Woohoo! We have WiFi again, finally, here in Huntsville, AL. I
know it has been a while since the blog has been updated, but we have been out
enjoying everything the southeastern U.S. has to offer our motley crew.
We left the Everglades and spent a glorious nine days in Key West,
but nor before the kiddos got their next Junior Ranger badge at Biscayne
National Park. If you've never been to Key West, I highly recommend it with a
few caveats. The beaches are just okay. Because it is essentially the tip of a
coral reef forming an island, the beaches are coral for the most part, although
there are some places that they bring white sand in and deposit it on the shore
periodically, the fact is, the beach is still mostly coral. But... it is so
beautiful and there is so much to do, that nobody cares! We certainly didn't
care.
The beach at Zachary Taylor Park
Didn't mind the sand over coral
Loved walking on the rocks
During our short stay (longer than we have stayed elsewhere), we
went snorkeling, swimming, exploring and touring. Our list of some
not-to-be-missed places to go include the EcoDiscovery Center (which
is FREE!), the Conch Train or trolley, Mallory Square in the evening for sunset, and a
snorkeling tour on one of the boats (we used Sunset Water Tours, purchased at the base ITT office).
The EcoDiscovery Center has a great overview of the ecosystem that
envelops Key West and the rest of the Florida Keys. They have samples of the
corals and anemone and even a few of the fish and crabs residing in the area.
There is a great exhibit that shows what people can see if they SCUBA in the
area, and different views of the reefs surrounding the Keys. There is also
information on invasive species that are destroying the reefs, including the
impact we humans are making. The kids would have spent the whole day there, if
not for an unfortunate occurrence. We were there on a week day with very few
people, until four classes of fourth graders arrived. Yikes.
The Conch Train was a great way for us to see much of the island
without having to worry about parking, which is an issue in Key West. It is
typical of informational tours in any town, but it was perfect for us,
particularly since kids ride FREE. We got to see the southern most point in the
U.S., the beginning and end of Highway 1, and were introduced to the Sunset
Celebration.
Because, ice cream
End of the road
Or is it the beginning?
Mallory Square we visited the next to last night we were in town,
and I was sad that we waited so long, as I'd love to go there every night, if
we were to go back. Also known as the Sunset Celebration, Mallory Square is a
place where jugglers, uni-cyclists, and other street performers show their
stuff. You can buy a coconut, and drink the water and eat the raw coconut from
the inside. And you can people watch. Oh, and there is also an unbelievable
view of the sunset over the water.
This guy is famous - Will has been in this spot for YEARS
Pretty lithe for an old dude
Kind of amazing juggling while on that wire
Sunset the first time we went
Blue was also pretty cool to watch, so much so we came back a second night
Sunset
This yacht was in the harbor, complete with helicopter on board
We joked that it was our ride
Um, yes we had to have ice cream on our way out
Sunset night two
Watching the sun set and contemplating life
Not too sure about the coconut
Watching Blue again
He needed help getting back down
The highlight of our time in the Keys was a snorkeling trip with
friends we met the first night we were in town. We met up early Sunday morning
and took a boat out to the reefs, where I bribed, threatened and cajoled the
kids into going into the water. B wasn't a fan and hightailed it back to the
boat rather quickly after at least sticking her mask in the water, but C and K
were off, well, like fish in water. H was a little harder, he HATED the mask and
snorkel, and it wasn't until the next day swimming in the water that I realized why he hated it - when he swims, he
curls his top lip up to cover the bottom of his nose, and block water from
getting in. With the mask on, he couldn't do it and it cared him. I think if we were to go
again, I'd bring his regular goggles and a nose plug with the snorkel or
something. He loves the water and I was so sad he didn't want to try this.
Getting ready to snorkel
Loved the idea of the snorkel
Some other things that were amazing about Key West - the base pool with four small slides, a series of floating islands anchored to the ground on which to climb and a climbing wall that allows you to tap the board at the top then jump off into the pool. Also, the RV park at Sigsbee (on base) has spots called Hollywood, which are right on the water. I made the boys sleep on the folded out dinette while we were there so we didn't have to drop their bed and block our view! The front curtains were open the whole time we were there.
But, as with all good things, this too had to end, and we headed
out of the Keys and back to the mainland. Patrick AFB was up next, and the
Manatee Cove RV Park, where on the very first evening, the kids saw manatees! We also went to Canaveral National Seashore, and swam in the ocean the temperature of bathwater and floated in amazing waves and it was probably one of my favorite beach experiences ever. The kids and I enjoyed it so much! Another wonderful thing at Patrick AFB was free bowling for RV park patrons one of the mornings we happened to be there. It was fun to go bowl with the monkeys and not pay a dime.
Before we realized the goldmine we found
C is ready for a great day out
Seashells
Brothers
Great beach - amazing!
Canaveral National Park is a national treasure, for sure
B rocking the bowling shoes
H is really working on his form
Sunset over Cocoa Beach, Patrick AFB
Amazing sky
While this does not catch us up to date, I'm going to break here. I'll be back...
