above: Sunset our first night in the Keys.
I had not been to the Florida Keys in 30 years but I vividly remember the first time I saw the crystal clear turquoise water, so translucent that brightly colored reef fish 15 feet below could easily be seen from the surface. We came to the Keys because I wanted the Dudes to have the opportunity to experience the awe that I felt and still feel about the place.
left and below: Our waterfront spot.
We originally planned to stay on Big Pine Key at the same campground I stayed at many years ago but because the campground is visited by the endangered Key Deer from the wildlife refuge bordering the property, they did not allow dogs. So, we chose to stay on Ohio Key just up the road.
The island is so small, the Sunshine Key RV park takes up the whole thing. We paid a little extra for a waterfront spot because there are times to be stuck in the middle of a parking lot and there are times to have “the view”. We decided that this was definitely one of those times for “the view”.
Upon arrival, the Dudes went straight to the beach and then spent ‘til sunset exploring their new environment. The Big Dude couldn’t wait to get out his fishing pole and the Lil’ Dude immediately grabbed a bag for his yet to be found treasures.
Cranes, Pelicans, Heron and Ibis could be seen from all parts of the island going about their daily fishing rituals and the park provided other amusements like a swimming pool, volleyball, tennis and basketball courts and if you were lucky enough to have a boat, a marina.
The Island provided us a base to work from as we had planned to visit other Islands up and down the chain during our week stay. As it turns out, we ended up spending most of our time in Key West because they unexpectedly had a week full of celebratory activities planned that we didn’t want to miss.
We had a list of things we wanted to do during the week but as travel goes, we ended up doing almost everything we didn’t plan and almost none of what we did plan. So, stay tuned to see how our original plans went awry and how we adjusted to “island time”.
“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.” Anonymous