The Long Way Home

We walked way up the main drag in the am and got pretty good coffee at a place we had seen the night before with no sign.  We figured that the drag was really where everyone came to eat. You have never seen so many restaurants in one area. Then we packed up and went to the airport.  

All was pretty easy.   The plane was pretty full and we agreed to check our carry on bags at the gate at the request of the airline, thinking it would be easier.  Watched Project Runway on the plane . When we got to San Francisco, our plane to San Luis was cancelled.  It was a very, very long wait at customer service where they did not put any extra agents on duty, only to be told that they would book us onto the next flight in the morning but would not pay for a hotel because the cancellation was "a control tower decision" and they were not responsible. There was some talk of possibly getting a van together, but they needed ten passengers.  We banded together with Sheila ( from West Palm Beach) and Mike who had just moved to the area between Morro Bay and Atascadero from Denver.  He was traveling on business and his company paid for the car rental and he went way out of his way to drive us to the airport in San Luis.  We thought it was pretty funny that we had been talking about the people we saw on the boat to Ft. Jefferson talking to strangers for four hours and then found ourselves having to talk to strangers for four hours.   Sheila was visiting her fiancee, a dentist in Paso Robles, whom she had met on Christian Singles.  She had a huge piece of luggage, which weighed a ton, along with her carry ons and she was only staying for a long weekend.  Mike had been a big wig in sales at Motorola, had a heart attack and retired, and had just recently gone back to work on a much smaller scale.   He sold communication systems for police/fire department and emergency responders.  

After the long and unexpected drive home, we arrived.  The house was all in one piece and Hoover and Gen were fine.

A visit with Dad

We got up,  had the hotel breakfast and went for a walk along the beach.   The beaches were wide, with white sand.  They were smoothed with sand grooming machines.   There were concessions to rent umbrellas and lounges.   We came upon the surfing area.  There were life guards in many places.  

We got over to Irv's in Boynton Beach about 11 as planned.   Irv and Elaine's house is in a gated development and there was a bit of an issue getting in, but it all worked out.  His caregiver Barbara was there ( his other helper is Dee ) and Elaine was in bed.  We went out to a deli called Toojays.  I used my maps app, but actually Irv was perfectly capable of directing us all the way there. Neil asked him what he did during the war, because he was not really clear on that.  Neil's impression had been that he was a guard on an air force base.  It turned out that he was an air traffic controller and that he had been stationed all over the place in the states including Florida and North Dakota and New York, and that he went to England towards the end of the war and was stationed there and then in Scotland, and that he visited France before he came home.  He also said that he tried to moonlight as an air traffic controller later while he was teaching, but they wouldn't hire him.

On Worth Ave

Palm Beach

Irv really just wanted to get out of the house.  Elaine was sleeping about 20 hours a day and he never knew whether she would even get out of bed to eat.  He said that they didn't know anyone anymore....all the neighbors they knew had either died or moved.  He wanted to drive up to Palm Beach and have us go for a walk down Worth Avenue while he sat and looked at the ocean from the car, which is what we did.   The drive up passed mansion after mansion.  We had driven around there when we visited in 2001, but hadn't walked around Worth Avenue at all.  It was super posh Beverly Hills/ Rodeo Drive type shopping.  The only store we actually went into was Starbucks, for an afternoon coffee.

Wen we got back we had another issue with the gate, but Barbara told us if we just edged up to it very closely, it would open even without the code and it did. It turned out that Elaine had fallen that afternoon and the paramedics came.   There was nothing new wrong, she is just getting weaker and weaker.  Barbara made dinner for us and Neil and Irv looked at the ipad and one of those digital picture frames and Neil got some things working for Irv on both those devices.   Neil was perplexed as to where Irv had gotten some of the photos, but we assumed that Howard got them for him.  

Barbara and Irv got hold of Elaine's doctor who said that Irv should bring Elaine into the hospital the following morning if he was concerned.  Barbara said that Irv was having a hard time accepting the fact that there was nothing anyone could really do for Elaine.  We left after dinner and went back to the hotel. After a long walk up the main drag, we went to bed and slept well.

