Everyone has day-dreamed about living on an island at one time or another.  I’m no exception.  The thought of being far away from the main land and using an electric golf cart or bicycle as a primary mode of transportation will always remain extremely enticing to me.  For those reasons, Key West was one such place I had to seek out.

It’s been a while since a road trip had been taken, so I thought a small one was in order.  After spending a day and night exploring the greater Miami area and taking an evening dip in the hotel pool, I was ready to roll out of town the next day.

The vast expanse of water around the string of small islands was pretty cool to experience.  At some points there was either a few feet of land on either side of the pavement, or just huge bridges connecting the tiny islands.  Not very much protection from the beautiful jade-green water that’s patiently waiting to envelope you.

I planned on making some stops along the way to Key West, but high winds prevented glass-bottom boat tours and snorkeling excursions from taking place.  So, driving straight through to the end seemed like the best option.

I made it to Mallory Square just in time to see the evening ritual of the sunset celebration.  Hundreds of people gather on the waterfront to watch the sun slowly slip below the horizon.  The applause and cheering that came afterwards wasn’t thunderous or deafening, it was mellow and simple.  It’s almost as if the crowd was showing refined respect for the honor of witnessing such a beautiful spectacle.

The crowd eventually dispersed in every direction, slowly making their way to a bar or restaurant.  The night life was complete with live music, drunk college kids, street artists and lots of window shopping.  Then came the 20 min. drive to Sugarloaf Key and a good night’s sleep.

After some delicious breakfast, it was off to Key West again.  The day began with a tour of Earnest Hemingway’s house and then the Key West Lighthouse which was across the street.  They were both set in a beautiful residential area with a nice variety of flora surrounding the grounds.

A short walk down the street led to the “Southernmost Point” marker.  From there it’s only 90 miles to Cuba.  The marker itself is not very attractive, but the novelty of being there was fun and you can get a fresh coconut with a straw from a guy in a pick-up truck about 20 feet from the crowd waiting to take pictures with said marker.

Even though clouds were ominously approaching, my next stop was Zachary Taylor State Park beach.  The water was so green and the rocks on the edges of the water were huge.  The sand was a bit rough on the toes, but it was nice to lay out in the remaining sunlight for about an hour and watch as the small crowds of vacationers were slowly replaced by small flocks of seagulls.

The last morning in Florida began very early.  I made it to the Everglades National Park with just enough time to stroll around some of the trails for about an hour.  It would have been nice to really explore, but there was still much wildlife to be seen in that short time and I’m happy the quick stop was able to be made.

Another action-packed jaunt successfully completed.