Feb 17, 2015    We have signed up at the park to go on a  1 1/2 hour Ranger led hike on the Curry Hammock State Park Nature Trail. The trail head is almost a mile from the campground.  We ride our bikes.  Thank goodness, I have my new Huffy!   Remember this is February … bring plenty of water, wear bug spray and sensible hiking footwear.  Doesn’t sound like back East does it?

One of the things that we have learned in our travels … National Park and Florida State Park Rangers are AWESOME.  No matter what level of comprehension you have of nature you will learn something from attending a Ranger Program.

Today is hot, humid and sticky.  I have on hiking boots that I wear in 10 degrees below zero or 100 degrees above.  I am prepared. When we were out west a few years back a Ranger told us that 90 % of tourist accidents are from wearing inappropriate footwear.  First thing we walk through is muck.  It hasn’t rained here in a long time. Where does it come from?  The bay of course.  We are maybe 5 ft above sea level.  Then we walk out onto rotting sea weed, to a coral rock formation.  Thank You … trusty hiking boots.  The “ladies” that wore their sandals are left high and dry!

Next Ranger Bob gives us our one and only “Warning”.  No, it’s not alligators.  It is the  “Poisonwood Tree”.   Ranger Bob asks “Who has had a reaction to poison ivy?”  There isn’t a person in the group that hasn’t.  Well this is the “Tropical” version times 10. He points out this tree that is right along side the trail.  A few years back my 13 year old grandaughter and 11 year old grandson came to The Keys with me.  We hiked the Curry Hammock Trail.  How did we ever walk the 1 1/2 mile trail without any of us touching one of these trees???  Thank You God for looking out for us 😉

Along with sharing his knowledge of the area and trail flora and fauna, Ranger Bob has a sense of humor.  He points to one tree, it has a green base and is shedding a flaky red outer layer.  It’s really known as the Gumbo Limbo Tree, but he says “it’s better known as the Tourist Tree  …  green but after staying in the sun to long peals and sheds it’s burnt skin”.  I thought that was funny.  Who hasn’t visited Florida and not gotten sunburn?

We hiked out to the Florida Bay and back.  Our 1 1/2 hour hike was more like two.  It was great hiking in the nice shady hammock.

Cousins John and Nancy came to catch some rays and enjoy the park with us.  I got to take my first cameleon photo and missed an iguana. He was too quick for me.

E T’s nose always has coral dust on it. She has been trying to catch  a cameleon, but they are to quick for her.    I actually think it would be funny if she did catch one.  She would be in total shock.   She’s having lots of fun.

Again, the day flies by.  Tomorrow there is “talk” of rain.  The main topic of conversation here is the weather.  If it’s another day like today, kayaking is on our agenda. If it rains, it’s errands and shopping. I’ve mentioned lots of positive reasons for liking RV-ing.  A couple of negatives are  … no maid service and shopping and preparing your own meals.

Feb 16 – 23, 2015     Fiesta Key Vs Curry Hammock …  Commercial Campground vs Florida State Park Campground …  Fiesta Key is owned by Encore Enterprises. They are in the business of making money.  Any Florida State Park Campground is in the business of attracting tourists and promoting tourism.  In a nutshell, both are in the business of bringing people to Florida to spend money.

Camping at Fiesta Key is what I call camping in a sardine can.  They pack you in as tight as they can and it stinks (pick the photo).  When space is limited businesses look for alternative means to make it  attractive, such as view, marina, swimming pool, recreation hall etc.  You live in a sardine can, but there’s lots to do outside it.  Florida State Parks use nature.  A lot less expensive to maintain and much more attractive.  My perspective is people respect nature much more than property.  Hence you have a more conscientious “neighborhood” in a State Park vs Commercial Property.

