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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Key West

SunPass
As you may know, southern Florida has a network of toll roads. Some can be paid at the typical toll booth by cash, some have no cash booths and you must have a SunPass. So I decided to install one of their SunPasses and go whizzing through. And that is exactly what you can do. Amazing that at some tolls you continue to go through at speed, 65 mph without slowing and it registers and deducts the amount from your account.

Marathon
We passed through Key Largo shortly after passing Florida City near Homestead, arriving at Marathon, approximately 1330 local time. Marathon is approximately the half way point on the way to Key West/ Check in time at Kingsail Resort was 1500 and after checking our room was not ready yet.

Electing to go for a drive and perhaps find something to eat, we cruised further towards the keys. The road throughout the keys is mostly a two lane road with a passing area here and there, speed limits in the 45 mph to 55 mph range. Thus it can be a long trip and traffic is heavy.

Trying to find a food location on the left side of the highway so we would be heading back towards our hotel when finished, we found ourselves crossing the seven mile bridge. It seemed like a twenty mile bridge before we found a place to turn around. We had spotted a restaurant some miles back.

The trouble with trying to find a business of any kind is that you are right beside it before you can see the name or what kind of business it is. Finally after getting turned around we made our way back to a place called Sunset Grille. It was a nice place with lots of sea food on the menu and would have been ideal had the weather been warmer and sunnier.

Weather
Oh didn't I mention the weather? Just like always, I take it with me. It was a cool windy 58 deg.F., with lots of showers and dark clouds. Not at all like we expected. No chance of a sun tan here. Not today anyway.

Kingsail
Finally getting back to our Expedia reserved room at Kingsail around 1430, the cleaning ladies were just finishing up. If it weren't for the weather, it would have been a great location. A heated swimming pool, folks fishing, and a couple of pelicans sitting on the post didn't do anything to make it look tropical.

The accommodation while adequate, lacked in a few areas. It was old, but clean. However the patio type entrance door which was installed backwards, didn't do much for security. Like wise the crank out windows which either had broken cranks or else didn't close tightly.

With the low temperatures, a little heat would be nice, but only an air conditioner was supplied for cold air needs. On the plus side, our room had been updated from a room with just two beds and a bathroom to one with a kitchenette. It included a stove for cooking, a clean fridge, microwave, with lots of space around a table and two double beds. The TV, was not large, but had super clear reception on the dozens of channels.

The bathroom? Well the first time I ever had to sit on the throne with my knees touching the wall. And the only air extracting fan would be the air conditioner in the living area. It was small enough I was wondering if there was room enough for me and that guy in the mirror at the same time.

Evening Has Arrived

The place is beginning to fill up. Looks like a noisy night. With all the air holes and tightly parked vehicles along the road, you hear a lot of everyone else's on goings.

February 13, 2011
The night turned out to be pretty good and restful except for some one's car alarm going off a couple times because they set it off themselves. At least it was still early.

So the day begins, with a trip further into the Florida Keys towards Key West. This would be as far as you can drive south from Nova Scotia to the southern part of the US along the Eastern seaboard. To make things easier and to have a base of operations for the day we booked our
room at Kingsail for another night.

Wooden Spoon
First stop, just across the street from Kingsail is a very small diner called the Wooden Spoon. We had read on TripAdvisor that the food there is better than first rate. Crossing the street was like an object avoidance game as we dashed across five lanes quickly in traffic that has few breaks.

The Wooden Spoon lived up to its name. It was packed, and the quality food explained exactly why. Our waitress was so busy I don't know how she could stand any more than an hour shift. People came and left in a non-stop stream.

The Keys
So now it was time for Big Blue to hit the road, destination Key West, about an hour drive away. The area is made up of a series of islands, each having a name, interconnected by various length bridges.

Seven Mile Bridge
Today we got to see the seven mile bridge during bright sunshine under a clear blue sky. The temperature was gradually climbing towards 72 deg.F. Seeing the bridge's length across the emerald water disappearing into the distance, with portions of the old railway bridge beside it, made one understand what a feat of engineering it really is. We are driving over the ocean for miles. Islands of various sizes on both sides, both near and far made it seem surreal.

