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FLORIDa’S
MaGIcaL KEyS
salvaging ships from surrounding reefs
made Key West the richest town per
capita in the U.S. for fifty years.
birds. strolling through profuse orchid gardens we discover other
adoptees, including iguanas and recuperating green turtles.
off the highway, Pioneer Cemetery honours local families of the
early 1800s, who lived in isolation until 1912 when henry flagler
extended his east coast railroad to Key West. admiring a lovely
battered angel, an aged gardener tells us, “y’know, the hurricane
blew her right off etta Pinder’s grave; she landed on the old railway
line, but survived her flight. Wing broken, she still watches over
etta…” a roadside monument memorializes this 1935 hurricane
that devastated both the Keys and flagler’s overseas railroad.
today’s “overseas” highway follows the original rail bed and often
parallels old trestles. mostly rusted and abandoned, ardent fishermen
cast lines from the several revamped sections.
dedicated to a local environmentalist, nearby anne’s Public
Beach is picture perfect. a boardwalk rises through green mangrove
thickets linking its two golden shores. lured into shallow
turquoise waters, we wade out and cool off in gentle breezes
OpenRoad driver |
Islamadora’s Theater of the Sea offers brilliantly
performing macaws and splashy dolphin shows.
before heading across the next bridge to robbie’s marina.
There we meet a grinning tackle shack guy, who tells us, “years
ago, robbie and his wife started feeding a tarpon struggling in
shallow dockside waters. Wading in to help, he discovered its
ripped jaw. Plunking it into our oxygen-rich shrimp tank, he
called old doc roach, who used his wife’s mattress needles and
some twine…and scarface became the first tarpon in stitches!”
he grinned, “ol’ scarface recovered and was released, but kept
coming back, usually with friends. today, you can marvel at the
50 to 100 silver-green tarpon under the docks.” Kneeling, we
gingerly feed them from a bucket. several tarpon leap and flash,
snatching the baitfish before circling pelicans can scoop them up.
at Grassy Key in marathon, we’re at the Keys’ midpoint. Crane
Point museum and nature Center intrigues many visitors. once
home to an Indian village, nature trails now loop through botanical
gardens and native thatch palm hammocks to the Keys’ second
oldest residence, the adderley house. George adderley built this
Bahamian-style home in the 1890s using tabby, a concrete made
from burned shells. his family earned its livelihood selling turtles,
sponges and charcoal made from surrounding buttonwood trees.
a woodsy trail leads us past a bird rescue centre filled with happily
chirping patients and out to placid florida Bay’s shoreline.
at the dolphin research Center, mary leads us to friendly
interactive encounters and educational performances: vocalized
greetings, shaking fins with us newcomers, painting t-shirts and
even towing human acquaintances around their natural pools.
she smiles, “swimming with dolphins began here over 35 years
ago.” from a floating platform, we stroke slick bottlenose backs
and pat cool, rubbery fins. admissions fund studies measuring
their amazing intelligence. and almost next-door, a turtle
hospital offers unique medical treatment for over seventy jeopardized
turtles annually.
on the southern edge of marathon, a ferry takes us to tiny
Pigeon Key tucked beneath the old seven mile Bridge. our guide
tom regales us with the story of railroad magnate henry flagler,
describing the hardships of the rail workers who had lived in this
island village.
across new seven mile Bridge lie the lower Keys’ spectacular
natural environments. Big Pine national Key deer and Great White
heron refuge was established in 1957 when only 50 Key deer
remained. found nowhere else, they stand only 21-24 inches high.
today over 300 of these gentle animals thrive here.
The Keys’ largest freshwater body lies within this refuge.
resulting from a left over railroad limestone quarry, Blue hole
nowadays is home to a variety of fish, birds and reptiles. hoping
to glimpse tiny deer stopping for a cool drink, we observe soaring
hawks, sunning alligators, one bright green iguana, red-eared
turtles and a resplendent wading heron.
Known for historical…and hysterical…fun, Key West sparkles
at the end of the road. at sunset we join spectators overflowing
mallory square, watching the jugglers, fire-eaters, acrobats and dog
performances along the waterfront. many visitors sail out drinking
in the golden rays. starting in open-air restaurants, other thirsty
sorts do the duval crawl, barhopping along this main street.
In the morning we stroll to the landmark three-story Curry
mansion built in 1855 and view its elegant furnishings and crystal
chandeliers hauled from shipwrecks. a penniless immigrant,
William Curry became a salvager and thus the town’s first millionaire.
salvaging ships from surrounding reefs made Key West the
richest town per capita in the U.s. for fifty years.
Increasingly, european-Bahamians like Curry arrived after
1830. dubbed Conchs, they developed a gastropod cuisine to
avoid British meat taxes. now all Key West natives call themselves
Conchs.
happening and stylish, it’s no wonder James audubon, ernest
hemingway, harry truman and other notables spent time relishing
its pretty pastel turn-of-the-century neighbourhoods.
Walking and hopping on-and-off trolleys, we visit their homes,
steep ourselves in museums and enjoy still other attractions.
and after days of indulging in Key West’s charm, we return to
miami and home, full of appreciation for florida’s magical Keys.