A Shining New Era is Tiptoeing Nearer for the TCD Gang

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I grew up in an old farmhouse that had its own cemetery.  The house was built in 1812, so there were some really old tombstones, including a couple of Revolutionary War vets.  The place creeped me out, and I think that old cemetery in Key West would creep me out too. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I grew up in an old farmhouse that had its own cemetery.  The house was built in 1812, so there were some really old tombstones, including a couple of Revolutionary War vets.  The place creeped me out, and I think that old cemetery in Key West would creep me out too. 

 

Truthfully, I didn't like walking past it at night. 

 

But, I was fine during the day.  Mainly,  I found it fascinating how run-down everything looked.  It's hard to imagine what life must have been like for the folks who lived on Key West at the turn of the last century.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We are way behind, so we need to move on.

 

We left off at the graveyard, and we are still there.

 

Another moon over the graveyard shot:

 

 

Another congested part of the cemetery:

 

 

There was a big tree on the corner by where my truck was parked:

 

 

This plaque was on that tree- it was planted in memory of a man who died in WWI.  That's a long time ago:

 

 

I had my own personal Royal Poinciana tree shading the truck:

 

 

I moved the truck back, and then picked up Twin #1 and we decided to go looping!

 

Yes, we went looping in Key West.

 

Well, I guess technically we were in an electric car instead of a golf cart.  And the roads are pretty much in your standard city street grid.  But, other than those small details, it was just like looping at the Fort.

 

We rode by a Cuban restaurant that was near our house, and found that we were literally up with the chickens:

 

 

Well, I guess if we're being literal, we were up with the rooster:

 

 

We looped over to this place, which we had passed on the Conch Train tour.  I didn't know it was famous then, but the night before there was a commercial on TV that showed the Cuban Coffee Queen as one of Key West's landmarks.  I had never heard of it on our previous visits:

 

 

As you might expect, they serve coffee here:

 

 

But, they also serve breakfast, including something they call the Cuban Bagel, which you can see advertised on that sign over there on the right:

 

 

Have you ever heard of a Cuban Bagel?

 

Neither had either of us.

 

So, we had to try one.

 

Check it out- this planter is shaped like a coffee cup:

 

 

There's our electric car parked over there:

 

 

We drove by the place next to Cuban Coffee Queen a couple of times on our Conch Train rides- it's called Mac's Sea Garden.  We never went in.  I think I've seen my share of this kind of place:

 

 

Twin #1 proclaimed Cuban Coffee Queen to be on par with Starbucks and Dunkin':

 

 

And here's our Cuban Bagel:

 

 

So, what you've got there is a piece of Cuban Bread with seasonings on top along the lines of an Everything Bagel.  Cream Cheese is smeared.  And, then a manual hole is installed back in the kitchen.  It tasted a lot better than it looked.

 

Then we looped some more.

 

This ship is kind of famous.  it's called the Western Union.  It was once owned by that company and used to maintain the telegraph line between Cuba and Key West.  Wow.  Can you imagine?  A telegraph line?  We have come a long way since then:

 

 

This is the Customs House being hit by the rising sun.  Just like at the Fort, it was cool zipping around before anyone was out and about:

 

 

We snuck back into an area called the Truman Annex.  On previous visits, I thought this was Navy property, but it turns out that it is a private development, where anyone with enough dough can buy.  It's really nice:

 

 

The houses back here are insane:

 

 

 

 

I think this is the only place on Key West where folks have actual lawns and grass:

 

 

From what I heard, there are very few people who live in these houses- they are second (or third or fourth) homes of wealthy folks who just visit for vacations.   Must be nice.

 

A few blocks away from the Truman Annex, we found something more our speed.  A genuine trailer park.  With real trailers:

 

 

 

I would love to know how things work in that trailer park.  As you can see, those are just regular, low end, travel trailers.  But, it doesn't look like they're going anywhere.  I wonder how you get a space in there, and how much it costs.  I wonder if I could swing one of those as a vacation home?

 

From here, we headed back to the house.  We had another adventure planned for today.  Another trip out into the gulf.

 

TCD

[Memphis 105]

Wow Key West in 1880's , I would love to been able to visit then. (in the winter of course)

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

This ship is kind of famous.  it's called the Western Union.  It was once owned by that company and used to maintain the telegraph line between Cuba and Key West.  Wow.  Can you imagine?  A telegraph line?  We have come a long way since then:

 

 

 

Do you have a better way of contacting Cuba today? 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow Key West in 1880's , I would love to been able to visit then. (in the winter of course)

 

LOL.  I guess they didn't have air conditioning or helicopters spraying for mosquitoes.

