Biking is quicker, but you get the view in slow motion. My bicycle has fat tires, no gears, is the pedaling kind and I do it slowly.  Noise rules out the other kind.  A bike increases my range to view all that nature has to show me and it is quiet so I can slip up on animals and birds without disturbing them and what I see  amazes me.  I tie a bicycle on the top of my car beside my kayak when I go meandering through the warm places in Florida, then west to Texas, Arizona and the states between there and here in January to May.  Thorn resistant tires are very helpful and will prevent many flat tires.  It’s also good to be mindful of the grade of trail, wind and the road surface.  A spare tube and an air pump may come in handy too.  I usually ride into the wind when I start so when I come back and may be tiring it’ll help push me along.  Gravel can make pedaling difficult, sand may make it impossible, and it’s a good idea to go uphill first so I can coast back.  Usually, like walking or paddling the kayak, every step or paddle in one direction requires one in the opposite direction to return.  I have to pedal just as far back as going and I need to be aware of that.  It’s easy to lose track of the distance and time when there’s so much fabulous scenery, wild animals, and other stuff to see and enjoy.  Atl east one eye needs to watch where I’m going or I’ll meet a tree or something unexpectedly.  I generally stick to places where it’s flat.  I’m not into extreme sports and mountain bikes and their terrain is a little much for me.  I stick to what’s easy, relaxing and fun for me.  I saw a kid riding a small bike on the retaining wall along the board walk.  The next thing I knew he was off the wall over a bench and landed on his wheels on the boardwalk.  I’d have broken my neck for sure!  See my article in the coconuttimes.com Archive: May 29, Beach to There in 20 Minutes for biking spots along the coastal bays and in the Pocomoke Forest.
    The Florida Keys are perfect for my kind of biking.  There are no hills, a bike path along US Rt. 1 from Key Largo to Key West, gorgeous ocean views on one side and bay views on the other and it’s warm in January when I’m there.  Soon the State of Florida will have several parking areas for bicyclers along Rt. 1 and the Tamiami Trail (US Rt. 41) that cuts across the Everglades from Miami to Naples and then up the west coast of Florida.  Plus, once the bridge construction between Florida City and Key Largo is completed there will be about 20 more miles of bike path there and you’ll be able to make a loop of about 50 miles with Card Sound Rd., Rt. 905 and US 1. That would be an all-dayer for me, but there’s so many water and mangrove views and even restaurants on Card Sound Road that serve steamed blue crabs to break up the pedaling.  Maybe you’ll see a crocodile.  There’s no reason to make it a marathon, the Keys are Lei’d Back Land and you’ll get plenty of exercise without too much exertion.
    Islamorada is about half way to Key West and where I stay at mile marker 82 at the Key Lantern Motel (www.keylantern.com) next door to the Lor E Lei Cabana Bar.  That’s 20 miles from Key Largo (MM 99 home of Mrs. Mack’s Restaurant and Dolphin Relleno) and 9 miles to Tavernier (MM 96 Harriet’s Diner and the best biscuits, breakfast and coconut cake in the Keys).  I ride my bike to both.  Between Tavernier and the bridges west of Islamorada there are sections of old Rt.1 with less traffic and a good place to pedal, sightsee and bird watch.  Each bridge is worth taking in the view of the turquoise water and maybe you’ll see a Great White Heron.  Better keep your eyes on the cars though.  You don’t want to tangle with them, when I get interested I stop and a walk the bike.  In Islamorada there are lots of watering holes to stop and take a break for an ACB.  Most notable is Holiday Isle @ MM 84.
    A bike might come in handy in Key West, too, but I usually walk when I’m there.  On the way, the road to Torch Key MM 28 and Blimp Road MM 21.5 towards the Great White Heron Refuge are very scenic and good spots for water birds.  My favorite biking spot is in Bear Island in Big Cypress National Preserve (http://www.nps.gov/bicy/) on the Perocchi Grade Trail in the Everglades north of Everglades City at the end of Rt. 839.  Perocchi Grade Trail is a dirt road that winds through saw grass prairies, pine woodlands, palmetto, cypress trees and swamp and deep into the America jungle.  I walk this trail at sunrise then return after brunch on my bike.  I see so much that most people never see in a lifetime that I make it a daily event that I’ll never tire of doing.  There are bears, cougars, big spiders, bobcats, wood ducks, owls, orchids, hawks, many kinds of astounding insects, incredible sounds & aromas, and more, with few people.  I have the camera with a telephoto lens slung over my shoulder, so I’m ready when I see a photo opportunity. If the camera is tucked away in a bag the wild life won’t wait.  The trees are dense enough to cast solid shadows which make great photographic light.  I’ve camped at Bear Island for every February for the last 11 years and couldn’t imagine not continuing.
    After Florida I use the bike sparingly.  Most roads where I camp are too rough or hilly, but when I go to Las Vegas it’s my transportation to the strip from Freemont Street where my motel room is and the fabulous buffets with fried oysters, stone crab claws, prime rib and more for around $10 a meal.  I don’t pedal on Las Vegas Blvd., there’s way too much traffic, I take one of the smaller streets that run parallel to it towards the Stratosphere, and on the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, the Spice Market Buffet (fabulous deserts) in Planet Hollywood, all that extraordinary people watching, and I can pedal there quicker than the bus can get me there.  
    Every upside of a hill has a downside, so take it easy, walk the upside, enjoy, and then coast down the other side.  Local sweet corn is here with steamed crabs, add a Delmarva tomato and a cantaloupe or watermelon and there’s no better eats for the 4th of July, plus the sun has won the weather war.  It’s summer.  Happy Red, White & Blue Day!!!  Savor our good fortune.