Florida Fridays; The Great 2012 Florida Trip Part 4 (US 41 Tamiami Trail, Everglades National Park, and Shark Valley Loop Road)

Continuing on with the story of the late 2012 Florida Trip. Despite having family in Florida my entire life I had never been down to the Everglades or Florida Keys. That being the case I took I-75 south to the Naples Area and jumped onto US 41 as it turned east towards Miami along the Tamiami Trail through the Everglades.

Suffice to say I found the journey through the slow moving water lands to be quite the hoot given that I was living in Arizona at the time. I did a much more historic break down the Tamiami Trail back in May of 2017, so I'll be sure to notate more on the subject when it comes time to upload that particular blog.

The main objective of the day was to complete a circuit on the Shark Valley Loop Road of Everglade National Park. The Shark Valley Loop Road is a 15 mile loop on a former quarry road in the Everglades. My understanding is that it was once thought that there was actual sharks in the Shark River and Shark Valley in the Everglades wet season, neither proved ultimately be true. The Shark Valley Loop Road can be biked on and has open access to alligators, snakes, and all sorts of water fowl. The Shark Valley Observation Tower offers excellent view of the Everglades in all directions and apparently is the location of a trailhead.

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Onion Valley Road; former California State Route 180 to Kearsarge Pass

This summer I had an opportunity to drive one of the lesser known great roads of California; Onion Valley Road from Independence west to Onion Valley near Kearsarge Pass. Aside from being massive climb into the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains the path of Onion Valley Road was once signed as California State Route 180 and was intended to be part of a Trans-Sierra Highway.

Onion Valley Road is located west of Independence of Inyo County and is 12.9 miles in length. According to pjammcycling.com Onion Valley Road begins at an elevation of 3,946 feet above sea level in Independence and terminates at 9,219 feet above sea level at Onion Valley. Pjammcycling rates Onion Valley Road with an average gradient of 7.8% and lists it as the 6th most difficult cycling climb in the United States. Onion Valley Road also includes ten switchbacks which largely follow the course of Independence Creek. Anyway you look at it the route of Onion Valley Road is no joke and is definitely a test of driving…

Trans-Sierra Highways; California State Route 4 over Pacific Grade Summit and Ebbetts Pass

Back in late October of 2016 I had a long weekend off which coincided with a warm weekend in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. That being the case the winder in the weather gave me a chance to finish some additional Trans-Sierra Highways starting with California State Route 4 over Pacific Grade Summit and Ebbetts Pass. I would later return to Pacific Grade Summit and Ebbetts Pass during the smoke filled summer of 2020.

California State Route 4 ("CA 4") contains probably most infamous Trans-Sierra State Highway in Caltrans Inventory. CA 4 from CA 207 in Bear Valley east over Pacific Grade Summit and Ebbetts Pass includes approximately 30 miles of one-lane highway which reaches gradients as steep as 24%.
CA 4 is a 192 mile State Highway which originates at I-80 near Hercules of the San Francisco Bay Area and terminates at CA 89 in the remote Sierra Nevada Mountains of Alpine County. CA 4 is probably the most diverse State Highway in California as it has; several freeway segme…

Horseshoe Meadows Road; former California State Route 190 and the legacy of the Lone Pine-Porterville HIgh Sierra Road

This summer I had an opportunity to drive one of the lesser known great roads of California; Horseshoe Meadows Road from Whitney Portal Road westward into Horseshoe Meadows of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Aside from being massive climb into the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains the path of Horseshoe Meadows Road was once part of California State Route 190 and was intended to be part of a Trans-Sierra Highway known as the Lone Pine-Porterville High Sierra Road.

Horseshoe Meadows Road is located west of Lone Pine of Inyo County and is 19.7 miles in length. Horseshoe Meadows Road begins at an approximate elevation of 4,500 feet above sea level at Whitney Portal Road in the Alabama Hills and ends at an elevation of 10,072 feet above sea level in Horseshoe Meadows. Horseshoe Meadows Road is the second highest paved road in California only behind Rock Creek Road near Tom's Place. Pjammcycling rates Horseshoe Meadows Road with an average gradient of 6.2% and lists it as th…

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