Day 1: Florida Road Trip

We made it last night and the fun begins . . . NOW . . . well as soon as the prince finishes his breakfast in bed . . .

Good grief what a spoiled boy!  We are headed south to Key West, Florida.  I have been to Key West but knew my parents would enjoy it so off we went.  I had researched several stops along the way and the plan was to spend most of the day making the drive south.  First let me say what in the world did we do before talking GPS and cell phones?  I can not drive and read a map at the same time and well can't rely on passengers either so punched in the address and off we went.  Seriously, I could have never made all the toll road changes on my own.  It all worked out and we were headed south on the US 1.  We made a quick stop at one of the many tourist information centers for a map . . . everything is referenced my mile marker numbers.

Our first stop was at Mrs. Mac's  Kitchen in Key Largo.  We stopped at the original location which was small but great . . . they claim to be famous for its Key Lime Pie . . .

. . . it was yummy, rich, tart, sweet, and a great snack on our drive even if we had just eaten breakfast . . . it is vacation after all so who cares.  Back on the road for our next stop in Islamorada at Robbie's to feed to tarpon fish.  About the time we pulled in the very crowded parking lot it started to sprinkle.  We got out and paid for a bucket of dead fish to feed the live tarpon and then it started to downpour.  We waited the rain out and then Colin was suppose to get down to business.

The only problem was he was a bit timid about putting the fish near the water so the tarpon could get it.  I became quickly annoyed plus you add in some annoying pelicans and it was a bucket of fun!  I had a flashback from when we went to Cayman Islands to Stingray City and Colin's feet did not touch the sand.  He sort of did what he was supposed to do . . .

. . . I was glad when the dead fish were all gone so we could get back on the road!  We took our chance stopping in Marathon at The Turtle Hospital but all the tours were sold out so back on the road.  The rain was not cooperating with us but we pushed onward.  The drive between the keys is beautiful and we were approaching the 7 Mile Bridge which is said to be the most scenic part of the drive.  My mom is not a fan of bridges so I am sure when I announced we are approaching the bridge that is 7 miles long she was thrilled!  Before we made the drive, we stopped and walked part of the old bridge that is no longer used for cars.

It was as if the rain knew when we were stopping because at every stop the rain started and stopped when we left.  You sort of just make the best of it!   We were still having fun with one more stop before our final destination but the young one was becoming restless with all the fun stops!  The Big Pine Key is known for the endangered Key Deer that is only found here and nowhere else in the world.  There is a National Key Deer Refuge under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service so we sent my dad into the center to see if there was an areas to see the actual deer.  We had heard they were super small so were curious just how small.  They referred us to two nature trails (Watson and Mannillo) so off we went.  We walked both of the nature trails but saw nothing . . .

. . . I can't imagine anything living in this area and we probably didn't see anything due to the fact that someone would not stop talking complaining and making noises.  As we were leaving the area, we took a side street and guess what we saw?

Yes, a small Key Deer grazing on the side of the road.  We stopped and it came right up to the car.

Colin stuck out his hand and it licked it . . . he was thrilled.  No, we did not feed it but I suspect that is has been feed considering how tame it was when it approached the window.   Of course, we continued down the empty road and again we saw another one.  We pulled to the side and just watched it graze a bit.

They were much bigger than we expected.  The female seemed average size but the males were really small.  Just when we thought we had missed our chance to see them they appeared . . . back on the road and all feeling happy but very hungry!  We were about 30 miles from our final destination.  The plan was made to go eat before checking into the hotel which was music to my stomach.  I had heard about hogfish while watching a show on the Food Network.  So what is a hogfish?

Hogfish are reef species that inhabit rocky bottoms, ledges, and reefs throughout Florida’s off shore waters.  They are easily identified by their long, hog like snout, which allows them to feed on the bottom dwelling mollusks and crustaceans.  Because they tend to root in the sediment in search of small pretty, they are not commonly caught on hook and line.  Hogfish are primarily harvested by spearfishing, and they are considered to be excellent food quality.

Well there you go . . . now we all know about the hogfish!  So for dinner we had some hogfish at where else?  Hogfish Bar & Grill . . .

 . . . hogfish sandwich. hogfish tacos and fried green tomatoes!  Let me just say it was amazingly yummy . . . just great food that has my mouth watering just looking at the pictures.  I am not a huge fan of fish but this fish was really amazing . . . it was like butter melting in your mouth.  So with full bellies we headed to the hotel to check in.  There was a mix up with our room so I made a polite inquiry to the front desk about the missing balcony that I booked.  Apparently there wasn't a room available that we booked (2 queens with balcony) so they gave us a king suite with a balcony.  This turned out even better as the suite had a living and dining room with the world's most comfortable sofa bed . . . no kidding it was amazing!  Problem solved and great manager with prompt service.  We didn't rest long and headed out to explore just a bit.  The plan was to just drive around for a bit but we checked a few tourist blocks . . .

I have two thoughts when I look at the photo above . . . someone is getting tall; wonder how long before he passes me and long hair does not mix with a humid environment.

 . . . and there was ice cream at Flamingo Crossing Ice Cream of Duval Street!