Another of the "to do's" in South Florida is a trip to "The Keys."
First off I was happy to find out what the difference between a key and an island is.
Islands are either formed by volcanic action, or are part of a continental plate floating on top of the Earth’s mantle. Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines are examples of volcanically–formed islands. Greenland and Australia are both continental islands.
Keys are sandy, low-elevation islands that form on top of coral reefs.
The Florida Keys are a string of tropical islands that stretch about 120 miles off the state’s southern tip, between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula about 5 miles south of Florida City where we were staying and extend in a gentle curve south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands.
This trip was an eye opener for me. Talk about misconception. The only thing I had correct was the absolutely exquisite color of the water.
I imagined going from tropical island to tropical island on pretty bridges with sandy white beaches lining the road in between bridges.
What I got was hotels, resorts, restaurants, repetitive T-shirt shops, and too many people speaking languages I cannot understand.
People queuing up to visit the Ernest Hemingway House. This is before tickets are even purchased. I would have loved visiting to see the descendants of his six and seven toed cats but just not willing to mill through the crowds.
Key West does have some public beaches but if you want a little privacy you probably need to check into one of the hotels that has beachfront property.
It was so crowded in Key West that I didn't even ask Walt to find Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. It would have been fun to see since I love his music and his books while not great literature are great fun.
A giant statue depicting Renoir's Dancing in the City stands at the front of the Key West Art and History Museum. There is much to see but we hoped to find something not too crowded and a little bit different.
Walt wanted to see Fort Zachary Taylor and we enjoyed our visit.
Fort Taylor is located near the southern tip of Key West.
This fort was an important defensive structure because of its command of the waters of the straits of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
Construction on it began in 1845. At the outset of theU.S. Civil War in 1861, Union Captain John Milton Brannan seized control of the fort, preventing it from falling into Confederate hands and using it as an outpost to threaten blockade runners.
Fort Taylor continued to defend the United States during the Spanish-American War, World War I & World War II.
No live shots were ever fired from this fort but Walt read that they used bags of flour for practice shots. While Fort Taylor never saw any hostile action, many historians have argued that because of Fort Taylor and its mission, the War of Rebellion was not allowed to continue any longer than it did.
This is where the soldiers ate. The rations during the civil war were pretty sparse. Pretty much salt pork, salted beef and hardtack. A little bit of rice and beans.
Sleeping accommodations looked pretty uncomfortable. One across the back and two side by side.
Even though the fort construction started in 1845 it was not completed until 1866. Yellow fever, shortages of material and men, remoteness, and hurricanes slowed down progress.
The majority of artisans and mechanics that built the fort were immigrant Irish and Germans recruited by a New York agency fresh upon their arrival from Europe. The backbreaking labor, for the most part, was furnished by Key West slaves hired out under contract by their masters. I was very impressed by the brick work. So many arches and curved walls.
What an unexpected pleasure learning a bit of history on Key West.
The return trip gave nice views of the old 7 mile bridge. Parts of it are used as fishing piers, walking and cycling trails. It was originally a railroad bridge of the “railroad that went to sea.” It was converted to an automobile bridge and then abandoned when the new bridge was built in 1982.
Despite what our expectations were we were glad we had a day in the keys. I believe if you really want the keys experience you need to book a hotel or resort for several days to spend time on the beach, do the touristy stuff, and if you are adventurous snorkel and dive.
"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake." Marie Beyon Ray