The Florida Keys are made up of little islands that are connected by bridges. Most of the islands are not even a mile wide. Every address is marked by the closest mile marker. For example, the address of our hotel in Key Largo was 104300 Overseas Highway. 104300 refers to milepost 104. That was really hard to figure out in the dark.
We flew into Miami, got our rental car, and immediately headed south to Key Largo. We kept up with the sunset for awhile but by the time we made it to Casa Azul, the sun had set but we could still see over the water a bit. We put our bags away and then did a little relaxing by the water.
First night in Key Largo
The next morning, we woke up at noon thanks to the time change. We ate our breakfast under the little hut overlooking the water.
Oatmeal, fruit, and coffee. Mmmmm....
Private beach #1. It lasted about 15 minutes.
Private beach #2. It lasted a few hours.
That afternoon we also visited a bird rehabilitation center that turned out to be a lot cooler than it sounded, and it was free! We also found this little marina where kayak and boat trips go out from. There, they also have tourist trap where you can pay $2 for a bucket of little fish and try to feed the hungry tarpon. Or if you are us, you can pay $0 but still watch others do it, which is just as fun. These fish were about five or six feet long and they would jump out of the water so high most people dropped the bait when they snatched their hand back. We ate lunch at the outdoor restaurant where we saw a white sting ray in the water and some other guys saw a dolphin. We also watched the newbies who paid their $2 and really bent down, inches from the water, not realizing the tarpon can jump more than a foot out of water. That was awesome to see them scream in surprise the first time it happened!
Watch those fingers.
This is a fishing charter in the keys where these guys caught a giant tarpon.
How can you go to the keys and not eat seafood? For lunch we had the BEST fish tacos and for dinner we found a restaurant where we had the BEST conch (pronounced konk). It had won a bunch of awards for best food and the food network had been there a few weeks prior to tape a show about it, which was airing the night we were there so the wait staff were really excited. Delish!!
Mmmmmm.....
The next morning, our plan was to get up, take our time driving south, stopping along the way at various beaches and whatever else we found along the way. Instead we awoke to a torenchial downpour. We asked the front desk if this was normal, and she said, "Oh no, we haven't had any rain since October!" So for 8 solid months, it had been sunny and hot and OF COURSE when the Widmers arrive it is rainy! But we put on our happy faces and pretended it didn't bother us. (The amazing thing about Florida is that when it rains, it is still HOT!)
A fun outdoor market we found
Our first taste of Florida keylime pie
Anne Beach
This was our view while driving over the famous seven mile bridge. I think it was at this point that my smile I had been forcing all day finally turned upside down and I shed some tears...
We finally made it to Key West. It wasn't the sunny arrival we had imagined. All the tourists were wearing bright yellow parkas (obviously they weren't from Oregon) that they bought in the shops. The true Oregonians (us) had brought our rain jackets. The B & B we checked into offered umbrellas. So we grabbed some as we headed out for our walk. It was so windy that immediately the umbrellas turned inside out (classic) and I was screaming and we were laughing and then a whole bicycle tour group (all wearing bright yellow parkas) rode by and were video taping the whole ordeal. It was awesome! The only place that would truly make us feel better was the original Margaritaville, which we hightailed it to.
Just before the wind ordeal
The thing I love about tourists is NOTHING is going to stop them from enjoying their vacation!
That rainy day we just walked around exploring Key West. Key West is very small with a total area of a little under 7.5 miles. It is easy to walk around and site see. It is surprisingly very historical with connections to slavery, the American Revolution, the civil war, immigration from Cuba and the Bahamas, pirates, Native Americans, vacation homes of U.S. presidents and famous writers (most famous was Ernest Hemingway), and a still active Naval Air Station.
This is pretty much what I imagined Key West would be like.
Jace in front of President Harry Truman's vacation home.
As you drive down the keys, Florida has definitly monopolized on the phrase "Southern Most _____" and insert the type of store you have. You will see advertisements that say, "Southern Most Gas Station," "Southern Most Mattress Store," "Southern Most Coffee Shop" and so on. This is the famous "Southern Most Hotel" that was across from our B & B.
You can't go any farther even if you wanted to.
Ernest Hemingway's house. Since we weren't willing to pay the $16.00 per person admission, we tried to look over the wall to see one of his six-toed cats but we didn't see any. We heard they're there, though.
A nice way to start each day. Thank you, Avalon B & B!
The beaches in Florida are not public, though there are a few but they are very crowded. Here is a rare moment of nature where there's no one in view.
Half of the main hub of activities lie along Duval St., Key West's main drag. By day it's a family spot with a lot of entertainment. By night, well, the children go to bed and there's A LOT of entertainment.... At the end of Duval St. is Mallory Square, where every night there's vendors, entertainers, and anyone who's anyone goes to watch the famous sunset.
This guy charged $1 to get your picture taken with them. I just waited until this girl paid $1 and then I snapped the photo - ha!
Apparently this guy thought pants were optional.
Famous place where Ernest Hemingway wrote one of his books.
You held out a dollar and the dog (who was wearing surf shorts) came and took it out of your hand and put it in the jar.
A night isn't complete without a tight-rope walking juggler.
I can see why the sunset is famous.
Now the night is REALLY complete with a unicycling juggler with flames.
Enjoying the show
Salsa dancing in the square
The other half of the main hub of attractions is anything to do with water. Since we skimp and stretch our dollars, we decided to have one big splurge. We took a day long trip on a catamaran to go snorkling and kayaking. It was awesome!! Unfortunately, I only have a few pictures since we spent most of the day in the water. It was a great way to spend our last day in Key West!
View from the front
This is what we look like after a full day in the sun on the water in 100 degrees. HOT!!!!
I guess you could say we are the "Southern Most People"
All in all, the Florida Keys is a great place to visit! If you've been to Hawaii and/or California, it has a totally different vibe and culture with plenty of fun in the sun!
Since we were supposed to get to Miami by the late afternoon the next day, we decided to head to Everglades National Park since it was "on the way." We only had about 2 1/2 hours to be there so it was drive, look fast, quick picture, drive some more, look fast, quick picture, repeat. My dad has told many stories about the Everglades as he was stationed there in the 60's, so I wanted to see what it was like. Even though it was a short adventure, it was well worth it and very memorable!
Jace taking a break in the shade
Looking for crocodiles. It was so hot they wouldn't even come out.
This was the notorious 1/4 mile loop called "The Gumbo Limbo Trail" that the guidebook says, "Not recommended for summer months due to large amounts of mosquitos," so naturally I said, "Come on Jace, we're doing it!" We've never walked so fast in our lives!
The Everglades were much more grassy and a lot less marshy than I had imagined, though the whole thing is swampland.
The Everglades was a great experience! Most people probably don't suggest going in July. It was definitly the hottest I have ever been in my life and the most I have ever sweated!! It was even hotter than where we were headed next............
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