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Relax and enjoy the charm of Key West during a leisurely ride along
quaint streets and secret lanes.
Tour Highlights:
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Enjoy the backstreets
of Key West with a Fresh Water Conch |
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Sample the exotic taste
of the local fruit. |
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Experience the true Key
West the way islanders do.
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Lloyd's Tropical Bike Tour
started many years ago, when in 1972 Lloyd left New Jersey for a visit to
Key West and never went back to live.
 Landing
in Key West was like landing on a different planet with a cosmic cast of
characters like you'd never seen before: healers, thinkers, philosophers,
artists, sailors, musicians, jugglers, astrologers, actors, you name it.
After meeting one of the Key West characters known fondly as "Indian Ron"
who reminded us of why the life in Key West was so special, he said
"forget the past, don't worry about the future, just enjoy the moment. Do
what you love, love what you do, and the world will come to you".
And this was the embryonic beginning of what would be the birth of Lloyd's
Tropical Bike Tour. How lucky to be making a living doing what he loves
and loving what he does. And once you take this tour you too will know the
special place that Lloyd calls home.
Imagine being a stranger in an exotic place and having a good friend who
knows every wrinkle of it, someone who will take you to places other
visitors will never see. That is the essence of Lloyd's Tropical Bike
Tour. Lloyd's specialty is showing off the lush tropical plant life that
thrives here, especially those with edible fruit. Known as the mango
master, the group will sample the best tasting fruit on Earth. There is
always some kind of fruit in season, perhaps something you've never tried
before, like a sapodilla, a Surinam cherry or a sugar apple. Just sit
back, peddle along effortlessly on this flat island and relax.
Along the way we might stop and interview someone who's grown up here (a
conch), someone who can tell you what it was like in the 'old days'. This
is live entertainment, living history performed for your pleasure. It's a
wonderful kind of spontaneity. Each tour is like a different finger print,
never quite the same as the one before --- a new day, a new group,
different weather, and a route that might vary depending on what is
blooming, what is in season, or where the coolest dogs, cats or parrots
are.
We have access to some spectacular private gardens. Nancy's Secret Garden,
an unbelievable miniature rain forest right in the heart of old Key West,
complete with an array of exotic palms from the Amazon and a shadowy trail
that winds through it all. The path is lined with spectacular orchids and
huge stalks of bamboo, all brightly festooned with the brilliant color and
scratchy squawks of the many orphaned parrots that Nancy has adopted and
now cares for.
With the tour you will travel the back streets, the out of the way places,
away from the daily bluster of everyday traffic. Not only seeing the
unique styles of the homes of old Key West, but looking above as well,
where a splendid array of bird life make their daily appearance: ospreys,
migratory hawks and falcons; ocean birds like frigates, pelicans and
cormorants; land cruisers like egrets, ibis, or a great white heron.
One of the signature plants of the tropics is the coconut palm and Lloyd
will surely stop to cut open a good sampling of this magical tree's fruit
with his trusty machete. You'll get to taste it's sweet water and
delectable meat fresh from the source.
There's nothing like riding a bike in Key West. You'll feel the gentle
caress of the tropical breeze as you glide through the beautiful streets.
So come along with Lloyd's Tropical Bike Tour and find out why you really
came to Key West. |
