By Scott Shephard
Marathon - Looking east from the west edge of town
When our family decided that we were going to spend time in the Florida Keys, I looked at a map. I had never been to the Keys so I thought I should start learning a few things. What I saw on the map was a road, a lot of water and very little land. I guess that’s what makes this small piece of the US special.
Marathon is a bit of a wide spot on this road and has been our home for the week. The town is 2 or 3 miles long, has two working stoplights that seem to do little to regulate the perpetual traffic. Good luck if you are trying to cross the 4 lanes on foot if you aren’t crossing at the crosswalk.
The surrounding water is fascinating to me. On the left in this photo is the Gulf of Mexico and the depth is generally between 4 and 6 feet for hundreds of yards - maybe even miles- off shore. I’ve boated most of my life on Lake Oahe where the depth from shore to 5 yards out can drop from zero to 30 feet.
On the right is the Atlantic, where there is a gradual drop from zero to 70 feet not too far off shore.
Today, we have rented a pontoon boat for the day and will explore both the Gulf and the Atlantic sides. On Oahe if I were to cruise in 4’ of water, I’d worry about running aground. But here I’m told we have nothing to worry about.
DJI Minnie 3 Pro 5 frame HDR
Below are two photos of the first couple miles of the famous 7 Mile Bridge. This view is what you see when you look the other way from today’s photo. The road (A1A) eventually ends in Key West.
