The Southernmost Point in the United States

 

OK, you know by now that I love warm weather and for those of us on the Eastern side of the U.S., warm generally means Florida. I’ve lost track of the number of trips I’ve made to the Sunshine State. I concluded early-on that the more south you get, the warmer it is. 

Over the years my visits to Florida took me farther and farther south. I guess it was inevitable that I eventually found the Southernmost point. The first time I crossed the last bridge onto the island of Key West I knew I had discovered my Favoritemost Point in the U.S. The atmosphere is one that I find pleasing; probably the best description would be laid-back. 

On the list for tourist must-do events is the visit to the monument marking The Southernmost Point. The marker designating the point is at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets. Whitehead St. is also well-known for being the location of the Key West lighthouse and the home of Ernest Hemingway. 

The first time there, we encountered a long line of tourists waiting their turn to have their pictures taken with a gigantic concrete barrel. We dutifully stood in line and then rushed to take each other’s photo with the painted marker. I was told the point used to be marked with a sign, but people kept stealing it.

There were people close-by at a sea shell stand who would for a dollar take your picture with the marker; that way your entire group could be photographed together. I read that there were other people who would offer to take your picture, and when you handed them your camera, they take off running. The marker was painted to remind us that it is only 90 miles to Cuba. Wow, that’s close. 

We had our photos taken and as I walked away, I looked to the west of the marker, then checked my Key West city map. We weren’t really at the southernmost point. The land a few blocks from us was farther south. A closer look revealed that the “real” southernmost point was on a military base not accessible to the public. Oh well, this point will do fine.

Of course, if you check a globe, you’ll find that the REAL southernmost point is on the Big Island of Hawaii. I‘ve been to that point also, but there was no concrete barrel to have our picture taken with.