Last year when we traded in our RV,  we received a one year membership to Encore/Thousand Trails, that offers us discounts at their properties.   We were able to get an electric and water site at Fiesta Key for $44 a night (for four nights).  Other campers  paid any where from $20 to $120 plus a night.  Commercial properties can offer all kinds of discounts, promotions and specials.  It can get pretty frustrating when your parked next to someone that is paying half of what you are paying or making you feel like you got a real “deal” when the person next to you is paying a lot more than you.  This just doesn’t seem right to me, but go figure.

Did we enjoy our stay at Fiesta Key?  Yes, we had a very nice time.  Are we looking forward to staying at Curry Hammock? Yes, very much!  Variety is the spice of life!!

David had gone on line diligently, trying to get us a reservation in a Florida State Park in the Keys, for two nights that we were here where we had no reservation.  We were both thrilled when just a couple of days ago,  procured a site at Curry Hammock.

When we arrived at Curry Hammock they had no record of our reservation.  What a disappointment. The short story, it was  a credit card screw up, “fraud alert”,  they did not process our payment.  The reservation was dropped.    The Ranger was awesome and put us in “overflow”,  parking lot camping.  What could we do?  We were happy to get that.

We were  frantically trying to figure out an alternative for the next night.  Only some Florida State Parks offer  overflow camping. Those that do, only permit a camper to stay one night in a 6 month period.  A park volunteer comes over and tells us the Ranger would like to see us.  We go to the ranger station and she tells us that they had a 14 day reservation cancel. Would we like any or all of that reservation.  To make a long story short,  we cancelled our reservations at our next Keys campground,  another sardine can and are here for nine nights (see Photo).   It is so beautiful, we would gladly have stayed the full  14 days,  but we have reservations heading north.

We spent most of the day “moving” and didn’t get a chance to explore much more than the beach.  Tomorrow morning we are signed up for a Nature Walk with a Ranger.  Hopefully the wind will calm in the afternoon and we’ll get in some kayaking.

Another “exciting” day in paradise!

Feb 15, 2015  We are using bringfido.com a lot this trip.  Since the addition of our four legged “baby” to the family, our choices of activities have changed a lot.  Anne’s Beach has always been on our list of great places to bring a picnic lunch, take a nice leisurely walk on the boardwalk or beach and if we’re really lucky enjoy watching some para-sailing.   We were very happy to see it was listed as “pet friendly” on bringfido.com.  I don’t know who had more fun in the water, David or E T.  I’m the photographer 🙂

Today is our first day of “real” Key weather, it was just delightful.  High 60’s low 70’s, light breeze, low humidity.  It took awhile getting here and I hope it stays awhile.

The days seem to fly by.  I wonder why I’m always so tired at the end of the day.  Today, besides going to Anne’s Beach we took E T to another “pet friendly” venue Robbies Marina in Islamorada.  Robbie’s is a must stop .  There is something for everyone. The most entertaining is feeding the Tarpon. There is also kayaking, a craft fair, restaurant and much more.  We stopped at Robbie’s and it was very crowded and the atmosphere was very  festive.   There was an excellent live band playing on the dock,  but it was VERY loud.  I think it hurt E T’s ears. She stood her ground and would not go into the restaurant or dock area.  We didn’t push it.  Maybe next time she’ll get to feed the tarpon  🙂  We also bicycled about 5 miles (round trip) to Long Key State Park, from Fiesta Key on a paved bike path.  We got some good tips from the Ranger on duty at Long Key on getting a site for one night.   We still don’t have a reservation for a campsite for the night of the 17th.

E T enjoy going with us and “our cousins”  to Sunset point again, for another fabulous sunset.

Tomorrow we move to Curry Hammock State Park in Marathon (about mile marker 50).  We got very lucky and were able to make a reservation for one night.  I’m hoping for a day as nice as today. The kayaking at Curry Hammock is suppose to be excellent and if the water is warm enough we might “kayak with some manatee”.

