Key West, Florida

1/28 - 2/5/12
Trumbo Naval Station, Key West Florida

Well here we are in Key West, Florida finally.  This was a major destination, We left Olympia, WA 10/05/11 and it took us 9,023 miles to get here.  Not sure why there are so many miles, it just sort of added up.

We dry camped at Trumbo Navy Station for 10 nights.  We didn't have a lot of sun for the solar so we had to use the generator a couple of times.  I was still able to make waffles on Sunday.  Believe it or not but our little waffle iron used less battery power than the microwave.

This stop was busy every day.  The first day we were there we were able to go down to Mallory Square in time for dinner and a great sunset.  In fact this was the best sunset in the 10 days we were there.  I guess most of you already know what a touristy place this is, I was expecting a quieter place but this is a party, eating drinking town.  However we took the Conch Train Tour which gave us a history of the area.  The Navy is who really got the area going and then eventually the tourist trade came in.  What a great place for sunset cruises, party cruises and of course fishing, skin diving and snorkeling,  this is the place to do it all.  The houses are gorgeous, many older ones have been renovated into cottages and bed and breakfast type of places.  The streets a sort of narrow and are filled with many people on bikes, scooters and small little electric cars.  We toured the Hemingway House and the Truman White House, the Shipwrecker museum and the Ingram Coast Guard Ship.

There are 42 bridges along all the keys to Key West with the longest being seven miles.  I had to take many pictures out the truck window, but this is a typical scene.  The black spot on top is something that has just shown up is most of my pictures,  sometimes I have cropped it out but I missed this one.

Sunset at Key West

The famous Mallory Square

The sponge man capturing Joe

Of course we had to try the Conch Fritters

A handsome dude Joe caught me with

Chickens and Roosters run loose everwhere.  They are left over from the cock-fighting days.  In the Keys all animals are protected and cannot be killed (or thinned out)

We had lunch at this Cuban Restaurant which included yellow rice and black beans.

Ship Wreck Museum

A trip to Hemingway's House and his 44 cats

Second story balcony, you can just barely see the top of the light house.  The lighthouse was at one time next to the water but the storms demolished it so they brought the lighthouse a good distance incland and on higher ground.  Hemingway's house is 18' above sea level, the highest point in Key West.  He had a full basement that has never flooded.  When there is a good size storm, the Keys will be under water a good three to six feet.

Just one of the 40 -  six-toed cats.  All cats are very well cared for and production is kept at a constant 40 cats, give or take a couple.  They keep the cats with the six-toe gene, cats are neutered and spade at the right time and a vet is there every Wednesday.  The cats are so well cared for that they never leave the property.  

We also visited the Butterfly Conservatory

We toured the Ingram Coast Guard Ship.  She was quite the ship, receiving many honors for the many missions she was on.

There is a park with many bronze statues of important people of Key West, this is just one of

 Harry Truman

Truman's Key West White House

One of the local fish eateries, Hogfish, a fun place to go.  This is where the locals go.

This lady was outside selling earrings and necklaces.  When it got dark she closed up shop and came in to have a drink or two with friends at the bar.  She was convinced to sing.......and could she belt out a jazzy/blues song.  She was good, everyone seemed to know her and they tried to convince her to sing again but she wouldn't.  If she had sang again we would have stayed and had another beer.

We took a short little boat ride over to Sunset Island for lunch

From our lunch table

This little boat was for rent for the day, week or month, included a crew also

This is the most southern point in the U. S. for the general public to see.  

Note the line up on the left for people to take pictures.

The tree next to our truck is the real southern most point in the United States.  

This is on the Navy Truman Annex which is not open to the public.

That's it for Key West

Safe travels to all

Joe and Nancy