Our Road Trips

Saturday, May 14, 2016

5/12/16 4/16-4/30/2016

After a great breakfast while looking at the Caribbean, we decided to just relax and enjoy our campsite and the beautiful surroundings. Barb sat outside in the shade reading most of the day, very hard to take. The breeze off the ocean is constant and very refreshing and it keeps the bugs away. The campground stays full with people from all over coming to enjoy the beauty of this place.

April 17, the day I officially become an old guy...65 years young. We both slept late and then drove to Marathon for happy hour at the Island Fish Company. Their big deal is a great place to watch the sunset, but this time of year the sun sets behind some houses across the bay, so it is not so special. We then drove across the street and south a few blocks to Sparky's Landing and had a nice dinner. It was a nice way to end the day, enjoying a fun spot with Barbara, couldn't ask for anything more.

We took another day to just hang out at our camper & relax. Being in the tropics gave me the urge to BBQ some shrimp for dinner, which was delicious. A lot more appealing than a cheeseburger in paradise. Barb spent the day reading brochures & articles by the tourism people in states we will visit this summer, out west. It seems there will be plenty to do wherever we go.

April 19 is our 47th wedding anniversary. We drove a few miles east to Lazy Daze and had a great lunch on the second balcony overlooking the Caribbean...very hard to beat. After lunch, we went looking for and found the Florida Keys Brewing Company, a micro brewery that only sells their beer from the brewery. So we tried several of their brews and made some selections for later. Then it was back to the camper for a bit and then across the street to watch another beautiful sunset. Nice finish!

After another relaxing day at the camper, we went for a ride on 4/21 and stopped at the Keys Fishery for lunch and sat again looking out over Florida Bay. What a great way to pass the time, enjoying the beauty of the Keys coupled with a great lunch. We then drove to the beginning of the old 7-mile bridge which has been closed to traffic since the 1980s. It is amazing that we actually drove across these bridges several times, especially this one and the Bahia-Honda bridge. We then headed back.

The next morning we are off to Key West & the opening day of Conch Republic Days, the annual celebration commemorating the April 1982 US Border Patrol blockade at Florida city which caused the folks in the Keys to secede from the union...read the story here:
http://www.conchrepublic.com/history.htm. It is a fun time, everyone is in the mood to party. We checked into a hotel and went walking towards the Sunset Pier. We made several stops along the way and enjoyed the Key West way of treating guests: lots of bars with live music, specials, and an attitude that they are glad you stopped by. We got a nice spot to join 1000s of folks in town to party but lined up to watch the sunset first, a Key West tradition that has been going on longer that we have been on this earth. It is amazing how everyone gets along and just goes with the flow. After the sun set, we waited for the crowd to disperse and then made our way to the Schooner Wharf Pub for the opening ceremonies and the conch shell blowing competition...what a blast. The guy who won had fashioned a home made trombone attachment to his conch shell...pretty clever. We then made our way to Capt. Tony's and spent a short time there and then hailed a cab ride back to our hotel. We had a night cap sitting by the pool...it has been a very fun day. Conch Republic Days are a celebration like no other.

The next morning after checking out of our room, we drove to Southern Most Point to see the long line for folks to get their picture taken at that iconic point, which the way I see it, is not even accurately at the right spot...oh, well. Then we drove to Truman Annex and stopped at the Florida Keys Eco Discovery Center, a free demonstration of how fragile the environment is in the Keys and how important it is to help preserve it...very nicely done. We spent 1 1/2 hours touring and reading to displays, very enjoyable. Then we drove to Ft Zachery Taylor State Park, walked through the picnic area to the beach and back to the car...very warm and calm. Then I got a PM from my cousin Don & his wife Debbie, who were in the Keys too, going to drive to Key West and stop at the camper on their way back to Ft Lauderdale. So we headed back north, stopping at No Name Key Pub for a pizza on the way. Shortly after we got back, Don & Debbie arrived and we spent an hour plus catching up. They were going on a 17 day cruise from Ft Lauderdale through the Panama Canal & back to LA, where they live. We are going to see them in August when we are out in Anaheim. That was a nice surprise seeing them. The last time I saw Don was in 2005 when my Aunt Helen died. That is what living on opposite sides of the US will get you, hard to find time to get together.

Last day in the Keys...14 days of paradise. We had been trying to find time to go to Pigeon Key and this was the last chance. They are only open on certain days and an escorted boat ride is the only way there. So we went to the Visitor's Center to learn there was not going to be a tour that day after all. So we drove back to Islamorada via Sombrero Beach and returned to Florida Keys Brewing to pick up a growler of beer for our son Mark. It was raining when we arrived, first time we had any rain the whole time down there...must mean it is time to go home. We went back to the camper and enjoyed the full moon rising over the water...beautiful end to a beautiful 2 weeks in Paradise.

