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I Believe I Can Fly

by Brian on February 21, 2011 in Florida

From this photo you might think the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon Key is a top secret military installation that is developing the latest in dolphin missile technology. But instead, they’re a not-for-profit education and research facility dedicated to the study, rescue and rehabilitation of the marine mammals. DRC’s research ranges from immunology to demonstrating that dolphins have a better understanding of numbers than many humans I know. DRC also runs a wide variety of educational programs for the public, including “dolphin encounters” that allow visitors to swim with the creatures.

The interactive programs run as much as $189 per person for just 20 minutes with the dolphins, which after seeing them first hand, didn’t seem like a good deal. So we stayed out of the water today, and found watching from the sidelines rewarding enough. We learned a lot while we were there, and naturally watched the dolphins perform a bunch of tricks . . . the same kind of thing you’d see at Sea World, I imagine. But we often found it more interesting to observe the dolphins when the trainers weren’t around.

One flirtatious dolphin, named Merina, spent a good 15 minutes, or more, playing hide and seek with us. She’d pop up in front of us, with one eye out of the water, looking us over, only to disappear and pop up somewhere else; always making sure we were watching her antics. We had no food for her (feeding the animals is prohibited), and she had no hope of any kind of reward from us, other than our attention, which is apparently all she wanted.

Merina the flirt.

Sunset Amenities

by Brian on February 18, 2011 in Florida

We thought it strange that the campground website listed “Sunsets” as one of the amenities of their park. But then we backed up right to the water and were treated to night, after night of displays like this one and the one above. Not a bad amenity.

Leaving Key West

by Brian on February 17, 2011 in Florida

It is a sad day as our seemingly relentless journey south comes to an end. Key West is the southern most city in the U.S., so unless somebody builds a bridge to Cuba, we’ve run out of road and must turn around.

We really like Key West, but I’m not sure exactly why. It’s not a pretty tropical island like you find in the Caribbean. A sandy beach is almost impossible to find here. But at the same time, it has an island culture in what is otherwise a bustling town. Maybe that is the draw, all the conveniences of a landlocked city that is small enough to be traversed on bike, mixed with the laidback vibe of the tropics.

We’re not sure about much as far as our future goes. We don’t really have any plans. But one thing we know for certain: we’ll be back to Key West someday. Maybe when we’re done with the RV, we will trade it in for a boat. I can think of worse ways to spend time than anchored off the coast of Key West and using it as a base to explore the Caribbean. But that isn’t a plan, just an option. One on a growing list we’re assembling.

You know you’re in Key West when…

by Brian on February 16, 2011 in Florida

…you come back from sightseeing and there’s a rooster perched on the roof of your car.

“Gypsy chickens” have the run of the island, roaming streets and sidewalks, appearing in restaurant courtyards, nesting in trees, and making it completely unnecessary for an alarm clock. They’re said to be the descendants of birds brought to the island from Cuba for cock fighting before the barbaric pastime was made illegal.

The gypsy chickens have caused rifts among residents, with some thinking they’re a nuisance and others wanting to protect them. We’re rooting for the chickens, who so far are winning the war. They’re protected by law. Harass the feathered locals, and you’ll pay a steep price: a $500 fine.

Second Time Around

by Brian on February 15, 2011 in Florida, Food & Drink

For two and a half years, since the last time we visited Key West, I had been fantasizing about Santiago’s Bodega, a restaurant that serves tapas-style dishes. We tried completely different items than we had when we first dined there—except for one, my favorite, dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto—and thought it was even more divine this time around. Or maybe food just tastes better after biking four-and-a-half miles to get to it. The best part: Brian was inspired to recreate the date dish in the RV kitchen.