Day Four - We left our campsite around 10am to visit Key West and skate its historical district & southernmost beach. We found a spooky, abandoned subdivision of large expensive homes back on Big Pine Key for watching the sunset. And we camped again at Big Pine Key Fisherman's Lodge.

Morning at Big Pine Key Fisherman's Lodge campsite. It was a long night for Michael, so he got to sleep late. Meanwhile, I had already done all of the laundry, had seven cups of coffee, cleaned up the camp and scored another spot of gravel for us to sleep on for the night.

We drove from our camping spot about 35 miles south to Key West in the late morning, after a generous helping of PowerBars and bananas.

Leaving our car at a motel (unlocked! thanks to L), we skated the residential and historical district of Key West, leaving the party spots for the next day when we checked into a motel there.

This gazebo was an excellent spot for a picture and we were able to locate a cooperative mom to give us a hand with the camera.

The homes and the architecture in Key West surprised me. They're homey, almost victorian - and they're old - but they also have the warm sunny feeling of Florida and the Keys.

Many of the homes displayed plaques dating them over 100 years - we hear that Hemmingway had a house in Key West but we didn't look for it.

There were quite a few beautiful bed & breakfasts in the area, I'd love to come back someday to check them out.

We skated several miles in the full heat of the day and luckily happened upon a public beach near southernmost point around 2pm.

Little did I realize, it was also a topless beach. But M was unfazed and we took the opportunity to swim and pose for a picture.

We returned to our campsite determined to view the evening's sunset but didn't have any idea where to go. Checking the map, we found a private road nearby and elected to locate a beach. We found an entire community of huge homes abandoned after Hurricane Jeorges, which ripped up entire beaches leaving nothing but swamp and rock.

After skating Key West all day, we were bushed. I took a little nap till about 10pm, then M woke me for more wine and carousing. We got shushed from our site and wound up on a deck overlooking a fowl-filled wetland. Finally, a late-night shower in a private bathing room and we were ready for snoozing.