End Of The Road

There is a buoy at the end of the United States, the Southernmost point to be exact. A rather obtrusive black and red hunk of concrete thing. Everyone who comes to Key West at some point makes the pilgrimage to be photographed by it. It proclaims on it's side "The Conch Republic", "90 miles to Cuba,""Southernmost Point Continental U.S.A.", and at the very bottom "Key West FL. Home Of The Sunset".

It has not always been a large concrete buoy, it used to be a sign that was constantly being stolen, it was replaced by the buoy in 1983. I am told it is the most photographed attraction in Key West, and I believe that to be true as it is hard to find it without a line of people waiting their turn to have their picture taken beside it. Even some who were born here. Tourist do some strange things, but to me this seems harmless enough.

I could argue that it is not the southernmost point at all, which would actually be Sand Key, but what would be the point. This is where the road ends and that is what matters most.