863 November 29, 2022 Back To South Bay

I walked three one mile loops around Monument Lake this morning.  The air felt just a little cool.  It was wonderful walking weather.  I saw flocks of migrating wood storks and three roseate spoonbills.  I saw another black snake and I saw a little gator.

Killdeer.

Brazilian peppertree.

We traveled for just a couple of hours to South Bay RV Park on Lake Okeechobee.  We stayed here for a week back in October and it is another good place for bike riding.

As we entered South Bay, we saw a long line of tractor trailer trucks stuffed with sugar cane.  It is harvest time.  Some of the fields were being burned today and the world smelled of burnt sugar or caramel.  They must also be spreading manure because we also had pungent wafts of really stinky air!

We took a short ride to on the Levee to Torry Island.

We climbed the tower.

This evening, we took our dinner to John Stretch Park.  It was a nice to walk around the lake after our meal.

862 November 28, 2022 Biking Shark Valley Again

We woke up to some very dense fog.

Early every morning, there are thousands of spider webs in the high grass and in the trees.  Today, the webs were covered in dew and they were beautiful.

The shroud of fog began to lift as we drove to Shark Valley,

One of our very favorite places to bike will always be Shark Valley.  We stayed nearby so that we could ride this loop one more time before heading north.  We got up and packed our bike bags and we were at the gate at 8:30 when it opened.

My favorite part is the beginning.  We always go clockwise when most other people start at the other end.  This allows us to bike all by ourselves.  It is so quiet and wild and I love this part of the ride.

We saw very few alligators.  The temperatures are still very warm during the day with a forecasted high of 88 degrees today.  The alligators don’t need to be laying on the banks to be warm enough.  In fact, all of the gators we saw were submerged in water.

The swamp is still overflowing and we rode through several inches of water at some points.

There were very few birds.  I believe that the water is still too deep for the wading birds.  There were a bunch of crows.

And on purple gallinule.

Lovely swamp flowers.

Tim’s favorite part is the walk to the observation tower.  The view that goes on forever…

Tim heard a splash as we cycled and spotted tiny alligator hatchlings. We could hear the babies chirping.

Mama knew we were there.  Can you see her?

After finishing our ride, we drove all the way to Everglades City.  The skies became dark and we had a few drops of rain.

We had a yummy lunch at City Seafood.

I spent hours this afternoon trying to find a place to store our RV while we are visiting with David in Atlanta.  I was finally successful! 

A frog this evening on our windshield.

861 November 27, 2022 Back To Big Cypress

We both did abbreviated versions of our morning routines and then got packed and ready to roll. 

Tim has been nursing a sore shoulder for the past two days.  Today he had some significant improvement and that is a very good thing.  He has lots of driving to do. 

In Key Largo, we stopped for diesel fuel for the RV.  It was down to $4.99 a gallon.  We got 50 gallons for $250.00.  The 100-gallon tank will just about get us to Atlanta.

We noticed that the canal along Route 41 is still brimming with water. The floodgates were wide open and the water was coming out with full force. We wonder if they the floodwaters have been draining at this rate the whole 5 weeks that we have been gone. That is an unimaginable amount of water!

We arrived at Monument Lake in Big Cypress in early afternoon.  It was 87 degrees and hot! 

We both took walks.  I saw a black snake slithering toward the taller grass.

I also saw this gator on the bank.

We made grilled chicken fajitas for dinner and ate outside.

As soon as the sun went down, the mosquitoes descended, pushing us back into the RV.

Tomorrow, we want to return to Shark Valley and ride the 15-mile loop.

It is so peaceful and lovely here.

860 November 26, 2022 Last Day In The Keys

Today, just like every other day, we got our morning exercise done. 

We are moving on tomorrow and so much of today was spent organizing, cleaning, doing laundry, emptying tanks, filling with fresh water, and packing.  When we spend a month in one place, we can get pretty comfortable and it takes us a little longer to get everything put away.

We did ride bikes around the campground this afternoon.

This evening, we picked up some sushi and took it to Veteran’s Beach.  One last picnic while watching the sun go down.

We have had a wonderful time here.  Warm weather, palm trees, lots of sunshine, beach time, pool time, seafood, Key West, exercise classes, bike rides, a visit with friends…this has been a month of paradise. 

It would be hard to leave but we are on our way to Atlanta and you know that the boys are there!

859 November 25, 2022 Pleasant Day

I got a good walk in and then headed to the Total Body Stretch Class.  I have really enjoyed these classes and need to find a way to continue this momentum as we begin to head north on Sunday.

