As part of our ongoing move, I drove our camper van (Travato) to our place in Big Pine, which will soon be our only place, last week and flew back to Tampa from Key West.
I always look out the window flying in and out of Key West to see if there’s anything interesting I can use in my stories. I wasn’t really expecting anything this time as I’ve flown over the Keys multiple times, but I was wrong.
On the northern (gulf side) of Boca Chica Key I saw what appeared to be an abandoned construction project. The setup is pretty common to the Keys. There are many neighborhoods, including the one we live in, that have been excavated to create waterfront property. In most cases the developer digs, or blasts, canals that form a grid and feed to a single point which allows access to the waters of the Keys.
When I got back, I was curious and googled “abandoned neighborhood in Boca Chica Key.” Here’s the headline of one of the top results.
The “Submarine Pits” on Boca Chica Key
I ran this by one of my BETA readers who lives in the Keys and we threw around some ideas. He pointed out that the area above the “neighborhood” might have been an old SAM missile site. He also found the property record which shows the area in question as being privately owned. That makes it the only parcel on the key not owned by the Navy.
We came to the conclusion that there are several reasons this story is probably embellished, but it is fun to speculate.
I’m just getting ideas set down for the next Mac Travis, which will be an Early Adventure of Mac and Wood. This place will definitely be in it.
If you’ve got any ideas, please send a comment. If there is anything I use, I’ll send you a signed copy of the book.