If your interested in finding out about the current updated information

about the BP oil spill and it's effect on Florida, call "FOSIL" ( Florida Oil Spill

Information Line ) 8:00 am to 6:00 pm  1-888-337-3569.

So far, MOST of the Florida coastline remains clean and open!

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Headline: 1971, college student takes off for the Florida Keys!

I didn’t know much about the Florida Keys, but I JUST KNEW I HAD TO GO THERE! The first time I drove all the way to the end, Key West. MileMarker after MileMarker, completely absorbed by all the impressions I was passing by, and visually and mentally recording in my mind! The Florida Keys. Bridge after bridge. Beach after beach. Endless horizons of water in every direction. Totally mesmerized by the scenes of ocean to one side and Gulf to the other, flats, mangrove, houses on concrete stilts, seemingly marinas every where, the changing colors of the water as clouds pass over and the time of day changed, birds I’d never seen other than travel clips, nests perched high atop utility poles, remnants of the Flagler train route, people fishing off bridges and shoreline, boats going out to points unknown, lighthouses of all kinds and shapes, skidoos weaving around in small bays, palm trees and tropical foliage of all sorts, beaches with boats and kayaks pulled up on them,  RV’s of all types makes and models,  freighters on the distant horizon, seeing colors and moods of the water change on both the Gulf side and the Atlantic side, short glimpses of  resort looking areas. The Florida Keys. On and on it went for about 3 ½ hours. Finally Key West and the Florida Straits. Well that first time put me, how do some phrase it, “off the rails”, “gone native”, “off the charts”! So this is what a vacation in the Florida Keys is all about! Little did I know, I had only scratched the surface!

The Florida Keys, like a good novel, I just can't put it down! Dog eared pages, margarita stains on different pages, notes in the margins describing "lucid" moments of the night before, things I want to do the next time I'm here, sand stuck between the pages, wrinkled pages from the last rain squall, faded pages from falling asleep on the beach the other day, suntan oil smudges all over, and old photo's and post cards marking my page. Like the novel, I have more than a few of these "well honed" impressions from the Florida Keys. They always follow me! Finding new ones each time in my treks to the Florida Keys. 38 plus years later, it hasn't grown old one bit! Like all of us, the Florida Keys have gone through various stages and metamorphic changes. It has managed to develop a character and vitality not found anywhere else!

If you wish to capture that special sub tropical feeling, come with me and "crawl" the Florida Keys. Over 100 miles of some of the BEST fun, relaxation, and memories you'll find! Whether you drive there, fly there, boat there, or sail there, you'll find a "family" of people who respect the environment, redefined the word fun, and love to have visitors! It's right here in our own backyard! The Florida Keys! From the Cracked Conch in Marathon, to the 7 Mile Grill in Marathon, to Bahama Mama's in Key west, a "moveable feast" as Ernest Hemingway would put it, awaits You!