Exploring the Keys

Ahhhhh! Life is good, especially in the Florida Keys. Waking up to blue skies and turquoise waters is pretty fantastic. While our stay here was a bit of a splurge, we felt like while we were already so far South in Florida, we should check the Florida Keys off our map of places to take our home on wheels, Charlie to! Kind of a one-time thing that we just had to do! However after spending a few days relaxing and exploring, I don’t think this is the only chance Charlie will get to enjoy the views. I mean who can argue with the fact that bike rides, draft lattes, homemade ice cream, and sunsets aren’t what everyday life should be made of? Sounds pretty lovely, huh? So let me elaborate….

While driving down the Overseas Highway (Route 1) on our way to Venture Out, we couldn’t help but take notice of the bike trails that lined the road. After the obligatory peddle through each and every road and loop of the campground, we shortly after headed out toward Route 1. We hopped on the bike trail and headed North. We peddled from key to key along the trail, stopping to enjoy the view on a couple of the bridges. After a distraction by an Open House sign and biking a few miles to check it out, we ended up stopping at a cute little bakery and enjoyed an ice cold draft latte on our way back. Who out there can install one of these coffee taps in Charlie for me?

Speaking of lovely little places, I am instantly reminded of Cone Republic in Big Pine Key. After enjoying an Italian-themed dinner of lasagna, I made the mistake of mentioning dessert, like a lovely tiramisu or creamy gelato. That is when the slippery slope started - the mention of dessert, the hankering for sweets, and the hunt for the treasure. Must find ice cream! Cone Republic came to the rescue and was a perfect cure for our craving. After one taste of Russ’ Coconut Moosetracks and my Cuban Coffee Toffee, it was evident that Cone Republic knows what they are doing. Great handmade ice cream in fun food truck style! You can find them parked right along Route 1 in Big Pine Key everyday but Tuesday!

While in the Keys, we were certain we would see some great sunsets. We caught a few at Mallory Square which is the home of the nightly Sunset Celebration. It’s the only place we’ve ever known where the setting sun is the sole reason for a full-blown celebration complete with magicians, musicians, artists, and food vendors. If the sun provides an excellent show, it even receives a standing ovation! In addition, we even attempted to watch the sunrise one morning, but despite our efforts the heavy clouds had other ideas. All the motivation it took to get ourselves out of our warm & comfy bed wasn’t wasted though is it gave us a early start for a long walk & lovely bike ride. Like we’ve said before since we missed something this time, guess we will have to return to catch a perfect Florida Keys sunrise. Oh the sacrifices!