I wanted to post what I had written up on the Keys trip. As we went along, internet service was not available and I'm just now having a chance to post.
Monday, We were greeted by a cloudy cold day. Delaying the Glass Boat Ride until afternoon, we piled into Big Mama and went to a Wild Bird Sanctuary. Most of the birds have been rescued usually as a result of encounters with people. Types included owls, hawks, falcons, pelicans, egrets, herons, kestrels, peregrines, to name a few. Asking for advice on a lunch spot, we went as directed to the Island Grill on Islamorada. Located overlooking the water oceanside, we chose the inside seating as did everyone else. The crunchy yellowtail snapper sandwich was delicious and we had a lively discussion much of which dealt with our Roadtreks. Heading back we tried to find a historic area of Tavernier Key without success but did get down some local residential streets. Negotiating my vehicle with bike rack on the back was a challenge in many spots particularly at the bird sanctuary. After Deb and Carolyn tried to coax me through a turnaround, a man whose work was car auctions offered to take the wheel and do the job. His was one of 3 or 4 cars blocked at the time! Later in the afternoon, Susan, Janet and I made the 3:15 Pennecamp glass bottom boat ride to the Molasses reef. Despite the fading light and cloudy skies the visibility was good and lots of fish and coral formations were seen.
There was a bit more sunshine and a slight rise in temperatures. After a leisurely start, one by one, we left the Key Largo Kampground and Marina. It is a very well kept place with lots of trees and has a small beach as well as a pool. Jolly Roger on Grassy Key bayside, was our next stop. We were coaxed into tight campsites by a staff member. We walked over to the nearby Dolphin Research Center, originally the location of the movie Flipper and where the dolphins in that film were trained. Some of the dolphins living there today are the descendants. Children and adults participated in feeding and sometimes swimming with the dolphins. We enjoyed the shows seeing the one month old newest dolphin and his mother. We met another Solo woman Roadtreker, Katherine, who is town assisting her seriously ill sister. She hopes to visit with us again further down the Keys. She was a volunteer at the Dolphin Center last summer and so could provide us with some insider information.Returning to the campground we packed up beverages and snacks and headed to the picnic tables on the water where we had a wonderful view of a beautiful sunset. No one wanted dinner after that. Susan, Carolyn and I played dominoes well into the evening while Deb and Janet watched TV.
Wednesday The departure from Jolly Roger Campground was delayed. Susan’s site was very tight and tree roots caught on her undercarriage as she attempted to pull out. The result was a broken bracket to which a large outside storage drawer was attached. Maintenance personnel attempted to reattach the drawer without success. Finally it was determined that the drawer could be removed and stored until she picked it up on the return trip. Behind the drawer was her sanitation hoses which had to be secured. It was an ordeal and poor Susan’s vehicle had a gapping hole in the side. We all arrived at the Sugarloaf KOA campground around noon and after a quick lunch piled into Deb’s Roadtrek for the drive into Key West. Though the parking lot said full, it had a lot of space. We separated to tour on our own with a meeting at 5 p.m to see the sunset on Mallory square. It wasn’t too crowded and most of the shops were hawking $5 t-shirts. Only one cruise ship was in port, Fascination, a Carnival Ship. The weather was warmer with clouds threatening off and on. Everyone enjoyed the fireeaters, jugglers, acrobats, and musicians entertaining the sunset crowd. The Sunset itself was disappointing. We made our way back to the parking lot where we found our cost was only $12. We stopped at the Key Lime Pie store and Janet bought a pie for our Christmas eve dinner. Before returning to the campground we had dinner at Mangrove Mama’s nearby.
Thursday Christmas Eve Janet decided to head back into Key West via the bus. The rest of us went in search of the small Key deer and alligators on Big Pine Key. We spotted a number of deer but no alligators’. We did see Iguanas both at the Blue Hole where alligators are usually seen and near the Bahia Honda Beach. Our lunch at No Name Pub which is covered with dollar bills was fun and we were joined by Katherine who we had met on Tuesday. We returned to the campground and prepared dinner with Carolyn making a wonderful soup, Susan, fajitas and I made a big salad. Katherine joined us as well as Noell and Lyn who are part of RVing Women Carolyn invited. Janet returned from a successful day in Key West with transportation costs of $2!
Friday Christmas Day: We had a special breakfast Christmas morning with eggs scrambled with cheese and ham and 4 different Christmas breads. After some debate about going into Key West to see the Butterfly House where Noelle works, we opted to just “hang out” at the campground. I rode my bicycle, we sat on the campground beach. Our vehicles were prepared for the next day departure. Carolyn was headed into Key West and would take Janet to the airport. Deb had reserved a spot at the Key Largo Campground where we’d stayed the first two nights. Susan and I had hoped to spend a night in the Everglades but decided with her drawer taking up most of her interior space together with soggy rugs from a water pump that didn’t shut off, we would save that adventure for another trip. I would go to Sarasota.
Saturday The GPS seemed to be confused as I came into the Miami area but after trying its directions, I turned around and headed for the Turnpike entrance. Along the way I telephoned Les’s brother Bob and arranged to have dinner with them. All was going well until south of Ft. Myers I decided to change lanes due to a very slow car in the right hand lane. I thought I checked for cars but as I pulled into the middle lane my left front tire made contact with a small silver car. It seemed to me that the car just suddenly materialized. We both pulled over to the shoulder. There didn’t seem to be much damage to either vehicle. The other driver was in his son’s car and wanted to get a police report. I telephoned 911 which switched me to the Florida Highway Patrol. It seemed to be a long time coming but a very helpful patrolman responded. He did not ticket me and estimated my damage at under $100. He pointed out that the weight put on to balance my tires had been what made the contact slightly denting the right rear side fender of the BMW. There were marks on my tire as well as that of the BMW but no serious damage. The whole thing took about an hour which resulted in arriving at the Turtle Beach campground at just about dark. Fortunately there was someone to help me with the gate code and guide me into my site. I was still upset and needed all the help I could get. This is a very nice campground, close to the beach but with tight turning areas. I called the insurance company to report the accident. Bob and Sara arrived soon after at nearby Turtle Beach Pub across the road from the campground where we had an enjoyable though noisy dinner.
Sunday Bob and Sara picked me up and we joined the rest of the Larsen tribe for a brunch at the apartment of Les’s first wife. All his children, grandchildren, and great grandchild Adalyn were there. It was great to visit with everyone again and I ate so much that it was my last meal of the day.Later sailing friends Richard and Veda came to the campground and we enjoyed catching up and seeing each other’s travel photos. They took a cruise around South America which is something on my list.
Monday A day with warm sunshine but cool temperatures. I took advantage of my beach proximity for a long walk. Stepdaughter Susan Blue invited me to join them on the Siesta Crescent beach which is one of the top beaches in the world with incredible white sand. I went by bicycle, about a five mile trip along a fairly busy 2 lane road. There is a small bike lane on either side but it was a bit unnerving. After time of the beach we headed over to the pool where the rest of the family was trying to keep warm as the wind increased and temperature dropped. I decided to bike back to the campground before it was much worse. Sailing friend Eric and his friend Shirley visited, and Eric and I reminisced about our sailing adventures. Later visits by stepson Paul and his wife Christine and then the Blues made it a very busy afternoon as the temperature continued to decline. Tonight the lows in some areas are predicted in the 30’s. I’ll head home tomorrow a day earlier than planned. It’s been a wonderful trip except for the accident with lots of interactions with many people. I feel the richer for it.
Tuesday, December 29 Home safely from another adventure!
