Sun Outdoors Sugarloaf Key - Sugarloaf Key, FL

Sun Outdoors Sugarloaf Key - Sugarloaf Key, FL 

 We decided we could not say we saw all of Florida if we didn't visit the Keys. Lisa made a pitstop there years ago on a cruise with the kids, but other than that, neither of us had been to the Keys. We found a new campground in Sugarloaf Key, which is one island east of Key West.  This worked out well for us  and kept us out of the daily chaos in Key West. Things were very pricey in Key West, but they were not much better anywhere down in the Keys. We were able to make daily short trips to  many of the islands scattered throughout the Keys.

This sunrise greeted us from our campground in Sugarloaf Key. A gorgeous sunrise is the perfect start to the day. It gives you a sense of hope and promise of good things yet to come. 

We saw many shrimp boats scattered off the coast of Key West.

Key West roosters are the most photographed inhabitants of the Keys.  The term rooster for a male chicken originated in the United States. It is assumed this term was coined from the fact most chickens “roost” in trees to sleep at night. 

Roosters are very territorial and will aggressively protect their hens from threats.  Key West roosters descended from roosters bred in Cuba and the Keys for fighting.  For many years, a winning fight rooster would be a source of income and, of course, bragging rights.  When cockfights became no longer legal in the United States, a lot of chickens were released and left to fend for themselves in the Keys.  Today, these roosters are prized for their gorgeous colored plumes and still have the fighting spirit of their ancestors to survive. The free roaming chickens have adapted well to their lifestyle without fighting. Very few cities can boast about their abundance of friendly, free roaming chickens scattered throughout the town mingling among the people and retail areas. The novelty of these free roaming chickens has become an integral attraction for visitors who come to Key West.

There was a lengthy line formed to get this traditional photo everyone must get when visiting Key West.  It is almost a rite of passage to commemorate visiting the Keys. This landmark is probably one of the most well recognized sites in the state.

This bronze statue, erected in March 2015, celebrates the life and work of Bishop Albert Kee, a preacher, businessman, and Key West's official ambassador of goodwill. Each day, Bishop Kee could be seen at the Southernmost Point, greeting the Conch Train with a cheerful wave and toot on a conch shell. He educated visitors about the origins of conch and various uses for conch meat and also explained how Key West's natives came to be called Conchs. Bishop Kee, and his father before him, left a 50-year legacy of welcoming all who visited the Southernmost Point and popularized conch blowing. More importantly, they were emissaries of the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic community that has made Key West unique since its inception. The two witnessed many changes that came to Key West over time; changes that mirrored those occurring outside their tiny island, and that resonate to this day. Kee and his father lived in Key West when all the beaches in Florida were segregated and the sole water access area for most of Bahama Village was an area of land called the Black Beach. It was part of the Army property originating from the Point and stretching to Fort Zachary Taylor. In 1948, the army transferred most of this land to the Navy. The Navy built military housing and connected the stretch of land and beach to Truman Annex. In 1942, with the threat of World War II, the Navy erected a fence along Whitehead Street to separate their base housing from the town. This, in effect, reduced Black Beach to a tiny patch of beach front that we now know as the Southernmost Point. From this small patch of land, Bahama Village fishermen anchored their boats, sold their catch along Whitehead Street, and shared the waters with their children and families. Bishop Kee and his father were at the Point in 1969 when segregated beaches became illegal throughout Florida. Bishop Kee witnessed the Southernmost Point evolve into a spot that would attract thousands of tourists annually. He was present when the old wooden southernmost billboard was replaced with the oversized buoy proclaiming that it is the southernmost point in the continental United States. The buoy design originated from a large floating buoy that marked the entrance to the Black Beach. Several years prior to this, President Harry Truman took a big step in support of equal rights when he ordered that the military become desegregated. His orders were interpreted to mean that desegregation applied only to military personnel. President Dwight D. Eisenhower took this a step further and desegregated the entire military. The historic Black Beach could not be returned to the community since a large portion of it was now a military base with Navy housing built along the adjacent shores. However, as a gesture to the community, the city built a large community pool and community center at the edge of Bahama Village. The pool was situated to look over the beach that was once Black Beach and toward the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It had ground level space for community gatherings and was open to all. The pool is currently still in use and now called the Martin Luther King Community Center.

This is the other mandatory photo when you visit Key West.  The little shop there sold all kinds of paraphernalia with Mile Marker 0 on it.  We could not find anything we could not live without there,  so we left with only the pictures to prove we were there.

 

The Navy established a base in Key West in 1823. The need for a lighthouse quickly became evident as ships navigated the shallow, reef-laden waters. The first keeper, Michael Mabrity, died in 1832. His widow, Barbara, became one of the very few female lighthouse keepers. She remained as the keeper for 32 years. The Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 destroyed the lighthouse. The USS Morris, which was wrecked during the storm, reported "a white sand beach covers the spot where Key West Lighthouse once stood". Barbara Mabrity survived, but fourteen people who had sought refuge in the lighthouse tower died, including seven members of her family.  The light house was rebuilt and returned to service in 1848. Barbara Mabrity continued to serve as keeper of the Key West Light House until the early 1860s, when she was fired at age 82 for making statements against the Union.  

After the lighthouse was destroyed in the 1846 hurricane, a ship, the Honey, was acquired and outfitted as a lightship to serve as the Sand Key Light until new lighthouses could be built. Due to efforts to reorganize the Lighthouse Board, Congress was slow to appropriate funds for the new lighthouse. The new tower for the Key West Light was completed in 1848. It was 50 feet tall with 13 lamps in 21-inch reflectors and stood on ground about 15 feet above sea level. In 1858, the light received a third-order Fresnel lens. In 1873, the lantern was replaced, which added three feet to the height of the tower. The growth of trees and taller buildings in Key West began to obscure the light, and in 1894 the tower was raised another twenty feet, placing the light about 100 feet above sea level. 

The Coast Guard decommissioned the Key West Light House in 1969. It was the end of an era. New technology resulted in no longer needing full time light keepers or their way of life. Once it was decommissioned, it was converted into a museum dedicated to the brave folks who were former keepers of the light, their way of life and the progress of the Maritime heritage in Key West. Their way of life no longer exists, but the memory of them is never forgotten. The museum is still open for tours. The entrance fees help maintain the museum.

We have toured so many of these museums, it was hard to justify the $40 to see another one. We just admired her from the surrounding grounds and learned about her history. There was a nice park surrounding the light house you can visit without paying the museum entrance fee. It was a great day for a good walk in the park.

We were blessed with this amazing sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. We took a sunset tour and dinner cruise while we were in the area. It was a tad pricey, but it was very enjoyable. The food was better than most dinner cruises we have been on. The menu served on the buffet did not include a wide variety, but there was plenty of hot food being constantly replenished by very friendly, attentive staff. It made for a very pleasant experience. I have spent that $150 many times on much worse excursions. Drinks were included and served on the upper viewing deck. 

These were some more of the gorgeous sunset views from Key West.  

We watched the sunset from the campground many times. We only saw it actually from Key West once.  It is hard to say which one was the more impressive. The colors were simply stunning. 

We had Key West on our rather lengthy bucket list.  We are always adding places to our bucket list as we talk to other people, research areas or simply stumble across them.  Key West was beautiful and it was good to check it off our bucket list. However, neither of us have any desire to travel there again. At this time, we have seen all we care to see in southern Florida. There are many places we have visited that we would like to go back and spend more time there. Key West was not one of those places.