It was a day for driving. The weather was cold, around 63 degrees (16 C) with a honking north wind around 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) but the sun was shining and the day was crisp and bright. Besides, my dog wanted to go for a walk.
Highway One on a Monday is a good day for travel as the weekend turn around of visitors is over and the weekenders from the mainland are back at their desks, or in the unemployment lines and the Overseas Highway is largely free of plodding gawkers. We had a bit of a jam northbound in Marathon where sewer work was bunched around the main traffic light and no one had the wit to adjust the times on the light to allow the backed up traffic to dissipate. But in any event it wasn't long before Cheyenne and I were on the Channel Five bridge, 70 feet (21 meters) above the water looking down on our destination: Craig Key, Mile Marker 72.
I forget who, jcba or Combustible Turnip or someone wanted pictures of Craig Key. Here they are, though I have no idea what it is all about. 
It is no exaggeration to say that Craig Key is a wide spot in the highway at Mile Marker 72. Looking back from Islamorada you can see the bushy wide spot and in the distance the hump of the bridge. The bushy wide spot is Craig Key, everything else in the picture below, isn't. (If you are a complete mental deficient you step over the warning sign and fall into the water. If you have any brains at all you walk on the paved path. The assumption is everyone is ridiculously stupid, hence the signs).
We are told this human built island was named for Roland Craig who bought the land from the Overseas Railway in the 1930s and made a fishing camp out of it. The claim to fame is that President Hoover came down to sail his yacht out of here presumably while failing to come to grips with the first Great Depression. There's a thought as we sail merrily through the Second Great Depression.
Craig Key lies at the southern boundary of Islamorada, a town that rejoices in the nickname of "Village of Islands." The unincorporated nature of Craig Key doesn't mean it lacks amenity. There is a splendid new bike path covering the splendid new sewer system. And there are two homes on the island.
The western-most home is much more visible enjoying as it does a thin screen of coconut trees which expose it's half finished state to anyone driving by.
While I find the location spectacular enough and the isolation for one of my disposition is highly desirable the noise from the highway would be incessant, particularly as the wind usually blows from the southeast, which puts these homes downwind of traffic... 
I know I am a fussy sod but one of my pleasures living three quarters of a mile south of the highway is the quiet, most of the year when snowbirds aren't walking and shouting in the street in the early morning. Around here there's lots of traffic.
The eastern most house is much more wooded with casuarina trees that mask the island from view, though whether the Australian pines cut much road noise is doubtful to me. 
The western house has a floating dock in disrepair, well liked apparently by the locals. 
The eastern house, further up the road... 
...also has a dock. And both boat docks are nicely tucked away. This past Monday was a good example of why you need to take precautions against the weather.
As pooh bear and I stumped between the houses the metal railings hummed and groaned in harmonic vibration from the wind and her ears flew and her leash got bent into an arc by the force of the breeze. It was cold.
Inside the bight behind the eastern house all was calm and the water was flat.
Not so the tip of the western house fully exposed to the breeze. 
That was a hell of a walk. My fingers were frozen, and I was glad for the shelter of the casuarinas. 
Guest house anybody? The architecture seems typical Keys stuff and aside from the location could be seen on any canal in the Keys. 
That's the end of Craig Key where the bridge is Islamorada, the incorporated "Village of Islands." As though down here it could be a village of anything else. 
At least this gate doesn't have any disfiguring and silly signs on it. 
Splendid views on a splendid day. 
That's Craig Key. I hope I didn't miss anything. 
Later Cheyenne and I spent time wandering the Channel Five Bridge (another essay for another day) and this was the view looking southeast at Craig Key. 
Fixer upper anyone? I'll bet it's going for a song!
Highway One on a Monday is a good day for travel as the weekend turn around of visitors is over and the weekenders from the mainland are back at their desks, or in the unemployment lines and the Overseas Highway is largely free of plodding gawkers. We had a bit of a jam northbound in Marathon where sewer work was bunched around the main traffic light and no one had the wit to adjust the times on the light to allow the backed up traffic to dissipate. But in any event it wasn't long before Cheyenne and I were on the Channel Five bridge, 70 feet (21 meters) above the water looking down on our destination: Craig Key, Mile Marker 72.I forget who, jcba or Combustible Turnip or someone wanted pictures of Craig Key. Here they are, though I have no idea what it is all about. 
