“You’ll feel like you’re floating across the sparkling blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.”

Tierney Mcafee, author “20 Best Scenic Drives in the U.S. for an Epic Road Trip”

Last month was my husband’s birthday. Through the decades, I’ve celebrated with him in many ways. We’ve had big parties, destination parties, small gatherings, and family get-togethers. This year, we chose a road trip to the Florida Keys, and our daughter made a surprise visit to join us.

The 800 Florida Keys are a chain of limestone islands that extend from the southern tip of the Florida mainland southwest to the Dry Tortugas, a distance of approximately 220 miles. They are island remnants of ancient coral reefs (Upper Keys) and sand bars (Lower Keys) that flourished during higher sea levels approximately 125,000 years ago.

We packed the car, put our kayaks on top, and headed south. Our first stop after the mainland was Key Largo, widely considered to be the scuba diving capital of the world, and the drive from home took us about two hours. It was right on time for lunch, so we headed to Key Largo Fisheries near mile marker 100 on U.S. 1 South. After a left on East Road and a right on Ocean Bay Drive, the waterfront restaurant, market, and working fishery are on the left at 1313 Ocean Bay Drive. It’s a great casual place for fresh-caught seafood. Meals are ordered at a window and pickup is self-service. We ate at outdoor picnic tables overlooking a marina where sand sharks swam close to the boats. I recommend the cold ceviche and the Sandbar Sunday beer from Islamorada Brewery, perfect in the tropical heat.

Our next stop was an hour further south in Marathon. The islands of Marathon are Boot Key, Knight Keys, Hog Key, Vaca Key, Stirrup Key, Crawl and Little Crawl Key, East and West Sister’s Island, Deer Key and Fat Deer Key, Long Pine Key and Grassy Key. We had reservations at the Banana Bay Resort and Marina on Vaca Key. It’s a great spot on the Gulf of Mexico side. (preferable for the sunsets).

In the late afternoon, my daughter and I learned that crossing the road to check out the stores was worth your life due to the non-stop Friday night traffic. We ended up walking close to a mile to a traffic light. The touristy shops weren’t worth it, but we came across an interesting artistic structure. The so-called Red Nun is a pyramid constructed and installed in New York City in 2016. On its walls, artist James Emerson painted more than 40 figures drawn from his daily life, all engaged in building a collective society. Emerson lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. The Red Nun exists today thanks to the committed efforts of many over five years. It was rebuilt at the side of Route One in Marathon by the Emerson family.

 In the evening, we enjoyed the nightly sky splendor at Banana Bay’s point on the water, where the resort has hammocks, Adirondack chairs, outdoor games, and a tiki bar.

After sunset, we had dinner at another casual place on the water called Keys Fisheries. It had the same setup as our lunch place—order window, self-pickup, picnic tables, and marina, but lacked the charm of the earlier one.

On the next morning, his birthday, our daughter strung up balloons and streamers to make the room festive.

 After breakfast, my husband chose to go kayaking. Though we had brought our own, our daughter needed to rent one. She reserved one via a phone call, and we picked it up at Sombrero Beah on the Atlantic Ocean side of Marathon, where we launched all three kayaks. The entry point into the water was an inlet called Sister Creek. The incoming tide was strong, so rather than head into the creek and have to fight hard on the return, we headed across the creek and paddled around the shore of Boot Key for a couple of hours.

It was mellow until the return when the tide had gone out and our kayaks ran aground. Our daughter had a sit-on-top. She got off and began to walk barefoot and pull her kayak toward the inlet, where it was deeper. I stepped out of my kayak, but it was a mistake. My shoes sank deep into a soft muck. When I tried to lift my feet, they wouldn’t budge and I fell over, my butt also sinking deep into the muck. My daughter came back and helped me roll onto her open kayak. She pulled me until paddling was possible again. When we got to shore, I waded into the water to wash off the sand. When I couldn’t move or lift my feet, it dawned on me that my rubber-soled shoes were acting like suction cups. Once I took them off, I was free, but I headed to an outdoor shower to rinse the rest of the sand off.

