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Dear All
Greetings once more from my Floridian travels. This one relates my adventures on the intriguing chain of islands dripping off the end of the Florida peninsula, known collectively and very famously as the Florida Keys. I had an amazing time island-hopping down there, using the interconnecting and quite spectacular Overseas Highway, and driving the coolest rental car possible for such an adventure. This was a beautiful white Ford Mustang Cabrio convertible! I’ve only ever hired a car on two previous occasions, and I couldn’t quite believe my luck not only when I booked this car months ago as it was the cheapest deal available, but also on this day when I picked it up, as it was indeed true to its picture on my rental agreement – a Ford Mustang Cabrio convertible, and a cool white one nonetheless! Needless to say I spent the next few days with the top down and the music playing, earning myself at the same time a serious suntan as I didn’t appreciate that with the breeze blowing and keeping me cool, the sun was still turning me slowly into a brown tomato each day. I don’t think I’ve ever been this tanned
before, and it may take a few months before it wears off – I’m still mildly amused every time I look at myself in the mirror!
So after a wonderful time with the lovely Merry Jo and Dave, we parted ways at Fort Lauderdale Airport, whence I picked up said beautiful car. I was heading for a place called Florida City, south of Miami, which was to be my base for the next four nights as I explored the Florida Keys and the Everglades, more on the latter in my next one. I initially thought of just taking the easiest route down to Florida City from Fort Lauderdale, just to get used to my new car, but then had the great idea of driving through Miami’s South Beach and Miami itself on the way there. It was a bit of a jump in the deep US-driving end I admit, but I managed. My “Here We Go” app which served me so well on my previous two car rentals in New England and Iceland did not let me down.
From Fort Lauderdale Airport I headed east to hit the sand bar to the east of Miami’s huge urban area
Key Deer
No Name Keyat a place called Dania Beach. From here I was due south, all the way through Miami’s North Beach and then on through its more famous cousin, South Beach. I couldn’t quite believe that within minutes of picking up my car, I was driving through such a place!! My route then took me along the MacArthur Causeway linking Miami Beach to Downtown, with spectacular views all round over Biscayne Bay, its millionaire/billionaire-owned properties and islands, and onto the seriously sleek skyscraper skyline of Miami Downtown in the distance. If ever there was a time to have the Miami Vice soundtrack on my system this was it, and it was pure driving bliss! I then had to negotiate the huge I95 highway with its six-plus lanes of traffic and crazy junctions, at one point having to attempt a particular junction twice as I missed the exit the first time, before I settled down on the Old US Highway 1, at this point known as the cool-sounding South Dixie Highway, heading south and out of town towards my base for the next few nights.
Around an hour later, I checked into my motel, pulling my convertible right up outside my door
as they do in motels in the USA – this was so cool, and I think I mentioned in my blogs last year on New England, that I just love staying in motels in America – this time I had a car to go with it! I was excited, and just chilled for the rest of the day contemplating the amazing places I’d be seeing soon, after having stocked up on some groceries at a nearby Walgreens, and taking a KFC away for dinner – perfect! KFC in America is so different to in the UK – it is much tastier, and is properly finger-licking delish! The motel was large and busy, but my room was quiet and very comfortable. I was looking forward to my time there.
Incidentally, on my first full day I visited the Florida Keys, the second the Everglades, the third the Keys again, and my final day and drive back I stopped off at the Everglades again. For ease of reading, this blog entry will relate my two days in the Florida Keys, and my next one my two days in the Everglades.
My first full day of my Florida Road Trip the
next day was incredible! I drove the 120-mile, three-hour journey to Key West and back, and couldn’t have asked for a better rental car to do it in! I had the top down and music playing for most of the trip, and driving along the spectacular Overseas Highway and its numerous bridges over the sea, including the stunning Seven Mile Bridge, was a real treat. Songs of note which really hit the spot in this part of the world were 80s classics, including “The Power of Love” from Back to the Future, Axel Foley’s theme from Beverly Hills Cop, the A-Team theme song, the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo”, and of course "Crockett’s Theme" from Miami Vice. They were all meant for this drive! It was hot, in the early 30s, but the breeze with the top down was refreshing.
