Florida Keys

While we were staying at the Moose Lodge in Homestead Fl. we took a day trip down the Keys. It is around 130 miles from Homestead to Key West, so we had a long day driving the Keys and back. It was a slow drive because of the speed limits and traffic. Most of the way down the speed limit was 55, 45 and 35 mph. Most was around 45 mph. You pass thru several islands (keys) as you drive to Key West. We stopped a couple times to stretch our legs and let Pepper out. It was a beautiful drive but when we got to Key West is was a mad house. Wanted to go to Margaritaville and have a drink but it was so crowded and no parking that we just came back. The roads in Key West were narrow and I had problems getting my truck around. Also it was the end of spring break so there were even more people in the area. Camping in the Keys at State Parks is reasonable but you need to plan a year in advance to get a spot. The private campgrounds if you can get in are very expensive. Up to a $100 or more per night. Crazy. Since we had to drive so slow there and back I managed to get about 25 miles per gallon on the truck. Enjoyed the trip but not something we would want to do again. We have moved twice since we were in Homestead but have not been able to post the blog in the last 2 places we were at. Will be posting some pics of Miami beach and Fort Lauderdale next. Got to catch up. We are now in Jacksonville Fl which is just south of Georgia. Weather warm, low to mid 80's and lite breeze. Not bad.

Gators and Gators and...

Spent a few days in the Everglades near the town of Everglades City. Along hwy 41 between Naples Fl and Everglades City there is a canal that runs for miles. We drove about 25 miles along on the hwy and saw around 50 alligators sunbathing in the canal. The 2 pictures of alligators laying on the bank were taken along the side of the road. We also took a tour of Shark Valley Everglades National Park. They have a 2 hr tram ride through the glades. The rest of the pictures were taken on the tour. Half way through the tour they stop for a bit and you can walk up to the observation tower and see for miles. Florida is flat so this tower is the highest thing for miles. None of the alligators are confined so you told not to get any closer than 15 ft of one and be aware of any aggressive action they might take. Needless to say I didn't test their warning. Most of the Everglades is just salt grass with some areas having water. They guess there are around 50,000 alligators in the Everglades but never have done a official count. We moved to Homestead and stayed at the Moose Lodge there. Will be putting some pictures of Miami and the Keys in the next blog. Couldn't post while in Homestead for some reason it wouldn't let me upload pictures. The biggest pain in Florida is the toll roads. Spent $16.00 driving down the east side of Florida and today spent $10.25 in 5 toll roads and only went 65 miles. But no state income tax! Know how they get their money now. Weather warm, 80-85 degrees day and 65-70 night and about 65% humidity. Not liking that part but have to put up with it until we get back out west.

Jackie's New Family

In a previous blog I posted a picture of Jackie with her brother while we were in Holt Fl. We moved to Panama City where 2 of his children live. We spent 3 nights at the Moose Lodge and had a chance to get with her brother and his family. Bobby is Jackie's half brother whom she had never met, so spending some time with him and his family was a big deal for Jackie. She was not sure how she would be received but it turned out to be a high point of our trip for her so far. The group picture includes her brother Bobby, his daughter Maureen and her family. The picture with the sheriff is Bobby and his son David. We all went to dinner one night, then Maureen had us to her home for dinner the next day. Went sailing the following day on Bobby's boat The other 2 pictures are from a rv park near Tampa. We spent a couple days there before heading to the everglades. For the next blog all I can say is Alligators. Oh, Maureen's husband Joe told a joke and it is so stupid that I cracked up and have used it. "Where does Orka come from?" "Orkahoma!". I'm laughing just writing it. Thanks Joe.

This one is for the guys.

Felt it was my obligation to remind all of those back in Nevada what they are missing. The safety meeting/morning droolers have heard of beaches and bikini's but summer in northern Nevada is fleeting and the chance of seeing anything like this is about as rare as a bigfoot sighting. Your welcome guys. We spent 3 days in Panama City visiting Jackie's family (more on that in next post) and stayed at the Moose Lodge. They had water and electricity and only a $10 donation per night. Rv parks around Panama City are pricey so this saved us about $30-40 per night. Weather has started to warm up. We are 83 degrees today but not much humility. Oh, almost forgot the building upside down is not a result of a hurricane but part of Ripley's Believe it or not. We have moved south to near Tampa and will be here for a few days. Have to have some work done one the 5th wheel front jacks. A gear drive has a broken gear so they have to order a new one. We had only planned on one night here but will be staying for 3 days now then on the everglades.

Pensacola Aviation Museum

The museum was done real well. They have an outdoor tour in a tram where they show and discuss the history of Naval airplanes. Many are actual historical planes that were used in different wars. The inside museum is huge and is in 2 buildings. The way they have is set up was fun. Up stairs you could walk around the outside edge where they had different exhibits from WWll. The museum is free but take donations. It is one of those places that you can spend more than one day walking around. Our stay in Pensacola was not the greatest. Weather was bad the whole time we were there. Saturday it rained almost 5 inches. Every time we planned on doing something it would storm. I think there was only 3-4 days of good weather the month we stayed. We would have left but had some business to take care of and sort committed our selves to stay. We moved to Panama City today and are staying at the Moose Lodge. They ask for a $10 donation per night. Panama City rv parks are $35-55 per night so the old Moose Lodge is looking good. Our plan is to stay here for 3 nights to visit some of Jackie's family then on down to Tampa area and then on to the Everglades. Will be posting more blogs now that we are out of Pensacola and the hub of tropical storms.