Back in the hotel room, my husband opened birthday presents. Then we dressed for dinner, enjoyed the sunset from a point on the property, and headed to the Lighthouse Grill at the Faro Blanco Resort and Yacht Club for dinner. The food was delicious, we had a view of the pool and enjoyed the music of a guitarist. After a stroll around the marina, we enjoyed his favorite homemade birthday cheesecake in our room.

The following morning, we headed home, but we stopped in Tavernier on Key Largo at the Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory. The key lime items were pricey, but our daughter bought a piece of pie to take home to Colorado. The place does have a nice, shady garden for those who want to eat their purchases at picnic tables in a quiet setting. It’s interesting to note that the garden fences are filled with colorful “love locks,” like the ones found on many European bridges.

A sign in the store informed me that key lime pie was invented by a Keys sponge fisherman who set off to work one day in the late 19th century with a supply of limes to prevent scurvy, some cans of Borden’s canned, sweetened, condensed milk, soda crackers, and eggs. In the ship galley, he prepared a food that needed neither cooking nor refrigeration. Back ashore, the sponger shared his recipe with a cook who worked for the island’s first millionaire, William Curry. However, an internet search reveals that this local story may or may not be true!

Regardless of who invented it, key lime pie is well-loved, though the recipe has changed over the years. Graham crackers (thought to be a “health” food) eventually replaced soda crackers. Egg whites left over from the pie-making were whipped into a stiff meringue and spread on top. Over time, the meringue was replaced with whipped cream.

That road trip to the Keys was not the first one for my husband and me. Our first time was in June 2015, and it whetted our appetites for a return. Not sure why it took us so long!

We also began that visit in Key Largo but with a swim at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Three areas are designated for swimming, including Canon Beach, which features remnants of an early Spanish shipwreck 100 feet offshore.

Though we didn’t go scuba diving or snorkeling, the coral reefs and their associated marine life bring most visitors to the park. The reef lies between 3 and 8 miles off the coast. Unless you’re an exceptional swimmer, you’ll have to take a boat to see the reefs. The park includes the first undersea park in the U.S. and encompasses approximately 70 nautical square miles. The entrance fee is $8 for a carload of 2-8 people.

Our stop for the night was further south in Islamorada, known as the Sport-Fishing Capital of the World. Legend has it that the area was named by Spanish explorers who, upon seeing the purple sky at sunset and the purple bougainvillea, called it “isla morado,” or purple island. We stayed in a small cottage at La Siesta Resort and Villas, which were basic but right on the water on the Atlantic side – great for sunrises. However, we made a note to book on the gulf side next time to enjoy the sunsets.

We had an excellent meal that night at the Islamorada Fish Company on the Gulf of Mexico side, and we enjoyed watching the tarpon swimming in the lit-up water surrounding the restaurant.

The next morning, we drove a little more than an hour south over the Seven Mile Bridge to Key West. We had reservations for two nights at The Marker – Key West Harbor Hotel, 200 William Street. It was a great location, only a five-minute walk to Mallory Square, famous for its nightly Sunset Celebration, eight minutes to the Hemingway Home and Museum at 907 Whitehead Street, and ten minutes to the Southernmost Point Buoy marking the southernmost point in the continental United States at 1400 Whitehead Street.

The Hemingway House was a highlight for me, and I loved the treehouse extension where he wrote. Another interesting spot not far from it is a sign at 301 Whitehead Street identifying the First Office of Pan American World Airways. On October 28th, 1927, Pan Am Flight Number One took off from Key West and headed for Havana, Cuba. It was the first American international air service in scheduled operation.

Over the two days, we spent in Key West, we swam at Smathers Beach and enjoyed meals and drinks at several places, including Conch Republic Seafood Company at 631 Greene Street, Bo’s Fish Wagon at 801 Caroline Street, and Amigos Tortilla at 425 Greene Street.

So far, of all the various islands in the Keys, I have found Key West the most fascinating because of its combination of history, culture, architecture, and beauty.

I hope to return to see more of the whole string of islands, but after crossing the low-level bridges, I’m reminded of the fragility of the area. An article in The Guardian pointed out that the Keys are trying to plan for a 17-inch rise in sea level by 2040 but funding is short. NOAA calls 17 inches a low estimate.