The Keys: Centerpiece of Florida, Corner of the Country

THE KEYS: CENTERPIECE of FLORIDA and a CORNER of the COUNTRY
(Yes, the water is this color in places!)

It was raining pretty hard for a few days in South Florida so we held off from taking the scooter down to The Keys.  Finally it cleared up and we took off Friday morning (6/7/13). We thought the traffic would be easy, you know--"low key"--but the drivers in Florida are pretty aggressive and The Keys are no exception. So, on a long 20-mile stretch of one-lane road (US-1 S), we had someone on our tail the whole time. It was not fun. Finally, once we got on the first island, the road opened up and we could go at a more relaxed speed. Then it was fun. 



Looking at Bayside Inn, Key Largo from the end of the pier.

The ultimate easy living! Dede had packed everything we needed into a little backpack and stuffed 2 swim towels into the scooter pouch: ready! Kim made reservations at Bayside Inn in Key Largo online and had done his homework on snorkeling places so we had an idea of what our options would be. Being the practical kind of people we are, the first thing we did was find the hotel and then confirm a reservation for snorkeling. Ah! Work first, play later.

Coral. The whole state of Florida
is made of coral!

At last we are free to tour around. And we do!

First public beach to stretch out on was Harry Harris public beach, (Mile Marker 93). Kim had a school principal by the same name. This is the one who got on the PA and announced to the school, "We have some pretty good teachers here." Kim still laughs at the offhanded insult, or at best, it was simply un-inspiring. Folks, if you're going to get on the PA, share something that fuels momentum and positivity!





We found a fun fish-house restaurant perched over the water where we called our kids. (They're hard at work in Los Angeles, making ends meet and we're gallivanting around on the other corner of the country!  We hope they'll see that it's all worth it once they decide it's break time!)





We walked all the way out along the arc of the coral/sand line.

We found a secret beach, "Annie's Beach" with an unusual water feature: we could walk far out into the water and back in, making an arc around the beach. The deepest part was only two feet but there were lots of surprise dips and slimy parts, which made Dede scream. (How embarrassing!) We were the noisiest beach-goers that day, well except maybe a couple of dogs who didn't like one another when they passed.

No that's not green slime; it's healthy sea grass on high ground.





We sat and read our books in the sand, texting words of encouragement to our loved ones. 


Little did we know we were below water level and when we got up our towels weighed more than five pounds--and stank, too! We laid them out in the hotel overnight with no improvement: we had to bag them up hot n heavy till we could get to the laundry back in Homestead.

We made it down South as far as Islamorada (Milemarker 73) before turning back North to return to the hotel.



Bayside Inn, Key Largo

Our hotel, Bayside Inn, had a beach front and adjoining it was Snook's restaurant/bar, with good nightlife including a live band which did NOT play Jimmy Buffet, to Kim's delight. Here we started our dinner at happy hour!  We're both reading our books, hanging out, listening to the band, ordering refills, appetizers and being genuine bums! This was Kim's favorite part of our whole trip.


Dede n Kim romantic reading lounge

Click here to hear half a minute from the bar band. "Don't Worry Bout a Thing!" (MWAH!)
Here's our sunset from the restaurant!
 

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Snorkeling in the Coral Reefs

When in The Keys, especially Key Largo, the thing to do is SNORKEL! 

Living Coral Reef

So at 8:30AM on Saturday morning we took off for snorkeling with Keys Diver. It was going to be a great ride and we even bought an under-water camera.


It started out great until Dede got into the 4-foot waves in the ocean with a noodle and inflated life vest on. After about 20 minutes, she started to feel woozy so she drifted back to the boat. As soon as she climbed aboard, she gave up her breakfast as fish food! (that's code ;-) She was barely able to hang on the rest of the trip, staring forlornly at distant land. Kim took all the pictures.




Living Coral Reef



Land ahh!

(Later on land, Dede took some of her dizziness medicine and felt better after two hours.)
  

Kim's water landing in the pool.

By late morning we were refreshed, back at the hotel and ready for more fun, (well Dede was a little subdued) and our return trip home.





Gilbert's Biker Bar

We found a sweet biker bar on the bridge from The Keys to the Mainland (US-1). They're everywhere, really.

This visit was too brief!  We'll have to get back here and go further, to the heart of the keys: Key West.  Maybe some of our friends will join us!




This is why we worked so hard at Amazon and teaching: so we could get our feet in the sand in the beautiful South East corner of the country!

(Budget note: we spent as much this week in Homestead/Keys as we've spent in any of the 5 months up to this point!)




This is the second corner of the country we're visiting with our motor coach. (The first was in Maine, many years ago.) It's cool to sit and meditate (Dede has been doing TM for almost 40 years now!) and send out love, light, and gratitude for compassion and happiness in the land above...like Atlas, holding up the world with positivity. Maybe we can get around to the other corners and say more prayers and send more love!  Why not!?

Next we'll head up the Atlantic coast to visit family and friends before turning West.

Next stop: Titusville, FL.