My goodness, I was so exhausted last night that I didn’t get to blog about our adventures at all. I might’ve been able to if I’d realized the clock in our room was off, but I just assumed it really was after 10pm and called it a day. Oops!
I didn’t get to do all the planning for this trip before we left so every night, after we check in for the night I have been blogging about the stuff we do, and planning for the next day so of course this is starting to catch up to me a bit. I must've been drunk with sleep when I decided to set the alarm for 6:30! Or maybe that would have been true if I didn’t snooze three times, but ...
Either way, once I was good and awake I realized I'd miscalculated and we tore through the room like little Tasmanian devils on crack. Crappiest packing job ever, but this was no time to be picky; we could either join the 9 o'clock excursion, or not get to go at all!!
The valet takes his sweet time bringing our car around and of course that only adds to my stress. Then to make matters worse the whole city is shrouded in dense fog and traffic's barely moving. Morning commute + fog = not pretty.
The estimated time of arrival keeps going up on the GPS and it's kind of like a train wreck; you don’t want to look, but you can’t look away either.
Either way, once I was good and awake I realized I'd miscalculated and we tore through the room like little Tasmanian devils on crack. Crappiest packing job ever, but this was no time to be picky; we could either join the 9 o'clock excursion, or not get to go at all!!
The valet takes his sweet time bringing our car around and of course that only adds to my stress. Then to make matters worse the whole city is shrouded in dense fog and traffic's barely moving. Morning commute + fog = not pretty.
The estimated time of arrival keeps going up on the GPS and it's kind of like a train wreck; you don’t want to look, but you can’t look away either.
I call the park to inquire about the tour and to my surprise the tour doesn’t start boarding until 8:50. Apparently, as long as you get there in time to sign the waivers you’re good to go. In some ways that's a relief in that at least we now stand a chance, but on the other hand it makes matters worse because we won’t know if we’ve made it until the minute we get to the park.
Of course there was some construction and single lane traffic so by the time we drive up to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef Park entrance booth it's 8:55 and not looking good. But the sweet elderly ranger takes a quick look at th clock and says that we should still be able to make it if we hurry.
By the time we finish trying on our wetsuits it’s time to get on board. There are only about 12 people so it’s very relaxed and quiet. The boat ride starts with a short sail through the mangrove forests. Then suddenly there’s nothing but wide open ocean in front of you.
They allow us on the upper deck so a few of us get out and stand at railing near the bow. The fog has lifted and the view of the sunlight dancing across the clear water is amazing. You can see the seaweed flowing in the current, fish darting through the water and spotted stingrays gliding through the water. The boat speeds up faster and faster. My hair is whipping in my face and you can smell the salt water in the air. Wow, what a feeling of freedom! I never thought I’d enjoy being on a boat, but I do and I don’t even feel queasy.
They allow us on the upper deck so a few of us get out and stand at railing near the bow. The fog has lifted and the view of the sunlight dancing across the clear water is amazing. You can see the seaweed flowing in the current, fish darting through the water and spotted stingrays gliding through the water. The boat speeds up faster and faster. My hair is whipping in my face and you can smell the salt water in the air. Wow, what a feeling of freedom! I never thought I’d enjoy being on a boat, but I do and I don’t even feel queasy.
For the first 15 minutes the ocean is so still it looks more like a lake, but the closer we get to the reef, the more the waves pick up. They’re gentle rolling waves and after a while it’s kind of like surfing; I can tell when a wave is about to hit by looking at the waves so I don’t get seasick at all.
The boat moors at Grecian Rocks a coral reef 5 miles out at sea and after a quick demo we put our snorkeling gear on. They tell us how far we are allowed to venture off and then it’s time to hit the water. I’m only wearing a half suit this time and I’m a little bit worried about how cold the weather is going to be, but it’s a comfortable 72 degrees. Much better than earlier this week!
Sandy’s a little apprehensive about swimming around in the middle of the ocean and bobbing up and down on the waves is making her sick to her stomach so after a few attempts she decided to climb back aboard. This means I need a new snorkeling buddy (they don’t want you to go off by yourself), so I hook up with a young couple who I think came out just to make out underwater. Gross! Every time I look away and turn back there’s heavy petting going on! The reef doesn’t look like I thought it would either, mostly sea grass with occasional pieces of coral sticking out and I wonder if this is really it.
A few minutes later I decided I’ve had enough and I swim off in search of a new buddy. I spot a few people nearby and when I swim over to meet them I find what I’ve been looking for; beautiful coral of all different shapes and sizes with brightly colored fish swimming around it. But what sticks out most are the enormous fish hanging out in small schools near the bottom; barracudas, some of them almost 6 feet in length. Yikes! Luckily they turn out to be very docile.
When we get back to the boat I find out that several people in the group ran into a large bull shark! It might sound strange, but I’m soooo jealous that I didn’t get to see it myself. The captains tell us there are several sharks that call the reef home, but that they don’t pose a threat to snorkelers; the water is too clear for them to mistake people for prey.
Sandy stayed on the lower deck the whole time and feels sick as a dog by the time I get back to the boat; she’s so happy when we make it back to shore. Me – I could’ve stayed out all day! I’ve already decided I will try to do more snorkeling trips in the future.
Although the park is mostly known for its coral reefs, there’s plenty to see and do on land. There are a few walking trails and several white sand beaches. They’ve even buried an old Spanish “ship wreck” about a hundred feet out. I don’t have my wet suit anymore, but it’s warm enough to go out without it and while Sandy recuperates on a bench in the sun, I do some snorkeling near the shore.
