1086 January 26, 2024 Change Of Plans

As I walked this morning, I made phone calls. Our daughter-in-law, Allison is 32 weeks pregnant with a precious baby boy. This week she had some complications that will require her to be on bedrest until the baby can be safely delivered. Tomorrow, I am flying out of Miami to go and help. Tim will follow in the RV and will arrive several days behind me.

Tonight, we spent one last evening having dinner on the beach. We have enjoyed our time here in Florida and we will definitely miss the warm weather but the most important place for us to be right now is at home!

1085 January 25, 2024 Crane Point

I walked to the old bridge this morning. These birds hopped along the railing moving along to keep pace with me.

After lunch, we drove to Crane Point.

We toured the natural history museum.

We walked the gravel path through the park.

We stopped at the fish pool and we both enjoyed a fish pedicure. An older man sat down next to me and he giggled as the fish nibbled as his feet.

Taking a break.

This boat came from Cuba.

The tortoises were out and active this afternoon.

We both sat in the shade and had key lime popsicles after our walk.

Tonight, after dinner, we walked down to the marina to see the last vestiges of color in the sky.

There was live country music, a duo called Homegrown, at the resort restaurant. We ordered drinks form the bar and sat in lounge chairs at the waterfront. It was a mild with no wind. The full moon played peek-a-boo with the passing clouds. The music was good and we had a pleasant evening.

1084 January 24, 2024 More Long Key

Laps around the campground to get the daily walk done.  The sky looked a little threatening but the wind blew the clouds away.

We biked from the campground to Long Key.  We had our own palapa today.

We pushed our bikes along the nature trail.  We rested for a short found a nice bench where we sat.  This sand crab was very curious and also shy.

We rested this afternoon and then packed dinner and went back to Anne’s Beach for dinner.

We got back to the RV park just as the sun was setting.  We walked to the point to watch.  The almost full moon was visible. We met another couple who is here from Illinois.  We shared stories and travel suggestions as the day came to a close.

1083 January 23, 2024 Curry Hammock And Lazy Days

More wind today.  I decided to stay in the campground to do my walking instead of walking out to the bridge.

After finishing our morning routine, we packed our bike bags, put the bikes on the Jeep and drove west to a parking area along the Overseas Heritage Bike Trail.  We biked a short distance to the entrance of Curry Hammock State Park. 

We had our lunch and we were entertained by the wind surfers playing out in the Straits of Florida.  It was a perfect day to be racing in the shallow water.  We saw several surfers catch major air.  It is exciting to watch.

We cycled on the nature trail to the other, quieter end of the beach where we just sat.

We stopped for a few groceries in Marathon and then got back to the RV in late afternoon.

This evening, we drove to Islamorada and went to Lazy Days for a nice dinner.

After our meal, we walked out onto the pier.  Usually, tarpon and sharks are visible in the water here.  Tonight, the water was too stirred up by the wind and heavily littered with seagrass.

1082 January 21-22, 2024 Bahia Honda

On Sunday it was very windy.  I did laps in the campground and finally quit after 2.5 miles of being battered by the wind.  It was really too windy to enjoy being outside.  We did venture out to the Farmers Market in Islamorada.  We didn’t find much but it was fun to browse the booths filled with food and crafts.  The remainder of the day was dedicated to playoff football.  I got some chores and paper stuff done.  It was a quiet day and truthfully not worth blogging about!

Today was also very windy.  We had sustained winds at 26 mph and gusts to 33.  It was 73 degrees with a feels like temperature of 74 due to humidity.   There was no wind chill in our weather report but we did hear that in Miami yesterday it was 73 with a wind chill factor that made it feel like 54 degrees…haha!

This morning, I walked to the old bridge from the campground in an effort to make the best of it.  I wore a hooded sweatshirt even though it was warm so that I could block out some of the wind.  I walked east, with a face full of wind.  The views were well worth the effort. 

On the way back, the wind literally pushed me along the walking path.

PopPop has all the best ideas.  I have this on good authority.  Oliver told me this!  We packed lunches and our bikes and drove about an hour west to Bahia Honda State Park.  This is one of our favorite places to spend time.  We walked all of the trails and we walked along the beach. 

We found a neat picnic site that was tucked in among the trees and protected from the elements.  We stayed there a long while watching the moody sky and the brilliant blue water.  I am my mother’s daughter.  I love to just sit and watch the ocean move. 

Frigatebird soaring on the wind currents.

Sea lavender.

Puncture vine.

We were going to bike to the other end of the park but it was just too gusty and so we drove the Jeep. We walked a short distance on the beach and then gave up and took the nature trail back to the parking lot.

