We drove and drove and drove until we finally got to where the keys started. On a map it looks a lot shorter than what it is. The continuous 45 miles per hour speed limit a
lso puts a kink in things. Why are speed limits really necessary when traveling on a bridge over the ocean with casual breaks every time ano
ther key comes up? Doesn't seem logical to me, however, we arrived safely.
The original destination was Bahia Honda Key and State Park, as this is supposed to be the nicest beach in the Keys. It also had a camp ground so it seemed like a perfect math for us an our tent. Finally, we get there, go to the little hut to see if we can get a site to find out this is Columbus weekend and they have been booked for quite some time. A
wesome! What do we do now? Well, we took out for the next key that we knew had open
camping, which was Big Horn Key. About a five minute drive over more br
idge and more ocean. We arrived, looked over the grounds and decided to camp there. After paying and getting everything out, the tent was put up and "camp" was settled. Being two feet from the beach, we didn't have far to walk to the water. However, it was not the beach you would think of, but pure coral and hard rocks. We were the only people there
. We took out walking around the key on the ba
nks, as the tide was out revealing lots of hard coral for us to walk on and explore. We spent the afternoon doing this, and burning our skin at the same time, as we wou
ld find different animals such as jellyfish, snails and hermit crabs just lounging in the pools left in the corals. It really was an awesome spot. (The
picture is of the beach at Big Horn Key. It is coral and hard rocks as the tide is out, leaving behind the p
ools of water teaming with marine life.)
On the walk back to the tent, I looked up just in time to not run into two deer; walking the same path as I was. Weird right? This key actually is the home to an endangered breed of deer known as Big Horn Deer.
This is the only place in the world to find them, as the
y never leave the island. Not like the Kansas deer that total cars, these fellows were little! Barely taller than my knee, and definitely not bi
gger than my waste. Almost looked like toys running around. At one point in the evening, I got one to eat out of my hand. This, come to find out, was a mistake. The deer left, and eventually came back with 4 others. He went and told them that we were ha
nding out food I suppose, but they would not leave cam
p. It became annoying very quickly. (This is me feeding th
e deer. You can thank my room mate Megan for making the picture blurry.)
Speaking of annoying, we quickly became annoyed with the gnats there, as they would bite like crazy. Right through bug spray even. And they hurt! While the actual bite hurt worse than the fleas I experienced in Bolivia, the after bite welts were not even comparable. These itch a bit, but not like the fleas did. Not even close. These are comparable to a mosquito. In the morning, after the long night in a tent with no covers, no pillow, and what seemed like 105 degree humid air and no breeze, we awoke to thousan
ds of bites all over everyone. My room mate Erin got it the worst though, as her legs were just annihilated. Really felt bad for her. I know how bad my feet itch with the 568 bites I got, I can't even imagine
the 934 that she received just on her left leg.
We all packed up the tents and camp and took out to the Bahia Honda Key again, to try our luck. Since we weren't camping this time, we
were allowed in to the beach for the morning. We got there, noticing we were only the second people there. While it was not the imported sand beaches that most people think of, it still was a very beautiful beach, especially knowing it was all natural. The smell though was horrific, as the natural seaweed was all washed up on s
hore. (This picture is a picture of the natural beach at Bahia Honda Key. It was OK I guess.)
We swam for the remainder of the morning as more and more people started coming. Finally, about 11:30 we took out on our way back to Miami. However, we had one more destination before we were to do that. The famous, or infamous Alabama Jacks. A nice, Floridan hick joint that was famous for their Conch Fritters. According to their signs, they were the best in the Keys. However, I think I saw that same sign in
every window of every restaurant this weekend, so who knows. I went with the "always safe" hot wings and french fries instead of the fresh seafood. Why get something fresh and original to the area instead of getting the americanized food right? Well, had the fritters not been battered in bread, I would have eaten them, bu
t staying healthy with a two hour drive was fine for me.
We finally arrived home about 3 or 4 this afternoon, to yet a still, hot and balmy Miami. Kinda was hoping winter would hit while we were gone. No such luck. Still sweat every time I even think about going outside. We all brought in e
verything, got showers and got some laundry going.
This evening, I went out to Chilis and had supper with some friends from YLC to celebrate one of our coworkers passing her state boards and becoming an RN. It really was a fun time to hang out outside of work hours and rules. Getting to know someone outside of a school work zone is always fun as the true colors come out, not what they show the kids at school they are like. While I have been here for a bit now, I am still getting used to the racial part of it though. As we entered Chilis, I was most definitly the
only white person in there, except for my friend Alicia who was with me. However, not everyone turned and looked like most people did at the Chilis I worked at in Goshen. People here, I have noticed, see people, not race when they walk into a door or place. It really is awesome, and I am so glad that I finally am becoming a part of this culture as well.
This weekend was an awesome getaway for a bit in between work weeks. Now, back to school for another Monday as the countdown star
ts until Ma and Pa arrive on Friday. Four short days and then they will be here. To experience and live a bit of the life I am living. In Mia
mi! (House shot L to R: Isaac, JJ, Erin, Megan, Julie)
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