Marathon Key, Florida

Dec. 2010.  Spending a week in the Keys, we experienced one of the coldest weeks the Keys have seen in a long time.  We did not see snow or even close to it--but with temps in the low 50's and winds of 20-35, it felt mighty chilly.  Traveling with our boat, kayaks, and bikes, we had planned on extensive outdoor experiences.  Mother Nature created a bit of a sidestep for us.  Staying at a motel in Marathon Key, we had the boat docked outside our room.

We spend our first day researching our campsite for Spring, 2011.  Bahia Honda State Park is a popular destination, so we wanted to scope out the layout and pick our spot.  The park provides a deep natural channel, sandy beaches and snorkeling opportunities at Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary.  Walking the beach, we discovered "shell" trees.  Wind-blown trees, stripped of their leaves were covered with shells on the branches added by folks walking by.

Driving to Key West the following day, we had our bikes hitched to the back of the car. Upon our arrival, we parked our Honda at the first parking area we found.  The remainder of the day was spent biking and walking through town.  Dozens of restaurants, bars, galleries, and gift shops provide plenty to explore.  We made it back to Marathon just in time to order a margarita and toast the sunset at the Sunset Grill and Raw Bar-----which became a habit for us through the week.  We followed cocktails with a stone crab dinner back at our place.  What a day!

Canvassing Marathon to find the hidden niches and wait out the winds, we discovered Sombrero Beach.  This clean, well-maintained public beach area was a perfect spot for hanging out on a sunny day.   A couple of days later, winds finally subsided enough to allow an outing on the Marathon Lady Fishing Boat.  Going out for a 1/2 day trip, we succeeded in catching about a dozen fish. This provided dinner for a couple of nights plus fish to take home with us. 

By the end of the week, winds continued to die down enough for us to get out on the water in our kayaks.  The winds had blown seagrasses into the channel preventing the boat from going out without clogging up the engine.  But we were able to paddle the kayaks over the top of the grasses out to a bird sanctuary.  We hung out offshore watching numerous species on a little mangrove island—it was a peaceful, perfect end to our trip.