Canadian World Traveller Spring 2019 Issue

59
Sunshine Dreams
Sixteen hours of driving and two more
states (South Carolina, Georgia) later, we
found our Holy Grail. The warm temperatures
in Florida were a tonic for our winter
weary bodies, and our dry, pale skin
thirstily soaked up the moist, salty air. And
it only got warmer the farther south we
drove. By the time we arrived in the
Florida Keys, it was a blissful 27°C.
Why the Florida Keys? It’s like driving to a
Caribbean Island. In fact, the archipelago
consists of approximately 1700 islands,
43 of which are connected by 42 bridges
on the Overseas Highway. Key West,
Florida’s southernmost point, is only 150
kilometres to Cuba. It’s a road tripper’s
heaven. One minute we were driving
WT Photo Library
down what looked like an ordinary highway,
and the next, we were cruising on a
bridge with a front-seat panoramic view of
the most inviting turquoise water imaginable.
What to do? The keys have a laid-back
vibe so some of the best moments
involved a beach blanket or lounge chair
and a view of the water. But there was lots
to explore, too.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park,
the first underwater park in the USA, has
170 acres of land and 48,000 acres of
protected ocean. The Mangrove Trail was
a great boardwalk that offered an introduction
to this long-rooted species of trees
that are often submerged in water. We
spotted a very cool looking bearded igua-
na hiding among them, too. But most
people come here for snorkelling. Besides
the coral, fish and sea turtles there’s the
famous Christ of the Abyss, an over eightfoot
tall bronze sculpture of Jesus. Bahia
Honda State Park was another gorgeous
spot to spend an afternoon with its long
white-sand beach on both the ocean and
gulf side. For a view of both, we walked
along the old Bahia Honda Rail Bridge,
which is now just used for pedestrians. We
also explored a little of colourful and historic
Key West, tasting the best Cuban
sandwich ever at Cuban Coffee Queen.
And, of course, there was the Key lime
pie, which we may have sampled a few
times during our time here.
Our Fave: Aptly named, Sundowners in
Key Largo has a large patio overlooking
the water, delicious seafood and the best
show in town – a Florida Keys sunset. A
tradition at this restaurant is to feed the
fish down at the docks, so off with their
bucket of fish food the kids went. At first
the cheeky pelican stole it all, but then
came the big fish –a tarpon and a nurse
shark –and the pelican backed off. It was
amazing to watch but still not as
enthralling as the sunset. We basked in
the brilliant oranges and reds that reflected
off the sailboats and palm trees.
Happy. And happy at the same time
(which is not always the case on a family
vacation).
I now have it on my screensaver so that
when it’s -10°C or when we’re arguing
about homework, I can think back to this
memory. It came in handy on the two-day
drive back, too.
Canadian World Traveller Spring 2019