2 June 2017
On the way to Key West yesterday, just outside of town, I saw a sign for the Key West Botanical Garden. I’ve been coming to Key West since 1983 and either I have not paid attention to it or I did and it slipped my memory. In any case, on my way back to Bahia Honda, I decided to stop in. I was taken by surprise by the facility and grounds.
It could be a little better maintained and marked, but you must realize this is not a manicured botanical garden – it’s what the keys used to look like. It is a surprisingly large garden with primarily native plants, particularly those endemic to Key West and the Caribbean. The volunteer behind the desk was very chatty and helpful and was very proud of what Key West accomplished.
The garden is an outgrowth of efforts by the Key West Garden Club of 1934. At the time, Key West was suffering from recent hurricanes and the Great Depression. In desperation, the city turned itself over to the state and the state director of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration visited the city and determined it had great potential as a tourist destination.
The garden club took this idea and applied for federal funding and was awarded enough money to purchase 55 acres. Over the years, this was whittled down for state and national priorities. However, it still occupies a significant piece of real estate. It is currently known as the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden. It also has several butterfly gardens. If you are in town, this is a must see. It is classified as the only frost-free tropical forest within the continental United States.
As you might guess, my last night I had to ask someone to turn their music down. It was a family of campers and they had backed their pickup truck into the campsite, opened all four doors and was blasting music from the truck. I think they thought they were the only ones to hear the music, but I was five campsites down and it was too loud where I was. I met a woman and child from New Orleans who asked me if it was legal for them to play music that loud. I replied quiet hours start at 11 pm (unusual – most parks say 10 pm) and left it at that. Finally, around 9:30 pm I decided I didn’t pay camping fees to listen to someone else’s music. I walked down, asked them to lower the volume and he agreed. However, someone else must have said something after I left because they eventually turned it off. It wasn’t the park rangers. They drove right by his site and never stopped.
I always check the weather whenever I camp, usually every few hours of so. The weather report for the area would say rain, no rain, rain, no rain. They couldn’t make up their mind. In any case, I prepared for rainfall. It was a good thing I did. About 6:30 am the bottom fell out of the clouds with blowing rain – enough that the tent was vibrating. This is the second torrential downpour I’ve been in with the new tent and everything was perfectly dry. Unfortunately, rain was to continue throughout the day, so I packed a wet tent. I’ll need to pitch the tent tomorrow in the yard (more rain predicted) and either wait for a rainstorm or hose it down to get the salt off the outside. Once that it done, hopefully the rain will let up and let me air dry the tent. Otherwise, it’s into the dryer for an air cycle.
