We didn’t sleep very well and were both up around 3 am. Ron was experiencing severe itching from bug bites and was not too happy. While looking for something to ease the itch he woke me (I’m a very light sleeper). So here we were at 3 am looking at each other listening to the traffic on the bridge. I gave him a Benadryl and then we went back to bed around 4 am. As we were laying in bed we both started laughing because we were thinking the same thing – OMG we’re sleeping in the middle of the highway!!!!! LOL. Not sure if the sound was exaggerated because it was the middle of the night but somehow we did manage to get back to sleep.
Once back up for the day we ventured into Key West. The last time we were there it was overcrowded with thousands of cruise ship passengers walking around. There was more road construction going on so getting into town was a challenge. Once in Key West the next order of business was to find a parking space. After driving around for some time we finally found a space at the Post Office. However, that space came at a steep price – $20.00 for two hours. No joke, it really was that expensive!!!!!! Ron handed over the $20.00 (yes, he paid the $20.00) and off we went on our fact finding mission in Key West. The goal of the day was to get info and come back to do our usual all day excursion and take in as many activities as possible.
The rest of our time in Key West was on foot and we sure did cover a lot of territory in the two hours we had. First order of business was finding a rest room so we walked to Mallory Square where we were told there were the only public rest rooms. The building housed a small mall like area and a parrot sanctuary and show. The white parrot was very mellow and didn’t mind sitting on our shoulder for a picture.
We spent some time admiring the Custom House Museum and its architecture as well as the sculptures in front of the museum and on the porch surrounding it.
The building was quite spectacular and very well maintained.
We decided to stop for an ice cream cone. Well, I do declare did we really pay $13.00 FOR TWO ICE CREAM CONES!!!! Yep, we did. Everything on the Keys is super expensive. Not sure if we would be staying down here if not fir the the state CG. We spoke to some other people staying at private CG’s and they paid or are paying well over $125.00 per night to our $43.00 per night. I must say despite the price rip-off for two scoops of ice cream , it was very good.
We stopped at Wreckers Memorial Park to have a look around. Throughout the park there were busts of many of the people instrumental in making Key West what it is today.
We stopped at the visitor center to get info on where we need to go to pick up the ferry to Dry Tortugas and asked if there was any cheaper parking around. The guy laughed and said the worse place to park was at the Post Office. Yeah, we figured that out all on our own!! LOL No real free parking in Key West but he did recommend a couple of spots that would be $4.00 an hour instead of the $10.00 per hour we had paid. I guess the secret is to get downtown early before all the cheap spots are taken.
We walked to the pier to find out where to check in for our trip. Needless to say signage is at a premium and we had to ask different people exactly where it was. It was not listed on the map we had been given and even though we knew we were going in the right direction there was no visible signage. Finally, we arrived at the port and were told we would have to go to another location to check in. OK, we did that and now had our bearings as to where we needed to check in and park the car for the day. There is a parking garage across the street for $14.00 per day.
There were two cruise ships in that were preparing to leave so the crowds had thinned out by the time we had arrived.
As usually we always run into a Sysco truck. Keep the food moving we need those dividends.
The homes in the area are also quite beautiful and we were impressed.
The other thing we noticed was all the chickens wandering around everywhere. We were told that the Cubans brought the chickens over to eat the roaches and they have been running around free ever since.
On our way out of town we opted to take a ride by the beach. We spotted an old van that someone was obviously living in and he seemed very happy with his lot in life.
The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed being outside. Later we stopped at a restaurant called Boondocks that was advertising a Super Bowl party on Sunday. We had a great burger and another margarita. Both were yummy and once again I turned into a margarita “chatty Cathy.” LOL. We may be enjoying the Super Bowl there if no other options.
We stopped at Walgreens and once again ran into more free range chickens. One chicken liked me so much it followed me back to the car.
Back at the CG we took Jewel for her evening walk. Just as a perspective to show how close to the road we are, we took a picture of us walking under the bridge (US 1) near the CG. The bridge in the distance with the section missing is where the original road was. The newer road US 1 runs directly in front of the camp sites, hence the noise factor.
We attended the evening Ranger Program and learned more then we ever wanted to know about mangroves. There are 53 species of Mangroves in the has three of them, red, white and black. After the talk we were entertained by a gentleman that was camping in the park from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was a one man band and sang country music. He had a phenomenal voice and we enjoyed him very much. It was the perfect ending to another great day here in the Keys. Not sure what Saturday will bring. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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