From Orlando, FL to Miami Beach, FL
From Orlando, FL to Miami Beach, FL
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Day of Travel
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Distance (in miles)
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I am guilty of taking my sweet time getting out of the hotel room again today. I had some last minute route planning to do and just didn't get it together as early as I would have liked. The quickest drive option to Miami uses the Florida Turnpike. I decide to avoid that route because of I don't' feel like paying tolls and dealing with tollbooths. The weather forecast today calls for isolated thundershowers across southern Florida.
My route today heads west on Interstate 4 past the amusement parks (this term seems hideously inadequate) to exit 25 and Florida 192. Florida 192 joins Florida 92 /441 just west of Kissimmeee. Florida 92 / 441, also known as Orange Blossom Turnpike runs past my hotel. But city traffic, heat and some moderate humidity are not the best ways to start a long ride.
At the small town of Holopaw, Florida 441 turns south running through Yeehaw Junction (my pick of best place name to date), Okeechobee, alongside Lake Okeechobee. Just north of Bell Glade, 441 turns east so I stay on Florida 27 heading south to meet up with Interstate 75 on the eastern edge of the Everglades. I take I-75 to Florida 924, then south on Interstate 95 and east on Interstate 195 into Miami Beach.
I seem to be batting 100% on the poor breakfast category and today I keep the string intact. I picked a diner, all brightly clad in shining stainless steel. Only as I exit do I realize that the restaurant is attached to the Holiday Inn and serves as the hotel restaurant. The food is decent but the service is atrocious. I add gas to the bike and nearly get hit by a car making a left hand turn in front of me. That is the first serious close call but it was not so close as to rattle my nerves. I was definitely more irritated that scared.
The short ride on Interstate 4 is uneventful. Driving across 192 through Kissimmee and Saint Cloud is a shock to the senses. These two cities make their living serving the guests to the surrounding amusement parks. Highway 192 is an unbroken parade of every conceivable national restaurant chain, outlet store, fast food outlet and hotel chain. Like the Las Vegas Strip, the impression is that there are no people that actually live or shop here but just an endless parade of visitors.
Highway 441 turns out to be a very nice four-lane highway. At Holopaw, the map indicates this route as having scenic interest. The landscape is very handsome but not outstanding. The trees are a mix of pine and deciduous trees. Palmettos grow under many of the trees and in fields that appear to have been previously clear-cut. There are many dairy or cattle farms, sod farms and horse ranches. Trucks serving the sod farms add a new kind of road hazard: sheets of turf that have fallen off the truck. The traffic is minimal.
At Yeehaw Junction, there is a historical marker. Apparently this part of Florida was only settled in the early part of the 1900s. The historical marker is a tribute to the hotel that it stands before. The hotel dates back to the late 1800s although the current building was rebuilt after a fire in the early 1900s. A motor court was added when the first highway was opened in the 1920s. Apparently the highway developer was a visitor from out of state who saw the value of the land but appreciated the need for better access.
I continued south to Okeechobee. Despite its exotic name, Okeechobee is a rather nondescript town serving the agricultural needs of the surrounding area and fishing / tourism of Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee is a significant part of the water supply for southern Florida. The map has the notation that the lake surface is 14 feet above sea level. When I finally get to the lake you cannot see the water's surface. The lake is actually contained in a dike that is well above the surface of the surrounding land by perhaps 25-30 feet. The drive along the lake is quite different than what I expected based on the map. The road seemed to abut the edge of the lake but instead turns out to run along the base of the dike.
Just south of Fort Myers there is a subtle shift in the plants alongside the road. I start to notice that plants I associate with a tropical location have appeared. More palms and plants that look like banana are evident. Winter crops of corn are being harvested and are in transport. The weather ahead seems to be worsening. The sky is getting very dark.
Canal Point, Pahokee and Belle Glade are much like Okeechobee. They service the surrounding farms with supplies and people.
Just beyond Belle Glade, I turn south onto Highway 27 for the run across the eastern Everglades to Interstate 75. There aren't any opportunities to turn out to have a look at the Everglades. From the road the view is blocked. During the trip north, I'm going to attempt to swing back in this direction to see the Everglades. The sky is continuing to darken and raindrops dot the windscreen from time to time. The road is in good condition and I haul ass to the south.
Within a few miles of turning east onto Interstate 75, it is clear that the weather will be fine into Miami Beach. I take Florida 924 to connect with Interstate 95. This is a toll road and I am stunned by the cleanliness of the toll both pavement. It is as if Florida Department of Transportation read my earlier comments and steam cleaned this ramp. My enthusiasm quickly abates, as this must be the shortest toll road on record. About three miles to the east, the road dumps onto surface streets of Opa-Locka for the ride to I-95.
Once on I-95 it is short work to I-195. I am very surprised by my reaction to finally getting to Biscayne Bay. I was born in Miami Beach but have never been to the city as an adult or even as a child old enough to have any memory of the place. As I drive out of the clutter of Miami and onto the causeway, I'm overcome by a sense of excitement at seeing the bay, the boats, the houses and high rises on the island. It makes absolutely no sense to me on a practical level but on an emotional level I am excited to be here.
I cruise down to the South Beach end of the island. I wander a bit in the Art Deco National Historic District. Collins Avenue, the main north-south road is under reconstruction and traffic is pretty tough. It is still hot and the narrowed traffic lanes and stoplights make for uncomfortable travel. When you aren't moving, the bike heats up. I hear the radiator fan click on and I can feel new beads of sweat rising under my protective outerwear.
I find a nice Comfort Inn at the north end of Miami Beach and check in. I get a great room on the eighth floor facing Miami. Tomorrow, I finish the first significant part of my voyage with the trip down to Key West. When I left San Diego, I said that if I made it to Key West and decided to turn around and come home, the trip would still be complete. Key West is Margaritaville and it is has a linkage to Ronda and For Whom The Bell Tolls. It is so many things; I'm very excited as I finally turn in.
Panorama of Lake Okeechobee, not exactly the romantic place I
thought it was. (360K, 21 seconds duration)
Depart Orlando on Interstate 4 heading east (thats a trick!).
At exit 27, exit I-4 onto Florida 535 heading south.
At intersection with US 192, turn left onto US 192 heading west.
At Holopaw, turn right southbound onto US 441.
At Belle Glade, transition onto Florida 80 heading south.
At intersection with US 27, transition onto US 27 heading south.
At intersection with I-75, transition onto I-75 heading south.
At intersection with Florida 924, turn onto 924 heading east.
At intersection with I-95, enter I-95 heading south.
At intersection with I-195, turn onto I-195 heading east.
Arrive Miami Beach
(c) 2001 Thomas N. Engler Revision Date: 04/29/2001 revised on
9/23/01
