Key West: Day Two

I tend to be an early riser, especially on vacation; I hate to think I’m missing out on anything. But the deep sleep I sorely needed was disturbed by a grouchy rooster strutting near our hotel around six in the morning. It brought back memories of a Kauai trip where the Rooster is pretty much the de facto island bird. I marveled how his wattle looked just like the blooming red jacaranda that canopied an sunrise walk to the beach and beyond.

Key West is small so walking anywhere is possible. Before the heat grew too blistering I trekked over to the bone yard for a bit of history. Lovely marble angels gazed on the cemetery denizens below the jacaranda trees, one of which was a member of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. I also learned the trees only bloom in June, a definite perk to venturing here in the off-season.

In need of a cool dip after the sweaty walk me and Kamal hopped back into the rental and took off for Bahai Honda, one of the northern Key beaches for some snorkeling. The ancient railway that use to ferry folks from points north to the Keys still stands, with a big chunk of track missing over the Bahai Honda Beach. It made a great photo op.

The water is hotter than the air in Keys allowing us to linger in it a looong time. Although I couldn’t shake the feeling I was swimming in a tub of hot Gatorade it was great to float on the briny water and watch the world go by above and below. There wasn’t very much coral near the shoreline but there were some spirited fish and a small devil ray burrowing in the sand. We thought we were privileged to meet a basking iguana on the beach, incorrectly believing he was indigenous to the Keys. Unfortunately the animals are too often dropped off in the bit of wilderness to fend for themselves when they get too big to be pets. Their presence disrupts an already stressed ecosystem.

Off the coast of Bahai Honda was a very small key, beckoning us to swim out to it. While it didn’t look terribly far Kamal and I decided against it. Hitting up some locals confirmed our cautiousness…a few college kids attempted the swim and were fortunate to be rescued by the coast guard. Still, in a paradise like this you feel relaxed and sort of invincible.

Sunburnt and happy we returned to Key West for a night on Duval Street…stay tuned and check out the pics from day two!