Two Weeks – Two Months – Two Years

The drive down the Keys was lovely and pretty easy with the rig.   Even Abbey helped with the driving.

We are liking our new digs at Sunshine Key Resort (on Ohio Key, postal address is Big Pine Key, though).  The beach on the Gulf coast is pretty and there’s a dedicated Sunset Pier.  The pool is fine, too.

We spent our first day biking on Key West.  We also stopped in at the Hemingway house and saw his writing table and the descendants of his many cats.  And the lighthouse that guided him home from the bar.  Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Park had a nice beach.

And we had a nice sunset at Sunshine Key.

The next day we biked to Bahia Honda State Park, where we sampled Gulf of Mexico beaches and Atlantic beaches – about 100 yards apart!

That night we went to the National Key Deer Refuge, hoping to see a few Key deer.  We saw 42!  We also stopped at the Blue Hole, the only fresh water on the Keys.  We had some company there.

We finished the evening at the No Name Pub, where a deer came right up to me.

We spent some time exploring around on Ohio Key and Little Duck Key,

spent  an evening in Key West,

and then followed a highlight of the visit, a snorkeling trip with Captain Brian (of Keys Boat Tours) on the patch reefs along the Great Florida Reef.  We saw indescribable corals and fishes, saw Tarpon leaping, and had a great day on the water.

Now we prepare to leave the Keys and head up the Atlantic coast of Florida.  At this point our plans are just forming, but we anticipate spending at least the next couple months on the East Coast.  Stay tuned….