We left Virginia and headed down I 95, boondocking at a Walmart in Walterboro, South Carolina for a night and then on to Titusville, Florida for two nights. I wanted to get a picture of a Florida Scrub Jay over at Merritt Island NWR. and we always love to stop at the Dixie Crossroads restaurant and partake of their delicious corn fritters and Rock Shrimp. While in Titusville Josie found a nice serving platter in the Orange Poppy pattern she is collecting. We also were able to watch the Blue Harvest Moon rise over Cape Canaveral.
We were going to spend a week in Key Largo but after 3 days we decided to head north to get out of the way of Tropical Storm Eta. It was a good move as Eta did some damage and flooding to Key Largo. While in Key Largo I was able to meet up with Vince, a high school classmate I had not seen in 55 years.
We stayed 4 night in South Bay County Park, just south of Lake Okeechobee. They said there were alligators in the lakes in the park and we had a six footer in the pond right behind the RV. While in South Bay we drove over to Wellington and visited with Susan and Robert and had a nice dinner at West Palm Beach Brewery. After 4 days waiting out the storm, we then headed back down the Overseas Highway to Key West.
We stayed 4 night in South Bay County Park, just south of Lake Okeechobee. They said there were alligators in the lakes in the park and we had a six footer in the pond right behind the RV. While in South Bay we drove over to Wellington and visited with Susan and Robert and had a nice dinner at West Palm Beach Brewery. After 4 days waiting out the storm, we then headed back down the Overseas Highway to Key West.
It had been 25 years since we had really visited Key West. We came to the Keys 15 years ago to take a three day birdwatching trip on a boat over to the Dry Tortugas, and did not get into the city on that visit. We thought it would be fun to try to recreate a picture from that first visit to the Southern Most Point. We put this on Facebook and many of you were so kind to say we had not change much. You all might want to get your eyes checked. We watched the sunset at Mallory Square, had great shrimp tacos while a Key West Chicken waited for us to drop him a bite, did not happen. We finished the night with ice cold boat drinks.
We found the food at the Hogfish Grill, which was very close to the RV park, to be outstanding. We took one of our old South Dakota license plates over and they added it to the wall of plates from all over the US.
Josie joined me at the Botanical Gardens one morning while I birded and she took in the tropical plantings. I was able to get in a round of golf on the Key West Golf Club, but it was so wet I lost a ball in the fairway when I hit it into standing water from all the rain from the storm and it plugged in the mud.
We found the food at the Hogfish Grill, which was very close to the RV park, to be outstanding. We took one of our old South Dakota license plates over and they added it to the wall of plates from all over the US.
Josie joined me at the Botanical Gardens one morning while I birded and she took in the tropical plantings. I was able to get in a round of golf on the Key West Golf Club, but it was so wet I lost a ball in the fairway when I hit it into standing water from all the rain from the storm and it plugged in the mud.
We finished our visit to the Keys with a week on Ohio Key at the Sunshine Key RV Resort. We had a beautiful site with great views of the tropical water. Scott and Cathy came down from Boca with their friends, Steve and Sylvia, and we met them for dinner at the Lorelei Cabana Bar in Islamorada.
Josie again joined me on a birding adventure, this time to Crane Point Hammock in Marathon. One of the quirky things you can do there is get a Fish Pedicure. You stick your feet in the water and the tiny fish come and eat the dead skin off your feet. Anyone who has ticklish feet might not enjoy it. A few days later we went back up to Islamorada and sampled a brew at the Keys Brewing Company, then on our way back south stopped at the Keys Fisheries Bar for boat drinks and Stone Crab Claws.
You cannot come to this section of the Keys without visiting the No Name Bar on No Name Key. Inside the bar there is said to be over forty thousand dollars stapled to the walls by visitors from all over the world. We chose to eat outside under their huge grass hut. While eating a resident endangered Key Deer came by to entertain us.
Josie again joined me on a birding adventure, this time to Crane Point Hammock in Marathon. One of the quirky things you can do there is get a Fish Pedicure. You stick your feet in the water and the tiny fish come and eat the dead skin off your feet. Anyone who has ticklish feet might not enjoy it. A few days later we went back up to Islamorada and sampled a brew at the Keys Brewing Company, then on our way back south stopped at the Keys Fisheries Bar for boat drinks and Stone Crab Claws.
You cannot come to this section of the Keys without visiting the No Name Bar on No Name Key. Inside the bar there is said to be over forty thousand dollars stapled to the walls by visitors from all over the world. We chose to eat outside under their huge grass hut. While eating a resident endangered Key Deer came by to entertain us.
Birding in the Keys is always exciting. You never know what might show up. Tropical Storm Eta blew in a couple of Cuban and Caribbean birds that were lifers for me. A Cuban Pewee and a Black-faced Grassquit. I also had a Great White Heron, White Morph fly right onto the beach in front of the RV. This is a bird you can only see in the Keys. (last Picture)