The Keys, Day 3

Day started off strong. We got up, ate some breakfast, and packed up our bags before chilling out and taking advantage of our 1100 checkout time. Then we got up, got ready and packed everything back into the Jeep. Our first stop was the butterfly conservatory in Key West (yes, we bought some art pieces from there). The butterflies were super active and it was amazing to see them all flying around. There were also some small birds flying around along with a couple of Falmingos (who were very talkative thanks to mating season). After that, we headed to the Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park where we got some more beautiful views of the ocean as well as being able to walk the old fort grounds which we read was active through the early 60s. Afterwards we had planned to stop and get some gas and a few beverages for our drive up to Key Largo, but the Jeep decided on other plans. We had some issues with brakes, but thankfully this little shop in town called “Keys Customs” was able to get us in and helped out in a flash (we were also lucky that the parts needed were available). After several hours of hanging out, we were finally back on the road. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do dinner with my grandparents (who we were meeting in Key Largo), but instead we were able to reschedule for tomorrow (after some scuba diving for grandpa and I) so it all worked out. The day wasn’t too bad overall and we knew we could have issues driving the Jeep down so it’s all okay in the end. Tomorrow marks the first day for a Scuba Certification out of a multi-day course. We did eventually make it into the hotel around 1930 and were able to check in a meet with the grandparents on the beach to watch the sunset before discussing the next days worth of adventure. Here’s to (hopefully) a good day!