Feb. 14, 2014  Happy Valentine’s Day!  It’s another very busy, fun filled day in The Keys.  Because we have been coming here for so many years we have established “traditions”.  It would not be a visit to the Keys without trying to see a Key Deer … or two or three. I’ll bet it took four or five years before I saw my first one.  I’ll never forget the first time I saw one.   My Grandson, Rowan, was with us.  As we were going  over to No Name Key, we prepared Rowan telling him we were going to try,  but might not see one.  We didn’t want him  to be disappointed. He must have thought we were fooling with him.  We saw a lot.  Rowan was our lucky charm!

Today as we were driving along very slowly we spotted our first, then second.  The second has this beautiful rack.  Cousin Nancy and David got out of the car to take pictures.  They got so close they could almost have pet him. The deer are just so darn cute.  They have free rein of the area.  You never know when you’ll see one, but the only place you know you might is No Name Key.

The No Name Pub is on No Name Key in Big Pine, Florida.  I know that sounds confusing. It’s even more confusing trying to find the Pub. It’s a hole in the wall restaurant that is housed in a building with lots of Key history.  It’s in a residential area and if it wasn’t for the tons of cars parked up and down the street chances are pretty good you’d drive right by. The food is good, but the schtick is all the dollar bills stapled to the walls and ceilings.  It’s a decor designed by the patrons. Put your dollar out on your table and the waitress will bring you over a marker and a stapler.  You personalize your dollar and try to find a spot to staple it.  Then it’s fun to come back the next year and try to find your dollar.

Tonight E T saw her first Keys sunset. She liked it:)

The weather here is still cool for The Keys. We are still using heat at night and wearing sweatshirts.  The wind is a bit calmer, but still pretty strong.  I just feel very, very lucky to be up north.

Feb 13, 2014    We are all settled in at Fiesta Key Campground.  It is crowded here. People are saying they have never been to Florida (any part) and seen it this crowded.  Traffic is horrendous.  The mainland is much worse than here, but when anything happens on U.S. 1 gridlock occurs quickly.  David tried to go out to the parts store today in Islamorada and turned right  around and came back.  Something had happened and traffic was at a standstill.   The weather is not any where near as nice as I’ve experienced in the past.  tonight we went to Bingo at the rec hall and it’s long pants and sweatshirt weather.  The wind is blowing at least 25 knots.  David said the winds may be close to gale force.

This afternoon John and Nancy took me shopping for a new bike.  The cold and wind really limits you to what you can do and shopping is always fun.   We’re headed into Marathon and I thought it would be fun to take them to walk through the garden at The Church of San Pablo. It’s one of Marathons hidden treasures here.

I really want to be particular about what kind of bike I buy and my choices here are very limited. I considered a bike rental, but they average about $15 a day.  I need a bike for the rest of the trip. We end up at KMart and I get a 15 speed Huffy for $102.00.  It’s a pretty blue so I’m cool with it.

We walk the garden at The Church of San Pablo and it’s so pretty.  Flowers are in bloom and we even see a small barracuda in a pond.

Tomorrow we are going to the Flea Market in Big Pine and having lunch at The No Name Pub.   We’ll cruise around a little looking for some Key Deer. We are creatures of habit when we’re here and do a lot of the same things over and over, year after year.  It’s always fun and never boring.

Feb. 12- 16, 2015   We can’t just leave Jonathan Dickinson without an “experience”.  No, not an alligator.  After a wonderful evening spent with Lorraine in Stuart we head back to Jonathan Dickinson late.  David takes E T out for a walk, but she’s doesn’t do “anything, but sniff around.   David is already in bed and  I take E T out for one more try.  She has this great little spot, to go,  right in front of some brush and a tree in our front yard (see Photo).  I have her on a leash, hooked to her collar.  She is just about to squat when she’s gone in a flash into the brush. AAAAAHHHHGGGG!  I’m holding tight to her leash and in an instant the leash goes limp and she’s gone. I’m screaming like a banshee!  I run to the camper door screaming for David. I like a fool had taken her out without a flashlight.  He grabs a flashlight and before he gets out the door, E T is standing beside me.  I have no idea what happened. She was gone and then she was there.  Her collar was hanging from a branch on the tree and the leash was dangling from it. She did not have a scratch on her, what was weird was she didn’t even have a leaf or pricker any where on her fur.  David checked the area and it was a mystery. In the morning there was evidence of raccoons everywhere.  She must have caught sight of one and darted. I had held tight to the leash long enough for the raccoon (wild boar or panther) to run away.