It is no exaggeration to say that Craig Key is a wide spot in the highway at Mile Marker 72. Looking back from Islamorada you can see the bushy wide spot and in the distance the hump of the bridge. The bushy wide spot is Craig Key, everything else in the picture below, isn't. (If you are a complete mental deficient you step over the warning sign and fall into the water. If you have any brains at all you walk on the paved path. The assumption is everyone is ridiculously stupid, hence the signs).We are told this human built island was named for Roland Craig who bought the land from the Overseas Railway in the 1930s and made a fishing camp out of it. The claim to fame is that President Hoover came down to sail his yacht out of here presumably while failing to come to grips with the first Great Depression. There's a thought as we sail merrily through the Second Great Depression.Craig Key lies at the southern boundary of Islamorada, a town that rejoices in the nickname of "Village of Islands." The unincorporated nature of Craig Key doesn't mean it lacks amenity. There is a splendid new bike path covering the splendid new sewer system. And there are two homes on the island.The western-most home is much more visible enjoying as it does a thin screen of coconut trees which expose it's half finished state to anyone driving by.While I find the location spectacular enough and the isolation for one of my disposition is highly desirable the noise from the highway would be incessant, particularly as the wind usually blows from the southeast, which puts these homes downwind of traffic... I know I am a fussy sod but one of my pleasures living three quarters of a mile south of the highway is the quiet, most of the year when snowbirds aren't walking and shouting in the street in the early morning. Around here there's lots of traffic.
The eastern most house is much more wooded with casuarina trees that mask the island from view, though whether the Australian pines cut much road noise is doubtful to me. 
The western house has a floating dock in disrepair, well liked apparently by the locals. 
The eastern house, further up the road... 
...also has a dock. And both boat docks are nicely tucked away. This past Monday was a good example of why you need to take precautions against the weather.
As pooh bear and I stumped between the houses the metal railings hummed and groaned in harmonic vibration from the wind and her ears flew and her leash got bent into an arc by the force of the breeze. It was cold.
Inside the bight behind the eastern house all was calm and the water was flat.
Not so the tip of the western house fully exposed to the breeze. 
That was a hell of a walk. My fingers were frozen, and I was glad for the shelter of the casuarinas. 
Guest house anybody? The architecture seems typical Keys stuff and aside from the location could be seen on any canal in the Keys. 
That's the end of Craig Key where the bridge is Islamorada, the incorporated "Village of Islands." As though down here it could be a village of anything else. 
At least this gate doesn't have any disfiguring and silly signs on it. 
Splendid views on a splendid day. 
That's Craig Key. I hope I didn't miss anything. 
Later Cheyenne and I spent time wandering the Channel Five Bridge (another essay for another day) and this was the view looking southeast at Craig Key. 
Fixer upper anyone? I'll bet it's going for a song!
17 comments:
Again great pictures. But between you and my daughter being cold and freezing I hope you two and all the others make it.Im sure Cheyenne won't let you freeze.
By the way what mile marker is Craig Key at?
Dear Conch:
If your hands were freezing in 63º temperatures it was because you held them close to your heart.
You made me smile with your standard of peace and quiet on Ram Rod Key. When I lived in the Adirondacks, I was four miles from a secondary road. My nearest full-time neighbor in the winter was a mile away.
On freezing cold February nights (temps 10º below zero), he'd drive by and I step out onto the porch. A few minutes later, I could hear him close his car door.
In the absence of real noise, the slightest sound carries. If you recall, this house is 1 7/8 miles from US-202, and I can hear the traffic by 6am in the morning.
Still, you are quite right... Land in the Keys is scarce and it must be a blessing to be as far as you can from the connecting highway.
Don't the waves wash up onto the lawn of the western house?
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
I've always wondered about that house.
Fixed: MM 72.
Waves around here don't get really big until winds get into the storm category. Most of the water in the picture sis twenty feet or less (7 meters) and there are lots of shoal patches that break up the water's energy. It's the benefit of living on a reef.
I'm with you on the solitude and noise. If I can find the first and not the latter, I'm a peachy guy.
Mr Conchscooter:
72 miles from civilization is too far. I draw the line at 29.5 miles. what we wouldn't give for 16c right now
bob
Wet Coast Scootin
Still pretty cool house, even if it is run down a bit.
Thankyouverymuch. It was a nice surprise to see that you took a look at the key and the photos turned out wonderful, as did the commentary. I always wondered about the house there, as it has been unfinished for years (maybe decades, I've heard a story that it's unfinished out of spite, of some sort). Despite the cold, the water and sun look bright--a nice chiaroscuro effect there in the trees.
Look forward to the next post.
A breeze, the turquoise sea, and balmy 16C... sounds like paradise to me. Lovely, lovely set of pics. Thanks!
Sonja its why I didn't emigrate to Canada. Too cold.
I've had my eye on that place for a while. I'm thinking of leaving FtMyers to go squat!!
Love your blog-
stephanie
Great pics and write-up. I'm a little late to the party (6 years after your original post). I had a chance to kayak around the two islands in April 2016. The one place still sits empty like an old relic, just adding to the mystery of the keys. The other place is very nice...although the owners are very private. We talked with people there and hung out at their dock for a short while. I did not notice much road noise during our short stay. I believe the trees and debris that line the island really do knock down a lot of the traffic sounds. Thanks again for the great Pics!!!
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My grandfather, Charles A. Eaton dredged out that island. He built a beautiful home and pool there and during hurricane Donna we only got some water inside. No damage was done to the house or pool. It was sold and sold again and the stupid developer tore down the house and filled in the pool! Sad. Such a g irgeous place. Craig Cay was a beautiful place in its day and I loved living there.
Mile Marker 72
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