Day 246/247
Florida Keys, South Florida
We took off early this morning in our attempt to get to Florida Keys...and listened to our Nashville music in the CD in our car! It's great having a car!!!!
About Florida Keys..
They are the islands of the Florida Keys that run south west from Miami, Florida. The first island is Key Largo. Then comes Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West.
They span about 110 miles and are connected by bridges and causeways.
And we were determined to see them seeing we'd heard so much about them..
And while in Florida...do what the Romans do!
Nine hours later, and about $20 worth of Toll Fees, cruising along highway 71 then the Turnpike, we landed in Key Largo...which is the gateway to the Keys...
There we stopped for dinner at a place called "Rib Daddy's" and wondered whether we should go all the way to Key West or to stay put..and we thought we'd just head on as far as we could and see what happened...
And what happened was we ended up stopping for fuel and then saw a place called Flamingo Inn and stayed the night! Exhausted!
It was strange looking at all the cars with no number plates on the front of their vehicles..and also...to try and fit in with their lack of road rules! Honestly, they don't indicate when they change lanes at all! They just stick the nose of their car in and expect you to know they're doing it!
And there's no such thing as keeping left..or keeping at a safe 2 second following distance...and as well...no one seems to wear crash helmets. It's just strange driving! And so easy to get lost...the highways are just an expanse of roads and signs and one lack of concentration on a highway number has you practically at the beginning...all a bit of a nightmare really...
But we managed!
The next morning we managed to get going early again...(do we ever sleep??) and finish the Key drive.....
AND GUESS WHAT?
Seven Mile Bridge!
While we were on the 7 mile bridge between Marathon and Big Pine Key...we got a FLAT TYRE! It was pretty scary really...because we had to pull over into the emergency lane..and poor Greg then endeavoured to change the tyre...hopping off the road everytime a car came past. We were lucky it was only 8am at that time....and the traffic was low. If it were later, on a Sunday, it could have been dangerous.
Silly car!
But we got going again.....and even though we felt reserved about more tyres blowing we thought we'd keep going to the end of the Florida Keys..and attempt the Everglades on the way back to Miami!!!! Are we tempting fate?
And..oh...about KEY WEST! It is BEAUTIFUL! It's home to Ernest Hemingway (The Old Man and the Sea & A Farewell To Arms) and to Tennessee Williams (The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire) and other noted people..and the atomoshere reflected this art and culturalism...we loved it.
And want to go back!!!!
There seemed to be a lot of retirees in Key West which is in the Lower Florida Keys..and i can see why..it's full of boating...fishing...and leisure! A slow pace..and really beachy. So alluring!
