Key West

This morning we left the Motorhome parked and traveled the 40 miles to the most southern location in the United States. We were just ninety miles from Cuba (closer than the nearest Walmart), but passed on the opportunity. This is a city filled with history. Pirates plundered, ships wrecked, sailors rescued, salvagers recovered, auctioneers sold, tobacco makers flourished, and then came the dreaded fire that has changed commerce in so many cities. The city needed a new industry and with the assistance of a railroad tycoon, a train from St. Augustine to Key West was completed and tourism became the number one industry. (This is the condensed history, for more look up Key West or Flagler).

Before we got to Key West we stopped along the way hoping to see the Key Deer that are indigenous to the Keys. Unfortunately they are best seen at dawn (like that is going to happen), or dusk. We did manage to stop at a preserve where the deers were protected. We did not see any of the illusive deers but did manage to see another alligator, an iguana, and a surprise swarm of bees halfway along the nature trail. We decided that we had seen as much nature as we needed and high tailed it back to the safety of the car.
We continued on our trip south to Key West. Bridges varied from a hundred yards to 7 miles long. The view was terrific! We arrived in the Keys and parked in the historic maritime district. We learned from others that the city tour was the best way to see the city and hear the history so we jumped on the Conch Train. A real tourist treat. The hour and a half tour gave us a great overview of the city, the culture, and the history. The tour provided us with enough geographic information to eventually find our car when it was time to leave.

In keeping with our goal of eating ethnic foods we dined on Conch chowder with pink shrimp and coconut shrimp at a waterfront cafe overlooking one of three tall ships moored below the restaurant.

We then walked through the center of town on Duval Street. It was a little calmer than Bourbon Street, but had the potential of getting crazier later in the evening. We stayed for the daily celebration of the sun setting in the west, which seems to get the natives excited. There is a large street festival with street vendors and performers with their own marked off space. It was very interesting and fun. We ended the evening with a small basket of conch fritters and then stopped at burger king for a hamburger.
The sun set as advertised, the crowd stayed for the rest of the evenings festivities, and we headed back home anticipating another great day!