11October 2014 - Tip of the Country

It was another beautiful morning along the Florida Atlantic Coast.  Warm breezes, broken clouds and large swaths of blue sky.  We enjoyed a breakfast together and then loaded the car.  We drove out of the city along the main road from coast to I-95.  On either side, large docking inlets reach in from the surrounding ocean and magnificent homes line the waterways.  Huge and luxurious yachts, spectacular catamarans and other expensive boats were docked all along the way.  We were amazed and the wealth found in this country and it was very evident along this harbor row.  We also saw Ferrari's, Corvettes, BMW's, Bently's and other expensive cars cruising serenely along.  We remembered that this was once the eastern haunt of the tycoons, celebrities, and very well to do.  It is obvious that they still exist and live or come here a lot.  It is a beautiful beach in a lovely location and from a worldly standpoint, very desirable.  But it is only a place we would like to visit, not to live.

We took the I-95 south until it ended at Homestead, Florida and then funneled into the US 1, an old highway that has been around for about a century.  We continued south through congested areas, strip malls, tourist shops and cluttered locations south of Miami.  After jerking and stopping our way for what seemed to be miles, the traffic began to thin and we rolled into wetlands and marshes covering the southern tip of Florida.  The open space and more relaxed driving were nice.  Then we approached a large bridge, arching up and over the water, the place where the mainland ends and we crossed onto the Florida Keys.

It was a beautiful, graceful bridge and we pulled off at a fishing resort located right to the side of it.  There were men fishing by the road and they said that their luck was not too good today.  All along the road into the keys we saw people fishing and sunning and boating.



Every time I have come to Florida I have looked in bodies of water to see if I could identify an alligator.  Once we passed a canal with gators lining the banks and in the water, but on this trip I did not see any.  But we did see evidence that  they are in this location and often can be seen by people and should be avoided.

This is a road sign not often seen in the Rockies or out west.  Again I kept looking but did not see any.  I saw turtles, herons, egrets, fish, eagles, sea birds and F-18 jets, but no alligators.  It was a little like my time in New Brunswick with the "Moose Crossing" signs and never a sign of any real identifiable moose.  Oh, well, I will keep looking and watching.  I do think it is good that Mom was able to eat some alligator on this trip and some crawfish.   New experiences are always great.






As we drove further into the Keys, we were impressed by the beautiful water, in multiple colors of turquoise, emerald and jade, dark blue and here and there even brown water.  Little islands seemed to have been just dropped into the middle of the water, like green dumplings in soup.  Boats of all kinds rushed about or anchored to fish.

The area is very flat and only a couple of feet above sea level.  It would not take much of a storm surge to cover the area and inundate a lot of homes.

We continued south and came to part of the road that connects a couple of keys or islands and is know as "7 Mile Bridge".  It was originally built some time ago after a tycoon, Mr. Flagler, built a railroad to connect the keys.  Unfortunately his railroad got stormed away a couple of times and eventually was not rebuilt.  But the country built a road instead.  The original road has now been abandoned and taken over by trees, birds and in some places, fishermen. You can see the current road and arching bridge alongside the abandoned old road.

Mom thought that she might be uneasy driving the road through the Keys, but it was no problem.  I had to take the pictures with one hand and drive with the other because there was no stopping on these stretches.   Here you can see the arching bridge in the distance that allows taller ships to pass from one side to the other,  In the next shot you can see the abandoned road to the right of the newer one.

We continued further south and eventually passed onto Key West, my goal for this trip, the most southern point of the continental United States.  They have a marker there and people line up to be photographed with it. As the line was rather long, I took a candid shot of the marker and then Mom snapped me leaning against the back side, which I am convinced is more south that the front of the marker.  We also took a photo of Freddie for Sami and Ali's class as they follow along on our trip.

   I had to crop out a lot of people from the picture to get one that at least showed the monument.  In the background is the Atlantic Ocean stretching off to the east.















And here is proof that I did make it and reached
 the goal.  I will tell you that it was hot and humid there.  It was quite wilting. We found a place to park a couple of blocks away but by the time we had walked to the spot and taken a couple of pictures, Mom was wrung out and the heat was really affecting her.  I went back to get the car and we decided to leave Key West.  It is a real tourist town with museums, lots of souvenir shops and eateries.  I took a shot of the main street reaching from the Gulf on the north side to the Atlantic on the south.  The streets are narrow, clogged with cars and pedicabs, scooters and pedestrians.  It was colorful and fun looking, but perhaps we can explore it better another time.

   You can see how fun it looks.

On the way down we passed a sign advertising "Lobster Reuben" sandwiches.  I was very intrigued and wanted to try one. But as we drove back I could not find the place. I did find this giant Lobster and could only wish that he would donate his tail with a bucket of melted butter.  I love lobster!!

Tonight we will stay in Homestead, FL, location of Homestead Air Force Base and then begin the long drive home.  As we approached our hotel, we watched an F-18 land in the misty cloud of a small rain squall.