Day 18/19, Wednesday/Thursday March 18/19 - Are we in a Movie?

Rather than watch the world close down around us, we made the decision to head for home while the roads are still open. I have told June it feels like we are in a bad movie but I guess this is real.

We left the warm, green, moist Georgia weather for the cold north about 10AM on Wednesday.

This time of year, in the morning there is a mist, even if it is not raining, it burns off by noon or so, but it sure makes everything green.

We took I75 to I85 to I77 to I81 to I88 to I87.  Since there are no restaurants open, no attractions open and it was pouring rain, we drove until around 11PM and found our selves in Woodstock, VA. We found a Cracker Barrel and parked for some shut eye. We left the CB at 4AM for home.  The driving was like the day before, rain, but Thursday added fog to the mix.






Pennsylvania closed all their rest areas, so trucks are just parked along the side of I81. The poor truckers can't use the restrooms and even if you get off the Interstate and go to a restaurant, only the take out window is open. They will not let people in to use the restrooms. What are the truckers supposed to do? We are lucky we had our house and facilities with us.  I am not sure who is in charge in the Keystone state but I am unimpressed.

I have been looking for some additional tractor weights for my John Deere. My brother in law sent me a link while I was in GA from FB market place; they were in Oneonta, NY. I sent a message to the seller and he got back to me when I was going up I88. We had just pulled into the rest area in East Worcester, NY.  The guy lived about 2.5 miles from the rest stop, so a deal was made. A little paint and they will look like new, and were less than 1/2 the price of new.




We arrived home about 3PM on Thursday, the temps were 49F, pretty warm for this time of year.

As usual, we keep statistics of every fuel stop. Overall we traveled 4122 miles and averaged 18.2 mpg.  That is pretty good since we are driving a Rig with a GVWR of 11,030 pounds, with a scooter on the rear hitch. I suspect with the scooter, water/fuel and cargo we are bumping the GVWR limit but I have never had it weighed.  Diesel fuel prices are the lowest in the south ($2.38/gal) and the highest in the North ($3.20/gal), no surprise there.

Overall we always enjoy our road trips, we did not see as many friends/relatives as we would have liked on this trip and cut the trip short by over a week.  We canceled our plans to meet up with my brother in Tennessee and will cancel our plans to go to Mexico in April with June's family.













Covid-19 has changed all our lives for now; we recognize we are fortunate that it is just our vacation it changed so far.

It is nice to be home, especially at times like this.

Day 17, Tuesday March 17th - No Saint Patrick's Party just the Convid-19 Crisis

We have been hunkered down with my brother and his wife in Bonaire, Ga, watching the world react to the Covid-19 out break.  Saint Patrick's day 2020 is a bust, no green beer, no corn beef and cabbage...just wall to wall news about the virus.

We have great camping accommodations here, and we will miss it when Randy and Sue move to Texas next month. 

I helped Randy move a few things into his moving POD but he has a lot more to pack before they leave the first week in April.

Tuesday we made on excursion on the scooter to the grocery store to get a few things.  We exercised our "social distancing" and got what we needed, sans any paper products, there were none. This picture is in the Kroger store, the canned goods isle is about half empty, not much selection but there was some left. There was plenty of other food such as meats, fresh produce and baked goods.

The weather here is pretty nice, Randy and I played a game of Croquet, he is mean, but I won anyway.  The girls said the bugs were too bad, they were a bit lively but tolerable. 

We have watched the news as they close businesses and services across the country. Unfortunately, I think the prudent thing to do is just go home before they close fueling stations and borders. 

Sue and Randy have been their usual great hosts and are not pushing us out, but we are feeling the pull of home given the current state of the world.

So Wednesday we plan to pick up stakes and head straight home. 

Day 16, Monday March 16th - Covid-19

Monday we had a relaxing breakfast with John and Liz before loading the Scooter and departing Fort Myers around 10:30AM.

From Fort Myers we drove to just north of Tampa where June's sister seeks refuge from the cold in the winter.  Jane had a nice lunch waiting for us.

June and Jane did the Covid-19 hug when we left.







After lunch with Jane, we moved North to Georgia, we had some other stops planned but given the hysteria that is going on around the globe, we eliminated some stops.

We arrived at my brother Randy's house around 9PM and he had Dominos pizza waiting for us.  It was a long day of driving but we really only ran into one traffic jam north of Tampa which only cost us about 1/2 hour.

Day 15, Sunday March 15th - Playing a Round

Sunday we goofed off in the morning and then headed for the golf club for our 12:20 tee time.
Fred fixed the garbage disposal, for the second time; a trip to Home Depot was warranted.

