Our Trek to Key West

 My daughter told me soon after the funeral that she was taking me to Key West, which had been on our bucket list for years. I don't know why Jim and I never made it there together, but we didn't. 

We were supposed to leave last Friday (April 14) and fly into Fort Lauderdale airport, However, due to about 24" of rain, the airport was closed.  The only flight we could get left Sat. for Miami. So my daughter cancelled the earlier flights and rental car. Our son was going too, so he came to spend the night before, since we had to be at the airport for a 6:40 am flight. Daughter two said that we didn't have to rush on Saturday, as there would not be many people. Oh, how wrong she was. There were hundreds lined up at 5:15 am when we arrived. She and I had early approval for the security process (but we had to check one bag), so we had to stand in line for that. It was so slow-moving that by the time we get up to the counter, it was too late to get our luggage onto the flight, or so they said. Our son, however, sailed through security and was already at the gate. So we told him to go ahead and board, and we would meet him in Miami. 

Little did we know how much later it would be. We had to wait 2 hours at RDU, then go to Atlanta, and wait 2 hours longer for another flight to Miami. By the time we got there, Darren had been waiting for 4 hours (UGH!). But all was well, and we quickly found the car rental and selected a Jeep Cherokee for the trip to Key West, which would take about 3.5 hours.  Haha! Our GPS said that due to a wreck on US 1, it would take us 11.5 hrs. to get to our hotel.  We were distraught, to say the least.

However, during the trip, we kept checking, and the wreck was cleaned up sooner that they thought, so the actual drive to Key West took the usual amount of time. Daughter two had also rented a golf cart for doodling around the island, and it arrived with no problems, for which we were thankful. The hotel, a Marriott close to the front end of the island, upgraded us to a 2 bedroom/2 bath suite, with a kitchen, living room and balcony. It was quite lovely, and very comfortable. 

We went out to scout the island and find the perfect spot to see the fabled sunsets on the southernmost point of the continental US. We finally found a place to park the cart, and walked a short distance to the viewing dock. I didn't have to walk, as daughter two was thoughtful enough to take our wheelchair for me!  That made it a lot easier, as I could not have walked as far as they did.

The pics are not in order - they are 1-3-2. I forgot you have to upload the last one first.  

During our sight-seeing, I took a few pics:

This was not the largest yacht we saw, just the most accessible.

Multicolor bougainvillea.....I love this plant/bush/tree. In Barbados, we saw some that was as tall as a house!

 A banyan tree. The first one I ever saw was in Honolulu! It was huge and this one is no slacker!

After the sunset, we found an outdoor restaurant near where the golf cart was parked.  I had mahi-mahi tacos. They were blah and I was disappointed. 

The next day for breakfast, we went to a place daughter two had been to before. Blue Heaven, which has a Raleigh connection. The owner/chef graduated from Broughton High School. 

I had a short video, but I couldn't upload it. They were very busy, so they directed us to take a seat across the street to their bar, to wait.  It didn't take long, and we were walked back to our table. 

The path was lovely and well-kept.  

On Sundays, they have live-music with brunch, and as you can see, we were right beside the stage. I feared the sound, but they were not too loud and their music had a good beat. I never got their group name.  

I chose eggs Benedict with bacon. As you can see, it was delicious, and I nearly licked the plate! The fruit was fresh and sweet!

I think I'll close here and finish in the next post.