Key West Visits

We have been at Big Pine Key for almost 3-weeks and have visited Key West three times, once by car,  and two times by bus.  Can't beat the bus fair $1.00 each way for seniors, and the first bus trip was free.  On the second Saturday of the month seniors ride free,  who knew!  The bus stop is right outside the RV park, so we don't even have to drive.

Selfie, waiting for the bus to Key West outside Sunshine Key RV Resort

** Key West Fun Facts:
 In Key West, conchs are people born in Key West.  You're not considered a conch by simply living in Key West: but if you have been a local for at least 7-years you may be considered a "freshwater conch".

This little girl couldn't wait to have her pic taken, ran right up to the camera.

Mom and chicks by the marina

** Key West has a healthy population of chickens that roam free on the island.

** Key West is closer to Cuba than Miami.

** Forty-One degrees is the record low temperature in Key West.  Since temperatures were recorded in 1873 this occurred twice once  on 1/13/81 and again on 1/12/86.

** The Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico meet here.

**  Jimmy Buffett doesn't live in Key West anymore,  he's no longer a local.  But Parrot Heads can always gather at Margaritaville.

** Key West was once the richest city in the United States per capita.

** Duval Street is a mile long pub crawl.

** Key West tried to secede from the US in 1982.  Key West is often referred to as the Conch                  Republic.

** By the way the island is said to be haunted

We visited Harry S. Truman's Little White House

  Trump step aside !!!!

Trying out the NOAA's Lab at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center

Cool Lion Fish at the Eco Center

And visited a retired coast guard vessel

Historic Sea Port

Found the best Cuban Coffee and Hogfish Sandwiches

We sort of ate our way thru Key West, starting with Cuban Coffee, moving on to French Croissant Pastrys then lunch and the trip is not complete with out Key Lime pie.

Tom and his sweet tooth...

Can't forget shopping...... Tom in his new hat..no he didn't buy it.

Tommy and Brians Visit to the Keys

Our son Tommy and his friend came to visit. Tom, Tommy and Brian checking out the water at the RV resort.

The three amigos

We had a great time, we visited Key West and sampled some traditional alcoholic beverages

Visited some of the local hangouts too.

Tommy switched over to some more healthy alternatives (yea)

Made it to the southern most point of the United States,  90 miles to Cuba

His trip was not complete without a Cuban cigar

Her it ends and starts...

So True

Little over our budget.  If you have some green bucks to spare send it down...

Found this little spot for Tom and Brian

Chickens and roosters all over...

Key Wests version of a biker bar.  Here they like to burn off the margaritas they drink.

No trip is complete to Key West without visiting Mallory Square at sunset.

They have venders, and street entertainers

Of course the sunset is a must

Next day we were off to Bahia Honda State Park, for a much needed snorkel trip.

Getting ready for the wet element

Tommy and Pam are ready to go.

The reef was 12 nautical miles off shore and 30 feet down.  Words cannot express how fantastic this location was.  We saw all kinds of fish, including sharks.  If you were very still schools of fish swam around you.  It was great, can't wait to go again.   We all had a good time.

The beach at Bahia Honda State Park

Enjoying the day

We had a lot of laughs, but it was time to say good by

Tommy is ready for Miami !!!

Florida Keys

We made it, Sunshine Key RV Resort and Marina, Big Pine Key, Fl

                                                    

All set up for the month  !!

Fun Facts About the Florida Keys:  There are 42 bridges that connect the islands of the Florida Keys. The longest bridge is the 7-mile bridge which is 35,716 feet long.

The word "key" comes from the Spanish word, "cayo" which means "little island".  There are more than 800 Florida Keys.

This is one of those 800 islands.

Remnants  of the railroad built by Henry Flagler can be seen driving along US HWY 1.  The railroad ended when a portion of the line was destroyed in a 1935 hurricane. 

Wildlife is abundant in the keys.  We had a big surprise when having coffee outside the RV  one morning, we saw this green fellow running across the road.  Just after that I bumped into a 5 footer at the beach.  Thank goodness when he saw me, he ran the other way.   Although green iguanas  are not native to Florida, these stowaways are thriving here.  

We ran into this fella pumping diesel in Marathon.  Guess they are not only running loose in Key West.  

There is also lots of friendly feral cats running around.

Driving out to No Name Key we saw these Key Deers.  They live only in the Florida Keys and are endangered.  They are a subspecies of the white-tailed deer and are the smallest North American deer.  Really cute and not too shy.

On the way back you may want to stop for a cold one.

Tom said he has become an island man, wearing shorts for the first time since I have known him.


The trip is not complete without a selfie.

Second time we have seen a person riding a motorized ice cooler at an RV park.  This one is zipping all over the campground, and its fast.