The Keys

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since our initial shake-down trip in the Airstream. We needed to test ourselves and the rig to see what was needed and how everything worked. We certainly didn't foresee being in the Keys at this point. The Florida Keys were never on my list of places to visit, but I'm glad we did. Amazingly, this little strip of land and islands is a whole different world than the rest of Florida and the US, or maybe the world.

While the rest of the country is settling into winter, down south here, it's another world; it's still humid and feels like a tropical island. The population this time of year is mainly seasonal folks or "snowbirds". However, the largest population consists of iguanas. They are everywhere and grow to be very large. We were at the Islamorada Brewery one afternoon, and an iguana the size of a small dog dropped out of a tree with a big thump, onto the chairs two women were previously sitting. Stunned, the lizard sat there for a minute then slowly lumbered away. They are harmless except for their invasive nature. Down here, they are as invasive as humans. We're currently in Islamorada, about a third of the way to Key West. We spent a week in Key Largo and a few weeks here.

Portia and I took a few days at an air BNB in Key West, which was fun but I don't need to do that again. Key West's streets are teeming with drunk people on bikes, scooters, and golf carts. It reminds me of the Las Vegas strip.

We'll be in Islamorada for a few more days, then head north through the west coast of Florida, into Alabama, Louisana, Texas, and then onward to the west coast.