Thursday, February 1, 2007

This morning started out beautiful, then clouded up and started looking ugly, then cleared off to a beautiful, sunny day. So we headed out with our bikes and went to our favorite biking area. We parked at Sugarloaf Lodge and biked through the residential area to the end of the road and then onto a blocked-off section of an old county road that goes back toward Lazy Lakes. This old road is in really good shape and is maintained by someone—maybe the county. At the end of this road is another quarry lake. The whole ride is in the middle of nowhere with beautiful water on both sides. We biked for three hours total. Back home and showered again. Mike went into the pool. It’s much warmer now and looking good for the next couple of days. Earlier today the ground started shaking. The whole camper was shaking. Happened twice! Thought it was an earthquake, but turned out to be a sonic boom.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

There are some beautiful sunsets in the Keys. In Key West everyone gathers at Mallory Square right on the water and watches the sun set. Everyone applauds after the sun goes down, and then everyone heads to the bars to drink. You gotta love Key West.

Went into Key West this morning and did our laundry. $5 to wash! Only went in there so we could use the big machine to wash our bed spread and blanket. Met a nice couple in there from Jacksonville, FL, who have their RV at the Naval Air Station campground for $12 a night. They have no hook-ups, but in a motor home you really don’t need them. They can walk to Mallory Square in 10 minutes. He gave us some good tips on Direct TV which we may do before heading to Mexico. After finishing the laundry we drove into Old Town and had dinner at Crabby Dicks on Duval. I had steak and lobster tail and Mike had oysters on the half shell to start (yuk) and buffalo shrimp for dinner. Tried to eat outside on the deck but it was too windy. Back home.

A beautiful sunrise this morning. But went downhill after that. Supposed to be very cool today—high 60s. Colder tonight. Brrrrr. Mike went for donuts at the clubhouse this morning. I had scrambled eggs, broccoli, and watermelon. Am I good or what? On the computer for about an hour practicing my Spanish. Then we made a reservation at the Wave Hotel in South Beach for March 8 and 9. We leave the Keys on the 7th of March and then will stay at a National Forest campground in the Everglades. From there we’ll pack a bag and head to South Beach for a couple of days. Should be fun. After that we made reservations at Johnathan Dickson SP in Jupiter, FL. Mike went and played shoes. We had wonderful, thick pork chops, fried potatoes, broccoli, and apple sauce for dinner tonight.

On the computer again this morning to upload some pictures from my camera to the computer. Got those organized and then played some spades for a while. Vacuumed and mopped the floors since it’s a grey, windy day out there today. The wind is incredible. Watched a couple of movies on TV. Talked with Ron and Jan on the phone. Had left-over pork roast, mashed sweet potatoes, and broccoli for dinner. Watched the SAG awards.

On the computer again this morning. Played spades for a while. Then after Mike got up I showered and washed my hair. Buzzed Mike’s head and then he took his shower. Then we took the bikes and drove over to the Key Deer Museum on Big Pine Key, but it was closed. Decided to go to the No Name Pub on No Name Key, but there was an hour-and-a-half wait so we went back and had pizza at Pizza Works. Then we took the bikes down on the bike path by the blue hole and biked all the way to the end of the road. Saw a couple of Key Deer. Then drove around the residential area down there. Sky started looking threatening so we headed back. Stopped at the blue hole. A couple of women were there we passed in the residential area. One of the women was 84 years old! And bikes every day. Her daughter was with her. Says she has a hard time keeping up with her. So there’s hope for us I guess. Would like to be able to stay that active into my 80s. Back home and ran into Andy. Told them to stop by for a couple of drinks tonight if they wanted to. Ann stopped by while walking her dogs. They’re going to the tiki bar at the KOA tonight to hear Bahama Jack play. We just may go over there. Poor Mike, he just hates to dance.

Several people we have met in our travels have suggested I start a blog, so I'm trying to do that today. We're currently down in the Keys. We're at Lazy Lakes Campground on Sugarloaf Key--about 19 miles north of Key West. Now, a lot of people would stick up their noses at this campground, but we feel it's the best deal in the Keys. The restrooms/showers house could use some upgrades, but the sites are big compared to other campgrounds in the area, the pool is heated, and the people are great. It's on a 6-acre lake. But, the place has been sold, so we're not sure what the future holds. We arrived here on December 30 and have had really great weather. A cold front has moved through the area and today is cool and windy. Supposed to be warm again by Friday.