Key West itself was enjoyable, eclectic and fun. Informally and locally known as "The Conch Republic", it is an island-city measuring just four miles by one mile, and with a population 26,000 people. As mentioned, the most common way of getting there is over the Overseas Highway, which traverses this amazing island chain from Key Largo in the east, through the
settlements of Islamorada and Marathon, and over the Lower Keys before arriving in this far-flung outpost at the southernmost point of the continental USA. It was originally linked to mainland Florida by the Overseas Railroad which reached Key West in 1912, but this rail link only lasted a couple of decades before it was irreparably damaged by a Category Five hurricane in 1935. The subsequent road link completed in 1938 has remained the Keys’ link with the rest of the state and country ever since, although on the way it does pass numerous remnants of the old railway.
Being situated in such a far-flung place, Key West has developed into a quirky, arty and at times rather eccentric place, home to numerous artists, poets, authors and the like since Ernest Hemingway himself made this his home for nine years in the 1930s. After finding a parking space quite quickly in a free car park just west of Duval Street, I spent a good three hours wandering this unique place. I first visited the Southernmost Point of Continental USA, joining the famous queue to have my photo taken there by a friendly Indian family behind me. I then climbed the
Key West Lighthouse for great views over town and the surrounding seas, skipping the well-known Hemingway Home and Museum nextdoor, as quite simply (and I imagine shockingly to some reading this) the man doesn’t really hold any interest for me. I then walked along the length of the famous Duval Street, stopping off on a kerb with a delicious Key Lime Pie in the one hand and an Iced Coffee in the other, to hear some live music coming from a cool nearby bar – “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Stairway to Heaven” were playing while I was there, adding greatly to the mood. I finished off in the equally-famous Mallory Square, which apparently throbs at sunset with acrobats and performers in a crazy street party, but really quite empty on this hot afternoon. I finally passed by the 1890s Little White House, where President Harry S Truman used to vacation when not in the larger, real White House back in Washington DC, before heading back to my car. While Key West was fun and unique, I was glad not to be staying there, and to be moving on, not only as it’s the most expensive place to book a hotel
in the whole of the USA, but also because I prefer more peaceful and quieter surroundings to lay my backpack down.
I was hoping to stop off at the National Key Deer Refuge Centre on Big Pine Key on the way back to spot the lovely, tiny Key Deer, but had no time this time unfortunately – more on that below though! I was aiming for the Turtle Hospital on Marathon Key for a 4pm tour appointment, recommended to me by Merry Jo a few days earlier – great recommendation, thank you! This place looks after injured and sick sea turtles, to send them back off into the wild once well again, or to permanently give them a home if they are not able to. It was a very nice 90-minute tour with a good-humoured lady, visiting turtles who had varying ailments, including having tumours to be removed, human rubbish that they have swallowed removed, or nursed back to health after having mostly been injured by boat propellers – poor things… There were some sad stories, but it was lovely and heart-warming to see them so well cared for there.
The drive back to my motel in Florida
My Motel
Florida City City was awesome again, with more time for top down and music playing!
I must admit that on my second day in the Florida Keys, I was a little disappointed. I had plucked up the courage when I arrived to book a snorkelling trip, since Key Largo is supposed to be one of the best diving and snorkelling sites in the world. Although I have a bit of fear of the open water due to having seen too many shark films, my stint at snorkelling in the Galapagos a few years ago was incredible, and made me realise that if I could challenge this fear, then a whole new watery window in travel could open up to me. Unfortunately, the trip was cancelled due to windy weather, and this was the case on this day throughout the Keys. I realised that being more disappointed than relieved, it must mean that this is a fear that hopefully can and should be challenged again in the future.
I decided on that day to instead explore the chain of islands in between the mainland and Key West in a bit more depth and detail.
Firstly, I explored a couple of
nice hiking trails in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo, namely the very interesting Grove Trail leading to the former H.G. Shaw's Key Lime Farm which still has a number of Key Lime trees growing, and the lovely Wild Tamarind Trail which introduced me to a number of local Keys tree species. The State Park's famous Key Largo snorkelling trips were fully booked when I made my online reservation two days earlier, but were also cancelled on this day anyway due to the wind.