At Irv's House

Leaving the Keys

Eden House Hotel

We got up and went for coffee at a bakery a block away from the hotel.  Had pastry and espresso drinks, which were not great but were not horrible.  Then we packed and headed by car over to the Ernest Hemingway house for a tour. We had a hard time finding parking, but finally got it figured out.  It was fun.  The gardens were all planted since 2000 but looked great. I got a t shirt with a six toed cat on it.

Hemingway Office

We walked back over to Duval, bought a pretty shirt for me that we saw the day before, and had more espresso and pastry, this time at a French Bakery. Both were better than the morning fare. 

Then we left Key West.  We stopped at Bahia Honda State Beach.  It was a beautiful beautiful beach.  We walked out on the old bridge and looked down and saw two sharks and a sea turtle.  The sea turtle was huge.  Seeing the sharks made me not want to go snorkeling, but besides that, the good snorkeling seemed to be accessible only by taking a boat out, guided by a concessionaire, to a nearby key.  Because it was Veterans Day, the entrance fee was waived.  Some American people and many Germans and French.  We went in the water, which seemed a bit tame because no waves! Then we set off.

Bahia Honda

Betsy the Giant Lobster

We stopped to find the giant lobster, which was quite impressive.  We almost missed it again, but Neil spotted it.  Later he looked it up on the internet and found that it was named Betsy, and it was art. We stopped at Cafe Mocha again, had good coffee and then headed out of the keys to Delray beach. I worked on this blog in the car because I had gotten behind.  Neil witnessed some crazy driving, but thankfully, my head was down. 

The last time we were in Florida, 2001, we had gone out to eat in Delray beach for Irv's (Neil's father) birthday.  We remembered it being very crowded with some kind of festival.  This time as we drove into town on Atlantic Ave, it was also very crowded with a ton of restaurants and clothing stores and bars.  It was kind of reminiscent of Orange County in a way.  Our hotel was between the intracoastal and the beach and was kind of 60s.  They were doing some work on it. They upgraded us to a suite, which was huge, but a bit on the dingy side.  It also had a door connecting it to another room, through which you could hear everything.  Although i was put off by the suite, we ended up sleeping really well.  You could open the windows and the bed was huge. There was a very unlikeable and disagreeable couple checking in right before us.  She was actually wearing a Lilly Pullitzer dress, and i noticed there was a Pullitzer store on the main drag.  I didn't realize that was still a thing.  We walked down to the beach and ate at a sports bar type place.  People smoked outside, so we moved our table indoors.  Then we walked around.  There was a huge resort hotel around the block from us on the main drag with live music and a roaring over 50s pick up scene.  Lots of the clothing shops were still open or just closing at 8 or 9.  Neil had what was advertised to be gelato, but was actually ice cream.

Dry Tortugas

Skies off the Bow

The morning was slightly cooler than before, meaning it was about 75. We got up early had some hotel lobby coffee and headed for the marina. There were about 120 on the trip.  The tour leader was cheerful and went around whistling.  The majority of people were older or late middle aged, with a smattering of younger couples.  There are some camp sites on the island so some people were going to camp.  The island and area around it are all part of a National Park.  The passengers that interested us the most were a group of four young men from Argentina who struck up a conversation with an older couple.   They never stopped laughing and talking.  On the way back, they enlarged their circle to include some people from Cape Cod who all belonged to a yacht club there and a girl who was traveling alone.  There was alcohol served on the way back and they all drank and laughed uproariously the whole way. 

Snorkel time

The trip out was about two and a half hours. They served breakfast. It was gorgeous.  There were a lot of high clouds but they moved through and it was only slightly windy. I did have my wind breaker on the boat, but the island itself was warm.  We stayed up on the outside for the whole trip except for a short film about how the snorkel equipment was given out and an orientation to the island. We were told there was a crocodile out there that had been swept out about eight years previously.  Thankfully we didn't meet him.  The guide said that he disappeared like clock work when the ferry pulled in.

