Key West on bare feets

Camping at Long Key State Park, with lots of thunderclouds on the way

Kayaking in the mangroves around Long Key State Park

US can be a strange country sometimes and I cant quit get my mind set on it. One minute I love it the next minute I love a little bit less... I guess it mirrors the diversity of the people and how differently people think and value different things in life around here. The last 3 days, before arriving to Key West once again late last night, I took a bus north to a more "rural" area of the keys to go camping. I thought about renting a car to make it easy and all but decided to try the public transportation system out, how bad could it be (after all I am camping next to the only highway), and wow it really sucks. Fortunately the bus drivers here are great and they pick you up even though your not at the "right" bus stop at the right time (every 2-3 hours or so), there are often no signs, you just have to know where the bus stops. Last night my bus driver stoped at a burger restaurant so him and me could make an unofficial stop to get dinner... to continue way after schedule some time later.

Huge tarpons swimming in a private harbor where you are not allowed to fish for them...

I've met some really nice and helpful people all along the way, I also met some downright nasty people, one guy screamed at me that I had to ask for permision to film "his" fish in a harbour where I temporarily stopped in a thunderstorm kayaking and an old lady reported me on the campground when I kindly asked if she was going south and if she had space in a car for a few km as there was no busses... in the end the ranger gave me the key to her appartment as it was raining and then gave me a ride 30 min out of her way when she finished her job, so awsome! 

The beach...

Long key state park was beautiful and the fishing and kayaking was great, saw a manatee just of the campground while fishing, and sharks and all sort of fun things in the mangrooves while kayaing for a day. After two days of camping at the prime spot (next to the motorway of course) I left to Bahia Honda which was a really nice campground with good fishing and swimming. The fish here is so huge, will try and upload some videos later of 1,5 meter tarpoons swimming around in a small harbour (where you couldn't fish for them..), I only caught small stuff but splashing monsters kept my mood up.  Today I went diving on a shipwreck, Vandenberg, outside Key West. it was 31 degrees in the water so I only wore my surfshorts. nice!

Ugly fish

Baracuda! Snorkeling on a reef outside Bahia Honda State Park

Time to board the Ship and go to"work"!

There is apparently a hurricane expected next week (first in 4 years) just my kind of luck as I have already been rescued 2 times this year...

Okeanos Explorer