One more stay in the Keys

Les found 5 days someone dropped in our favorite park here in the Keys, just at the time we were to leave.  We decided to take them and stay here just a bit longer.  Thank you Lord for opening these days up for us.  We are excited to go to Myakka River in the Sarasota area but a bit longer in the Keys will bring us closer to warm temps up there.  It seems to be running about 10o cooler in that area.  It has been hot and humid here this last week with torrential downpours yesterday, more on that later.

Thursday we planned to go to Key West with friends, Bob and Kathy.  We woke to a rainy day but that wouldn't stop us.  Get on the rain coats and to.  It was OK with just showers for most of our visit.  We ate at Schooner's on the warf.  Bob was giving tips to the painter at the museum of history.

Then to Mallory Square for "sunset", we did not see any sunset that night as the clouds were thick.  But we did see some of the street performers.  The rain did help to lessen the crowds.  Good for us but not for the performers who rely on tips.

Next we visited a couple of the night spots.  Lots of pubs and lots of performers to entertain.  As we were winding down the evening the skies opened up and the rain poured!  Very quickly Duval Street started filling up with water.  The street became a river filled to the top of the curbs.

 We say good bye to Bahia Honda SP and move tomorrow for our last stay in the Keys this year.  Long Key SP until Thursday. 

Last week at Bahia Honda SP

This is our last week in the Florida Keys.  We leave Saturday and plan to go to the Everglades to dry camp a couple of days before heading up the Gulf Coast to the Sarasota area.  It has been beautiful here.  Above you see some of the beach combing treasures from here.  I just can't help myself!  Les actually finds most of them for me. 

We are getting some good beach time in here.  This park has the best beaches in the Keys.  The Keys really don't have much in the way of beaches, something most people don't know.  All the pictures you see from the Keys are taken at the few beaches there are.  The water everywhere is amazing though, so clear and gorgeous colors.  As you can see from the pictures, there is a lot of sea grass washed up.  There is much more on these beaches than at Long Key.  In some areas, inlets and mangroves, the grass is decomposing and really smells!  But that doesn't seem to happen on the beach, thankfully.

The birding here continues to be good.  It turns out that this park is loaded with warblers.  Above is a prairie warbler and the other picture is the very rare Great White Heron which is a variation of the Great Blue Heron and only found here in the Keys.  I'm adding to my bird album!  Our friends from Long Key have come down to this park now.  We are doing the park hop but they do it all winter here in the Keys.  We went to a jam session at a local Grille, Springers in Big Pine Key.  We had a good meal and nice entertainment.  We have a trip to Key West planned with Kathy and Bob Thursday.  Al is giving a concert Wed afternoon and we will all go to No Name Key Pub which I hear is a must while in the area.  Such a nice stay.

Bahia Honda State Park, Florida Keys

 We arrived at Bahia Honda SP Sat, Jan 18th.  Shortly after setting up we checked our email and there was a message that another couple we call Keys friends were here at the park.  Oh my, this is so nice to meet up with the same people each year.  It is like we just saw each other a few weeks ago instead of last year!  The weather here is lovely so far, some rain today brought the temps down again but still very comfortable.  

We enjoy the biking at this park.  The beautiful water is just amazing.

 Sunday we attended a blue grass festival in Islamorda.  A beautiful setting, city park/marina and wonderful music, food and arts.

Monday was perfect for a ride out to the reef for some snorkeling.  We had a wonderful time and saw lots of great tropical fish and coral.  A high light was a Goliath Grouper who visited our boat just before we left.  The water temp:  75o

We were treated by a visit from a painted bunting today.  He was feeding on some grass seed just behind our camper.  God's beautiful paintbrush.

The sunsets here are gorgeous, even after an afternoon of rain today, the sky cleared enough for another light show.  We will be here until Feb lst. 

Two weeks in Long Key completed

Wow, these two weeks in Long Key State Park have gone quickly.  It has been a wonderful stay and it is now time to move further south to Bahia Honda State Park at mile 30 on Hwy 1.  Below is a 2 mile fishing bridge we biked to enjoying the gorgeous views.  There are many bridges while traveling in the Keys connecting the island chain.  Many old bridges were converted to fishing/walking/biking paths.

Some beautiful views of our Long Key stay:

The view from our trailer door.

 Buoys and Beach finds.

Moonlight on the ocean.

Snowy Egret feeding on the shore.

We met up with our Keys Friends:  Kathy and Bob, and Inga and Al.  Many cocktail hours and dinners together made our time here go even faster.  What a wonderful benefit to following the same path each year.  We happened to get reservations that brought us together here and we will meet up with them for a few days in Bahia.  Lots of nice people to meet while camping.  We also joined up with friends John and Kristie and had many gaming sessions with them. 

Beginning our winter vacation in the Florida Keys

We arrived at Long Key SP Sat. Jan 4th.  The weather was overcast but warm temps welcomed us, in the 70's.  After setting up we toasted our arrival.

We were rocked the first night by strong gusts of wind which continued through the next day.  That is what you get here in the Keys.  Calm days and very gusty ones.  We dug out our stakes to tie down the ground mat and always roll up the awning when you go to bed so you don't have to get out in your pj's in the middle of the night!

We met up some Michigan friends and spent the day catching up with them.  Meeting up with our camping friends is a great blessing of our return travels to Florida.

Monday the winds stopped and the water was super calm.  Took advantage of that to get the kayaks wet.  The temp was 83o, make sure we use the sun block on this white northern skin!  More people are hunting buoys it appears.  We had to paddle out a long distance along the mangroves until we found any.  But we persevered and picked up a few buoys with some rope and fishing net to decorate our campsite. 

Last night the winds picked up again and it is gusty today.  Temps have dropped to the 60's but we feel fortunate to be missing the arctic blast PA is getting. 

Les has picked up a bunch of coconuts and is chopping into one as I write this.  Maybe we will have coconut pancakes for breakfast tomorrow?  Yum!

Jacksonville, FL

We arrived in Jacksonville New Years Day afternoon.  Again my cousin Jan and her lovely family welcomed us to a wonderful meal and allowed us to camp in their front yard!  Thanks so much!

We always enjoy this stop to touch base with the family.  Jan mixes the traditions of PA, pork and sauerkraut, with the traditions of the south, black-eyed peas.  Yum!

Her granddaughters are really growing.  Here is Stacia and Savannah (sorry if I miss spelled).  Nathan's family could not come this year.

We continued south the morning of Jan. 2nd through driving rain.  But a few hours and we were out of that and experiencing 80o temps!  Les had to put on his shorts.  But last night the wind started and it chilled down to the 60's today. 

Tomorrow we drive to the Keys and our 3 weeks there.  Hoping for warm temps and calm winds!