In the morning we take E T for a walk to say goodby to the horses. Some of you may  question this, but E T has learned to neigh.  she is not a barker, but she does whine. There were many times the past few days where her whine has sounded so much like a neigh that I really think she was doing it intentionally.

David and I are excited, we are headed to the Keys.  David has been coming to the Keys for 19 years, this is my 11 th. The Keys are a world of there own. It’s hard to explain, but from my view, everything there has a character in it’s own.  The views are to die for. The closer you get to Mile Marker 0 (the most southern point. the deeper you can emerge yourself  in a wonderful sense of timeless fun and relaxation.

We have established a routine when we get to Homestead, Florida. the last mainland before the Keys.  We have to stop at our Krome Ave pick your own fruits and veggies stand. Oh yeah! Pick your own in February.  Then of course there is shopping at Walmart .  This time we spot a new Aldi right across from Walmart.  Awesome! Traveling in a city driving an RV and pulling a car is challenging.  Parking is the pits.  Aldi has a huge parking lot with a  huge turnaround that you could probably turn a tandem tractor trailer around in. We are LUCKY! So we park our RV, unhook the car and go about running our errands. David drops me at o Aldi and goes to hook the car back up. We travel like a band of gypsies. I told you about the RV towing the car. In between the two are our bicycles.   Well, as I walk back I see only one bicycle.  As I get closer David is shaking his head.  Someone stole MY bicycle. I won”t say the words that comeout of my mouth, but I was angry.  David takes our seats off of the bikes when we’re traveling.  I have a “super soft cushioned seat”.  Davids bike and seat are brand new.  Someone “STUPID” very, very “STUPID” stole my 20 year old bike that had no seat on it.  How did they even ride it away. I hope they hit a big bump and did some serious damage to the “family jewels”.  While we were biking  on Jekyll Island I had mentioned that I’d like to start looking for a new bike. Seriously, the thief stole my old, scratched, wobbly, ancient bike and left David’s brand new one on the rack.  So what are we going to do???  Move On!

So we head on down Route One into paradise. I am excited, David is excited. We drive through Key Largo and over the first big bridge.  E T is laying on my lap. Suddenly, the air changes and the ocean scents fill the ear.  Up pops her head. She’s sitting up, nose in the air sniffing, sniffing everywhere.  She looks at me and I know she is saying “Mom, this smells good. Where are we going?  I like it already.”

As we pass by Robbie’s Marina I’m excited.  Robbie’s is pet friendly! E T will be able to go see the Tarpon!

We reach our first destination, Fiesta Key Campground on Long Key. All three of us are happy.

Feb. 12, 2015 Here’s some info for anyone thinking they might like to try RV- ing, or are just curious how much traveling this way costs.
We are traveling in a 35 ft. Tiffin Allegro 35QBA. If your really interested in stats you can google it. We are fully self contained and can stay, conservatively five days without needing water, electric or sewer. Our gas tank holds 80 gallons. We have both gas and electric heat and refrigerator. Our propane tank holds 20 gallons. Motel / Campground Stays to date
Motel 6 Carlisle, PA. $45. One night pet room no extra charge
We stayed at the Motel 6 our first night because we would have no water if we stayed in the camper. Our systems were still winterized for CT temperatures.
Lake Leamon Campground $35 one night Full Hookup/Pull Through. Full hookup, pull through sites are generally the most expensive. No hook up (dry camping) least expensive. Huntington Beach State Park $24.75 one night Water&Electric Back in Jekyll Island. $119.70 three nights Full Hook Up / Pull Through Fort Clinch $28 one night Water & Electric Back In
Anastasia State Park $92. 40 three nights Water & Electric Back In Jonathan Dickinson State Park $57.40 two nights Water & Electric Back In

Gas Stops
N.J. 72 gal $1.76
VA. 35 gal $1.89
S.C. 25 gal $2.29
GA. 57 gal $1.89
GA. 27 gal $2.02
FL. 40 gal $2.29
We are towing a car and we get about 7.2 miles a gallon we could get about 8 not towing.

