We are staying at KOA Sugarloaf Key which is about 19 miles north of Key West. I hesitate to call this a campground; it is more like a resort with pool, hot tub, café, marina, and pub. All the state parks were either full or closed. This is very nice.

We drove to Key West.

Street views in Key West.

The population in Key West is 26,000+. Most of the city looks like a typical American city, but the historic district is really beautiful.

Key West originally prospered on revenues from shipwreck salvage; there were so many shipwrecks. In 1910 the Overseas Railroad was completed out to Key West and ran continuously until a 1935 hurricane destroyed it and it was never rebuilt. Since then several versions of the Overseas Highway have been built to replace the railroad.

Fort Zachary Taylor was built in 1845 on a hard rock shoal 1100 feet off the south west point of the island with walls over 5 feet thick. In 1866, the Fort mounted 198 cannons and housed 450 men. It was accessed by a causeway and drawbridge over a moat. From the northwest bastion there is an excellent view of the Key West Harbour. During World War I and II the Fort protected the submarine and destroyer forces stationed at the nearby US Naval Station.

We spent a couple of hours at this beach, which is the southernmost point of the United States plus a delightful beach.

Tomorrow we will head north/northwest to the Everglades National Park.