Key West Poker Run

We survived! This past weekend my wife and I did the "Peterson's Harley Davidson Key West Poker Run." It started at Cutler Bay (just south of Miami) and finished in Key West. Since we started in Key West that made for a 320 mile round trip that took approximately 9 hours. We were a little timid about the Harley crowd but they played nice and we minded our own business for the most part.

The first stop was at "Gilbert's" at Mile Marker 108 in Key Largo, FL. It's underneath that huge bridge at the beginning of the 18 mile stretch. There weren't very many bikers there so we got our cards, had a drink of water and hopped back on my cruiser and began heading South (West I guess).

Next stop was at "Smugglers Cove" in Islamorada. They had live music, drink stations, big barbecue, t-shirts and inflated prices. I dropped $30 on a cheeseburger, Corona and a diet soda. We enjoyed the shade and the music and were hopeful that the next stop was only 30 miles away.

Poker Run Stop #3 was "The Island Tiki Bar" at Mile Marker 54 - just outside of Marathon. For the first time in our trip we saw hundreds of motorcycles. We had passed thousands that were going South as we were headed North but it felt like we had just caught up to the end of the pack. We almost always go to Keys Fisheries exclusively when visiting Marathon but they have more to offer. The service at this restaurant was awesome - food good and they kept my waters coming quickly.

Over the seven-mile bridge and through Big Pine we went and got to "Boondock's" in Ramrod Key. Place was packed with the wonderful customer service you can always expect from the staff there... Finally saw some friends we knew there and that was nice. Diet soda for me and the Mrs. and dropped $6... So it goes during bike week I guess...

Last stop on the Poker Run! "Schooner Warf Bar" in Old Key West. I haven't felt that accomplished since I rode from Hartford, CT to Big Pine back in 2005. We were exhausted but took the time to mingle with the other bikers and tourists. That was nice and we felt very cool in our leather jackets, pulling up to the bar. One Miller Lite was enough for me and we headed home.

On the way home I decided to take Duval Street. It was INSANE. Hundreds and hundreds of bikes parked on both sides of the street. No cars allowed - just tourists walking along taking pictures of the motorcycles. It was very cool to idle along Duval through all of the madness.

Once we made it home - quick shower, nap and I was ready to watch some college football. It was an awesome trip, lots of fun and nice to end up where we started just 9 short hours before.