1222 February 26, 2025 Baklava #3
I walked this morning with the roosters.
Tim had looked at the area on Google and said that if I took 5th Street, I would run into a dirt road that should lead me out to the water. I got to the end of 5th Street and there was a ROAD CLOSED sign and a gate across.
I walked some more and found Bernstein Park.
I saw a sign for a restaurant on the shrimp docks so I thought I would go there and see of the trawlers were in the harbor. I came upon a section of road that had flooded in the rain two days ago and the water was deep and wide. I didn’t want to get me feet wet, I was a long way from home and so I turned back.
Meanwhile, Tim had done his stretching and had been to the gym. He was trying to decide if he was going to walk this morning or go for a bike ride. He decided to bike. He got as far as Berstein Park and got a flat tire. He knew I was out walking and so could not recue him. He walked his bike the mile back to the We Cycle bike repair shop to get his flat fixed. He couldn’t decide whether to walk or ride and he got to do both! How nice to have a bike shop right here!
We had such a busy day yesterday that we elected to have a quieter day today. At 3:15 we left with our dinner packed in a cooler. We parked at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. This is a relatively new museum and it is free to park and free to enter. Unfortunately, we thought that it was open until 5 but it closed at 4. We had very little time to wander through. The mission of this place is to educate patrons about the ecology of all of the habitats surrounding the Florida Keys including the mangroves, the Marine Sanctuary and the Coral Reef. There were lots of interactive exhibits and everything was extremely informative and well designed.
NOAA was also highlighted. We had passed the NOAA headquarters while driving through Key West. I imagine NOAA is really important to this long strand of islands.
I wish that we had more time to explore this center…maybe another time!
At 4, we left and drove the short distance back to Fort Zachary State Park. We took the time to explore the fort that guarded and protected the harbor. Constructed in 1845 by Irish brick masons, the outer walls are 5 feet thick. Tim estimates that the walls are 15 courses of brick. The fort was held by the Union Army for the entire course of the Civil War. Later it housed munitions and was actively staffed through the Cuban Missile Crisis.
There was another cruise ship at the dock. There is a ship there most every night we have discovered.
We left to fort and took our cooler and chairs and found a nice shady spot along the water. We had dinner while watching the parade of sailboats and party boats all out for their sunset cruises.
We were joined by lots of other people and there was cheering and clapping as the sun slipped down below the horizon…gorgeous!
We made the slow drive through the busy streets of downtown Key West…so many people on bikes and walking and on scooters. We joked about stopping for Baklava. Tim drove down the side street and I got out of the car while he circled the block. Baklava #3 procured. Just as good tonight as it was the very first time!