We had a leisurely morning at our overnight stop and
departed the Boardwalk RV Resort a little before 10 am. We have been to Key
West twice before, but it was on bus tours from Homestead and it was only for 1
day, each. There is way too much to see, for a 1 day visit.
Everyone thinks they want to embrace the laid-back
Keys life... We do for a short time … so we decided to go on the Yankee RV
Tours Rally to Key West. To begin the journey, we took the classic drive down
the Florida Keys Overseas Highway, aka US 1. However, to embrace the true Key
West lifestyle, you should drive it in a convertible, with the top down … we
enjoyed it in our motorhome with the A/C off and the windows down!
The roughly 100 plus mile one-way route island-hops
along the southern rim of the Everglades and Florida Bay from Key Largo south
to Key West. Shops, stops and restaurants celebrate all things “Keys” … bright
colors, boats, water sports, fresh-caught seafood, old-school roadside
attractions, and unspoiled state and national parks.
Florida Keys Natural Marine Sanctuary. The first
national marine sanctuary was established in 1975. Since then, the National
Marine Sanctuary System has grown to include 13 sanctuaries and two marine
national monuments. In 1990, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary became the
ninth sanctuary to join the system, in response to concerns about the decline
of the reef ecosystem in the area. Today, the sanctuary protects more than
2,900 square nautical miles of Florida Keys coastal and ocean waters. Warning
signs about the fragile and finite nature of marine resources in the Florida
Keys were present long before Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary was
established.
In 1960, to address the demise of coral reefs in the
Keys, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park was established off Key Largo as the
world’s first underwater park. Continued environmental degradation prompted the
eventual designation of Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary in 1975 and Looe
Key National Marine Sanctuary in 1981. Enjoy Key Largo’s natural beauty in the
water at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the nation’s first undersea
park. You can book a snorkeling tour to explore one of the park’s shallow, 15
feet deep, inner reefs. For deep water views without getting wet, take a
glass-bottom boat tour to Molasses Reef.
Key Largo is the Gateway to the Florida Keys. "Sailin'
away to Key Largo" might have been a little more difficult than the
popular 1980's song suggested, especially prior to 1870. The island of Key
Largo is one of the largest of the Florida Keys islands. Though originally
inhabited by native tribes, Key Largo and the other islands were eventually
overrun by Europeans. Though it is not known when Europeans first landed on any
of the islands, explorer, Ponce de Leon made note of them in his logs. The name
"keys" is believed to have originated from the Spanish word, cayo,
meaning "small islands." Key Largo is also known as the diving
capital of the world.
When you drive south across the Tavernier Creek
Bridge you are officially in Islamorada.
Widely known among anglers as the “sportfishing
capital of the world,” the village of Islamorada is made up of Plantation Key,
Windley Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Lower Matecumbe Key, and the offshore Indian
Key and Lignumvitae Key state parks.
Try a slice of honest-to-goodness key lime pie at the
Key Lime Pie Factory.
This guy reminded me of the big lobster we saw in Shediac, New Brunswick ... but this guy is much more scary!
The family-owned Theater of the Sea has been loving
and caring for animals since 1946. It is a series of lagoons and lush, tropical
gardens are home to dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, fish, sharks, stingrays,
alligators, and birds. Their mission is to provide a wonderful home for animals
while sharing them with visitors in up close and personal shows and interaction
programs.
On Upper Matecumbe Key, we pulled into a picnic area,
for a short break. On the way out of the picnic area, I spotted this guy on the
side of the road, a green iguana. It is believed that the first green iguanas
to find themselves in the Florida Keys were stowaways on several ships bringing
fruit over from South America. As time went on their population grew with some
added members introduced by owners who tired of their pets and thus released
them into the wild.
The Turtle Hospital was first opened in 1986 and
works to rehabilitate injured turtles, educate the public, assist in research
aiding sea turtles, and support environmental legislation that promotes clean
and safe water and beaches. If you are interested, you can schedule a behind-the-scenes
tour of the Turtle Hospital to help support the facility’s sea turtle
rehabilitation efforts.
On the drive from Islamorada south to the city of
Marathon, you can stop at Long Key State Park.
Until 1912, boats provided the only method of travel
among the islands. An entrepreneur named
Henry Morrison Flagler changed that. He
extended the Florida East Coast Railway all the way from Homestead to Key West,
spanning 29 islands along the way. Most everyone said the project was
impossible. The loss of life was immense
for the engineers and laborers who designed and built the tracks. Flagler pushed on and by hiring freight
steams to haul materials, and searching northern cities for laborers willing to
work in sweltering swamps, the railroad continued.
Henry Flagler rode
victoriously into Key West on the first train in 1912. The train was greeted by cheering crowds and
represented the signs of a new economic era for the Florida Keys. In 1935, the
great Labor Day hurricane struck the islands, destroying much of the Florida
Keys, and Flaglers railroad. In a three
year period following, the Overseas Highway replaced the tracks.
Seven Mile Bridge, the Keys’ most famous and longest
bridge, links Marathon to the Lower Keys. Driving the east-west span delivers
360-degree water views. The Florida Strait to the east and Gulf of Mexico to
the west. It’s a sight normally reserved for boaters.
The crystalline green-blue waters are just an amazing
sight. It makes you want to jump right into the water, as you cross the bridge.
Approaching Big Pine Key, the largest of the Lower
Keys, be sure to slow down and follow posted speed limits. This is to protect
the Lower Keys’ endangered key deer. I searched for a key deer, but never saw
one. If you are traveling in a car, stop at the National Key Deer Refuge
visitor’s center. The best wildlife viewing areas such as the Blue Hole and
Watson/Mannillo Trails.
Stop at a roadside pull off and look through the mangrove
trails and see tropical birds and other wild things.
By some measures, the Florida Keys have rebounded
remarkably since Hurricane Irma struck 13 months ago as a Category 4 storm.
However, effects of Hurricane Irma are still being felt in the Keys.
The
75-acre Sunshine Key RV Resort & Marina on Ohio Key has reopened 100 sites.
They hope to have all 400 sites ready for the arrival of the snowbirds. But the
KOA campground on Sugarloaf Key isn’t expected to reopen until 2019.
We arrived on Stock Island and the first thing I see
are these purple houses … gotta love that!
We arrived and set up our home for
the next 6 nights at Boyd’s Campground.
These are our neighbors! I hope they don't keep us up at night!
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