We made four stops on the way down. The first stop was at a small community park, the second at the monument to those that died in the great labor day hurricane of 1935 (they didn’t give them names back then), the third was a stroll from a parking area to view the 7 mile bridge before we crossed it and the last was at a park along a causeway for a picnic lunch. The general scene along the road is an endless array of Motels, T-shirt shops, and fast food. This is interspersed with miles of mangrove lining the roadway and impossibly blue water and sky.
Just after leaving the restaurant we met a local Conch who was just standing out in the street having a beer and talking to anyone who cared enough to stop for a chat. A Vietnam vet who had the scars from the bullet holes to prove it. When he returned to Key West he became the 2nd black hired to work for the Key West fire department. He talked about his nearby home proudly festooned with an American flag, his 6 children and 11 grandchildren. We took photos and shook his hand and bade him a good night.