CFCA Cruise to Key West
Departing Friday, November 4th, 2011


Starting Point:

CFCA will meet at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant just South of SR417 at the intersection of SR 417 (Greeneway) & US 17/92/441 (OBT)
 
13300 S. Orange Blossom Trail
SR 417 & US 17/92/441
Orlando, FL 32837-6636
www.crackerbarrel.com


Meet for breakfast at 6 A.M. with a driver's meeting at 7 A.M. and immediate departure after everyone has signed the club liability waiver.


The Route: 382 mi, 6 hrs, 47 mins according to Google... your mileage may vary. :-)


Departing from the Cracker Barrel, we will turn right (South) onto Orange Blossom Trail. Go about 3 miles then turn left (East) onto onto Osceola Parkway. Get into the right lane as we will take the onramp on the right to the Florida Turnpike (South) where we will begin our journey to the Keys.


F.T. Mile Marker 229                Canoe Creek Service Plaza (scheduled stop)

F.T. Mile Marker 184                Fort Drum Service Plaza (optional stop)

F.T. Mile Marker 144                Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie Service Plaza (scheduled stop)

F.T. Mile Marker 94                 West Palm Beach Service Plaza (optional stop)

F.T. Mile Marker 71                  Exit to Sawgrass Expressway (Route 869)

                                               Take Sawgrass Expressway to I-75 South

I-75, Exit 5                             Head towards KEY WEST

F.T. Mile Marker 39                 Rejoin Florida Turnpike South

F.T. Mile Marker 19                 Snapper Creek Service Plaza (optional stop)

F.T. Mile Marker 2                   Florida City (scheduled stop at Shell Station)

                                               Take U.S. 1 towards Key West

U.S. 1 Mile Marker 90              Craig's Restaurant, Tavernier Key
             We will stop here for lunch.

U.S. 1 Mile Marker 0              Sheraton Suites Key West, 2001 South Roosevelt Blvd
             AT LAST! WE MADE IT!


Our first scheduled reststop will be at the at the Canoe Creek auto plaza rest area at Mile Marker 229 for early-morning coffee drainage. Our next stop will be at the Fort Pierce rest stop about 1-1/2 hours from Orlando. We will bypass most of the Miami traffic by taking the Sawgrass Expressway (Route 869) at Mile Marker 71 and continue on to I-75 South.


We'll follow I-75 South to exit 5 (old 3B exit to Key West) where we will once again get back onto the Florida Turnpike southbound. If needed, we'll stop at exit 9 (Coral Gables Drive) for a rest stop and then continue on to Florida City where the Turnpike ends and we'll have our next scheduled potty/fuel stop at the big Shell station on the right hand side of the road. It can get pretty crowded in there so if there is no room, visit one of the other gas stations on either side the highway.

From that point on it's a 2 lane road with occasional passing areas every few miles. The narrow roads in the upper keys can be quite dangerous (darn tourists!) so be careful.

Craig's Restaurant in Tavernier Key will be on your right at Mile Marker 90.5. Parking is in the back. We will stop here for lunch for their Famous Fish Sandwich!

After lunch we will continue our trek South to Key West (about a 2 hour drive) to our hotel, the Sheraton Suites Key West.


General Info:

FRS radios should be set to channel 7, sub-channel 0. Please keep this channel clear for caravan info and emergencies..


Turnpike Tolls. You'll need your E-Pass/SunPass Transponder or approximately $11 in tolls.


Caravan Etiquette. Safety is our prime concern. Please turn on your parking lights or daytime running lights. When traveling in a caravan with other Corvettes, keep it reasonably tight but maintain enough distance between cars to be safe. Be alert and WATCH the car in front of you. When the car in front of you slows or applies their turn signal, please do likewise for the benefit of those behind you. Caravans have the tendency to "rubber band" but we'll slow down after each toll booth or other bottleneck to allow others to catch up. Observe the speed limit and all traffic laws (rules dictate I gotta say that).



Key West. Check into the hotel and then join us poolside to rest up from our journey. Some may want to head down to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville on Duvall Street. As this is Parrot Head Weekend, it is likey Jimmy will be in town and may stop by. Ya never know! That afternoon and on into the night, you may want to visit some of Key West's great night spots like Sloppy Joe's, Hog's Breath Saloon, Fat Tuesday's, Captain Tony's, the Bull, and many others. Just try to keep your composure! J You may also want to try a sunset cruise or some other activity. We're planning a CFCA dinner on Saturday night at the Conch Republic, details TBD.


Have Fun but be Safe! And remember... Keep the SHINY side UP! J

Hutch & Patti

Lost? Call Patti's cell at 407-256-1335 or Hutch's at 407-810-5519.