United States Mile Marker 0

We did it! Key West, Florida, about a 110 miles out from the mainland, we drove it and here is the proof of our success driving as far south that you can get to in the United States.

We enjoyed the road trip down through the Keys of Florida, but, frankly, the hype about the drive and Key West outstrips the reality, at least from the perspective of these three travelers. The longest stretch over the ocean (shallow water it is)is around seven miles. I would venture that the 95 miles we drove, less than 12 was actually on bridges. Many of the islands are long and thin and the highway slices through them like a butter knife. The various towns are lined up along the highway with Key West at the southern end of our road trip. The town was busy with traffic (and traffic jams), noisy (in the parts we were in) and surprisingly there were not a lot of touristy shops (which was nice overall). We did enjoy a beautiful late lunch yesterday at an appropriately set and named cafe called, Southern Most Beach Cafe and Bar. They offered good food at a reasonable price with a killer view out-looking the Atlantic. You can't "overlook" when you are at sea level, can you?

Key West traffic mid-afternoon

Louise is looking good, but I need to work at getting in shape!!!

I didn't take very many pictures since the island lay low and there are great expanses of water between the dozens you see. Clearly, if you own a boat or have a lot of money to blow on a killer vacation, you could enjoy yourself along the whole of the Keys, including Key West. We are glad that we made the effort to go all the way out to the end and I would recommend it to all that have ventured to Southern Florida. Also, since real estate prices have fallen around 60%, surprisingly, you can pick up some pretty nice deals, even along waterfront property.

The small privately owned RV park we stayed at was quite an experience itself. From a unique proprietor to size and mix of vehicles (Motorhomes, Trailers, Fifth Wheel AND Boats, mixed with tents, the folk staying here are a mix of every generationm not just old retirees. Some are still working full-time, others may not have ever worked full-time. Most of the folk just hang out, unlike most of our days that are filled with exploring, brousing shops or walking trails. Here are some pictures that may give you mix of scenes within or surrounding the RV park.

We visited the Dagney Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park today where you park just off the highway and then walk in to enjoy the various trees and fauna, butterflys and lizards. Nope, no alligators or snakes, this time. We learned much about the Hammocks, the canopy of vegetation full of various vines, bushes and trees, some of them with a toxic resin sure to make one itch. I saw my first Ironwood tree alive in the wild. Not only is it the hardest hardwood, but the heaviest, weighing up to 88 pounds per cubic feet! Old manmade coral walls made the walk even more interesting.

We will be visiting the Everglades next. I will finish this entry with a picture of my dad who is happy, relaxed and is looking years younger. The traveling is doing him well.