As of tomorrow, we will have lived in Key West, Florida, for two full months. We've been in the Florida Keys for a day longer. And within the week we will be leaving, to sojourn some more in ShaVanda, our home on wheels.
Friday, 16 November, marked our first night in the city of Key West, the southernmost point of the continental United States. We knew hardly anything about the island, and we definitely had no idea where to sleep for the night. We ended up spending $40 to park in a parking lot for two nights right off the main, noisy, party street.
Fast forwarding 30 days. Sunday, 16 December, marked a whole month being in Key West. This place had truly grown on us, and in hitting the month mark was definitely the longest we had been in one city since before we left Poulsbo, Washington. Knowing that we would be leaving in a month's time made us a little sad. By this point we had definitely been enchanted by the culture, people, and natural environment of Key West.
Fast forwarding a bit more. Tomorrow is Wednesday, 16 January. This means that we have been in Key West for two full months. Knowing that in a few days we will be leaving this little island fills us with a mix of sadness and excitement.
At the end of this month we'll be back up in North Carolina. We're exited by this. We're going to be celebrating with Orsuré's cousin, Deryck, in his retirement from 30 years of service with the US Marines. We'll be joined by a lot of Orsuré's family. The cousins have been planning to come together for this for a very long time. (More to come I'm sure - whether it's photos or a journal.)
Early into our journey we had been talking off and on about spending the holidays in the Florida Keys. As we drove closer and closer to the Keys, I quickly realized I had no idea what they were. I had thought the Keys were part of the Everglades - with snakes and crocodiles and mosquitoes. I had never been to this part of Florida, so I was just excited to explore. ... I quickly learned the Florida Keys are a string of tropical islands at the southern base of Florida, only connected to the mainland through one main highway (US-1). The most southern island along this chain of bridged-islands is Key West, and this island is nearly a 160-mile drive away from the mainland. That seems crazy! And, instead of snakes, crocodiles and mosquitoes, Key West is full of chickens, iguanas, and no-see-ums. (These no-see-ums almost seem worse than mosquitoes. They are tiny, biting gnats that leave large, itchy welts across your skin.)
So, now back to today. We have been able to take some time to really get to know this little city. In fact, there were a few weeks where we didn't even get off the island. Now that is crazy! ... It seems like Key West has almost everything, so there has been no need to leave.
Key West is truly enchanting. It is surrounded by the ocean. It has glorious sunrises and sunsets. The people are friendly, and many places are very dog-friendly. The weather has been warm, sunny, and usually cloudless. It has been really easy for us to get lost here.
In these two months we have created a nice little, nearly daily routine. Each morning we almost always go to one of the dog parks, letting Ben play and make friends. This helps him burn some of his boundless energy. Each evening includes a final bathroom break followed by settling in at one of our discovered free overnight parking spots. The middle part of the day often has a bit more variety, but overall we can be mostly found at "our spot" at Hamaca Park.
We fell in love with Hamaca Park. In "our spot" we are nestled into some medium-sized trees, creating peppered sun and shade along one of Hamaca's salt lakes. Here we've found privacy enough to open up our sliding and rear doors allowing a cool breeze to flow through the van on really warm days. Ben is able to go in and out of ShaVanda at his own desire, and everything is alright. We found our own little piece of paradise - and it's free. We are definitely going to miss this spot.
We didn't find this beautiful spot by accident. We were introduced to it by our friend, Scott Gerke. (Key West has been his home for a good 8 years, and it's where his business, Visualize Entertainment, has thrived.) We became friends because he too has a van very similar to ours that he uses to carry his DJ equipment and which he also intends to convert into a camper. Over a month ago we passed each other driving on the street, and the next day he chased us down when we passed him walking on the sidewalk. (The photos below are of us with Scott and his girlfriend Kristyn.)
We first went to Hamaca Park to do some spray-painting. In an attempt to blacken out the reflective material (Reflectix) we put up in our windows, we were trying to find a place where we could paint in peace. Asking Scott, he suggested Hamaca Park. This was 10 December. We've been coming here almost daily since then.
Recently we started sharing "our spot" with this awesome vanlife couple, Alex and Jenny and their fur-baby Daisy. They built out a promaster van that feels like a luxurious studio apartment. It is stunning. They started their journey from Atlanta at the end of December 2018. And this is one of their first stops along their way. Like us, they have no end goal, they are seeing where the journey takes them - while planning to convert more vans to sell as homes on wheels. This was their first van conversion. You can follow them on Instagram at: @neuvan.adventures
Returning to the city of Key West. Key West seems to be a bit of a melting pot, where the weird and hippy come together and do their hustle to afford living here. We've come to learn that this wasn't always the case. 50 years ago, this island was full of vagabonds, musicians, artists, gays, and other misfits and outsiders who didn't fit in with the rest of the US. Key West was a come-as-you-are haven.
Today, this culture still exists, but it is up against the harsh reality of being a retirement and resort destination. It seems like half the island sits unused for half the year, waiting for its owners to return in the winter months. The young and old permanent locals seem to have their own hustle to ensure they can remain here. Outside of rents, Key West is a really cool place to be. As such, we haven't wanted to leave.
Well, I shouldn't say that. During moments when we've felt a bit financially stuck we have wanted to leave, but these feelings have been fleeting. We have been able to be us, living in a van and all, and be totally welcomed.
With the horror stories that we have heard of police actively forbidding people from sleeping in vehicles, and all the signs that seemed to be everywhere forbidding overnight parking, we were really worried about where we could safely and peacefully park at night. This city seemed very against people like us, and logistically this would be our first attempt at "stealth camping". Luckily, as of today ("knock-on-wood") we have not had any negative run-ins with cops. We have abided every posted rule and we've been able to manage parking in the city overnight without any issue this whole time.
(Occasionally though, we have found refuge by staying a couple weeks on the campground of the US Navy base located here in Key West. We stayed there the last week of November and the week of Christmas. This gave us a break of having to find a new place to live every night, with the certainty of a secured place to stay. Doing this every night was financially out of our budget, and it takes away the thrill of sleeping in new locations.)
Now, it's just about time for us to say goodbye. We have fallen into a routine. One that we have definitely gotten lost in. And, living the traveling lifestyle that we want, it's time to break that routine. Looking forward to after Orsuré's cousin's retirement, we don't know where we will be headed. We might decide to come back down to the Florida Keys. We might decide to head to the Southwest. We might do a lot of things. Only time will tell.
Key West, Florida, we will miss you. And, we thank you for being our home these past two months. We were able to join you, Key West, and your people for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. What memories.
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