After visiting Biscayne National Park, we headed south toward Key West arriving at our Airbnb, The Scarlett Mango Inn, in the late afternoon. After getting settled, we walked a few blocks to Pickles Sports Bar to watch the Dallas Cowboys in the playoff game and to have dinner. After the game was over, we decided to walk back to the Airbnb by way of Duval Street. Duval Street is known for being the party street of Key West. We found it to have great live music and we bounced between three different bars enjoying country music singers.
The next morning, Jim wanted a big breakfast, so our first stop was The Breakfast Club Too which was delicious! Afterwards, we rode the Conch Train which made a narrated loop through Old Town Key West. This helped us to get our bearings and see what we wanted to go back to/spend more time at.
The Conch Train tour concluded right by the Shipwreck Museum, so we figured that was a good place to begin our own exploration. Then we walked up the street and toured Truman's Little White House, stopped to take a picture of Ernest Hemingway's house, and posed for a picture at the buoy that represents the southernmost point of the US. We finished the afternoon by visiting the Key West Butterfly Conservatory. Back at our Airbnb, we showered quickly and then headed back to Pickles Bar for dinner and to watch the NCAA Football Championship Game between Michigan and Washington. And thankfully, Michigan was victorious!
The next morning, we were up early to walk over to the ferry terminal for our reservation on the Yankee Freedom that would take us out to Dry Tortugas National Park. Prior to boarding, we were warned that the winds and seas were very strong and that we should take Dramamine before the ferry ride. We were glad we took their advice because it was a very rough ride, and many passengers were getting seasick. Luckily, we felt fine and thoroughly enjoyed the ride talking with two men from Wisconsin who were avid birdwatchers. After 2.5 hours on the ferry, we arrived at Dry Tortugas National Park - our 30th national park in our quest to see all 63! We joined the ranger for the one hour guided tour of the fort which we found to be very informative. Then we picked up our picnic lunch from the ferry and found a picnic table outside of the fort to enjoy our meal. Later, we walked part way around the outside of the fort and then followed the beach toward Bush Key. Pretty soon, it was time to board the ferry for the ride back to Key West. Back at the Airbnb, we got cleaned up and then found a Mexican restaurant on Duval Street for dinner. We ended the evening by listening to a country band at The Hog's Breath on Duval Street.
The following day was spent mainly in the car as we drove from Key West to Orlando to fly back to Fresno.
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