Key West, FL-Florida City, FL 11/12 220 driving miles; 8 walking miles

So long, Florida Keys. Maybe we'll get back to Margaritaville some day soon. After raising a whole lot of "grey hell" last night on Duval street, we slept in, either to nurse our imaginary (I have been labeled certifiable by a pair of Florida professionals) hangovers, or to savor our last few moments in paradise. Whatever the reality, we didn't wander down Duval Street this morning for our cup of ambition until the glaring Florida sun was well up and heated to 80 degrees. Truth be told, we were in no hurry as tonight's stop, Florida City, is really just a jump off for our Everglades experience tomorrow and no great spectacle on its own. So we dawdled this morning, doubling down on our favorite Key West experiences: breakfast at Blue Heaven, a stroll around Key West, a long walk on seven mile bridge, and a final piece of Key Lime Pie at Burdine's in Marathon. At breakfast, Ed could be heard audibly sighing, oohing, and aahing over his shrimp, lobster, bacon, and goat cheese omelette. And to his extreme delight, the music duo performing for the crowd played an extremely pleasant arrangement of Hoagy Carmichel's song "Georgia", a favorite, which was performed famously by the late, great Ray Charles and covered just as famously by Willie Nelson. We've listened to Willie's version several times on this trip. It was almost eerie. Call me crazy, but I think the musicians personified Key West's send off to Ed and me. Scratching another item from the bucket list, we then unceremoniously drove away, stopping at Burdine's for a final piece of pie. I had mine regular, and Ed followed the advice of the "best" humans of the day, Ben and Holly, who said the fried Key Lime Pie was "to die for". It was either the debauchery of the night before, or the weight of the fried pie, but whatever, Eduardo napped (He calls it siesta) nearly the whole drive after. The "best" humans bring their boat and a few friends to spend a week in the Keys every year. They fish, relax, party on Duval Street, and by their own admission, turn themselves into less than "best" humans by the time they leave. They said, "The first thing we do when we hit hit town is come to Burdine's for fried Key Lime pie. We've been doing it for ten years." They once again proved to me that life is best when worked hard and played hard. So here we sit, in what may be the best motel room we've had since we got an off season deal in Myrtle Beach. Ed, as usual, is reading. I, as usual, am being driven crazy by the circular comedy acts of Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. It's simply mindnumbing, and verifies my belief that America is an amazing place. All I can say is, "Life is good,especially today." 

The seven mile bridge.

Art shot of the day: The old seven mile road.

"Heading for the Keys".

My pie.

Ed's fried pie.

Ben and Holly.

Selfie of the day. Motel room #44 on this trip. Boy, have we gotten soft.

And back to thin gruel for dinner.