We took the I-75 first which, around Sarasota, was very busy with people going to work. Once past the city the traffic thinned out and it was a very pleasant journey indeed. I did a steady 75-80mph all the way to the turn off to SR 41 which we'd decided to take rather than stay on the main freeway. This road runs through the Everglades and was virtually empty. I followed a Louisiana registered car the whole way along the road, from the turn off on the I-75 until we reached the 997 heading south and most of the time there was just the two of us travelling on the whole road.
Along the way there were lots of signs warning of wildlife on the road and there were several Indian villages dotted along the route. As we neared Miami there were numerous places offering Airboat rides and the Miccosukee Indian village which I would like to have visited. Maybe on the way back!
The SR 41 is also known as the Tamiami Trail as it connects the cities of Tampa and Miami. The part we travelled on was beautiful, full of hiking trails and campgrounds but as there were Panther crossing points, I don't think I'd have wanted to sleep outdoors!
Once off the 41 we drove through very flat agricultural land with numerous roadside stalls selling fruit and vegetables. We'd been looking for somewhere to stop and have a coffee since we turned off the I-75 and we finally came to a petrol stations with a Subway attached where we had a sandwich and some water. Everyone spoke Spanish and as we carried on along the road there were plant nurseries everywhere, some of them with huge, beautiful tropical plants for sale.
Once past the very pleasant town of Homestead we were onto Route 1 which runs the whole length of the Keys. Our first impressions of the Keys weren't that favourable as we couldn't see much difference to the mainland US, with endless strips of shops, restaurants and bars. However, as we moved further south, the light became clearer and there were a greater profusion of palm trees and ocean views.
We arrived at the Holiday Inn in Marathon at 2pm and we were able to check in and access our room straight away. I wanted to head down to Key West at about 4pm to make sure we were there in time for the sunset so we all showered and unpacked and changed our clothes before having a quick drink in the hotel bar. The bar overlooked a narrow creek where you could go on boat trips or hire kayaks and was very pleasant, if breezy!
It took us about an hour to get to Key West, crossing over the famous seven mile bridge on the way. I wasn't that impressed with the town at first, however, as we neared the very end of the Keys the houses became older and more traditional and the streets leafier and more attractive.
We managed to park on a side street and found our way to Mallory Square quite easily. On the way we passed by the Marina with some gorgeous boats, including this one called Gallant Lady:
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| This one will do nicely! |
As it was extremely warm we decided to head for a bar we'd seen on the way and had a drink there. It had a beautiful little garden with fairy lights in the trees and there were quite a few people there enjoying Happy Hour. Inside, there was no air-conditioning, just fans and the sweat ran off me in rivers...not a pleasant feeling! I put my hair up in an effort to make myself cooler and ordered a large glass of water, which tasted disgusting! I knew I should have stuck to beer!
Our Subway sandwich was a long time ago so I ordered a plate of Tostadas to eat with our drinks. For dinner tonight I wanted to go to the Hogfish Grill but it was notoriously difficult to find, apparently! The Tostadas were delicious and stuffed full of chunks of pork and vegetables. The children loved them!
Keith decided to go back to the car to add more money to the meter while the children and I headed for Sunset Pier to watch the sun go down. On the way Mikey bought himself a tee-shirt as a memento of the town in a shop that sold some very rude objects indeed! We'd had a shower of rain and the clouds in the distance were beautiful...
Sunset Pier was starting to gear up for the nightly ritual of the sun going to bed and a very strange man was setting up his entertainment right next to us. It looked like he was going to be doing some fire-eating but he had cages with cats inside them...
We concentrated on the gorgeous skies in front of us:
As it neared sunset more and more people arrived and the man setting up next to us grew more and more animated. He let the cats out of their cages and while I wasn't completely watching what he was doing, the animals were definitely part of his show...
I just wanted to see the sunset and at about 7.50pm, it happened.
Leaving the mad Frenchman to his show we walked back to the car picking up Keith on the way who had waited on the steps of a museum for us. We then had to find the Hogfish Grill which we found easy as I'd written the directions down from the website and Keith had managed to get hold of a Key West map. It was tucked away from the main town area on Stock Island and was right on the seashore. We would never have found it without help!
The Hogfish Grill was definitely not a chain restaurant and was wonderful. All the sides are open and the roof is a straw thatch. One part was where the locals hang out (a lot of them looked like they fished) while the restaurant part had wooden tables and benches to sit at. It was very dimly lit as well so we found it difficult to see the menu but I knew I had to try the Hogfish! We started with nachos and then Keith went for crabcakes, Mikey ordered a pound (yes, a pound!) of prawns while Sophie was the only one who went for meat, by choosing chicken Enchilladas.
My Hogfish, served with three grilled scallops, was delicious and reminded me of cod. It was served with rice and green beans. For dessert Sophie and I chose Key Lime Pie...well, we just had to, didn't we? Mikey went for chocolate cake which looked very gooey and moist.
It was a great night and it was wonderful fulfill a dream and see the sun set on Key West. When we left the restaurant we became a little lost but we did pass Southernmost Point which was great. It took us an hour to drive back to Marathon and I was very tired indeed when we pulled up at the hotel. It was bliss to sink into our comfortable beds after such a long day!
2 comments:
Great photos Jane!
Thank you!
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