Excerpt From A Walk Across Florida by Bob Kranich
I was way ahead of schedule, and the weather was perfect. I crossed the bridge over Boca Chica Channel and now was on Stock Island. This was the Key next to Key West where historically livestock were raised for the market on Key West. The highway here was busy. The last bridge over Cow Key Channel was a real milestone for me. I had counted a total of 40 bridges that I had crossed, including the 4 bridges I had to ride because they were too dangerous to walk. I was now on Key West. This last bridge connecting Stock Island and Key West was a divided highway with a sidewalk.
That is when I came upon a Navy man and his girlfriend taking a picture at the Key West city sign. I told them that I would take their picture with their camera if they would take mine. It was a deal!
Now there was lots of traffic. People waved out of their cars to me. The tourist rubber tire Conch Tour Train went by, and all of the tourists riding on it waved and hollered. I noticed a couple of motorcycle policemen watching me. A boy on a bicycle came up as U. S. Highway 1 ended and I turned onto North Roosevelt Boulevard. He talked to me about my trip as we walked along. He stayed with me until I crossed over North Roosevelt to First Street to look for my relative’s house which was on Fogarty.
A man walking on the sidewalk coming towards me said,
“From Homestead?”
I say, “Even longer…from Georgia.” He looked stupefied….
I had just completed my walk across Florida...700+ miles in 5 1/2 weeks!
About the Author: After getting out of the Army Bob Kranich backpacked from the Georgia border to Key West in a 40 day adventure walk across Florida. His recently published book A Walk Across Florida is available from his website or Amazon.com
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A Note from the author after two years of excerpts from his book A Walk Across Florida:
To Don and all of the fine readers of Don Browne’s Southwest Florida News,
It has been my pleasure and honor to send the 41 episodes to you from my book, A Walk Across Florida.
Please keep in mind that it is a 306 page paperback with 116 pages of watercolors, sketches, and maps. Most of the pages of photos have two photos on each of them. The 41 episodes are about 41 of it’s pages. I hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I did doing the hiking ,writing and selecting the episodes.
I have just completed my sequel to A Walk across Florida,. It will be a 350 page paperback book. It will have the watercolors I made of Key West with true and fictional stories of those watercolors. The book is in editing and just as soon as I have it published, my good friend Don Browne will get a copy of it for his review. If he finds it suitable he may allow me to send you out episodes of it.
Take care, the best of luck, and God Bless you—all.
Bob Kranich
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