Betty’s iPad is linked to the tv in the front of our home on wheels, allowing me to see our Florida Keys location on Google maps while I drive. It’s a great big gps. lol BTW, the pegs that prevent the tv from articulating out while driving are sponge paint rollers…The Atlantic Ocean, as seen from our site (#19) at Curry Hammock State Park.
Well over a year ago, Betty & I began plans for the Florida Keys portion of our overlandish odyssey. We had previously visited the Keys by car, staying in a small motel in Marathon, Florida, roughly half way between Key Largo and
The campsites at Bahia Honda State Park, as viewed across the glistening turquoise waters.
Key West. On that trip we had seen amazing Florida State Parks that backed onto the Atlantic Ocean. Some had campsites that
One can see why the campground at Bahia Honda State Park is popular.
contained at least one palm, a picnic table, fire pit, and sandy beach. Nirvana! Our goal was to spend two weeks in each park (the maximum allowed), moving up and down the Keys based on availability. This turned out to be wishful thinking!
Crossing one of the 42 bridges that link the Keys to Florida’s mainland. With my polarized sunglasses, the water appeared an even more vibrant turquoise than in these pics.
Reservations for each of the State Parks in the Keys can be made 11 months in advance. I researched the campgrounds and chose preferred sites and dates at each. We were in Quartzsite, Arizona 11 months ago, so I got up before 5 am each morning (yawn) in order to book the sites as they became available at 8 am Floridatime. If I clicked on the booking a minute early, the site was available but the message said it was too early to
Betty enjoys our site (#19) at Curry Hammock State Park
reserve. If I clicked 1 second past the hour, the site was already booked by someone else. This happened nearly every day for 3 – 4 weeks, until I realized that I would never have the speedy connection required to beat the competition. From time to time I checked back, and one day I found one night available at Curry Hammock State Park near Marathon: March 1, 2019. So our Keys adventure was built around that one booking.
Packed into the crowded, popular Boyd’s Campground in Key West. Our site was #197.
Betty & I were able to get into Boyd’s Key West Campground for two nights prior to our Curry Hammock stay, and that gave us a chance to cross
Most of Highway 1 is one lane each way from Key Largo to Key West.
the 42 bridges that lead down to the southern tip of Florida to do some touring around Key West first. We have to say the adventure was amazing, whetting our appetite to return again some day. Following are a few pictures that help tell the story of our joyous journey:
We began our visit to Key West with the mandatory pilgrimage to the home of Ernest Hemingway.Betty checks out one of the many Hemingway portraits in his living room.Apparently as he left it, Hemingway’s writing studio is in an adjacent carriage house on the beautiful Key West property.Our colourful tour guide told the story of Hemingway bringing this urinal home from a bar he frequented. His wife decorated it to try to camouflage it. BTW, he was married 4 times, and the marriages didn’t end well…Sloppy Joe’s Bar, on popular Duval Street in Key West, was the source of Hemingway’s urinal, and one of his many hang-outs.Lots of day and night life can be found along Duval Street in Key West.We chose Duffy’s Steak & Lobster restaurant for some tasty seafood & filet minion.For another dinner, Betty & I dined al fresco with the roosters at El Meson de Pepes, near Mallory Square. BTW, roosters are ubiquitous in Key West.Our tapas meal included fried conch balls that were delicious, but the mojo scallops were the best ever!!! Caesar salad was nice and the company was fantastic! lolAfter dinner, we joined in the ritual of watching the sun go down at Mallory Square.Boats of all shapes and sizes joined in the nightly exercise, including a number of floating tiki huts…The next day, we were finally able to reach our destination – Curry Hammock State Park, near Marathon, Florida.Snorkeling and kayaking were popular activities at Curry Hammock, with sparkling crystal clear waters.This was the view of the Atlantic Ocean from our campsite (#19).A short path lead from the campground to the beach.Betty & I had this portion of beach to ourselves during our visit.We spent the day in our chairs, sitting in the bathtub warm water. BTW, there is no wave action along this portion of the Atlantic coast.Our quiet, soul-restoring day at the beach ended with another amazing sunset, watched from our perches in the Atlantic Ocean.After our funtastic visit to the Florida Keys, we returned to our Long Pine Key campsite in the Everglades National Park.Our current site (#3) in Long Pine Key campground. Nice sites are unserviced, which is fine with us, but largely unoccupied.The abandoned Flagler railway, built over a century ago to link the Keys, is now used for fishing, with breaks to allow ships to pass.
Yes, visiting the sunny, steamy Florida Keys, with
temperatures in the high 80’s f. every day (while the weather back in Winnipeg was well below freezing) was wishful thinking. Betty & I hope that all who wistfully read this might have an opportunity to do their own wishful thinking and enjoy this funtastic sunny tiny tip of Florida some day!
Cheers!
The temp. today was 96.6 f. in our motorhome. That is after I started the a/c, which often runs all night to keep us comfortable.The “mile 0” marker for Highway 1 can just be seen above a pedestrian’s hat. This is where it all begins – or ends – depending on your perspective. lol
Note: for some reason, some of our best pics (taken in portrait) will not rotate & load. If I figure it out, this post will be updated. We also ate the Key Lime Pie too fast to get pictures, so you’ll just have to use your imagination. lol G.R.
