Distance travelled from St. Augustine, FL to Key West, FL: 787 kms (489 miles)
Total distance driven so far (includes in-city driving): 3,298 kms (2,049.3 miles)
Average gas consumption: 23.8L per 100 KM
We left the St. Augustine WalMart at 7:30 a.m heading for Key West, Florida. Shortly after departing signs appeared warning of dense smoke ahead.
The Iron Horse Wildfire burns trees, billboards and everything in its way.
The Iron Horse Wildfire sends smoke across the I-95. It was smoky for at least an hour as we headed south.
Things were bright and clear by the time we reached the Overseas highway.
Heading down the keys on the Overseas highway. What a great view of the open water!
Didn’t realize how many keys there are – more than 800. Some are big like Key Largo and Key West while others are small enough to drive debates - can a single palm tree on a spit of land be defined as a key?
Finally, arriving at Key West!
We set up camp at Boyd’s Campground & RV Resort on Stock Key. Boyd’s is the closest campground to Key West – about 10 minutes away – and that’s reflected in the price ($100 per night).
Our original site was too small so we upgraded to a bigger site and look, it includes a palm tree.
Watching the sun set over Sunset Key is a must when in Key West. We found the perfect spot to do this – Sunset Pier.
After finding a table Jason orders the Happy Hour deal – a 20 oz beer for $3.50.
Five nights we stayed in Key West and five nights the sunset was amazing.
Ships sail by right in front of the Sunset Pier.
Jason and Marianna enjoy another amazing sunset.
Right next to Sunset Pier is Mallory Square. Each night buskers come out and entertain the crowds.
After sunset Duval Street is the place to party.
It’s okay to walk down the street with booze. In this shot Jason ‘beers up’ for a walk down Duval Street, the main street to enjoy while in Key West.
Snake charmer entertains on Duval Street.
Hemmingway's hang out Sloppy Joe's Bar draws quite a crowd.
The second level balcony looks like a great place to hang out.
Not long after arriving we learned it was Spring Break, so that meant lots of crowds.
- Oooppppss…spring break is here too.
We managed to find several quiet beaches, including this one at Fort Zachary Taylor. There’s a small entrance fee ($3.50 per person) but it’s worth it.
Up the keys Bahia Honda State Park also had beautiful natural beaches.
We walked to the northern most edge of the park. Absolutely beautiful!
Bahia Honda State Park keeps their beaches natural.
Here's the view from the Southern side of Bahia Honda State Park.
While walking along the beach we met Mark & Lois Peters. They’re from Minnesota but lived in Hawaii at one point. Mark is a retired military man who writes tall tales about Uncle Emil. They’re enjoying the Keys by renting a three bedroom condo for one month. We also met Ginny & Ken Kopperl. They volunteer with the State Park. In exchange for 24 hours of work (between the two of them) per week, they receive a campsite. Before volunteering with Bahia State Park, Ginny & Ken volunteered with a National Park. 32 hours of work per week is required there.
Ginny & Ken are retired math and science teachers from New Jersey. They recommended several parks including two in Florida - Koreshan State Historic Site and Everglades National Park. Both were fabulous.
We had a good time spying local wildlife…
A manatee rests in Bahia Honda State Park’s harbour.
This big guy and his kind are a bit of a nuisance at Bahia Honda State Park – an invasive species they’re growing leaps and bounds since they don’t have any natural predators.
Roosters, hens and chicks freely roam the streets of Key West.
These huge Tarpon are a common sight by the marina. Jason’s toes offer some perspective on their size.
Pelicans have the food thing sorted out. They wait while fishermen clean their catch and gladly slurp up anything that falls into the water.
In addition to wildlife, we enjoyed some of the local food fare including the best Key Lime pie – at $3.95 a slice it’s the best deal in town. They even throw in a bottle of water. Key West Key Lime Pie Co’s pie is so good they recently won an Iron Chef competition with Bobby Flay.
Jason enjoys some Key Lime Pie.
We popped by the Southern Most Beach in the continental US.
And enjoyed walking through the local neighbourhoods (such as the Truman Annex).
Remember in our last update we mentioned an issue with Wendy’s battery? Well, it turns out the battery was fine but Wendy’s electrical system wasn’t. The whole system was shorting out and had been for more than a year. The wire leading into the converter finally burned out and became welded to the panel. Thankfully, Phil from SpinDrift Inc. fixed it!
Phil creates a custom part on-site for a very reasonable price.
L to R: Bud (our camping neighbour at Boyd’s, Phil and Marianna). Thanks for fixing Wendy up Phil!
Next up – Miami!