Liz borrowed clubs for me (much nicer than my clubs) and June came along to be my caddie.

The Gateway course is beautiful, and the greens much faster than what I am used to at the Moriah Country Club. I three putted most of them.
"Par for the course....", pun intended.

We made a stop after the 6th hole where Liz's friend Pat had Bloody Marys waiting for us. My game got better after that!

The course has lots of wildlife, we saw turtles but no alligators this year. We did meet part of the grounds crew, these pair of sandhill cranes have decided this course is theirs. They create lots of work for the course workers, but they are considered part of the course.

Overall we had a great time, and my golf game was not as bad as I expected it to be (shot 98), anything below 100 on the first day out is tolerable. 

We had planned to go out to dinner after golf, but with all the concerns over the Covid-19 virus, we decided to just eat at home and douse the virus with spirits.

It was a pleasant evening with Liz and John, they are great hosts.

Monday we plan to drive north to Tampa to visit June's sister, Jane, in Brookville, and then move on to Georgia to see my brother Randy and his wife Sue.

We are trying to not panic over the virus and do what the experts are recommending, but we are traveling, so who knows what will happen.

Day 13/14, Friday/Saturday March 13/14 - Friends

Friday we departed Boyd's about 10:30 and headed for Fort Myers.

It was another perfect weather day, it was hard to leave.

It is a pretty easy drive to Fort Myers, about 6 hours with a stop for lunch.  After exiting US1 from the Keys we took route 41 west, it was very flat and straight with little traffic. A very pretty drive.

We arrived at John and Liz's around 17:30, it was good to see them again.  We unloaded the scooter because the Serenity Falcon just fits in their driveway, so I had to remove the rack. Of course I had to take Liz around the block before we parked it.

Their niece, Hillary, was visiting from VT also, she is a Med student at UVM. She took the scooter for a ride, eventually John and I took his car to go look for her, all was good, I guess she liked it. :-)

Saturday we pretty much chilled out for the day, June and Liz took a long walk, John and I ran errands. We went to Home Depot to buy a new ceiling fan but didn't find anything Liz liked, so saved John some money. Also, removed some outdoor lights and painted them; they look like new!

Hillary took the scooter out again, she is getting to be a pro.


















Saturday evening friends, Ken and Belinda, came over for dinner. We met them last year at the club. It was nice to get to know them a bit better. Liz cooked up a delicious stew and we had a fun evening.

Sunday we plan to golf.

Day 12, Thursday March 12th - Dry Tortugas

We got up early Thursday and left camp at 06:30 to catch our Ferry to Dry Tortugas Island. It is about 70 miles west of KW and takes roughly 2.5 hours each way.  We boarded the Ferry and departed about 8AM right on schedule. 

The boat is a 110 ft catamaran  and cruises at about 30 mph which is pretty fast for a big boat. They served both breakfast and lunch, it was a pleasant cruise.

We sat on the second level on the inside cabin where the views were good.  The seas were not too rough and we sat with a nice couple from Missouri who helped pass the voyage; Kenneth and Debbie.

The history and beauty of Dry Tortugas is much more than either of us expected, it should be a must visit for anyone coming to Key West.

We first toured Fort Jefferson, which was established in 1845 and construction continued for about 40 years.

The fort is spectacular, you can wander it for hours and it doesn't seem to get boring. The stories of when it was a civil war prison are fascinating.  President Lincoln commuted all Union deserters sentences from death to life in prison at Dry Tortugas, primarily housed Union deserters.  Later Dr. Mudd who was a conspirator in the assassination of Lincoln was sent here, but after 4 years of helping the sick he was released by President Andrew Johnson, it is a fascinating story.

After touring the fort we went back to the boat grabbed a quick lunch and set out to go snorkeling. The beach is really nice, with white sand. We snorkeled out along the moat wall, there were fish to be seen, it was fun but we have been places with more  colorful fish.

After snorkeling we walked the moat, it is such an impressive structure and in an amazing location.

I really enjoyed watching the sea planes come and go.

About 2:45 we boarded the boat back to KW, it was a great time on Garden Key. On the ride back the bar is open, but most people sleep, what a bunch of wimps. Our new fave drink is the 'Dark and Stormy',  a concoction of Trader Vic's Dark Rum and Ginger Beer. June and I enjoyed the ride.

We docked at 5:30 and got back to camp around 7PM and decided to go to dinner at the closest restaurant to Boyd's, The Hogfish Bar and Grill. Boyd's gave us a 10% off coupon. It was about a half mile walk thru a seedy neighborhood, and then we had to wait another half hour to be seated. But we got a seat on the water, you literally could not get any closer, I could have set my drink on the boat next to us.  It was a good place and we enjoyed the dinner.  About half way back June said "did you use the coupon" ....of course not...Doh!! So, we have a coupon for anyone that is going to Hogfish...LOL.

