Monday, November 28, 2022

Thanking in the Keys

 Thanksgiving in the keys - relaxing, beautiful and energizing!

sunset our first evening

We drove down on Thanksgiving with little traffic. Surprised that some hispanic markets were open along the way near Miami. We stayed in Tavenier, Atlantic Bay Resort. An older hotel with about two dozen rooms. We had a cabin so the Turk could cook, in addition to the grill.
egret greeter at McDonalds Ft Myers

Hispanic veggie market outside Miami-no english

holiday appropriate signage

Turk greets hotel wildlife































I got to do sunrise yoga each day at the dock sitting at the far end of the property - nice and quiet.
good morning!


sun peaking thru the palms

















We hopped on our bikes for a ride to, around, Islamorada - about 20 miles round trip. Visited Florida Keys Brewing Company beer garden, galleries, and the impressive Bass Pro Shop, with some World Cup slipped in.
creative parking lines

Turk found way home at brewery

beer garden flight, must be able to bike back!

meeting the locals



Turk's new friends at Bass aquarium

Hemingway's fishing boat, in middle of store

turk tries out as captain

The Bass Pro Shop in Islamorada (which includes a restaurant, bar, marina) also has a hand carved art deco storefront from a Parisian store, and their elevator. Very eclectic!
Paris department storefront

art deco steel elevator

World Cup USA game at sportsbar

Hog Heaven sports bar



































Next day's adventure centered around Marathon with a bike ride out to Pidgeon Key via a 2 mile section of  the restored Seven Mile Bridge. Pidgeon Key housed over 400 workers for the overseas railroad project in this area. Later, when the railroad was converted to a automobile roadway, the Key housed workers for this long stretch of bridge.  When the railroad bed was converted to a roadway, it was only 22 1/2 feet across for the whole Overseas Highway from Key Largo to Key West and used from 1938 to 1978!
restored roadway for pedestrians, bikers
buildings on Pidgeon Key

the rest of Old 7 mile bridge, not restored

side view of old 7 mile bridge

Today, 1 home inhabited + kids camp in summer
 
original railway ties used as railing for roadway

Turk hangs out near ramp off the bridge

inhabited home by groundskeeper

over 100 yr old pillars and steel braces

restored roadway from below





















































Love kitchy Florida things - here are a few we saw on this trip
Crust-asean pizza and bait shop

giant fish everywhere

we found a pyramid from New York

inside shows life of the artist

Sombrero Beach WWII sidecar motorcycle

which is ladies room please?
















































Publix corralled local wildlife in parking lot




start the day with some Cuban coffee!


Morning yoga -looking to the east

looking to the west from my yoga dock

We spent much of the day kayaking. Water and winds were calm - so perfect! Starting at Robbies marina, we headed out to Indian Key, about 1/2 mile away. Indian Key founded by Jacob Housman in 1831 and was lively town until 1840 when Indians launched a surprise early morning attack to steal goods. The town reverted to the US Navy after that and the townspeople left. Housman died the next year, at age 41 when crushed between two ships in rough weather.  His efforts had made Indian Key the first county seat of Dade County.
a few warnings - no bananas!

off we go to Indian Key, under  the overseas hwy


















egret greets us as we find a place to pull in

street signs for actual town streets

the welcome sign



















shells find a home everywhere

foundation of wrecker warehouse

Indian Key founder Jacob Housman's memorial

dock dilapidated in hurricane - we ate lunch here

rest of dock ruins

mangrove kayaking near Robbie's marina



















grilled grouper, black beans rice, asparagus

another beautiful ending to the day

hanging out at our beach after dinner

Another yoga morning!

series of locks, canals in Everglades on hwy41

a few warnings-Clyde Butcher gallery in Everglades

more graphic warnings complete with hand

This stop on Hwy41 used to be his home


Happy to see the Tamiami Trail construction on our way home. Converting some of the roadway to bridges, adding culverts to expand the flow of water from central Florida to south Florida - an estimated 75-80 billion gallons of water a year.

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