It's the spring of 1982, and Capt. G is living in Key West, a few hundred yards from the Southernmost Point — a bohemian paradise of street performers, drag queens, smugglers, refugees and vagabonds that locals called "the end of the world."
The flow of narcotics and refugees through the Keys caught Washington's attention, and the U.S. Border Patrol set up a checkpoint on US 1 at the mainland entrance to the Keys, stopping and searching every vehicle in and out — including Capt. G's own 1975 Chevy Vega, thoroughly searched for stowaways down to the spare-tire well.
The backups and searches infuriated locals, and on April 23, 1982, Key West "seceded" from the United States in protest, declaring itself the Conch Republic — briefly "declaring war" with a loaf of stale Cuban bread and surrendering a minute later to claim a billion dollars in foreign aid. The tongue-in-cheek rebellion stuck, and Conch Republic Days are still celebrated every April with parades and festivities across Key West, keeping that fiercely independent Keys spirit alive.