I had the pleasure of shooting the same scene day after day. It never ceases to amaze me how the sea and sky can emit a different hue and characteristic each and every day.
The first day
The second day
A couple days later
The warm and humid breeze was whispering beautifully this day. I see the Holy Spirit in these photos.
Another few days, tough job.
Was playing tourist and took a couple days off and then this happened.
Last one, I promise! But, but, ah one more day...
South Beach, ooh la la! Famous places, characters and beautiful people everywhere…oh, and some tourists too.
Wishing Carrie Erin a very Happy Birthday today ~ we're sending our love and wishes for a day filled with South Beach fun and a year of happiness!
No Name Key is known for the Key Deer and the famous No Name Pub, we enjoyed sightseeing here. There are deer everywhere. They’re healthy but small and not too shy. Some good photo opps. The No Name Pub has thick layers of $1 bills hanging everywhere. They give you the pens to do your artwork on your bill prior to hanging it. Ours is there with the blog address on it!
Long Key lies in about the center of the Keys and is a State Park. Boardwalks take you through mangroves to the beach.
Key West is the end of the road, reminiscent of New Orleans’ French Quarter, and 90 miles from Cuba. Folks come to see the historic sites, mile marker 0 and the old homes and museums, but mostly to party. There is lots of shopping & food, no shortage of drinking establishments, and the cruise ships provide the bodies to fill them.
We enjoyed Mel Fischer’s museum and learning more about the Nuestra de Señora Atocha treasure. The ship was part of a Spanish fleet and sank off the coast in 1622.
78 Carat Emerald from Colombia’s Muzo mine, my birthstone
Meant for the Pope but Dale is eyeing it for my birthday next month!
Many religious articles were discovered
My Picks…or not!
An old and fun place with good appetizers. The Half Shell Raw Bar
The best place to eat in Key West, Garbo’s Grill, it’s a food truck situated in a parking lot but is fresh and fabulous!
Bar none, Hog’s Breath
More of our tourist adventures...
The Wild Bird Center and sanctuary is a non-profit. Many wild birds hang around even though they’re not sick or in captivity.
Anne’s Beach - there aren't many beaches in the Keys but this one is beautiful!
There is a stretch of road in the keys that is the alternate route in and out of Key Largo and also leads to Cause Sound. Aside from the $1 toll booth, Alabama Jack’s is the only stop is famous for their conch fritters. We enjoyed!
Islamorada, one of our favorite places in the Keys, is home of the original Islamorada Fish Company and Bass Pro. The store resembles the others we have visited around the country, with a large aquarium housing local catch like Tarpon, Bonefish, and Grouper. The restaurant left a lot to be desired; the wait staff is friendly but the back-up staff was just short of rude. The food, well let’s just say there are a lot of good restaurants in Islamorada and I suggest you choose a different one.
Speaking of Tarpon, there is a little flea market and restaurant just south of town in Islamorada where you’ll find a dock and fishing establishment called Robbie’s. Purchase a bucket of bait and pay a buck to go out to the dock and feed the Tarpon. Some of them are huge, with a voracious appetite. Watch out for the pelicans, they’re hungry too.
Marathon has an airport and is one of the larger towns, just about ½ way down. Sombrero Beach, in Marathon, is one of the largest beaches in the Keys. Check out the Horseshoe crab and the sponge. Several varieties of sponges grow throughout the Keys.
The boat was overturned by a couple of boys doing donuts. It took the entire police, paramedic and fire departments to come out and take care of it. Boy are these kids in trouble!
Elk’s Lodge 2139, hospitable and fun too!
Visiting the Keys is a vacation within itself so this will be a post trilogy. The Elk’s Lodge 1872 in Tavernier, just south of Key Largo, warmly welcomed us. The bay front location was a beautiful place to call home for several weeks and the sunset photo opps were endless, right in our front yard.
Fun times with Mom & Shannon; they came to visit for a week.
Critters and such graciously shared their space. The last critter photo is difficult to see but in the foreground see the eyes on the left. Then look at the spot of light on the right. These 2 needlefish were connected for quite some time and caused quite a ruckus in the water!
We enjoyed being tourists too. Theatre of the Sea was a fun place to see marine life and other creatures, as well as beautiful gardens. I couldn't resist the last photo!
Many of the turtles at the Turtle Hospital are rescued from boating accidents. They are often run over causing damage to their spine and shell, which becomes deformed so they are unable to dive. Several of the turtles were missing legs from various accidents, mostly nets and fishing line. The hospital here looks and operates much like our people hospitals. The white turtle is a Kemp's Ridley, a very shy species; we were fortunate that he surfaced several times.
Turtle trivia: only male turtles grow tails and not until they're about 4 years old.
Ft. Meyers is booming with activity. There are beautiful beaches, historical sights, and our favorite, Sanibel Island.
Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were neighbors on the Caloosahatchee River in Ft. Meyers. Their adjacent homes on the water are open for touring. Here is the Banyan tree and a statue of him outside of Thomas Edison's laboratory.
Sanibel Island
Just a bridge away from Ft. Meyers, this quaint little island awaits many visitors. There are white beaches with turquoise water, fishing and shelling opportunities, restaurants, shops, and traffic! It's worth the wait to get in and out as it's very scenic along the way. The lighthouse was built in 1884 and still services nautical travelers in the area.
