It all started when the temperatures started dropping. I started fantasizing about the sun and how much I needed that Vitamin D on my skin. I called up my most adventurous friends and said, “I need the sun, you need an adventure, let’s go to the Keys.” and they said, “Yep!”
Day One: 4:00 a.m. A is cooking delicious eggs and N is mad that it's time to wake up. K & H are quiet and wait for their plate. We pack the car in Statesboro, and we head out.
*Stopped for gas to fill the tank, was about $6 per person.*
We got to Miami at about 2:00 p.m. We rolled down the windows and took our jackets off. We turned the A/C on in the car. We changed the music in the car to 90's Hip-Hop before hitting traffic.
*We stopped at Walmart in Miami and picked up snorkel gear for the trip-- don't worry, your $15 is returned on the way back*
We got to Key Largo, exhausted, at about 5:00 p.m. as the sun was setting. We needed a place to stay, so we kept driving for places that allowed camping. We got to Big Pine Key just as the sun was blending with the ocean line and we all fell in love with the smell and the most perfect location. We began to imagine how beautiful the next morning's sunrise would be and could not wait to see what all the Keys had to offer.
Night fell, and sand gnats came out. K & H shared the left tent while N & A shared the right. We cracked up laughing about the research of sand gnats and their “blood meals.” I drank from a rotten coconut over our small (mostly battery operated LED lights) bonfire and we all shared a $1.00 loaf of bread for dinner. Yum!
In the midst of all the biting that night, K & H ran to the trusty Cobalt to slumber for the night.
Day Two:
The sunrise was incredible, apparently. K & H woke up to foggy windows and South American Indie music, interesting. We could not wait to get our beach vacay on, so we found ourselves at Bahia Honda Key. We got overcast in the morning, bright clear skies by the afternoon, three sharks and a sea turtle that day. It was the happiest day of N’s life.
We needed grub and fast, so we headed to Duval Street in Key West. We parked in a bank parking lot (it was after 5:00 p.m.) and headed to a restaurant where we stuffed our faces in conch fritters and shrimp of all variety.
*My meal was about $10, $15 with tip.*
As night fell, we quickly realized we needed a place to lay our heads. So we went to the Hyatt. We played chess and a mind game out in their courtyard, and relaxed. We found a quiet spot far from others in two hammocks. We got about an hour of sleep until we had to run away. K & N found themselves in an apartment parking lot while A & H resided in a CVS parking lot in the trusty Cobalt.
I needed the beach and I needed it fast. We woke up and went to “The Best Coffee Shop in Town.” And they were not lying about it.
*Breakfast sandwich $3.50, coffee $1.50-- I ate half my sandwich for lunch it was so big.*
We found water at the man-made Smather’s Beach. We made friends with a couple of bums and we spent most of the day there. This day, January 7, 2015, is the day we found our paradise.
The boys were craving more adventure after our taco truck lunch, they needed to snorkel. We went to the spot all the blogs said was the best snorkel spot you could get. The water was foggy. There was a nude woman on the beach and we made a little man out of sea shells. We went on a baby hike around the fort, hitch-hiked sailboats with no luck and toured the inside of Dry Tortugas National Park. N’s birthday was coming up, so we decided to celebrate him this night. We went to Blue Haven and I splurged. I bought a $20 meal and even ate off N and K’s plate, lol.
*Y’all. So far, I’ve only spent $51 and we’re halfway through the trip!*
As we were walking around, we were realizing again, we had no place to stay. N downloaded the Couchsurfing app. (This is where you download it, too.) We found a Turkish man who was very nice and offered us his porch. He already had two gals taking up his couches. We met up with him about two blocks from Duval Street and he showed us where we would be staying. (Dad, I know this sounds very 60 minute-y but, I’m alive, it’s OK.) We decided the porch would suffice and set up camp after exploring a little more in the night hours.
Day Three:
We woke up to the clucking of roosters at a bright 4:00 a.m. and decided: today is the day we will be tourists. We snagged b-fast at the Cuban Coffee Queen.
*Oh, Em Louise, so good, y’all- and for $4?!?! Cuban coffee and a sammie.*
and we walked around the docks and the town. We walked, I’m not joking, my fit bit told me, 13 miles that day. Holy!
We went back to Duval Street for Dinner. Keep in mind: We packed a lot of snacks that we used most times as just eating throughout the day. A & H got slices of ‘za with outrageous toppings like shrimp and tomatoes ($3.50 a slice!!!) and K & N got conch fritters and french fries from the made famous by Guy Fieri, DJ’s Clam Shack. (See ya, next time on Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives!)
We went to the local Starbucks to get wi-fi and check for a place to sleep on the Couchsurfing App. We found a guy who was willing to let us sleep on his sailboat!! We got so excited we went there immediately. As we scavenged for this boat in an old boat yard. Night grew a little colder and wind started blowing heavily. We finally found the boat and the guy then offered to take us out the next day! We were so excited and exhausted we were all legitimately screaming.
This is where things get sticky (I mean expensive):
The hatch to the boat was a sliding hatch. We found this out the hard way when we lifted the hatch and the wind blew. I was crouched down shining a light on the boys setting up our sleeping.
When the wind blew, that sliding hatch hit my head. Hard. I thought it would just be a giant knot. So I lay down for a moment and I reached up to feel the bump forming. When I brought my hands toward my face, both palms were covered in blood. We went to three closed emergency clinics before we found the Lower Keys hospital. The boys called my parents and even helped me pay my emergency room bill. (Thank you SO much, A, for real.) I got three staples to the skull and a couple percocets and a pat on the shoulder “you did so good, poor baby girl”.
We went back to the boat, slid the hatch open, and had the best sleep of the entire trip. To top it all off? We woke up to this:
There was no way I would be able to stay another day with this injury, so for N’s birthday, we were in the car, headed up I-95 North back home. Except for we went through Orlando because K took a four hour detour. We didn’t get all the way home until almost 2:00 a.m. We were exhausted and beat up, but entirely satisfied.
*We stopped for gas two more times, so about $14 more dollars. In total, without the hospital bill, I think I only spent about $115 maximum on gas and food.*
This was the best trip I’ve ever taken. This is a trip I will remember forever. As scary and a little sketchy as it sounds, I seriously suggest that every person who has read this should do it, too. It’s worth it.
*N wrote about our trip too! Click around check out the film photos he took! https://nickmasters.exposure.co/key-west*
