Florida A1A road

[Matt Harper]

The Moose said:

That first photo is a great one

The one I didn't take, you mean!

[The Moose]

Matt Harper said:

The Moose said:

That first photo is a great one

The one I didn't take, you mean!

Yep

I also like the third one (that you DID take!).

Mum and dad got to see the last shuttle launch. I was unable to attend which I regret. Bet it was awesome!

[Adenauer]

Saleen836 said:

Where are you staying on the Keys?

I stayed here... https://www.hawkscay.com/ and did a day trip down to Key West, the further south towards Key West the more expensive accommodation gets!

http://keywesthospitalityinns.com/wicker-guesthouse/

I know what you mean about the prices, this was the most reasonable half decent looking place in Key West and it's on Duval street.

[Adenauer]

Matt Harper said:

US-1 is NOT a 'Freeway', nor is it anything like a motorway. Get that thought right out of your head. For Freeway-like driving on the Atlantic coast take Interstate 95 or The Florida Turnpike.

A1-A hugs the coast and barrier islands - it is slow going, but quite pleasant in places. It is less busy that US-1 because it doesn't pass trough commercial districts of the coastal towns and cities, as does US-1. US-1 is murderous in comparison - endless strip malls, traffic lights every other intersection and passing trough many featureless and uninviting places along the way. If time is not pressing on you and you like the beach, take A1-A. If you need to get a move-on, it's easy to jump onto I-95.

I would also suggest deviating from I-75 between Naples and Miami and opting for US 41 (Tamiami Trail) a little further south - much nicer Everglades experience - plenty of interesting stops en-route.

As for accommodations in St Augustine FL, push the boat out and stay at Casa Monica Resort/Spa - it's not crazy expensive, but is truly fantastic - and perfectly situated in the heart of town, directly opposite the wonderful buildings of Flagler College.

Thanks for that, Matt. All things considered I think we'll try the A1A, sounds like the US-1 would actually be worse anyway.

Is the Tamiami Trail now free of roadworks? The last time we used that to drive to Miami it was one massive building site and took forever! If it's okay now then we'll definitely go that way, I can remember the I-75 being very boring.

Casa Monica, hmm, looks all a bit too poncy for us, to be perfectly honest.

ETA: And thanks for the launch pics, if the date lines up with our trip I shall pester you like Herpes for tips

Edited by Adenauer on Wednesday 15th August 07:28

[Saleen836]

Adenauer said:

Saleen836 said:

Where are you staying on the Keys?

I stayed here... https://www.hawkscay.com/ and did a day trip down to Key West, the further south towards Key West the more expensive accommodation gets!

http://keywesthospitalityinns.com/wicker-guesthouse/

I know what you mean about the prices, this was the most reasonable half decent looking place in Key West and it's on Duval street.

Looks nice, the land train is fairly cheap and a good way of getting around ( https://www.conchtourtrain.com/ ) as it makes life a lot easier than walking in the heat!
Expect there to be a que if you are wanting to have a photograph taken at the southerly point
And watch out for the chickens!

[Adenauer]

[Matt Harper]

Adenauer said:

Is the Tamiami Trail now free of roadworks? The last time we used that to drive to Miami it was one massive building site and took forever! If it's okay now then we'll definitely go that way, I can remember the I-75 being very boring.

https://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/fl/tamiami/

[Matt Harper]

Adenauer said:

Casa Monica, hmm, looks all a bit too poncy for us, to be perfectly honest.

Was that deliberate? If so, you are a comedy genius.


Juan Ponce de Leon - St. Augustine FL

[The Moose]

Adenauer said:

Is the Tamiami Trail now free of roadworks? The last time we used that to drive to Miami it was one massive building site and took forever! If it's okay now then we'll definitely go that way, I can remember the I-75 being very boring.

Pretty much. There’s a little bit close to Miami, however at worst it’s about 10 minutes. Much nicer route.

[Adenauer]

Cheers, Timiami trail it is then.

And yes, Matt, I am.

[RammyMP]

Another vote for the Tamiami Trail. If you’ve got plenty of time have a drive up Turner River Road for a spot of gator watching.

Oh, and it would be a mistake to avoid Naples.

[irocfan]

Matt Harper said:

With regard to rocket launches from the Cape, Jetty Park, in Port Canaveral is where most head to - below is a shot taken by a friend of the Falcon Heavy-Lift launch that took place earlier this week. This launch got scrubbed from its original plan - hence the modest crowd at Jetty Park - ordinarily it is rammed with people - even in the middle of the night.



I am very lucky to have lived in this part of the world long enough to witness the latter part of the Shuttle program. The launches we saw always made the hair stand-up on my neck - quite visceral experiences. Orbiters returning to KSC often flew directly over us and the sonic booms were quite formidable.

