On the way down the east coast of Florida this west coast surfer was hoping to sample some of the better known breaks. However, the weather and surf weren’t cooperating. Plus the family had been relentlessly chanting, “Sunshine Key”! Even the dog was wanting to move on since the locals weren’t so into him.
There were a couple reminders of the surf spots along the roadway requiring focus to miss the exits.
Heading south, the 95 freeway is littered with East Coast surf shop billboards.
Our last campsite before the final leg to Sunshine Key.
Squawking parrots seemed to be the perfect alarm clock for our travel day into Jimmy Buffet territory. The flock was flying from tree to tree around our parking lot campsite at Bedner’s Farm in West Palm Beach.
For the last twenty-two years my wife has been suggesting we go to a warm place during our winter holiday. However, my love of skiing and the mountains have landed us in the snow every winter. I thought I would make it up to her by booking two months in the Florida Keys to wait out the coldest months of the year.
Sunshine Key was waiting for us, but once we left the mainland our travel day was filled with very little sunshine. Rain would be the order for our stay in the Keys as locals continued to tell us it was the most wet and windy winter they had in the last twenty-five years. It’s all relative as the wettest and windiest day in the Keys seemed far better weather than the rest of the country in December and January.
Arriving to Sunshine Key on December Eighth we settled into a prime campsite near the water.
We were greeted by the locals.
Manatees drink fresh water and have an uncanny ability to locate it often traveling many miles through the ocean to their next water source. This manatee would sip on dripping water from the dock for thirty minutes at a time.
And our first heart filling sunset.
Sunshine Key is located eight miles below the city of Marathon and just above Bahia Honda State Park. Or as the locals call it, Mile Marker 38.
It becomes a seasonal home to many folks escaping the cold of the northeast. There are roughly four hundred sites along with some cabanas and trailers they rent out nightly. Included in the facilities are a marina, clubhouse, cafe, tennis courts, beach, fishing pier, pool, bait & tackle shop and gas station. Along with weekly activities like Ice Cream Socials and water access for our paddle boards, there was a lot to keep us busy.
Evidently Sunshine Key and Marina management had experience with a variety of plumbing issues.
However, school was still on order although the kids seemed happy to get their studies out of the way in the classroom of the open sky.
Parker and I did a bit of work along the shoreline to lessen it’s burden of garbage. In less than an hour we picked up over thirty gallons of trash. No coastline is immune to the effects of man and we pick up trash regularly.
This place is less than a quarter mile from our campground and it’s called paradise beach. There was much more work to be done. It would be closer to paradise without the trash. This seemed completely unnecessary. While much of the trash made it in the cans there was a lot that missed. It left us wishing all humans would respect our beaches.
Cleaner shores at our go to spot at Sunshine Key, the fishing pier.
We took full advantage of the fishing pier often getting there before daylight and back at it until the sun went down. There were a few keepers here and there and good times always.
Excited to get our boat in the water, we found out perfect boating days were infrequent due to wind and rain. When the weather proved good for boating we dropped everything and hit the water.
The first opportunity we had we launched and went to Conch Republic, an island just east of our campground, small enough to walk around in fifteen minutes. With reef on one side and sand on the other it was a fun place to explore.
Conch Republic is where we met Bernie. Bernie, a retired high school teacher was in a skiff with two dogs. He was the perfect example of a drunken sailor. He kept telling us we were lucky to run into him as he was going to let us know the best places to visit but never really did. He let his dogs run around the small island for a while before he started yelling for them to get in the boat. In a low, rolling growl he proceeded to yell, ,”MANGO, BOAT, NOW!” over and over. He must of yelled twenty times and it only became comical when he told us the dog is deaf. Now anytime we run across a mango fruit we think of Bernie and The Conch Republic.
A short boat ride away lies one of the most sought after campgrounds in Florida, Bahia Honda State Park. Hosting a small marina, off shore anchorage, camping, amazing beaches, beautiful water and the cheapest, best ice cream around. We made many a trip by land and sea to Bahia Honda.
Best Ice Cream Ever!
Fishing was a blast but I never seemed to have enough time on the water.
The weeks leading up to Christmas were filled with many hot tropical days and sunset filled evenings.
The campground was only a quarter full with most of the seasonal campers due to show up after Christmas. Besides Santa we had a lot to look forward to over the Holidays as we had family and friends coming to visit all the way from California.
windryder5 