What's on Your Key West Bucket List?

More updates are coming to the blog soon. Until then, visit our facebook page to share your experiences. How many items have you completed in The Key West Bucket List? What's next on your list? What's on your list for the Florida Keys that isn't in the book? Share your photos and adventures at www.facebook.com/FatRedPen.com.

#5 ride a bike in the rain...

"Fuck that!"

"Fuck that!"

That's the usual response when I invite someone to join me on a bike ride through Old Town Key West in the rain. I used to be the same way. Maybe worse. Rain was ruining my life.

When I operated the Ghost Tours, rain was the enemy. I started each day checking out weather reports in the local paper. Throughout the afternoon I'd consult 'Weather on the Ones' and spend hours evaluating local radar with a dial-up Internet connection. The Florida Keys are one of those places where weather prediction is hit or miss. Tiny specs of land hide in a huge body of water  where storms seem to have a mind of their own and refuse to abide by any rules of logic. My grandmother used to dance in the rain. "It's good for your skin." she'd tell me. I thought about her advice and decided I'd never watch another weather report again.

Afternoon showers were the norm when I moved to Key West. Each summer day would bring an hour or two of precipitation and I'd find myself seeking shelter under street side awnings, the occasional bar and more than a few stranger's front porches. There was a hippie girl I saw on a few occasions who pedaled through the rain without a care in the world. Water spit up from her fender-less tires spraying a dark line of road soup that ascended from the bicycle seat to her neck like a raccoon's tail. Hair matted to her face under the weight of the condensation and her shirt did little to hide here slender frame. Behind the matted hair was a smile wider than the Gulf of Mexico and a gleam in each eye that sparkled as she rode by. You could almost hear her eyes whispering, sharing the secret joy she had discovered and inviting everyone to come along for the ride. I decided to give it a try.

Not my chest unfortunately.

The rain was cool and, believe it or not, wet. I cringed for a moment - an adjustment period, much like the moments before submerging your private parts in a cold lake or hot bath. Rain soaked my shirt as I passed the Custom House. The tires emitted a high pitched zip as they spit water on my legs and back. Tourists huddled in the doorway of Sloppy Joe's and beneath the awning of a neighboring store, several of them pointing, others laughing or smiling at the guy pedaling down Duval Street like a madman, eyes squinted, hosting a one man wet t-shirt contest. By the time I reached Caroline Street I realized it's best not to hurry in the rain.

Through the years I became a pro. One hand steered my water bike through the pothole-ridden streets while the other slicked hair back from my face or waved to groups of huddled tourists. I knew which streets flooded and sought them out to make wakes. I developed my own little style of wringing my shirt out, which was more of an attention getter than anything else. I adopted the ideal speed of 4 to 6 miles per hour ensuring I would avoid the eye-sting that accompanies higher speeds. When each ride ended I relished the routine of stripping down to nothing. A trail of soaked clothes littering the hallway, living room and kitchen and a trail of water ending by the towel rack. The chemically treated water from the shower took on an artificial feel.

Willllmmaaa!

When Hurricane Wilma came to town I decided to hit the streets. I lived in a small house on Thompson Lane behind L. Valladares & Sons News Stand. Some friends were with the media at the La Concha Hotel and called to say they had wine. Catherine Street was still, but Duval Street was gusting. I straddled my bike and, without a single pedal, cruised down Duval Street propelled by nothing but gusts of wind and rain.  The street was empty. No cars. No people. Just me and my bike rocketing along with gusts of 30 to 40 miles per hour in the rain. It was a high point in my rain riding career and I rode that rain right down to the Gulf of Mexico. I probably would have kept going if there wasn't wine waiting back at the La Concha.

In The Key West Bucket List, riding a bike in the rain is accompanied by a quote from Anna Lee: "Remember, even though the outside world might be raining, if you keep on smiling, the sun will soon shine it's face and smile back at you."

