Pigeon Key, FL

Today we stopped at the visitor center for Pigeon Key located at the east end of the 7 mile bridge as you are leaving Marathon. We had no idea what it was but it turned out that Pigeon Key is a 5.2 acre key located 2.2 miles west along the 7 mile bridge. It was a workers camp during construction of the overseas railroad during it's construction about 1905. Henry Flagler built the rail way down the east coast of Florida from St. Augustine to Palm Beach in the late 1800's when there was nothing but swamp & wilderness. In 1900 he decided to go from Palm Beach to Key West with it. After the railroad ceased operations from lack of profitability it was converted to a two lane hi way from Miami to Key West.

We also learned that there being no fresh water in the keys the bridge spans also supported the water lines that bring water all the way to Key West. The middle picture shows the old bridge on the right and the new bridge on the left with Pigeon Key in the distance. The top picture is looking under the old bridge at Pigeon Key.

Florida Sea Turtles Rally

Fri we went to the No Name Pub on Big Pine Key. This pub is south keys land mark started in 1931 as a store with a brothel upstairs. It is now known for the dollar bills stapled to the walls and the greatest Pizza in the known universe. Our waitress told us that the in latest Gueniss Book of world records that there are over 100,000 one dollar bills on the walls. Customers sign their $1 bill and staple them to the wall, ceiling or any available place.
Big Pine Key is also where the endangered Key Deer are located. these deer are the size of a large dog. We saw two of them on our way to the pub.
Sat. we went to the Florida Sea Turtle Hospital at Marathon. This hospital is the only sea turtle hospital that is nationally certified. They rescue injured sea turtles and nurse them back to health so that they can be released back into the ocean. Unfortunately some can't be returned to the ocean because the nature of injuries would not allow them to survive if released back to the wild.

Florida Sea Turtles Kountry Klub Rally

This morning after getting the flat tire fixed we traveled another 60 miles further south to Sunshine Key RV resort & Marina on Big Pine Key. We will be here 7 days attending the Newmar Kountry Klub Florida Sea Turtles Dec. rally. The resort is on a 75 acre private island located on the bay side of US 1 just after crossing the 7 mile bridge. The speed limit traveling from Key Largo was 45 and 55 miles per hour but we never exceeded 50 MPH. Even driving at 50 MPH there was never anyone trying to pass or riding your bumper. I guess this is an indication of the slowed down layed back life style here on the Keys.
We drove past miles and miles of the bluest water you would ever want to see. This after noon the temps reached close to 90 degree with really high humidity. They say that abnormally high for Dec.

Key Largo, FL

After spending 15 days at our home in Buttonwood Bay taking care of yard work, cleaning house, doing various other things and renewing friendships we got back in the motor home yesterday morning. We headed south on US 27 driving through huge orange groves, past open pastures filled with cattle, large sugar cane plantations, around the south side of Lake Okeechobee and the farming area at Homestead, FL. We then entered the Florida Keys driving on US 1 to John Pennycamp Coral Reef State Park at Key Largo, FL where we spent the night. The first thing we noticed upon arriving here was that it was really humid and there were lots of mosquitoes. Today after getting a tire fixed on the motor home we will go about 70 miles further into the keys for a week Long rally with our Florida Sea Turtle Kountry Klub friends being held at Marathon Key.