 

Do you have a better way of contacting Cuba today? 

 

Good point.  One of these days, I guess they will join the modern age.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We are close to finishing up with our visit to the Keys.

 

In fact, I'm already reporting about our last full day on the island.

 

This was Sunday, June 17th, which was also Father's Day. 

 

As a group, we had been debating what to do on Sunday.  There was talk of taking the ferry out to the Dry Tortugas.  This is an all day affair, and isn't cheap.  We weren't sure if we wanted to do it.  As the week progressed, however, Sunday seemed like the day to do it.  When we finally got around to checking, it was Saturday, and we found out that the ship was full and we couldn't do it any way.  Too bad.  It's something I would like to do sometime.

 

When we found out that the Dry Tortugas were out, the cousins got to work on finding something else to do.  They ended up booking us on a clear kayak/snorkel excursion, which went out in the morning, and got back by noon.  That sounded like fun, and we had seen the boat with the clear kayaks docked at the marina.

 

We headed out on a beautiful morning, and docked off of this mangrove island:

 

 

We were paired up in clear kayaks, and paddled around the island. Here's my oldest niece and her husband in theirs:

 

 

That was fun, but not real eventful.  We saw a few fish, and some of our group saw a shark.  Allegedly.

 

Then we all got back aboard, and the captain took us to a snorkeling spot.  On the boat:

 

 

Group selfie:

 

 

Coming in from snorkeling:

 

 

When we got back, we headed to Sloppy Joes for lunch.  I didn't even know they served food here, but they do.  Sloppy Joes even:

 

 

We did a little more looping in the electric car after lunch.  Got us some Key Lime pie on a stick.  Good stuff:

 

 

Then we had to drop off the car, and get to the parade.  We stopped here on the way for a photo op:

 

 

Wait.

 

Did you see that?

 

Parade.

 

Did you know there was a parade?

 

Well, there was.

 

And we are about to see it.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

You are moving right along with this report! 

 

I love the Key West architecture. Very pretty. 

 

The cemetery looks crowded and like something that would be in Savannah, GA. 

 

Love that you went early morning looping. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

How did you like your Sloppy Joe at Sloppy Joe's?  Yours looks different from the ones I've had.  I think it's the flattened bread.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Caught up!

Glad you are back.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

The cemetery reminded me of the ones I have seen pictures of in New Orleans.  I guess the graves in both have to be above ground due to the high water table?

 

So glad you are back in business!  

[LONE-STAR 370]

Glad to see you reporting again.

[lklasing 16]

That water is so clear!  That nails it - I definitely want to get there one day!

 

(Anyone else have the Adam Sandler "Sloppy Joe" song on their mind?)

[BigTom 76]

You should go to Dry Tortugas at least once. It is an amazing sight to see popping up out of the ocean when you start getting close. Fort Jefferson is something to see and imagine living there. PS take  bug repellant the mosquitoes are large and numerous even in the day time.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

You are moving right along with this report! 

 

I love the Key West architecture. Very pretty. 

 

The cemetery looks crowded and like something that would be in Savannah, GA. 

 

Love that you went early morning looping. 

 

That's right I'm moving along.  I have to.  I still have more to report about this new era that we have been tiptoeing toward.  There's a big step about to happen that I haven't even mentioned yet.  And then the new era will have officially begun.

 

Key West does have some nice architecture, but, overall, it's not all that pretty.  It's very crowded, and there are a lot of parts that have seen better days.

 

Savannah.  That's someplace Mrs. TCD wants to visit.  I need to look in to that.

 

I highly recommend early morning looping wherever you can do it.  The Fort is the best place, of course, but it's fun anywhere.

 

How did you like your Sloppy Joe at Sloppy Joe's?  Yours looks different from the ones I've had.  I think it's the flattened bread.

 

That was an above-average sloppy joe.  As I think about it though, are there other restaurants that serve them?  I think my sloppy joe experience has been limited to school cafeterias and Manwich.  So, with that background, I have to say that the Sloppy Joe sloppy joes are perfectly acceptable.  I don't think the bun was supposed to be flattened.  The basket my sloppy joe came in was apparently at the bottom of the pile.  Very sanitary.

