Keyed In

Yes, I also had to go to the Keys. Try out my snorkeling legs, go see Duval street, you know, the touristy stuff.

I sure as hell didn't do this, anyway:


So after having too-good of a time on Duval street, I crash at a Denny's/Holiday-Inn and am woken by the rain. Venturing out to catch another sunrise, I hear the strange yet familiar sound of a rooster crowing... apparently these things run wild through the streets of Key West!


The sunrise on the southernmost edge of the United States was pretty spectacular, even for being cloudy:


And there was a very appropriate rainbow over the open, casual, welcoming city:


But when dawn fully arrived, after trolling through the streets for random goods, I had to get the hell out of Key West, but still felt the need to explore the whole snorkel/beach thing. Eventually I found myself at Curry Hammock State Park. FYI, a 'hammock' is a thick stand of trees. I didn't know that.

The park was almost full, but they fit me in, and the site was, again, spectacular:


And if you aren't jealous yet, check out these apples:


I spent the day setting up camp and going for a short swim at the beach, hanging out with the hermit crabs. Later on I felt I embodied the personality of a hermit crab, sheltered by my tent, only my legs and arms in view, and feeling mighty skittish. I played music, read, and played music, having a dinner of oatmeal and wanting to stay away from all civilization. That night I fell asleep with a nearly full moon overhead, visible from my tent's ceiling window, and lighting over the ocean, visible from the other windows. Later on I would wake to more stormy weather, including bouts of rain that were quite intense, leading to pools of water in my tent and a full-on evacuation by 4:00 AM. Still, the car is not a comfortable place to sleep when the temperature is 90 and humid, and it was quite the disgruntled morning for this girl.

I snorkeled for about an hour on the parks' beach with no real luck, until I swam back to the area where I'd 'hung' with the hermits the day before, and as I scaled the rocks , sneaking by the fat idling birds, I saw two lobsters and a whole lot o' clown fish, more interested in me than I was in them. Finally I could leave this state knowing I'd accomplished what I'd set out to do. Well, not quite yet...

My favorite part:

It's true; the best spots in America can be viewed at 60 MPH as you're blowing by...