I believe its called the Bridle Path because they used to exercise their horses down here, though if one were to ride a horse along here in the 21st century it might cause some traffic back up on neighboring South Roosevelt Boulevard because passersby are no longer used to seeing quadrupeds on the Bridle Path:
Which it just so happens looks a bit like this at night, may favorite time in of day in Key West:
If you were so inclined you could think of the Bridle Path as another type of park in the city, though of course it has nowhere to sit and contemplate the beauty of the palms, the sandy pathway or the water across the roadway:
In modern times the Bridle Path has enjoyed a somewhat checkered history in the city. It used to be that the area was pretty much ignored and you would see cars parked and people picnicking under the trees. Then some bright spark saw waterfront property, went to Kmart and bought a yellow and blue pup tent. Others soon followed his example and pretty soon there were half a hundred tents lining South Roosevelt Boulevard. Which went down really well with city residents, as you can imagine. So the city did what cities do and formed a task force which reported back to the city and this followed rapidly behind them:
Aside from the fact the sign makers don't know how to spell "trespassing" the signs have been pretty effective and camping on the path is no longer tolerated (in case you were getting ideas!). From my point of view the unfortunates in this story are the residentially challenged who used to live in the mangroves quietly minding their own business, but when the city got involved they were moved out on the grounds campers were polluting the Salt Ponds that back up behind the path:
The bushes that line the path and separate it from the water are ideal habitat for local residentially challenged:
There also used to be a deck for bird watchers who had a convenient platform to sit out and see what was what on the salt ponds. Wilma did some damage to the old planks so now it takes a tad bit more athleticism to get into position to observe birds or eat sandwiches:
Even at low tide the view is quite pleasant. Away from the Salt Ponds the roadway, which was rebuilt after Hurricane Wilma, attracts the more athletically inclined:
Not to mention motorcyclists who take this, the longer way in and out of town just for the sheer pleasure of the uninterrupted ride (no traffic lights) and the splendid views. It's hard not to envy this guy surely, cruising the southernmost stretch of State road A1A on his Sportster:
There's lots of free parking on the seaward side of South Roosevelt, so cagers can drop off their passengers under the palms:
And then park the car across the street and take in the sights:
In the low tourist season crossing the highway isn't impossible but in winter it can get pretty hectic, as the airport is just up the road as well as a bunch of hotels so there's always someone coming or going:
Less so at my favorite time of day, three o'clock in the morning. Pretty black huh?
Day or night the Bridle Path is a good place to take a break in Key West. as usual with public spaces you'll need to bring your own chair- and don't camp in the mangroves because we dispatch police officers day and night to check!
Not to mention motorcyclists who take this, the longer way in and out of town just for the sheer pleasure of the uninterrupted ride (no traffic lights) and the splendid views. It's hard not to envy this guy surely, cruising the southernmost stretch of State road A1A on his Sportster:There's lots of free parking on the seaward side of South Roosevelt, so cagers can drop off their passengers under the palms:And then park the car across the street and take in the sights:In the low tourist season crossing the highway isn't impossible but in winter it can get pretty hectic, as the airport is just up the road as well as a bunch of hotels so there's always someone coming or going:Less so at my favorite time of day, three o'clock in the morning. Pretty black huh?Day or night the Bridle Path is a good place to take a break in Key West. as usual with public spaces you'll need to bring your own chair- and don't camp in the mangroves because we dispatch police officers day and night to check!
It wasn't just that there were a number of them, they also were large in size, by Key West standards and appeared empty. As I chatted with my wife on the cell phone, something I rarely do as I dislike phones in public, among other modern annoyances, I strolled back a second time and on my third pass snatched a few pictures. 
I should point out that these pictures are pretty much shot at random, I have no idea why the houses are for sale and my feelings of disquiet are prompted by the general housing market across the country. Let me say that typically during the housing bubble homes in Key West were sold as is, occupied and buyers paid without question. It comes as a surprise to my roving eye to see homes, recently refurbished, for sale with unkempt porches and none of the tarting up beloved of Realtors. 
It smacks of foreclosure, desperation, economic downturn. Whether or not it actually is, I couldn't say. I just noted the homes during an idle stroll. This one, shown above I noticed for its massive flank, exposed to the evening sunlight, some shutters open and some closed. The design of the shutters reminded me of those of my childhood which cast bars of light and shadow across the room:
And it's For Sale. 
