Henry Flagler, co-founder of Standard Oil Company, purchased the Florida East Coast Railroad and proposed extending it from Miami to Key West, a distance of 130 miles. His project became known as the railroad "going to sea" and many said such a feat could not be done. Eight years later (1912), three hurricanes, $30 million and hundreds of lives lost, the railroad was complete to Key West, the largest city and most important seaport in Florida. On Labor Day of 1935 a hurricane destroyed much of the railroad and it was never rebuilt.

The railroad right of way and bridges were purchased and a highway was built to Key West. The road was twenty feet wide which made interesting and dangerous drives for large vehicles. The longest bridge was seven miles long. Today new bridges and a highway have been built but much of the old railroad and highway remain. Beside the tracks a large water line ran from the mainland to the Keys to supply fresh water to the businesses and homes that sprang up. At Bahia Honda State Park (mile marker 37) part of the old railroad and bridge has been preserved and is interesting to study. Here the road was built not through the railroad bridge, but on top of the bridge, a feat as remarkable as building the bridge itself. Today most people driving to Key West pay no attention to the remnants of the past. If you drive down please stop and study the history of the old railroad and road. It is an undertaking we will never see again in our lives.

Key West is a city of many faces. It is a tropical paradise, a place of much history, a gathering place for weird people and castoffs, elbow to elbow tourist and noise pollution. We visited Key West twice with Don and Gloria Martin and one day met our friends Rich and Diane Emond who were on vacation. Our first stop was the Southern-most point in the United States, only ninety miles from Cuba. It is a "photo-opp" place and the house is the most photographed house in the U.S., except for the White House. We walked Duval Street and checked out the unique shops, but did very little buying. We looked at boats and ships in the harbor and later watched sail boats on their sunset cruises. Wild Key West roosters and chickens roam the streets. At Mallary Square street performers were in full action. Animal acts, magicians, tight rope artists, escape artists, mimes and a one man band performed for the crowd and passed the buckets at the end of their entertaining.

Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States, enjoyed Key West so much he spent 175 days during his administration at The Little White House on the now closed Naval Base. In 1948 the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force were created. The house has also been used by Thomas Edison, Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Carter and recently by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Much of Truman's furniture, his desks, piano and poker table remain as they were when he last left the house. A very informative tour guide explained the history of the house and Truman and we highly recommend taking the tour. We also had a picnic lunch on Smathers Beach and visited the Key West lighthouse. Below are some pictures of Key West.



With temperatures in the 80s and sunny skies we hated to leave the Keys but it was time to head north. We needed diesel fuel and bypassed the stations with prices over $2 a gallon. West of Miami we filled the motorhome with fuel for only $1.939 a gallon, by far the most we have ever paid for fuel. At Florida City we stopped for a final visit to Robert is Here Fruit Stand for fresh fruits and vegetables. Then we took a two hour break beside the road to watch the Kentucky - Florida college basketball game. Kentucky won a thriller to go undefeated in Southeast Conference play. Go Cats - Go Big Blue.

St. Augustine, Florida

On September 8, 1565, Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles came ashore and named a stretch of land St. Augustine. The area is where the present-day Mission of Nombre de Dios and the Fountain of Youth stand. (In 1513, Ponce de Leon looking for the legendary Fountain of Youth, stepped ashore and laid claim to Spain's first land in North America. Today visitors can visit the fountain and taste the water.) St. Augustine is the oldest continually occupied city in North America. The city was 55 years old when the Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower in Massachusetts. The United States purchased Florida in 1821 and it became a state in 1845. At that time the city was 280 years old. Being the oldest, the city lays claim to many "oldest" and "firsts." Among others it has the oldest wooden schoolhouse, the oldest house in North America, a 600 year old live oak tree, the first Christian service held in North America and an old fort that never lost a battle.

Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest and largest stone fort in the continental U.S. took 23 years to build - 1672-1695. The walls are 16 feet thick and 30 feet high and are constructed of coquina blocks, a shell like material. In 1740 the English attacked Spaniards and bombarded the fort for 27 days with cannons balls but no damage was done. The cannon balls sunk in the coquina like shooting a B-B gun in cheese. The day we visited the fort National Park Rangers were giving talks on the history of the city and fort and volunteers were demonstrating old rifles.

In the late 1880s, Henry Flagler, co-founder of Standard Oil Company, visited St. Augustine and decided to capitalize on its weather. He founded Florida East Coast Railroad as a means of transporting wealthy guests from the north to his hotels in St. Augustine and further south. He built the greatest Gilded-Age hotel in America, the Hotel Ponce de Leon and the Hotel Alcazar. The hotels were open only in the winter months and guests came for long stays. Today the Ponce de Leon is Flagler College and the Alcazar houses city offices and the Ligntner Museum. Both are open for tours and are worth the cost. Mr. Flagler built the Presbyterian Memorial Church in 361 days. He built the magnificent church in memory of his daughter. Flagler, his wife and daughter are buried in the church.

We suggest you spend a few days in St. Augustine and tour the grand old city. You will learn not only the history of the city but the history of how North America was settled.

Savannah, Georgia

Englishman James Oglethorpe landed on the shores of the Savannah River in 1733 and chartered the 13th and final crown colony in the name of King George II. The town was laid out in a unique design with a grid of broad thoroughfares braided at regular intervals with spacious public squares or parks. The city sports 21 squares in its 2.5-square mile Landmark Historic District. There was one additional square that was removed for a large parking lot and when the lease is terminated in 2004 the building will be torn down and restored to a square (park).

The best way to see Savannah is to put on your walking shoes and trek through the squares of America's first planned city. Each square has its own theme and is surrounded by elegantly restored homes and beautiful churches. The squares are graced with stately monuments, massive live oak trees and floral beauty. Until 1799, Catholics were not allowed in the colony and now they have the most elegant church in the city. John Wesley preached at Christ Episcopal Church in 1736 where he launched the Methodist religion in America and started the first Sunday School in America.

River Street offers unique shopping (the candy is delicious) and many restaurants. (Try the Low Country Boil.) Riverboats and huge container ships ply the Savannah River stopping at one of the busiest ports in the nation.

As we have done in other cities, we took a trolley tour of Savannah to get an overview of the city. There are several trolley companies and we chose Old Town Trolley Tours, a big mistake. They have trolley tours in Boston, Newport, Washington, DC, St. Augustine, Key West and San Diego as well as Savannah. The trolley has 12 stops and passengers can get off and on at each stop. They are scheduled to run every 15 minutes but we stood in rain one hour waiting for a trolley. This was not the first time we had trouble with Old Town Trolley and we will never use them again. They put in writing a "money back guarantee if not fully satisfied" so we asked for our money back - all $52.00, but they refused to pay us on spot and promised to mail us a refund. We are still waiting for it.

So plan to spend a few days in Savannah, take a trolley tour (not Old Town) and put on your walking shoes. The beauty of the city will delight your eyes.