Food
We got Domino Pizza Deliver at the Motel 6 2 Artisian pizzas, one veggie, one meat. $21.00 + $4 tip for driver. It should have been a bigger tip. Our ferocious dog came up behind him and squeezed between his legs. The look on the poor guys face was priceless. We didn’t have any more small bills or I would have tipped him more.
Last night we went out to dinner at TooJay’s in Stuart, Fl with Lorraine. Dinner for three was $45 plus $7 tip.
Otherwise, we’re grocery shopping just like we would at home. I think our grocery bills on the road are less, because we have less storage.

We stopped at a Flying J in Georgia and filled our propane tank it took 14 gallons $44.

I hope that was interesting for whoever read it. We’re on the Florida Turnpike headed to The Keys. It is very, very difficult to get reservations at any of the State Parks here. You have to be on line 11 months to the day prior to when you want to arrive. The only way to get a site in Jan. Feb. March is Luck of the draw. We have reservations at two private campgrounds. I think one is around $60 a night and the other $70. I’ll put “statistic” updates at the bottom of my blogs.

Feb 11, 2015  Warning … You are about to be attacked by photos.  This morning  David and I took a ride to the Ranger station asking for “safe places” to take E T in the park. David is a bit frustrated with me, because I’m still being “alligator conscious”.  There are a lot of alligators here (100 + counted). Jonathan Dickinson is considered part of the Everglades.  I am reassured that as long as we follow the posted signs she (we) should be fine. Alligators don’t attacked without being provoked or having their territory infringed upon. There is plenty of food here that the alligators don’t go looking to eat people or dogs. Phew!

The trail I walked yesterday with E T is well marked. If the water temperature is exceptionally cold, we may come upon an alligator sunning itself on the pavement.  We would see the alligator well in advance.  The Ranger said “watch where you are walking” and implied use common sense.  I interpreted, don’t walk with your head up your butt.

One of the suggested places to take E T was the Hobe Mountain Observation Tower.  Awesome … we can run her up and down the boardwalk.  It is a ten minute walk up to the tower, I think 200 steps, with plenty of landings.

Then we took a couple mile hike on one of the many trails here.  If you are a mountain biker they have a fantastic course here and lots of trails. We saw tons of wildflowers.

In the afternoon we took a tour boat on the Loxahatchee River to Trapper Nelson’s Interpretive Site. He was known as “The Wildman of the Loxahatchee”.  My kind of guy 🙂

David and I had canoed the Loxahatchee River on a previous trip.  We had rented a canoe and left the dock at sun up. It was the best kayak trip we have ever experienced.  We did not find Trapper Nelson’s on that trip.   This trip we decided to let the guide take us and we were glad we did.  We both want to come back, with our kayak and do it again. The photos don’t do the scenery justice.

Last and very not least we met our friend, Lorraine, for dinner at an excellent restaurant in Stuart, about 12 miles north of Hobe Sound,  TOO JAYS Restaurant and Deli.  They have restaurants in about 25 locations in Florida.  If you ever have the opportunity to eat at one, the food is great and the prices are very reasonable.

Next stop … The Florida Keys

Feb 10, 2015   It was hard to leave Anastasia State Park.  There is so much to do there and it is so beautiful.  As we were leaving I had to snap a couple of more photos of “my friends” before we left.  It was as if they flew by just to bid us farewell.