 

Caught up!

Glad you are back.

 

It was just a bump in the road.

 

The cemetery reminded me of the ones I have seen pictures of in New Orleans.  I guess the graves in both have to be above ground due to the high water table?

 

So glad you are back in business!  

 

Yes, it's the same concept.  From what I've heard, the graveyard used to be in another location long ago.  Then a storm came, and there were bodies everywhere.  This apparently is the highest point on Key West.  Some of the graves are in the ground. In New Orleans, I think they're all above ground.

 

Glad to see you reporting again.

 

Glad to be back.

 

That water is so clear!  That nails it - I definitely want to get there one day!

 

(Anyone else have the Adam Sandler "Sloppy Joe" song on their mind?)

 

You don't need to go all the way to Key West for clear water.  There are nicer places to snorkel and dive along the Overseas Highway.  The captain of the boat with the clear kayaks told us of one of the spots, which I intend to check on some time.

 

I am not familiar with that song.  I was going to Google it, but I'm afraid of what I might find.

 

You should go to Dry Tortugas at least once. It is an amazing sight to see popping up out of the ocean when you start getting close. Fort Jefferson is something to see and imagine living there. PS take  bug repellant the mosquitoes are large and numerous even in the day time.

 

I really do want to go.  I wish we had been able to go this time.  I am very intrigued about the opportunity to camp on the island, and was hoping to scope that out for a future trip.  This is one reason that I will return to Key West some time.

 

I am fascinated by the fact that this island chain apparently sits 70 miles off of Key West, and the US built a fort there. What an accomplishment that is. I like forts.  I want to see it.  The ferry they use to take guests out there was docked only a couple of blocks from the house we rented. 

 

TCD

[Memphis 105]

On Google Earth Dry Tortugas looks like a sand bar with a fort on one end.

 

And while I was at it look what was docked in Key West

 

 

OK on with the show 

[jmaul 65]

Supposedly you can camp at the Dry Tortugas.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

On Google Earth Dry Tortugas looks like a sand bar with a fort on one end.

 

And while I was at it look what was docked in Key West

 

 

OK on with the show 

 

Very cool photos, Harold.  Thanks for sharing those.

 

I had never looked at aerial photos of the Dry Tortugas.  That is crazy how they built that Fort out there like that.  From what little I know about it, I believe that the Fort was obsolete by the time it was completed.

 

And, that's a great photo of the Magic or Wonder (I could probably figure out which if I studied it some more).  I would love to stop at Key West on a cruise- that would be a fun port to visit for a day.

 

Supposedly you can camp at the Dry Tortugas.  

 

No supposedly, you definitely can.  The ferry will haul your camping gear out there for you.  http://www.drytortugas.com/

 

One of the reasons I wanted to go this time was to check out what it's like on the island.  Sounds pretty primitive, but it would be a fun thing to do for a night or two. Imagine the star gazing.  The camping part sounds very inexpensive, too.

 

TCD

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

BTW, i did the ghost tour when i was at Key West in 1999.  It was the first i had ever heard of ghost tours.  Now i see them all over the place.  It was amusing.

 

Can't wait to read more about the Shining New Era!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

BTW, i did the ghost tour when i was at Key West in 1999.  It was the first i had ever heard of ghost tours.  Now i see them all over the place.  It was amusing.

 

Can't wait to read more about the Shining New Era!

 

Yeah, Ghost Tours are big business.  We have done them in St. Augustine.  Fun, but kind of corny.  They are everywhere now.  They even do ghost tours at college orientations now.

 

This report will be finishing up in about three more weeks with the official full commencement of the shining new era.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I just have one more batch of photos to share from Key West, and then we will move on to the next chapter of this saga.

 

I haven't mentioned this yet, but it just so happened to our Key West trip coincided with something called Key West Pride week.  We didn't know that when the house was reserved, but we found it out shortly afterward. 

 

But, we've been to Disney during what are known as Gay Days, and we had been to Key West before, and knew that things could be adult oriented and sometimes wild there, so we didn't change our plans.

 

The fact of the matter is that we really didn't notice anything different about Key West during the week.

 

Pride week closes with a big parade down Duval Street.  We like parades.  So we went.

