Author - Grant
From - Key West, Florida
To - Saratosa, Florida
Via - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Miles Driven - 395
Today's Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/32017704@N03/sets/72157612917413524/
We have a recurring argument that has been on the go for over 11 weeks since we checked into the first hotel somewhere just north of New York. We are always given two keys upon check-in but, by the end, one has almost always gone missing. Now in your average budget dump it doesn’t matter because they are the disposable credit card jobbies but in the nicer places we get an actual key so losing it is a bigger deal. If Kate were writing this blog, she would either tell you that it is me that always loses a key or she just wouldn’t mention it as she is a nicer person than me and is less likely to wash her dirty linen in public. Anyway, today’s three hundred and ninety five (written longhand for emphasis) mile car journey locked in a warm metal box started with just such a barney. The good thing about these tiffs is that the after-effects don’t last too long these days as we both realize that 6 hours on the road without conversation is unmanageable. Still, I’m secretly looking forward to rubbing it in her face when the missing key falls out of her pocket within the next 24 hours…even if I have to plant it there myself.
Anyway, despite the potentially explosive start to the journey, the rest of it can be very quickly summarized, leaving space
for a couple more mildly interesting Key West musings. 1) We saw our first car crash of the journey as a 4x4 in the opposite lane wobbled into the centre lane before swerving and flipping over. 2) Lunch was a bowl of cereal in the parking lot of a Fort Lauderdale gas station…not the culinary high-point of the trip. 3) We got attacked by a swarm of bees outside a grocery store on the outskirts of Sarasota.
Now that the dullest paragraph of the blog so far is out of the way, let me tell you a couple of things about Key West that hopefully you’ll enjoy…despite one of them falling into the “history” category. There are “Conch Republic” flags all over Key West which is a good tale that hopefully helps reiterate the inhabitants whackyness. In 1982 the US gov
ernment set up road blocks in and out of The Keys to curb the flow of immigrants and drugs from Cuba. The impact on the number of visitors to The Keys, which relies almost entirely on tourism, was devastating so with the support of it’s 30,000 residents, the leaders of Key West did what any collection of insane authoritative figures would do…secede from the US, declare war on them, break a loaf of Cuban bread over the head of a man dressed in a US army uniform, immediately surrender and then demand $1 billion in foreign aid. The most surprising thing is that it worked and the US removed the road blocks. The moral of the story is; if things aren’t going your way…throw a tantrum. If only all history was this interesting…
The final thing to mention about Key West that I forgot to include yesterday (which almost seems sacrilegious) is our expe
riences with Key Lime Pie. Despite its inclusion on almost every dessert menu south of Washington, Kate has been saving herself until actually being in its birth place before giving it a try. The result…a bit disappointing really. The first version we tried (a meringue topped pie) was incredibly tart and could have done with a thicker base. The second version was probably illegal in the eyes of the locals as it was a frozen segment of pie speared on a stick and dipped in chocolate. Is nothing holy? I often say that I would rather have another starter in place of dessert and this hasn’t done anything to change that opinion.
So the reason for the monster drive to Sarasota was because we are taking part in the New Balance Ringling Bridge Run VI at 7:30am on Saturday morning. One of Kate’s new year resolutions is to take part in five to eight competitive races this year (a strangely vague resolution) and it would seem that I am going to be dragged along for the ride. Is this really her subtle way of putting me on a fitness regime? The crafty bugger…
Anyway, despite the potentially explosive start to the journey, the rest of it can be very quickly summarized, leaving space
for a couple more mildly interesting Key West musings. 1) We saw our first car crash of the journey as a 4x4 in the opposite lane wobbled into the centre lane before swerving and flipping over. 2) Lunch was a bowl of cereal in the parking lot of a Fort Lauderdale gas station…not the culinary high-point of the trip. 3) We got attacked by a swarm of bees outside a grocery store on the outskirts of Sarasota.Now that the dullest paragraph of the blog so far is out of the way, let me tell you a couple of things about Key West that hopefully you’ll enjoy…despite one of them falling into the “history” category. There are “Conch Republic” flags all over Key West which is a good tale that hopefully helps reiterate the inhabitants whackyness. In 1982 the US gov
ernment set up road blocks in and out of The Keys to curb the flow of immigrants and drugs from Cuba. The impact on the number of visitors to The Keys, which relies almost entirely on tourism, was devastating so with the support of it’s 30,000 residents, the leaders of Key West did what any collection of insane authoritative figures would do…secede from the US, declare war on them, break a loaf of Cuban bread over the head of a man dressed in a US army uniform, immediately surrender and then demand $1 billion in foreign aid. The most surprising thing is that it worked and the US removed the road blocks. The moral of the story is; if things aren’t going your way…throw a tantrum. If only all history was this interesting…The final thing to mention about Key West that I forgot to include yesterday (which almost seems sacrilegious) is our expe
riences with Key Lime Pie. Despite its inclusion on almost every dessert menu south of Washington, Kate has been saving herself until actually being in its birth place before giving it a try. The result…a bit disappointing really. The first version we tried (a meringue topped pie) was incredibly tart and could have done with a thicker base. The second version was probably illegal in the eyes of the locals as it was a frozen segment of pie speared on a stick and dipped in chocolate. Is nothing holy? I often say that I would rather have another starter in place of dessert and this hasn’t done anything to change that opinion.So the reason for the monster drive to Sarasota was because we are taking part in the New Balance Ringling Bridge Run VI at 7:30am on Saturday morning. One of Kate’s new year resolutions is to take part in five to eight competitive races this year (a strangely vague resolution) and it would seem that I am going to be dragged along for the ride. Is this really her subtle way of putting me on a fitness regime? The crafty bugger…
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