Travels to Key West

My faithful blog follower, little sis Kathy, begged for a new entry....so I'll tear myself away from the sunshine to do a little writing. A lot has happened in the last 10 days or so. We have been marooned in paradise (specifically Bahia Honda State Park--in the Lower Keys) since Saturday the 24th--due to a northerly wind with gusts up to 30mph. The open water was no place to be...just ask sailor cat Pearl. We were enduring a rolly ride up on deck, but poor Pearl was down below howling for me to save her.

(Pearl...contemplating jumping ship in the days before our open water adventure)

You see, we tried to tell the Captain that his weather resources didn't jive with the posted weather/wave predictions we saw at the fuel dock right before leaving Marathon, FL. The Captain (we call Barry this to make him feel good:) predicted waves of 1/2 meter (20"). The pros at the fuel dock predicted waves of 2-6 feet!! Wait a minute...can we discuss this?? Sure  enough, within a short while we knew we would have to find a protected dock or we would all be sick and beat up. Luckily it was high tide (something we don't think about in St Louis) and we were able to plow our way through the narrow opening to this lovely little harbor. Let's not talk about the smell of batteries burning up or the way the Captain reached for the TowBoat US phone number--we made it. 

Barry and Jerry training to be on the Olympic rowing team.

We have visited several places as we journeyed towards Key West--including Key Largo. While there, we anchored the sailboat and dinghied through the mangroves to another state park, searching for a beach. (Did you know that sandy beaches are few and far between down here in the Keys?) We made the mistake of asking an auxilliary Coast Guard member for directions to the beach, as the GPS was wrong. He promptly asked if we all had life jackets...ummmmm, no. Note to self: even if we are traveling through water that is shallow, always carry life jackets. Speaking of shallow water--upon our return to the sailboat, we encountered very shallow water--meaning the outboard was useless, so Jerry and Barry had to be our gondoliers. Can't understand why they wouldn't sing. 

But we heard some singing in Marathon! This is the Eric Stone Band...world famous to people like Jerry who love island music. Just so happened they were playing at the dockside restaurant we chose to frequent. (Chosen because we could get there easily in our taxi--the dinghy) Great band! Good food! Marathon, FL is a parking lot for 'cruisers' who just want to stay put--not us! Although the marina offers a large laundry facility--in which I learned how to watch and pounce upon open dryers and washers. So many different skill sets to learn....

Another gorgeous sunrise over our anchorage....one of the benefits of being on the water

The above 4 pictures are of Bahia Honda State Park--our home away from home (and wind) for the last four days. Lovely beach; well-stocked gift store and concession stand; nature talks with park rangers; butterflies; manatee momma and twins; walking trails; and more.

A must-see in Key West is Sloppy Joe's--where Hemingway supposedly hung out.

Cheers from Jerry, Kak, and Barry in Sloppy Joe's.

Jerry trying to paste a River Bill (favorite website) bumper sticker on the Duval St sign.

After riding the local bus to Key West one time, we decided to break down and rent a car--so we could travel at our leisure to Key West and beyond. Pictured above is sunset at Mallory Square--where everyone gathers to watch street performers and eventually a spectacular sunset. We spent a couple of afternoons in Key West enjoying shopping, the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum, beautiful architecture, and colorful characters like the guy on a scooter in a top hat and a red velvet coat, with two little dogs perched on his knees. Could I make that up?

Just look at that sky!

Til next time....