GPS To The Welcome Center
Passing through the various towns and keys passed quickly. The landscape is covered with resorts, RV parks, and hundreds of fancy boats and cottages.

Having take a look at Key West online the night before, we had our GPS programmed for the Welcome Center. We arrived just in time to purchase tickets for the Key West Aquarium and the Old Town Trolley tour.

Old Town Trolley
The Old Town Trolley is a system of buses made to look like old time trolleys inside and out. Once you see the layout of Key West with its narrow streets, you will likely agree this is the best way to tour the city.

Off we go, starting out with a tour of the beaches and newer section of Key West. During this tour you have the choice of getting off at ten different locations and getting back on at your leisure. This allows you to walk around the areas of your choice, and move on when you feel its time.

One stop is by the "Southern Most Point," which supposedly is as far south you can go in the US, and is only 90 miles from Cuba. We decided on this stop and got off the trolley beside a little store that sells shells and a variety of other items.

Words of Panic
Just entering that little store, I hear the dreaded words. "Where's my purse? On no, its still on the bus." I get this sickening feeling, because these days I don't trust anyone. We see the bus about a half a block down the street, fighting through traffic. After about a block and a half, I find out a senior can't out run a bus, even if it is stuck momentarily in traffic.

Thankfully I have my Canadian activated cell phone with me, and we have the brochure with Old Town Trolley's number on it. A quick call to them assures us we are not the only ones that have had that happen. The purse will be retrieved from the bus we were on and it will be at the depot, which is at their #1 stop.

Being more that a little upset, we wait for the next bus which is due in fifteen minutes or so. Upon boarding, we ask this driver if he has any way of calling ahead to see if the purse has arrived at stop #1. He tries, but has some difficulty with the busy system. He assures us everything will be taken care of.

Several stops further on, a gentleman with a two way radio sticks his head in the door and asks, "Is there a lady on board looking for her purse?" The driver and us have no hesitation saying yes. "It's at stop #1 waiting for you to pick it up," he says.

A feeling of relief would be an understatement.

Arriving at stop #1 some twenty minutes later, the purse was at their kiosk, with everything intact. Having retired from the bus business several years ago, I have to say right here that the Old Town Trolley employees did a super job. They took care of the situation immediately and kept us informed. We had a total of three drivers. All three were expert tour guides, and expert drivers I might add. Guiding a bus through narrow streets is extremely challenging and stressful. They all did a magnificent job, as did all the Trolley employees we came in contact with.

They truly live good customer service. Kudos to Old Time Trolley tour group. And yes I would have said that even if we hadn't had the purse incident.

Key West Aquarium
Stop #1 happens to be right beside the Key West Aquarium and it was close to the 1 pm feeding time. No better time to use our tickets. A young lady led us through the various areas while handling and feeding everything from sharks and huge snapping turtles to sting rays.

She made it look so easy, but there is no way I would want a job where my fingers would be so close to the shortening.

There were also various displays of tropical and rare fish from around the Florida Keys. Words can't describe the feelings you get when you realize how many creatures we share this world with.

Shopping & Looking Around

Exiting the aquarium it was time to look around one of the small shopping malls, and take a short stroll along the boardwalk facing the water front. It was busy with strolling people and boats of all kinds on the water, from sailing ships to cruises and fast jet boats. Overhead bi-planes, float planes and helicopters cruised around taking people for views of a different angle.

Get on the bus Gus
Time in places like this passes too quickly. Time for the last ride on the trolley, which takes us through the older part of the keys at first. Streets are narrow and filled with vacationing folks. Then on to the water front area where many yachts and ships hang out. Next a region that is filled with all kinds of eatery businesses for all tastes.

We pass a huge area that was built up by the navy in years gone by. In fact, this part of the entire island was entirely man made. This is hard to imagine when you realize you are on a five lane highway (in both directions), lined with shopping malls and other large buildings.

Stop #9
Finally we are back where we started some hours ago. It was an exciting and busy day. We only observed a fraction of the activity and interesting goings on at Key West. You could easily spend a week there and still not see all that is offered.

Send Me North To The Seven Mile Bridge
Time to retrace our steps back to the starting point in Marathon at the Kingsail. A quick stop for supper before returning to our room for the night. A slow walk around the Kingsail grounds for more pictures of their dock and pool area.