Why we went
We'd driven it before. This time we pulled over.
Like most people, we'd always rushed this drive straight to Key West. This time we gave ourselves one day, one convertible and one rule: stop at the roadside places we'd always blown past. That meant a bird sanctuary in Tavernier, Betsy the giant lobster in Islamorada, a breath-hold contest at the History of Diving Museum and a bucket of bait at Robbie's, where tarpon the size of toddlers leap for your hand.
The Seven Mile Bridge was the stop that mattered most. On our first trip to the Keys together, in 2020, Emily FaceTimed her grandfather from this bridge at sunset. It turned out to be the last sunset he saw. Driving back over it years later, married and with the top down, we were reminded why we do this: tomorrow is never promised.
