Wandering Wahls

Our trip is turning out to be a way to attract relatives to come see us, which we had hoped for. We’ve had my dad and Mary Claire’s sister. Last week, though, her brother Dan and his wife, Victoria, no-noticed us with a call from their home California and asked what we were doing in two days and how close we were to an airport. Victoria had the week off and Dan was ready to take vacation leave so they could join us in Florida. We were just finishing up the bird festival, so we had them look at the Miami area. Two nights later we were pulling into the Ft. Lauderdale airport and introducing them to RV life.

Their visit was great for us, because it allowed us to return to the Keys and Everglades National Park. Dan is knowledgeable about wildlife, so the visit was good for the kids as he helped teach them about the wildlife and habitats in south Florida. We snorkeled in the Keys again, ate conch in Key West (we can’t diminish the culinary aspect of education for the kids), and toured the Everglades looking for birds, panthers, pythons, manatees, crocs, gators, and turtles (we missed the pythons and panthers, unfortunately).

The highlight of the trip though was night’s stay at Curry Hammock State Park on Marathon Island in the Keys. Florida has excellent state parks (well-maintained and informative), but Curry Hammock was exceptional. We camped on the beach and had a setting that we thought we’d only see in ads — a pristine campsite and beautiful blue water just steps from the RV. If you’re looking for a campground to visit for a holiday, with or without an RV, consider Curry Hammock. Then head up the road to Key West NAS for stay at Key West.

Found it — Grassy Key, 59 miles north of Key West, Fla. That was a little Florida Key Humor (OK, very little, I admit).

Anyway, we went from dry-docking at Trumbo Point NAS (part of Key West NAS) at mile marker 0 to full hook-ups at mile marker 59 at the Jolly Roger RV Park, matey. The winds and weather were against us Saturday and Sunday for attempting a snorkeling trip. But, on Monday, the weather cooperated as we were heading out and leaving the Keys. We stopped at the State Park, hopped on the snorkel boat trip (5 miles to the protected reef). The sun was good, visibility at 40 feet, water at 72 degrees, but the swells were 1 to 2 feet with a strong current, so we had to work. The kids did great on their first snorkel adventure and had a great time. We now have a complete snorkeling family!

If you get down to southern Florida, do visit the Everglades National Park (camp at Flamingo, the isolated southern part of the park), and do go to the Keys, especially for the snorkeling. Snorkeling in the Keys wasn’t as good as what we had when we lived in Okinawa, but it was pretty darn good — and well worth a trip. The snorkel trip from Pennekamp will rent all equipment at a fair price.

Also, as you drive near mile marker 29 or so, look for Herbie’s. It’s a little shack with great food (why do shacks have the best food). The fish was fresh and the Key Lime pie homemade (and the best we had in the Keys)!

Next stop, the Space Coast for a birding and wildlife festival.

Following Jimmy Buffets advice, the “Wahlstar” hightailed it to Florida a month ago in search of warm weather. Today, we are in Key West — the southernmost tip of the U.S., Mile Marker 0, palm trees, reefs, beaches, and closer to Cuba than Miami. Ah, the warm weather. Except that our luck must have been left in storage. Outside the RV, the winds are blustery and the temperature is in the 60s. So much for beach and snorkeling weather, eh?

Our stay is good, though, even with the weather. We’re at Trumbo Point NAS for $12 a night, dry-docking it on the grass fields (with a great group of fellow retirees). We have easy access out of the back gate to bike to town. And the town is great to bike through and enjoy the local sites (the Audubon House, Hemingway’s House, and the original Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville store — I think this is the 4th original one I’ve seen, though). We had breakfast at Blue Heaven, where Hemingway used to referee boxing matches in the courtyard. It’s got good food, but it’s overrated (and a little aloof), if you ever visit. Overall, Key West is a great spot to relax, especially after a hard morning of road-schooling.

We’re off Saturday for a Key closer to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to attempt to snorkel a bit there.

As I write this, my family and I are dry-dock camping (no hook-ups for water, electricity, or sewage) in one of the Big Cypress National Preserve RV campgrounds. Big Cypress is in south Florida, adjacent to Everglades National Park and in the middle of gator and croc country! After a two-hour delay that caused us to arrive here in the dark, we got a bit lost. We finally found the park and are parked in the dark and rain while setting up for dinner. My youngest is putting his head outside the window using his flashlight to look for gators (we’re parked next to a lake). Guess what he found: An alligator swimming toward the RV and right at the light from Sam’s flashlight. All we see are two green eyes moving along the water top. I don’t think I’ll be taking the garbage out tonight.

Anyway, Florida is very nice. We’ve seen the Space Coast and stayed at Patrick, Eglin, and MacDill AFBs. We just spent a lovely three nights at Fort Desoto Park with a spot on the water. The park is beautiful, and we were able to visit its beach that was voted No. 1 in the U.S. in 2005. In between watching the birds and swimming in the Gulf, we met a family visiting from Germany. They had two children, eight and 11 years old, so our kids were able to speak German with them and play with kids their age, instead of adults who don’t know how to turn on a Gameboy. We also went to eat sloppy Joes at the infamous Sloppy Joes. (They were good, but mine are better.)

After a few days in the Everglades National Park, we’re going to head to the Keys for about a week. We hope to stay at the Navy’s RV camp in Key West or one of the state’s parks in the Keys, but we’ll be competing with snow-birding retirees.

Now, time to take the garbage out …