A Life to Live
Melody Hendrix
I have been going to the Florida Keys for 40 years. It is so tropical and so different from the rest of Florida. If you love the sun, beach life and water, this is paradise.
Drive the Overseas Highway across a 113-mile chain of coral and limestone islands connected by 42 bridges, one of them seven miles long.
Each Key is a little different and offers it’s own uniqueness.
My favorite Key is Bahia Honda State Park.
All of the Keys are made up of hard coral and most first time campers are surprised when they try to hammer their tent stakes in the ground. They are useless. One must buy very large nails and drive them in to hold down the tent ties. This is true also here, but this park is actually one of the few with stunning shallow white sandy beaches and are awarded the worlds best beach.
Henry Flagler’s railroad to Key West turned the remote island of Bahia Honda Key into a tropical destination.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Bahia-Honda
The island’s name, Spanish for “deep bay”.
A walk on the Old Bahia Honda Bridge offers a panoramic view of the Gulf and Atlantic waters.
The National Key Deer Refuge On Big Pine Key was established in 1957 to protect and preserve in the national interest of the Key deer and other wildlife resources in the Florida Keys.
The Refuge is located in the lower Florida Keys and currently consists of approximately 9,200 acres of land that includes pine rockland forests, tropical hardwood hammocks, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh wetlands, and mangrove forests.
Marathon Key – Snuba dive Sombrero Reef
https://www.tildensscubacenter.com/
I have been a scuba diver for many years, but snuba is truly the way to go. Anyone can do it. We dove Sombrero Reef with this company and was very pleased. Check it out if exploring the beautiful underwater world is on your bucket list.
Another delightful thing to do in the Keys is to swim with the dolphin. There are a few places that offer it.
http://www.floridakeysswimwithdolphins.com/
Key West The Southernmost Point Buoy is an anchored concrete buoy in Key West, Florida marking the southernmost point in the continental United States.
Key West Lighthouse.
As you walk the shops and restauraunts of Key West,
you can see the lighthouse in most locations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West_lighthouse
And don’t forget to end your day at Mallory Square to enjoy eats, entertainment and celebrate a gorgeous sunset.
Join me next week to enjoy Blowing Rocks. An unusual beach for Florida.
Old Things R New 