We walked back to the campground thru the seedy area safely, despite June's fretting, and it was the end of our last evening in KW.  We had a great time.

Friday we set off for Fort Meyers to see friends.

Day 11, Wednesday March 11th - Hemingway, Sloppy Joe's, Fort Taylor, Mallory Square and Key Lime Pie.

Wednesday was a full day.  We left Boyd's at 10:30 and did not get back to camp until just before 9PM. June walked my legs off, my watch says we did 20,679 steps, that is about 10 miles, gawd, I am supposed to be on vacation!

Parking in Key West with a scooter is not a problem, first town I have ever seen with designated spots just for scooters, they are everywhere and free.







We started the day with a visit to the Hemingway house.  It was interesting especially since we watched the movie Papa Hemingway just before we departed on this trip.  The tour takes you back to simpler times, and pointed out that Hemingway was so much more than a writer. It was the first home in Key West to have a pool, and was salt water until the 40s when it was converted to fresh water. 

One of Hemingway's quotes was "One cat leads to another", he had many 6 toed cats and they still roam the grounds, they even have a cat cemetery.

We left the scooter at the Hemingway house and set off on foot to find where we need to catch the boat to Dry Tortugas on Thursday. It is the same dock where the ferry from Fort Meyers docks, about a mile. We then just kept walking and walking as we explored the water front. We visited the Key West Water Front Brewery, it is impressive but they brew almost all Lagers, so we moved on.






We eventually got hungry and just had to stop at Sloppy Joe's for lunch. Sloppy Joe's is an icon in KW, it has been open since 1933.  The food was good and June enjoyed her Kenny Chesney drink, a 'Frozen Bar at the End of the World Daiquiri'.

After lunch we took the scooter to the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. It has both a fort and great beaches, $5 on a scooter to get in, such a deal. We first toured the Fort that was built in 1845 and was used in the Civil War, the Spanish American War, WWI, WWII and the Cuban Missile crisis. It was finally decommissioned in 1947. It saw extensive changes in 1898, it was reduced from 3 stories to 1.5 to mount 2 large canons that could shoot a 1000 lb shell 17 miles.  That just seems nuts..but that is what they did. Today only the mounting locations for these guns can be seen.

The greeting party when you enter the fort are Iguanas.

The views from the fort are spectacular. This is where one of the big canons sat that shot a 1000 pound shell 17 miles.

Touring the fort got us pretty warm so we headed for the beach. The beach is huge, it goes on forever and has nice shade trees along much of it. I took a swim, June just waded. After a bit we decided to head back to camp and shower the salt off before coming back into town.

As we drove down Atlantic Drive (A1A) we could not help but stop at Higgs Beach  and walk out on the piers. Walking out on the piers gives a great view of KW from the water.

The Edward B. Knight pier is nicknamed "The Unfinished Road to Cuba" and it is easy to see how it got its name, it is impressive.











I had read that you need to get to Mallory square an hour before sunset to have any chance of getting a rail view of the sunset, they were right. We got there just about an hour before and got a spot on the rail, (and an adult beverage) it quickly became very crowded.

Mallory square is a happening place just before sunset, there are street performers of all kinds, lots of boats setting out of the harbor to see the sunset from the bay. It truly is an experience.

We saw a beautiful sunset, and enjoyed a conversation with a couple from England here for the first time also.

After the sunset we set out to find where we left the scooter but then saw a key lime pie bakery...we had to try it.  It did not disappoint.










After pie we finally headed back to camp, arriving just before 9PM, it was a long day but a good one.

On Thursday we are taking a boat ride to Dry Tortugas Island, about 70 miles due west of KW, to see Fort Jefferson and do some snorkeling.

Day 10, Tuesday March 10th - No farther south

Tuesday we departed the Everglades about 9:30 AM, it was cloudy and still breezy but the wind had let up considerably.

As we departed the park we turned into West Lake, a short hike we missed Monday. West Lake is a huge lake, the hike is all on boardwalks that originally had a loop out into the lake. Apparently there was a hurricane, I think it was Irma that destroyed the part of the boardwalk that goes out into the lake. It was still a nice walk through the dense jungle, but put on bug spray.

I have heard others say the drive to Key West is boring with lots of traffic. I agree with the latter, but we found the expansive views and turquoise water beautiful.

The road out to the tip of the keys is a modern marvel, the first railway was built in 1912 and after a hurricane it was replaced by the highway in 1938.

