"Remember the Alamo" - Southern States  DAY 8 - Sat., 16 March 2002

The day started with a plan, anyway.  We got up earlier than usual (5:30 a.m. today), and after waiting a painfully long time to check out of the Days Inn in Titusville, we followed the signs to the Kennedy Space Center.  At the gate, there was the usual showing of force with security now being a concern in folks' minds, and we said we were here for the visitors' center, but really early.  It was 6 a.m. at this point, and the guard said it didn't open until 9 a.m.  Given the trek to the Florida Keys was expected to be time consuming, we opted not to wait.  I suggested we go up just for pictures, but she said the road is not open to the public until 9 a.m.  Drag.  We opted for a few photos around where we were limited to go at this hour, which still gave us a shuttle mock-up (or an old one, not sure), and the Mercury rocket, which was the first manned rocket sent into space.  And we got on the freeway for Miami.

The drive was uneventful, generally.  As we neared the city around 9 a.m. (note, we managed to knock down 220 miles in lieu of waiting for the visitors' center to open), we were passed by several cars in the 55 MPH construction zone... which somewhat irritated the boy.  As luck (and the law) would have it, there were five state troopers waiting for such opportunities, and like Georgia yesterday, there was a string of traffic stops in a 1/2 mile stretch along I-95.  It was indeed a pretty sight, even more so because the troopers leave their flashing lights on when they're stopped (unlike what they do in California).

We got off the highway in Miami, and found that the weather was already muggy at this hour, and we didn't find much of vast interest to look at in the downtown area.  Rather than fight an uphill battle, we headed for US Highway 1 (east coast style, not Pacific Coast Highway in the west), and headed for Key West, Florida.  Despite the name "highway", it's little more than a two-lane road for the 160 miles or so between Miami and Key West.  Well, okay; the first 20 miles are just to get you out of town, and that's stop-and-go 45 MPH if you're lucky, and as a rule, we're not.

So, beyond mile 20 (and 11:40 a.m., yes, that's correct), from Miami to where we saw water that wasn't part of a marsh, and we saw our first power pole sunk into the keys.  I realize how childish it is, but the boy got all amused by power poles having their own tiny concrete islands just stuck into the water.  I let him take pictures while I drove, which worked out as we soon discovered in Key Largo.  This was apparently the day for cheerleader-like clubs to do fundraising car-washes along US Highway 1.  During the course of perhaps three miles, we passed four of them, each with their obligatory cardboard signs held up by bikini-clad girls.  Let's face it; the boy is... a boy.  He'd have probably stopped at each, and we'd never have arrived.

Fortunately, I care not for the firm, youthful skin of their kind, and was able to drive on without a problem.  I stopped at one of the scarce turn-outs and took a peek at the water on either side of the road behind us, and couldn't help but marvel at the different shades of blue and aqua found in the water.  In front of us, eventually, stood the Seven Mile Bridge, although I measured it only be 6.8 miles, but perhaps they count in the anchoring or some such thing on either end.  We also stopped to acknowledge the brilliance of man in naming a particular key, as well just a pic of me in front of more pretty water.

At long last, we arrived in Key West.  And found that apparently this is where all those college students go in the spring.  Charming.  Crowded is an under-statement; toss on top of that the "spring festival" in the park for children from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., and you've got all the makings of an epic cluster event.  We arrived at 1:15 p.m., a few short hours from when we started.  After looking around a bit (a house, a train trolley station, one of the many berths, and just an ocean scene).

Thus, wee headed out after getting a combination of the worst service and poorest quality control we've ever had in a Wendy's.  Ever.  They bungled the order, seemed put out when we pointed it out, and after we left we found they can't count out the correct number of chicken pieces to save their lives.  Of course, it could be because they were short one person, down to just three people plus the manager (who was working drive-thru).  It struck me as odd that all three of them had to work the counter (who was cooking?), but given the number of female college students in the dining room, I guess it's understandable that their blood supply was not being sufficient fed to their brains.

To make things more interesting, the draw bridge was up when we were all trying to flee, so that sucked up a bit more time that the day hadn't already claimed.  We did pass a non-injury accident, which are always fun.  Having already made the decision that we weren't going to bunk for the night in Miami, Naples proved to be the next significant city on our odyssey, and after consulting a map, the decision proved wide.  The only downside was needing to be nearly 100 miles from Miami, and with the sun setting, the plan of not driving at night was not realized.  We jumped onto Florida route 41 west, passing the downtown area once more (closer this time), then passed some dude getting a ticket, and another accident. 

We arrived in Naples to find that, a town on the beach, on a Saturday night, is not an easy thing to locate a room at a reasonable rate.  Or even unreasonable.  We opted to go for an unreasonable versus driving on, given the amount of time already in the car for the day, and the boy was starting to get rude with me.  We took the last room in the Sea Court Hotel, a suite that could easily accommodate 4-6, but alas, it's just the two of us.  While I don't mind admitting I prefer having my own bed, I really don't like paying a wing and a webbed-foot for it.  But such things are bound to happen from time to time, and I've accepted it as part of the random nature of my trip strategy.  And with that, I'm off to make sleepy eyes.