Key West Florida

The start of Highway 1

Located closer to Havana than to Miami it should not be surprising that Key West sometimes seems more of a foreign destination than a domestic one.  However, no matter how different Key West may be from mainland America, it is actually part of Florida.  But if you are looking for a vacation that is exotic and different from your everyday life in the contiguous 48, Key West may be what you are looking for.  Located 130 plus miles from Miami, the road ends here (or starts depending on our perspective).  Don't believe me, walk to the junction of Fleming and Whitehead streets.  There it is, the beginning of highway 1.  This mile marker sign has been stolen more times than you might believe, don't worry though you can buy your own at any souvenir shop on the island and avoid going to Jail.  Have you heard about Duval Street?  The locals in Key West think of their island as a small drinking town with a tourist problem.  Yes, you read that correct.  I don't have actual data to support this, but my guess is that there are only a handful of places in the world that serve more drinks per square foot than Duval Street.  The "Duval Crawl" can, and is experienced every night by tourists and some locals.  It is no wonder that Jimmy Buffet wrote part of his hit song "Margaritaville" in Key West.

Smathers Beach in the background

If drinking is not your thing, no worries, what about enjoying life on the beach?  Key West's sandy beaches are made from corral not volcanic rock.  Why is this important you ask?  Because corral doesn't absorb heat, so the sand doesn't burn your feet or your back or whatever part of your body finds itself in the sand.  While Smathers beach is the best known and most popular beach on Key West, the entire south side of the island is one long sandy beach. 

School of fish at Sand Key Lighthouse Reef

There is so much to do in Key West, but some of my favorite activites weren't actually on the island.  Snorkelers and divers love the clear, warm waters of the Caribbean.  Enjoy watching Parrot fish crunch corral into sand, or watch schools of snappers or sergeant majors float along in the soft currents.  And if you want something a little more exciting than small tropical fish-how about turtles.  Green sea turtles are commonly seen around the keys.

Turtle off of Eastern Dry Rocks Reef

What about historical sites?  Are you someone who isn't into getting sunburned by spending too much time in the water?  Not to worry.  From the Shipwrecker's Museaum to Ernest Hemingway's House to Fort Zackary Taylor to the old lighthouse to the "Truman's Little White House" or even all the way to Fort Jefferson, there are plenty of options for you to enjoy.  You can learn about two civil war era forts, find out what drove Ernest Hemingway, learn about shipwrecking and ship rescuing or find something in common with Harry Truman all in this little island. 

Fort Jefferson (Dry Tortugas)

Most people enjoy a good sunset.  Fortunately for you, in Key West you get to enjoy great sunsets.

Sunset at Fort Zachary Taylor Beach

Fishing.  Want to try your hand at deep sea fishing?  Catch Wahoo, Mahi Mahi, Snapper, Bonefish, Grouper, Tarpon, Barracuda, or other species?  Well no worries, because Key West has them all.

fishing for Snowy Grouper

Other activities that you can enjoy include kayaking the mangroves, jet skiing, sailing, harbor cruises, riding the conch train, the butterfly house, an evening of entertainment at Mallory Square and so much more.  The problem with Key West isn't trying to find something to do, it is trying to figure out how to get everything done in a single vacation!

Kayaking Key West

Glacier NP

A couple of summers ago my wife and I took our family to 3 National Parks in a matter of a couple months.  We went to Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.  They were all nice, and I will probably blog about the other two sometime in the future, but Glacier was beyond nice.  We were so impressed with the mountains, the blue tint of the water, the road to the sun and of course seeing glaciers. 

This is a picture of Lake McDonald.  I've since wondered if they have a problem with people throwing rocks into the lake.  All along the lake shore there are literally thousands of perfect skipping stones.  And the lake is wonderfully clear with near perfect reflections of the snow capped peaks.  We pulled into the parking lot at Lake McDonald only intending to get out and take a quick peek.  We were so mesmerized by the beauty of the lake that we ended up spending hours just gazing at the reflection of the clouds and mountains on the water (and skipped a few rocks). 

One of my wife's favorite things about Glacier NP is the water.  It is this awesome blue color.  The glaciers themselves are blue, I believe it is due to the density that they freeze at, and the water that in in the streams are from melting glaciers and runoff.  This also makes the water really blue.  We had never seen blue waterfalls before.  Usually waterfalls look dirty, white or clear if they are thin.  But the waterfalls at Glacier were blue! 

If you go to Glacier NP, you must drive the Road to the Sun.  You will be amazed at the vistas, the mountain passes, the glaciers, hikes along the way and maybe some glimpses of mountain goats.  We drove west to east and at the end was St. Mary's Lake.  A rainstorm was moving through but I still managed to take the above photo.  Even after a couple of days of high mountain lakes, this lake was still very impressive.  Completely surrounding by high mountain peaks, green fir trees and even dotted with a couple of islands, St. Mary's Lake is a must stop.
Adam