We arrived at Boyd's campground around 3PM, it is wall to wall RV's (250 sites) and booked solid, if you don't make a reservation, well in advance, you will not get in.  Everyone gets a slab of concrete and a picnic table, so it really doesn't feel that cramped. Boyd's is on Stock Island, the closest campground to Key West, so it it is very convenient to downtown and the people are very nice.

After getting setup we took the scooter to Key West just to check things out. We cruised the entire length of Duval Street and parked at the far north end. Parking with a scooter is not a problem in Key West, they are everywhere. We walked the northern water front, Mallory Square and about half way down Duval.

We eventually got thirsty, we walked inside Irish Kevin's, and a few others, but went into the Bull and Whistle Bar because it had a second floor balcony view.  The balcony view reminded us of the Sturgis bars, and June had on her Harley shirt, so it worked. Later in the afternoon a couple saw us getting off the scooter and said to June "your shirt doesn't go with that bike",  they were Harley riders.

We lucked out, it was 2 for one Margaritas!

We actually fit in nicely, motorized vehicles of all kinds and even bicycle powered buggies.

We walked a bit more and made our way back to the Scooter and cruised Duval to the southern end where we found the famous marker for the southernmost tip of the continental US.  The line had already started to get a sunset picture, we did not wait in line. Maybe another day.

Parked near the marker was a whole row of expensive Harleys, amazing what they do to these machines..I would be afraid to ride them.











We made our way back to camp, it is only about 10 mins, to have dinner and there was laundry to do.

After dinner we walked the campground, it is actually pretty nice, there are sites on the water, but we did not get one :-(.

They even have a small beach.









Wednesday we plan to go to downtown Key West and be tourists.

Day 9, Monday March 9th – Exploring the Everglades

We got up Monday and took the scooter straight to the visitor center. There we got the bad news, more high winds, small craft advisories, stay off the water.  We did stop at the Marina anyway and they were going to give a boat ride that did not go out into the bay, but we passed on it.

The hiking trails in the Everglades are all pretty much off the 40 mile road that brings you to the Flamingo, but the distances can be pretty far. We almost went back and got the van but decided to take the scooter up to some of the closer hikes.

The first hike we did was called Snake Bight, it is basically a straight flat trail from the road to the ocean. We saw birds, a crab and a few snakes.  Overall it was just a good walk of 3.6 miles.

The walk came out onto the ocean, but it was low tide not much to see.

Along the path I noticed what looked like a soccer ball in the brush, but it was a mushroom, perfectly round.

On the way back June nearly gave me a coronary when she saw a snake in the trail, he did not seem too concerned about us.








After the hike we decided to head back to camp for lunch, but I saw a sign to Bear Pond, so why not take it. It was more like two wheel tracks thru the jungle for 2 miles.  So we took the scooter 4-wheeling…I mean off roading…June loved it (NOT!). When we got to the parking area for the pond it was about a 2 mile hike each way to get to the pond (another couple coming out  did not sound too enthusiastic about it)….we decided to head back to camp.

After lunch we took the Van to some of the hikes way back, 25+ miles, towards the park entrance.

Our first stop was Pa-hay-okee Overlook. This is the high point in the Everglades, they measure elevation in inches, no kidding.  It is basically a boardwalk on stilts that gives you a bit of a view of the park, 0.2 miles.

Our next stop was Mahogany Hammock which is basically another elevated walkway thru the jungle, 0.4 miles.  I now can recognize a Mahogany tree, they are huge and their limbs are huge, no wonder they make such nice furniture.

We got back to camp about 5:30PM and decided to take one more spin on the scooter before we loaded it up. We rode up to the beach north of the campground.

Again, the wind was cranking, June almost got blown away. So instead of walking the beach which is not that nice anyway, we took the Guy Bradley trail thru the underbrush. It was another good walk but not a lot to see, it came out at the visitor center and once again we had to double back, I hate that.









We took a number of short hikes today, nothing that was hard, everything here is flat, but they added up to about 8 miles of walking. When I loaded the scooter, we had put 35 miles on it, not a lot but it was pretty handy for the short trips.

Our overall impressions of the Everglades are that it is a good place to visit for a few days but unless you are into wildlife photography or kayaking, it is just flat land hiking. Our impression may be tainted by the high winds and somewhat poor weather.  It is apparent from touring this place that it has seen better times. Much of the infrastructure is in disrepair, the campground has a section that is not even mowed, it is huge but unused. I am unsure if someone had grand plans and the people never came or at one time it was a “the” place to visit, but it clearly is not now.  That being said, we do not regret in the least coming here, it is a unique part of our country and I doubt we will ever see anything like it again. The campground itself is very nice, large sites and the people were really nice.

We returned to camp for showers and adult beverages before dinner, life is good.