Key West and the Florida Keys

Well, after the hustle and bustle of the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area, the pace certainly changed when we reached the Keys. The Florida Keys are a 125-mile chain of over 1,700 islands linked by more than 40 bridges. The colors of the waters surrounding the islands are an amazing array of aquas, blues and turquoises with shades and hues that defy description.

Our first stop was Key Largo, the first link in the island chain. The area is known as the Diving Capital of the World due to numerous shipwrecks and the extensive living coral reef a few miles offshore. At John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, we took a glass bottom boat tour to explore the coral reef. Although we were initially a little skeptical that this might be a "tourist trap," we were astounded at the professionalism and knowledge of the crew, the excellent views of the coral reef and the abundance of marine life in the area. For two "landlubbers" who only occasionally snorkel, it was a good way to see the wonders of the deep.

For a view through the glass-bottom boat, see the video at the end of this posting. Don't blame the photographer if you feel sea sick -- the movement is due to the four-foot seas during the trip.

Key Largo Sunset

Further south is Big Pine Key, home to the Key deer -- a miniature species which, at maturity, is only as big as a large dog. By the 1950s the species had been hunted almost to extinction. Today, the species numbers about 800, but is protected in a 9,200 acre refuge. We say a couple of the deer -- one from the roadway and another as we hiked along one of the nature trails.

At Key West, things took on an entirely different atmosphere. Key West is part New Orleans Bourbon Street, part New England fishing village and part college frat party -- all with a subtropical flourish of palm trees, tank tops and a "who cares" attitude. As the southernmost city in the continental United States, Key West is the southern terminus of the Overseas Highway (US 1). It has attracted and inspired such notables as Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams and Robert Frost.

We did get to play one round of golf at the only course we could find in the area. The Key West Golf Club bills itself as the southernmost golf course in the U.S. It was a challenging and well-maintained course, but with iguanas roaming the fairways and F-18 fighters from the nearby Key West Naval Air Station screaming overhead, it was difficult to "keep your eye on the ball." One unique but appropriate feature was the use of painted coconuts for the tee markers.

We also toured the house where Ernest Hemmingway lived in the 1930s. He wrote some of his most famous works while living there. The house has been preserved along with the descendants of Hemmingway's famous six-toed cats.

Hemmingway's Study with Typewriter

While the Keys are subtropical islands, ironically, there are only a small number of large, sandy beaches. One that we were able to enjoy was at Fort Zachery Taylor State Park. This is a beach utilized by the locals. It is not located next to a major street or roadway, so it is (quite literally) "off the beaten path."

The main thoroughfare for most tourists is Duval Street which encompasses nearly every kind of establishment such as Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, T-shirt shops, an Episcopal church, smoke shops and Hemingway's hangout - Sloppy Joe's bar.

However, the biggest attraction for the area is Mallory Square, an open space at the waterfront on the west end of the island. At the end of each day, crowds gather for the Sunset Celebration to be entertained by magicians, jugglers, artists and street performers of every sort.

But the biggest attraction for the Sunset Celebration is the sunset itself -- probably the best free show anywhere.

Glass-Bottom Boat Video