The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1946-02-15


highway along the Florida Keys
and Key West as written for the
Cincinnati Enquirer by Dave
Roberts, the Enquirer's Travel
Editor. By special permission of
the Enquirer the article is repro
duced herewith:
The highway which leads 1853
miles southwest from Miami to
Key West compares well with. any
of the magnificent roads which
man, through his ingenuity, has
fashioned during the last genera
ton. AS we rolled along its
smooth distances, over great
causeways that span the open sea,
we compared it with other trails
we'd travelled-with the road to
Mexico City, with the Ledo-Bur-
ma road, with the old Alcan, with
the route which skirts lovely
Caspe peninsula in Canada and
that ribbon of pavement stretch
ing eastward along the Mediter-
ranean from Oran, in North Afri-
ca. All are beautiful; all are ex-
citing and inspiring. The others
are longer and more extensive,
but none of them surpasses in
scenic wonders the road to Key
West.
II is unfortunate that so many
travellers, Vacationing in South
ern Florida, fail to explore the
highway along the keys. But
we've been told that hardly one
out of 1000 winter visitors takes
advantages of the opportunities
which this unique section offers.
All of the state is beautiful, but
few of its, beauties can match
those of the keys, in my opinion.
There is a genuinepeSs here that
is missing in many of the great
resort sections; a cloSenesS to ma
ture which comes from personal
contact with wind and sea, sand,
tide and sun.
The first 40 miles, while they
are interesting enough, tell little
of the delights which lie beyond.
The road carries you past small
fishing villages; across narrow
bridges connecting the low, man
grove blanketed islands. But as
you pass Upper Matecumbe, dist
ances between the islands begin
10 grow. You see less of the
land, and more of the broad open
sea, which lies to the right, and
of the Atlantic, down south to
your left. Communities are few,
but the highway is smooth and
wide as a city boulevard.
AT Channel Five you hit the
first long bridge. Here the road
has been laid on the old truss
bridge which once carried the
rail line that served Key West
the line which was destroyed in
the hurricane of 1885 and never
restored. The bridge structure,
while wide enough to carry the
rails, was not wide enough in its
original form to support a two
lane motorcar. route, It was sliced
through the center, from end to
end, one side was extended-and
prestol--a broad cement span
was laid across the miles of dane
ing opal sea. z
The longest bridge connects
hey Vacas and Bahia Honda-a
distance of seven miles. Here,
safe and secure in his automobile,
the motorist finds himself driving
almost out of sight of any land
II is a most unusual experience
Tiny green islands lie across the
multicolored stretches of water.
Ahead and behind is the steel
and stone of the bridge-a bridge
which, il seems, leads off into the
mystery of a distant horizon.
Each little island is an interest
in itself. There's Big Pine Key,
Nhre forests OF fair-Sized ever
green's are growing. There's
Ramrod Cudjoe, Sugar Loaf and
Saddle Bunch--one must wonder
how the names were coined. FL
nally you come, to Boca Chica,
where a magnificent military air
port still huns with activity. And
soon you're in Key West itself.
lfe
I'VE LEARNED so many times
that other peoples values often
fail to coincide with my own
that I've ceased to wonder about
it, We were told in several places
that Key West held little of in
teIest; that the trip there harry
was worth the time and effort il
requires. If you forget for mo-
Tnent the glory of the drive itsel
and center only on the little city
at the southernmost tip of the
United States you'll find-I think
that a visit will reward yot
well for your journey.
Centuries ago, when an unnam-
cd Spanish explorer first visited