We should feel fortunate that inspired people came in and spent good money t make these old palaces look good. With any luck their face lifts will carry them through to better times ahead.
I am simply speculating out loud about why and how these places are being sold. What struck me was how empty they seemed, as though abandoned hurriedly. It used to be that people stayed home and showed off their masterpieces and primped them for showing. These places don't look at all like that:
And the park like garden is just...a garden, not a tropical fantasy. Its still looks good to my untutored eyes, just not breath taking:
I like the way these houses look but I have no desire to live in them. Practical aspects overwhelm any sense of the aesthetic beauty I might perceive, because I know they must have high ceilings so they must be hell to air condition:
And i like the old touches like these massive Bahama shutters though i don't want to live with the limitations of Historic Architecture Reviews:
I like to know these places are being taken care of and kept up. On the other hand an example of the genre that isn't being kept up, that appears to be in the hands of original owners has its own corroded dignity in the midst of the primped parvenus:
The roof may be rusting and the paint may be peeling but I'd like to think there are no second or third mortgages on this house, no adjustable rates, no burden of debt so heavy that it might sink beneath the weight. Just a house, being lived in, as God and the builder originally intended.
There really is nothing quite so much fun as messing about in boats. Originally the boat in question was a wooden rowing boat, but for me the object of fun has transmogrified into a 14 foot (4 meter) fiberglass center console. A quick run down my canal and out into Newfound Harbor and I can park the boat somewhere smooth and out of the wind and take a swim in the turquoise waters. An hour of that, an outdoor shower when I get home and a leap into my uniform and I am relaxed and ready for a night of dealing with crises at work. Going swimming for me is the best release of tension, being on the water or in the water is my reason for living in the Keys, and having a dock on a canal is another reason why I like to live outside Key West proper. Twenty years of living on the freezing coastal waters of Central California will do that for you. And then there are days when you want to go for a boat ride as well as go for a swim.
Zipping down the south shore of Ramrod Key I headed out to Niles Channel, which is the deep water channel separating Ramrod from Summerland Keys. There is deepish water close in to the south shore of Ramrod, not too close in and you'll find several feet at low tide. My Dusky has no electronics and with a modest 25 horsepower outboard doesn't need much water to float so if I can barely see details on the bottom I've probably got three feet of water and that's plenty. But I still have to follow the bubba sticks to get out into deep water:
The first bubba stick you leave to port (the left side of the boat), and then there's another one to swing west to aim at Summerland in the distance, and then at the last one you are free to turn north:
Bubba sticks are the local name for homemade markers, usually made out of white PVC pipes planted somehow in the ground and sticking up above water. The trick is to know which side the bubba who planted them intended to find deep water. First approaches may need to be cautious but they are very handy. And then there it is: the tallest bridge between Big Pine Key and Key West, fully forty feet clearance above median high water:
I need much less to pass safely underneath:
That's the marker light hanging under the bridge to show the way at night. Beyond the bridge to the north Niles Channel stretches to the horizon and disappears beyond the mangroves that line either side of the deep water channel. On a calm day its a mirror of flat water and the boat flies along as though skimming an endless expanse of shimmering green sand. On a windy day its too much hassle in a small boat and one turns around to find a quiet spot to take a swim:
There are a bunch of boats anchored just south of the bridge and i see them everyday when I ride the Bonneville on my way to work:
And there's even one that's sunk at its anchor and the way it's lying in the water gives one some idea of how shallow it is around here:
People wonder why "they" don't remove these boats. The problem is what to do with them? It costs huge amounts of money to get the boats to the landfill, but even before that state officials have to carry out "due diligence" to seek out the owner and even if "they" get rid of these abandoned boats more appear. Constantly. Not so long ago a sailboat in this area broke loose and blew the fuse on the entire Lower Keys electrical supply when it's mast banged up against the wires that run alongside the highway. We were out of power for several hours in the Lower Keys, not least because the power company had no idea where the "break" was. They run trucks along the highway shining searchlights at the wires and that takes time.
All original cement from the beginning of the 20th century, and you can see it took a fair bit of effort to blast the gap in the old bridge to make room for boats to pass through.
And then the State of Florida laid a roadway on top in 1938 after they bought the rights from the railroad company.
This dude out fishing is doing a bit better than my 20 miles per hour, and he's through the bubba stick chicane before I even get close. That was a good day on the water.