The next morning, we backed up, hooked up the car and headed back north. It is with sadness we leave, for 2 reasons: We are leaving the Keys and we found out last night that a very longtime friend has been placed in hospice with pancreatic cancer. We have known Rob Mitchell since 1976. We drive slightly less than 1/2 way home & stop in Stuart again for a couple of nights. I tell Barb I think we should go back the next day so we can go see Rob. So, after a dinner at Outback, we get some sleep, Next morning, we drive the 3 hours home, get unpacked and get some rest, been an incredible 17 days. It is time to move on to the next adventure.

The next morning we drive to St Augustine to go see Rob. He has taken a turn for the worse. It is very sad to see. We only stay about 20 minutes, he is heavily sedated. He did recognize us and mention he has been following our escapades...all the cruses, concerts & the traveling. He also asked me if I was happy. Coming at that moment was awful hard to answer, but I assured him I was very happy. But inside I was not, because I was talking to my friend for the very last time. He passed into his next adventure a couple of days later. We will both miss Rob, a lot, but we also know that he is out of pain & suffering. Thanks for being a wonderful friend, Rob. I could tell Rob stories for hours.

The last 4 days of April were spent catching up on laundry, relaxing, doctors appointments and the preparation for our next adventures. It has been a fun month of April and May will be a hoot too. There is a lot coming up. The calendar is full all the way until November...Stay Tuned!!

Steve & Barb Larson

The gorgeous view from our campsite

From my seat at the restaurant we celebrated 47 years together

The gorgeous lady I get to hang around with

The moon was up before the sun set

The sunset on April 19

The old bridge has seen better days

Part of the throng to see the sunset

The sunset in Key West

The winner of the Conch shell blowing contest

The band at Schooner Wharf

Barb having some fun with the deco bugs

The line to get a picture at the Southern Most Point?

The view from Zachary Taylor State Park

Off Zachary Taylor State Park

The Calm on the south side of Long Key

An anchored sailboat against the storm on the north side of Long Key

And the sun setting west of Long Key

The clouds after the sunset

A tug & barge locking through

Our campsite the last night of our trip

The sun setting on our site and our trip

Saturday, April 16, 2016

4/16/2016 4/8-15/2016

On April 8, we met with our son Mark & the 3 of us drove to Port Canaveral. We got a table at Grills with another couple (they have tables for 8 and you are encouraged to share with others) and learned they have a home in North Bay, Ontario and spend their winters in Central Florida. So it was an interesting afternoon. At 430, the ships started their weekend cruises and as the Disney Dream was going past, a SpaceX rocket with supplies for the International Space Station blasted off from the Air Force Station across the port...we learned later that the main rocket made a perfect landing on a barge in the Atlantic. There was a LOT of excitement about it all. So, our afternoon was full of fun.

The next morning, we finished packing the motor home, made the last minute adjustments to the house and hit the road about 1030 am. We drove as far as Stuart and stopped at an Army Corp park on the Okeechobee Waterway, a man made channel that connects Lake Okeechobee with the Indian River, one of three channels used to control the lake level to control flooding. These channels, along with a dike all the way around the lake, were built after a devastating hurricane in 1928 that killed like 1800 people when the hurricane blew all the water out of Lake Okeechobee. It has worked pretty well. The ACE park is adjacent to the St Lucie Lock & Dam and is a beautiful spot. The river level changes 14' at the lock and is pretty busy, as we saw a lot of boats going both ways.

The next day, we got in the car and after a stop at the Visitor's Center, we made our way thru Stuart and via A1A drove north as far a Sebastian Inlet, stopping along the way for visits to several beaches & State Parks. The drive is beautiful, along the coast most of the way. We are on Hutchinson Island most of the time which is separated as North & South by Ft Pierce Inlet. On the north side of Ft Pierce Inlet is Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, a new spot we had never been. While there we purchased an annual pass so we can enter all of the State Parks until April 30, 2017. We just sat on the shore of the inlet and absorbed the beautiful day and the gorgeous view. Florida sure has some beautiful locations. Then we retraced our route to SR 510, crossed the Indian River and turned north on US 1 to the town of Sebastian, stopping at Capt Hirams for a few chilly ones and an hour or so of people watching & enjoying the day. Then we headed back to Stuart via US 1...one stop light after another, It took far longer to drive south on a 4 lane highway than it took to go north on a two lane road. The retail businesses are non stop for over 40 miles...incredible. We arrived at Stuart and went looking for a place to grab some dinner. First place acted as if we were not welcome, so we left. Then as we drove west on SR 76, the restaurants sort of disappeared. We did find one local joint, only to find out it was Karaoke night. After finding a quiet area, we had a nice meal and went back to the camper.

