Seven Mile Bridge

Today was another full day in the keys. We start our days with a little routine - Coffee, a breakfast usually featuring lots of fresh fruit, one half hour of engine time to replenish the batteries and make hot water. By now it is 9:00 am and time for the Marathon Cruiser's net. This is a controlled conversation among the 260 or so boats in the harbor on CH 68 VHF. On the net, we learn who is new to the harbor, who is leaving, announcements which include activities for the next several days, problem solving, buy / sell / give away, and a nautical trivia game. It's amazing how many problems are solved and goods are exchanged each morning.

After the Net, Carol and I headed ashore for our day which started at West Marine to pick up a new inspection port. We then peddled east to the famous 7 mile bridge. Actually two bridges are standing, the old bridge which is a car conversion of the original RR bridge and a modern span featuring a 65 foot high span for us sailboats. We peddled our bikes across the old span for about 2.5 miles into a little history from the early 1900's. Our destination was Pigeon Key and home of a work encampment for folks building Henry Flaglers overseas railway to Key West. Henry Flagler, a partner of John D Rockefeller in Standard Oil of Ohio, is largely credited for modern development of the East Coast of Florida. He built railroads and luxury hotels eventually all the way from St Augustine to Key West. His impact is perhaps most dramatic right here in Marathon. The seven mile bridge which starts here and heads west is a true marvel. The original bridge was just wide enough for a train. After a major hurricane in 1935, the railroad was destroyed and eventually the overseas highway was built on the old rail bed. As we biked across this span the lane markings still exist for car traffic. Let me tell you there was just barely enough room for two cars to pass on this roadway - see picture above! After the 2&1/2 miles, we landed on Pigeon Key (in the background of the picture) and observed the buildings used to house the original work parties. There was a small museum and we enjoyed a video featuring Henry Flagler's amazing life story.

We continue to enjoy the social scene here in Boot Key Harbor. We have made a number of friends including a couple from Brockport, New York. We're looking forward to watching the inauguration and having brunch aboard a Lagoon 42 Catamaran which is about a luxurious and roomy as it gets for a sailing vessel.