 

I was kind of expecting something a bit more fabulous for the beginning of the parade, but this is what we got:

 

 

Then there were a lot of  convertibles decorated with rainbows:

 

 

 

We were standing beneath a balcony at the building that houses the three separate bars and the guests above us were throwing quarters at the people in the parade.  I'm not sure what that was all about:

 

 

You can see some of the quarters in the road in this photo:

 

 

This is a piece of the world's largest rainbow flag.  At a previous parade, it supposedly stretched from the Gulf to the Atlantic on Duval Street.  I would have liked to see that:

 

 

We had seen folks heading toward the parade earlier with flags and the fake rifles that marching bands use.  It turns out they were part of this group, which calls itself ROTC.  But, it's not the kind of ROTC you probably are familiar with:

 

 

I was surprised to see that this group was from St. Petersburg, Florida, which is right down the road from where I live.  Never heard of them.

 

I guess this is where marching band nerds end up as adults:

 

 

The gun twirlers were good:

 

 

And so were the flag twirlers:

 

 

I don't know what this is all about, but I am against hate crimes, so I guess they're OK:

 

 

 

And, I definitely am pro Peace, Love and Cupcakes:

 

 

I had seen people riding these bikes around the island.  I'm not sure what the big tires do for you.  Seems like a bad idea:

 

 

 

Then we had a trolley:

 

 

And a tow truck:

 

 

The last float in the parade had these singers on it- I think they're dudes.  And the one guy in the parade with his shirt off is the one who should have kept it on:

 

 

And that was it.

 

Bottom line is that I wasn't impressed.  I like Disney parades better.

 

That's all I'm going to say about that.

 

Those are the last photos I have from Key West.  We went back and packed up, and headed out early.  We had a long drive, and we were focused on getting home to break Rocky out of dog jail, so he could be home for a few days before we left on our next adventure.   But, even before that next adventure, we had another day trip to squeeze in.

 

My computer skillz had landed us tickets to see the taping of the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon at Universal Studios later that week, and we will be heading there next.

 

TCD

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Could the big bike tires work better on sand?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Could the big bike tires work better on sand?

 

I think that might be the idea- but there isn't a lot of sand to bike on in Key West.

 

TCD

[jmaul 65]

No supposedly, you definitely can.  The ferry will haul your camping gear out there for you.  http://www.drytortugas.com/

 

One of the reasons I wanted to go this time was to check out what it's like on the island.  Sounds pretty primitive, but it would be a fun thing to do for a night or two. Imagine the star gazing.  The camping part sounds very inexpensive, too.

 

TCD

 

OK, checked the camping rules.  Here's the link http://www.drytortugas.com/rules

 

$3 per person per day, but it comes with more rules.  Here are a few good ones:

 

• Due to space constraints, the Yankee Freedom III will only transport campers who wish to stay at Ft. Jefferson up to 4 days (3 nights).

• Do not attach anything to a tree. Campground trees and shrubs are crucial for providing shade and windbreak. Help protect this valuable vegetation. Do not attach ropes, hammocks, tents, laundry lines, or any other materials to campground trees. All camping gear must be free standing*.

• DUE TO OCCASIONAL INCLEMENT WEATHER OR RARE MECHANICAL SITUATIONS: We cannot guarantee the exact return date of campers and they should plan and provision accordingly.

• Please limit your provisions and coolers to a minimum and do not exceed 60 pounds per person (not including water).

 

Would make for an interesting excursion...

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

OK, checked the camping rules.  Here's the link http://www.drytortugas.com/rules

 

$3 per person per day, but it comes with more rules.  Here are a few good ones:

 

• Due to space constraints, the Yankee Freedom III will only transport campers who wish to stay at Ft. Jefferson up to 4 days (3 nights).

• Do not attach anything to a tree. Campground trees and shrubs are crucial for providing shade and windbreak. Help protect this valuable vegetation. Do not attach ropes, hammocks, tents, laundry lines, or any other materials to campground trees. All camping gear must be free standing*.

• DUE TO OCCASIONAL INCLEMENT WEATHER OR RARE MECHANICAL SITUATIONS: We cannot guarantee the exact return date of campers and they should plan and provision accordingly.

• Please limit your provisions and coolers to a minimum and do not exceed 60 pounds per person (not including water).

 

Would make for an interesting excursion...

 

Agreed- it sounds very interesting.  That's why I wanted to go and see what people actually do.  I think I would keep it very simple- and probably one night would be enough for me.  It would be cool to be out there with just a few other people 70 miles from the nearest land.

 

TCD