Later, we biked to Long Key State Park.  Unfortunately, there has been no progress toward opening more of the park.

We stopped at the post office to get stamps.  The postmaster there had sea grape leaves in a basket on the counter.  Did you know that you can mail almost anything in the US Mail with proper postage?  She had me write a note to the boys and address it on the other side.  She put a 99-cent stamp on it and hand canceled it.  We shall see if it arrives in Atlanta!

We got showers and drove to Islamorada for a late lunch at Lazy Days.  I had a really good blackened mahi sandwich.  Tim had hogfish prepared with horseradish and capers…yum!

We stopped for a few groceries. 

The sunset was gorgeous this evening.  There was a nice breeze and the water was so still.

858 November 24, 2022 Happy Thanksgiving!

We got our morning routines complete and got to talk with Kyle and Allison and Mom and we were able to have FaceTime with David and the boys.  Even though we were not with everyone for the holiday, we certainly felt connected and loved!

We enjoyed some pumpkin overnight oats for breakfast.

We had a simple Thanksgiving meal this evening.  We grilled chicken and grilled a cranberry chocolate ciabatta roll.   We steamed green beans with spicy pecans and had cranberry relish.  It was tasty and it was enough.

Today is a day for remembering our blessings.  We are grateful every day for our wonderful family and friends and we are thankful for the opportunity to be living our dream. 

857 November 23, 2022 Another Beach Day

Morning exercises complete, we packed the cooler with dinner and took the Jeep to Bahia Honda.

We began by riding our bikes through the park.

We walked the bridge trail and saw a shark or two.

By the time we changed and got to the beach, we were hot and sweaty and ready to be in the water.

We passed the rest of the afternoon in the water and then sitting on the beach. 

We saw a large sea turtle swimming about 50 feet away.

Because Bahia Honda closes at dusk, we left and drove to Veteran’s Beach.  We ate lettuce wraps and papaya and enjoyed the end of the day.

856 November 22, 2022 Sunshine!

When I opened my eyes this morning, the sun was out!  It wasn’t windy at all.  It was a beautiful beginning to the day!

I walked loops in the campground and the time passed quickly as I talked to Mom, Dana, and Vicki. 

It felt so nice to be outside that I hopped on my bike and did more loops.

This afternoon, we went to Duck Key to the Open Market.  We picked up some empanadas and papaya.

We drove to Old Seven Mile Bridge and biked two miles to the end and then back and then along the shore.  I will never get tired of this ride!

We saw a 4-foot shark and a very large sea turtle.

We went to Sunset Grill for a late lunch.  We had Aloha Tuna Poke bowls with raw and tender tuna, papaya, mango, avocado, and sticky rice.  The food was delicious.

We rested a short while and then it was time to watch the sunset.  What a joy to have such gorgeous weather!  We are so very grateful!

855 November 21, 2022 Rainy Days And Mondays

It rained on and off all night and then again, all day today.  I took clothes to the laundry room with the intention of walking while the washer ran but the rain came down in torrents. 

I was able to get stuff into dryers and headed to the Resistance Band Class.  It was pouring and I got wet!  No one else showed up so it was just the activities director and myself.  In the end, I was glad I went. 

I went back to get clothes and got wet yet again.  I borrowed a trash bag and hauled the dry things to the Jeep and back home.

Tim went out to walk and it began to rain when he was on his way back.  He declined a rescue.  I never got a walk in but I did take a long nap.

We had hoped to go see live music at Florida Keys Brewing Company this evening but it was canceled because of weather.

We decided to take dinner to Annie’s Beach.  We knew we could eat in a pavilion.  It was nice to get out for a while.

The weather is supposed to improve tomorrow.  It is forecasted to be cloudy but without wind warnings and rain…we shall see what the new day brings!

854 November 19-20, 2022 Quiet Weekend

There were sustained winds of about 15-18mph with lots of clouds and intermittent rain all weekend.  I walked out to the bridge in the morning. 

I saw this little boy catch two fish, one on each of his two hooks.  He and his dad were so excited.  It was fun to watch.

All afternoon, we walked and biked loops in the campground between raindrops. 

On Saturday, it was not nice enough to go anywhere.  It was a good day to start online Christmas shopping.  We talked about taking dinner out to the beach but it was just too windy! 

On Sunday, we got our exercise done and cleaned and watched football and did a few errands.  We made reservations for Castaways and enjoyed another good seafood dinner.