Monday December 17: In the Keys :-)

Finally - we are in the Florida Keys! Tonight we are anchored behind Pigeon Key - off of Key Largo.

I think we may be home :-)

We passed by the lighthouse on Boca Chita on the way out of the harbor this morning. By the time we left, we were the only boat in the harbor. Quite the change from yesterday (but then we've read it's always packed on the weekends). It was a low tide so we waited about an hour to leave. I didn't really think we'd have any trouble getting out but there wasn't a great hurry anyway.

The no-see-ums were out in full force overnight. They are so named because they are only 1/8 of an inch in length! So you feel something biting but don't see anything - plus they come right through the screens they are so small.

Boca Chita was definitely worth the visit. There is no power or water but rather just a dock to which to tie.

Biscayne Bay was incredibly calm today - nothing like yesterday with a 1 foot chop.

Miami can be see in the distance as we move south on the bay - getting close to the Keys!

It was just like boating in an aquarium. The water here is about 7 feet deep. We've seen this before but it's been a long time since the water has been this clear for us.

What a difference than the travel in the rest of Florida as well and the other coastal states.

We knew we hit the Keys when we passed under the A1 bridge that travels the length of the keys from Key Largo to Key West.

This high fixed bridge used to be a draw bridge when we first started coming to the keys (in the 1980's?) so it's really how we know we have made it.

The nice weather held all day with more wind in the afternoon but still a very nice day.

Once we arrived and were anchored for the night, it was time to Link. This is the video game I'm playing as we travel. Fun way to spend the time although if there wasn't a cheat guide on line, I would have given up a long time ago :-)

The front cabin is a multi-purpose room. Video games, movies, football .....

And if you come to visit - it becomes your sleeping quarters - complete with a private head :-)

So if you are headed to the keys - we're already here and waiting for someone to show up!