Key West Jan 2017

Key West January 2017, For us this is the first corner of the US. The four corners of the United States are San Ysidro, California; Blaine, Washington; Madawaska, Maine;  and Key West, Florida. Here is the website for the ride that is supposed to be done in 21 days or less, but being our age, LOL, we are going to take a lot longer. Click HERE to read more about this ride


NOW for the KEY WEST corner. We planned our trip here in January, 2017.

January 15th
We had an awesome ride today, we went from our home near Daytona to Key Largo and stayed one night at Pennekamp.  http://pennekamppark.com/  The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is a beautiful place but during the winter it is very hard to get a camping space there.  We were told that some people book their space a year in advance.  We only wanted to spend the night and were lucky enough to find this space open but only for the one night.

Setting up the Time Out Camper . We looked around and tried many different ways to travel and this is our choice.  We wanted to do this ride on our motorcycle because that is what it is all about.  A travel trailer or motorhome would mean either 1 riding motorcycle and 1 driving equipment or both driving the equipment.  And so we chose the Time Out Camper because it gives us room inside to move around and it has enough storage space for the basics which are all we need. 

This is the inside, the picture is from their website,  Time Out Camper , because it is better than the one I took.  With all windows open it has plenty of light, We are using the queen sized air mattress but you could also get foam mattress.  

All set up. Maybe someday I will time us doing it. Where does Ziva ride? Depends on temperature, but if not too hot she rides in her crate which you can see on top of the tour pack is the Kuryakyn Pet Palace we bought at J&P Cycles in Daytona. Below is a close up picture from J&P's website. The carrier has vents on the front, back, top and side. It also has storage for her bowls, treats, leash, and more.  IF it gets too hot out then Ziva rides with me outside. IF it is cold she is either inside my jacket or in the crate with a blanket.

Ziva also has her own travel bed.  We found that if we take her somewhere, like out to eat, that she will curl up in her bed on a chair next to us and take a nap.  She decided to nap while we set up the tent.

After we setup the tent we went to find somewhere to eat and have a beer.  The Caribbean Club in Key Largo was our first choice.  We had been here many times on our other trips to Key West. This was our view from the deck.

Here at the Caribbean Club Ziva found a new friend Gary, but this happens everywhere she goes. We get stopped all the time by people who want to know more about her.

January 16th
Slept good last night now we are waiting for breakfast at Burger King. Then we will take our time going thru the Keys to make our way to Key West.

Awesome ride to key west, weather was beautiful. made it to Boyds Campground.

Setting up at Boyds Campground in Key West.  The sites here are small but it is just minutes from downtown. Boyds is a very popular campground and we were greeted with very friendly staff.  The bathrooms were very clean and so was the park. So small was ok with us because we got to stay here in prime season for the Keys. The tent sites have electric and water, a picnic table, and a charcoal grill,  but no campfires are allowed in the park, understandable.  It is very expensive, but everything in Key West is, but we both had a wonderful time so it is what it is, the $88 per night was well worth it. 

Behind our site was this little path that lead to the water.

View of site from the back of site.  

Now that we are all set up it is time to go downtown.  We have not been to the Keys in about 10 years and we find that you now have to pay to park almost everywhere.  On Duval street  we chose to park at Hogs Breath which was one of our favorite hangs outs.  We got 3 hours to play on Duval for $10, but I guess this is not bad because we did not have to worry about the bike while we had fun and it was watched too.  OH I should also  mention Coors light cans are $4.25 each but like I said spent a lot but enjoyed the trip.

Me and Ziva at the bar.  We were told that we could have sat anywhere but we chose here by the sign. We had a couple of beers and some awesome steamed shrimp.

Now we are ready to go to Mallory Square, well after we walked up Duval Street a ways. Mallory Square is where all the shows, vendors and artists come, at sunset it is the place to be. 

See, Ziva gets attention every where we go, We must have been stopped 10 times tonight.

And what we came here for, the Key West Sunsets...  Absolutely beautiful.

