Florida Keys

February 2-6, 2016

I have always wanted to go to the Florida Keys.  I gave Jeff a trip here as a Christmas gift 3 years ago.  We ended up having to cancel just before we left.  So THIS Christmas I re-gave the gift to Jeff.  Our friends Travis and Shasta came along with us.  We had so much fun!

Flying in was quite the adventure!  We had to catch an early flight out of SLC to ATL.  We had an hour layover in Atlanta.  That turned into a much longer layover!  The next plane that we were supposed to take out of Atlanta into the Keys had lost its auto brakes.  It still had its manual brakes -- but considering that the runway in the Keys is literally the shortest runway in the nation - we kinda needed those brakes!  They worked to get them fixed but just couldn't get it done in time.  So we were transferred to a different plane.  We boarded, and then proceeded to sit on that plane for another hour at the gate because that plane ended up having something wrong with it too.  They got it fixed but then we had to refuel because the plane had been running for the hour that they were fixing it.  Well..... unfortunately we ended up missing the time limit literally by just a minute or two.  And crazy enough, we were told that you are supposedly not able to land in the Keys after twilight..... So we end up spending the night in Atlanta!  We ended up not flying out to the Keys until the next day!  But when we did finally get there, we had ourselves a blast! 

  

Flying in was so pretty!  The water was amazing and the depth and foliage under the water was so cool to see.

We stayed at the Beachside Marriott

Our mode of transportation:  Only the best gas powered golf cart around!

Shasta had been to the Keys just the month before and had found all the best places to wine and dine!  We ate breakfast one day at the Blue Heaven.  They had the yummiest homemade banana bread.  The best eggs benedict, banana pancakes, breakfast burritos, grilled cheese, tomato, avocado and bacon sandwiches, and delicious mile high lime meringue pie.

This cat was the funniest cat that looked just like the Parry's cat Lucky.  It just snoozed away on the porch of the restaurant.

We really didn't spend time on the beach.  They were few and far between and not well groomed but fun to see still the same.

We went to the Historic Key West Cemetery

Super cool cemetery!

We went to Hog's Breath and had the best food!

We had the yummiest treats at Mattheessen's

Ice cream - cookies the size of your face - key lime pie - fudge

Loved seeing all the banyon trees

We also had the best dinner at The Stoned Crab

Crab steamers for Jeff and Shasta

Crab cakes for Abbie

A good deed and a steak for Travis.  Poor waitress got stiffed on a bill by a family of four!  Travis was kind enough to pay for it.  "And this guy, he paid the bill for me!!!" 

There were chickens EVERYWHERE!  

I had no idea!

We went and toured the peculiar home of Ernst Hemmingway.

Apparently he had a fetish for 6 toed cats.  SIX TOES!  Supposedly they are good luck.  The 54 remaining cats on the property are descendants of his cats.

There were literally cats EVERYWHERE!