Dot's Way Cruising Cat: Key Largo to Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina in Islamorada, Florida

After a peaceful night of solitude in our anchorage, we headed from Biscayne Bay to Barnes Sound and through Card Sound. We went through Jewfish Cut, Blackwood Sound which has a Port Largo canal that goes out to Hawkes Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. We continued on through Buttonwood Sound and then Cowpens Anchorage into Plantation Yacht Harbour City Marina of Islamorada. We were greeted by two dock hands that helped us back into a slip, the first time we have done that. They told us about the Freebee app that the city supports electric cars that act like Lyft and Uber drivers so you can travel around town by just tipping the drivers. We are here to explore for five nights. Turns out the boat that had been in our slip had been here for 5 months. The marina opens up into Founders Park with a beach, boat ramp, pool and picnic area.

View north of Ocean Reef private development

View north of Pumpkin Key and opening to Angelfish Cut

Boat wake from boat transiting cut in front of us

Sailor kept up with us as he crossed the channel and came alongside

Boat neighbor who has made her houseboat like home

View from the flybridge out past the play lighthouse to anchorage

Marina clubhouse

In our slip

Path out to mangrove breakwater

Row of slips facing mangrove breakwater

Stopped at Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center

We woke up at daybreak to walk to Island Grill for breakfast about a 1.5-mile hike down the overseas highway. We used the nice bike path to walk along the two-lane road to Key West. Unfortunately, Island Grill opened at 9 instead of 7 am so we enjoyed sitting out at their outdoor bar seating waiting for them to open. We will pass on their Full Moom Beach Party tonight with a buffet and sushi with live music and fire dancers. We walked further from Plantation Key over the bridge to Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park. We walked several trails around the old coral quarry site from when Flagler built the railroad to Key West. From there we walked to Upper Matacumbe Kay to Islamorada Brewery and Distillery. We tasted several of their craft beers out in the beer garden and enjoyed the live music. We had lunch from the food truck of mahi-mahi fish tacos and shrimp tempura. We used the Freebee app to contact the shuttle driver and within 10 minutes he pulled up and we rode the 6 miles back to the marina in the electric van with one other person. It is paid for by the city and runs 38 miles along Islamorada to Tavenier and you just tip the driver. They are based out of Founders Park where the marina is so perfect for the rest of our stay.

Walking through Founders Park

Posing as a tourist by Florida lobster

Beautiful wood sculpture

Stopped by drawbridge opening

Island Grill for breakfast in the open-air restaurant

Great hiking paths through the shady hammock

We had a tour guide that described the markers

Keystone coral used in the construction of park bench

Exposed roots like sculpture

Close up of spider on the path

Quarry walls

Close up of brain coral fossils

Abandoned equipment used to carve up coral

Osprey nest along overseas highway

Metal garden art

Exotic wood carvings

Carved eagle

Fancy flamingos

Glass art

Lobster trap art

One of two new breweries

Glass bottomed dinghy in taproom

A cold brew after our 7-mile hike

Superb food truck lunch

Great music

Plenty of beers to go

I resisted buying the silicone beer glasses for the camper

Ducked in the distillery for rum tasting

This morning we met our great looper neighbors before we headed out for a 5-mile walk to Florida Keys History and Discovery Place. It is located in the Islander Resort past the Islamorada Brewery. It was a high-tech history display that also included coral reef aquariums and local artist gallery and documentary films of the labor day hurricane, key west railroad, and Florida Keys State Parks. Afterward, we literally headed across the highway to Loreleis, one of the top tiki bars in the keys for stone crab chowder, snapper sandwich, and frozen key lime pie with mango sauce. A quick trip to West Marine and then to the Lobster Art Shop for excellent underwater photography. Within 20 minutes, we had our free Tesla car ride back to Founder's Park. Another excellent adventure!

The nearby beach at Founder's Park

Welcome to Hog Heaven

Fishing near the bridge

Tropical jungle along the path

Lush foliage

Near the museum

Great museum near Islander Resort

Coral reef fish

Lionfish

Bizarre art

Fantasy art for sale by local artist

Great collection of movie posters filmed in the keys

Pineapple along the path

Blooming bushes

Splash of color

Lorelei's Tiki bar

Live music with Conch Republic Flag

Excellent underwater photographs and lobster wood frames

Waiting in the shade for Freebee ride

Our Tesla electric car city ride

On Monday since the Freebee ride doesn't run, we walked north to the Ace Hardware store. A little further was Gardenia's Bistro set in a plant nursery. We were the only folks there and had the avocado toast with cucumbers and feta cheese and stacked waffles with Nutella and fresh fruit including a star fruit with whipped cream. The chickens roamed around and the atmosphere was like being in a jungle. What a great cup of coffee! We walked back by the Rainbarrel Gift Shops and roamed through the amazing maze of tourist junk and local art. For the rest of the day, Glenn did boat work and I did laundry. The marina has a great laundry room with four washers and dryers and I had the place to myself. The wind continued to howl and it was chilly enough for a jacket on the flybridge for happy hour and pizza.

Fishy mailbox

Next to a flamingo mailbox

Gardenia's Bistro chickens

Yummy breakfast

Beautiful setting

Gorgeous orchids

Cactus galore

Fishy ceramics

Huge philodendron

Lush growth along the bikepath

The Freebee fleet charging

A sure tourist stop

From clothes

Crab pot floats

To recycled shipping pallet signs

Cute collection of shops

Tourist trinkets

"gone fishin"

Metal art

Founder's Park outdoor band stage

Sunset through neighbor's flybridge

On Tuesday, we walked over to Rainbarrel Art and Shops to pick up the Freebee ride north to Tavernier. We got off at the Mariner's Hospital their last stop and hiked the two miles to the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary stopping at the visitor center and bird hospital on the way. We walked back to the shopping center stopping at Ace Hardware, Post Office, CVS, and Winn Dixie. We took our groceries back to the boat and then walked back through Founder's Park to the Visitor Center to pick up another ride to Florida Keys Brewing Company. We tasted several beers in the beer garden and had some great Mexican food from their food truck. We wandered down Morada Way and went into a few art galleries and gift shops and then got a quick ride back to the marina. We had a different driver for each of the four rides today.