Cudjoe Key and more

Views from the balcony, or the top of the staircase

 6:39 AM

 

 

 Out the door and down the stairs, 7:38

 

 

Lot of photo ops at the Love Lane headquarters of the Key West Literary Seminar

Next door to the library

 Walking to the car

 

 

 

Plan was to grab a quick fast food breakfast.  Missed the Burger King due to the construction on Roosevelt Blvd.  Got into Wendy's.  Parking lot.  Opens at 8. Not 8. To McDonald's

 The egg in my sausage egg biscuit was not that fresh

Not a bad view from the parking lot.  Ate as I drove to Summerland Key.  I wanted to find the wooden bridge to Wahoo Key. I had seen photos of it on Facebook.  And, I had just seen old photos of my brother-in-law, hammer in hand, building it, years ago.

 

I thought it was at the end of the road. It is not.  Was I wrong, could it be on the other side of Summerland Key?

 

No, but there is a private airstrip.  Never new it was there.  No sign on U.S. 1, like the Sugarloaf Key airfield.

 I went to Cudjoe Key, instead.

 Launching from the end of the aptly named, Blimp Road, at 9:15

 

 Paddled out to the closest island.

 

 

 There may have been more tri colored than I have ever seen in one spot

And, cormorants

 

In all my years of coming to the Florida Keys, I have only seen roseate spoonbills twice.  Both at Cudjoe Key, from Blimp Road.

Green heron

Never saw spoonbills, and my sister and her family lived on Cudjoe for almost 20 years.  Spent time fishing, on the other side of the Key. I was a frequent visitor from 1988 to 1996.

Reddish egret

 

 

All this is on one small island

 

 

 

 Paddling away from "Bird Key"

 

Cable for Fat Albert. The blimp.

 

 

 

 

 

Shallow water and islets

 

A couple under water shots

Mangrove snapper

 

 

Sponge

 

 Classic cormorant running start takeoff

 

 

 

 Landed at 5 to 12

 Went for a short bike ride at the Saddle Bunch Keys.  Beginning at mile marker 13

 

 

The bike path goes over bridges built in 1943.  Bridges built after the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane destroyed much of Henry Flagler's railroad, built in 1912

 

 In the early 1980's new bridges were built.  My brother, Andy, worked on the bridges in the Saddlebunch Keys.   New road on my left as I pedaled north.

 

 

 

 

 

Three bridges in 2 miles.  I turned around.

 

 

Got to have kayak now

 Iguana

 

 

 

 Mangrove median

 

 

Someone asked me why I had two bikes.  So I could have one tuned up by the experts at WeCycle

 

 while I rode the other.

 

 Key West bottle holder

 

Time for the lodgings tour

 This was my second stay here.  The first, my niece's wedding.  I retired relatively early, letting the younger generation keep the party going. I had almost dozed off, when I heard footsteps, voices, "put him here"  and one of my nephews was tossed on to the bed.   I went off to the one below.

Had the wedding been in June and not cooler November, I may have carried Tyler into the little room.

 

 Me, Arlo, Phineas, Zonker.... all red heads.

 

 

 I needed to eat, so I hoped on the bike I did not leave at Evan's shop and headed to Five Brothers

Stopped at Salt.

 A shop that I later found out, my niece, Ashley is no longer a part of.

But, it has a Sandpaper Press section.  Arlo's publishing house

 

 

Had to bike through the cemetery

 

 

Remember the Maine

 My favorite street

Not sure if a P, or Y should be the first letter

 

Packers are, Number One

 Saw MM 0, but people were posing, so I passed on a photo.

Five Brothers closed at 3, so I went to Sandy's

 Arlo worked in the building above.

 

Elena works here

 

 Had my late lunch in the Love Lane courtyard

 

 My phone rang. My sister said they were at Fort Zach.  I finished lunch, and drove over to join them

 

 

My money is on the kayak.  Even though the paddle is upside down

 

There are three rock piles off the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park

I snorkeled to the closet pile, and saw more, and a wider variety of fish than I have ever seen here.

I did not see the moray eel that has been hiding in the rocks.

 

 Always have to take a cannon picture

 

 

 Stop at Love Lane before going to Chico's for dinner with Monica, Bill, Arlo, Ashley, Elena, and Valerie.  Valerie lived with Monica and Scott on Buffum Street in the River West neighborhood of Milwaukee in the early 70's. Aaron joined us during the meal.

 

I had the seafood enchilada.  Shrimp, scallops, and other fish that do not have a recognizable shape.

 

Fine way to end the day.