Key West 2007

Our trip to Florida was simply fabulous... We did some great touristy stuff on this trip.

We flew into West Palm Beach. Rented a car and drove to Key West. The drive was simply amazing. I had to almost kick myself to even realize we were actually there. It's hard to believe that there's somewhere so beautiful and it's in the US! There's such a contrast from here to there. I know, we have our own beauty here, but i've kinda gotten over it after 32 years!

We stopped in Miami. It was just a nice place to stop after being on the plane and being in the car for a bit. Got out and streached our legs. Walked the beach. That's where I think I broke the LCD screen on my camera... well, we figured out that at least the camera still works. And by the sheer quantity of pictures taken (aprox 600) on the trip, you could say that i've gotten used to using the site finder on my camera once again. Once things slow down i'll have to use the warranty I bought for it!

The drive to Key West was almost too much to take in. Hard to believe on one hand that people can live that far away from everything, but on the other hand, you know why... it's paradise on earth... well except for a few things anyway... Key West is VERY touristy. I guess I expected that... did our souvenir shopping... walked down the main drag. Speaking of "drag" well there's quite a bit of that there too. The local Drag Queen is the locals' nightly entertainer at one of the local bars... and was surprisingly good.

We noticed last year the Miami was heavy on gay/lesbian and heavy on the cuban feel. So we were anticipating that some this time around. Key West in comparison to Miami felt very 'white'. There weren't any cubans or anything. While at Fort Jefferson we learned alot about the Cubans and how they get here. I guess Fort Jefferson is one of the best places for them to land (less policing there)... and if they make it to land they get shipped to Miami. And once in Miami, we, as the nice people of America we are, give each and every one of the cubans that live here aprox $800 a month to live and get back on their feet with.. for the first year they are here. Shocking, huh?

So while in Key West we found a lovely beach, and walked hand in hand at sunset. Watched someone get married at sunset. breathtaking. Found the lighthouse that's basically in the middle of town. We love lighthouses and lighthouse history so that part of our trip was a treat.

We'd heard about a catamaran ride out to Fort Jefferson and weren't sure whether or not to go. Kinda pricy. Well, we did it anyway, and I can say it was the highlight of our trip... The fort was built on an island, an island considered back then to be in a stategic location. B'c to go through either waterway that's around that island, you had to pass by it. So it was built to patrol that section of the ocean. It was never used for what it was built. Park Rangers now live there b'c it's considered a national park. Funny, they live there for 8 days and go home for 3 or 4 and then they go back. Ferries, go back and forth daily for tours... We also snorkeled there... that was the most fish i've ever seen snorkelling... i'd recommend it!

After a couple of days in KW, we had to start heading north. Rod had to be back in Orlando on a certain day for his work function/recognition... (www.myspace.com/fox has a show called "drive" and in the beginning they have some of the great views of the florida keys.) We decided to stop in Cocoa Beach. There they have one of the best beaches I've ever been to. Key West didn't have the sound of the surf, b'c the water breaks in the ocean out on the reefs. In Cocoa Beach the water breaks at the shore. I'd like to take the kids back to Cocoa Beach. Aparently it's big in surfing, b'c they have two Huge surf shops.

Then on we went to Orlando.. and we stayed in quite a fancy hotel. One you'd never normally pay for. On verizon, of course. Rod had to "work" for a few hours the night we got there and a couple of hours the next day. So I spent as much time as I could next to the pool/hot tub. Even ordered pool food (which i've never done before). They had two waterslides, a heated pool, these four seater bikes that were fun to ride, hammocks, a manmade beach, and these tropical birds in the lobby. On the very last day, I fell asleep under an umbrella, and woke up sunburnt! Oops!

It was a very nice trip. I love getting away, but it's so hard to come home. The kids get frustrated b'c you've been gone.... Life and bills and day to day stuff comes back into focus. I had a hard time adjusting to coming home this time. But all and all, i'd do it all over again!