My next stop was a (very brief I’m glad to say) stop at a place called Robbie’s in Islamorada an hour’s drive further out along the Overseas Highway, and a Keys institution apparently. I had booked my snorkelling tour from there instead, but upon arrival learned of its cancellation. They offered me an alternative boat trip to a nearby beach for the afternoon, but this really wasn’t what I was interested in, so they refunded me my money instead. The stop was very brief as Robbie’s was also not my thing – a partying, food and trinket stop on the Overseas Highway, filled with loud music, noisy people and families. This
was definitely not my cup of tea.
Instead, I decided to go an hour further out on the Keys again, almost to Key West once more, to visit the National Key Deer Refuge Centre on Big Pine Key which I didn’t have time to do my first time round. Initially I had wondered if I had made the right decision, as the day involved another near-six hours of driving on the Overseas Highway again, with the potential of not being able to see any deer, but it turned out to be a great call and I was so happy to have been able to do this this time.
Key Deer are a very unique and endangered species of deer, found only on these remote outpost islands of the Lower Keys. Standing at only 66cm to 77cm at shoulder height, they are amongst the smallest deer in the world, and are currently endangered due to hunting and urbanisation of their habitat. There are conservation efforts in this part of the Keys, but as yet nothing concrete has been created, as most of the land in this National Key Deer Refuge Centre is privately-owned and can still technically be developed,
which I find quite sad. The population has recently increased to a stable 700 to 800, from an estimated low of 25 in 1955 (!), and many, including myself, think more should be done to preserve and protect such a delightful animal.
Upon arrival in the Refuge on Big Pine Key, the very friendly gentleman in the Visitors Centre gave me a map of the local area to do a self-guided driving safari through the island, to spot this rare species. After a bit of a drive around, and a hot, sweaty and fruitless two-mile walk to nowhere through the shrubs and trees of the nearby (and fantastically named!) No Name Key, I spotted six hanging around the parking area for this walk. I was awed to be in their cute presence, and took some great photos of them. I also enjoyed just driving and walking around this quiet corner of the Florida Keys, far away from the busy Overseas Highway, and realising that the region is not just one massive highway connecting Key Largo to Key West. It was a worthy alternative I thought to snorkelling, and I was glad to have made the effort to get there.
Beach
Key West I was then ready to make the two-and-a-half hour drive back to Florida City again, over the fantastic Seven Mile Bridge for the fourth time – I don’t think I could get tired of that one! This time I was able to snap a quick shot of the amazing and quite famous Australian pine tree, affectionately known as “Fred”, that has somehow managed to take root and sprout along this concrete span.
On the way back also, the Snake Creek Drawbridge just before Key Largo was up and at it again. It had first raised itself twice on my first journey to Key West previously, though I didn’t mind this as it gave me a chance to stretch my legs and take some photos while the traffic was at a standstill, twice in a row. This time it was just irritating, and the extra traffic on the way back added around 30 minutes to my journey, which I wasn’t impressed with.
After having arrived back in Florida City, while my motel was just grand, I realised that while shopping for my dinner that evening, the place is a real dive. I had had an amazing time there
using it as my base to explore the literally marvellous Florida Keys and Everglades National Park, but I think after four nights in Florida City, I was ready to move on.
The next day, it was Miami, here I come!! Albeit with another stop off in the Everglades on the way.
So until next time, which will actually relate my adventures in the amazing Everglades before my final one on Miami, thank you for reading, and all the best for now!
Alex
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Alex returns from Florida tanned!
Florida is good for the soul as it provides so much vitamin D. Down here we refer to it as Vitamin Sea! I can picture you driving through the Keys with the top down, smelling the salt air and enjoying the water surrounding the highway. Plugged into Miami Vice as you drive Biscayne Bay, North and South Beach.... you've seen it all. I smiled at you shopping at Walgreens and take out with the Colonel... indeed finger licking good. I love the sea turtles and I'm glad you had time to add them to your trip. I try to educate everyone on our turtles. I'm sorry your snorkeling was cancelled but you found a great replacement. Mentally I'm making a list of things to show you on your return! Keep traveling'. MJ