Day 34, Camp 12 - Bahia Honda State Park, Bahia Honda Key, FL

2008/12/14
Day 34, Camp 12 (3 nights @ $8.50 per nite)
Bahia Honda State Park
Bahia Honda Key, FL

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Sunday, Dec 14th
We left Penecamp and drove 65 miles down Hwy 1 to Bahia Honda State Park. Along the way we stopped at Long Pine State Park. It was full but amazing.... on a narrow strip of land right next to the highway and all sites immediately on the ocean! An excellent park for ocean-front camping for smaller trailers and tents.

Bahia Honda is a very beautiful park and very popular... well known for its great beaches and snorkeling. (One beach has been rated in the top 10 in the country!). Surprisingly, fine sand beaches are not very common in the Keys.

The park is also notable for the old abandoned railway bridge, originally built by Oil mogul Henry Flagler in 1905 to 1912. Called 'Flaglers Folly', it created a link with Key West. Destroyed by hurricane in 1935, it was never re-built. Instead, a narrow highway was built on top of it. Eventually, new bridges and an improved 'Hwy 1' was built to Key West.

From this camp we took a day trip to Key West and walked about 6 miles around the city. It is notably grown since I was first there in 1981. Had a memorable meal at 'Blue Heaven'. Go find the place... it's worth it! Wonderful food... chickens on the roofs and floor... and Ernest Hemingway refereed bowing matches here in the 30's! Amazing history everywhere!
I've never in my life seen more shops for T-shirts, bikinis & sunglasses! Many fine restaurants and famous bars!

Sadly, we only had 3 days to spend at Bahia Honda. Some time spent high up on the old bridge... watching Tarpon jump, Stingrays glide by and Iguanas sunning themselves on the bridgeworks.