Florida Keys pics 3-2-2009

[Ben]

These are all my pics that i took
This is a new restaraunt being built by the 7 mile bridge, you see those Tiki roofs everywhere, its amazing they stand up to the rain and wind

This is from a harbor we were pulling out of, a boat took us to the one tiny island Pigeon Key and you got a tour of the place, VERY INTERESTING, if you like history this a must see place. And it only cost $11

this is from the island

this is the islands dock

this is a shot of the island when we left, you can see how small it is. Was used a place for all the workers to stay when building the original railroad bridge, amazing history. You cant get to it by car, only by boat or there is a ramp that goes to the old 7 mile bridge that you can bike or walk 2+ miles to

[Ben]

I went there wanting to do some fishing, tried bridge fishing, but it was so windy that it was a bitch and i gave up. Tried going off the beach and kept getting the tail bitten off my lures but couldnt land anything, i ended up having my best luck in the canal behind the house. All the smaller fish go there for protection, and im sure there is larger ones cruising through there. I gave up going for the large fish and got out my panfish rod, took awhile but i found the fish. This is a horse eye jack i think, was grunting like crazy when i pulled it out and had real smooth skin. The next fish had scales, and teeth too. But they werent pointy teeth, they were flat and in a line, just like human teeth. Also caught a red snapper, the things jaws were lined with teeth and the muscles were so strong, i couldnt open its mouth to get the pliers in its mouth, was nuts. My first ever saltwater fishing

[Ben]

This is in a marina in Key West, lots of those large sailing ships


The last day Jason, Danny, and me went on a kayak trip, was AWESOME. The guide took us through the mangroves, and even deep into them through these trails that run through them, there is just enough water for a kayak to get through, and the tops are all grown over. Some parts you put your paddle away and used your hands grabbing the branches to pull your self through. Me and Jason both fell in twice, danny stayed upright the whole time

[Ben]

Here are heathers pics, we all know she wont post them 
This is the house we stayed in, was awesome. I love the open air garage underneath

behind the house

this is the behind the house, the dock on the left went to the houses backyard, its where i caught the fish


This is Pigeon Key, the island i mentioned before

[Ben]

This is from Big Pine Key, interesting how they use fire there like they do out west




These are the Key Deer, and endangered species that lives there. That is their full grown size. You can tell that dumb ass people feed them, i was telling them to get back in the forest and chased them back, they need a little fear

This is the Blue Hole there, it is fresh water which is extremely rare there. There are alligators that live in it, but we didnt see any. All kinds of birds and fish in it

[Ben]

There is an island we went to that has no power and utilities running to it, was pretty cool. All the houses had solar panels on top like this one, was neat to see. I saw AC units on the houses too, im assuming there must have been a generator that ran those, i wouldnt think that a solar panel could supply them



This is at Key West at the end, there were 3 cruise ships docked there for the day, they are HUGE.

[Ben]

This is the Key West Aquarium, by far best aquarium i have been to. I guess its easy when all the wildlife is 100 feet away in the ocean all around there. They had a lot of outside exhibits, and the one in the second pic is just a section of the shoreline they blocked off, and had the bigger sharks and rays out there


In Key West there are chickens everywhere, like there are pigeons in a regular city. They just walk in and out of everywhere, since almost all the places there have no doors, just like the metal gates you see inside the mall.

[Ben]

I had a real good time there, but i would want a boat if i went back. The things wanted to do the most there, snorkeling and fishing, are easy to do if you have a boat. The reef is within sight distance of the beaches, not that far at all. Although the water this time of year is still a little on the cold side, would want to wait till later when its warmer, but the fishing is really good now. Our kayak guide said by far his favorite thing to do and does it after work is spearfishing, sounds pretty cool

[Pete]

very cool pics, seeing greenery, even in pictures, is a welcome change!

[DannyBoy]

Lots of nice pictures.  I miss it!  That aquarium was great, I loved watching the shark tank.  Too bad they weren't hungry.

[ELake]

Cool pics, sounds like you guys had fun!!

[Ben]

I definitely enjoyed it, although doesnt come close to ID for me. Thats still King. If i could go back to the Keys, would do it differently the next time, i did all the touristy things to do and wouldnt want to do them again, would be sweet to have a boat there and be able to go out whenever i want where ever i want. At minimum i would at least buy a kayak and use that to get around, fish from. To be able to go out and fish in the reef or the back country or the flats, or go snorkeling in the reef, or just explore on your own time and not have to pay someone through the nose to do it and be able to be on my schedule, that would be awesome for me. I saw lots of boats getting towed down there from NJ, Maryland, DE, OH, MI, i can totally understand why. My boss and his friend bought a boat just to keep down there full time