25 February

After a good night’s sleep (but punctuated at intervals by some of the locals showing off the capabilities of their cars in the street) I was up and ready for breakfast just before 8. I located the area (around the pool – the barbecue area was being renovated by one of the owners and looked like it would be out of action for at least the rest of the year.
I thought that I would be one of the first – but there was already someone in the pool, one family with young children, a few couples and quite a few singles. I got a cup of tea, but no real milk – just the “moo half and half”, described in the past already. This, together with orange juice – for all the hype about the freshly squeezed juice, it tastes very little different from any of the “no name” orange juices at home, and most likely has more sugar – saw me through until five minutes later when the breakfast makings arrived. I had my toast with Vegemite, and despite everyone there, no-one made a comment or asked about it. I can only conclude people are very blind, purposefully ignorant of those around them or so mindful of the feelings of others that they wouldn’t presume to ask or comment on a different breakfast spread.
I checked out and walked back to the car and packed everything up and headed off into downtown Key West. That was easy to find, but parking wasn’t. I eventually found a spot at a meter which was 10 cents for 4 minutes so I tried 18 minutes (one quarter and two nickels) and headed off for Highway One Marker Zero (found just ten metres away) and Hemingway’s house (nine minutes walk away). By the time I photographed a kapok tree, chickens that were wandering loose around the streets (one hen with chicks), Hemingway’s house and the markers (and tried to activate “Walk” buttons which had the buttons broken) I got back just after the meter expired. I had been warned when I parked the car that fines would happen quickly and severely, so I quickly drove off. As I did, I thought of the land of the free with the Key West Police Department, the Monroe County Sheriff and the Florida Highway Patrol, not to mention CIA, FBI, ATF and assorted other agencies to keep it that way.
The drive back along the keys was slow and interesting. The newer bridges were being used (except for those still under construction) and the older bridges were either just left or used for fishing. Other users of the bridges (and other structures) were birds, who found wonderful resting places (cormorants drying off in the sun on high voltage power lines are VERY safe) and new food sources (with birds from pelicans down in size hanging around anglers for a food source which didn’t require too much energy to get).
Either side of the road parts of the keys were visible, as well as many islands just off the keys. One in particular was just east of the road and had a few tents pitched on it. With two boats and three canoes pulled ashore, it looked like an ideal place for children to camp. Other islands looked like perfect scenes for Treasure Island (and probably were used for some films).
Power poles were mounted on concrete piers and water came in pipes beside the bridges. There were some poles which looked like power poles but carried lights and sirens for hurricane warnings. Judging by the houses, which were down to the water’s edge, early warnings would be a good idea.
I noticed that the signs of “NO PASSING” and “DO NOT PASS” were back, as in Arizona, but with little effect as overtaking was regularly occurring at those spots.
All in all, with a few stops for photos, it took nearly three and a half hours to clear the one hundred and twenty-five miles to the mainland. After that it was a run up the tollway to get to Fort Pierce as quickly as possible. What I didn’t reckon on was a toll booth every ten miles to collect $1 and then, after $5 went west (or north, as that’s where I was going), I pulled up all ready to pay at the last booth where I got given a ticket instead. Then, when I finally left the tollway, there was another $5.70 to pay. I wonder why Florida doesn’t get federal funding for through roads and has to make tollways instead, especially when they are parallel to the Interstates.
During the trip I noticed a lot of “No trucks in left lane” signs, but noticed one truck doing just that. I wondered why nothing was done and then saw a State Trooper pull the truck over. I also noticed that the speed of every vehicle dropped to the legal limit as long as the car was visible.
At 3:15 I arrived at the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce. I walked in and was just about to ask the woman at the desk about Mike when I realised it was Sue, his wife, and his daughter was there too. She recognised me and went to get Mike. Mike then took me through the museum.
I would like to say that I took a lot of photos, but they are all classified and if I showed you, the secret services would have to eliminate you. The reality is simpler – Mike’s description of each item, and how it fitted into the development of the SEALs was so interesting and detailed, bringing life to a simple object and including at least one anecdote of each, that I just forgot to take pictures along the way. I did get two at the end, of Mike and the museum, and encourage anyone who passes this was to pull into it and have a look. Though small, unless you leave well over an hour, you won’t really see everything, and you are advised to leave at least two hours if you read the material and study the exhibits. I bade farewell to Mike and headed off, looking for a cheaper establishment to balance out my accommodation budget. I found one not far down the road, certainly not the Ritz, but clean and comfortable. After booking in (and being induced into a discussion of cricket and football with a West Indian) I went to a WalMart and got a pair of sunglasses (not what I wanted but good enough to stop me getting as tired as I did today, straining in the sun). After some tea on the way back, I wrote my blog up and went to bed, to leave early to get to the Kennedy Space Centre tomorrow.
Just to add some mystery into the mix, as I left Key West I noticed a Real Estate firm – not Realtor! I had already noticed two theatres, one in Carslbad and one in the Keys. Then leaving the museum this afternoon I noticed a “Harbour Rise”. Funny – I had always thought that American spelling was standard and of the alternative and shortened form.
Some other interesting points include:
- that petrol prices have no cycle, but vary for no apparent reason. So far the lowest I have paid is about $2.80 per gallon (74 cents Australian per litre) and the most I COULD have paid was 94 cents – I got sick of having to go inside when the petrol pumps wouldn’t take my postcode as the ZIP code for verification, so I added a zero after the four-digit postcode and the pump accepted it – great security!
- I haven’t yet seen any kangaroos as road kill, but I have seen a deer, a coyote, a racoon and an alligator (and I didn’t stop to render any aid to the alligator, just in case he wasn’t fully deceased).