Harpoon Harry's in Key West

We have a lot of favorite places to eat in Key West, and near the top of the list for Joe is Harpoon Harry's. Joe loves Harpoon Harry's because it is like a classic dinner right down to the daily dinner specials. Even though it is right across the street from the Historic Seaport you'll still find a handful of Conchs sitting at the counter, and on the counter is where you'll see the apple pie or carrot cake, which is probably what Josh likes most about Harpoon Harry's. We've been to Harpoon Harry's lots over the years for both breakfast and dinner and we appreciate the affordable, honest food at a place where you don't have to get dressed up or call ahead for a reservation. So the next time you are in Key West be sure to drop by Harpoon Harry's, and since they don't take credit cards be sure to bring cash just like Josh and Joe Travels!

Key West Farmers Market at Bayview Park

These past few months we've really enjoyed being able to go to the farmers market in Key West. The farmers market is on Thursday's at Bayview park which is in our neighborhood, so we can walk over and grab a few things that are hard to find at grocery stores. Joe is always on the lookout for key limes because he takes lime in his sweet tea (you should try it). At the market there is are vendors all the way from Homestead as well as a few more from around the Keys, so when you spend money at the farmers market you support your neighbors, and we think that is important, especially following a year when Florida was impacted by a major hurricane. Plus when you shop local you find special local products like keys bees honey and chocolate dipped croissants. One Thursday we even picked up our lunch at the farmers market - local bbq with brisket and ribs so we couldn't turn it down! So if you are in Key West and happen to be at the farmers market, be sure to stop and say hello if you see Josh and Joe Travels!

Georgetown Fair Queen 2018 Princess Luncheon with Heather Simpson

This March we were excited to be back in Georgetown for the annual princess luncheon, and this year Miss Georgetown Fair Queen 2017 Heather Simpson brought some special pixie power to the event. The day was full of activities including an art lesson with Queen Heather a several dances in front of the big stage. We were thrilled to be on hand to do the pictures and be part of one of the best events of the year at Georgetown. This spring things will really get going for Queen Heather as she makes appearances throughout the Georgetown area, so be sure to watch for her at local events and parades, and be sure to keep check back to see more pictures right here with Josh and Joe Travels!

Cruise Ships and Sunsets in Key West

Key West is always hopping with visitors, but during prime season from about Christmas to Easter things are especially busy, and a lot of those visitors come on cruise ships. Some of our friends might know that we had hoped to take our first cruise in 2017 and how we were looking forward to sailing on Empress of the Seas to Havana. Joe went to Havana years ago and is eager to visit again, and we thought cruising on the Empress was too tempting to resist. Even though things didn't work out for us to go on a Havana cruise, we still get to see a lot of the Empress because stopping in Key West is one of her most popular itineraries. Three ships in Key West at one time is a pretty busy day, and if they stay past dusk the cruise ships will block your view of sunset from Mallory, especially in December and January when sunset is early. This time of year we most often watch sunset from White Street because it is close to home, far less hectic, and parking is free and easy.

So with another year ahead of us we are still thinking about taking a cruise, even one that might visit Key West so we can see the island from a totally new perspective. Whatever 2018 has in store for us you can count on us to post the pictures right here on Josh and Joe Travels!

200,000 Miles of Memories and Our 2017 Year in Review

Over the years we've sure put on a lot of miles going down the road so it didn't come of much of a surprise when we turned over 200,000 near the end of 2017. Some of you might remember when we bought the Crown Victoria LX Sport, and here we are now with 200,000 miles. We didn't blog about 100,000 miles because that really doesn't even get our attention any more. The miles seem to fly by. Our last Crown Victoria took us 325,000 miles. Added to this one, that's a half million miles in our journey, which is funny considering we know exactly where the journey ends. The Sport is actually part of our blog's title image.

There have been some really cool adventures with the Sport, and some truly memorable moments. Here are a few things that stick out in our minds when we think about the last 200,000.

1. Kansas, some of the best barbeque and Moon Marble
2. Nashville, the Opry, the Music Hall of Fame and the Loretta Lynn Ranch
3. Florida, Big Cypress, the Smallwood Store and the smallest post office
4. Illinois, photographing weddings for two Georgetown Fair Queens and sitting with the family of another at college graduation, not to mention all those queen pictures
5. The Southernmost Cat

2017 has been a hectic year for us and we are hoping for calmer skies in our future. Between hurricanes and other hardships, 2017 just really didn't pan out to the be the kind of breakout year we'd hoped, in a number of ways, so as our journey continues we might be looking at changing our path. There were some really good moments in there for sure so count on us to push forward building on that success.

So after all of these miles we sure hope there are many more in front of us, but if we've learned anything its that the road is long, parts of it are unforgiving, and persistence is rewarding. In the meantime our best advice is that "patience pays - only 3 minutes to passing zone" and please slow down in the Key Deer habitat just like Josh and Joe Travels!

Keys Love Festival benefit for hurricane relief at Truman Waterfront in Key West

On December 17th we went to the Keys Love Festival at the new Truman Waterfront amphitheater stage, and Joe was thrilled to get to see Coffee Butler, Cliff Sawyer, Clayton Lopez, Mr. Albury and others. The Keys Love Festival was put on by keysstrong.org which was founded to provide relief after Hurricane Irma. Even though Hurricane Irma is no longer on cable news, many Keys families are still trying to rebuild and get back to their normal lives. We were very lucky to be spared the worst of the storm in Key West, but other parts of the Keys suffered severe damage, and since the national guard and emergency workers left the Keys months ago, help is still needed in many Keys communities. We hope you might be interested in supporting the ongoing relief effort in the Florida Keys, and if you are please take a moment to visit keysstrong.org, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, or your favorite organization to find out how you can help. And remember the Keys are open for business, so shop local and help put money back into the community like Josh and Joe Travels!

Southernmost Car Club Key West Christmas Car Show and Shine at the Historic Seaport

We love going to car shows, so when we heard the Florida Keys Southernmost Car Club was doings its December show and shine at the Historic Seaport in Key West we knew we had to go and take a look at the cars. The Southernmost Car Club is open to all makes and models, and someday we hope maybe we'll have time to join. Some of you might know how much time we spend detailing our Crown Victoria, but we like to say its parade ready and not show ready.

The Christmas show and shine at the seaport was really cool and it was great to see so many owners bring out their cars for the last show of the year. You might remember we've been to some pretty big car shows, like Crusin' the Heartland in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and even the Autogeek show in Stewart, Florida, but the Southernmost club's show and shine is still one of our favorites. So if you happen to drive by and see us waxing the Crown Victoria, we might just be getting ready for our first show, so be sure to stop and say hello when you see Josh and Joe Travels!