arose IN
cloudy sky. Later a dense gray
pail of fog drifted in from the
southeast and hung like dark
curtain DER the celestial lumln-
ary. 1t seemed that we were
surely in for a rainy day. AS
though a fairy had raised her
magic wand, the sky suddenly
cleared; the sun shone brightly;
the weather was mild and de
lightful; the motor functioning
perfectly. The question arose in
my mind, Then why not Key
Vest" The idea quite appealed
10 me and it was so decided then
and there.
In motoring from the West
Coast to the Island City many
miles can be saved by leaving the
Tamiami Trail at Krone Avenue,
being the first hard surfaced road
that YOU encounter after rounding
the big curve in Dade County.
II is easily recognized by the row
uf Australian Pine trees that line
its course through the muck land.
II is exactly twenty miles from
the Trail 10 the business center of
Homestead by way of Krone
Avenue, which is the main bust
ness street of the town.
Reach Overseas Highway
Here YOU contact the Overseas
Highway. the only other main
land settlement being Florida
City several miles to the south.
From there on you motor for
many miles through wet mari
prairie dotted here and there
with small hammock islands,
much resembling IN appearance
the muck prairies of the lower
Everglades. AT intervals are
country roads to the eastward,
leading 10 farms along the coast.
As you progress the general
character changes to open tidal
sWamos and bayOuS and thieketS
of mangrovc bushes. There are
some twenty miles of this monot-
onouS country before you reach
the turn IN the road to the cause
way and bridge leading to Key
Largo You naturally wonder
what useful purpose this vast
area If tidal marsh can ever
serve. Perhaps it is only to hold
the world together Who knows?
Key Largo is the first in the
great chain of Florida Keys
through which the Overseas High
way is routed southWeSterly to
the City of Key West For the
most part II is So rocky that ordi-
nary cultural methods cannot be
pursued IN the scattered lime
groves and truck patches. Yet
the dense native Jungle with
which the island is forested testi-
flies Ia the fact that whatever soil
there Is II Is fertile.
The original narrow highway
closely paraileled on the east the
abandoned railroad right of way,
and was closely bordered by the
uvcr-archlng tropical Jungle, with
only an occasional clearing at long
intervals Since my initial Key
West trip in 1888 a fine wide
highway has been constructed on
the abandoned railroad right Of
way. the intervening jungle cut
away. with occasional turnouts
leading to stores. homes and fill
ing stations on the old narrow
highway. In the thirty miles of
highway traversIng Key Largo
scarcely glimpse of the water