A Key West Florida Birthday

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago and we booked a three-day trip to Key West to enjoy my day on the Southernmost Island! The day in Key West was great. The long travel days to and from were not the most comfortable. We have been to the keys many times over the years when I was still working. And love the laid back vibe of KW. Did we really want another day in the famous city? It was my birthday, so it seemed like a fun idea. So how did we travel the 435 miles each way?

Background

Our RV park has many, many activities and there is always something going on. Every few years, they plan a bus trip to a location here in Florida for a few days. Some research was done and a charter bus company with planned trips was contacted about some options.

The trip was planned last year before everyone left for the summer break. A Key West trip was selected and quickly one bus of 50 people was confirmed. After more interest this season a second bus was also filled. It was now a total of 100 people from our RV resort going to KW on my birthday! It sounded like fun.

The trip itinerary was something like this. Day 1: The buses pick up everyone from the RV park. Just a few feet from our RV! Very convenient. Then a mid-morning breakfast stop. An afternoon stop at an Indian reservation casino and then finally a stop for the night at Florida City, near Homestead. Day 2: Drive to Key West to arrive just before lunch and leave after sunset for trip back to the hotel. Day 3: Drive back stopping in Everglades for airboat rides and alligator show.

I was a little apprehensive about the bus ride. Let’s face it. Our group is a bunch of seniors from a 55 and over park. Some even with walkers and canes. How comfortable will the seats be for 10 hours or more a day? Will they stop often enough for bathroom breaks? Inquiring minds want to know…

Day 1

Too late to back out now. Bags are packed and Pat and I are on board ready or not. It was a long, long day. The breakfast stop turned into a lunch stop at a Pilot truck stop with a Wendy’s. After the mad dash to the restroom there were one hundred people in line at the counter at Wendy’s. At least I had a decent chicken sandwich to sustain me for the next several hours on the road.

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We arrived at the casino at about 3pm with my legs and butt mostly numb, but I was able to regain use of the limbs after a few minutes of stumbling about. Onlookers must have thought this was the party bus. Well, actually there were a few of those on board. The longer we were on the road, the louder they became. Deja vu back to high school bus trips. And these are our senior citizens. Thank goodness for my ear buds and a recorded book to block some of the nonsense for this grumpy old guy.

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I enjoyed the casino. Got to stretch the legs and donate to the Indian causes. Actually, I managed to stop playing the slots after I was up about $35. Woohoo! Enough for dinner at Cracker Barrel that night. Or so I thought.

After my 30 minutes of working the 1-armed bandit, Pat and I worked on getting our daily steps in by walking around the inside of the casino. Maybe 4-5 laps that equaled over a mile. The legs still work after the bus torture.

Then we loaded the buses again and drove to the hotel by 7pm. Settled in and had to walk across a busy road, after dark, to venture toward the Cracker Barrel. Either that or more fast food close to the hotel. The Cracker Barrel was the better choice even though we risked life and limb. And then back at the room by 9pm to rest up for the 8am boarding time the next morning. Are we having fun yet?

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Day 2 – The Overseas Highway

This drive through the upper, mid, and lower keys has always been one of my favorite sights on the drive. Beautiful water from long bridges and many old Florida towns that have escaped the high rise condo trend and instead have many old motels and cottages.

I’m usually always driving and can’t just focus on the views. This time I can actually do just that. The photos below are some of those I captured on the drive south.

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Wrap Up

Next up is the Day 2 at Key West. Thanks for following along and God Bless.