The sun certainly does smile back at us in the Florida Keys. And if you happen to glance at the ground while crossing this one off of your Key West Bucket List, you will find that the rain smiles back at us too.

The Key West Bucket List Release Party Joins Hemingway Days

Hemingway Days is just around the corner, and we are excited to be hosting the festival's kick-off event with the release of The Key West Bucket List. This isn't just a book signing. It's a party. If you are in the area, please stop by. The official Hemingway Days press release is below.

21 May 2011
Hemingway Days to Celebrate Author’s Key West Legacy July 19-24
Hemingway Days 2011 includes a popular look-alike contest, a book debut and authors’ readings, an offbeat “Running of the Bulls,” a marlin tournament and the culmination of a short story contest directed by author and Hemingway granddaughter Lorian Hemingway.

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — The literary talent and vigorous Key West lifestyle of Ernest Hemingway are to be celebrated Tuesday through Sunday, July 19-24, on the island the Nobel Prize–winning author called home throughout the 1930s.

Events begin Tuesday, July 19, with a book release party for “The Key West Bucket List” by Florida Keys writer David Sloan at The Porch, 429 Caroline St.

The festival’s leading literary offering is the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition winners announcement and awards reception. The reception is scheduled Friday, July 22, at Casa Antigua, 314 Simonton St., where Ernest Hemingway stayed during his initial 1928 visit to Key West. For information, visit www.shortstorycompetition.com.Event information: www.hemingwaydays.net

Other literary events include “Voices, Places, Inspirations,” an evening of readings by acclaimed authors set for Wednesday, July 20, at Wyland Galleries, 623 Duval St.

Approximately 125 stocky, bearded men resembling Ernest are to compete in Sloppy Joe’s “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, a festival highlight now in its 31st year. The competition takes place at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, 201 Duval St., a watering hole frequented by Hemingway.

Preliminary rounds are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 21 and 22, with a celebration of the author’s July 21 birthday preceding Thursday’s contest. The winner will be chosen Saturday night by a judging panel of past winners. For more information and registration, visit www.sloppyjoes.com.

The “Papas” also take part in other festival activities, including Saturday’s “Photos with Papas” at noon and “Running of the Bulls” at 1 p.m. — an offbeat salute to Pamplona’s sporting challenge featuring man-made bulls.

Those who share Hemingway’s well-known passion for angling can compete in the July 20-23 Key West Marlin Tournament, offering cash prizes for top catches of marlin and other fish. For details, visit www.keywestmarlin.com.

Other events include an exhibit of rare Hemingway memorabilia at the Key West Museum of Art & History, 281 Front St., daily tours of the author’s former Key West home at 907 Whitehead St., Sloppy Joe’s Arm Wrestling Championship, a 5k race and a lively street fair on Key West’s Duval Street.

Key West visitor information: www.fla-keys.com/keywest or 1-800-LAST-KEY
Social: www.facebook.com/floridakeysandkeywest • www.twitter.com/thefloridakeys • www.YouTube.com/FloridaKeysTV

Welcome to The Key West Bucket List Blog

Catch! Climb! Pick! Dig! Jump! Search! Ascend!

Why visit when you can explore? Step beyond the guidebooks and transform your time in the Florida Keys into a true adventure filled with purpose, meaning and accomplishment.

Invent your own tropical drink!

Search for sea glass!

Make a Key Lime Pie!

Watch a meteor shower from sea!

Lifetime residents and casual visitors alike are guaranteed to find hidden gems in The Key West Bucket List that take you beyond the island’s glossy façade, up close with the people and deep into the heart and soul of the Florida Keys.

Thousands of interviews with hundreds of residents over more than a decade have culminated in the ultimate list. Concise, honest and carefully crafted, The Key West Bucket List is guaranteed to show you the time of your life.

Follow the Key West Bucket List blog as a companion to the book. Each week we will go deeper into the list and add new items to it. Consider it a Florida Keys adventure from the comfort of your home.