The Florida Keys

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When you get to Key West, you're closer to Cuba than to Miami. It has more of the Cuban flavor than the other Florida Keys areas. The locals here are known as Conchs' and you're actually in a foreign land, you're in the Conch Republic. You ’re now at Mile Marker 0, what a great place to start a Florida Keys vacation. The question is what to do first? Most people start with the Duval Crawl. This could take you all day and all night. Depends on your stamina. Honestly, there is no way for you to experience all Key West has to offer if you are here for just a week. This is the Land of Lunches. So many restaurants ,bistros ’ sidewalk cafe ’s, raw bars, and bars to choose from. You know I haven ’t found one yet that I didn ’t like. Over the years I have eaten at almost every restaurant and bar down here. I'm hooked on the flavors of our tropical fruits such as key limes and mangos that are used in lots of the recipes. Do you like water sports ? Pick your poison. From Parasailing to sailing and wave runners to run about boats. We have kayaks and canoe ’s. You can even go water skiing if you like. The newest addition is Key West Electric Boat Rentals which I have not tried yet. It looks like lots of fun. The absolute must to do is grab one of the boats or seaplanes that take you out to the Dry Tortugas National Park . It ’s about 70 miles West of Key West. It ’s interesting to walk around the old red brick fort, Fort Jefferson. It was built during the war but no shots were fired from there. Then it became a prison with the most famous prisoner being Dr.Samuel Mudd. Snorkeling and diving at the Dry Tortugas is spectacular. Huge lobster, tons of tropical fish and lots of wrecks. On my first trip to the Tortugas I got busted for taking lobster inside the park boundaries. When I came up a park ranger was at my boat. He took the twelve lobster that I had in the bag and released them. Then he gave me a ticket for $150.00 and took my net and tickle stick. After he left I motored outside the park and counted the lobster he hadn ’t seen in the live well of the boat. This was many years ago and I didn ’t know the rules at the Tortugas yet. I would NOT do this today. Honest! This trip was back in the middle 80's. Long before the National Marine Sanctuary was established here, and certainly long before the Dry Tortugas was part of the National Marine Sanctuary. A year later I got this official Government letter. It stated that I could come to a certain place and recover my confiscated items. Now it took me a little while to put this together. When I realized they were talking about my net and tickle stick, I laughed real loud. I let them keep them. The ride down there and back is worth the trip even if the park wasn ’t there to see. There are plenty of Charter Boat Captains at Charter Boat Row when you decide to catch the big one. And for back country fishing, some of the worlds most famous Fishing Guides are in Key West. The Key West Harbor is known for the plentiful large Silver Kings, (Tarpon) that feed there during the season. Some of them are permanent residents there.

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