It was a good and invigorating walk!

We got back to the RV at about 4pm after a great day at the beach!

1081 January 19-20, 2024 Low Key in the Keys

Happy Birthday Debbie!

On Friday, I just didn’t have the energy for much.  I did take an easy walk around the campground.  I did a bunch of paper/computer work.  I didn’t take a single picture and we didn’t leave the resort.  We took a walk along the water in the evening and that was the extent of the day.  Sometimes we just need a rest day!

This morning I woke up feeling much better.  I walked three miles and stripped the sheets and did three loads of laundry.  IT was warm and sunny but the forecast called for high winds.  Tim walked to the bridge and it was blowing out there.  He did think that if we biked to Long Key, we would only have a crosswind.  We decided to try.  We packed our bike bags and away we went!

The chairs we sat in the other day were available and so we sat by the edge of the bay, soaking in the sunshine and watching the water.  We saw fish jumping and an osprey hunting. 

When we got back, I drove to Islamorada to get some groceries.  When I got back, the Ravens game was on.  It was a tense first half but the team pulled it together and they got the win!  I know a lot of happy people!

1080 January 18, 2024 Art Walk

Tim had a sore back and I had an upset stomach and so our day started slowly.  Tim was able to stretch and then he took a walk to the bridge. 

I strolled around the campground.

A lizard at the marina.

Things got better as the day progressed but we still had an easy day.  We drove into Islamorada to go to the pharmacy and we did a little browsing and shopping in town.  While we were there, we saw signs for Art Walk tonight.

We returned to the RV and rested for a while and then we went back to Islamorada.  We walked the couple of blocks and perused the wares of local artists.

In 1935, Islamorada was devastated by a hurricane. The American Red Cross built 16 houses for displaced residents. The dwellings were constructed with masonry and steel. Several of these houses still stand.

We found the brewery and I had some delicious pineapple cider and Tim found a nice dark porter.  We ordered our food from the Mexican food truck and took our dinner to the Blue Marlin stage where we listened to some older guys playing classic rock.

1079 January 17, 2024 Long Key State Park

I started the days with laps around the campground.  It was windy by the water so I elected not to walk to the bridge.  I saw that there were a bunch of these jellyfish.

We packed our lunch in our bike bags and took the bike path from the RV park, 3 miles, to Long Key State Park.

We walked the boardwalk down to the beach and followed the sandy trail to the picnic area.  We walked back to get our bikes and cycled back with our lunches.  We found two nice chairs and sat and ate and watched the water.  Pelicans and osprey came to hunt and fish jumped.  As we sat, the sky began to turn blue. 

What a great idea! The beach was super clean!

We spent a quiet afternoon and then grilled salmon and brussel sprouts for our meal.

1078 January 16, 2024 Old Bridges

We began the day with our usual exercise.  Tim met me as I walked in the campground and we walked out to Overseas Highway and north to the old bridge.  We walked to the end.  By the time I got back to the RV, I had walked 3.5 miles. 

We packed our bike bags and drove in the Jeep to the Old Seven Mile Bridge.  We rode our bikes 2 miles to the end of the walking bridge.

We saw, in the clear water, a 5- or 6-foot nurse shark swimming along the seawall.

We biked back to the parking area and decided to make another pass.  We finished our eight-mile ride, feeling good.

We returned home for a short rest.  We then packed dinner and drove to Anne’s Beach.

We knew there was live music tonight at our resort.  We walked down to the beach area and we could just hear the music when the raindrops began to fall.  The wind had picked up and the rain was chilly and it prompted us to hurry back and tuck in for the night.

1077 January 15, 2024 Fiesta Key

We made quick work of our morning exercise.  I walked across the street from the RV park in the Keys Outlet Mall parking lot. 

I saw this cool moth.  He was about 2.5 inches from wing tip to tip.

We left Homestead and drove south onto Overseas Highway and into the Keys.  No matter how many times we take this drive it is still breathtaking!

We arrived at Fiesta Key RV Resort just before noon.  It was 85 degrees and sunny.  We turned on the AC and rested.

Later in the afternoon, Tim took his bike out for a ride in the campground.  He found a small cluster of vendors set up near the club house.  I went out and bought some fresh sourdough bread.

I walked the perimeter of the park.

 I went back to collect my book and found a lounge chair right along the water.

This evening, we packed quinoa bowls and some mango and of course the sourdough bread and we drove to Veteran Memorial Beach.  There is nothing better than dinner on the beach!

We are so sorry that it is snowing in Reisterstown!