Next morning, we loaded up and started our trek to Layton & Long Key State Park in the Florida Keys. After 6 hours of passing through Palm Beach, Ft Lauderdale and the rest of the Miami metropolitan area, we arrived at our destination. We have decided the trip home will likely exclude I-95 from Ft Lauderdale to Jupiter...we nearly got in 3 wrecks, none of which would have been our fault, on the way south. We will make every possible effort to not have that happen again....after all of the miles we have driven the last few years through some of America's largest cities, including New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Seattle and others, that was the worst we have seen.

We got set up in Site 30 and spent the rest of the day relaxing, enjoying our location and the gorgeous weather. We are less than 20' from the edge of the water at high tide and our view of the Caribbean is amazing. We are here for 14 nights, enough to get our batteries fully charged. We spent the next day relaxing too, did some reading and even took a short nap in the shade with a nice breeze blowing off the water,,,so nice, it is hard to describe. We went across the street and took some pictures or a very gorgeous sunset, came back & BBQ'd a steak on the grill...wow. It has been a wonderful day and 1/2.

Wed (4/13) we drove north in the car on US 1 to Key Largo making a few stops along the way. At Key Largo we continued NE on SR 905 to Card Sound Rd., turning NW towards Homestead. I had read a list of 14 things to eat in Florida, so just north of the tool booth is Alabama Jack's, a funky place that epitomizes the Keys...license plates from all over, stuffed fish & nets hanging all over, dumpy bathrooms, and a table open to the air next to the water & fish everywhere. I ordered the Conch fritters and got a pile too big to finish...they were delicious. Barb had a fish sandwich. We headed back south, stopping at Lorelei's in Islamorada for the sunset celebration. Live music, specials. a gorgeous sunset & a magic man was our entertainment for the next few hours. Fun time.

Thursday, we took another day of rest. We have decided to 'tour' every other day. and rest the day between. Seems like a good plan. We made a couple of stops checking on prices to rent a boat...vast differences and then drove into Marathon in the afternoon, stopped at Home Depot for a few things, Publix for a couple items and some ice. We got back before dark (it was cloudy) so I started grilling a rack of ribs on the grill, nice relaxing day topped off with a great meal and a couple glasses of wine.

Friday morning, we picked up our rented boat at 9 am a couple miles from our camper and spent the next 8 hours buzzing around Florida Bay and visiting the 2 Florida State Parks accessible only by boat, this was my post on Facebook: There are two Florida State Parks in the Keys that are accessible only by water. After doing quite a bit of research, we decided that renting a boat for an 8 hour day was the best solution. So we took off at 9 am this morning in a rented boat and drove the 15 or so miles north, first stop was Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park. A nice young man gave us a 2+ hour guided tour of the island and the 1919 caretaker's home built on the island. It was a VERY interesting tour...there are native plants & trees on the island that are found in very few places there days. And the State protecting them is very cool...I won't get into the proposals made by our idiot Governor here. Then we loaded up in the boat and made a 5 mile trek to the south side of US 1 to Indian Key. The two islands are visible to each other but on opposite sides of the Overseas Highway. This led us to some choppy water and a rough job getting tied up to the dock, but we managed OK. We spent the next hour of so walking around the 10 acre island viewing what is left of what was once the County Seat of Dade County(Miami). It was basically abandoned in 1840 after an attack by the native Indians which made everyone leave the island. There is just some ruins there, but it is still an interesting place to visit. I love touring places like this, seeing how our pioneers tried to make a life with no Google or smart phones. We spent the rest of the afternoon having a picnic lunch on our little boat floating in Florida Bay near an un-named Key north of US 1 and then cruising around checking out Florida bay between Islamorada & Long Key bridge...we even took a picture of the spot we took the sunset pictures from Tuesday night...fun day. One thing I forgot...Lignumvitae is a tree. It grows native on the Key given that name. The wood is so hard it can be milled like steel. One of its coolest uses? Bearings for the propeller shafts of submarines...the shaft will turn so silently that the enemy could not detect the prop turning...and the wood lubricates itself with a natural oil in the wood. It amazes me to hear stories like this. It was a wonderful day, hadn't driven a boat in a long while, so I enjoyed that. We have been here 5 days and it has been wonderful. Tomorrow is Sunday & my B-day...bet we have a nice time. We think this may be our 20th time down here and it never gets old....more fun next week, stay tuned.

Steve & Barb Larson