Moat around Fort Jefferson

We walked around the perimeter of the fort on a trail outside the moat when we arrived. We then got our snorkel gear and went snorkeling from the south beach over some old coal station pilings.  There was a lot of pretty coral which had grown up there and tons of fishes.  We did see several jelly fish while walking around, and one when we started snorkeling.  Neil almost ran into it, but we didn't see any after that.  The wind and current started picking up while we were snorkeling and the visibility went down.  I had on my wet suit but Neil did not wear his.  I needed it.

We had lunch and watched a few sea planes come in.  You could visit the island by private boat or seaplane besides taking the ferry.  We saw someone from a private boat that had a big German Shepherd with them.  We looked later and found that it cost between $300 and $600 per person to take a plane out depending on how long you stayed.  After lunch we toured the fort which was fabulous.  We saw Dr. Mudd's cell and learned what a shot furnace was ( a giant structure to heat cannonballs so they would set a fire when they landed) from a fellow park visitor.  She told us she had just learned it a few weeks earlier herself.  

Parade Grounds

The views from the fort were all amazing.  The top level was scary.  There were leaks inside where stalactites and stalagmites were forming in some of the passages ways.  

Lincoln Conspirator's Cell

When we got back, we showered and walked over to Duval St looking to eat.  W got lost but found our way and ended up at a place recommended by the hotel called the Rooftop Cafe.  It was nice and quiet compared to Duval Street. The food was mixed.  My conch chowder tasted canned, but the empanada appetizer was really good.  We had drinks! Neil got a Mile One tee shirt on the walk back.  A hugely drunken crowd was out on Duval. We heard lots of languages other than English everywhere! 

Through the Keys

Bird Rescue Welcome

It was cooler with rain predicted for Sunday.  We walked out on the hotel property and took some photos after having breakfast in the hotel.  There were more people around maybe just because of the time we got up.  We got all packed and then set out for Key West. Our first stop was at the marine bird hospital/rescue center about two miles down the road.  We looked around there.  They had a lot of owls.  

I forgot to mention that the whole of the highway through the Keys is just one road, which has mile markers counting down to zero in Key West.  This did make navigation somewhat easier.  We stopped next at Robbies, which was a very touristy marina.  We were thinking of doing a little kayak trip there, but it was windy and threatening to rain, so we did not go out.  

Out next stop was Long Key State Park.  We went on a little nature hike there called the Golden Orb Spider trail.  We did not see any spiders but we saw plenty of poisonwood trees.  We didn't go the whole trail because we hit a huge puddle.  We sat on a picnic bench down along the water.  It sprinkled a little bit.  There was a strange entrance at what looked like the end of the park road, which seemed to be either a private residential entrance or something for the campers at the park. 

We looked for a giant 40 foot lobster at mile marker 46, but we missed it. 

Latte?!

We thought about going to Bahia Honda State park, but decided to save it for the trip back because it was known for its beaches and the weather was not very beachy.  It rained some. We stopped for an espresso in Marathon at a place called Laurie's on the advice of trip advisor or yelp. It was really more of a deli and the Bahamian woman working there had no idea how to make a latte.  Neil watched her and said that she got the milk up to 200 degrees.  It was truly awful.  We did not really drink the drinks.  We went in a Winn Dixie and got a few items and also got gas. 

Next stop was Big Cedar Key, specifically to see the endangered key deer, which were purported to be tiny deer, but turned to be just smaller than average deer.  We stopped at the visitor center and the woman working there told us to drive down the road toward the deer sanctuary and a lake called Blue Hole.  The key was large enough to have fresh water ponds and there was an alligator living in the lake!  Who knows how it got there.  It was right next to the viewing platform, so we did see it.  We saw our first deer must a few blocks down the road.  She was at the side of the road eating a pumpkin.  She was still there when we left.  We walked around the Blue Hole and talked to a local woman there who gave us a few more hints about seeing deer, including that if we rustled paper they would come out thinking we were going to (illegally) feed them. When we did see one at the side of the road, and i got out to take a closer photo, Neil rustled paper and sure enough that deer perked right up and started coming over to me.  We saw a few more groups of deer.  They had a strange gait that almost seemed like a limp.

