Key West

I'm here!!
The first leg of the trip from Detroit to Fort Myers, Fl was like any other flight.  When I got off the plane in Fort Myers and began looking around for signs as to where I was supposed to go to change planes I couldn't find anything to indicate where I was supposed to go.  I asked a lady who was there at the gate I had come in from.  She told me that I have to go to the other end of the airport and even had to go through security again.  I had to go to the ticketing counter for the airline that was taking me to Key West.  I had to go to where people were being dropped off at this airport and I about panicked when I got there and saw all the people.  I went to the very end, as I had been instructed to do and there was the Cape Air counter with 2 workers and not a single customer so I walked right up and got everything taken care of!  They even stamped my boarding pass as "First Class" so I could enter security in the same lane as pilots and flight attendants!  I walked right past many people waiting in line!! It turns out that this airline, Cape Air is very small and the planes are very small with only 6-10 passengers per flight!  The gate was to the very end of the terminal and down some stairs and was just a dark corner with a few chairs.  The little plane drives right up to the door and the same dude who checked our IDs at the counter took our bags and put them in the various compartments around the plane.  There were little compartments on the wings and other small compartments around the outside of the plane.  Every passenger has to be weighed with their bags too.  There are strict weight limits and it has to be distributed evenly around the plane.
When I got to the gate there was another flight leaving soon and this was the plane that was taking them:

The Shark

Later on, I was a bit disappointed when this plane showed up:

Not as cool as the Shark

You can see the man loading bags in one of the compartments.  It was a 10 passenger plane and there was 9 passengers.  The Shark is only a 6 passenger plane.  We also had 4 bags that belonged to people who went earlier on the Shark because there was too much weight and they had to remove those bags. 

Southwest Airlines jet being loaded next to our little tiny plane

I took the above picture when we were standing by our plane and our bags were being loaded.  We were all just standing out there that close to a "normal sized" plane!   
It was a 50 minute flight to Key West.  It was very loud.

So far, Key West has not disappointed other than the fact that it was only 66 degrees.  I didn't even change out of the jeans and long sleeve shirt I wore for the trip.
There are chickens running around everywhere here!!

YES, they DO cross the road!! 

I was walking down a sidewalk and a chicken was coming toward me on the sidewalk and the chicken just passed by me like it was nothing out of the ordinary!! 
The first place I went to see is very close to my hotel:

The southernmost point in the US

The half marathon course passes by this and I believe that there is a photographer stationed there during the race.

I saw cross-dressers/drag queens around town this evening!!  I even had one tell me about the show he is in at 11pm!!  I wanted to take his picture but I don't know if they like that so I didn't.   I wasn't going to stick around until 11 for the show, I was tired and my feet were starting to hurt.  I walked all the way to Mallory Square which is a spot to watch the sunset.  I know I walked over 2 miles by the time I got back here.  I had dinner at a seafood restaurant. 

This morning I took this picture:

Can't figure out what's going on

Sam, the cat, wasn't sure what to think and wouldn't move so I could completely make the bed.  It is not normal for me to be getting up at 6 am and I don't think he liked it one little bit!  I didn't either.  He did eventually move so I was able to finish making the bed before I left!!

Well, I am really really tired and I have to be around at 9:30 am for the bike rental place to bring my bike to me so I am going to go to bed.

Runner Nerd
in Key West