Key West Info

•          Cayo Hueso is the original Spanish name for the island of Key West. Spanish-speaking people today also use the term Cayo Hueso when referring to Key West. It literally means "bone key". It is said that the island was littered with the remains (bones) of prior native inhabitants, who used the isle as a communal graveyard or that the island was the westernmost Key with a reliable supply of water.

•          Mayors of Key West have reflected the city's cultural and ethnic heritage. Among its mayors are the first Cuban mayor and one of the first openly gay mayors.

•          In the 20th century many residents of Key West started referring to themselves as "Conchs" (Conks), and the term is now generally applied to all residents of Key West. Some residents use the term "Conch" (or, alternatively, "Saltwater Conch") to refer to a person born in Key West, while the term "Freshwater Conch" refers to a resident not born in Key West but who has lived in Key West for seven years or more. However, the true original meaning of Conch applies only to someone with European ancestry who immigrated from the Bahamas. It is said that when a baby was born, the family would put a conch shell on a pole in front of their home.

•          During Cuba's unsuccessful war for independence in the 1860s and 1870s, many Cubans sought refuge in Key West.

•          The U.S. government rebuilt the old rail route (that had been partially destroyed by Hurricane Wilma) as an automobile highway. Completed in 1938, it became an extension of United States Highway 1. The portion of U.S. 1 through the Keys is called the Overseas Highway. (We fished off of a portion of the old railroad bridge that had been renovated)

•          Hurricanes rarely hit Key West, and the island has been relatively lucky. Locals say that Hurricane Wilma on October 24, 2005, was the worst storm in memory. The entire island was told to evacuate. Business owners were forced to close their businesses. After the hurricane had passed, a storm surge sent eight feet of water inland, completely inundating a large portion of the lower Keys. Low-lying areas of Key West and the lower Keys, including major tourist destinations, were under as much as three feet of water. Sixty percent of the homes in Key West were flooded.

•          One of the biggest attractions on the island is a concrete replica of a buoy at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets that claims to be the southernmost point in the contiguous 48 states. The point was originally just marked with a sign, which was often stolen. In response to this, the city of Key West erected the now famous monument in 1983. It is one of the most visited and photographed attractions in Key West. (When we were there, there was a line to get a picture in front of it) However, the marker is not located at the southernmost point in the continental United States. Land on the Truman Annex property just west of the buoy is the true southernmost point, but it has no marker since it is U.S. Navy land and cannot be entered by civilian tourists.

•          For no apparent reason, chickens and roosters roam free all over town.

•         Every night there is a Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square Dock where people can view the beautiful sun set, watch talented street performers, and have a good time.

Last stop!!

Hey everyone! We are now off to the Florida Keys! We are all pretty excited and hoping that the weather will clear up, for it has been raining for the past few days. This is the furthest that we will be traveling from home, so after this next stop we will be gradually making our way back to Coeur d'Alene. If you look below you will see our GPS map, it almost looks like we'll be driving on water. There is also a picture of our map from my mom's phone.

-Devin

Fort Myers/Fort Lauderdale Florida (Jan.25-Feb14)

One of our favorite places yet has been Fort Myers Beach area.  There are many water ways and you are close to quite a few beach options.  We ended up spending two weeks there and went to Sanibel Island twice and enjoyed Fort Myers Beach a few afternoons.  The RV park was very small and quaint and close to the grocery store and only 3 miles to the Fort Myers Beach.  Its seems it is a bike riding town, everyone rides their bikes to and from the store and the beach.  Come to find out it can take 20 min to go over the bridge 3 miles away to the beach due to traffic, so bikes are a great idea.  We currently only have two due to our dragging them on the freeway back in California.  (still looking at garage sales as we go) We enjoyed seeing dolphins twice, many pelicans, egrets, a sting ray, and even a couple snakes in our camp sight.  After being away from the Ocean and coming back to it, we have decided that being by the coastal areas is our preference.

We are now in Pompano Beach, Florida (Fort Lauderdale area), and have been here for the last 4 days. There were not many RV parks to choose from in this area and the spot we ended up at is a fence line away from a busy street and a street width away from train tracks.  The train goes by every 3 hours or so day and night.  This has lead to some sleepless nights, even with ear plugs.  We enjoyed getting a glimpse at the Beaches here and mostly getting to visit Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church last Sunday for Sunday school and church service.  We woke up this morning, after another rough night sleep and decided we would stay one more night so Rick could go to a mens bible study group at church but then would head out Thurs morning.  Two days ago we were not sure where we were going at the end of this week.  North or South.  We want to be home in time for some friends of ours wedding, so wasn't sure if traveling south to the keys would give us enough time to do the east coast and then make it home by May.  After mulling it over a day in half, and asking a couple people that Rick knew that live down in this area, we have decided it would be stupid to miss seeing the keys. (east coast can wait if need be for another trip) So we will be leaving here tomorrow morning and making a stop for two days just above the keys, and then heading down on Sat morning for a week.

If you are not a christian

If you are not a christian....

Are you aware that the Bible indicates that we are all sinners?  We have all committed sins.  And, did you know that the God of the bible is a holy and righteous judge and therefore must judge people accordingly?  That's right, we all sin!  And the Bible says that each of us are accountable for our sins on judgement day.  A good judge says that justice demands payment for crimes.  He would be a bad judge if he didn't, right?  So, if you think that because you are mostly a good person and because of that you will go to heaven, you can see that that can't be true because of the character of God.  What can you do, you ask?  Well....YOU can't do anything to pay off your crime.  Only if a sinless person took your punishment in your place, would you be able to be free from your debt.  The Bible says that God loved you and I so much that he sent his only son to be punished and die in our place!!  He was crucified to death by people like you and me, then 3 days later he rose from the grave defeating death.  You see, Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life and he and only he has the ability to save you from your penalty by taking the punishment you deserve!  The Bible says that you will be forgiven if you turn to God in repentance and have faith in the Lord Jesus!  He will give you a new heart that will be forever changed in a way that you will desire to follow Jesus.  If you feel drawn by this, contact me or another christian you know and we can get you plugged into a church that will teach you more about God and the christian life.

Love,
Rick Haughton
208-819-6580