We are paddling in the Lower Keys. It´s a clear day, and calm water reflects back the azure sky, forming a shimmering Caribbean-like mirage. Beneath our boat a blue-green field of water frames darker shapes. The water surface ripples like some giant´s taut muscular skin. With each stroke we fall inexorably into this living tapestry of sky an water.

In the virtual aquarium beneath our kayak, a southern stingray the size of a car hood lies on the silty bottom off Bahia Honda Keys.

Beady eyes of young tarpon streak like red neon as they dart through headlamp beams on an after-dark paddle near Saddlehill Key.

Sharks school on the back side of Loggerhead Key.

Tiny starfish cling to sponges on red mangrove roots close to Cook Island..

A skinny fish tails across nearshore flats off Sugarloaf Key, its prey firmly lodged in vice-grip jaws.

And minutes after this display of raw nature, a small seahorse, one of the most delicate of creatures swims past. 

          "The Florida Keys are a chain of islands that tail south and west off Florida´s southeast tip. Archeological evidence of habitation dates back almost 4000 years. During the Glades Period (500 B.C. through A.D. the 1500s), human habitation intensified and adapted to the water environment. Instead of farming, they fished, hunted turtles, trapped lobsters, and gathered wild plants for subsistence. In precolonial times, turtlers and fishermen from the Bahamas settled the islands intermittently. From the Spanish period came the term key, derived from the Spanish cayo, which means "small island". English speakers shortened the term to cay and pronounced it key.  In time, the phonetic spelling became accepted usage.

In nature and character, the Keys share much with its Caribbean neighbors. Tropical hardwood hammocks harbor West Indian plants found nowhere else in the United States. In the lee of mangrove islands in the wide, shallow Florida Bay, a virtual painter´s palette of bird plumage stands out in stark contrast to the red mangroves´ dark foliage. The water is shallow and, under ideal conditions, gin-clear, and small coral heads, sea whips, and the orange, green, and purple sponges make snorkling a treat.

Add to this the world-famous Keys character. What´s to do in the Keys ? "Dive, drink, and fish" the old saying goes - to which we modestly add "kayaking". For those who like to end their trip with a libation, it seems a tiki bar is convenient to every launch. Strains of acoustic guitars float out over the water as Keys troubadours add their voice to the island feel."

"Florida Keys Paddling Atlas" by Bill and Mary Burnham     

          Die Florida Keys sind eine Inselkette mit einer Länge von über 290 km (180 Meilen), die sich von der Südspitze der Halbinsel Florida bis nach Key West erstreckt. Die Inseln liegen zwischen dem Golf von Mexiko und dem Atlantischen Ozean. Bis zu einem Hurrikan im Jahre 1935 waren die Inseln durch eine Eisenbahnlinie verbunden. Heutzutage erreicht man die Inseln über die 42 Brücken des Overseas Highway, der anstelle der Eisenbahnlinie errichtet wurde.

Die bekannteste der Brücken ist die „Seven Mile Bridge“. Sie verbindet Vaca Key (Marathon) mit Bahia Honda und überquert dabei Pigeon Key. Ihrem Namen entsprechend hat diese Brücke eine Länge von sieben Meilen (11 km). 

Aus Wikipedia - Die freie Enzyklopädie   

          In Marathon sind wir gestartet, um in 3 Tagen knapp über 80 Kilometer bis nach Key West zu paddeln, dem südlichsten Punkt des Festlandes der USA. Zuvor sind wir mit Tim, den wir im Rahmen unserer Everglades Tour 2008/09 in den "Sümpfen" kennen gelernt haben, in den Glades angeln gewesen. 

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