It’s a beautiful spot to sit and relax.
There’s an aquarium at the visitor center so at least Sandy gets a look at some of the beautiful fish that live on the reef and I get to take some pictures.
We get back on the overseas highway and enjoy watching all the mangrove islands out in the middle of endless stretches of water. (This picture was taken later in the day - hence the dark clouds)
Our next stop is Bahia Honda State Park; it is supposed to have some of the nicest beaches of all the Keys. My guide book praised Calusa beach, because of the great views of the 7 mile bridge, but really it looks just like any old bridge and it’s incredibly noisy.
Loggerhead beach is quieter, but just as narrow and it quickly feels cramped. The water here is so shallow you can walk forever and still be in knee deep water.
Before we get to Key West there’s one last stop on our itinerary: Deer Key. It’s home to a nearly extinct kind of deer called the Key deer. They get no bigger than a large dog and we’re lucky enough to spot one along the side of the road before even getting to the wildlife viewing area.
How cute is that?!
Before we get to Key West there’s one last stop on our itinerary: Deer Key. It’s home to a nearly extinct kind of deer called the Key deer. They get no bigger than a large dog and we’re lucky enough to spot one along the side of the road before even getting to the wildlife viewing area.
How cute is that?!
Unfortunately she doesn’t appear frightened by the cars zipping by, or the bicyclists. She barely gives me a second look as I walk up to take her picture. When you drive onto the island the road is flanked by high wire fences and cautions signs to alert people to the presence of deer, but there’s a small sign near the entrance of the refuge that lists the fatalities. So sad.
The weather changes so quickly we first think something’s on fire. It looks like smoke blowing across the road, but it’s actually dark low hanging clouds and the wind is picking up. In some ways it reminds me of the time we drove through hurricane Charley.
We check into our bed in breakfast right in time for happy hour. There’s a tiki bar by the pool and the bartender asks if we’d like a drink. Tempting, but we’re on our way to Mallory Square so we turn him down. I don’t think it’s legal to walk around drinking, but he assures us that in Key West you’re fine as long as you behave yourself so I let him fix me a drink. My god, does this man pour a wicked martini!
An impression of the main drag, Duval Street
Sex sells
Lots of eccentric people around, like this man with puppets and dozens of lights mounted to the back of his bicycle (blasting MJ songs from his boombox the whole way).
The sun’s long set (not that anyone is be able to tell with those clouds anyway) by the time we get to Mallory Square and all the artists are wrapping up their stuff. There’s a small crowd gathered around a man doing tricks and a few of the vendors are making last minute deals. In the corner a man is getting his fortune read by a tarot reader.
The party never ends at some of the bars.
We try a place called the Flaming Buoy Filet Co. for dinner. It’s a good thing we found it on Tripadvisor or we’d never have found; it’s tucked in the middle of a residential area. It’s a pretty small, upscale place and we don’t have reservations, but they’re able to seat us on their porch and what a joy it is to eat there. We start off with lobster mac and cheese and after that I have the best grouper ever. I’m now officially a fan of Key lime sauce.
After we get back I take a quick dip in the pool and it is so nice and warm I could have stayed in it for hours if I wasn't so tired.
Sex sells
Lots of eccentric people around, like this man with puppets and dozens of lights mounted to the back of his bicycle (blasting MJ songs from his boombox the whole way).
The sun’s long set (not that anyone is be able to tell with those clouds anyway) by the time we get to Mallory Square and all the artists are wrapping up their stuff. There’s a small crowd gathered around a man doing tricks and a few of the vendors are making last minute deals. In the corner a man is getting his fortune read by a tarot reader.
The party never ends at some of the bars.
We try a place called the Flaming Buoy Filet Co. for dinner. It’s a good thing we found it on Tripadvisor or we’d never have found; it’s tucked in the middle of a residential area. It’s a pretty small, upscale place and we don’t have reservations, but they’re able to seat us on their porch and what a joy it is to eat there. We start off with lobster mac and cheese and after that I have the best grouper ever. I’m now officially a fan of Key lime sauce.
After we get back I take a quick dip in the pool and it is so nice and warm I could have stayed in it for hours if I wasn't so tired.
A great end to a great day!
Total miles for today: 183
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Breakfast: trailmix on the boat
Lunch: hotdogs at John Pennekamp
Dinner: The Flaming Buoy Filet Co. (awesome)
Hotel: Duval Inn B&B (recommend)
Total miles for today: 183
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Breakfast: trailmix on the boat
Lunch: hotdogs at John Pennekamp
Dinner: The Flaming Buoy Filet Co. (awesome)
Hotel: Duval Inn B&B (recommend)
2 comments:
Ha, you're back again. Did you make a happy choice!!! I read in the newspaper that 49 of the 50 states have snow, exception: Florida
How strange you didn't get seasick, maybe an after effect of all the surfing you did, maybe you got a feel for the waves. Poor Sandy, missing all the fun.
The little Key dear is very cute.
Picture of the day, the shoe sale!!!!!!!!!!!
A Martini???
Mallory Square looks great. What's a grouper?
Have fun, nice you're back on blog, xxx Joeve
Yeah I was surprised I didn't get seasick too, but I did get a little queasy when I was sitting inside the boat. I think it has something to do with needing to see where I'm going, because reading in the car makes me want to throw up too.
Grouper is a very mild kind of fish. Very yummy!
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