Key Deer

Next stop: Key West.  Along the way we went over the big 7 Mile Bridge.  We saw some of the old parts of the old bridge still standing and the old railroad bridges built by Flagler.  

We got into Key West and found our hotel, The Eden House, which was in the downtown-historic district.  The city was very picturesque, at least the old town was, with little coach cottages and bigger places all together. Everything was built close in and there were little alleys with houses three and four deep sometimes between the streets.  Lots of bicycle traffic, golf carts, vespas and mopeds. Our hotel had a little parking lot squeezed in, and we got the last parking place and then didn't get back into the car until we left Key West.  The hotel was built off an original hotel structure with a big veranda.  There were lots of meandering additions and gardens with a pool and hammocks.  This was the most expensive hotel room we ever stayed in, $360 a night. Our room was not even one of the bigger more luxurious rooms.  We were upstairs and at the end of the hall was a veranda with swing chairs and benches to sit on.  There were room entrances on the veranda but the verandas were public areas. 

We walked down to the wharf to see where we would be catching the ferry to Dry Tortuga the next morning.  The ferry terminal was only about four blocks away. We wandered on the wharf for a while and found someone working at the concession who told us where to go in the morning and when to be there.  

Roasted Corn at Paseo

We walked around and saw a lot of beautiful old buildings including the Hemingway house and the Truman winter white house.  There were a lot of drunks down on the promenade and boardwalk areas.  We looked for a tote bag to buy to take our stuff on the ferry and ended up with a dive shop giving us a free bag.  Many drunks on Duval Street, but also some nice shops and restaurants.  While walking back to the hotel we passed a little place, a former gas station, called Paseo, that said Caribbean/Cuban food and smelled wonderful.  We yelped it and decided to go there for dinner because the reviews were good.  We each got a sandwich, mine was shrimp, and Neil's was pork. I also got roasted corn which was cooked with lime and cilantro and something else.   These were probably the best sandwiches we have ever eaten.  Also, our least expensive dinner,coming to about $30. We were stuffed.  After dinner we walked all along the wharf boardwalk marveling at now many rich people there are in the world.  They were having a speed boat race the weekend we got there.  As we walked back we saw an older couple walking back to their boat and watched to see which one it was and it seemed to be an enormous yacht. It poured in the night and it was nice to have the window open and air conditioning off.  

Back in the Glades

We decided to go back up into the Everglades via the southern entrance, partly to make sure that Neil had his fan boat experience.  We had breakfast at the hotel.  The day before there was a guest having breakfast who actually asked the maid to turn the sound up on the TV.   The maids here all seem to be Caribbean.  Anyway, the breakfast was nice, with fresh fruit and yogurt and little helpings of key lime tartlets hard boiled eggs and pastry, coffee, juices, and cereal. 

Air Boat

We headed up Highway 1, but they were working on the road and had northbound traffic diverted up through the highway that runs to northern Key Largo.  It was fun to go that way.  We went across a scary bridge.  There were a lot of  people fishing along the way. We drove out the highway about two miles past the entrance road to the Everglades to the Everglades Alligator farm.  We walked around, viewed the alligator growing pens, and saw some crocodiles, snakes, and other animals and then saw the alligator feeding demonstration and then went on the fan boat ride, which was super super fun.  We rode in the front seat with some little girls.  It was funny because there were wild alligators right outside the pens with the alligators on the farm.  We saw some iguanas in the trees.  The ride was so great.  It was like flying right over the water.  We got wet, especially when the captain did doughnuts.  It was really pretty and warm.  It lasted about 20 minutes.  When we got back, I saw a wild iguana on the bathroom roof.

