Life in Key West

Early Monday morning I walked up to the bus (at 6 AM in the dark) and rode back up the island chain to Marathon for a new starter.

Bad day for the pilot! (this was on a roof top at a bar in Marathon)

 I had a bit of good luck, for the owner came into work early and I was able to purchased the starter in time to make it back out to the road and catch the returning bus. If I had missed it I would have been waiting over 1 ½ hours for the next bus. Once back at the boat it was a ½ hr job to install the new starter Ah, the sweat sound of a diesel engine.

New starter on top, much smaller than the original one.

The best thing about having the motor running again? Hot water for a shower!

To pass the few days while we were held up by weather in Key West we took the bikes ashore and road around the island.

An old fort with a HUGE anchor beside it.

Key West abounds with wild chickens!

 

Don't those umbrellas and deck chairs look comfortable?

 

Sloppy Joe's was the hangout of Ernest Hemingway (and the food was great).

 

There’s a lot of history to be found on the island as well as a lot of, well, lets just call them “different” kinds of people to see. It's like being in a small New York City. You can find every type of person or personality that you can imagine all using a 1000 different ways to shuck a dollar from the tourist trade. (Since up to 3 cruise ships dock here every day there’s LOTS of tourists). There is street performance right beside of live theater performance as well as live performers at every bar.

He said that he was 66 years old.

human statue

The ladder is being held by members of the crowd.

 

Tourist attractions abound and the booze flows easily in Key West. Ralph thought it was a bit too much but I love the shear vitality of it. Afterwards we spent a day out to Boca Grande Key.

Boca Grande Key, No people, nothing but sandy beach and blue waters

 

 We then headed back to Key West for one last day before turning north for Fort Meyer and the end of our round Florida trip.

Great sunset to end the stay in Key West.