It's called the toll booth not because there is a toll booth on Highway One at east end of West Summerland Key, just before you get on the "new" (1982) Bahia Honda Bridge. It's because there isn't actually a toll booth at all. 
These guys are, I believe, sandpipers and they run up and down the beach most endearingly, avoiding the waves and pecking at the sand on the extensive mainland beaches of Florida. 
In the keys where the beaches are puny and not always very sandy they have to make do with what they can find. In this instance they were huddling on the wall built to protect the old (1942) water pipe built to supply Key West during World War Two. This place is scenic enough passing tourists like to stop and take the pictures they need to fill the album at home.
When they get back in their cars the tourists had better be careful if they decide to head into Key West at speed. Coming off the four lane Bahia Honda Bridge the tendency is to take it at much more than the indicated 55 miles per hour. Unfortunately this is where Sheriffs or Highway patrol cars or even Fish and Wildlife patrols tend to congregate to do some traffic control.
Locals call this spot the Lower Keys Toll Booth for the numbers of tickets issued around here.
If you are not a local and you think passing a dawdling local around here is a good idea you might want to think again. Not many drivers are smart enough to ask themselves why the Florida registered Triumph Bonneville that was speeding so fervently earlier has now decided to slow down and come to Jesus. That's when the blue lights come on to the sounds of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Pay attention out there!
These guys are, I believe, sandpipers and they run up and down the beach most endearingly, avoiding the waves and pecking at the sand on the extensive mainland beaches of Florida. 
In the keys where the beaches are puny and not always very sandy they have to make do with what they can find. In this instance they were huddling on the wall built to protect the old (1942) water pipe built to supply Key West during World War Two. This place is scenic enough passing tourists like to stop and take the pictures they need to fill the album at home.
When they get back in their cars the tourists had better be careful if they decide to head into Key West at speed. Coming off the four lane Bahia Honda Bridge the tendency is to take it at much more than the indicated 55 miles per hour. Unfortunately this is where Sheriffs or Highway patrol cars or even Fish and Wildlife patrols tend to congregate to do some traffic control.
Locals call this spot the Lower Keys Toll Booth for the numbers of tickets issued around here.
If you are not a local and you think passing a dawdling local around here is a good idea you might want to think again. Not many drivers are smart enough to ask themselves why the Florida registered Triumph Bonneville that was speeding so fervently earlier has now decided to slow down and come to Jesus. That's when the blue lights come on to the sounds of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Pay attention out there!
3 comments:
A place called Toll Booth because there's not toll booth. Perhaps I will call my garage Triumph as there is no actual Triumph in there. But if there was, it would have a tach.
Honest officer, my needle was only pointing to 8,000!
Mr Conchscooter:
If I lived there I would travel at exactly 52 MPH, and the guys behind would get tired of going that slow and hopefully pass me precisely where the "toll booth" was, and get a performance award.
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
The beauty oif highway one is that you can make it whatever you want. pass cars and call them twisties. Take on a bridge and call it a hill. See a cop and call her/him a tollbooth. and you get this abundance year round with no seriously bad weather almost ever. It's amazing.
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