The Trip Continues for Greg

I (Betsy) arrived safely home almost a week ago and am back at work. Believe it or not, the weather folk are talking about another big snow storm up in Minnesota early next week. It's enough to make me wish I was back in the Keys.

Well, Greg still is - after I left, he soloed it for about five more nights at Long Key State Park and then moved to Curry Hammock State Park on Tuesday. Curry Hammock is located near Marathon in the Keys.

Yesterday, Greg's friends from high school (Scott, Lars and Mark) arrived to spend about five days with him. Last night they ate dinner in the motor home and watched a James Bond movie.

This morning, they cooked breakfast outside (french toast and pancakes), did a little grocery shopping, hung out at Curry State Park, went out to dinner at a restaurant called The Wreck, and played cards (500).

Since I took our camera home, they are having to rely on sending me photos on their cell phones (photo quality is not as good), but they want their family and friends to keep up with what they are doing.

The Downside to Paradise

This unfortunate side affect to our time in the Keys has been building for days, and now has climaxed to the point that I've spent two sleepless nights with unbearable itching!

I finally have been doing some research to see what I'm been bitten by, and why the bites don't seem to get any better - only worse!

It appears that I am covered with bites from the infamous Florida "No see ums" - something the travel agent won't tell you about, but sites like Trip Advisor does. It also appears that I've done just about everything wrong as far as preventing the bites. I've been out at sunrise and sunset looking at the beautiful sky; I've been wearing flip flops; I've not been wearing bug spray with Deet; etc. I also learned that unlike mosquito bites, bites from no see ums can last (and itch like crazy) for weeks.

So this morning I biked to Layton and spent money on buying Benadryl, a spray with Lidocaine, etc. to try and treat myself. I don't think I've ever experienced anything that itches quite this bad . . .believe me, next time, I will be better prepared with some prevention practices!!

In spite of it all, I'm still glad to have witnessed the glorious sunrises and sunsets each night. They will remain in my memories long after the itching stops! I'm just hoping the cold weather I hear that Minneapolis is expecting tomorrow ( I fly back tomorrow) will help shrink the ugly welts I have all over my body!

Snorkeling in Bahia Honda State Park

Yesterday, we made the trip to Bahia Honda State Park again to go snorkeling. When we arrived, we learned the visibility was slightly better than the day before - 12 feet instead of 10 feet.

We took a  45 minute boat ride out to the reef and then got to snorkel for about an hour and a half. While we certainly saw lots of fish, the water wasn't as clear as other times we have gone.

The other thing that was different is that our captain stood perched on the deck keeping the look out for floating Man of Wars. If he saw one, he would blast on his horn three times  - that was our cue to put our heads up and see where the Man of War was so we could avoid being in that area.

It did seem like he kept blasting his horn a lot, so it wasn't quite as relaxing as previous trips. He made a big point of the fact that you wouldn't want to get stung by one of the Man of Wars!

The Beauty of the Early Mornings

I've always been a morning person, so I've enjoyed waking up, making a pot of coffee and going out to watch the sun rise. Over the course of the week we've been here, the tide has changed each day. At first, the tide was in when the sun was rising. The last few days, the tide has been out at the crack of dawn. With the low tide, there are all kinds of birds walking through the tidal pools searching for "good eats."

I am so thankful to have had this chance to be here in this beautiful spot. For me, being outdoors in nature is so peaceful and I feel God's presence in my life. I feel recharged and replenished as I begin to anticipate returning to Minnesota!

An Afternoon at Bahia Honda State Park

We left our campground at about 11:00 a.m. to go to Bahia Honda State Park that is about 30 miles further southwest down the Keys. We had signed up to go snorkeling at 1:30 p.m. When we arrived, the young man at the dive shop told us that due to the winds the day before, the visibility was only about 10 feet. So after debating whether or not we should go, we decided to postpone the snorkeling until the next day. We figured we wanted to have the best chance to see as many fish as possible, and the young man thought that by tomorrow, the conditions would be better.

Since we were already at Bahia Honda, we decided to spend some time biking around the park including going to the beach the was about 3 miles away from the dive shop. Our "grocery cart" converted into a "beach cart" making it really easy to haul mats, towels, books, etc. down to the beach.

The beach was beautiful and we enjoyed reading as well as going into the water to cool off.

A Morning Out on the Water

We decided since the high tide was at 10:30 a.m this morning, we would spend time out on the water. I went out in the kayak and was able to get pictures of Greg using the wind surfer. There was a nice breeze today, so he tried the larger sail.

We had to watch ourselves walking out the wind surfer and the kayak due to the large number of man of wars that were pushed into shore by the south breeze. We've heard the stings really hurt!

A Trip to Key West

Yesterday, we drove to Key West. Even though it is only about 67 miles away, it takes a couple of hours due to the fact that there is a lot of traffic and you travel on a two-lane highway the entire way there.

Once we arrived, we were able to park a ways out from the historic part of Key West and then ride our bikes down to the old part of the city.

It was fun to see all the people - a huge cruise ship was docked at Mallory Square where everyone goes to watch the sunsets. If you like to eat, drink and shop, then Key West has something for you.

We poked around the historic part of the city reading about the history of Key West - of course, fishing is a huge part of the history.

We also went to see President Truman's Little White House. It was interesting to learn more about Truman as well as learn about how other modern Presidents have used this location for meetings and/or retreats. The houses around the Little White House are beautiful, too.

We spent some time down at Mallory Square and had a "Key Lime Pie on stick" - a piece of Key Lime Pie that was dipped in chocolate and then frozen. Delicious!!