Just returned from a two week vacation in Key West. The weather was a perfect 78 degrees the entire time we were there with light and variable winds.  I rented a road bike from Eaton bike shop.  It is the best place for bike rentals in the keys.  The owners and workers are very knowledgeable about bikes and biking routes around the keys.  Rode over 250 miles in my time in the keys.  A great time to bike in mid winter.  On another note, I have a huge respect for friend Fred.  As a novice biker he and I rode from Key Largo to Key west twice.  It hadn't occurred to me before because I had ridden miles and miles in heavy traffic.  But, I haven't ridden in traffic in over a year.  County roads and state highways were the riding areas for my trips.  My first encounter with all the traffic and it took a while to get used to all the attention needed to ride safely in those conditions.  Then and there the realization that those conditions existed in Fred's world when he and I rode enhanced my respect for what he accomplished. The last day of my daily rides was a 55 miler from Marathon Key to Key West, Florida. I would like to dedicate it to good friend Fred Hampton. He and I rode this distance twice. Fred is no longer with us in person but his spirit always will be. I would also like to dedicate the first 7 miles to biking friend Mike Sorn. Mike is legendary for his affinity for bridges. Ha, ha. This distance is on a two lane bridge with a relatively narrow shoulder, short restraining barrier and nothing on the right except the Gulf of Mexico and nothing on the left except cars with people who are in a hurry to get off the bridge. Just so my biking friends don't freak out Fred and I, obviously, wore biking helmets but took them off for the picture.  All in all an excellent two weeks biking in the Florida Key.