Relaxing in Conch Country

After leaving Key Largo, my adventure driving the 100+ mile length of the Keys was punctuated by a blustery drive over the Seven Mile Bridge. When I was first dreaming about visiting the Keys, I was intrigued by picturesque blue-sea photos of the bridge like this:

Photo credit Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

Unfortunately, my experience was creeping along in this:

I was lucky it wasn't worse. After I got across the bridge and set up at the next campground, the National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for the area I had just been through, indicating that a tornado had been spotted in the Middle Keys. And when I met my campground neighbor, he told me his daughter had left from a visit, drove across the bridge at about the same time I did, and a fisherman's five-gallon bucket blew away from him and got lodged underneath her pickup. She had no choice but to keep driving across the length of the bridge with the bucket dragging along underneath. There's really no good place to stop and there was little visibility that day. It's a two-lane highway with on-coming traffic - the other bridge in the photo is an old, out-of-service railroad bridge. Glad I made it without incident.

Bahia Honda State Park

As I had been researching where to stay in the Keys last winter, I quickly learned this is the primo spot to stay. Florida State Parks reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance, and this park is generally fully booked immediately when openings come available. Fortunately for people like me who don't plan that well, you can take advantage of cancellations and take what you can get. Last year I wasn't able to stay at Bahia Honda, but this year I got a three-night reservation during the term I'd be in the Keys. Best of all, it was in perfect timing to avoid driving back and forth unnecessarily.

On arrival it was easy to see why the park is so popular. There are several different beaches, several campgrounds (the nicest of which are in low-clearance areas only accessible for tent, hammock and van campers), a marina, watersports tours and rentals, and an old bridge you can walk up and out onto.

Unfortunately, waterfront sites are not available to people traveling with pets. I stayed around the corner.

Low-clearance camping out on the point on the Gulf side

A highlight of my stay at the park was a kayak trip. I put lifejackets on Charley and me, and set out towards the bridge. I hadn't explored much of the park yet, so I was going in and out of all the nooks and crannies. When I got close to the bridge, I realized there were several people fishing off the bulkheads, and to stay out of their way, I was going to have to paddle out farther away from shore than I prefer when alone.  I went out and under the bridge and was watching the fishermen, when all of a sudden a large billfish leaped out of the water, arched, and plunged back in, maybe just 20' away from me in my inflatable kayak. Without thinking, I exclaimed, "Wow!," and one of the fishermen laughed at me, his eyes as wide as mine, and he gestured how large that was. It was thrilling and made me feel extremely vulnerable at the same time, out there in the Atlantic. I went in and rested on the shore awhile before heading back out under the bridge and towards the Gulf side. I'll try to keep the rest of my kayaking to shallower, calmer waters, closer to shore.

Weather wasn't great but I did love the layers of greens, blues and greys

Key West

I spent about a week in Key West. Again, the weather wasn't perfect, but there were a number of good days. And at least in Key West, there's plenty to do even when it's raining.

The day I went to Mallory Square for the sunset celebration was a fortunate one. The weather had been good, but then it looked like the next storm was coming in. The clouds ended up enhancing the sunset nicely, though.






The place I was staying was about five miles from Duval Street, the seaport and downtown areas, so I relied on the city bus. It took some time, but it was better than fighting to find a place to park an RV in such a congested little city, and it allowed me to fully enjoy my trips to town!

What're you doing? Let's go!

One of the smartest purchases I've made in the last couple years has been a collapsible dog carrier that most buses and airlines will allow pets to travel in. Key West is pretty dog friendly, so I took Charley along with me all but one day. One of the nice things is that this carrier folds flat when not in use, and I can just sling it over my shoulder while the dog's walking on a leash. Charley hops right into it, because he knows it means he's not getting left behind.

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park

On my last day in Key West, I drove out to the southwest point of the island to see the old Civil War-era fort and beaches there. What a beautiful, relaxing day.

I wasn't the only one enjoying the beautiful Sunday. This view was from atop the fort.

I got lucky when I went through the fort. A volunteer was giving extensive history to another tourist nearby, and offered to take him back into a powder magazine that was blocked off with a "hazardous area" sign. He looked around and said, "Anyone else want to see an area that few people ever get to access?"

Of course, I did. By the light of our cell phones, the three of us went through a labyrinth that was designed with nooks, crannies, false floors and ventilation to ensure that if there was a blast, the rest of the fort would not be damaged. It was pretty cool!

Curry Hammock State Park

Now, in stark contrast to the private RV park in Key West, where vehicles were shoehorned in close quarters, and even my skinny motorhome had palm trees brushing against both sides when the wind came up, I'm in a quiet state park outside of Marathon in the middle of the Keys. I've got an expansive site, bordered on three sides by enough trees and bushes to obscure view of other campers, but the foilage is low enough that I get plenty of sun. Perfect for the week I'll be here! Looking forward to exploring another place that I haven't seen before now.

Remembering Steve always, but particularly today. 

It's been two years now.