Eastern Continental Journey – Key West, FL

After a nice Christmas break at brother Harry’s and Terry’s in Titusville, Florida, on New Year’s day, Joyous Vagaries travelled to Big Cypress to set up base camp at Midway Campground. On January 2, we drove the Overseas Highway to Key West. Our first stop was at the buoy which now sits at the end of Duval Street in Key West. Time not being on our side, we snapped some quick photos at the southernmost point, and put our feet in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to rinse off hundreds of miles of trail dirt from our hiking shoes. FYI, the buoy typically has a long line of people waiting to have their picture taken in front of the buoy. We opted not wait in line, and we did NOT cut in line. We stood off to the side, and took shots from the side.

We then raced to Big Pine Key to visit the National Key Deer Refuge before grabbing an overnight hotel stay. The staff and volunteers at the refuge were kind and helpful, especially with regard to the warning and information about Poisonwood (you don’t want to touch it – and we didn’t!).

We managed to get a glimpse of one Key Deer buck, then walked the Jack C. Watson Wildlife Trail. The sun was high, and it was hot! This was probably why we did not see any wildlife – winged, hooved, or pawed! They were in the shade and not visible. However, seeing only one Key Deer was not as disappointing as an information sign we saw along the trail.

The sign, about the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, states that this snake is poisonous. We would like someone from the refuge to change it to an accurate description that it is a venomous snake. Other than that, this is a fabulous refuge, and deserves all the support we can give it.

The next morning, we rose early, and followed the sunrise north on the Overseas Highway. We passed through Homestead and saw a plethora of farms and nurseries on our way back to base camp in Midway Campground, located in Big Cypress National Preserve.

Next up, Southern Florida.