our reservation from 9 nights to 3. We had become spoiled at Long Key with our site right on the ocean, and though this park has some sites on the water, we didn’t have one and those that we passed were not very impressive. Most have a view of the 7 mile bridge stretching across the channel between the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Strait, and all the cars passing over it. Within this 524 acre state park there are 3 campgrounds but only 1 with sites large enough to accommodate RVs. Our site, though very large and surrounded by shrubbery, was directly across from the bath house, dumpster, and dump station…convenient but not very pretty. In fact, it seemed to us just like any other cam
pground.There are a few sandy beaches in the park, but it was too windy and overcast to enjoy on the days we were there. However, we saw about half a dozen young men parasailing, battling the wind and the waves, seeming to hang on for dear life, but evidently having a g
ood time (you can see a couple of them in the left-hand corner of the photo on the right). We visited the park’s nature center that consists of a small marine aquarium, a sea life collection, displays of native plants and birds, and environmental learning activities for kids. Don’t get us wrong…we’d heard wonderful things about this park, and we’re sure there is much for many to enjoy there, but had we not stayed at Long Key first, we might have been more thrilled with Bahia Honda. Just can’t beat that view of the ocean right outside your window.
A trip to the Keys wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Key West, the southernmost city in the continental U.S., and since it was only 37 miles away, that’s where we headed Tues. afternoon. We had been there about 6 years ago for a few hours when it was a port stop on a cruise but decided to go again since we were so close. Parking down there can be difficult
but we were fortunate to find a spot on the street at a parking meter (cheaper than the lots!) Strolling through Key West is always interesting with quite an eclectic mix of people wandering around and interesting sights to see. It’s basically a tourist trap with lots of restaurants, museums, and all the shops basically selling the same cheap stuff plus a few expensive galleries. In fact
the place reminds us a lot of the French Quarter in New Orleans, and as someone said to us recently, “it’s a city for lost souls”. Seems there’s something for everyone, and you need to just go with the flow. Of course, it's one place where you can pick up a huge shark jaw for $15,000!
Having visited Hemingway’s House on our last visit, we skipped that area and headed towards Duval Street. As we approached the Key West Museum of Art & History at the restored 1891 Custom House, we could see a departing cruise ship behind the building heading for its next port of call. (Darn, we missed the boat!) The museum is surr
ounded by life-size bronze sculptures created by J. Seward Johnson. Many depict everyday life and at first glance appear almost real like the one pictured at right. The photographer in the green sweater is actually one of the bronze sculptures as is the painter at the top of the stairs. In addition to his life-size sculptures, Johnson also creates some larger than life pieces such a
s the one at left called “Whispering Close”. It was inspired by a Renoir painting and stands 20 feet tall. If you look closely towards the lower right of the sculpture (clicking on the picture will enlarge it), the woman in the aqua jogging suit walking and looking up at the piece is actually another one of his life-size sculptures. Behind the building is another piece entitled “Day Dream” and is based o
n a painting by Matisse with a slight twist. Pictured at right, it is actually two separate works of art that are interconnected. The sculpture artist is “painting” the three dimensional sculpture based on the painting, and the twist is that there’s a “young man” lying on the ground looking up at the dancers circling around him…he’s not in Matisse’s original painting. Just a whimsical bit of humor.
Roosters run free all over Key West, and as we continued our walk, we even spotted a hen and her chicks keeping cool under a bush. We walked up and down Duval St., looking at menus and in shop windows, and ended up at Caroline’s Café for a late lunch. Our table was outside, overlooking Duval St., and
great for people watching. We began with an order of conch fritters, which are sort of like large hush puppies with pieces of conch mixed in (conch is a shellfish). They were ok, not great, as the conch pieces seemed kind of tough, but I just washed it down with my Rum Runner drink! The sandwiches we
ordered, though, were huge and quite tasty. Russ had the largest shrimp po’ boy we’ve ever seen and I had the Cuban sandwich (roast pork, ham, cheese, pickles, and mustard on a Cuban roll, all lightly grilled). Both were served with fries giving us more than enough food!
The main focal point in Key West is Mallory Square, especially at sunset for their nightly event known as the Sunset Celebration (www.sunsetcelebration.org). Street performers abound as do food and craft vendors with the crowds enjoying the festivities as they wait to cheer a spectacular sunset. We arrived just in time to see a guy preparing to mount a giant unicycle, who was quite e
ntertaining. We didn’t get his name but he was funny soliciting for tips as he performed. As each act ends, they try to steer you towards the next performer, and next up was Dr. Juice, the Calypso Tumbler, who grabbed a couple volunteers from the audience as he performed his aerial acrobatics. The guy is 54 years old and as part of his act did 20 handstand pushups...and could have easily done even more! His final act was jumping through a hoop that was bein
g held on the back of a gal straddling a bike landing with a somersault on the concrete…pretty amazing! As he finished we headed in the opposite direction instead of towards the next performer as it was nearly time to head back to the car. It had been an overcast day so no spectacular sunset that night, but we had seen it last time we were here, and it pretty much looks like any other spectacular sunset. The next day we were heading back to Long Key.
No comments:
Post a Comment