warmer than the rest of Florida and certainly better than the rest of the country, where record low temperatures and record snowfall prevails. Conventional wisdom says to move further south when cold weather threatens. In order for us to do that we would need a large ferry or a very long bridge. We are constantly reminded by the park rangers that this is the dry season, despite the frequent rains. It has been windy almost every day. Several days it blew 20-25 mph most of the day and night. We are right on the water and are catching the brunt of the wind. All in all the weather has been OK, not too cold (lows in the 50's) and not too warm (hi
ghs in the low 70's, with a few days in the 80's) and just enough rain to help us appreciate the sunny days.Each day there is a ranger activity which we enjoy attending. Several programs have focused on the building of the railroad. There was also a live re-enactment of the Henry Flagler railroad experience. In the early 1900s Henry Flagler built a railroad to Key West. Prior to that time Key West was accessible only by boat. Flagler knew that Key West was an important deep water port. The Panama Canal was about to be completed and his railroad would be an important trade link to south Florida, the Caribbean and central America. The building of the railroad provided some 
difficult challenges. The Bahia Honda Channel was particularly challenging. It was one mile across and had the deepest channel and the strongest currents of any crossing in the Keys. They built a steel truss bridge on concrete piers, using revolutionary techniques, for that time. The railroad was completed in 1912. In 1935 it was destroyed by the infamous Labor Day hurricane, and was not rebuilt. The right of way was sold to the state of Florida which then constructed the overseas highway on the bridges and causeways. At Bahia Honda the highway was built on top of the railroad truss. The roadway on the Bahia Honda bridge was so narrow that trucks and buses would stop before entering the bridge and pull their mirrors in before crossing. My only other trip to the Keys was when I was about 10 years old. One of my most vivid memories from that trip is of crossing these narrow bridges and the terror of meeting oncoming trucks. The Bahia Honda bridge was abandoned in 1972 when a new bridge
was opened, but the old bridge still stands and is now a National historic landmark.
We have attended several other ranger programs that talked about the bird life, marine life and shoreline flora and fauna. Ironically, during this "dry season" both Friday night amphitheatre programs were rained out. During January the island experienced a 100-year cold spell and the water temperature dropped into the low 40's for several days. This condition resulted in a major fish kill.
I understand that before we arrived, the beach was a little "ripe". While we were here many of the dead fish were still on the beach, but they had dried up to the extent that they no longer smelled.
difficult challenges. The Bahia Honda Channel was particularly challenging. It was one mile across and had the deepest channel and the strongest currents of any crossing in the Keys. They built a steel truss bridge on concrete piers, using revolutionary techniques, for that time. The railroad was completed in 1912. In 1935 it was destroyed by the infamous Labor Day hurricane, and was not rebuilt. The right of way was sold to the state of Florida which then constructed the overseas highway on the bridges and causeways. At Bahia Honda the highway was built on top of the railroad truss. The roadway on the Bahia Honda bridge was so narrow that trucks and buses would stop before entering the bridge and pull their mirrors in before crossing. My only other trip to the Keys was when I was about 10 years old. One of my most vivid memories from that trip is of crossing these narrow bridges and the terror of meeting oncoming trucks. The Bahia Honda bridge was abandoned in 1972 when a new bridge
was opened, but the old bridge still stands and is now a National historic landmark.We have attended several other ranger programs that talked about the bird life, marine life and shoreline flora and fauna. Ironically, during this "dry season" both Friday night amphitheatre programs were rained out. During January the island experienced a 100-year cold spell and the water temperature dropped into the low 40's for several days. This condition resulted in a major fish kill.
I understand that before we arrived, the beach was a little "ripe". While we were here many of the dead fish were still on the beach, but they had dried up to the extent that they no longer smelled.Even though there is not an area for dogs to play and dogs are not allowed on any of the beaches, the camping areas are spread out enough to allow lots of walking areas. Matilda is, as always, fascinated by the birds. She has also discovered lizards. They are so cute and move so fast! Our neighbors have a Miniature Pinscher/Chihuahua named Molly who barks a lot. Matilda, Miss Socialite, had a talk with Molly and explained that they could be friends and all that barking was absolutely unnecessary. It worked and they've become friends. Now Molly only barks if her "mom" tries to pet Matilda. We've met lots of dogs here, a chocolate lab, two 
border collies, a Dachshund, Boston Terrier, German Shepherd, Boxer and a number of unidentified breeds. Matilda tries to make friends with them all.
We have made several visits to neighboring islands, particularly Big Pine Key and Marathon Key. Big Pine Key is home to the National Key Deer Refuge. After several trips to the refuge we learned that the deer are common and are not bashful. They are actually a diminutive sub-species of the Virgina Whitetail. Big Pine Key is an excellent place to bike; many roads have bike lanes, and the cars are driving very slowly, scouting for deer. We have also enjoyed several visits to the
No Name Pub, located near the bridge connecting Big Pine Key and No Name Key. No Name Pub began as a bait shop and general store in 1931. It briefly served as a brothel and later became famous as a pub. It boasts "great food and lousy service" "If you can find it". Perhaps as much as $100,000 in $1 bills are plastered throughout the interior of the pub. It looked like a fire hazard to me, but when I tried to remove some (for their own safety of course) they vehemently objected. During our visit we enjoyed the pizza, barbecue, grouper 
and a chicken burrito. Oh, we also enjoyed the house brew, No Name Pub Amber. Good stuff!
On another day we visited Pigeon Key. Pigeon Key is a small island accessible only by the northern end of the old Seven-Mile bridge. The old Seven-Mile bridge has been largely abandoned, replaced by the new Seven-Mile bridge, but the northern two miles are still maintained to provide pedestrian and bike access to Pigeon Key. Pigeon Key served as a work camp during railroad construction. Pigeon Key is now operated by the Pigeon Key Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history and environment of the Florida Keys through education and research.
border collies, a Dachshund, Boston Terrier, German Shepherd, Boxer and a number of unidentified breeds. Matilda tries to make friends with them all.We have made several visits to neighboring islands, particularly Big Pine Key and Marathon Key. Big Pine Key is home to the National Key Deer Refuge. After several trips to the refuge we learned that the deer are common and are not bashful. They are actually a diminutive sub-species of the Virgina Whitetail. Big Pine Key is an excellent place to bike; many roads have bike lanes, and the cars are driving very slowly, scouting for deer. We have also enjoyed several visits to the
No Name Pub, located near the bridge connecting Big Pine Key and No Name Key. No Name Pub began as a bait shop and general store in 1931. It briefly served as a brothel and later became famous as a pub. It boasts "great food and lousy service" "If you can find it". Perhaps as much as $100,000 in $1 bills are plastered throughout the interior of the pub. It looked like a fire hazard to me, but when I tried to remove some (for their own safety of course) they vehemently objected. During our visit we enjoyed the pizza, barbecue, grouper 
and a chicken burrito. Oh, we also enjoyed the house brew, No Name Pub Amber. Good stuff!On another day we visited Pigeon Key. Pigeon Key is a small island accessible only by the northern end of the old Seven-Mile bridge. The old Seven-Mile bridge has been largely abandoned, replaced by the new Seven-Mile bridge, but the northern two miles are still maintained to provide pedestrian and bike access to Pigeon Key. Pigeon Key served as a work camp during railroad construction. Pigeon Key is now operated by the Pigeon Key Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history and environment of the Florida Keys through education and research.
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