Adventures in the Keys! Part One

Ahhh, time to get on the road again! One Saturday in January we headed south, isn't that what most people do? Our first stop was the fam-camp at Patrick AFB. Alas, it was full so what to do? I made a quick phone call to a nearby campground and found out they had 3 sites left!  We reserved one then made a beeline for Wickham Park in Melbourne. It is a nice county park with plenty of camping and activities for all.

Sunday, we did a little geocaching on our way to Port Canaveral to meet our friends, Connie and Larry,  as they disembarked after  two weeks of cruising the Caribbean. We took them back to Patrick and made plans with them for our trip to the Florida Keys. We must have been camera shy as I can't find any pictures from Wickham Park or Patrick AFB Fam-Camp.

Our first travel picture is at our lunch stop traveling south on US 27 just north of I-75. It was the first place we found where we could pull over and have room for both rigs!

Our next stop was the Miccosukee Casino north of Homestead,  at the intersection of SR 997 and US 41. The tall building in the background is the casino.

Larry needed to catch up on some work so Bob, Connie and I took a walk around the casino. At the rear of the casino we found an old wooden boardwalk. We set out to explore the area and get some steps on our fitbits.

We spent one night at the casino then continued toward our destination: Key West. After checking in at the Key West Naval Station we continued through road construction on US 1 to Trumbo Point.  Here we would camp for two weeks and explore the lower keys.

As you can tell from this picture, it was windy the first day we walked to Mallory Square. I think we saw a cruise ship in port every day we walked the area.

Our walking sessions on Trumbo Point took us by this abandoned sailboat. Most of the valuable items have been stripped from the boat and it has been tagged by the Coast Guard.

Now who in their right mind is going to skip a seafood festival---not us! We strolled from Trumbo Point to the festival and sampled the conch fritters. They were good, but not as good as the ones Bob and I had with Walter at a place in Goodland, FL. We enjoyed the music and also chatting with other Boomer friends.

On our walk back to the campground, we spotted one of the many unique signs in Key West.

Time for another walk to Mallory Square!

Another walk took us past Truman's Little White House. Several U.S. presidents  vacationed at Key West.

As is the custom when Connie and Larry join us for adventures, Bob, Connie and Larry get sick! I, on the other hand, am immune to their ills! Once Larry started feeling better, we went to Bahia Honda State Park south of Marathon. We are standing on the good portion of Flagler's railroad bridge.

This is the portion that has not been repaired!

Now any trip to Key West is incomplete without eating seafood several times. We enjoyed a chilly evening at Hog Fish Bar and Grill on Stock Island.

On one of our other walks we came across Key West Legal Rum Distillery. It was interesting to hear the history behind the distillery and to get a sample. Unfortunately the gentleman dispersing the samples was stingy and only let one person have the cinnamon rum and pina colada samples. We left without so much as a fare thee well since he was being rude.

Fortunately for Connie and I the Key West Winery was just next door! The samples flowed freely and we both purchased some wine. Who would have thought that Key Lime Wine could be so tasty?

I mentioned meeting more Boomers at the seafood festival.We made plans for a Boomer Happy Hour at the Key West Naval Station. Here it looks like we are enjoying a warm get together, but in all honesty, it was breezy and chilly! We ditched the jackets just for this picture. Gisela, Bill, Duane, Betty, Bob, Connie, Larry and I all grabbed our jackets as soon as the camera clicked! Of course, being Boomers, we planned another Happy Hour later in the week.

Key West is a great place to ride bicycles. One Saturday morning, we took our bikes and rode along the beachfront trail.

MWR at Key West Naval Station has a yearly potluck for those staying at the Fam-Camp and Trumbo Point. We enjoyed the food and visiting with other campers. Once again, the weather turned cooler while we were there.

I think that is enough for this session. I will continue the Keys Trip a bit later. We definitely enjoyed our time and will do it again soon!