After fortifying ourselves at IHOP, we visited the wonderful Sombrero Beach a half mile down the road from our motel. After a dunk in the ocean and some sun time, we hit the road again, setting our sights on Key West. We stopped at the end of Marathon to walk the Old Seven Mile Bridge, to which the new one runs parallel. The wind was ferocious, so we didn’t get all the way to Pigeon Key, but we went more than halfway. After checking in to our hotel, we took the shuttle to Duval Street and went over to Mallory Square for the daily world famous sunset celebration. Then we hit a few bars before catching the shuttle back to the hotel, very tired, but happy.
Marathon Key to Key West
Day 2: I woke early and went to sit out by the water
Boats can dock right outside the rooms
PJ’s on the dock
Pool area of the Kingsail Motel. We had an efficiency with kitchen/living area, and separate sleeping area.
Clean your daily catch, then grill it up on the bbq grills
The sun is starting to show its colors
Palm silhouettes against morning sky
Mangrove trees
Young coconuts way up high
One fell to the ground - it did not hit us or the car
Volleyball courts at Sombrero Beach
Nice stretch of sand
Very few people were there when we arrived
Beware the claw!!!
About to go into the water in November!
Laying in the sun was relaxing until the wind blew sand over us
Kickin’ it, island style
Walk, jog, bike, blade out to Pigeon Key on the Old Seven Mile Bridge. Only other way to get there is by boat.
We walked out with the wind at our backs, it was more difficult coming back, people on bikes were struggling
There’s literally no turning back now, at least for the next 7 miles
All the way to the end!
This bridge was “blown up” in the movie True Lies
Welcome to Paradise!
Doubletree Hilton Resort is home base for the next 2 days
Giant fishtank in the lobby.
View of the pool area from our veranda
Our veranda
Kevin check his email before we head into town
I like it here
The famous Sloppy Joe’s
At the pier at Mallory Square, waiting for the sun
Performers and craft vendors line the square
Drinking fresh coconut water
A fellow Guyanese (who Kevin recognized by his accent) was giving them away for tips. Don’t call his knife a machete - it is a cutlass
Sunset cruise heading out of the harbor
Now the show begins…
The crowd getting the perfect shot
Almost gone…
Ferry heading back to Fort Myers, it comes and goes every day
Parting shot
Ferry steaming off into the sunset on its way to
Fort Myers
Fort Myers
Twilight with Tank Island to the right
Time for a Duval Crawl. We will return here later…
First stop Irish Kevin’s
Not an Irish Kevin, lol
Decent selection of craft beers and pub food. Not a fan of “New York Pete”, their entertainment for the evening
Back at the Smallest Bar, a covered alleyway. Bartender is from NH, we talked about our favorite White Mountain hikes!
Kevin is imitating the tiki head to his right. This place is a whopping 72 square feet.
This guy runs a big place in Orlando, but hangs at a tiny place in Key West
Capt. Tony’s is the original Sloppy Joe’s. This was a favorite of Hemingway’s. People throw coins into the fish’s mouth
Key West’s oldest bar, open since 1851. Bras, dollars, patches are all over the walls and rafters
Old rum cask from Guyana
Foosball table in game room
Yes, a tree grows through the roof, and that is a gravestone on the left. It was the official Hanging Tree back in the day
Live music at the “new” Sloppy Joe’s
