Marathon, FL " We're Here and It's Now"

We had a very pretty day on January 1st, 2019 to travel from Naples to Marathon.  Although it was foggy for the first hour (I hate fog); but, the fog burned off quickly and it turned warm and sunny with light winds.

Fog as we left in the morning New Years Day

View after the fog burned off ("slick cam")

  It was around 3 PM when we pulled into Faro Blanco Marina in Marathon.  The city of Marathon encompasses several islands in the middle of the Florida Keys.  Although the area has been settled for some time, it was not incorporated until 1999.  The name Marathon comes from the workers who built the Florida East Coast Railway.  This railroad was completed in 1912 linking mainland Florida to Key West.  The workers toiled night and day to complete the railroad and complained that "this is getting to be a real marathon".  The word was later used as the name of the local railroad station.

The Faro Blanco Marina Lighthouse which is also the dock office

Looking across the marina from the bow of Southern Style

View off the back of Southern Style when the slip behind us is open

Faro Blanco is affiliated with the Hyatt Hotel so there are rooms for rent as well as two swimming pools and a restaurant overlooking the marina.  The resort is located on the Gulf side of the island just northeast of the 7 mile bridge. Pictures and information on the bridge to follow in an upcoming post.

  This will be our winter spot until mid to end of March.  In the first two full days we have been here, we biked to the city park and played tennis as well as biked to the Publix grocery store which is about 2.2 miles from the marina.  I also took the kayak out Thursday afternoon for a quick paddle before dinner.  I saw a sea turtle while paddling (to cool).  Did not get a picture as he submerged quickly.

A good sized boat anchored and enjoying the nice day just off Marathon's Gulf side

Small islands near the marina entrance

Marina at Faro Blanco resort in the distance

 It may take a few more days to get the real lay of the land, but I think we can make this work.  The average temperature for January and February is 72.  It has actually been warmer (80-85) and a bit humid.   We are looking forward to having friends come visit while we are here.  We also may rent a car and do some sightseeing ourselves around the keys during our stay.  I plan to do a weekly update on the blog so anyone interested can keep up with us.  Sometime around March we plan to begin heading back up the east coast and eventually going into New England and Maine for the summer or 2019, so stay tuned for more adventures.