{"id":665,"date":"2014-11-23T10:31:55","date_gmt":"2014-11-23T18:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/?p=665"},"modified":"2014-11-23T11:16:28","modified_gmt":"2014-11-23T19:16:28","slug":"summers-last-gasp-on-to-key-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/2014\/11\/23\/summers-last-gasp-on-to-key-west\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer’s Last Gasp – On to Key West"},"content":{"rendered":"

Usually driving for me is just getting from one place to another. Not so in the Keys. The drive down US 1 through all the Keys is the only place I ever make a lot of stops\u2026 I do some sight-seeing instead of just getting there. It was lunch time so I only intended to made it to Islamorada\u2026 about 15 miles down the road. The place I almost always stop is Kokomo\u2026 duh! Kokomo is a tiki-bar in the Holiday Isle complex. To my horror, Kokomo is no longer there. The Holiday Isle is now the \u201cPostcard Inn\u201d and all references to Kokomo are gone. I got back in the car and headed back down US 1 toward Key West.<\/p>\n

I made it to Marathon\u2026 about \u00bd way to Key West\u2026 when hunger got the best of me. My favorite place in Marathon is the Sunset Grill and Raw Bar. Just like it sounds, this is a great place for a sunset dinner. They have a huge menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On week-end evenings they have live entertainment. They also have a large pool and beach area that is a great spot to spend some time. On Sunday afternoons they have what they claim to be the \u201cLongest running beach and pool party in the Florida Keys.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was my first time to visit the Sunset Grill and Raw Bar for lunch. Other times were for an evening meal which were great. I generally linger there till they threw me out late in the evening. This time it was just for lunch so I had their Jerk seasoned grilled chicken sandwich. I ate out by the pool. Since I was driving, it was just water for me to drink. After that it was back on the road. The Sunset Grill and Raw Bar is just before the Seven Mile Bridge.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Seven Mile Bridge. Since I always drive, I don\u2019t have any pics of the Seven Mile Bridge of my own, so this one is courtesy of Lightenoughtravel via Wikipedia.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Seven Mile Bridge is really just short of 7 miles long\u2026 about 6.8 miles, but then who\u2019s counting. It just goes out across the ocean. In any case, it\u2019s one of the Florida Keys icons. Note that the bridge off to the right in the pic is the old railroad bridge that is no longer in use except for walkers and I think bicycles. You will see remnants of the old railway bridge all along the way to Key West.<\/p>\n

I love driving down the Keys. It was still quite warm for this trip and with the top down there\u2019s just something magic about that drive. My next stop was in Big Pine Key\u2026 about another 16 miles from the Sunset Grill & Raw Bar. Big Pine Key is where a lot of the endangered Key Deer live. Key Deer only live in the lower Florida Keys. Big Pine Key is a preserve and sanctuary for the deer. As you drive onto Big Pine Key, there are warning signs and flashing lights to slow you down.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never seen any of the Key Deer in the area with all the flashing lights and warning signs. However, you can always find them on near-by \u201cNo Name Key\u201d. No Name Key is off to the west of Big Pine Key. You turn right a little bit after you enter the town and drive out. There\u2019s a small sign that points to No Name Key, but you have to look carefully to see it.<\/p>\n

Like I do on most trips down the Keys, I drove out to No Name Key to see the deer. It\u2019s really no big deal\u2026 The Key Deer are just like \u201cregular\u201d deer except that they are smaller\u2026 about the size of a large dog. I don\u2019t know why I always want to go there, but it\u2019s a nice drive and another of those iconic \u201cKeys\u201d things. If you\u2019ve never seen a Key Deer, take a little time to drive out there.<\/p>\n

\"I

I didn\u2019t have any pics showing the relative size of Key Deer, so this one is courtesy of No Name Pub.<\/p><\/div>\n

Another reason for going out there is the \u201cNo Name Pub\u201d. Despite its name, it is not on No Name Key. Instead it is still on Big Pine Key on the way to No Name Key. This is another of those \u201cKeys things\u201d everyone has to go to at least once. The No Name Pub is a funky little place with dollar bills covering the walls. Although they have a full menu, most people seem to have their pizza. Seating is mostly outside on picnic tables with umbrellas. I didn\u2019t stop this time \u2018cause I had already eaten. But if you are driving down the Keys and have not been there, it will be worth your while to check out this old\u00ad-time Keys hang out.<\/p>\n

\"No<\/p>\n

Big Pine Key is about 30 miles from Key West\u2026 and it\u2019s a nice drive. But other than another batch of Keys that are \u201cstepping stones\u201d for the \u201cOverseas Highway\u201d, I have no idea what\u2019s on any of those Keys. With names like Cudjoe Key, Summerland Key, and Sugarloaf Key you would think I would stop and check them out. I always tell myself that I\u2019m going to stop at watering holes with names like Mangrove Mama\u2019s and Square Grouper Bar and Grill\u2026 or any of the dozens of tiki bars along the 30 miles. There are also several SCUBA places that should tempt me to stop.<\/p>\n

But nooooooo\u2026 by the time I leave Big Pine Key I\u2019m foaming at the mouth to get to Key Weird. The slower traffic on the two lane road seems to get more aggravating. I know there\u2019s a frozen concoction to help me hang on waiting in Key West. Since I\u2019m driving, I can\u2019t have that concoction till I get there. It\u2019s not just the booze that\u2019s waiting. It\u2019s the whole Key West experience. I\u2019m like a kid at Christmas\u2026 \u201cI just can\u2019t wait\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Usually driving for me is just getting from one place to another. Not so in the Keys. The drive down US 1 through all the Keys is the only place I ever make a lot of stops\u2026 I do some … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=665"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":670,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665\/revisions\/670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}