Florida Then Home

I'm now writing from Houston. I arrived back home 3 days ago after a 16 hour drive from Clearwater, Florida. Since my last post I headed directly from Charleston, South Carolina to Hollywood Beach, Florida. I stayed there one night before dropping further south to Key West. After a couple of nights in Key West I worked my way up the west coast of Florida to Clearwater where I visited a friend and his family for two nights. Needless to say, I did a lot of driving and by the end covered a little over 4,000 miles for a loop tour.

The drive from Charleston to Hollywood Beach went well but I was disappointed to unexpectedly find my desired budget backpacker styled accommodation completely booked. In a post 500 mile road dazed state I spent way too much time locating an acceptable alternative at a reasonable price. Sometimes I spend too much time trying to save a dime when its really not worth the hassle. All said, I did find a funky cool inexpensive room just a skip away from the beach. I shook off the hassle and road fatigue with a couple of Bahamanian beers at a beach side bar with Caribbean rhythms and called it a night.

The following morning I went for a good run along the Hollywood beach promenade followed by a swim in the Ocean. I've been to Hollywood beach a couple of times before and find it to be a great alternative to Ft Lauderdale which is just a few miles north. It's less expensive and more interesting in my opinion.

From Hollywood my next destination was Key West. I've always wanted to drive to Key West and have been greatly interested in checking out the long thin Island Chain that extends off the tip of Florida.

I first had to pass through Miami which turned out to be a real pain until I figured out how to access a turnpike which made it dramatically easier. The turnpike led me directly to Highway 1 at the very bottom of Florida. From there it was a 130 mile drive to the end, Key West.

Highway 1 is two lane most all of the way but it moves pretty well. The first Island is Key Largo which is the beginning of a series of bridge hops from one small island to another. At times the drive is very scenic. Especially while crossing some of the longer causeways. Some sections of drive are cluttered with businesses and buildings in various states of disrepair. After about 2 1/2 to 3 hours of traversing from Island to Island I arrived at Key West, the southernmost point of the contiguous United States. Just a 90 mile swim from Cuba.

Key West is a small Island that's roughly 4 miles wide and 7 miles long. It's packed with homes and businesses that revolve around tourism. It's well known for diving, sailing, beaches and partying but most importantly the sunsets. Well, I'm not sure about the diving, the sailing seems pretty good, the beaches are nothing to write home about but the partying seems to be set at full throttle, all the time, if that's what your interested in. Something about an Island way down south and a Jimmy Buffet song have made Key West an idyllic location to just drink and eat to your hearts content. Out of the numerous bars and restaurants Sloppy Joe's is a favorite. At its current location, since the 1930's, it was once frequented by Earnest Hemingway and is where he gave up one wife for another before moving to Cuba. The large gay population adds an extra dimension to the atmosphere with tidy gardens, quaint shops, B&B's, and female impersonator shows. Everyone is from somewhere else and many have a distinctly unique take on life. I could easily see a person waking up one morning in Key West and wondering what happened to the last few years.

Interestingly enough I didn't have a single drink during my two nights in Key West. I was more interested in seeing the sights and hoping on a schooner for a sunset sail. For me, I greatly enjoyed visiting the home Ernest Hemingway lived in for ten years while he wrote some of his finest works. Something about visiting homes of creative greats really appeals to me. I'm not sure why but I definitely feel an impression of sorts when I visit such places.

I would have loved to stay in Key West for a few more days but I was on a schedule and accommodation on the Island is not cheap. Despite Key West's flair for debauchery there's a certain charm to the place. Everyone is relaxed and for the most part nice and friendly. The majority of raucous activity is centered around a mile long stretch of Duval Street and the piers. Side streets are much more serene so the party atmosphere is relatively easy to avoid. I could definitely see spending a season there but after awhile I think it would be a bit too much... Oh, the sunsets? Incredible!

From Key West it was a long but fairly easy drive up to Clearwater near Tampa. I spent two nights crashing on the couch of my friend Greg who I use to run with while living in Boulder, Colorado during the early 90's. It was a relaxing visit and great to catch up with him and his family. He's a mailman and still looks the same as he did 20 years ago. Really no change. It's quite remarkable actually. By the way, Clearwater has really nice beaches.

Not wanting to spend money on a hotel on the drive from Clearwater to Houston I decided to drive straight through. I really don't mind long drives and have always been good at them. For a 16 hour drive it really wasn't bad at all. There was reasonably little traffic and great weather the whole way.

For now I'm back home until Christmas when I'll be off for another short excursion. Between now and then? Work, work, work....

...Below are some Key West photos of Hemingway's home and an evening sail...