Osprey awaiting lunch in Sanibel, "Where's mom?"!
Punta Gorda
Sun 'n' Shade RV Resort, another friendly and reasonable park, is right on US 41 but away from the hubbub. They offer several activities weekly, like Clive Live!, which was a fun evening. The park has permanent residents as well as daily, weekly and monthly visitors.
The entire county of Homosassa was a treat.
Crystal River
Crystal River is full of life and activity, both human and not-so-human. Someone decided to put monkeys on the island in the middle of the river, perhaps to be the manatee watch! These little guys are not indigenous to the area but well-fed and happy. There are plenty of fresh fish opportunities, so if you don’t catch‘em you can buy‘em!
In a little town called Aripeka along the Crystal River, we finally discovered our first manatee close enough to catch on camera.
Homosassa Springs and the Chassahowitzka River
We rented a kayak and went for a paddle, which proved to be fruitful. The photo opps were good on this day but no manatees.
One of our favorite parks thus far. Chassa Oaks is an "owner" park and lots of folks here own their lot (or multiple lots) and live or vacation here. You can also rent for just a night or week, or whatever, if you're passing through. It's a beautiful and clean park with the nicest people you can meet. I'm sure Judy and Judy will see this on FB and I hope you all know how welcome you made us feel and how much we appreciate it. Thank you for a wonderful memory!
Ruskin Elks Lodge
I'm placing this at the end of the post because it's a not-so-positive-could-really-be-negative review of a one night stay in Ruskin (near St. Petersburg). There is an Elks Lodge there that advertises RV spaces on the main Elks website. Though we planned on and could have stayed longer, we stayed 1 night and couldn't wait to be on our way. I thought bartenders we supposed to be friendly. Enough said, and I won't even link the website.
While in Cedar Keys there is so much to do and see in the area, we took it all in...
Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland
The area particularly boasts of and is sensitive to the manatee but part of its claim to fame is the natural springs. They emit a constant flow of 72 degree water year round. Because of this, the manatees, when the ocean and rivers are cold, dwell in and around the springs and surrounding river. Manatee Springs State Park is the largest flowing directly into the Suwannee River, classified as a “first magnitude” spring due to the amount of water that is discharged; magnitude springs deliver a whopping 65 million gallons per day or more. There are 33 first magnitude springs in Florida and this one emits from 50 to 150 million gallons each day. Its average depth is about 25 feet and the age of the water is from a few days to 100 years old, with the average about 8 years. We experienced several springs in the area and they are so pristine you can photograph to the bottom and the colors are out of this world.
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, Chiefland
This was one of our favorite drives for seeing the local wildlife and natural open spaces. The river is beautiful and we were told that it was crystal clear until it rained up in Georgia, which sends mud downriver. It was still green and beautiful - so many photo opps. The first photo was the most exciting one; glad we were in the truck!
Shell Mound, Cedar Keys
This archaeological site is the largest remaining shell mound on the central Gulf Coast. Covering five acres and rising 28 feet above sea level, its elevation provided a summer breeze and refuge from storm surges. The site was built with remains of countless meals of oysters, whelks, fish, turtle, and deer bones along with household debris; it stands today as a monument to the fruitful bounty of these estuarine waters. Shell Mound, nearly y,000 years old, was constructed over a 3,500 year period (2500 B.C. - A.D. 1000) and served as a base for several early, unnamed cultures during the Archaic and Woodland periods referred to as "shell cultures".
Just a quick mention of Elks Lodge 1851 in Perry, Florida. A lovely and large property as green as it can be. We stopped in for a cocktail and an overnighter.
Cedar Key has an 'old Florida' feel. Very casual and small, this area boasts of clear gulf waters, pristine rivers and springs, and manatees. Along this part of the gulf coast the manatees come up the rivers to the springs in the winter when the gulf waters are cold. The springs are a constant 72 degrees, which is nice for people too. The water is crystal clear and clean, offering lots of grasses and leafy vegetation for the manatee to eat. They are gentle and graceful in the water and a member of the elephant family. We didn't see any here but be sure to stayed tuned for our next blog post.
We pulled in to Sunset Isle RV Park for a couple of nights, right on the water, and met some delightful folks from around the U.S. and Canada. The park is small and tight but quaint and lovely. We found another park on the way out that has new and updated concrete sights and full hookups at a reasonable price, Cedar Key RV Resort. They are on the main highway leading into Cedar Key and we would stay here too.
Destin, Florida is made for Spring break and we watched the college set roll in. Gorgeous white sand and emerald water await the beachgoers. This is a beautiful vacation spot for anyone. Lots of traffic though; put on your no-stress vacationer hat!
Henderson Beach State Park was our home for a few days and we enjoyed the privacy of the park but miss running into neighbors and meeting other travelers. We were here prior to the arriving masses so it was very peaceful. If one of these photos looks like a brown marsh - take another look!
Fort Walton Elks Lodge is indeed a friendly place. The beach out back is perfect for relaxing and enjoying the view. 4 spaces for RV's are available in the asphalt parking lot with water and electric, but is right on Hwy 98. Dave Cagle, the PER, and the members, treated us like family; thanks Dave!