Sampling a new fruit

We stopped at a big fruit stand/ farmers market very similar to Avila Barn, with animals in the back, called Roberts. We got some snacks and tries a sample of Pitaya "dragon fruit".  It was OK, but not that flavorful...maybe it wasn't ripe.  Then we drove out to the park.  There was a men's prison right in this area, with housing right next door. After we went into the park, we took a walk down the Anhinga Trail, which was a boardwalk over and through some ponds and grasslands.  It was beautiful. We saw Anhinga swimming for the first time, that was interesting. We saw more alligators, swimming and sunning, and a turtle and trees with lots of epiphytes.  There were a number of people walking around but it wasn't crowded at all. Again, many foreigners.

Alligator at Anhinga Trail

Flatland

We drove further out the road to where it ended, 35 miles in all, at Flamingo.  We stopped at one more little walk that put you on a high observation point.   Looking North, it was just endless sawgrass and very beautiful.   We saw a lot of crows by the side of the road eating, and on the road, they would just barely get out of the way.  We did not see any cars for most of the entire drive out to Flamingo, but there were quite a few cars there at the marina and visitor center.  People were just returning from fishing trips and the last boat tour was leaving.  It was around 4:30.  We were attacked by mosquitoes and put on some insect repellent.  We walked around and looked for crocodiles and manatees, but didn't see any.  There was an Osprey nest on the visitor center tower. We drove back through the park, again not seeing many people at all, just birds including some hawks.

We then drove back to the hotel, this time in  a little bit of daylight that was left. We ate at the restaurant/ bar next to the hotel, Snappers. There were a ton of people there.  It was good.  We had a Wahoo appetizer, with a spicy sauce made of carrots.   I had grilled mahi  and Neil had shrimp.  We walked around the grounds of the hotel and sat in the hammocks and then in chairs at the end of the property looking at the water through some mangrove trees. 

A Day in Miami

Off to the Beach

Woke up, had breakfast at the hotel and drove to Miami.  We went right through downtown to South Beach.  The streets were torn up here and there, but we got over to an area near where we wanted to go and parked.  Walked through Lincoln Avenue mall, an open air mall area straight down to the beach.  The mall was pretty much upscale chains.  There were many, many, many foreign people.  There was a line half way down the block at the Apple store.  Huge hotels at the beach.  We walked along a very nice walkway above the beach.  The beaches had umbrella valets and areas connected to the hotels.  They were wide and sandy. There were guards at the hotel gates and some of the hotels had huge pool areas with Advertised parties. It was very Las Vegas.  

Baby Deco Plane

Deco Hotel

Our main idea was to go through the art deco district, which we did.  Most of the places were on Ocean Avenue or a few blocks nearby. We went into a little art deco/ Miami architecture museum and looked around.  We got a little map for a self guided tour.  The Art Deco hotels have mostly been restored and have restaurants with sidewalk tables on the ground floor.   They were very crowded.  We went into the lobby of two of them and looked around.  One of them had a very nice bellman who was happy to talk about the hotel history.   We also walked around a block or two away from Ocean, which was not nearly as crowded and also had lovely buildings.  We got an espresso and walked back up the mall area and then made our way out of downtown.  

In front of Party Barge

Vizcaya Grounds

Laura emailed us a suggested route to leave Miami that took us through Coconut Grove and Coral Gables.  Mostly down Old Cutler Road. It was very pretty however it was also rush hour and very crowded.  We stopped at the Vizcaya mansion and gardens and had a lovely time walking around there.  The gardens were beautiful and the site of the property was amazing...right on the Bay of Biscayne.  There was a very strange cement barge built right in front about fifty feet across the water.  We walked through the gardens and orchid area.  There was a strange sign in the women's bathroom urging victims of human trafficking and domestic violence to call for help.  I thought it odd to have it there as opposed to the bathrooms on the boardwalk at South Beach where there was actual prostitution occurring. We used those bathrooms also.  (all the public bathrooms were amazingly clean)

It was quite a trafficky slow stressful drive back to Key Largo.  W did a lot of navigation via my cell phone.  We ate at Buzzards which was just off the Atlantic side of the highway as you got into Key Largo.  It was on the edge of a marina and it was very atmospheric.  We had conch fritters and I had a mojito.  We drove by the next day in the daylight just to see it.