Scenic Tour

Southernmost Point Marker
January 16, 2008

The total number of pictures taken during our entire vacation was 640 so I have plenty for scapbooking. We loaded up on sunscreen, doned on our hats then took a scenic tour of Key West on the scooter stopping to take many pictures and check out the many interesting shops. The sun was bright sending warm kisses over our bare skin. What a treat for us to be wearing shorts and sandals this time of year! Just to give you a visual, my husband has this classic summer look of Hawaiian shirt paired with short that sometimes don't match the shirt, Birkenstock sandals and straw hat. This is the way he looks from the time the snow melts until the snow flies with the exception of special events like weddings or funerals or when golfing where the sandals are replaced by golf shoes. He has a closet full of these kind of shirts and well over a couple of dozen straw hats in various shapes and colours. His straw hat of choice for the trip was similar to this one but turned up at the back. I was dressed in striped capri, a sleeveless shell topped with a 3/4 sleeve blouse, sandals and sun visor. We likely looked rather funny on the bright red scooter as my husband is quite tall so there wasn't a lot of room on the scooter for me. And I don't think anyone thought we were tourists either with the camera constantly ready to snap a shot ;)

We toured the entire perimeter of the island which is about 2 miles by 4 miles. There was a light breeze that grew stronger as we neared the southernmost point of the continental United States. It's only 90 miles from Cuba closer that I thought. By the time we reached the point my husband hat had to be held in place then finally removed. The wind was quite strong! To the right of the fence, not show is the Naval Air Station Key West (NASKW). The air base is located within a National Marine Sanctuary and as such a large component is integration with the environmental concerns of the Florida Keys eco-system. We arrived back at Captain Tony's Saloon in time to meet with our tour guides for a walking tour highlighting Jimmy Buffet.

Captain Tony's Saloon is a rather interesting place, one to be expanded up on in tomorrow's entry so please check back.