The Campfire Trail: February 7

February 7, 2021
Day 38 - 327 Days To Go
22 Days Until March 1
Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Woods (Colombia/Costa Rica)

Sunday was a Road Tourist day. We decided to take the trip down the Overseas Highway to Key West and experience it from the land side. I cannot get through a tropical anything without Shelley finding a coconut stand. And I say THANK GOODNESS for coconut stands. Otherwise I fear I would be the one retrieving coconuts out of the trees. I don't think that would turn out too well. Key West is an interesting place. It is a tourist trap, but there's a lot of history, architecture, culture (regular and bizarre) and beauty. We didn't spend a long time there but long enough to experience it for ourselves. One of the more oddities of the Key is the local obsession with chickens. I think they must be some kind of endangered species. (and not for barbecue)

One of my favorite stops was the treasure museum. The whole treasure hunting part of the Keys history is fascinating. For example, the gold bars in this picture came from a massive wreck just west of the Keys. In fact, we spent our second night at Marquesas Key, not very far from where this treasure was discovered and recovered. Over 40 tons of gold and silver were recovered from the Atocha wreck. and that represented only about half of what was estimated as missing. To me, the most interesting part was that all of it was found within about 900 yards of the ships anchor and in only about 40-60 feet of water. I told Adreane when she's diving for Lobster and Crab to keep her eyes open for the odds and ends gold coins lying about.

THEN...... There's the other end of the spectrum. I don't even know where to start describing this bit of auto-artwork. It's the paradox of the Keys. I suppose that if you can imagine it, you can probably find it there. Personally, I enjoyed the Keys from the bay on the boat better. AND, if you really want the land version, hop in the Dinghy and head to shore until you've had enough, then back to the boat.

We had an INCREDIBLE lunch at the Hogfish Bar and Grill. Some of the best seafood I've ever eaten and had that major "Dive" diner vibe going on. By the time we arrived back at Marathon and the boat, we were getting ready for guests to join us for a visit and to watch part of the Super Bowl right on the boat. The downside is we are now only about one day away from getting ready to head back home to Missouri. I guess it has to come to an end eventually.

Adventure Quote: "Sometimes in the waves of change we find our true direction"

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