On one of my flights back to North Central Florida from Washington, DC a couple of years ago I sat next to a gentleman from Cedar Key, Florida. He seemed like a nice, good old Florida country boy who loved his hometown and his family. He told me that jobs were hard to come by in Cedar Key, and he had been out of work for six months before finding a job out of state. He’d been away from home for three months and was on his way back for a short visit with his wife and kids.
I got to thinking about Cedar Key, and how I hadn’t been there since the 1970’s when I was in college. There was a restaurant that use to be the place for boys to take girls they really wanted to impress. Other than that, I didn’t know much about Cedar Key at all. Since I had a three day weekend coming up I decided to drive on over to the coast with my bike loaded up for island transportation.
Cedar Key is only an hour and fifteen minutes from my home, but most of the road goes through a very isolated area full of deer that seem to have a death wish in the fall. Remembering this, I made sure to leave early enough in the day so as not to be on the road during prime “grazing along the roadside” time in the late afternoon.
If your idea of great Florida entertainment is Mickey, wild rollercoaster rides, white sandy beaches, sun-bronzed fabulous bodies in skimpy bathing suits, and super crazy night life then Cedar Key is not for you. Cedar Key, which is actually spread out over several islands (“keys”), is a sleepy little fishing town along what’s now called “Florida’s Nature Coast.” It’s located on the Gulf of Mexico just before where the coast begins to take a curve to the west, and in the 2010 census a whopping 702 people were counted as permanent residents. Also, there’s not a high-rise in sight!
I have made many more trips since my first visit and hope you enjoy some of the photos taken over a two and a half year period.
Note: Clicking on any photo will bring up a scrollable carousel.
Paris Roads 
What a delightful excursion! Loved the background information and am blown away by the photos. The carousel feature really allows the viewer to appreciate the images. It’s been years since I’ve been in that area, but you transported me back there. You captured the very air of that coast!
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