We are on our way to one of mine and Davids favorite Florida State Parks, Jonathan Dickinson.  We have no reservations.  We tried, but they book up months in advance.  You can book Florida State Parks 11 months to the day, prior to arrival.  In January, February and March it is a real challenge to reserve a site. There are a few first come sites and “specialty” sites that with a great deal of luck you can drive up and get.  We got lucky at Jonathan Dickinson.  We are staying for two nights at the riding stables.  There is a campground called Eagles View. It only has five sites which are held for equestrians.  Our neighbors are beautiful horses. E T is mesmerized by them.  I should record how many hours she spends sitting in front of camper starring at them.

After  we get settled, David takes the Volvo to get gas and a few groceries.  He runs out of gas.   He gets chauffeured to a gas station by a Florida Police Officer. The Officer is a car guy. Is that a surprise!  If the officer wasn’t on duty I’m sure they would have gone for a ride. David would probably have even let him drive. I would have!!!  When he gets back there’s some guys card on the windshield. Is the car for sale?  If we’d been in Miami it probably would have been gone.

While David is gone, I took E T for a walk on one of our favorite bike trails.  Ooops! It’s an alligator pond trail. You’d think I would have remembered that. I’m sure I would have if we’d ever seen any alligators.   We were fine until some guy rode by us on his bike and spooked me.  He said “Wow!  you made it by two ponds without a problem.”  We hopped a fence and walked back on the road.  I really don’t think alligators hang by the paved bike trail waiting to eat dogs or people.  I do believe in jerks being jinxes. I wasn’t taking any chances.

I know the north is getting slammed with cold and snow and some people might not want to here this,  but it’s hot and sticky here. I actually mentioned to David that we might want to use the air conditioning tonight.  The weather at Anastasia was my kind of weather, high 50’s mid 60’s with gentle breezes.  It’s funny,  but  just like in Connecticut there is a fine line of where the weather changes.  In a few days we will be in my favorite place in Florida, maybe in the whole U.S.A., The Florida Keys.  I’m going to reserve judgement on committing to my favorite place until I’m too old to travel anymore and then I’ll choose 🙂

This is a wonderful country we live in with many, many magnificent and majestic places.

Feb 09, 2015  Today has been an amazing day.  It’s only 4:00 p.m. and I’m so tired that I’m ready for bed.  It was suppose to rain today so we were up early to go kayaking.  We talked to a gentleman yesterday on the boardwalk that recommended the Sea Bean Trail.  We have an awesome Sea Eagle inflatable kayak that holds three “people”.  We kayaked with   E T in it when she was a 20 pound puppy and now that she is 62 pounds, it’s a tight fit.  David took her for a ride and then we put her back in the RV and then just the two of us went out.   It was a good thing.  I would never have been able to take such fabulous bird photos.  If you are a birder, or not,  this is a paradise.   Another good reason we didn’t have E T  with us, there were so many fish feeding in one area that at times they were jumping two feet out of the water.  It was like watching pop corn pop.  I was laughing out loud so much my ribs hurt.  If you’re a fisherman, or not, it was great fun.   We would never have been able to keep E T still.  She would have wanted to catch them and we would have been swimming.  I wouldn’t have minded, but the water is 51 degrees.

After kayaking we walked several miles with E T.  We are teaching her to walk between us without a leash and come when she is called.   One boardwalk here is a little over 1/4 mile. There is fencing that is close enough where she could not jump through if she wanted to.  There were hardly any people at the beach today so when we tired of walking with her, David stood at one end of the boardwalk and I at the other and she ran back and forth on call.  E T is ready for bed too 🙂

It is beautiful here and very quiet.  We didn’t make it into town yet, might not depending on weather tomorrow … here’s a tip for seniors, there is a “Red Train Tour”, more like a trolley than a train that tours the town. You can get on and off as many times as you want. Seniors get buy one get one for $10 pricing.  I hope we get to do it, but there’s always next time.  We also didn’t get over to tour the St. Augustine lighthouse, 229 steps to the top!  We did see it on our kayak ride.