Leaving Key West
It is a sad day as our seemingly relentless journey south comes to an end. Key West is the southern most city in the U.S., so unless somebody builds a bridge to Cuba, we’ve run out of road and must turn around.
We really like Key West, but I’m not sure exactly why. It’s not a pretty tropical island like you find in the Caribbean. A sandy beach is almost impossible to find here. But at the same time, it has an island culture in what is otherwise a bustling town. Maybe that is the draw, all the conveniences of a landlocked city that is small enough to be traversed on bike, mixed with the laidback vibe of the tropics.
We’re not sure about much as far as our future goes. We don’t really have any plans. But one thing we know for certain: we’ll be back to Key West someday. Maybe when we’re done with the RV, we will trade it in for a boat. I can think of worse ways to spend time than anchored off the coast of Key West and using it as a base to explore the Caribbean. But that isn’t a plan, just an option. One on a growing list we’re assembling.
Wanderings 
I would suggest up the west coast of Florida and around the Gulf at this point. You can stop by Mobile, AL (the real home of Mardi Gras) and watch the parades as well as visit my two brothers:-). One other thing . . .there is another couple in their 40’s who retired to their 5th wheel around 5-6 years ago . . .Howard and Linda from http://www.rv-dreams.typepad.com/. They happen to be in Key Largo boondocking currently . . .you might want to drop by their site, leave them a post and perhaps meet up for Lunch or something on the way. In addition, I would recommend their site . . .as we’ve previously discussed my wife and I are considering the fulltimer life after retirement from work in 6 months (yea!). We’ve learned a lot about the mechanics of the lifestyle, how to make the rig better, tips and tricks from reading their site . . .you may want to check them out.
Hi Neil,
Thanks for the tips. I ran across the rv-dreams site some time ago when we were doing our initial planning as well. Interesting that they’re in Key Largo “boondocking.” I stopped by their site to see where they were, because even the state parks book up a year in advance in the Keys for the winter. It takes some serious long-term planning to snag a cheap spot in the middle of paradise. Private campgrounds run $70 to $120 per night, or even more during the “peak” season. Even at those rates many are booked solid right through March. Might as well get a hotel. But it looks like doing this for 5+ years has its advantages and they knew somebody who had a non-traditional spot where they could park. And right near the water, too. Pretty cool.
You outlined our itinerary pretty well. We came down the east coast and are heading back up the west coast, around the panhandle and eventually to New Orleans.
Cheers,
Brian