Three Bridges and a Bike

View of US-1 Bridge from A1A Bridge
Jupiter, FL
February 27, 2026

Getting back out on my bike is almost a definite when the weather gets nice. And the weather was great yesterday.

I decided to try a different route and didn't really think about it in advance, but the route crosses three large bridges--two of them being drawbridges.

Older drawbridges, like the Donald Ross Drawbridge, can be problematic. Usually they have steel grates across the channel and road or racer bike tires sometimes slip. Fortunately, I have equipped my bike with all terrain tires which are a wider and do not tend to slip on the grates.  

I had ridden along the ocean to the southern point of my trek before. The new part was at the left turn onto Donald Ross. It was here the traffic got a bit tight as I was in the left turning lane to make the turn. I was very aware of the cars and went very wide to they could turn onto the roadway. I had never ridden the Donald Ross Bridge before and it has a pleasantly wide approach! The bridge has the aforementioned steel grates, but I handled them without issue. 

I wasn't actually sure of the distance I would ride, but I enjoyed the different scenery. The sidewalks along Donald Ross and A1A are very nice and kept me away from the traffic. Some drivers are not aware of the 3 foot rule and I really hate it when I think a bumper is going to brush my leg. 

The ride turned out to be a quarter-mile shorter than my usual almost 18-mile ride, but the elevation changes associated with the bridges made it a bit tougher than usual. I liked the ride and will keep it for the basis of another change-up ride in the future. 

-- Bob doan, Tequesta, FL