The Trip of a Lifetime:
Over the past six days, I've ridden over 2,200 miles through three states, slept in campgrounds that looked like shopping malls and campgrounds that looked like I was on a safari, and gotten to snorkel in January, which as a northerner at heart, is crazy. Regardless of how crazy this trip seemed on paper though, it happened, and through rain and shine, Carson and I got to see some of the most incredible parts of Florida and this country as a whole, without spending more than five hundred dollars each, and without getting Covid, which once again seems crazy these days. Without droning on about our trip as a whole though, let me take you through what a day in Key West looked like this past week:
Our Key West Adventure:
Although the Florida Keys are one of the most incredible natural environments I've personally ever been in, it can still be surprisingly hard to find things to do that bring you into the nature that surrounds you, and unfortunately for those looking to get out into the wild in Key West, the pickings get even slimmer. The further south you go in the keys, the less prevalent state parks and overlooks become. But before you lose sight and sign up for a day at the local equivalent of Seaworld, use your online resources, like forums, google maps, and Airbnb!
For our adventure, we fired up Airbnb and headed to the "Experiences" tab on the app, where local guides host location-relevant activities, like painting, pottery making, or photoshoots. With enough digging, the possibilities are endless, and even better, not on any maps. If you're looking for a date night at home or just another thing to fill out your travel itinerary, I couldn't recommend this strategy enough to find a unique experience, hosted by true locals. For us, we headed to the marina and hopped on the only electric boat in the marina, the Squid, hosted by Honest Eco Tours, and it was truly the best travel experience of my life.
Hopping on this 1/8th solar-powered boat, we paid $89 each, for a four-hour sunset cruise around Key West, for some dolphin watching, and snorkeling around pre-historic sea sponges. If that alone doesn't intrigue you, then the Keys probably aren't something for you, but if you're willing to try something new, especially with the talented experts at Honest Eco, you're in for a treat! If you'll follow along with me, I'll take you through our day on the water, and share a little more about how all of it went.
For our adventure, we fired up Airbnb and headed to the "Experiences" tab on the app, where local guides host location-relevant activities, like painting, pottery making, or photoshoots. With enough digging, the possibilities are endless, and even better, not on any maps. If you're looking for a date night at home or just another thing to fill out your travel itinerary, I couldn't recommend this strategy enough to find a unique experience, hosted by true locals. For us, we headed to the marina and hopped on the only electric boat in the marina, the Squid, hosted by Honest Eco Tours, and it was truly the best travel experience of my life.
Hopping on this 1/8th solar-powered boat, we paid $89 each, for a four-hour sunset cruise around Key West, for some dolphin watching, and snorkeling around pre-historic sea sponges. If that alone doesn't intrigue you, then the Keys probably aren't something for you, but if you're willing to try something new, especially with the talented experts at Honest Eco, you're in for a treat! If you'll follow along with me, I'll take you through our day on the water, and share a little more about how all of it went.
Introductions and History:
Before we set sail, our accommodating hosts, Rachel and Brady explained the safety protocols aboard and began a short but incredible history lesson on the formation of the islands that surrounded us, and where we would be traveling to. Both guides were graduated marine biologists, and in the section of the tour, that knowledge truly shined through, and I learned so much more about the geography of the keys than I ever thought I would on a dolphin-watching tour. For example, did you know that the Key West National Wildlife Refuge was created to protect native bird species and not aquatic life? Or that the very ground that holds up the keys is nearly 100% limestone, created out of the bones of a pre-historic coral reef over 125,000 years ago? If you said no to either of those, I certainly wouldn't blame you, but this moment in our tour was defining for me, as it showed me that these guides weren't just here for a winter job. They had a true passion for the subject they were speaking on, and a clear love for the area they educated us on, frequently answering questions, and ensuring we truly understood all that we were seeing, and not simply oohing and awing at the shimmering waters around us. After our history class was done though, it was time to see some Dolphins!
Dolphin Watch:
During the dolphin watch section of our excursion, the knowledge of our tour guides came in once again. Explaining to us every detail of dolphin life, from conception to parenting, and into their habit of literally sleeping with one eye open, I learned so much about the local wildlife in this section. In the area we spotted dolphins, after just twenty minutes out on the water, we found a group of mothers and calves, playing and resting in a safe area. As we drifted around in neutral, we could see them slowly dive above and below the surface, attracting the gaze of every single boat in the area. If you've never done it before, dolphins are a tricky subject to photograph, but what an experience it was! Luckily for us, however, this was just the beginning of our day out in Key West. After spending half an hour or so with the dolphins, we headed further out from shore and learned more about those pre-historic sea sponges I mentioned earlier.
Snorkeling:
Although I don't have any Gopro pictures that do the scene justice, this part of our trip was just unreal. You could see for what felt like miles under the shimmering emerald water, and I got to see so much diverse wildlife, from rare pufferfish to squid, invasive lion fish, and lots of groupers. Outside of moving things though, there were plenty of diverse sponges that have been living here in the keys before humans ever dreamt of moving to the region. Although the longest and most memorable part of our journey, this was still only my second favorite part of day four. The best part by far was the sunset.
Golden Sun:
After finishing our time snorkeling, we took the long way home to the Key West Marina and got so many opportunities for incredible photos. While enjoying some of the best fruit Carson and I had ever had in our lives, we drifted back to shore as the warm yellows, and burning oranges of the sunset traced their last rays of light on the water. All I could think to myself at that moment was, "what a day this was". After riding a motorcycle in shorts for hours, swimming in seventy-five-degree water, and being surrounded by people I could never get sick of, I had zero complaints for that day, and if I can make all my days a tenth this good, I'll be doing more than alright. I supposed everyone feels this way in a tropical paradise, surrounded by strangers paid to hear you drone on about photos and share family stories, but nevertheless, I had an incredible time.
So as the sun sets on our journey to the Florida Keys, I hope you enjoyed learning with us! This truly was the trip of a lifetime, and if you're willing to camp and miss a shower every now and then, it's more than doable for under a thousand dollars, and I hope you can do it one day too!
So as the sun sets on our journey to the Florida Keys, I hope you enjoyed learning with us! This truly was the trip of a lifetime, and if you're willing to camp and miss a shower every now and then, it's more than doable for under a thousand dollars, and I hope you can do it one day too!
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