I took this crappy launch pic of ill-fated STS 107 - Columbia, from my back yard in Orlando - even from 50 miles away they were something to behold.



Most memorable for me was STS 132 Atlantis, toward the close of the program. My next door neighbor works for Lockheed Martin and had credentials to get us a lot closer to the action. This was taken from KSC visitor center. If you've ever been close to a top fuel dragster when it leaves the line - the ground vibrates as does the air inside your lungs - a close quarters shuttle launch did the same thing - only multiplied ten-fold.



Atlas V launches are not quite as dramatic - but still spectacular. Also, most wave-offs are due to inclement weather, which tends to be less of an issue during our dry winter months - so a launch in Jan is less likely to be nixed, if history is any measure.

I've seen more launches than I can remember - if you want any specific info or tips, I'm happy to share my experience.

Edited by Matt Harper on Tuesday 14th August 18:51

whetting my (already huge) appetite to see launch when we're there next. I've signed up with KSC for launch mail so fingers crossed!

[Adenauer]

We're there from January 4th - 14th, and the January rocket launch date has just been published.

31st

[RammyMP]

We were there about 10 years ago when the space shuttle launched, was a very memorable experience! Watched it from a highway hard shoulder about 20 miles away as we were delayed due to bad traffic.

[irocfan]

Adenauer said:

We're there from January 4th - 14th, and the January rocket launch date has just been published.

31st

November still tbc

[red_slr]

Adenauer said:

Yep, if we're lucky enough to see one that would make the trip!

Here's the planned tour so far, into and out of Tampa airport. Anything on there strike you as a 'don't bother?'

We have been a few times but never really up the Atlantic coast apart from a day trip to Daytona, which I thought was a bit of a dump.

https://www.google.de/maps/dir/Tampa,+Florida,+USA...

I have done a very similar route and it was pretty easy, did miss the keys though due to time constraints (8 days). (next time!)

I have also been over there for training a couple of times and both times stayed with friends near Winter Haven and drove out each day to an area near Okee and the only thing I would warn against is at night it can get pretty dark out there in the middle of nowhere.

[Adenauer]

Changed the trip slightly because of non-rocket launch.

Still going up the A1A from West Palm Beach to St. Augustine but I have now added a few nights in a great looking waterfront hotel in Cedar Key.

Anyone ever been to Cedar Key? Looks nice

https://www.google.de/maps/dir/Tampa+International...

[irocfan]

Adenauer said:

Changed the trip slightly because of non-rocket launch.

Still going up the A1A from West Palm Beach to St. Augustine but I have now added a few nights in a great looking waterfront hotel in Cedar Key.

Anyone ever been to Cedar Key? Looks nice

https://www.google.de/maps/dir/Tampa+International...

IMO Cedar Key is lovely - that said it is quite a ways from anywhere (which is why we liked it!). The chowder there is amazing (can't remember the restaurant but you'll see loads of signs for it on the way in).

[Adenauer]

irocfan said:

Adenauer said:

Changed the trip slightly because of non-rocket launch.

Still going up the A1A from West Palm Beach to St. Augustine but I have now added a few nights in a great looking waterfront hotel in Cedar Key.

Anyone ever been to Cedar Key? Looks nice

https://www.google.de/maps/dir/Tampa+International...

IMO Cedar Key is lovely - that said it is quite a ways from anywhere (which is why we liked it!). The chowder there is amazing (can't remember the restaurant but you'll see loads of signs for it on the way in).

Brilliant, just what I wanted to hear, 2 nights spent there unwinding at the end of the trip should be perfect.

Look what I found there, I'm booking the Sea Pearl suite, cheap as chips and hopefully will live up to the description

http://cedarkeyharbourmaster.com/SeaPearl.php

It should also be very easy for us to bimble down to Tampa from there for our evening flight back to the Fatherland

Edited by Adenauer on Wednesday 22 August 14:54

Edited by Adenauer on Wednesday 22 August 14:55

[irocfan]

Adenauer said:

Brilliant, just what I wanted to hear, 2 nights spent there unwinding at the end of the trip should be perfect.

Look what I found there, I'm booking the Sea Pearl suite, cheap as chips and hopefully will live up to the description

http://cedarkeyharbourmaster.com/SeaPearl.php

It should also be very easy for us to bimble down to Tampa from there for our evening flight back to the Fatherland

Edited by Adenauer on Wednesday 22 August 14:54

Edited by Adenauer on Wednesday 22 August 14:55

We stayed in one of the harbour master suits and really liked it. You park under the house and up some stairs to get to the flat/apartment so be warned if someone has mobility issues - that being said I believe that there are some apartments in the main building too.