I arrived in Florida City on Friday, December 1.

Nikki works full-time and her next day off was the following Thursday.

We made plans to take a morning drive on her day off and see where the road takes us!

Thursday Morning

I text Nikki to let her know I’m heading to her house.

It’s been 8 months since I was last here. I know my way around and don’t bother using the GPS.

Confidently turning left on Farm Life School Road (because it sounded familiar)… I quickly realize I took a wrong turn!

What should have been a 10 minute drive takes 20 minutes.

At Nikki’s House

Nikki was outside enjoying the morning sunshine.

As Nikki hops in the van, she mentions the wrong turn I took. She was watching my route on the Life360 app.

Somehow she see’s every oops I make! Fortunately, most of my oopsies turn out to be fun memories to look back on – even those that happened decades ago.

Nikki buckles her seatbelt and we both conclude it’s a Starbucks morning!

I hand my phone to Nikki to place our order via my Starbucks app so it’s ready when we get there.

At Starbucks

Nikki goes inside to pick up our order and I check the weather.

It’s a cool morning for south Florida. No wonder Nikki’s wearing a hoodie!

Time To Visit The Florida Keys (again)

With coffee in hand, Nikki and I head to the Florida Turnpike for a morning drive on the Overseas Hwy.

The Overseas Hwy is a 113 mile highway that picks up where US Route 1 leaves off in Florida City. The Overseas Hwy runs through the Florida Keys all the way to Key West.

I typically take the main roads but the Turnpike is easier than dealing with the morning work-commute traffic.

The Turnpike ends in Florida City. I take the US Route 1 exit and it’s a straight shot to the Overseas Hwy.

Rowell’s Waterfront Park in Key Largo

We stop at Rowell’s Waterfront Park to stretch our legs and order lunch.

As I step out of the van, a medium-large dog happily prances over to me with his tail wagging. He just wanted some pets and chin scratches!

The dog’s Human is across from us with a smaller dog… apparently he was trying to get the dogs into the car after taking them on a walk.

After stretching our legs, Nikki and I place a lunch order to be picked up at the Islamorada Publix – about 30 minutes south of Rowell’s Waterfront Park.

Anne’s Beach In Islamorada Florida

After picking up our order, we head to Anne’s Beach to eat lunch.

There are 2 entrances to Anne’s Beach. We take the first entrance and notice an almost empty parking lot. We easily secure our free oceanfront parking.

While we eat and chat we have a great view!

As we eat, more cars and an Employee truck begin to take up many of the remaining parking spaces.

We planned on taking a walk after lunch but the Employee was being rude so we chose to go elsewhere.

Highway Piers Historical Marker In Islamorada FL

At the Highway Piers Historical Marker, there’s a parking area on the north side and another on the south side.

Today, we parked on the south side.

I’ve been here many times but the views always amaze me.

The water is as blue as the trash can (in the lower right corner).

Trees stretch over the rocky beach. Their leaves are a vibrant green.

There are a few sandy beaches in the Florida Keys but sandy beaches are not the norm. Sand forms from the erosion of rocks and sea particles but the coral reefs in the Florida Keys prevent or slows down the erosion.

South of Highway Piers Historical Marker is another bridge.

There are 42 bridges in the Keys. The longest is Seven Mile Bridge (aptly named because it’s 7 miles long!).

If you have gephyrophobia (fear of or anxiety when going over bridges), the Overseas Hwy is not for you!

Before heading back to the van, I notice these cool yellow flowers with strange looking leaves.

Parting Thoughts

Somehow our morning drive lasted 5 hours!

It was a fun Mom-n-Nikki day tooling around in the Florida Keys.

I certainly can’t complain about the destination but it wasn’t about where we went… it was simply about the journey!