Key West, FL

Thursday, November 29

Cooler weather isn’t exactly what you have in mind when you plan a visit to The Florida Keys, but unfortunately that’s what we were experiencing. Alright, so it wasn’t THAT cold by Minnesota standards (in the 60’s), but we wanted sunshine, warmth and to utilize all those gorgeous Florida beaches! Thursday morning after Andi and I worked out and we all ate breakfast, we packed up the RV in Grassy Key and headed south for Key West - hoping for warmer temperatures in the southern-most part of the United States.

Along the way, we crossed the 7-Mile Bridge which was a neat thing to point out to the kids. We made it to Boyd’s Campground on Stock Island in good time - around 11am. Andi checked us into the campground and then hopped into an Uber to pick up our rental car for the next few days. (We rented a car in Key West because its streets aren’t very RV-friendly.) While Andi was gone, the kids and I set up shop in our new campsite by the water.

As the kids and I sat inside our RV doing homeschool, we watched our neighbor cooking up a big fish on his outdoor grill. We also saw kids riding bikes through the campground which was one of the first times we’d seen any kids on this trip. Honestly, I expected to see more full-time RV families in The Keys but so far that hadn’t been the case (or maybe we just didn’t see them).

After lunch and school, Tory, Aden and I decided to check out the pool. It wasn’t warm enough for me to swim, but never seems to be too cold for them! The laundry room was on the backside of the pool, so I took the opportunity to wash and fold clothes while I watched them.

I expected to be yucked out by doing laundry in campgrounds, but surprisingly I haven’t been. It’s just part of the lifestyle! The older I get, the more I’ve learned to go with the flow. Sure beats sitting at a laundromat!

Tory wanted her goggles, so I watched from the pool gate as she walked back to our RV to grab them. On the way, a girl riding her bike approached Tory and I watched as they talked for a while. Then, Tory ran back screeching - she’d made a new friend! Suddenly, our whole day’s plans changed: it was all about the friends.

Tory’s new friend’s name was Isa and it just so happened they were staying in the RV right next to us. (Her dad was the guy grilling fish). Isa was 8 and her older brother was 10 & there were a few other boys they’d met staying in the campground as well. Suddenly, it was a party! The kids rode bikes, ran around the campground and played games all afternoon. Andi was back at the campground by then, and we decided to just let them PLAY. Traveling as a family isn’t all about what we (the parents) want to see and do. It’s also the kids’ adventure, and we’re conscious about making an effort to fill up their cups, too.

Later that day, the kids were playing down by the dock while Isa’s dad, Andi, and I watched on. Some of the boys started shouting “get the hose!” and working fast to bring a hose with water to the water’s edge. A manatee had come to greet the kids and the boys were feeding it fresh water from the hose. The manatee loved it! Andi, Tory, Aden and I were shocked and amazed - we’d never seen a manatee before! It was a sight to see.

The manatee was such a gentle creature. It laid in the shallow water while some kids pet its nose. I had never seen anything like it. The manatee stayed close to the dock for nearly two hours letting the kids touch it and feed it water. Pretty incredible.

Friday, November 30

Andi booked a half-day boating & fishing excursion for us, so Friday morning we drove up the street to the Stock Island marina to meet our captain. It was chilly (again!) that morning, but we bundled up and decided to make the best of it. Any day on the water is always a good day.

The boat captain was a Key West native, and seemed to know the channels around us like the back of his hand. It was almost like he was following an invisible underwater map and detouring on either side of the hidden road would find the boat in trouble. He weaved the boat through the mangroves, finally stopping about 20 minutes away from our point of origin at the most beautiful, secluded beach. This beach was only “a beach” when the tide was out, so he arrived at the perfect time of day. This was the kind of place that you’d ever find in a million years if you weren’t a local. It was absolutely beautiful.

The captain said during hurricanes, the locals bring their boats out here and tie them off to the mangroves. Their strong, deep root systems aren’t going anywhere and sometimes that’s the safest place to “hide” them.

We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed deli meat, cheese, crackers, hummus, cucumber, carrots, bread and Nutella. Our go-to “snack lunch” selection.

We stopped at a point on our way back to Stock Island for some fishing. Unfortunately, this was a smaller part of our excursion (and I think Andi would have liked to fish more!). The captain pulled a big block of fleshy bait out of his cooler, cut off a chunk, and tied it to his line. Then, Andi cast the line and reeled in a fish. The water was so clear that you could see them swarm the bait almost immediately. On. his second cast, Andi hit a barracuda which was quickly engulfed by a lemon shark! Andi fought the shark on the line for 15 minutes or so, but just as it came close to the boat it snapped the line. Pretty neat!

Back at the campground, the kids couldn’t wait to play with their friends. Isa, her brother and the other little boys were all running around playing when we returned. Tory felt like a big kid when we let her take a walkie-talkie to the game room by herself and stretch her leash from mom & dad a little bit.

The manatee came back for another afternoon visit, and the same scene unfolded as the kids fed it fresh water. This time, new campers caught onto what was happening and at one point, there was quite a crowd gathered.

Isa’s family invited us to join them for dinner in Key West, but they were going to a fancier restaurant than Aden would be allowed in (ha!), so we ended up doing our own thing. We went to downtown Key West ourselves, got ice cream, and walked around Mallory Square watching the street performers.

Andi and I visited Key West when Tory was 9 weeks old, and I’m actually really glad we came back here again. I remember being absolutely exhausted and so worried about Tory’s well-being. I remember nursing her on a sidewalk bench on Duval Street and a lady approaching me saying, “How OLD is your baby?!” like I was the worst mother in the world for bringing her to such a scandalous place. This visit was completely different. We actually SAW Key West. We actually walked the downtown streets, eating ice cream and watching the craziness unfold like real tourists should do. Normally, I’m not a fan of visiting the same place twice (because there’s so many other places to see & experience!) but in this case, I’m so glad we came back to Key West.

Saturday, December 1

On our last day in Key West, Andi and I decided we’d spend the day at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. So crazy that there’s a beautiful, historic park like this right in the heart of the city. The weather was warmer this day (yay!) but windy has heck. We parked the RV in the parking lot and dragged our sand toys and lawn chairs to the beach where we were practically blown over from the wind. There was no escaping it. The kids played for a bit while Andi and I people watched. Then, we grilled brats on one of the park-provided grills and enjoyed a picnic lunch before we packed up and hit the road.

We enjoyed The Florida Keys, but now it was time to move onto the next part of our adventure— the eastern coast of Florida. Next stop: Cocoa Beach, but for now our goal was to break up the six-hour drive by staying overnight in Miami.