Life on the Keys

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/01/2017 (3375 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was less than a two-hour drive from our Provident Hotel accommodation in Doral, where we stayed the previous five days, to reach Islamorada in the Keys, where we would spend the last few days of our South Florida vacation.

As we looked out from our room in the Guy Harvey Islander Resort, it became quickly evident this part of our holiday would be different from the last.

The Islander Resort is situated on a wide beach on the Atlantic Ocean, with all the facilities one might anticipate on a beach property.

My wife was quite excited to find out that many of the scenes from the Netflix series Bloodlines were filmed on site at this resort, including the pier dedication that was a focal point in the start of the series.

Like many places in the Keys, with its proximity to the sea Islamorada is a fishing and diving destination for visitors from around the world. It is also a water sports and boating centre, with parachute skiing and sailing picturesque additions to the ocean scenery at almost any time of the day.

Similarly it is why many of its attractions are oriented to sea life and education.

The Dolphin Research Center (dolphins.org) in nearby Grassy Key started in the 1950s as a private facility, supplying dolphins for entertainment to aquariums and filmmakers. For those who grew up admiring the movie story and antics of the dolphin Flipper, its star Mitzie came from this facility. Her offspring still are a part of the centre today.

After the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed, the centre was converted into a nonprofit facility, dedicated to the education and research of mammals. Many of the inhabitants today are brought there because they have been either injured or stranded. If they are deemed non-releasable they will have a home there for the rest of their lives.

They then become participants in the research programs. Media director Mary Stella describes the objectives of the research. “We focus on cognitive studies. How do dolphins think, what do they understand, what do they learn and know?” Of their achievements she proudly adds, “We were the first to demonstrate that dolphins understand numbers and number concepts.”

Only a few kilometres down the road at the Aquarium Encounters facility in Marathon, Fla., the stated goal is “providing unique marine environments that inspire the development of more passionate marine conservationists.”

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We took one of the guided walking tours with a professional marine biologist. These are included in the price of admission. It made the experience so much more informative and enjoyable gaining an understanding of the many species that are in the aquarium.

For those who love diving and snorkelling, the aquarium offers a safe and unique environment to be part of a more interactive experience.

Situated right on the waterfront, most of the species in this large facility are living in the actual waters of the sea, blocked off only at the entrance of the flow to keep them confined, but safe.

For only a couple of dollars extra you can buy food cups (mostly minnows), and enjoy watching the fish feed as you photograph them, or just enjoy the sight of these beautiful ocean creatures so close at hand.

The Turtle Hospital in Marathon (turtlehospital.org) is the ultimate in environmental marine rehabilitation. Its main goal is to rescue, rehabilitate and release sick and injured sea turtles. This is a fully operational hospital, with facilities to perform surgeries on a variety of turtle species and sizes.

Since its inception in 1986, it has treated and released more than 1,500 turtles. A tour of the hospital gives visitors a chance to see those who are recovering in a way they will never have again to see that range of turtle species close up.

Another famous movie I never got to see was the 1951 classic The African Queen. The plot of this First World War adventure/love story starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn centres on the idea of converting their small dilapidated river steam boat into a torpedo to attack the Germans and help in the war effort.

Renowned director John Huston’s search for the right vessel brought him to the British-made S/V Livingstone 1912 boat, which previously had been shipped to the Africa Railways Company to carry missionaries and cargo through the Nile.

In 1982, the boat was brought to Key Largo and restored. After a number of upgrades in 2012 and last year, it was fully completed with a rebuilt steam engine and new boiler. Today it is one of the more unique attractions. It takes only six passengers per trips up and down the canals of Key Largo and into the opening of the ocean at the entrance of the canals.

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After a couple of wrench turns the steam begins to flow, and as we sail along the canal, “Captain Mike” begins telling stories of the filming of The African Queen.

In the Belgian Congo, where it was filmed, conditions were often terrible and dysentery was rampant.

“Huston and Bogart were both heavy drinkers,” Captain Mike said, “while Hepburn would not touch alcohol, drinking only water.”

It was Hepburn who came down with a severe case of dysentery, as the other two remained healthy. Speaking of what he believed were the preventative effects of alcohol, Bogart would say in his Oscar acceptance speech, “Whenever a fly bit Huston or me, it dropped dead.”

While in Doral we would go through a whirlwind of worldwide dinning extravaganzas. In the Keys we stuck mostly with the staple of the area, freshly caught fish.

Called the Overseas Highway, it is the road which for the most part is the main drive from the beginning of the Keys to Key West. It is along this highway, either on the roadside or no more than a block or two off, where most of the restaurants are situated.

Those off the highway and on the beach tend to be more upscale and picturesque, while those on the roadside are less expensive but still serve high quality sea food items.

Spending a few days on the beach was the perfect way to end our South Florida vacation. We wish we would have had time to go further down to spend time in Key West. That may be an adventure we take on next winter.