Key West

After a two hour drive across the Keys we reached our resort late this morning.  The drive was beautiful albeit a little bit scary going over the bridges from Key to Key.  While driving, we saw many places that we planned to stop at on our way back on Monday.  Our resort was fantastic with a large beach, outdoor activity area, and a full restaurant.  The room was extra large with plenty of space for all of us and a wonderful view of the ocean.  

After checking out the hotel we walked to the famed Hemingway bar, Sloppy Joe’s.  It was even better than we thought it would be and we were glad to find a table as soon as we walked in the door.  There were many Hemingway drinks on the menu and a lot of his history in Key West on the walls.  We all loved it and enjoyed the live entertainment as well.  I bought a sweatshirt before we left.

Our next stop was The Little Whitehouse.  It was the home that Truman stayed in when he visited Key West during his presidency.  None of us knew what to expect and we all enjoyed the tour a lot more than we thought that we would. Many questions arose about why Brett did not like him as president, but knowing that his actions to end World War II likely save my Grandpa’s life, I held Truman in high regard.

The four of us spent the afternoon at the resort resting while watching the US Open, enjoying the beach and trying out the hotel restaurant.   I had scheduled a night kayak tour for this evening.  It had said that it was for beginners, so I decided to try it as well.  I was a little nervous as once we arrived, there was no  training and I had to learn on the go.  Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one and soon our group was kayaking across the channel toward the Mangrove trees.  The tour was very impressive although a little scary as the guide pointed out many animals that could do harm if we got too close including, iguanas, octopus, sharks, sand crabs and anything colored red.  Thankfully, none of us were harmed although we saw many of those animals on our tour. 

 

Cameron, Doug and I were all hungry when we returned to the resort.  The restaurants on our end of the island were all closed, so we walked to one that was still open near Sloppy Joes.  The food was delicious, but I was completely wiped out by the time we left.  There was an issue with the Lyft, but thankfully we did make it home by midnight.  All in all it was an awesome first day in Key West.