January 17th
Breakfast and another great day awaits. Have a nice shady site, water behind us, heard and felt ocean breezes all night, ONLY bad thing about here is airplanes coming and going this morning but then again They can be heard all over the island. And Ziva was content in her bed after she ate.  And yes, our computers and Ipad go everywhere with us.

After breakfast we were ready to ride to No Name Key and Geiger Key.... Two of our old hang outs.  We went to No Name Key first but No Name Pub would not allow animals inside or out, probably due to the Screw Worm alert which has been found on the Key Deer.  But I understood, so we did not stop but if you are there and do not have an animal then please stop there, the food is great and the pub is a unique place.  The alert is primarily for No Name and Gieger Key and dogs are not high risk, and humans infection is rare, but we chose the safe side.  When we left the Keys we stopped at the check point and Ziva was checked and was fine.  The ranger there explained all of it to us.

Before heading to Geiger Key Marina we stopped at Boondocks Grill for lunch, and they have a section outside that is dog friendly. The brag that they have the largest tiki hut in the Keys and I believe it.  The food was wonderful, the service was great and Ziva was loved.

Now on to the Geiger Key Marina in Geiger Key.... We have eaten here before and the food was always very good. But today it is just a couple of beers and lots of compliments on Ziva.

Back to the campsite then we are off to downtown Key West again.  We went to another one of our favorite hang outs in Key West, the Schooners Wharf Bar, they love Ziva, waitress brought her water and bartender brought her treats LOL and people kept coming to meet her. A woman walked up and said "you are on a motorcycle, we saw you and Ziva on the bike", we heard this many times.

January 18th
First Stop today is the bouy in Key West, the Southern most point in the USA.

Me and Ziva, and tons of other people too.

Cannot forget the end of route 1 sign...

Captain Tonys is the oldest bar in Key West and was the original home of Sloppy Joes, the website says (and it is true) -----  "Captain Tony’s Saloon is not just a bar it is a piece of living history. The saloon’s namesake, fishing boat captain gunrunner, gambling casino operator and Mayor of Key West the late Captain Tony, was a larger than life character who was often described as a dropout from a Hemingway novel. Originally built in 1851 as an icehouse that doubled as a morgue Captain Tony’s Saloon is steeped in history. When you stop  in for a cold one, remember you are drinking where legends have been drinking for decades."

Now to the Garden of Eden. Buddy and Ziva on the roof.  The building is on Duval street (picture below is from the web and shows it from the street). the first floor is the Bull, 2nd floor is the Whistle Bar, and the roof is the Garden of Eden. The link tells the history of the building. 

Riding around Key West.  Scooters are big in Key West and are every where.  

When we are going slow Ziva loves to sit on my chest with her legs on Buds shoulder and there she looks around and loves the ride.  When we are going fast she will hide her head in my shirt, we do need to get Doggles (see below)

What are Doggles??  Doggles are more than just a fashion statement, although they do make dogs look pretty cool. The shades are actual eyewear protection, and can help dogs with eye conditions that make them sensitive to sunlight and wind.  So we will be getting Ziva her Doggles soon.  This awesome picture is from "Stuff on my Weiner" website 

Only in Key West.  You will see lots of different stuff and it is always fun just to ride around and look.

Back to the campsite and we had our most expensive night of all in Key West.  We decided to take a cab from the campground the Duval Street so we could drink and not worry about parking or driving back to site.  So the ride down was $25, the drinks were very expensive, food and entertainment at Senior Frogs was awesome and they have a dog friendly section on the deck out front. After we ate we enjoyed the entertainment at Sloppy Joes was great.

Sloppy Joes photo from their website showing street view, see link above

Our view of the stage

Me and Ziva, again she was welcomed inside. 

So we had a good time but now is time to go home and get ready for the longest part of our Four Corners ride !!!!!  Next is Madawaska, Maine. then the other two corners, San Ysidro, California and Blaine, Washington.