included the famous Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon. Stretching 6.79 miles across open water, this feat of engineering was soon dubbed "the eighth wonder of the world."

I remember my first road trip to Key West in 1960, a family vacation in our brand-new Chevy Corvair. My Dad did all the driving, and my two older brothers and I crowded seatbelt-less in the backseat. Being Virginians, we were thrilled by the southern tourist attractions and changing landscape: Spanish moss, palm trees, and alligators. But, when we got to the Keys highway, my Mother nearly succumbed from white-knuckled fear. Trucks passing in the opposite direction took much more than their half of the road!

Fortunately for family vacationers and others not used to the road, most of the original bridges, including the Seven Mile Bridge, were replaced with wider spans in 1982. Many of the remaining structures can still be seen running alongside the newer ones and are frequently used as fishing piers.

Today, it takes four to five hours to make the trip from Florida City south of Miami, known as the "Gateway to the Keys," to Key West, depending on traffic. The speed limit is 55 m.p.h. most of the way, 45 in more populous sections. The pavement is good and its width, or lack thereof, is no longer scary.

The first key you encounter along U.S. 1 is Key Largo, as in the 1948 movie starring Bogie and Bacall. I found it a bit

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