2/3 Key West, FL

I rented a car and drove down here for the day.  I had hoped there would be less traffic on U.S. 1 on Super Bowl Sunday.  I am guessing there was not as much traffic on the highway, but there was a cruise ship in Key West, so it was pretty busy there. 

I left my campground at 7:30 am, really early for me.  I stopped a few places to take pictures as I drove.  It is a really nice drive, but a long one--98 miles long!

 

Here is what the historic main street looks like.  I took a tour on the Conch Train, which is a good way to get around and hear a guided narration as well. 

One of the places I got off the tour train and wandered around was the harbor area.  Some neat older boats:

And a bunch of newer boats:

There are a lot of roosters wandering around Key West.  They said these were originally brought in as fighting cocks, bu since this is illegal in Florida and the state has a protected bird act, these guys get to wander around and crow all they like without being disturbed. 

At the end of the day, I grabbed some fried local clams (a little different than the northern ones, but very good) and headed to a beach to eat them as I sat in the car. 

I also stopped at a botanical gardens which was a disappointment, but I did get to see this guy.  Including his very long tail which is not all shown in th photo, he had to be almost 3' long.  Apparently, these iguanas floated or swam in on the last major hurricane and are considered pests because they eat a lot of native vegetation.   The botanical garden traps them, and does who-knows-what with them.

All in all, a very nice day, but I was glad to get home and rest my sore back.  Wish I had had more time to visit the shipwreck museum and some other places in the city, but it was nice to have the time I had.