On to Key West, A Day Early


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April 9th 2017
Published: April 9th 2017
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Campsite
Boyd's Campground, Key West, Florida

We hitched up and drove back up north out of Everglades National Park, hit US 1, and proceeded south, almost as far as it would go, 170 miles. It is a two lane road and, especially with a trailer, it isn't always easy to drive because of the traffic. But it is certainly beautiful. Basically you drive up over a high bridge where you can see miles of ocean, beaches, and greenery, then you descend on to the island and pass through residential and business neighborhoods based on each island. And you just keep doing that over and over as you go further south and west. Of course, they aren't called 'islands' here but rather 'keys' which is derived from a Spanish term that means the same thing. I'm hoping to learn a bit more about how the Keys came about, but we do know that they are the remnants of an ancient, and long gone coral reef that formed off the shore of Florida when the waters were much higher. Even so, these islands don't express much elevation and would be under water if sea level rose more than a few feet.

But
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Boyd's Campground
for now, anyway, they are stunning. This is a tropical zone here, where the temperature is warm year round. I don't think any of the buildings have a heating system and the bathrooms don't even have doors, just cafe doors to block the visuals. I haven't been in this kind of world very often - Hawaii was like that, on our honeymoon, and Isla Mujeres in Mexico (where Brad and Aimee got married) was like that. But as we read about continuing snow storms back home, this is clearly a different world.

So we drive in to Boyd's campground, which is really pretty easy to find, and Joan goes to check us in. She comes back a little while later and with that look she gets on her face which I know means things aren't going well, she says 'Don't Talk To Me'. So I say nothing while she thumbs through the notebook we keep with all the reservation confirmations and the master plan for the trip. I know something isn't right, but am in no position to say anything - having been forewarned. So I just continue waiting, and pet the dogs who are anxious to get out.
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Amid the Palm Trees


Finally, she returns with some paperwork in her hands, and I assume everything is good. She gets in the car and announces that 'we aren't supposed to be here until tomorrow!' I say, 'what?' And she repeats the statement, adding that we left Flamingo a day early. Incredulously, I grab the master plan and ask how we could have done that?

Sure enough, there in the plan it says we are supposed to drive down to Key West on Sunday, April 9, not Saturday, April 8. And I look at her and ask bluntly, 'well, what the hell day is it today, anyway?' We both check our devices and discover that this is Saturday, not Sunday. We had jumped the gun by a day without even realizing it. Time not only flies when you are having fun, but it actually disappears!

Fortunately, the campground had a cancellation and they could put us up in a spot for a night before we move into our 'reserved spot'. I have no idea what we would have done if they didn't have an empty campsite - Key West prohibits RVs from parking anywhere on the streets of the town and
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That's the Moon, Silly
the campgrounds further up the keys are also full. So, for a hefty price, we got lucky and had a place to stay last night.

But Joan and I spent the next hour trying to figure out how we could have done that - with no really good answer. We also concluded that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, its just a thing that comes with traveling.

After setting up for the night, we took the dogs over to a terrific restaurant, Hogfish Grill, right on the dock featuring fresh caught fish of all kinds. We had overpowering Rum drinks, which we needed after our misplaced day. Joan had the mixed seafood grill, and I enjoyed the crab-stuffed shrimp in a lobster cream sauce. Both were superb. When in Key West, check out Hogfish. They allow dogs on the dockside eating area, and they were hits with everyone. So the day ended well, even though we were early. Also means we have an unanticipated downday today! (17.1.32

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9th April 2017

Hogfish..YES
I love fresh fish. I don't know if I will ever find myself at Hogfish. Too bad.

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